" Sam, it's a shame, but there's something I still need to tell you..."
After hanging up the phone, a worried Lucy walked to her son's side, composed herself, and said under Sam's strange gaze, "You can't participate in the academic competition in New York. I know it might be important to you, but we have more important things to do right now."
Sam asked curiously, "What's wrong, Mom?"
"Some things have happened, so we're leaving Washington before October for Miami, where we can have a great vacation."
Sam frowned, a thoughtful look in his eyes, and tentatively asked, "Is it because of that videotape?"
You know?
"Uh... I went to see it with my classmates, it was Saul and Eck."
"Okay, I don't have time to dwell on your trip to the underground cinema right now. Your dad just called me, you know he's on the scene in New Delhi, and he says everything that happened there is true, and we need to get out of Washington by October..."
Upon hearing his father's call, Sam's expression immediately turned cold. "Just the two of us going?"
Just as Lucy was about to reveal the truth, she was told, "Your dad doesn't even know what's going on yet. He might get shot in the back and commit suicide at any moment."
But then I thought again that it wasn't convenient to explain this to the child.
Lucy could only sigh, then said, "Your father... well, he's having some trouble in New Delhi, so he might not be able to come with us, but he promises he'll be back as soon as possible..."
Sam scoffed, "This is troublesome again." He was already used to his father, who was always a bit of a handful.
"Understood. I'll leave Washington before October." With that, Sam lowered his head to continue reviewing the competition materials.
Lucy breathed a sigh of relief and turned to look for the phone numbers of the Jason and Frank families.
She also had to help her husband deal with the trouble caused by his careless remarks.
Soon, the last few days of August passed in a state of anxiety and unease around the world.
In these final days, the situation has hardly changed.
Becker continues to maintain tight control over information related to climate catastrophe, and videos of him angrily denouncing the New Delhi Climate Change Conference as a magic show are still being repeatedly broadcast on major television stations.
In contrast, underground cinemas remain booming, and astute individuals begin to evacuate, vehicles laden with large bags and bundles are frequently seen on the streets.
Although the situation wasn't ideal, the economy that Becker had been protecting had held up well and hadn't collapsed along with the economies of other countries.
However, other countries also have their own things to do at this time, and they can't even pay attention to their own economies.
According to the schedule previously set by the Mutual Aid Society, September 1st was their visit date. If they wanted to gain a deeper understanding of the Mutual Aid Society and parallel universes, they had to arrive in China before that date.
After the climate conference, almost all participating countries had decided to send representatives to visit, but after Becker's "debunking" speech, these countries suddenly decreased by half.
Because Becker's words were too harsh.
This is practically a threat of war. The world's largest rogue state is at the height of its power, and almost no one wants to clash with it.
Even though Elder Zhong was mentally prepared, he still felt immense pressure.
It wasn't until Zhang Tianyuan revealed the truth to him that he felt at ease and openly called other countries to back him up.
Although the Mutual Aid Society is not a military organization, it cannot allow others to disrupt the disaster relief process by threatening war.
Thomas from the 2012 timeline has already learned his lesson once. If Becker and his crew really make any substantial moves, then they won't hold back.
Just Taylor from the Pacific Rim Spacetime, with that technological gap alone, could easily crush them.
Unfortunately, although Becker talked a lot, he never took any further action.
Zhang Tianyuan could only temporarily put aside his plan to recruit more people and focus on dealing with the visiting delegations that had come from afar.
"Liu, if we sign this document, will we really be able to reach a parallel universe later?"
"Of course I would lie to you."
"It's not that we don't believe you, it's just too amazing. Just signing your name grants you the qualification to pass through Spacetime Tunnel..."
The one asking the questions was Jack, who, along with Jason Frank, was holding a Mutual Aid Society visit invitation, similar to the one Becker had.
The person who brought them back was Liu Chunshi.
A few days ago, when Liu Chunshi was still in New Delhi, a depressed Jack often went to him to discuss things, and over time, Liu learned about the predicament of Jack and his two companions.
Liu Chunshi greatly admired Jack, not only because his academic level was top-notch in this era, but also because these three people ended up in their current predicament because they stood up to support him.
Since it concerned him, he felt embarrassed to leave the person stranded in New Delhi.
