Once We Lived in Nanjing

VLBI is a term everyone is familiar with, and its full name is Very-Long-Baseline Interferometry, which in Chinese translates to 异常长基线干涉测量技术. By utilizing multiple radio telescopes to form a much larger virtual telescope, it is a commonly used observational method in the fields of astronomy and aerospace engineering. In the first half of 2019, EHT employed eight radio telescopes distributed around the globe to construct a virtual telescope almost as large as the diameter of the Earth and captured the first-ever picture of a black hole in human history—this was the most powerful "eye" in human history, but this record is about to be broken by the 1220 Global Joint Observation Task Force.

They proposed the concept of asynchronous timeline extension coherence—the simultaneity usually required by VLBI is no longer necessary, and the same telescope can synthesize images from different spatial-temporal coordinates. Utilizing the Earth's revolution around the Sun, the task team managed to move the telescopes over one year, drawing a large circle with a diameter of two astronomical units, which will serve as the virtual diameter of the telescope. This is absolutely the most massive super project in human history in scale, only that the operator behind it is no longer human but the universal gravitation of the Sun.

A great project, its core driving force must have a great source.

Such a long observational baseline, calling it Very Long already seems rather petty, hence it would be called Very very very Long.

Once the plan succeeds, we will completely rid human civilization of its congenital myopia, hyperopia, and cataracts, and humanity's understanding of the outside world will ascend a major step!

The astronomy team excitedly announced at the podium.

This will also provide support for the Hedgehog Plan or the Human Cannonball Plan.

"When can this telescope be set up?" someone from below asked.

The leader of the astronomy team thought for a bit, raising three fingers.

"Three days," he said, "In three days, at midnight on January 3rd, all suitably located radio telescopes around the world will start up simultaneously, initiating a year-long observation mission."

"Are we confident we can clearly see the target?"

"Comrades, our goal is not just to see it clearly, but also to find a way to cope with it and add bricks and mortar for humanity's final victory."

The entire room burst into applause.

Old Zhao was snoring like thunder at the back row.

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On the other end, they were still cracking sunflower seeds at the headquarters.

"No matter what you want to do, you must adhere to the three laws of Time Slow Delivery framework. Specifically, in terms of operation, it means double-blind, reduce purposefulness, and lessen the amount of information carried, and the recipient can only possibly receive the goods if the sending has become an accomplished fact," Old Bai muttered while chuckling sunflower seeds, "These are the pitfalls we've encountered, lessons from the past are right here, don't repeat the same mistakes, any attempts to challenge this iron rule will lead to failure."

"We won't challenge it," said the nuclear task force, "I'd like some water, these seeds are too salty."

Wang Ning poured a glass of water and handed it to him.

"That's all I have to say," Bai Zhen clapped his hands and leaned back on the sofa, "Brothers, the world's peril is all on you now."

The nuclear task force was stunned.

"Hey... Chief Bai, what do you mean by that?"

"It means nothing, I'm just out of options." Old Bai, indifferent like a pig in boiling water, said, "I'm tired, if the world is going to be destroyed, then let it be."

The nuclear task force realized he was different from Zhao Bowen. Old Zhao had always been at the core of the team from start to finish, pushing every detail. In fact, he and the team were inextricably linked and could not retreat. However, Bai Zhen was different; his role in the headquarters was to sound the retreat, and when pushed, he really would drop everything. At this moment, without Zhao Bowen around, he just stopped working.

The nuclear task force could only try to console him gently.

"Don't bother consoling, it's all your doing," Wang Ning said, "If you want the plan to proceed as scheduled, you must trust us, use but do not doubt, doubt but do not use, you understand this principle, right? You must grant us the freedom to handle this password key... Don't talk about national secrets, isn't every piece of paper in this room a national secret?"

Old Wang pulled a piece of draft paper from beneath him and slapped it onto the coffee table.

"This piece of paper is also a national secret. What, your agency's secrets are somewhat rare?"

"We absolutely have no lack of trust..."

"Then grant us the authority to dispose of this password key however we please, not holding it tightly in your hand unwilling to agree to anything," Wang Ning slammed the table forcefully to interrupt, "Whatever we do with it, you have no right to question. Otherwise, we all go back home, and let the world be destroyed."

"This..."

The other party hesitated.

"I've given you time to think, but gentlemen, think it through; the end of the world is near, every second that passes is one less second we have."

Wang Ning stood with his arms crossed, completely composed.

After a moment of silence, a tall middle-aged man took out his phone, "I need to check with my leader."

"Please do," Wang Ning nodded.

He got up and went out to make a call. A few minutes later, he peeked his head back in.

"What did the leader say?" asked Wang Ning.

"The leader said he'd discuss it in a meeting," the man gestured, summoning the other people in the living room out, and the last one to leave took a few steps out, then turned back, slipped the password key from the coffee table into his pocket and glanced a couple more times at Bai Zhen and Wang Ning on the sofa.

"Coordinating across departments is really tough," Bai Zhen sighed.

"It's like talking to a wall, let alone across departments and industries, especially involving secret units," Wang Ning shrugged, "Unless a high-level leader speaks, otherwise just running the procedures could kill you."

"If only the command center had its own nuclear industry department..."

"Are you thinking of rebelling?"

