Genius Club-Chapter 559 - 10: Limit Reasoning

"Hmm..."

Gao Yang stared at the delicately crafted diary that seemed untouched by time:

"This four-digit password really isn’t hard to guess, so I’ll guess Zhang Yuqian’s birthday—January 21st, right? 0121! Hurry, try it!"

Lin Xian lowered his head and turned the four dials of the lock.

They turned as smoothly as always!

Click clack, crisp and delicate, the sound was pleasant, and the feel was great. It was hard to imagine that the diary had been sitting there for over twenty years... Just from the sound and feel alone, one could deduce that the mechanical design of this little lock was very precise.

One had to admit, small things often reflected larger truths. Craftsmanship from the last century was still commendable, even considered world-leading.

No wonder those motivational magazines could concoct stories like in Japan, dishes should be washed seven times.

But that was all in the past, and Lin Xian didn’t know much about Japan’s current manufacturing techniques; other than video games and anime, there really wasn’t much presence.

Even though there are a few decent brands in the cosmetics field, firstly, they aren’t top-of-the-world, and secondly, because of the reputation damage from nuclear wastewater, Japanese cosmetics almost have no footing in the domestic market nowadays.

Lin Xian adjusted the final two dials of the lock.

0121

The numbers were clear and bright as if the diary truly hadn’t aged.

"Alright."

As he spoke, Lin Xian extended his left thumb and pressed the lock release button.

Click!

...

It didn’t open.

"Haha."

Lin Xian couldn’t help but recall those nights in The First Dreamland, where he and CC Big Face Cat tested their wits against each other, trying various passwords to open safes.

He felt a sense of nostalgia, as if it were just yesterday.

Thinking of the cold and mysterious CC, Lin Xian instantly overlaid her image with those of Chu Anqing and Zhang Yuqian.

Identical, without any difference, not even a tiny bit.

Actually...

When he opened the coffin earlier and saw that Zhang Yuqian’s remains and ashes weren’t inside, Lin Xian truly breathed a sigh of relief...

He felt a bit fortunate, somewhat lucky.

If Zhang Yuqian had truly died, a normal death, with a body and bones; that would mean Chu Anqing’s bizarre disappearance was an isolated case in this world.

An isolated case isn’t evidence.

If an event occurs only once in this world, its true cause and inevitable outcome will forever remain an unsolvable mystery.

In that case, perhaps Chu Anqing simply disappeared completely from this world due to an accident involving a space-time particle. If she hadn’t come into contact, perhaps she wouldn’t have disappeared.

But now...

This chapt𝙚r is updated by freeωebnovēl.c૦m.

The same thing had happened to Zhang Yuqian over twenty years ago. This indicated that such disappearances of twenty-year-old girls into blue stardust weren’t accidents but seemed more like a predetermined, scripted program.

As long as these events weren’t accidents, it was possible to find the source, trace the roots, verify the reasons, and then... alter this destined fate!

Lin Xian was increasingly feeling...

Chu Anqing wasn’t dead.

[She really isn’t dead; she likely just went somewhere else.]

Overall...

As far as he could tell...

Things were not as bad as he had thought, and his ideas were becoming clearer, evolving toward a defined direction.

"Wait a minute, it’s strange..."

Gao Yang rolled his eyes:

"Then, should we try 0042? I don’t hold much hope, but this time point is just too special for Zhang Yuqian, the time she came into this world, the time she left it."

"But it’s unclear... Her mother can’t even remember the exact minute she was born, how would she know? Not to mention, could she have known she would disappear at 00:42 on Jan 21, 2000?"

Suddenly, Gao Yang was startled:

"Oh my! It’s not impossible! Didn’t Chu Anqing, after coming into contact with the space-time particle, immediately know her fate of disappearing at 00:42, and then started sobbing? "

"Since Chu Anqing could predict that time, maybe Zhang Yuqian could too! Quick, quick, try 0042, I think this password has a good chance."

Lin Xian lowered his head again and clicked through the numbers.

The four stainless steel dials turned to 0042, then he pressed the lock release—

Click!

It didn’t open.

Gao Yang pulled a Swiss army knife from his pocket:

"Let’s bring in some technology."

Lin Xian silently tried a few more passwords, 2000, 2024, 2624, 0828, 0328, which were special in terms of years and dates, but none were correct.

He even sentimentally tried his own birthday, but to no avail.

Then, he held the diary up higher, using the lamp on his helmet to study the structure of the diary and lock:

"It’s no problem to forcibly break this thing, but looking at its structure, if we force it open, the lock will definitely be incomplete and won’t be usable anymore. We also wouldn’t ever know the password Zhang Yuqian set."

"Bah!"

Gao Yang was dismissive:

"The important thing about a diary is the content inside; a lock is just a simple lock. Why do you even care what the password is? As long as you can open the lock, a hammer and pliers are keys."

"That’s not necessarily true."

Lin Xian shook his head:

"Sometimes, the significance of a password can be far more important than what it locks."

During this time...

Lin Xian had encountered too many password-related events, not only the safe labeled with his own name but also Zhao Yingjun’s office door, the garbage robot in the City in the Sky, and his own impending setup of a new password for the Hafnium Alloy Safe...