Once We Lived in Nanjing

But failure is a good thing.

"BG4MXH, why is failure a good thing? OVER."

"BG4MSR, because failure can eliminate certain possibilities, just like conducting experiments. However, most scientific research is theory before practice. In our case, practice comes before theory. Continuous failures bring us closer to the truth, OVER."

"Then what possibilities have you eliminated now? OVER."

"I've confirmed something, have some conjectures in mind, but I'm not sure if they're credible and feasible yet. I still need to experiment, OVER."

"What is it?"

"I can't tell you yet. I'm planning to consult some big shot tomorrow, OVER."

"Tell me, please."

"No can do. I need to seek advice from the big shot first, OVER."

"BG4MXH, who's the bigger big shot?"

"A physics professor at Nanjing University."

"A physics professor at... Nanjing University?"

Clearly, the little brain on the other end didn't understand what those three words meant together.

The next morning, Bai Yang took subway line 2 to line 1, boarding at Mufu Garden station and getting off at Drum Tower station, heading to the Drum Tower campus of Nanjing University—Bai Yang's mom used to take him past the north gate of Nanjing University, always pointing at the four golden characters on the grey marble and saying he must work hard to get in. But back then, Bai Yang was more concerned about whether to attend Tsinghua or Peking University, not paying much heed to Nanjing University right by his house, quite proud. Unlike now, if Nanjing University would offer him an admission letter, he'd be willing to kowtow all the way from Zijin Mountain to Xuanwu Lake.

Following his memory, Bai Yang walked along the path, turned right past the sports field, passing the Southwest Building and the Graduate School, twisting and turning, till he finally found the Physics Building, an old grey structure with three golden characters "Physics Building" above the entrance.

And there he caught Zhao Bowen right outside his office.

"Wow, Yangyang!" Zhao Bowen was a bit surprised. He was just about to leave, with a book under his arm and a glass cup in hand, "What brings you here, Sir Wind?"

"Uncle Zhao!"

Bai Yang's gaze lingered for a few extra seconds above Zhao Bowen's head. Despite being a physics professor at Nanjing University with a high IQ, for some reason, he always managed to keep a head of dense, black hair. Although Uncle Zhao and his dad, Uncle Wang, were about the same age, Uncle Zhao looked the youngest among the three.

"How's your dad?"

"He's doing well." Bai Yang got straight to the point, "I've got a question I want to ask you."

"You have a question for me? Let's walk and talk." Zhao Bowen looped an arm around Bai Yang's shoulder, walking him down the bright corridor, "You could have just hit me up on WeChat; why go to the trouble of coming to see me... Hey, good day Professor Liu, off to teach a class now?"

"The question is quite complex, not something that can be clarified in a sentence or two."

"Oh? It's not about a high school physics paper?"

"It's not." Bai Yang shook his head.

"Then speak."

"Uncle Zhao, do you think trans-temporal communication is possible?" Bai Yang asked, "Like, could modern people get in touch with people from the future, or contact those from the past?"

Zhao Bowen frowned, glancing sideways at him, "Are you writing a science fiction novel?"

"No, no, I am just asking."

"Hmm... I think you should ask Electrician Liu that question; he'd be more suitable, as I don't do research on science fiction." Zhao Bowen stroked his chin, pondering, "From my limited understanding, I believe it is impossible—at least all the theories known to humankind now do not support such an occurrence."

"So it's absolutely impossible?"

"Not necessarily. If you venture into higher dimensions, into strange and inexplicable realms beyond human comprehension, then it's uncertain." Zhao Bowen adjusted his tortoiseshell glasses on his nose, "You know, our current understanding and exploration of this world are still very superficial. But that's the domain of science fiction—like 'Back to the Future' and 'Interstellar.' I'm just a pitiful, frail, and helpless associate professor who can't even see becoming a full professor on the horizon. How would I know about such things?"

"Well, let's assume for a moment this scenario exists." Bai Yang said, "If you were to connect with someone from the future..."

"Then I'd hope they could tell me where the real estate prices are going to skyrocket."

"If you connected with someone from the future, with a twenty-year gap in time, and you needed to send them something, send a time capsule." Bai Yang said, "Uncle Zhao, what method would you use?"

