Time Capsule

Mars?

Jiang Xingye was on Mars?

"Fire fell from the sky; Yinghuo shone beyond the shore." Yinghuo referred to Mars.

Was she really a member of that so-called "Planetary Reincarnation" organization?

So this was why she had been able to predict the apocalypse?

That was right. This so-called "Planetary Reincarnation" organization most likely was not some cult at all.

They had truly seen the apocalypse. It was just that perhaps they lacked sufficient evidence to deduce and prove its existence.

Well, damn...

The boss he knew so well was actually capable of something that huge?

Lin Xu opened his eyes, rubbed his temples, and sat down before his computer. He added two new clues to the document.

[The Planetary Reincarnation organization predicted the arrival of the apocalypse]

[Jiang Xingye is a core member of the Planetary Reincarnation organization. She is on Mars (unconfirmed)]

As for the answer that man had given in the final moments of his life, Lin Xu found it both believable and unbelievable.

It was not because dying men spoke kindly. Mainly, when he heard the answer "Mars," Lin Xu suddenly realized that the Jiang Xingye in the holographic projection had indeed seemed a little off.

Her hair had been floating.

Not just her hair—her entire body had appeared to be suspended in midair.

At the time, he had thought it was some kind of display bug. But now that he thought about it...

She really had been in space.

But clearly, she had not yet reached Mars.

Maybe she had been on her way to Mars?

Things were getting more and more complicated.

Lin Xu checked the time. It was already five in the afternoon, nearly dinner time.

In this world, he had dinner plans with Jiang Xingye too.

...But thinking about it was a little awkward.

If the world inside the bracelet represented the future, then Jiang Xingye was his future ex-wife.

To be fair, whether it was a future girlfriend or a future wife, he knew how to get along with them.

But a future ex-wife?

That was a little beyond the syllabus...

After changing clothes and tidying himself up, Lin Xu sent Jiang Xingye a message.

A few minutes later, they met downstairs and headed straight to a hotpot restaurant for dinner.

There was not a single unnecessary word throughout the process. They acted like they had been starving, ordering dishes as soon as they arrived and digging in as soon as they finished ordering. Only after they had eaten themselves completely stuffed did they finally put down their chopsticks and begin their first meaningful conversation in two hours.

"I'm full."

Jiang Xingye rubbed her stomach as she spoke.

"The beef here is pretty good. It's not lab-grown meat."

"It really is."

Lin Xu kept sneaking glances at Jiang Xingye. Noticing his gaze, she asked curiously,

"What are you looking at me for? You've been giving me that look since we came out. What, is there something you want to ask?"

...There were way too many things he wanted to ask her.

Lin Xu grumbled inwardly.

Who are you?

You're my future ex-wife, a core figure in a mysterious organization, the prime suspect whose very name cannot be mentioned without triggering an alarm and drawing a military investigation, and quite possibly one of the first Mars colonists!

Honestly, who wouldn't have a bellyful of questions when facing someone like that?

But not one of those questions could be asked.

Lin Xu sighed inwardly. After pondering for a moment, he probed indirectly.

"It's nothing much. I just suddenly thought of something today."

"People in our line of work have a pretty high chance of becoming big shots someday, right?"

"Maybe one day, if you do well enough, the state will recruit you. Then I'll only be able to see you on the news."

"You're thinking pretty far ahead..."

Jiang Xingye looked at Lin Xu with amusement.

"What's wrong? Feeling the pressure already? Think you can't manage without me watching over you?"

"This is only the beginning. Sooner or later, you'll have to stand on your own."

"You're still young. Take things slowly..."

"You make it sound like you're so much older."

Lin Xu could not help rolling his eyes.

He had actually wanted to test whether Jiang Xingye had any plans to leave Skyvault Technology, but her answer had been utterly watertight. She was truly a seasoned workplace veteran.

I might as well ask directly!

I've established myself as a workplace newbie anyway. Asking wouldn't make her dislike me that much.

"Actually, I just wanted to ask—are you planning to switch jobs?"

"You're so capable. You'd probably be wanted anywhere, right?"

"That's true, but..."

Jiang Xingye waved over a waiter and, ignoring Lin Xu's attempt to stop her, scanned the payment code herself. Then she continued,

"But changing jobs isn't that easy. Our non-compete clause is too strict."