So he simply extended an invitation to the three of them, inviting Jack and his friends to come to China for an academic visit, and also to hitch a ride and experience their first parallel universe journey.
The three of them are now making final preparations.
Invitation letter signed on the spot.
Not only them, but delegations from other countries also had to re-sign on-site to prevent anyone from being careless.
Otherwise, someone who didn't sign the agreement could forcibly travel through Spacetime Tunnel...
Zhang Tianyuan had never conducted such an experiment, but he estimated that the scene would be too gruesome for many to bear watching.
Liu Chunshi urged the three of them to sign the invitation and put their fingerprints on it, and then the staff member in charge of supervision collected it.
Invitations from representatives of various countries were also received, and everyone gathered together.
In addition to delegations from various countries, a group of domestic experts and scholars were also present at the event, who were also visiting the parallel universe.
"Please follow the guide and continue forward."
"Please turn left ahead..."
Jack, wearing simultaneous interpretation headsets, followed the voices and walked forward with the others, quickly passing through the corridor and arriving at a flat hall.
He immediately noticed the people in the hall, and one figure in particular was very familiar.
"It's that student council president..."
He's already waiting here.
Without him needing to reveal his identity, the representatives from various countries had much better memories than him and recognized Zhang Tianyuan at a glance. Even Zhong Ruijin, who was standing next to him, had someone explain his identity to Jack.
The representatives, who had been as lively as a picnic group just moments before, fell silent the moment they entered the hall, and then lined up to greet the visitors.
Zhang Tianyuan shook hands and greeted several people, but after looking at them...
Standing in the long queue, I suddenly felt a headache.
There are probably already thousands of people in this venue. Even if only one representative from each country comes up, it would be a waste of time.
So he clapped his hands, interrupting everyone's actions.
"It may be a bit rude, but I apologize. We'd better not waste any more time on these trivial formalities."
After hearing this, the representatives were all stunned for a moment. Then, without Zhang Tianyuan saying another word, each of them bowed slightly and returned to their respective groups with a smile.
The long queue disappeared in just a few seconds.
Zhang Tianyuan nodded and continued, "Some things have happened these past few days, which may have made everyone a little hesitant. We understand this and won't dwell on it too much."
"But I can tell you clearly that your fears and worries are unnecessary, and after today you will fully realize this."
Let's go.
After saying that.
Zhang Tianyuan turned around, and the black Spacetime Tunnel reappeared out of thin air in the empty hall, silent yet eye-catching.
Zhang Tianyuan and Elder Zhong were among the first to enter.
Then, staff from the Mutual Aid Society stepped forward to maintain order and guide the crowd to line up.
A long line of delegates and scholars slowly moved forward. The first person reached out his hand, then looked surprised and slowly walked over.
The others behind him were basically the same, with identical facial expressions and movements.
Jack was at the back of the line, surrounded by a group of scholars. With each step he took closer to the Spacetime Tunnel, he could feel his heart pounding faster. He felt his blood burning with excitement, especially when he saw others disappear into thin air after passing through the tunnel.
The scholars and other representatives around him were also excited, their faces flushed, and some even trembled with excitement, as if they had just drunk fake alcohol.
Liu Chunshi was still comforting the scholars from this timeline, telling them that traveling through the Spacetime Tunnel wasn't scary; it would be over in a flash, and they wouldn't feel anything special...
However, Jack and his friends were still nervous, after all, it was their first time.
"By the way, Jack... what do you think the parallel universe on the other side would be like?" Jason suddenly tugged at Jack's sleeve.
"Hmm..." Jack thought for a moment and said, "It should be similar to our timeline, right? After all, it's a parallel universe... But I don't know much about it."
He has spent the last few days studying the concepts of parallel universes, but he found that he simply couldn't understand many of the details.
He is indeed very smart, but after all, he is a meteorologist.
Liu Chunshi, who had overheard their conversation, turned around and said cheerfully, "The next timeline we're going to is arguably the most successful timeline the Mutual Aid Society has ever worked on."
"Why?"
Is this No. 3 Spacetime?
Jason and Jack asked at the same time.
Jack remembered that the meteorologists around Liu Chunshi had mentioned that they came from No. 3 Spacetime, so he asked them about it.
However, Liu Chunshi shook his head.
"No, we're going to No. 4 Spacetime now."
"A timeline where the apocalyptic crisis has truly been resolved."