Genius Playground

Jiang Ran picked up a screwdriver and prepared to disassemble the Positron Cannon.

Before the worldline changed, Qin Feng spent his days tinkering with this thing, constantly taking it apart and modifying it.

Out of sheer boredom, Jiang Ran would often stand by and watch. He asked whatever questions came to mind, and Qin Feng would patiently explain everything to him.

He was now incredibly grateful for his past curiosity. Otherwise, facing this situation all alone, he truly wouldn’t have known where to start.

The Positron Cannon’s structure could be roughly divided into internal and external parts.

The internal part was mainly the core component: the CRT display tube. In theory, it was a sealed vacuum unit. It couldn’t be taken apart, and he didn’t dare try. It was best left alone.

The external part, on the other hand, was much simpler, consisting of some power supply modules and control circuits. Qin Feng had always been the one tinkering with this part of the device, and all the related components were purchased from Old Qi’s Home Appliance Repair Shop.

Of course.

While the circuit controls sounded and looked simple, they were actually quite difficult to operate.

Being cautious, Jiang Ran didn’t plan to dive right in.

He planned to spend this time systematically studying the basics of display tubes, circuit boards, and capacitors. Only after he had a thorough grasp of everything would he begin to repair the Positron Cannon.

This thing was too precious. He didn’t want a moment of carelessness to cause the Positron Cannon to blow up... It would be too late for regrets then, with no second chances in sight.

Working from memory, he carefully removed the Positron Cannon’s outer casing.

As expected of a device from twenty years ago, all the components were bulky and the use of space was extremely inefficient.

’This must be the burnt-out power supply module.’

Jiang Ran took out the circuit board, which reeked of something burnt. On it was a black, hardened lump—undoubtedly the fried capacitor.

Fixing this part wouldn’t be difficult.

He just needed to remove the circuit board, take it to Old Qi’s Home Appliance Repair Shop, and have the owner provide a replacement with the same specifications.

According to Qin Feng, the owner, a man known as "Old Qi," was exceptionally skilled. He had specialized in repairing old home appliances for over thirty years and was a living fossil in a field that society was gradually leaving behind.

’The most difficult part will be calibrating the Beam Converger.’

By default, the Positron Cannon could only send messages three days into the past. Only by increasing the strength of the Beam Converger could a Time SMS be sent further back.

Cheng Mengxue had died two years ago.

To save her, he had to send a Time SMS two years into the past.

Therefore, learning about the Beam Converger would be Jiang Ran’s main focus in the coming days.

As for the LCD control panel with the knob, he could also just buy it at Old Qi’s Home Appliance Repair Shop.

’Thank goodness for Old Qi. Thanks to his dedication to his old appliance business, I can get everything I need in one stop.’

Finally.

It was time to remove the top panel of the Positron Cannon.

This was what worried Jiang Ran the most.

’That obvious dent on top... Please, don’t let it have damaged the core components inside...’

’Please be okay, please be okay.’

Heart pounding, he cautiously undid the screws, lifted the top panel, and peered at the CRT display tube inside.

He checked it carefully twice.

’It looks... like there’s no external damage.’

Jiang Ran couldn’t be certain, but at least from the outside, the core component—the display tube—showed no signs of damage.

*Phew...*

He let out a sigh of relief.

As a great weight lifted from his chest, the exhaustion from the past few days washed over him. Jiang Ran leaned back and stretched out on the sofa.

Silence.

Even with the faint sounds of people talking and laughing in the hallway outside.

But he still felt that this activity room was far too quiet.

How he missed the days when the three of them filled this room with their playful bickering...

A quote he had once read suddenly resonated deep within him:

"We never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory."

"They will come back."

Jiang Ran opened his eyes.

"I’ll get back everything I’ve lost."

Including Cheng Mengxue.

Including Qin Feng.

And including all the wonderful times they once had here.

