Did the world end today?

Chapter 166 The Zeroth Law
Three hours later, at the villa.

Lin Xu and Jiang Xingye ultimately didn't get the freedom to go out on a date at night.

According to Qin Feng, the domestic security situation began to fluctuate after the assassination attempt against David Julius was launched.

During this special period, all key personnel must adhere to the strictest security standards.

what?
Do you still want to go out and have fun?
It's good enough that they didn't lock you in a safe house.

It's best to abandon such unrealistic ideas as soon as possible.

Craving hot pot?

Have.

Want to watch a movie?

Have.

Are the two young people looking for some alone time?
no problem.

However, this must be done within a safe range.

Lin Xu understood Guoan's actions, so he didn't argue with Qin Feng.

Of course, more importantly, Jiang Xingye didn't seem to care that much about whether or not he could go out.

Doesn't this prove that the surprise she mentioned has nothing to do with the location?

Tsk.

So what is it?

Jiang Xingye didn't say anything, and Lin Xu didn't ask either.

The tripe in the hot pot was already cooked. Lin Xu picked up a piece and put it in Jiang Xingye's bowl, then asked:
"So, what's the surprise?"

Jiang Xingye blew on the piping hot tripe and replied:
"The time hasn't come yet."

"What? You're telling me it's not time yet, so late at night?"

Lin Xu looked at Jiang Xingye with suspicion.

"What, do you only bring out your surprises when it's late at night?"

"It's hard not to think the wrong thing, to be honest."

"You didn't put drugs in the hot pot, did you?"

Jiang Xingye rolled his eyes.

"Do I need to be drugged? Isn't it a piece of cake for me to control you?"

"If it were truly so easy, you would have succeeded by now."

Lin Xu curled his lip in disdain, while Jiang Xingye chuckled and said:

"That's just because I'm busy with work, my hormone levels are dropping, and I'm not thinking about personal matters for the time being."

"And your hormone levels are dropping. Are you a succubus?"

Jiang Xingye tilted his head, his oversized T-shirt hanging down, revealing a snow-white collarbone on his large, smooth shoulder.

"Don't I look like that?"

"Stop it, I can't take it anymore."

Lin Xu quickly admitted defeat.

If this continues, we won't be able to keep up with the security arrangements tonight.
-
However, it is true that a major reason why their relationship has not progressed further for so long is that they are currently facing too many restrictions.

Even though I was often alone, there were always security personnel watching me.

How do you describe that feeling?

Well, unless someone has a really unusual fetish, the most intimate gesture is really limited to holding hands.
Seeing his expression, Jiang Xingye smiled smugly.

Then, she picked up her phone, glanced at the time, and said:

"almost."

"However, I must first clarify that I don't actually know whether what I can give you is a surprise or a shock."

"But first, I need to explain to you how I came up with this idea."

"You said."

Lin Xu glanced down at the time.

21 points.

Jiang Xingye paused for a moment, then said:

"Do you remember when I told you that you chose me as your 'pollen' in countless parallel worlds?"

of course I remember.

How could I not remember?
Lin Xu nodded and replied:
"Yes."

"and then?"

"And then? And then what?"

Jiang Xingye clicked his tongue and shook his head.

"I'll teach you now. In the future, when I talk to you about this kind of thing, don't ask me 'And then what?' It'll sound like I'm giving you a work report!"

".knew."

Lin Xu nodded emphatically.

"So what happens next?"

".never mind."

Jiang Xingye sighed.

"The key point is that I've thought about it carefully, and this choice was definitely not made casually."

"This is a mission to save the world. That is to say, if you were the core figure of the 'a priori', then when choosing your companions, you would have to make a choice that maximizes your own interests."

"And clearly, I may not be the one who maximizes my interests."

"Objectively speaking, there must be someone in this world who is stronger than me and more suitable to be a 'pollen' to carry information."

"And yet you still chose me."

"Therefore, I must have a special attribute that is 'irreplaceable'."

"I don't know the specifics of that yet."

"But I know that if, under certain circumstances, you choose me and I do not choose you, it will inevitably have a significant impact on the efficiency of execution in that world."

