“Not quite right.”

Lin Xian shook his head.

Strictly speaking, world's richest man, Jiasike (Musk), couldn't be considered the biggest beneficiary without any losses.

He didn't directly participate in the battle for the space-time particles, but that rocket delivering the timely rain must have been quite expensive.

Moreover.

His Starlink satellite project, painstakingly built over several years at a cost of tens of billions of US dollars, was completely destroyed. The resulting direct losses, indirect stock losses, and subsequent related losses probably amounted to several times that of tens of billions.

If the chain reaction triggered by this event continued to ferment... Jiasike's position as the world's richest man would inevitably be untenable.

Judging from the current stock price, it seemed he had already been dethroned.

However, the wealth of these world-class billionaires fluctuated greatly every day, and no one could accurately predict the specific amount of their fortunes. It could only be said that Jiasike had suffered a severe blow this time, having his main artery severed.

Therefore, from an economic perspective, Jiasike was actually the person who suffered the most significant losses in this battle for space-time particles.

Thus, it couldn't be said that Jiasike was sitting on the sidelines watching the fight. In a sense, he was also a victim.

"What's more..."

Lin Xian lowered his head, looking at the bustling and lively night scene of the Imperial Capital in the distance:

"What's more, all my current speculations are based on the premise of 'assuming the dream world is real.' If we consider the possibility that the dream world is fake, simulated, or just a set... then making inferences about who is the mastermind behind the scenes is utterly meaningless."

"Therefore, the top priority is to find a way to quickly clarify the reality of the dream world. Only by clarifying this major premise can we continue to reason further. Otherwise... if the premise is incorrect, it's like building on a faulty foundation, and subsequent reasoning and construction will inevitably be skewed and erroneous."

Thinking of this.

Lin Xian reached out his right hand and pressed it against his chest.

Inside the pocket of his pajamas was the [small note] that Chu Anqing had written for him.

It could be said that this small note was the last item Chu Anqing had left for him.

Previously, Lin Xian had racked his brains for months, not knowing what to write on the small note to deceive the whole world, deceive everyone, and even withstand the possibility of the enemy seeing and copying it in advance, so as to transmit information across 600 years, and then enlighten him the moment he saw the contents of the note, making him understand the truth and falsehood of the dream.

On his 25th birthday, he shared this question with Chu Anqing.

At the time, she couldn't come up with an answer no matter what, thinking the question was too difficult, and she couldn't even understand the question itself.

But...

After Chu Anqing touched the space-time particles.

She seemed to have become a different person, and many things had changed.

She cried out, asking Huang Que if all this was real... with a very sad and desperate expression.

Lin Xian couldn't understand.

What exactly was Chu Anqing asking?

Moreover, her reaction was so strong and her emotions so intense after touching the space-time particles, it was clear that she had recalled something, or rather, gained some memory.

The situation was urgent at the time, and Chu Anqing was in a hurry to write the small note and grab the space-time particles, so there was no time to ask these questions.

Lin Xian had planned to ask her properly after everything was over, but he never expected that there would be no later.

All of this had become another unsolvable mystery.

And the answer, presumably, was also written on this small note that wagered on time and fate...

Lin Xian's fingers twitched as he pressed against the small note folded inside his thin pajamas.

To this day, no one had seen this small note.

Not even himself.

No one at all.

In this era of 2024, no one knew the contents of it.

Really, absolutely no one.

Because Chu Anqing had also disappeared, and the only person who knew the contents had also vanished, so, by a twist of fate, [a secret and code unknown to the whole world was born].

These past few days, Lin Xian had been carrying this small note with him at all times.

Never daring to let it leave his side.

This was a small note exchanged for Chu Anqing's life...

If it were lost or seen by others, it would truly be too unfair to Chu Anqing's painstaking efforts.

She had also seriously instructed him.

"Look at it when you get there... you will definitely understand."

At the time, Chu Anqing's eyes were very confident.

Lin Xian believed her.

Chu Anqing was a very simple and straightforward girl. What she didn't know, she didn't know. She wouldn't pretend to understand things she didn't understand. Likewise...

If she was sure about something, then it was highly likely to be true, truly feasible.

What's more, the contents of this small note were written after Chu Anqing touched the space-time particles, so it must be related to her emotional breakdown at the time and her suspected awakened memories.

When he asked Chu Anqing what had happened on the space plane.

She was about to say it.

But she stopped abruptly and swallowed the words stuck in her throat, then proposed the request to write a small note.

This meant...

What she wanted to say at the time and what was written on the small note were highly related and equally important.

Lin Xian had been curious and speculated countless times about what was written on the small note.

But he would never look at it in this time of 2024.

If he couldn't resist taking a look now, then everything would be in vain.

Especially since the current fourth dream was, as VV said, becoming more and more fake! The more he experienced it, the more unreal it became! He now desperately needed an answer, a truth, a guiding beacon to continue reasoning and moving forward.