"Bury it underground." Zhao Bowen said, "Didn't you learn a text in primary school called 'Kolya's Wooden Box'? From the People's Education version of the language textbook. It's about a kid who buries a wooden box underground to hide from the war, and digs it up after the war is over... That text has been removed now, hasn't it?"

Bai Yang was stunned for a moment.

"It's not that simple."

"Not that simple?"

"It will fail." Bai Yang nodded, "The other party won't receive it."

"How do you know it will fail? Have you tried it?"

"Uncle Zhao, suppose you get in touch with that person from the future after burying the capsule, but they tell you they didn't find it." Bai Yang said, "What would you do?"

"Maybe it got disrupted by construction work in the future." Zhao Bowen said, "Just dig it up and bury it somewhere else..."

He was speaking, then suddenly paused, and then slowly shook his head.

"That's not right."

"What's not right?"

"You're putting the cart before the horse." Zhao Bowen said, "You're digging it up because the other party didn't find the capsule, but it's precisely because you dug it up again that led to the other party not finding it... Do you see? This is why trans-temporal communication can't occur in our universe where we cannot exceed the speed of light. Our universe doesn't allow for such things to occur, unless you can move faster than light, breaking the fundamental rules of this universe."

"Suppose trans-temporal communication has already occurred, and the fundamental rules of the universe have been broken by some unknown force."

"You're just being obstinate."

"I'll be obstinate then, Uncle Zhao. If you have to deliver the time capsule to someone in the future and ensure its success, what would you do?"

"Then that's just a hypothetical question." Zhao Bowen saw that he wasn't asking a serious question, so he answered in kind, "I'd prepare ten thousand time capsules and bury them all over the world; one of them is bound to reach them."

"It needs to be feasible."

"Then eliminate all possible interferences." Zhao Bowen said, "You're the one burying the time capsule, so the biggest uncertainty is actually yourself. To prevent yourself from digging it up again due to curiosity, to prevent it from being disrupted by construction, just choose a place where neither you nor anyone else can dig it up, bury the time capsule there, and secure it in place for twenty years."

Bai Yang nodded slowly.

"Why are you asking me these questions?" Zhao Bowen asked. "Yangyang, have you made contact with someone from the future?"

"Yes." Bai Yang nodded, "But I still don't know if it's real or not."

Zhao Bowen was taken aback, then laughed heartily.

"Good, good, good, remember to have them tell you where the real estate prices will rise next year!"

I can't dig it up myself.

It won't be dug up by others.

This was the principle Bai Yang followed during his fourth attempt.

He dug up the time capsule he had buried the night before, ready for the fourth attempt—when he dug up the capsule, his heart sank.

Damn.

Dug it up again.

Bai Yang stared blankly at the stainless steel capsule covered in mud in his hand.

No wonder last night's attempt failed.

It seems that no matter what kind of mental preparation I did, it was useless—it was like it was destined; as if there was an invisible force manipulating me—Bai Yang thought he was acting on his own free will, his own initiative, but his initiative just so happened to lead events to the predestined outcome. Even if no one forced Bai Yang to dig, he would dig it up himself.

Relying on myself is useless, I can only rely on external forces.

That afternoon, Bai Yang took a two-hour drive to a home improvement store, and he bought a barrel of white glue used for glass and wood. He had wanted to buy cement, but it was really hard to come by in the city, so he settled for a small barrel of white glue instead.

That night, after digging the hole and burying the time capsule, Bai Yang poured the mixed white glue into it, letting the thick glue completely submerge the stainless steel capsule.

Once the glue solidified, the capsule would be completely fixed in the hole. It was said that the Japanese mafia would use concrete to pour their enemies into "cement shoes" and sink them into Tokyo Bay to destroy the evidence, making it impossible for even the gods to find them. Since Bai Yang couldn't find cement, he had to use white glue for a similar effect. He intended to create a "glue pillar" with the capsule; once the white glue solidified fully, even Bai Yang himself wouldn't be able to dig it up.

Now there was no fear of my own curiosity getting the better of me, even if I wanted to dig it up, I wouldn't be able to.

This time it should be foolproof.

This was Bai Yang's fourth attempt of Time Slow Delivery.

So, the result of the fourth attempt—

Without a doubt, it was still a failure.