Physical Localization

Xu Jin wanted the Zhurong Mars rover, but in the end, he had failed to bring it back himself.

So, the moment the rover landed, he immediately took action.

His goal was clear: to get his hands on the rover.

But that left Lin Xu with two more questions.

First, if Xu Jin could mobilize so many armed personnel, with casualties even reaching the thousand-man level, then just how far had the Planetary Reincarnation organization developed by 2036? And how high had his status within the organization risen?

Second, what was so special about this rover that he was willing to pay such an enormous price just to obtain it?

The first question was barely explainable. After all, a mysterious organization with certain religious characteristics could develop at a terrifying pace.

To say nothing else, how many years had it taken that little mustache to establish the Third Reich?

If handled properly and given its all, mobilizing tens of thousands of armed personnel was not exactly a fantasy.

By comparison, the second question was obviously even less logical.

The key was this: why did he have to get that rover "personally"?

He was a genuine second-generation researcher, born and raised in the field. Did he not understand that if this thing were in the hands of the state, it could create far greater value by drawing on national resources?

No matter how capable an individual was or how large an organization became, could it possibly be larger than a country?

There were only two explanations.

Either he had truly changed and become a thoroughgoing egoist.

Or he possessed some secret that absolutely could not be revealed, forcing him to guard it even at the cost of taking extreme measures.

Setting aside the former for now, if there was a secret... what secret could it be?

—Honestly, was there any secret bigger than the bracelet on his own wrist?

The only reason he had not immediately chosen to cooperate with the authorities was that he needed time to plan and test the waters.

Once the time was right, he certainly would not reject cooperation.

He could not figure it out.

Lin Xu continued searching for information using the keywords "Planetary Reincarnation, Zhurong, Nabk." Just as Skullhead had said, news of that incident had almost been completely sealed off. Only vague records could be found on public platforms.

Further searching was basically impossible. If he wanted to uncover Zhurong's secret...

He would probably have to do as Xu Jin had done and personally get his hands on the rover.

"Where is the Zhurong Mars rover being kept now?"

Lin Xu asked again.

The result soon appeared.

"After being recovered, the Zhurong Mars rover was briefly stored at the China Institute of Space Technology before being transferred to the Key Laboratory of Particle Astrophysics at the Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences."

"After that, the rover was sealed away under confidentiality."

Sealed away under confidentiality.

That was also crucial information.

Zhurong was China's first rover to land on Mars. Normally, if equipment of such immense significance returned safely, its final destination should have been a museum, where it could be used for science education.

Yet it had been sealed away under confidentiality.

Clearly, something unusual had indeed happened to this rover.

He had to find it!

But the Particle Ladder Physics Laboratory was in the capital.

He only had one hour every time he entered Bracelet World. What could he possibly do in that time?

The trail had once again reached a dead end.

Lin Xu glanced at the time displayed on the holographic projection. Only twenty minutes remained until the apocalypse descended.

There was not enough time. No matter what he did, there was not enough time.

—But.

Wait.

He still had one bargaining chip.

Jiang Xingye!

She was on Mars. She was the only person he knew who was most likely aware of the truth!

She could contact him, and he could contact her too!

Lin Xu instantly perked up.

The way Jiang Xingye had warned him was by using every holographic projection device in the entire city, using a highly impactful video signal to draw his attention.

If he could figure out how she had done it, he might be able to trace it in reverse and establish contact with her!

So how had she done it?

He did not know, but Skullhead definitely did!

Lin Xu composed himself, turned to Skullhead, and asked, "I have a question."

"Suppose I need a way to synchronously control every holographic projection device in an entire city. What should I do?"

"Huh?"

Skullhead froze.

"You're going that big?"

"Don't tell me you went through all the trouble of bringing us here just to confess to some woman with such an over-the-top stunt?"

"...Do you think I'm a love-struck idiot like you?"

Lin Xu said speechlessly, "I'm having a technical discussion with you right now. Just answer me from a technical standpoint!"

"Fine, fine..."

After thinking for a moment, Skullhead answered, "Actually, it's not that difficult. Most Internet of Things devices are currently connected through cellular wireless network signals. This technology has gone through many generations of upgrades, but its fundamental principles are not all that different from the radio communications I used when I was young."

"If you want to do this, you need a signal transmitter powerful enough."