And this small note, enough to hide from the world, to deceive everyone.

Was his...

Last hope for breaking out of the fourth dream!

"I will put it in a hafnium alloy safe at Times Bank."

Lin Xian murmured softly.

Nowadays, Wang Ge's Times Bank had officially opened for trial operation, precisely on March 20th, his birthday.

Because he was training at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center that day, Lin Xian couldn't be there in person, but Wang Ge still sent him many photos and short videos.

The scene of the trial operation seemed to be quite lively.

And, to Lin Xian's surprise, there were quite a few people in this world with childlike innocence.

According to Wang Ge, on the day of the trial operation, 30 safe deposit box usage slots were sold, and the shortest one sold was for 50 years. The longest one even sold for 200 years.

Of course, the price didn't necessarily have to be paid in one lump sum for 200 years. There were still many payment plans, after all, Times Bank was a project that Wang Ge had been planning for a long time, so he had thought of everything comprehensively.

Selling 30 safe deposit boxes on the first day... and with such long storage times, this performance was indeed beyond Lin Xian's expectations.

He had thought that many people were just after novelty and wouldn't necessarily be interested in this time capsule-like "space-time pie."

But the reality proved him wrong.

Anything, no matter what it was. As long as it was the first and only one in the world, it seemed not to lack attention.

The appearance of Times Bank was unique in the world, novel, and precious. It spanned 600 years of time and was still thriving. Being able to rent dozens of airships in a super-future metropolis to advertise for its anniversary celebration was enough to prove that this bank was still flourishing even six centuries later.

Wang Ge also sent Lin Xian photos of the Times Bank warehouse.

It was similar to what he had seen in the first and second dreams, only a little larger in area and with a few more safes.

But the overall layout was still the same, with concrete walls on each side, and hafnium alloy safes embedded in them one by one.

This scene made Lin Xian nostalgic and dazed.

Wang Ge also specially took a picture of safe No. 66 for Lin Xian to see.

The nameplate on it was engraved with Lin Xian's name, waiting for him to open it and set a password that could never be changed.

Lin Xian had originally planned to return to Donghai City immediately after getting off the space plane, put this small note in the safe, and set a random password.

However.

The current situation.

How could he have the face to return to Donghai...

It wasn't that he was afraid that Chu Shanhe would really throw him into the Huangpu River to feed the fish.

If Chu Shanhe was really willing to do that, his sense of guilt might be a little less.

At worst... at worst, he would shamefacedly swim back up.

He had promised to take good care of their daughter and bring her home safely. But now, she was missing, neither alive nor dead. Wasn't he allowed to lose his temper?

Unfortunately, he knew Chu Shanhe too well.

Such a righteous, reasonable man with a broad mind probably wouldn't say a word of complaint to him, and might even pat him on the shoulder and say:

"Lin Xian, I don't blame you."

Alas.

It was precisely because the Chu Shanhe, Chu Anqing, and Su Xiuying family were like this that Lin Xian felt even more uncomfortable and guilty.

Before he figured out whether Chu Anqing was dead or alive, what the situation was, and why she disappeared... Lin Xian certainly didn't have the face to return to Donghai.

He had to figure out all of this before he could give Chu Shanhe an explanation.

So.

For now, the matter of putting this small note in the Times Bank safe could only be postponed temporarily.

The best-case scenario would be to dig up Zhang Yuqian's grave in Qufu, Shandong, find the remains of her tissue, and then compare the DNA with Chu Anqing's hair to reach a clear conclusion... and then return to Donghai City to report.

That way.

According to the normal historical trajectory.

When he put this small note in the Times Bank safe in 2024.

In 2624, 600 years later, this small note spanning time would appear as scheduled in the hafnium alloy safe in the Times Bank warehouse.

After he solved the mysterious old man in the current era, he could move freely in the fourth dream.

At that time, he only needed to find Times Bank, enter the correct password, open the safe, and see the [small note] written by Chu Anqing again...

Everything would be revealed.

The reality and falsehood of the dream would be unveiled at that moment.

"Wait a little longer, Anqing."

Lin Xian pressed the small note in his chest pocket:

"I will figure out all of this and won't let you down."

……

Looking up again.

The night of the Imperial Capital was still so prosperous and bright, brightly lit.

It was no different from the neon night scene in Donghai, and even the Xidan area was more lively.

But this liveliness had nothing to do with Lin Xian.

He often recalled the bits and pieces of shopping with Chu Anqing in the Xidan Shopping Plaza.

That cup of pulpy grape milk tea;

That claw machine full of dolls;

That food street surrounded by fireworks;

That quiet bar singing "No Longer Contact."

Everything was like yesterday, yet like another world.

Lin Xian faced the sky.

Facing the moonlight.

He stretched out his right hand...

Grasped it, then opened it.

He had clearly grabbed it.

Clearly grabbed Chu Anqing's hand.

He wouldn't be mistaken.