"The first time I realized Zhao Bowen was a badass, how did he manage to unify and integrate units from all over the place in various industries?" Bai Zhen found it incredible. "If it were me leading this, let alone three months, I couldn't pull it off in three years; just thinking about it makes my scalp tingle, it could drag on until the end of the world."

"You don't have a badass cousin like he does."

A few minutes later, the nuclear task force returned. They stood in a line opposite the coffee table, and the leader solemnly placed the encryption key on the table and pushed it towards Bai Zhen.

"Team Leader Bai, Team Leader Wang, given the urgent nature, we handle this specially. I represent the Zhongbao Committee, Zhonghe Industry, and the rocket forces, transferring this encryption key to the Nanjing Command Center, please confirm receipt."

Bai Zhen took the encryption key, "Confirmed."

"From this moment on, all rights of ownership, disposal, and custody of this encryption key are transferred to the Nanjing Command Center, please confirm the handover."

"Confirmed."

"From now on, we will not be responsible for this encryption key. Responsibility is clear after the handover; please ensure the careful storage of the encryption key and the consequences of subsequent actions are entirely your responsibility, please confirm."

"Confirmed," said Bai Zhen, "If the CIA steals the key, just toss Wang Ning in prison."

The leader of the nuclear task force breathed a sigh of relief, "Team Leader Bai, now the encryption key is yours. You can deliver it however you want, but I must remind you one last time, your usual delivery methods are not suitable for this device. Even if it was just a regular USB drive, keeping it in a time capsule for twenty years might not retain its usefulness, let alone a delicate nuclear weapons control system. You must find a way to ensure the microelectronics remain intact."

He came forward and shook hands firmly with Bai Zhen and then with Wang Ning.

"Save that girl, then save the world,"

he said.

...

...

...

The nuclear task force withdrew, leaving only Wang Ning and Bai Zhen in the living room.

The two looked at the encryption key on the coffee table, silent for a long while, then burst into a joyful high-five.

"I told you we need to be a bit rogue, to deal with them we need to be a bit rogue. That Zhao guy just can't put down his intellectual airs, acts all like he's essential for the survival and peace of the populace, making a grand show of emotions, but ends up not able to handle anything. An educated man leading a revolt, not succeeding even in three years," Wang Ning patted his chest, "In the end, it still takes us two old rogues to take action."

"If Zhao can't handle it, we will. It's giving courtesy before using force."

Strictly speaking, Zhao Bowen, with his firm and decisive reputation in the underworld, isn't really an intellectual; it's just that compared to these two old foxes, he's overshadowed.

The two cheerfully went downstairs for lunch. Their mother and sisters went to play Mahjong, leaving lunch to be sorted by themselves, which delighted the old brothers. What could be more enjoyable than their wives not being at home?

They bragged at the lunch table until 2 p.m. and then went home for a brief rest, soon diving back into work.

"Now that we have the encryption key, what's next?" Wang Ning asked, "We've only eliminated the artificial obstacles that shouldn't have been there in the first place. The difficulty of transportation has not been solved at all. They're right, even if it's just a USB drive, it would be ruined after twenty years. To safely deliver it, an environment that ensures the microelectronics are not easily damaged is necessary."

One could predict, although the higher-ups agreed to hand full responsibility for the encryption key to the Nanjing Command Center, this tolerance and leeway wasn't unlimited; the Command Center had better succeed on the first attempt.

"Should we wait for Zhao to come back and call a meeting? Pool wisdom, many hands make light work."

"Zhao? What the fuck good is Zhao? Can three cobblers really amount to a Zhuge Liang?" Bai Zhen scoffed, "If they had any ideas, they would have shared them already."

He closed his eyes tightly, covering his face with his hands, and yawned.

"Wang, think about the three laws of Time Slow Delivery, think about it."

Wang Ning was startled.

"What's the first law?" Bai Zhen asked.

"The party sending must know all the information about the slow delivery; that is, the state of the goods used for transport must be definite, the act of sending the slow delivery must become a matter of fact for the receiving party to possibly receive the goods," Wang Ning answered.

"What's the second law?"

"The sending party cannot be the same person; it must be double-blind or even multi-blind. Why are you asking this?"

"Just asking, maybe there's something in it?" Bai Zhen slowly sat up, pouring himself a glass of water, "Out of the seven billion people in the world, we are the ones with the deepest insight and understanding of these three laws."

"It's just a framework."

"Right, it's just a framework. All our actions must unfold within this framework. Think again, Wang, think about the first law again. Is it merely a framework?" Bai Zhen held his water glass, his brow furrowed, "Taking the sending party as the origin of the coordinate system, the goods must become a matter of fact before the receiving party can possibly receive the goods, Wang, can it be reversed?"

"What daydreaming are you doing?"

Wang Ning rolled his eyes.

"We've already tried. Digging before burying is impossible; it violates the first law. The world doesn't allow it to happen, so it's bound to fail. The sequence of sending and receiving on the timeline cannot be reversed... But there's another established fact before us, Wang, it can provide an environment where microelectronics are not easily damaged," Bai Zhen put down his water glass, "I know now."

"You have an idea?"

"I do, but I can't tell you. If I tell you, it wouldn't work."

"So you're going to do it alone?" Wang Ning was surprised, "How are you going to manage double-blind?"

"Go get me two bottles of Moutai."