"Therefore, this vulnerability must be patched."

After Jiang Xingye finished speaking, Lin Xu nodded thoughtfully.

indeed.

In other worlds, Jiang Xingye did not know his identity as "Butterfly" from the beginning.

She didn't know from the beginning that her counterpart in other worlds was a vessel for the "butterfly."

This did indeed bring some trouble. For example, in the first world, Jiang Xingye took many detours until Star Travel No. 1 took off and Zhu Rong was brought back, at which point he realized his special status.

That was too late.

In this "Starship Age" world, she discovered it earlier, but it obviously took some time.

Jiang Xingye now wants to plug this loophole and minimize the invalid time.

So what is she going to do?

Lin Xu looked at Jiang Xingye curiously, while Jiang Xingye put down his chopsticks and stood up.

She waved to Lin Xu, signaling him to follow her.

The two went up to the top floor of the villa together and sat down on a stool that Jiang Xingye had prepared at some point.

The villa is not located in the center of Nanjing, so although there is light pollution, it is not serious.

Although the Milky Way was not visible, the vast starry sky was still clearly visible.

"What does that mean? A romantic confession under the starry sky?"

Lin Xu asked casually.

He didn't hear Jiang Xingye's reply, but he felt her reach out and grasp his right hand, which was resting flat on his lap.

Then, Jiang Xingye spoke in a low voice:
“I’ve thought of many ways to explain this ‘choice’ to my other self in another world in advance.”

"For example, leaving a message, carving a line of words, or writing a letter to yourself."

"However, according to your description, these methods may not necessarily work."

"Because its anchoring effect is not strong enough."

"The world you see is not a world that evolved from our world or exists on the same timeline."

"Instead, it's a world that selects 'most matches' based on various key anchor points."

"Therefore, my personal changes are not enough to shake the anchor of a world."

"I can only look for things that don't change."

"For example, a star."

Jiang Xingye turned to look at Lin Xu and then said:

"Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks is an active comet."

"In July 2023, it experienced a sudden increase in brightness, to the point that it was visible to the naked eye."

"At that time, I saw this star when I was alone on the roof of my apartment building."

"Tonight is very likely to be the second outburst of this star."

"This time, I'll watch it with you."

"I'm not sure if this memory will be retained in other parallel worlds you enter, nor am I sure if its 'anchoring effect' is sufficient to become a so-called 'matching standard'."

"So, I've decided to do two things."

"First thing."

"As this star shines, let us anchor our relationship."

"The second thing." "Change the world."

"I have reported to the coordination group, and they will apply to the International Astronomical Union to rename the comet, citing the need to distinguish the fragments after the outburst."

"This movement... should be big enough, right?"

"Of course, we cannot rule out the possibility that other random factors may have occurred, which may have prevented the name change from happening in other parallel worlds."

"But this is all I can do."

As he spoke, Jiang Xingye couldn't help but sigh.

Her expression held a mixture of confusion and disappointment.

"If only there were something that could penetrate parallel worlds and form an anchor that would never change."

"For example, higher-dimensional channels or something."

"But unfortunately, I have no way to utilize the higher-dimensional channels."

So this is the only way!

As he spoke, Jiang Xingye squeezed Lin Xu's fingers.

Don't you want to know what this star is called?

"think."

Lin Xu nodded solemnly.

He didn't actually know how to name the star.

He needed to tell Jiang Xingye his identity and role, give her enough hints, and of course, avoid the possibility of "exposing clues".

This is indeed not a name that can be decided easily.

Jiang Xingye smiled slyly.

"coffee."

"Really?"

Using this name for a comet is far too frivolous, isn't it?

"Of course it's fake!"

Jiang Xingye rolled his eyes.

"Don't you understand? I set up a firewall zero in another world, right?"

"So, whenever this keyword is mentioned, I will know that it refers to you."

"Zero?"

Lin Xu was taken aback.

This has absolutely no connection to myself.
"Not Zero."

"It's Zeroth."

Jiang Xingye explained:

"Zeroth Law, or more commonly translated as the Zeroth Law."

shit
Thermodynamic laws!
This would not raise any doubt in any way.

