《The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy》 is a widely praised and influential science fiction film.

Lin Xian had watched it many years ago.

Because after discussing dreams with Gao Yang back then, Gao Yang said he couldn't imagine what the future world would be like, which was why he couldn't dream about it.

So from that time on, he began to cram on science fiction movies and books. This very classic science fiction film in cinematic history was naturally on his cram list.

To be honest, Lin Xian didn't think the movie was particularly good. Frankly, it was pretty average. So many years had passed, and he had no urge to watch it a second time.

But today was different...

After coming out of the dream yesterday, he decided to come to the private cinema tonight to properly review this film.

There was only one reason.

The number 42 first appeared in the public eye... in 《The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy》.

……

Lin Xian ordered a drink, took it and walked into his private room, where the movie had already started playing.

《The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy》 is a 2005 film, a brain-opening and funny science fiction road movie.

It is adapted from the science fiction of the same name, 《The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy》, written by author Douglas Adams.

The first half of the film is a bit boring from today's perspective.

It tells the story of a group of aliens who want to build a galactic highway, so they have to clear the obstacles on the construction route – Earth.

Then the Earth is destroyed, and the protagonist begins an adventure in the galaxy with an alien.

Then, it's just some episodic short stories.

Lin Xian watched in silence.

Finally...

He waited for the most beautiful and widely circulated clip in the film:

On a certain planet in the galaxy, there is a highly developed and super-intelligent advanced civilization.

In order to obtain the truth of the universe, they gathered all the geniuses and built the most advanced super giant computer in the entire universe – Deep Thought.

After the super giant computer was built, tens of billions of aliens gathered here and asked the question they had always been most concerned about and wanted to get the answer to the most:

"Please calculate the ultimate answer to the universe, life, and everything."

Deep Thought, the giant computer as big as a mountain, lit up a few indicator lights, and then replied:

"The amount of calculation is too large, please return here in 7.5 million years."

7.5 million years later—

All the top civilizations in the universe gathered here, waiting for the giant computer to announce the final answer.

Amidst the anticipation, the giant computer Deep Thought spoke:

"The ultimate answer to the universe, life, and everything is—"

"42."

The whole place was silent.

Then this plot came to an abrupt end, and the next short story began.

……

"42..."

Lin Xian muttered, rewound this segment, and watched it again.

The film didn't explain too much about the concept of 42, it just ended abruptly. In fact, everyone knows why... because the director didn't know either, and he couldn't make it up.

The ultimate answer to the universe, life, and everything...

This is a question that no earthling can solve.

The director can't.

The audience can't.

Douglas Adams, the original author of 《The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy》, can't either...

In his book of the same name, he still blurred this concept, never answered it, and pretended to be unpredictable.

But his book is a comedy science fiction, the main focus is nonsense, and at the beginning of the creation, it was only to provide contributions to a children's program on a TV station, and there was no need to explain this concept. It just needs to be fun and interesting.

However...

Lin Xian didn't think this matter was so simple.

"Even if Adams just wanted to have fun and create an unexpected twist when he wrote this book, so the answer calculated by the giant computer was 42..."

"But, why is it 42?"

"Why is it such a coincidence?"

If...

Lin Xian hadn't experienced so many things so far, he would never question why the author would set it like this.

This is someone else's story, they can write whatever they want, whether it's 42, 37, or 58, it's all Adams's freedom, it's very likely that he just wrote it randomly.

But...

The situation is different now...

Countless facts that have already happened show that the number 42 is really special, it really has some special meaning.

His earliest dream entry time was 12:42,

The time he woke up every time the dream ended was 00:42,

The time when the future world was destroyed by white light was 00:42,

Professor Xu Yun's time of death was 00:42,

In the first dream, the big-faced cat's father's time of death was also 00:42,

In the second dream, the result of the universal constant calculated by the big-faced cat's father was 42,

The walls in the room were covered with countless numbers, large and small, still 42.

This is too strange...

So many strange things are all related to the mysterious number 42.

This is definitely not a coincidence.

Lin Xian narrowed his eyes.

Watching the end credits slowly rise after the movie was played, the name of Douglas Adams was written in the last column of screenwriter and original author.

"So..."

"Does Adams really know something? Or did he accidentally hear something? Therefore, the ultimate answer to the universe, life, and everything in 《The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy》... is set to 42?"

Lin Xian had no way of knowing.

Because Douglas Adams himself had already passed away in 2001.

Lin Xian had checked the information. Douglas Adams was born in 1952, and 《The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy》 was created in 1979.

Then can we make a radical inference—

That the Genius Club already existed in 1979, 1952, or even earlier, and was hidden in the fog of history?

As soon as he thought of this idea.

Lin Xian felt a chill down his spine...

If his conjecture is true, he really can't imagine how those people in the Genius Club did it.

How did they hide in history without leaving a trace?

And

How can they cross hundreds or even nearly a thousand years, and always stick to their beliefs?

What is their purpose?

What is the meaning of them doing this?

"All of these mysteries... should be related to 42."

The movie was over, the screen went black, and the whole room fell into darkness.

Lin Xian stood up.

No matter what, if you want to solve the mystery of 42, you always have to sneak into the New Donghai City to find clues.

Whether it is the book 《Introduction to the Universal Constant》 or the big-faced cat's father himself, only by finding one of these two can the investigation about 42 continue.

"The road ahead is long."

Lin Xian got up from the sofa and pushed open the door of the room.

Creak—

……

The sound of the room door being pushed open.

In the suburbs of Donghai City, a lakeside villa, sunlight pours in through the open door, and wisps of sunlight pass through the dust in the air, creating a flamboyant Tyndall effect.

"Not opening the window during the day,

Not turning on the lights at night... Ji Lin, when can you listen to me?"

The old man walked into the house.

He didn't close the door.

Because that was the only source of light.

None of the lights in the house were turned on, and the curtains were tightly drawn. This dim and dilapidated atmosphere made him, as an old man, extremely uncomfortable.

Compared with lights, he preferred sunlight, the warmth on his body could truly make him feel the existence of time.

The living room in front of him was as messy as last time.

To be precise, it was even messier than when he came last time.

The last time he came, at least all the magazines and newspapers were neatly stacked together, but now... almost all the newspapers and magazines were open and scattered on the floor.

All the magazines were opened, and the newspapers were thrown in a mess.

At this time, Ji Lin was leaning against the pile of magazines, sitting cross-legged on the floor, staring at the fluorescent light emitted from the laptop in front of him.

The fluorescent light reflected on his thin face, revealing a morbid paleness.

And the flat sunlight that slanted in from the entrance door just happened to shine less than ten centimeters away from his feet... without pulling the fair-skinned boy out of the darkness.

"Are you welded to that floor? Do you need me to water you?"

The old man walked in, looking at the mess with disgust:

"I heard the housekeeper say... you haven't gone out these days, you haven't gone out once since I came last time."

"The housekeeper also said that you bought some plush toys online? My God... you have really become someone I don't recognize."

"So what are you doing? Ji Lin, are you really working?"