That was the sensation of a hand, even through the thick spacesuit, he could feel Chu Anqing tightly holding his right hand.

But precisely when he landed in his arms...

She disappeared inexplicably.

During this time, Lin Xian had been thinking about this question non-stop:

[Did Chu Anqing disappear at 00:42 because she touched the space-time particles?]

Or was it...

[Was her disappearance at 00:42 already predetermined, and no matter whether she touched the space-time particles or not, nothing could stop the inevitability of this moment?]

Lin Xian couldn't understand.

But the only thing he was sure of was...

After touching the space-time particles, Chu Anqing knew in advance the fact that she would disappear at 00:42.

This reasoning should be correct.

This was also why Chu Anqing was determined to leave the cabin and stand on the wing of the space plane to capture the space-time particles.

Because.

She knew.

She was about to disappear.

Just a dozen minutes.

So, she no longer cherished her life and dared to do anything crazy.

No wonder everyone couldn't stop her at the time.

Lin Xian and Gao Yang had almost fought with Huang Que at the time, the scene was almost a brawl.

But Chu Anqing firmly stood on Huang Que's side, so even though Lin Xian and Gao Yang tried their best to stop her, they were eventually forcibly persuaded by Chu Anqing.

The final compromise was that safety rope that tied Chu Anqing's spacesuit and was tightly held in everyone's hands.

It was a pity...

Lin Xian didn't realize at the time that Chu Anqing would disappear at 00:42 as a predetermined fact.

It wasn't until Chu Anqing stood on the wing, sighed, and asked Huang Que what time it was, that Lin Xian truly felt that something was wrong.

That tone.

That manner.

That nonchalant calmness.

And, finally, the specks of blue stardust that fell after landing made Lin Xian realize belatedly—

So.

Chu Anqing had known her death date long ago.

Knew.

That she would disappear, dissipate, and vanish without a trace at 00:42 on March 28, 2024.

That was why she dared to leave the cabin,

Dared to untie the safety rope,

Dared to jump off the wing of the space plane,

Dared to fall from the soaring 20,000-meter-high altitude, holding the rice cooker as if resigned to her fate.

"Alas..."

Lin Xian sighed.

The logic of all this was like this.

From the results, it was indeed as Huang Que said, there was no need to save Chu Anqing, who as a thousand-year-old stake was destined to dissipate at 00:42.

She would die sooner or later, no matter what.

But.

For Lin Xian.

Even so.

Even so!

Even if he had to choose again a thousand times, ten thousand times, he would not hesitate to jump from the plane at an altitude of 20,000 meters.

It was stupid, unreasonable, and uneconomical.

But he had once told Liu Feng.

Life was not a math problem, there was no right answer.

The multiple-choice question of jumping off the plane to save Chu Anqing, if he had to choose ten thousand times, would all be the same option.

"Grunt!!!!!!"

Suddenly.

Gao Yang, who had been holding his breath for a long time behind him, let out a loud snort like a pig, and then sat up in bed:

"Damn... why do I feel so suffocated! I almost suffocated!"

He turned his head, looked at the open balcony window, looked at the cold wind blowing in, and looked at Lin Xian standing in the moonlight on the balcony:

"Damn! What are you doing, man! Why aren't you sleeping in the middle of the night? You're scaring people like a ghost! You almost scared me to death!"

Lin Xian regained his thoughts, turned around and looked at Gao Yang:

"You should hurry up and lose weight, or else... you might just suffocate to death in your sleep from sleep apnea before you get scared to death."

"No... what time is it? You should hurry up and come back to sleep! No wonder it's so cold, hurry, hurry, hurry, close the balcony door. It's not even April yet, the Imperial Capital is different from Donghai, it's very cold! Hurry, hurry, hurry back... I can't sleep if you don't."

After saying that, Gao Yang turned over and started snoring again.

Lin Xian also looked at his watch, and it was indeed getting late.

Moreover... the Imperial Capital at the end of March was indeed still very cold, completely different climate from Donghai City.

"Let's sleep first, we'll think about things tomorrow."

Nowadays.

He had put aside all other concerns and was focusing on investigating the mystery of Chu Anqing's disappearance.

The mystery was heavy.

They had to be investigated one by one.

The good news was that the reason for Chu Anqing's disappearance wasn't particularly difficult to understand.

In the future world, there was the precedent of CC to refer to.

In the real world, there was also Zhang Yuqian, a girl who looked exactly the same, with traces to follow and a grave to dig up to find DNA.

Compared to other mysteries, this mystery was the easiest to crack.

There were clues, ideas, and evidence to be found.

Lin Xian was confident that he could figure out all of this, so as to give Chu Shanhe an explanation and give himself an explanation.

He yawned...

Walked into the hotel suite.

Closed the balcony door.

Returned to bed, pulled up the blanket, and closed his eyes.

Hopefully...

Tomorrow's investigation.

Everything would go smoothly.