More importantly, it is indeed related to its own name!
Lin Xu stared intently at Jiang Xingye, momentarily at a loss for words.

Jiang Xingye, however, turned his head away, feigning indifference.

She pointed to the starry sky and said:
"coming."

“Brook—no, he should be called Zeroth now.”

"Lin Xu, from this moment on, you are no longer the one who chose me for all worlds."

"I chose you too."

Lin Xu looked up at the sky in the direction she was pointing.

The exploding comet emitted light, which appeared somewhat dim to the naked eye, but Lin Xu knew it was real.
That's my own star.

He let out a soft breath and was about to turn his head when Jiang Xingye's hands cupped his.

What she was holding was his face.

Then, soft lips pressed against his face.

Lin Xu's heart pounded wildly.

Amidst the chaos, he suddenly blurted out a sentence that seemed completely out of place.

"Shouldn't they be kissing?"

Jiang Xingye was stunned for a moment.

Then she blinked.

"You come."

The next morning, at 10 a.m.

Lin Xu got out of his bed.

He didn't sleep with Jiang Xingye.

To be precise, we just haven't been sleeping together yet.

Although it seems inevitable given the current trend, neither of them is in a hurry.

After all, if the environment isn't suitable, there's always a bit of perfectionism involved, right?
Just wait and see.

However, what Jiang Xingye did yesterday did give Lin Xu a strong feeling that it was destined.

Damn it.

If even this can't change the "next world" and help Jiang Xingye achieve her goal, then the rules of all parallel worlds really should be changed.

Recalling the soft touch on his lips, Lin Xu still felt a slight tingling sensation throughout his body.

It's so flaky, so incredibly flaky.

He got out of bed, quickly washed up, took out his phone, and saw that Jiang Xingye had already sent a message on WeChat.

It was the same routine as before, with a breakfast announcement and a picture of fried dumplings she had hidden for Lin Xu, telling him to come to her office to get them.

Their relationship seems unchanged.

But actually...
It feels different.

If it was just ambiguous before, now it carries a sense of quiet, tacit happiness, like that of an old married couple.

A slight smile appeared on Lin Xu's face.

After tidying himself up, he told Qin Feng to call a car, and they drove towards the office.

Throughout the journey, Qin Feng wore a knowing, gossipy smile, a typical auntie's grin. Lin Xu couldn't help but frown and say:

"What are you laughing at?!"

Qin Feng coughed and then burst into unrestrained laughter.

"Ha ha ha ha."

"No, I just think it's interesting that you two are dating."

"Honestly, shouldn't the man have been the one to do what happened yesterday?"

Lin Xu rolled his eyes.

"Your thinking is still not up to par. Men and women are equal. Why should we distinguish between who is who?"

"I reflect, I reflect."

Qin Feng nodded repeatedly, then asked:

"Why go to the office instead of resting at home on the weekend?"

"Jiang Xingye said he was going to test the data from Xinglv-1—this is the last batch of data, and it will be over after the test."

"I don't have anything to do. I'm just staying at home anyway, so I might as well go to the office."

"Oh."

Qin Feng seemed to be deep in thought.

"Is it mainly to be with her?"

"That makes sense."

Lin Xu did not deny it.

Depend on.

What's there to be embarrassed about?

Upright and honorable!

Qin Feng gave him a thumbs up and was about to chat for a few more minutes when his secure phone suddenly went off.

He instantly dropped his playful expression, and his demeanor became even more serious after answering the security device.

Lin Xu could only hear him repeatedly saying "okay" and "understood" until he hung up the phone, at which point he seized the opportunity to ask:
"whats the matter?"

Qin Feng answered without the slightest hesitation:
David Julius.

"He was attacked a fourth time."

"He can't stay in Guangzhou any longer. He's already on a plane and is expected to land in two hours."

"You'll be able to see him today."

"And he seemed to have something very important to tell us."

"Something important?"

Lin Xu also frowned.

"What kind of thing?"

"do not know."

Qin Feng shook his head and replied:
"Based on initial assessments, it seems to be related to Zhang Liming!"

(End of this chapter)