Faced with Zhang Tianyuan's question, Bai Xu exchanged a glance with Instructor Yin and said hesitantly, "Regulations forbid us from joining any other organization without authorization, especially one this unusual."
Instructor Yin added, "Although we very much agree with your vision of unity building an impregnable fortress, Mr. Zhang, as Team Leader Bai said, this is a sensitive matter. We need to report it and let our superiors decide."
Zhang Tianyuan understood and patted them.
"That's why I told you to ask for approval. Go ahead. You can come back once you have an answer. I'm free these next few days."
The four left with a membership application each, turning back three times with every step.
Before leaving, Bai Xu even thoughtfully arranged lunch for Zhang Tianyuan.
As Zhang Tianyuan ate lunch, he sat in a study seat in the schoolhouse, recalling details from various science fiction films from his previous life, especially I Am Legend, which he had chosen as his next target.
Leaving aside its deeper meaning, the film's plot was simple.
Put plainly, it was about a military virologist who had lost his family, spent three years alone in New York, then captured a female Darkseeker from a group of Darkseekers to conduct experiments reversing the virus.
Then the Darkseekers, who had already developed a sense of group identity, came knocking and beat him soundly. In the end, he could only back down, release the Darkseeker, and slink out of New York with two other survivors passing through the city.
Yet beneath that simple plot lay a considerable amount of visual information. Without learning it beforehand, anyone entering that world could only blunder around like a headless fly.
With the schoolhouse boosting his memory, Zhang Tianyuan recalled every scene in the film, occasionally noting new information on paper.
Meanwhile.
Bai Xu and the other three had already returned to the villa next door and taken out a secure phone to report what they had just learned to their superiors.
Wu Yisi, who had finished writing a complete set of meeting minutes, had just woken up. Her black hair fell over her shoulders, and her eyes were still bleary as she sat cross-legged on the sofa, listening with interest.
"So that pavilion-like structure is a schoolhouse. As long as someone meets certain conditions, they can receive some kind of benefit by sitting there and studying."
"And that condition is becoming a member of his organization..."
"The Parallel Spacetime Mutual Aid Society, unity building an impregnable fortress..."
Listening to the person on the other end repeat the information, Bai Xu confirmed that their notes contained no errors.
"Since there are no errors, I'll immediately report the
latest intelligence. There's also something I'd like you to pass along."
"All right, we're all listening," Bai Xu replied.
"This afternoon, we'll come there to consult Mr. Zhang about the details of the apocalypse he previously mentioned to us."
Bai Xu blurted out in surprise, "So soon?"
"Yes," the other person said. "It was an emergency change of schedule. After what happened early this morning, the higher-ups are taking Mr. Zhang very seriously. They're no longer inclined to wait."
"Is Mr. Zhang free this afternoon?"
Bai Xu recalled what Zhang Tianyuan had just said. "Before we came back, he told me he was free these next few days."
"Then it seems he's ready too."
"Bai Xu, go prepare for this afternoon's meeting. The matter of Mr. Zhang inviting you to join the Mutual Aid Society will depend on the meeting's outcome."
That afternoon.
Several cars drove unobtrusively into the convalescent grounds where Zhang Tianyuan was staying and soon stopped outside the villa.
Several figures quickly got out, entered the villa, and immediately shut the door.
There was no fanfare whatsoever throughout the process. It was unusually low-key.
The villa's dining room doors stood open onto the backyard. A cool summer breeze passed through the layers of tree shadows outside and blew into the room.
Zhang Tianyuan sat at the head of the round table, watching several middle-aged and elderly figures stride in.
Someone introduced them one by one. They were all national leaders in the film world of 2012. With these people present, they could handle any domestic or international emergency, including nuclear war.
Zhang Tianyuan studied them carefully. Their faces were all unfamiliar to him.
But that made sense. This was a film world, after all, merely a parallel spacetime.
At noon, Zhang Tianyuan had found a history book from this world to read. He discovered that although the broad course of events remained unchanged, the historical details had changed beyond recognition.
Besides, according to his plans for future development, he would meet leaders from different worlds more and more often.
So often that he would eventually need to label them as so-and-so from such-and-such world.
At that thought, Zhang Tianyuan relaxed.
He chuckled and gestured for them to sit. "Please, take a seat, everyone. The events surrounding me lately may have caused you some trouble."
The leaders of the 2012 world smiled at his words.
The very
first man looked quite cheerful. He smiled and said, "Compared with the information you've brought us, Mr. Zhang, these little troubles of ours aren't worth mentioning."
The apocalypse, parallel spacetimes, Spacetime Tunnels...
Leaving aside the apocalypse, the latter two alone were enough to point the way for the future development of scientific theory.
In fact, merely proving that something existed was enough to give scientists room to work.
Sometimes, direction was what mattered most.
The leader continued, stating his purpose. "Team Leader Bai may already have informed you. Our primary reason for coming this time is the news of the apocalypse."
Zhang Tianyuan nodded.
The man continued, "To be honest, we didn't believe this before. Only after what happened early this morning did we change our attitude."
Zhang Tianyuan smiled. "I knew you couldn't possibly believe it. It would have been strange if you'd believed me so easily."
"But whether you believed it before isn't the point. Even whether you believe it now isn't the point. What matters is what you plan to do next."
The others present all smiled in tacit understanding.
Indeed, even now, they remained half-convinced about the apocalypse.
As Wu Yisi had said before, without scientific evidence, they could not fully believe something like the end of the world.
But not fully believing did not mean they had no intention of preparing in advance.
The leaders present all straightened, put away their smiles, and said earnestly:
"We've come this time in the hope of obtaining more detailed information. You previously said that the apocalypse would begin in the Earth's core and manifest primarily as earthquakes and tsunamis, and that seawater would even submerge Mount Everest...
We urgently hope to obtain more detailed intelligence so we can take the necessary precautions in advance."
Zhang Tianyuan glanced at them and slowly shook his head. "There's no need to take precautions in advance."
Just as everyone was puzzling over this, Zhang Tianyuan continued, "Because, as I said before, even Mount Everest, the highest point on Earth, won't escape the apocalyptic tsunami. So wherever you hide, you won't actually be able to escape."
"The only solution is what I mentioned before: carry out a nationwide mass relocation through my Spacetime Tunnel ahead of time."
"The question is, where could we relocate to?" someone asked.