"Unless I change industries entirely, there would be a lot of trouble."

"So I'm not planning to leave anytime soon—there's actually good room for growth here. If the next round of investment goes through, Skyvault Technology might take a huge step forward."

"I see."

Lin Xu fell into thought.

So Jiang Xingye would remain at Skyvault Technology for a while longer.

Later, there must have been some kind of turning point that made her leave Skyvault Technology.

Or perhaps she had been an employee of Skyvault Technology from beginning to end.

That did not seem to conflict with her joining the Planetary Reincarnation organization, did it?

Hmm, the latter seemed more likely.

After all, judging by that HR director's reaction, he really did know the name Jiang Xingye.

It was simply that he regarded the name as some kind of taboo and called the police whenever anyone mentioned it.

Following that line of thought, Lin Xu vaguely felt that he had already pieced together the outline of what had happened.

Most likely, Jiang Xingye had lost control after "heading to Mars."

And perhaps her transition from a technical worker to an astronaut had been connected to the Planetary Reincarnation organization from the beginning?

This story was complicated enough already...

What exactly had made Jiang Xingye join that organization?

He was still silently pondering when Jiang Xingye across from him had already stood up.

"I'm full."

"Want to walk around the mall?"

"Sure, let's go."

Lin Xu rose to his feet and followed alongside Jiang Xingye.

She seemed to possess a naturally distinctive aura that turned anyone beside her into a little follower.

People passing through the mall would more or less glance in her direction. Lin Xu could not help wondering whether it was because of this temperament that she had become a core member of the "Planetary Reincarnation" organization.

Sure enough, you could tell at a glance who was destined to do great things...

The two wandered aimlessly around the mall. Most things held little appeal for either of them.

It was not until they passed a newly opened toy store that Jiang Xingye curiously walked inside.

"What's all this stuff? Adult toys?"

"...What the hell do you mean, adult toys?"

Lin Xu could not help retorting.

"Isn't this an anime merchandise store? Look at all those figures..."

"Have you ever seen an anime merchandise store selling gel blasters? This is an adult toy store!"

Jiang Xingye walked straight into the store, and Lin Xu followed close behind.

After looking around, he realized that Jiang Xingye was fucking right.

It really was a toy store for adults. Besides gel blasters and anime figures, it also sold things like EDC toys and game consoles, along with all kinds of strange gadgets.

Jiang Xingye stopped in front of an item labeled "Time Capsule."

"See this? I bought one of these back in college too."

"But they're much more advanced now. This one looks really refined."

"So, want to buy one?"

"Write something and put it inside, then open it again years later. That's actually kind of interesting."

"Sure. It's not expensive anyway."

Lin Xu shrugged indifferently. Jiang Xingye moved decisively, picked out two small metal capsules, and took them to the counter to pay.

Then, following the staff member's instructions, they unscrewed the palm-sized capsules, took out the message cards inside, and each went to a table nearby to write.

Lin Xu had originally intended to scribble something down just to get it over with, but he suddenly realized that this might also be an opportunity.

An opportunity to verify the connection between the Bracelet World and the real world.

If information that did not belong in this world appeared in this world, would the Bracelet World change as well?

He knew what he needed to write.

"Planetary Reincarnation."

"The apocalypse will arrive at 00:00 on April 23, 2045."

Then he tucked the note into the time capsule.

"Where will this thing be placed?"

The clerk swiped across the screen, and a map appeared before them.

"We periodically send all the capsules to the Alxa Desert, where they are buried and preserved. Every capsule corresponds to a section of vegetation planted for reforestation."

"So what you are purchasing is not only a beautiful way to preserve memories, but also a vision of improving Earth's environment."

"Pretty nice..."

This thing even had a charitable aspect.

Businesses really were coming up with increasingly creative ideas these days...

Meanwhile, Jiang Xingye asked curiously,

"What did you write?"

"...Some edgy stuff."

"That's nice. I wrote something pretty edgy too."

Jiang Xingye giggled and continued,

"Let's choose the five-year option."

"Five years from now, if we're still in touch, shall we go to Alxa together and open these things?"

Lin Xu slowly nodded.

"No problem!"