Of Course I'd Save You

Gone again.

Lin Xu struggled out of bed, the unbearable pain from when the apocalypse arrived seeming to ripple through his entire body.

Fuck...

That hurt way too much.

It had been a long time since he had left Bracelet World this way. For a moment, he even felt a weird sort of thrill.

What was going on?

Had this thing conditioned him into this?

Lin Xu viciously raked his fingers through his hair, recalling the scene before the apocalypse arrived.

Jiang Xingye's anxious, panicked face remained vivid in his mind—though she was already in her forties twenty years later, she had a distinct charm at first glance.

She didn't look forty. More like barely over thirty?

Especially when her hair flew around her face—she looked just like the heroine of one of those fate-laden music videos.

She really was an A8. People with good features barely showed any traces of time on their faces.

—Wait.

How had his thoughts wandered there?

His head was a little muddled, as though he had not slept enough.

Lin Xu sat down in front of his computer, opened a new document, and typed two words into the title field.

"Clues."

He had never done anything like this before. Not because he was lazy, but simply because he had never experienced Bracelet World changing due to the real world.

So instinctively, he had believed the world inside the bracelet existed parallel to reality.

Although most things were highly similar, even continuous, that thing might have been like a game, with no connection to the real world at all.

But now, that guess was clearly wrong.

That was the world twenty years from now, undeniably real.

The apocalypse would descend in twenty years. It could not be changed.

Twenty years...

What should he do?

After thinking briefly, Lin Xu started a new line and typed out the clues he had already gathered.

[First: The apocalyptic event occurs one hour after entering the bracelet. One hour later, the world is destroyed on schedule.]

[Second: The apocalypse manifests as an immense flash, but nuclear weapons can be ruled out, because none of the subsequent damage caused by nuclear weapons was observed, such as overpressure or shock waves.]

[Third: After the apocalyptic event, the human world is completely destroyed. No surviving individuals have been found.]

These three clues were the "basic laws" of Bracelet World as Lin Xu understood it. So far, they had been verified dozens of times.

Next, he continued typing out more clues.

[Bracelet World changes in response to changes in the real world. The two worlds exist on the same timeline, or can influence each other to some extent. (Uncertain)]

Lin Xu was less certain about this clue. Theoretically, if the two worlds truly existed on the same timeline, then even the tiniest change he made should be reflected in the bracelet.

But that did not seem to be the case. Instead, Bracelet World only changed when a "major event" or "critical juncture" occurred.

For example, when he solved the flight-control algorithm ahead of time.

If that was the case, perhaps the connection between the two worlds was even more complicated?

That was also a problem that urgently needed solving.

Once he figured out the connection between the two worlds, exploring Bracelet World would become much easier in the future.

His next step would be to find a way to verify this.

Lin Xu continued typing, and his notes reached their newest, most crucial section.

Jiang Xingye.

[Jiang Xingye used a special method to warn me before the apocalypse arrived. She learned about the apocalypse in advance, but with limited lead time. (Uncertain)]

This was what confused Lin Xu the most at present.

How did she know? How had she learned about it?

So he was not the only one who knew about the apocalypse twenty years later?

Then how had his future self learned about it?

These questions were really all the same question. Following that line of thought further would bring him to the question of the "truth behind the apocalypse."

Not easy to solve.

Lin Xu hit the shortcut key to save the document, then ran to the fridge and gulped down a mouthful of Coke. His groggy head cleared up by more than half.

He checked the time. Ten-thirty.

Should he ask Jiang Xingye out for a late-night snack?

He definitely would not get an answer by directly asking, "How did you know the apocalypse was coming?" But perhaps if they got to know each other better, he might find some clues?

Lin Xu immediately pulled out his phone and messaged Jiang Xingye.

"Want to go get a late-night snack?"

A moment later, Jiang Xingye replied.

Jiang Xingye (Test Vehicle Flight Control Development Team Lead): "Dude, are you seriously hungry?"

Lin Xu: "A little. Didn't get to eat, did I?"

Jiang Xingye: "You just want something to eat, huh? Not tonight. I've got something going on."

Lin Xu: "When are you ever free?"

Jiang Xingye: "??? Trying to provoke me? Not falling for that."

Lin Xu: "No, I really have something going on. There's something serious I want to discuss with you in person."

Jiang Xingye: "Oh... I thought you were so hungry you'd take whatever you could get."

Jiang Xingye: "Then come out. I happen to have something to tell you too. I was planning to tell you tomorrow, but since we're meeting today, we might as well talk about it together."