He sat up, went back to the small blackboard, and began to outline his plan with a piece of chalk—

1. Repair the Positron Cannon as soon as possible, send another Time SMS, and save Cheng Mengxue.

2. After saving Cheng Mengxue, find Qin Feng, figure out what happened to him, and uncover the secrets he was hiding.

3. Do whatever it takes to reclaim everything he had lost and make the worldline jump back to how it was originally.

"Back to how it was originally."

He murmured, staring at those last words.

’If a worldline can jump from A to B, then logically, it should be able to jump back from B to A.’

’There had to be a way.’

He just had to correct the course of history.

The original worldline...

Jiang Ran blinked.

That was the worldline where the three of them had been inseparable, where everything was happy and good. Even with the occasional arguments and friction, it was the worldline Jiang Ran desperately wanted to return to.

"World Line 0."

He said, writing the three words on the small blackboard.

That’s right.

The three-step strategy he had just written down, and all his efforts up to this point, shared the same ultimate goal—

Return to World Line 0!

If the original worldline was called World Line 0.

Then this current, unsatisfactory worldline would naturally be... World Line 1.

This description was clear and simple.

Jiang Ran drew an arrow on the blackboard, pointing from World Line 1 to World Line 0.

A deliberate Worldline Jump with a specific destination was bound to be incredibly difficult, but that didn’t matter. He would keep his promise to his friends and bring them both back, leaving no one behind.

"Alright, that should do it."

He stood up, packed the Positron Cannon away in a cardboard box, and pushed it into a corner.

Then he used an eraser to wipe the blackboard clean. He couldn’t let Chi Xiaoguo see it; it would be too hard to explain.

He dusted the chalk from his hands.

He gave the activity room one last look.

He locked the door and left.

...

"You’re treating me to dinner!"

The moment he got back to the East Sea College of International Trade and Economics, Wang Hao came at him like a human cannonball.

"And make it snappy!"

"Why?" Jiang Ran asked.

"You have the nerve to ask!"

Wang Hao scoffed.

"Do you have any idea how hard it’s been covering for you with Xiuxiu these past two days?"

"You just disappear, not answering your phone, not replying to messages. Xiuxiu has been calling me every single day asking what you’re up to."

"I’ve been racking my brain trying to come up with excuses for you! Don’t you think that earns me a barbecue dinner?!"

He had a point.

Jiang Ran knew, of course. He had dozens of missed calls and unread messages on his phone, all from Nan Xiuxiu. He hadn’t replied to a single one.

He simply didn’t know how to respond.

Perhaps Nan Xiuxiu was very close to him and, as Wang Hao said, had been with him through two years of depression. But from Jiang Ran’s perspective, he didn’t really know her at all. She was no different from a stranger.

In fact...

As far as Jiang Ran’s current plan was concerned, a girlfriend like Nan Xiuxiu was nothing but a complete and utter liability.

"Fine. Where are we eating?"

He understood Wang Hao’s predicament. He owed him one, so he had to pay for this meal.

"Let’s go to the usual spot."

Jiang Ran said helplessly,

"And where is the usual spot?"

It wasn’t his fault; he genuinely had no idea where the "usual spot" Wang Hao was talking about was.

"Ugh, stop dragging your feet! I’ll call a car."

With that, Wang Hao took out his phone and started ordering a ride.

"Oh, right."

He looked up.

"The May Day holiday starts the day after tomorrow. Want to come back to my hometown with me?"

"Back to Hang City? I’ll pass."

Jiang Ran shook his head.

He wanted to fix the Positron Cannon as soon as possible. He was planning to go to the library in the next few days to borrow some old books and seriously study display tubes and beam convergers.

"Summer break is in two months. Why are you going back for the May Day holiday?"

Wang Hao didn’t say anything.

He pulled out a cigarette.

Lit it.

And exhaled a cloud of smoke.

"We didn’t go back for the Qingming Festival in April. In June, we have exams and a bunch of other stuff, so we won’t have time to go home then either. That’s why we have to go back during the May Day holiday."

"Going back at this time of year... what else do you think I’d be doing?"

Wang Hao glanced over, his eyes full of meaning as he looked at Jiang Ran.

"...To visit Cheng Mengxue’s grave."