Jiang Ran picked up a screwdriver and prepared to take apart the Positron Cannon.
Before the worldline changed, Qin Feng had spent every day tinkering with this thing, taking it apart and modifying it over and over.
Bored, Jiang Ran had often stood nearby and watched, asking questions whenever something puzzled him. Qin Feng had patiently explained everything.
Now, he was incredibly grateful for his earlier curiosity... Otherwise, facing this situation alone, he really wouldn't have known where to start.
The Positron Cannon's structure could roughly be divided into inner and outer parts.
The inner part was mainly the core component: the CRT. In theory, it was a sealed vacuum unit. It couldn't be taken apart, and no one would dare to try. It was best not to touch it.
The outer part was much simpler: a few power modules and control circuits. Qin Feng had always tinkered with this equipment, and all the related parts had come from Old Qi's Home Appliance Repair Shop.
Of course.
The circuit controls sounded and looked simple, but actually working on them was still somewhat difficult.
Being cautious, Jiang Ran didn't plan to dive straight in.
For now, he intended to systematically study the basics of CRTs, circuit boards, and capacitors. Once he'd figured everything out, he would start repairing the Positron Cannon.
This thing was so precious. He didn't want to destroy it with one careless mistake... Then he'd have nowhere to cry and no chance to undo his regret.
Following his memories,
he carefully removed the Positron Cannon's outer casing.
It was no wonder it was an old piece of equipment from twenty years ago. All the components were huge, and the use of space was extremely inefficient.
"This is the burnt-out power module."
Jiang Ran took out the circuit board, which smelled scorched. A lump of black, hardened material sat on it. There was no need to say more: this was the capacitor that had burned out.
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 ask the owner for a replacement of the same specifications.
According to Qin Feng, the owner, Old Qi, was exceptionally skilled. He'd specialized in repairing old appliances for over thirty years, making him something of a living fossil expert in a field society was gradually leaving behind.
"The hardest part is tuning the [buncher]."
By default, the Positron Cannon could only send messages three days into the past. Only by increasing the buncher's intensity could it send Spacetime Bulletins farther back in time.
Cheng Mengxue had died two years ago.
To bring her back to life, he had to send a Spacetime Bulletin two years into the past.
So learning about the buncher was what Jiang Ran needed to focus on in the days ahead.
As for the LCD knob control panel, he could also buy a replacement at Old Qi's Home Appliance Repair Shop.
He had Old Qi to thank. It was only because of his dedication to the old-appliance repair business that Jiang Ran could get everything he needed in one place.
Finally,
he had to remove the Positron Cannon's top cover.
This was what worried Jiang Ran most.
He just hoped that the obvious dent on top hadn't smashed the core components inside...
Please, please.
With trembling hands and a pounding heart, he unscrewed the bolts, lifted off the top cover, and looked at the CRT inside.
He examined it carefully twice.
"It looks like there's no external damage."
Jiang Ran wasn't sure, but at least the CRT, the core component, showed no visible signs of damage.
"Phew..."
He let out a breath of relief.
With the weight lifted from his shoulders, the exhaustion that had built up over the past few days washed over him. Jiang Ran lay back on the sofa.
Silence.
Even though people were chatting in twos and threes in the hallway outside,
the activity room still felt far too quiet.
How he missed the three of them fooling around and bickering in here...
He suddenly felt the truth of a sentence he'd once read:
[We cannot know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory.]
"They'll 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 beautiful things that had once happened here.
He sat up and returned to the small blackboard, using chalk to lay out his next steps—
1. Repair the Positron Cannon as soon as possible, send another Spacetime Bulletin, and bring Cheng Mengxue back to life.
2. After bringing Cheng Mengxue back, search for Qin Feng and find out what had happened to him, as well as the secret he was hiding.
3. Make up for everything he'd lost as much as possible and make the worldline jump back to how it was originally.
"How it was originally."
He murmured the last few words.
If the worldline could jump from A to B, then surely it could jump back from B to A.
There had to be a way.
All he had to do was correct the course of history.
The original worldline...
Jiang Ran blinked.
It was the worldline where the three of them had been inseparable, happy together. They still argued and rubbed each other the wrong way, but it was the worldline Jiang Ran wanted most to return to.
"[Line 0]."
As he spoke, he wrote the words on the small blackboard.
That was right.
The three-step plan he'd just written, and all his efforts so far, shared the same goal and destination—
[Return to Line 0!]
If the original worldline was called Line 0,
then this unsatisfactory worldline had to be... Line 1.
That made things clear.
Jiang Ran drew an arrow on the small blackboard, pointing from Line 1 to Line 0.
A deliberate worldline jump with a clear goal and direction would surely be difficult. But that was all right. He would fulfill his promise to the two of them and bring them both back, without leaving anyone behind.
"All right, that's it."
He stood up, put the Positron Cannon away in its cardboard box, and pushed it into the corner.
Then he wiped the small blackboard clean with an eraser, in case Chi Xiaoguo saw it. It would be hard to explain.
He dusted the chalk off his hands.
Then he took one last look around the activity room.
He locked the door and left.
"Treat me to a meal!"
As soon as Jiang Ran got back to Donghai Vocational College of Foreign Economy and Trade, Wang Hao barreled into him like a human cannonball.
"Come on, hurry up!"
"Why?" Jiang Ran asked.
"And you have the nerve to ask!"
Wang Hao scoffed.
"Do you know how hard it's been to keep Xiuxiu in the dark for you these past two days?"
"You've been ignoring your calls and not replying on WeChat. Xiuxiu calls me every day to ask what you're up to."
"I've practically burned through all my brain cells coming up with excuses to cover for you! Don't you think you should treat me to barbecue?"
Fair enough.
Jiang Ran knew he had dozens of missed calls and unread messages on his phone, all from Nan Xiuxiu. He hadn't replied to any of them.
He had no idea what to say.
Maybe Nan Xiuxiu was close to him and, as Wang Hao had said, had stayed by his side through two years of depression. But from Jiang Ran's perspective, he barely knew her. She was no different from a stranger.
What's more...
As far as the plan Jiang Ran was carrying out went, a girlfriend like Nan Xiuxiu was nothing but a complete burden.
"Fine. Where are we eating?"
He understood Wang Hao's predicament. Since Wang Hao had helped him out, Jiang Ran could hardly refuse to treat him.
"Let's go to our usual place."
Jiang Ran sighed.
"Where's that?"
It wasn't his fault. He really didn't know what Wang Hao meant by "our usual place."
"Come on, quit dawdling! I'll call us a car."
As he spoke, Wang Hao pulled out his phone and started booking a ride.
"Oh, right."
He looked up.
"May Day break starts the day after tomorrow. Want to come back to my hometown with me?"
"Back to Hangzhou? I'll pass."
Jiang Ran shook his head.
He wanted to repair the Positron Cannon as soon as possible. Over the next few days, he planned to borrow some old books from the library and study CRTs and bunchers carefully.
"Summer break's only a couple of months away. Why go back for May Day?"
Wang Hao didn't answer.
He took out a cigarette,
lit it,
and exhaled a cloud of smoke.
"We didn't go back for Qingming Festival in April. In June, we'll have exams and a bunch of other things to deal with, so we won't have time to go home then either. That leaves the May Day break."
"At a time like this, what else do you think I could be going home for?"
Wang Hao glanced sideways at Jiang Ran, his gaze meaningful.
"...To visit Cheng Mengxue's grave."
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