Lin Xu: "Confessing to me? Then I'm not going."

Jiang Xingye: "I'm going to be your stepmother! Ten minutes. See you downstairs."

Lin Xu put down his phone with an amused smile and quickly changed clothes.

He and Jiang Xingye both lived in apartments not far from the company, only a few floors apart. Meeting up was quite convenient.

As he headed out and took the elevator downstairs, it stopped midway. Jiang Xingye stepped in, and Lin Xu stared at what she was wearing in astonishment.

"You came out dressed like that??"

Jiang Xingye was wearing a fluffy set of pajamas, wrapped up from head to toe. Her makeup was off, her hair was loose, and she carried an enormous water bottle in one hand. She was practically a different person from how she looked during the day.

Still...

She looked pretty good.

Jiang Xingye rolled her eyes.

"Big brother, I just finished showering and was getting ready to go to bed."

"The project finally reached a stopping point. I haven't gone to bed before midnight in ages. If I get the chance to catch up on sleep, shouldn't I take it?"

"Here, carry this for me."

Lin Xu took the water bottle and smiled awkwardly.

"I thought girls were always especially concerned about their appearance when they went out..."

He turned his head away. Jiang Xingye gave a mischievous chuckle, a sly gleam flashing through her eyes.

"That's just how us science-and-engineering girls are... I only dress like this when going out. If I were going to your place for a meal, I definitely wouldn't be wearing this."

"I'd at least have to put on my battle gear!"

Lin Xu pursed his lips speechlessly.

"...Oh, give it a rest. You talk a big game, but the second I ask, you tell me to get lost."

"What, am I not your target catch?"

"I'll punch a hole right through you..."

Jiang Xingye shot Lin Xu a glare. The two walked out of the elevator one after the other and found a random place to sit in the small late-night food street below the apartment building.

Lin Xu was not really hungry to begin with. Entering Bracelet World had merely drained some of his energy.

So he did not order much—just a few skewers and two bowls of porridge.

Jiang Xingye would not let Lin Xu drink soda, saying that working too hard meant he needed to take care of his health. So she asked the owner for cups and poured each of them a cup of codonopsis and goji berry tea.

While they waited for the food, Lin Xu asked, "So what was it you wanted to talk to me about?"

"Didn't you ask me out first? You go first!"

Jiang Xingye blew on her steaming tea. After a brief pause, she shook her head.

"Forget it. I'll go first."

"The Test Vehicle No. 3 project is about to enter the implementation phase. The early development work is basically done, and the simulations look great."

"I expect your workload on this project will drop quite a bit next."

"That's awesome!"

Lin Xu asked happily, "How long can I slack off?"

"Slack off my ass!"

Jiang Xingye glared at him in dissatisfaction.

"We're a private company. How can a private company be like an official institution? If you slack off now, you'll gradually get pushed to the margins."

"Didn't you come here to earn enough retirement money before turning thirty-five? Push a little harder!"

"You've been doing well lately, so I recommended you to join me on a new project."

"What new project?"

Lin Xu asked in confusion.

He really had not heard anything about the company starting a new project—the test vehicle had not even launched yet, and they were already starting another project?

Did they really think they were some ridiculously powerful tech unicorn? They did not even have assets worth a few hundred million, yet they were comparing themselves to SpaceX?

Seeing his expression, Jiang Xingye shook her head.

"It's not some... particularly serious new project."

"It's the space tourism project I mentioned to you today."

"The boss has already approved it. Tomorrow, we'll start gathering people and setting up the project team."

"You have to join. This project probably can't be completed in the short term, but just like you said, it's a very important story for investors."

"If we tell that story well, we'll be rolling in money."

"Then whether you want to retire or change jobs, having that card in hand will give you a lot more freedom."

"Got it."

Lin Xu nodded gratefully.

Honestly, Jiang Xingye was a pretty good leader to bring him along for something like this.

What was work for? Money, obviously.

Could it be for ideals?

He raised his cup and clinked it against Jiang Xingye's, then drank it in one gulp. Jiang Xingye asked, "What about you? What did you want to talk to me about?"

Lin Xu froze for a moment. After hesitating briefly, he asked, "I have a pretty abstract question..."

"Let me ask you. If one day the apocalypse came, and you had one chance to save one person, who would you save?"

After asking that question, Lin Xu had expected Jiang Xingye to laugh at him.

But unexpectedly, she answered almost without hesitation.

"Of course I'd save you."