Once We Lived in Nanjing

At 2 a.m., a large group of people drove overnight to Meihua Villa, speeding along the deserted Zhongshan East Road, with Bai Zhen leading the way in his old Toyota, showcasing his seasoned driving skills.

Just moments ago in the meeting room, Bai Zhen suddenly cursed out Zhao Bowen, shocking everyone. Such harsh words could only mean one thing: Zhao Bowen had someone dig up Bai Zhen's ancestral grave. However, the news Bai Zhen shared next caused an uproar, silencing the room for three seconds before Zhao Bowen was the first to rush out.

While Bai Yang was repeatedly confirming whether what the girl had seen was indeed a spaceship's return capsule (Lianqiao had taught him numerous questioning skills on how to get the interviewee to thoroughly recall and share all details), a large group of people surged in, Bai Zhen pushed open the bedroom door, panting and shouted:

"Did you really find it?"

Bai Yang took off his headphones, turned his head, and said, "To be precise, it found us."

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An emergency combat meeting was convened in the living room. No one could explain why the spaceship returned so much earlier than planned, but fortunately, it didn't go missing. The project team leader of the spaceship was baffled; any error in the planned procedures could lead to a major deviation, and it wouldn't have been surprising had the return capsule landed in Africa, yet inexplicably, it returned safely to Nanjing.

The mission team realized that the future was a pure black box; whatever you sent into it, its development was unpredictable, and all you could do was wait for the outcomes that the black box produced.

"We estimate the nuclear bomb is still effective, as long as the return capsule remains intact, the nuclear bomb can be used." the nuclear task force said.

"Is it that sturdy?" Bai Zhen asked.

"When designing it, the requirement for the nuclear bomb was that it should still ensure safety even if the spaceship's landing fails. The return capsule can be destroyed, but the nuclear bomb must not be damaged," the nuclear task force replied, "MSR observed that the return capsule has maintained the integrity of its main structure, so the nuclear bomb is likely still effective."

"So we don't need to wait another two months to redesign the nuclear bomb?"

"Shouldn't have to."

"Good!" Zhao Bowen clapped vigorously, this was the only piece of good news he had heard in recent days.

"The nuclear bomb is still intact, but the key is definitely destroyed," someone from the nuclear task force said, tearing off a thin strip from a pile of A4 papers at his feet, waving it, "The key is this size, very thin and very delicate, we can't make it too sturdy. If the spaceship doesn't land normally, it undoubtedly can't withstand the impact."

Everyone's gaze was fixed on the small strip of paper, just as wide as a thumbnail and a few inches long.

"Is it possible to activate the nuclear bomb without the key?" Zhao Bowen asked.

"Absolutely impossible," the nuclear task force shook their heads, "Without the key, the unlocking linkage of the nuclear bomb is broken, the lock cannot be opened, and forcibly opening it would damage the structure of the nuclear bomb, causing it to fail."

"Can a new key be made?" Zhao Bowen asked.

"Yes," the nuclear task force nodded.

"How long does it take to make a new key?"

"Twelve hours."

"Alright, then make a call and have them make a new key," Old Zhao said, "Xiao Lian, help me take a note..."

"It's now 2:30 a.m., Lianqiao has gone to sleep," Wang Ning said, "Who are you going to call?"

"Tomorrow morning, make the call when you go to work."

"Creating a key is easy, but delivering it is not so simple," the nuclear task force said. "This device is very delicate and fragile, and absolutely must not be lost. Ordinary Time Slow Delivery methods are not suitable."

"Can't we just put it in a time capsule and throw it in the lake?" Wang Ning asked.

"Absolutely not. This is the nuclear arsenal's password, we cannot afford to lose it under any circumstances," the nuclear task force said. "There are only two outcomes: either it is delivered to the intended recipient, or it must be completely destroyed."

"If it's lost, we all will go in, at the least facing several years of imprisonment. The political security officers are watching the headquarters incredibly strictly," someone whispered.

Wang Ning furrowed his brows, scanning around.

"Then how about hiding it here? Carve a hole in the wall and seal it inside?"

"No, sealing it in the wall would damage it."

This also stumped Wang Ning; he hadn't expected that handling massive projects like the manned spacecraft Long March 5 and nuclear weapons would be obstructed by a mere small key.

The key must be delivered into the girl's hands flawlessly, which really isn't an easy task. Any Time Slow Delivery can fail, and while they could try various methods to increase success rates, they couldn't guarantee one hundred percent — such is the nature of everything in this world. Scoring sixty or seventy percent is easy, but aiming for eighty or ninety percent is hard, and demanding perfection is downright torturous.

"These are all unimportant," Zhao Bowen stood up and clapped his hands forcefully. "We will find a way to deliver the key. The urgent matter now is to reintegrate the team and continue implementing the third phase of the East Red Plan as originally planned! Comrades, time is life. We are now picking the East Red Plan back up, scheduling our activities around receiving the signal from Miss Qiu. How much time is left until the nuclear bomb's unlocking moment?"

Bai Zhen pulled out a tablet from beneath him and opened the mission notes.

"72 hours."

"Good, then let's proceed with the remaining 72 hours we have!" Zhao Bowen waved his fist. "In 72 hours, we will unlock that nuclear bomb!"

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48 hours before the expected unlocking of the nuclear bomb.

Ban Xia lay flat on the gravel, her waist, legs, and buttocks aching. Mere inches from her face was a massive concrete wall that had completely collapsed. Its peeling surface revealed the gray concrete underneath, and cracks in the concrete revealed deep, finger-thick gaps. Tens of thousands of tons hung above the girl's nose; if it collapsed and smashed down, she would "squish" into a burst splatter, turning into a thin pancake—Ban Xia thought silently.

However, it had remained in this state for many years, with moss and vines growing out of the concrete cracks, the green plants slowly engulfing this large irregular mix of steel and concrete, turning it into a green sculpture. When was Life Insurance Square's ruin formed?

The girl had no memory of it.

The ruins were a good place, providing concealed passages for Ban Xia to traverse, moving like an ant drilling through rock layers. In the pitch-dark, she relied solely on memory to grope forward. The gaps in the ruins were interconnected, but some were dead ends. When she encountered a dead end, she would turn back, and some gaps were so narrow that only one person could squeeze through sideways after taking off her backpack.

Ban Xia lay there, a breeze blowing in from outside, stirring her hair.

She was waiting.

While waiting, she recalled the route she had just traversed, planning to return the same way. She attempted to reconstruct the model of the ruins in her mind but soon gave up. This area of ruins was formed by the collapse of two or three tall glass curtain wall buildings—she had once found it hard to imagine what had caused it.

Now, Ban Xia knew it had been struck by a spaceship, the return capsule crashing like a meteor and dragging flaming flames.

And that spaceship was now in her sight—Ban Xia had waited for the moonlight she had been waiting for. The moon peeked out from the clouds, and it suddenly brightened outside. Ban Xia looked outward and could faintly see a large dark shadow standing in the center of a big crater—that was the spaceship's return capsule.