Once We Lived in Nanjing

I will never return to the normal life again, to the daily routine of going to school, to watching movies at Wanda on weekends, to dining at Xinjiekou, to cycling with Big Brother Yan, all the familiar laughter and playful moments in my daily life will be gone forever, turning to ash in the not-so-distant future.

And will never come back.

Bai Yang suddenly felt fear creeping in.

Even though the end of days had not yet arrived, when he looked back at his past life, it felt completely different, as if even an apple on the coffee table had suddenly become precious.

Indeed, humans are such creatures, never cherishing what seems to be inexhaustible until it is about to be lost.

Bai Yang looked at his dad and mom's faces, he could not begin to imagine how his life would be shattered, could his dad survive? Could his mom? Could all his relatives, friends, and classmates? What fate would they face? Would Big Brother Yan Zhihan die? How would they die? Would it be painful?

A sense of powerlessness seized Bai Yang's limbs, and he panic-strickenly realized that although he knew the ultimate outcome, he just couldn't resist or change it; it was like a tsunami carrying millions of tons of seawater, rolling in, slow but irresistible. What was one person's strength in the face of that?

He tried to look ahead, and at that point five years in the future, there was an immense, boundless black wall standing tall ahead of him, against which everyone would shatter to pieces.

The terrifying thing was, no one could postpone the arrival of that day, the whole world could only wait helplessly for the end.

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The next day.

Wang Ning received five brand-new time capsules.

The Taobao seller probably didn't understand why this customer wanted so many time capsules, and had considerately attached a note to the package.

It said that the capsules contained no copper, making them useless for smelting, no silver, rendering them useless for selling, and no gold, making them even useless for donation.

As per the agreement, Wang Ning had prepared the one-time medical supplies, tritium tubes, the world-famous painting "Penguin and Mini in Court," and the five-water copper sulfate crystals, which were not part of the original deal.

Wang Ning had been cautious here; both the one-time medical supplies and the tritium tubes were known to everyone, so he needed to place an item in the capsule that only he knew about to ensure he could act independently of the plan, lest he be deceived by a conspiracy.

On such an important issue, he wouldn't completely trust anybody, including his old friends Zhao and Bai; he only trusted himself.

The five-water copper sulfate crystal was also a simple time recorder; anyone who had studied high school chemistry knew that the crystal was light blue, but it would gradually weather over time, changing from light blue to a colorless crystal. Wang Ning also placed a packet of copper sulfate and a desiccant in the time capsule, as an additional method of recording time besides the tritium tube.

After sitting in a dry environment for twenty years, the five-water copper sulfate crystal would completely weather into anhydrous copper sulfate, ultimately turning into a white crystal that was unrecognizable.

Only if BG4MSR could correctly identify both the brightness of the tritium tube and the color of the crystal would Wang Ning believe it was true.

And aside from Wang Ning himself, no one else would know there was an extra copper sulfate crystal in the time capsule, thus eliminating the possibility of being conned by a joint deception. This was his own method of verification.

After sealing the time capsules, Wang Ning wrapped them in layers of plastic, and then, keeping to the original plan, called Xiao Zhu.

Wang Ning, wearing a tank top and shorts, hastily went downstairs in plastic flip-flops, carrying two large bags; Xiao Zhu was already waiting for him at the foot of the building, wearing sunglasses and a face mask, with a baseball cap that hid his face completely.

Wang Ning looked him up and down and nodded his approval.

No one would recognize him as Xiao Zhu.

"Wang Ge, what do you need me to do? You seem in such a hurry." Xiao Zhu was curious. "Are you having me deliver something? The stuff in your hands?"

Suddenly, Wang Ning's expression fell.

"Xiao Zhu, oh Xiao Zhu, you must do Wang Ge this favor," Wang Ning said with tears in his eyes, his tone full of sorrow and urgency. As he spoke, he kept looking back upstairs as if he were being chased, "Otherwise, I'll just jump into Xuanwu Lake... My sister-in-law has kicked me out."

Xiao Zhu was shocked.

"What's going on, Brother Wang? Is there something wrong between you and your sister-in-law?"

"Your sister-in-law says I'm cheating," Wang Ning said despondently. "She claims I cheated and wants to divorce me."

Xiao Zhu turned pale with shock.

Technically, he wasn't supposed to meddle in his superior's personal affairs.

Couples fight at one end of the bed, and make up at the other. If an outsider like him meddles, once they reconcile, he'll be left in an awkward position inside and out.

"You must help me."

"Yes, yes, Brother Wang, you say the word, and I'll be duty-bound."

"I need you to take away the object my sister-in-law identified as evidence of my affair. Quickly, the sooner the better," Wang Ning heaved a sigh. "She said as long as these items are in the house, she won't let me in bed... She found just one and raised hell, if she finds them all, my life would be over."

Xiao Zhu looked at the black plastic bag in Wang Ning's hand and jumped in fright.

Is this Brother Wang's object of cheating?

And it's split across several bags?

"Wang... Brother Wang, what's... what's inside these bags?"

Xiao Zhu prepared himself to run.

Wang Ning moved closer, looked around to make sure no one was there, and whispered conspiratorially:

"Airplane cups."

Xiao Zhu froze on the spot.

"Your sister-in-law says using these things is being unfaithful to her. I'm not fulfilling my conjugal duties, it's like tax evasion," Wang Ning continued talking. "She chopped up with a kitchen knife the one she found; it scared me half to death. That's why I hastily rescued the rest. I have no place to keep them, and I don't want to throw them away, you know? They are all carefully selected treasures, it would be a pity to destroy them, right?" Wang Ning said, "So please help me pass them to a friend for safekeeping; we can retrieve them once this blows over."

"Brother Wang, you—still plan—to take them back?"

"Of course, they've been with me for years, we've built a connection."

Xiao Zhu nodded dazedly.

Even if he had another head, he couldn't understand why Brother Wang called him over to help with this, and to transfer them for temporary safekeeping with a friend? What if the friend uses them?

Lifting the heavy black plastic bag, Xiao Zhu peeked inside and saw a vague erotic image with white butts and breasts.

The innocent and kind Xiao Zhu didn't look any further, quickly averting his gaze, refrain from impropriety.

At the same time, he muttered to himself,

Damn, there's so much? Brother Wang, are you like manually establishing a harem?

Wang Ning then gave Xiao Zhu the specific location and time for the meetup, telling him that the contact person would be easy to find, someone who's wearing sunglasses, a mask, and a hat like him on this hot day. Xiao Zhu only needed to hand over the bag without any extra conversation. Xiao Zhu nodded, finally understanding why Brother Wang had him so thoroughly disguised; indeed, one would need to be discreet when transporting such items.

Xiao Zhu took the bag and set off.

The plan was in motion.

Watching his back disappear at the entrance of the neighborhood, Wang Ning's expression turned serious, and he pulled out his phone to make a call:

"Crow, Crow, the goods are on the move."