"With a signal transmitter and a high-computing-power modulator, you can continuously broadcast electromagnetic signals to the surrounding area. Those signals can infiltrate IoT communication channels, decode them, bypass firewalls, and interfere with video output."

"The process is simple. Put bluntly, you hack in."

"The biggest problem is that we have no way of finding a signal transmitter that can cover an entire city."

"The power output of that thing is far beyond anything civilian equipment can match... I doubt you could find such a device anywhere in Jinling City."

"It doesn't matter if we can't find one."

Lin Xu waved a hand. "Just tell me this: if we can receive such a signal, can we trace it in reverse and establish communication?"

"Of course not."

Skullhead decisively shook his head.

"A full-channel broadcast radio signal is like water in a river. It travels along the channel, and all the receiving end gets is the 'water.'"

"You don't know where that river began, and you don't know how many tributaries it has."

"Without tracing it back to its source, if you put a little boat in the water from this end, there's no way it can drift upstream to wherever you want it to go."

"Of course, there is a solution."

"You can put countless little boats into the water and fill the entire river channel—just like the transmitter, you can perform a full-channel broadcast."

"But a full-channel broadcast is restricted not only by authorization, but also by power limits."

"So the problem comes back to square one—we don't have equipment with that much power."

"What about tracing it back to the source?"

Lin Xu immediately asked, "How difficult would that be?"

"Very difficult."

Skullhead frowned as well.

"The success rate of source tracing is affected by many factors, and there's a considerable degree of randomness involved..."

"No, wait a second."

"You're not telling me we're actually going to receive a signal like that, are you?"

"Who sent it? What exactly is going on?"

"...You don't need to worry about that."

Lin Xu's expression gradually darkened.

"I'm telling you now that nineteen minutes from now, we will receive such a signal."

"This signal will control every holographic projection screen in Jinling City—exactly as I described."

"I need you to trace the signal's source and find the transmitter."

"Once you find the main communication channel, quickly establish contact with the transmitter, then find a way to send out the message I need to convey!"

"You're seriously doing this!?"

Skullhead stared at him in shock.

"What the hell happened for you to be pulling something like this?!"

"The apocalypse is coming."

Lin Xu looked straight into Skullhead's eyes.

"This time, I'm not joking with you."

"The signal will be an apocalypse warning. Fifteen seconds after we receive it, the apocalypse will descend and the entire human world will be destroyed."

"You only have fifteen seconds to trace the source."

"These fifteen seconds will decide whether humanity lives or dies. You have to seize this chance, understand?!"

Lin Xu looked completely serious, while Skullhead's mouth slowly fell open.

"Bro, you haven't gone crazy, have you?"

"You're serious?"

"Twelve minutes left."

Lin Xu could not be bothered to argue with him.

"Go get ready now. You'll soon find out whether I'm telling the truth!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he dragged Skullhead outside.

The two returned to the vehicle. Skullhead contacted the technical support team in the rear and explained the situation.

Everyone in the vehicle looked at Lin Xu as though he were an idiot. But because he was their employer, they still professionally carried out every one of his orders and made all the necessary preparations.

"All receiving systems powered on. Frequency hopping disabled. Firewalls disabled."

"If something like what you described really happens, we'll receive it immediately."

"But seriously..."

"Don't talk."

Lin Xu cut Skullhead off.

"Only thirty seconds left."

Thirty seconds on the countdown.

The vehicle fell silent.

Twenty seconds.

Skullhead shifted uneasily in his seat.

Ten seconds.

Lin Xu said, "Ten-second countdown. Get ready!"

Everyone instinctively sat up straight.

The next second.

Jiang Xingye's face suddenly appeared on the monitor!

"Run!"

"Lin Xu! Hurry—"

"Begin source tracing!"

At Lin Xu's command, the technical team sprang into action at full speed.

The countdown restarted.

"Twelve seconds!"

Lin Xu shouted.

"Unable to acquire the channel!"

"Eight seconds!"

"I'm trying!"

"Five seconds!"

"The channel has quantum encryption! We can't acquire it!"

"There's no time!"

Lin Xu shouted anxiously.

"RTK has located the transmitter's physical address!"

"Purple Mountain Observatory!"

Skullhead's voice rang out.

The next second, white light flashed.

The apocalypse descended.

Lin Xu's mind became a chaotic blur.

Through his hazy consciousness, he felt someone throw themselves onto him and shout in his ear.

"The apocalypse is fucking real!!"

"Does that mean my wife is real too?!?!"