Once We Lived in Nanjing

Bai Yang and Zhao Bowen returned to the house, while Mr. Bai and Wang Ning each went to the bathroom. Now they are all back, sitting on the sofa drinking water.

"Yang, it's time to wash up," mother called from the bedroom. "It's getting late."

"I know." Bai Yang took off his shoes and entered the house, yawning, "I'm going right now."

These past few days, there were nightly meetings at home, and Bai Yang always stayed up late.

Zhao Bowen and Wang Ning were preparing to leave since they needed to get home.

"How should we handle this?" Bai Zhen asked in a low voice.

Mr. Zhao and Mr. Wang exchanged glances.

"You and Mr. Bai stay here to help establish the data transmission link, while I make the rounds; we'll advance both tasks simultaneously," Zhao Bowen said, "I expect it will take some time."

"Is it going to take some time?" Bai Yang peeked out from behind them. "How long?"

"At best two or three weeks, at worst a month or so; I will definitely come back," Zhao Bowen responded, "I'll try to hurry it up."

"That long?" Bai Yang widened his eyes in surprise.

"What, you think that's long? Yangyang, do you think we should just take tomorrow's high-speed train straight to Beijing?" Zhao Bowen chuckled, "Then knock on the State Council's door?"

"Yeah!"

"That would be lodging a petition," Zhao Bowen said. "I'd get grabbed by security and sent straight to the police station."

"Just tell them the world is ending, it's a matter of utmost urgency."

"Then in a few days, you could see the news headline 'Mentally disturbed individual causes a disturbance at a national ministry,'" Zhao Bowen said. "After that, you'd have to trouble your dad to travel a long way to bail me out of jail."

Bai Yang was taken aback.

"This society has its own set of operating rules, and if you want to achieve your goals quickly, you can't go against these rules—sometimes taking shortcuts isn't the fastest way. The fastest way involves stepping on the gas pedal on the main road rather than trying to jump over the divider," Zhao Bowen patted his shoulder, "otherwise, you'll be stopped by traffic police and fined, which is completely counterproductive."

Bai Yang nodded glumly.

"What do you plan to do?" Bai Zhen asked him.

"I plan to go back to school first. I'll have to pull an all-nighter writing documents tonight, and then I'll make a trip to the city government in the next two days," Zhao Bowen said. "Mr. Wang, the vice secretary general's last name is Chen, right?"

"Yes, Chen."

"Who are you going to see?" Bai Zhen asked.

"A contact of Mr. Wang," Zhao Bowen pointed at Wang Ning.

"A fishing buddy," Wang Ning said.

"What do you mean by fishing buddy?"

"A friend who goes fishing together," Wang Ning replied, "terrible at fishing, always watches Deng Gang on TikTok, but he's a decent person."

"After arranging things here, I need to head to Shanghai. Waiting for the city government to report and review the matter layer by layer definitely won't be quick enough; God knows how long it will drag on. I need to take action myself and gather people sooner," Zhao Bowen continued. "Mr. Wang, you stay here to handle any government officials coming our way."

"Damn," Wang Ning said, "they handle things fussily, annoyingly meticulous."

"How about we switch places?" Zhao Bowen asked, "I'll stay here, and you go run the errands?"

Wang Ning thought for a moment.

"No way, no way. If I went, absolutely nobody would believe me; at the very least, you're a professor."

"Mr. Wang, Mr. Bai, you must quickly help Yangyang establish the data transmission link. This is crucial; we'll definitely need it later," Zhao Bowen urged, "use everything we can, and remember, I'm an associate professor."

"It goes without saying; we are more professional than you in this," Bai Zhen patted his chest.

Regardless of the reasons, if an Icom725 can connect with an era twenty years later, it proves that a radio transmission channel definitely exists between the two radio stations. Since a communication channel exists, theoretically, it can transmit any data — as long as you have adequate equipment and the capability to modulate, whether it's audio, images, or video, it can all be transmitted via radio waves at 14.255 megahertz.

As long as radio waves can come through, everything can come through.

Except for the person themselves.

This is a crucial step, it is foreseeable that if people of this era want to change the future, they must rely on data transmitted from twenty years later. But it is far more complex than just sending a few time capsules — human history has never seen such remote signal transmissions, it's not a shortwave expedition crossing from one side of the ocean to the other side of the world, nor data relay from the Earth's surface to the Moon's orbit, but a cross through the long stretch of twenty years, an all-out effort to aid.

Fortunately, the two most experienced old HAMs in Nanjing City are both present.

Head of the Nanjing City Amateur Radio Observatory, Wang Ning.

Retired communication technician from the North Sea Fleet, third term sergeant Bai Zhen.

Use everything we can!

In the days to follow, this phrase would become the answer to many questions.

Zhao Bowen raised his hand and placed it on their shoulders, took a deep breath, "This matter is of great importance, gentlemen, for the people and the nation, for all of humanity, let's give it our all."

Zhao Bowen bid farewell to return home, he needed to hasten to write materials tonight.

Bai Yang escorted him downstairs.

"Zhao uncle, how will you persuade them to believe in this?"

Zhao Bowen smiled bitterly, "I don't know either."

"You don't know?" Bai Yang was a bit surprised, he saw Zhao uncle appearing calm and strategizing.

"Yes, I don't know indeed, who could know this? But even if we don't know, we still have to do it, you have to start running first, think about other things later," Zhao Bowen descended the stairs step by step, "The difficulty is certainly enormous, an individual in front of the entire world is always small, letting this world change its course is even harder than reaching the sky... But I'm not the only one facing difficulties, Yangyang, I asked your dad and Uncle Wang to assist you in establishing the data linkage, you need to find a way to gather enough data and information."

"Okay." Bai Yang nodded, "I understand."

"Dealing with young ladies is more suitable for you," Zhao Bowen said, "Your dad and old Wang just won't do, they might scare them away the moment they open their mouths."

"Zhao uncle, you will be back in half a month?"

"At least half a month, no other way, that's the way this world operates, even if the world is going to end tomorrow, the legs you need to run, the doors you need to knock on, the people you need to find — none of that would be any less." Zhao Bowen sighed, "Blame your Uncle Wang for having mixed around for so many years and still just being a minor director. If he were a department head, it would save us a lot of trouble."

Old Wang: Haven't you also been mixed up so many years to only be an associate professor? If you were President Zhao, we would also be able to save a lot of trouble!

"What if they don't believe it?" Bai Yang was a bit worried.

He had already put so much effort into persuading Zhao Bowen and Wang Ning, and now Zhao Bowen going alone to persuade others was undoubtedly another unimaginably lengthy venture.

"Then persuade them," Zhao Bowen said, "Block the doors to offices, stop cars in parking lots, with my eloquent tongue and my old life, even an aircraft carrier must be pulled over!"

"Zhao uncle."

"Hmm? Yangyang, do you have any wise insights?"

"Heaven entrusts great responsibilities to such a person," said Bai Yang.

Zhao Bowen laughed heartily.

The two reached the entrance of the building, old Zhao firmly pressed Bai Yang's shoulder.

"I'm heading back, no need to see me out."

Bai Yang nodded, stopped in his tracks, standing on the steps.

Zhao Bowen walked into the night alone, like a cavalryman riding solo, intending to change the fate of many on this journey.

Old Zhao walked a few steps, turned around, waved his hand, and said loudly, "It might be a few weeks or even a month! Look to the east by then! I will bring you a mighty army!"