Chapter 353: Chapter 37: Seeking Advice Chapter 353: Chapter 37: Seeking Advice This coincidental date…
Just so happens to be 601 years away from the arrival of that all-consuming white light.
There are still 601 years left.
The air conditioner in the bedroom buzzed continuously.
Lin Xian sat up on the bed, recalling the last look in the eyes of the garbage can robot.
Didn’t seem like a robot.
More like a real person…
He didn’t know what had happened.
The moment he uttered the words “Life is but a series of farewells,” Rhine Sky City seemed to pulse like a heart suddenly coming to life.
It possessed life, as if it had flesh and blood.
Lin Xian believed that this was definitely not any deliberately left code or intentionally hidden program.
Because there really was no need for that.
In the world of the Third Dreamland, it had taken Miss Zhao Yingjun 600 years of painstaking effort just to hide such a cryptic backdoor for herself; it was not easy at all.
Under such a premise, hiding an inconsequential poem was clearly unwise and unsafe.
So what was the deal with that garbage can robot just now?
Lin Xian remembered the words he had heard in the dream just now:
“I’ve only been here an hour, it was when you called out VV’s name and said the correct password that I got activated on this garbage can robot.
Even though I’m currently using this garbage can robot to talk to you, we are actually two completely different things.”
“It was the one who accompanied Miss Zhao Yingjun in her later years, who played the game of fetching crumpled paper with her, and who sat in the car with her.”
“Miss Zhao Yingjun told me this story…
Altair and Vega, one rising in the east and the other setting in the west, they can never appear in the same night sky; that is the greatest distance…
Life is but a series of farewells.”
Lin Xian suddenly understood a bit more.
Just as the super central brain VV had said, it actually wasn’t familiar with Zhao Yingjun.
It was this outdated garbage can robot, model VV, who had always been by Zhao Yingjun’s side.
It accompanied the elderly Zhao Yingjun in the game of fetch;
It sat with her in the Bentley, listening to her stories;
And after Zhao Yingjun passed away, it guarded the White Jade Statue for 200 years, getting patchy with rust in all weathers, but steadfastly protecting her, collecting garbage for 200 years.
The “person” who had the final conversation with Lin Xian was this VV that had been with Zhao Yingjun all along.
Lin Xian was certain of this.
The other drama-queen artificial intelligence VV would never use mechanical pincers to lock its own ankle.
That was a move unique to a garbage can robot.
It was clearly clumsy, devoid of intelligence.
And yet, at the end, it came to life, learned to think, and even turned the entire Rhine Sky City into its own beating heart, allowing the tremors of the city to become fierce pulses.
Was it the awakening of the garbage can’s consciousness?
The fusion of the two VVs’ consciousness and intelligence?
the super artificial intelligence VV, in a moment of whimsy, putting on a good show, tricking him again?
Just like that previous incident when everyone knelt and cried “Long live the King of Rhine City”?
It was a farewell in any case.
A farewell to a friend, to the Third Dreamland, to that failed future.
From this moment onwards…
He intended to reverse this failed world line.
Lin Xian stood up, walked over to his desk, and caressed the now-closed laptop cover.
This unfamiliar sensation gave him the illusion of touching the crown of a garbage can.
“Just wait a little longer, VV.”
“I will deliver your greetings.”
Boom——————
The sleek Gulfstream G550 jet took off from the business jet base of Pudong Airport.
It was Chu Shanhe’s private plane.
All the necessary procedures had been filed and approved, and it took off punctually on the morning of August 30, 2023.
The destination: Imperial Capital.
They were scheduled to land at Imperial Capital Airport four hours later, then after a short rest, take the vehicle arranged by Chu Shanhe to the Institute of Nuclear Physics at Dragon Science Academy to meet with Dragon Science Academy’s Dean, Gao Yan.
This was Lin Xian’s first time on a private jet.
The experience was indeed decent.
But Chu Shanhe had explained that these things are actually not very practical; the maintenance costs are extremely high, and they aren’t particularly flexible in terms of flight paths, often subject to the whims of luck for takeoff clearance.
“It’s really just for the sake of appearances in the business world, that’s why you’d buy this.
Of course, its primary use is for international routes,”
Chu Shanhe told Lin Xian.
For long international flights, private jets were actually better, being safe, reliable, and staffed with people you know well, which not only prevents information leaks but also prioritizes personal safety:
“Abroad, it’s not as peaceful as in China, with many incidents occurring; unless necessary, it’s best not to travel abroad lightly.”
Lin Xian nodded in agreement with Chu Shanhe’s views.
Through the Gulfstream’s window, he gazed towards the distant west…
towards the place at 112 Princeton Marshal Street, a place he cared about and longed to visit.
Actually, he didn’t know which way to look.
Was Mi Country to the east or to the west of their current position?
After all, the Earth is round, so looking in any direction wouldn’t be wrong.
In the current situation,
Lin Xian would definitely not risk going to Mi Country, nor did he know when the right time would be.
If China could provide him with protection, he would feel somewhat assured.
But that was, of course, unthinkable.
What had he done to deserve such favor?
Even this trip to the Dragon Science Academy in Imperial Capital was just to hand over the cold fusion manuscript to Dean Gao Yan, asking him to research it in secret, without revealing any information to the outside world…