Chapter 88: Chapter 88: The Cosmological Constant (Posted in the Early Morning!)
Looking at the boastful Master Wang before him, Lin Xian felt a chill…
In the last dream, Big Face Cat’s father was probably murdered by the Genius Club after winning the Fields Medal for his research on “Introduction to the Cosmological Constant”.
Since the Genius Club still exists in this dream…
Then, if Big Face Cat’s father really did figure out the “Cosmological Constants” again, and the Genius Club found out, there wouldn’t be any reason not to kill him!
What seemed like a cordial invitation to New Donghai City…
Could very likely be a trap, a one-way street to death.
Lin Xian looked at Big Face Cat:
“Didn’t you say, there is no way to enter New Donghai City?”
“That’s definitely impossible!”
Big Face Cat was also completely baffled, unable to accept this reality:
“For so many years, no one has ever been able to enter New Donghai City!”
“Here, throughout history, even in legends! Not a single person has ever set foot in New Donghai City!”
“My dad is just an elementary school math teacher, what ability does he have to be invited there?”
“And it’s not about why he would be invited… Our place and New Donghai City are two completely unrelated worlds. With the little research my dad has done, they probably figured it all out long ago over there, so what’s there to discuss by inviting him?”
Master Wang, looking at the anxious Big Face Cat and Lin Xian, showed a face of disdain:
“Look at the two of you, such poor spirit, you’ll never achieve anything great!”
“Big Face… you just wait to enjoy the good life! Maybe when your dad comes back, he can take your whole family there! In the future… you’ll be the one standing on those steel high walls looking down on us!”
Master Wang pulled something out of his pocket and threw it over:
Big Face Cat caught it, and when he opened his hand, he saw it was a set of keys.
“Your parents left the keys with me when they left, they said they would be back tomorrow and asked me to help feed the dog and the pig at home. Since you’re here, I’ll give you the keys. You feed them later, make sure they have enough to last until your parents return tomorrow.”
Master Wang fanned himself and went inside the house.
The two stared at the keys in Big Face Cat’s hand for a long time without speaking.
“This is really strange.”
Big Face Cat shook his head:
“If my dad really was invited to Donghai City… that would be an unprecedented honor for our family, the first in hundreds of years!”
Lin Xian did not speak.
He didn’t want to say anything to worry Big Face Cat, but in fact, he knew very well… Based on the information gleaned from “The First Dreamland,” Big Face Cat’s father was probably in great danger.
Expecting him to return tomorrow?
In all senses, he cannot return tomorrow, let alone that this world literally has no tomorrow.
Despite all his rushing, he was still unable to find Big Face Cat’s father before the Genius Club did.
And what’s even more desperate…
Big Face Cat’s parents were taken away at around seven or eight in the morning.
The earliest he entered the dream was at 12:42 PM.
By that time, Cat Dad had already arrived in New Donghai City. In this dream, Lin Xian had no way to prevent Cat Dad from being taken away.
Even if he could make August 28, 2624 loop countless times…
He would never be able to outrun the time before 12:42.
That was a period of time he had no control over.
“What exactly is the ‘Cosmological Constant’?”
Lin Xian pondered without an answer.
He was almost certain that the event of Big Face Cat’s father being taken away was 100% related to the research result of the “Cosmological Constant”, and the mastermind behind all this was at least with an eighty percent chance, the Genius Club.
Under the premise that he cannot change the fact that Cat Dad is being taken away…
Understanding the Cosmological Constant is crucial.
Big Face Cat was now completely confused:
“All I know is that my dad has always been researching that book, ‘Introduction to the Cosmological Constant,’ which was dug up from an ancient tomb. It’s said to be a tome from over 600 years ago, and he’s been studying it for many years.”
Lin Xian looked up at the tightly drawn curtains on the second floor.
What exactly is the cosmological constant?
What does the cosmological constant really mean?
Why is the Genius Club so afraid of the cosmological constant?
“Brother Lian, can I go inside and have a look? I want to see your father’s room.”
Big Face Cat inserted the key into the lock, turned it, and pushed the door open:
“Normally we definitely wouldn’t be able to get into my dad’s room… He locks it up tight, doesn’t let anyone in. Since he’s not at home today, you might as well go in and take a look.”
After entering the house.
Big Face Cat led Lin Xian up the stairs:
“My dad has been studying this ‘Introduction to the Cosmological Constant’ for many years; I can’t even remember for how long. But he’s never talked about any results, and I don’t know what he’s really researching.”
“Then about half a month ago, he suddenly claimed that he had calculated the cosmological constant, and then he went crazy like he had a nervous breakdown, spouting gibberish, constantly muttering a phrase… No matter who he saw, he would look terrified and kept repeating the same sentence over and over.”
“Here we are, this is it.”
Big Face Cat pointed to a closed wooden door:
“This is my dad’s room, go on in if you want to take a look.”
His palm rested on the wooden door…
The old iron hinges emitted a distressing, frictional sound.
The end of August, the heat of the day.
But at that moment, he couldn’t feel any heat, not even a bit of temperature.
The familiar chill spread throughout his body, a feeling he hadn’t had in a long time, as if the huge Black Hand was once again looming behind him, gripping him tightly.
Lin Xian took a deep breath and raised his head.
He pushed the wooden door forward with force—
4242424242424242424242424242424242424242424242424242424242424242424242424242424242424242424242424242424242424242424242424242424242424242424242424242424242424242424242424242424242424242424242424242424242424242424242424242424242424242424242424242424242424242424242424242
Lin Xian suddenly took a step back, his eyes wide open!
On the walls, the ceiling, the table and chairs, the bookshelf, the lime floor! All were filled with 42!
To the left… to the right… above…
Everywhere the eye could see, every place a pen could touch, any space where writing was possible, all were filled with big and small numbers of ’42’!
Lin Xian felt a numbness spreading over his body.
He carefully stepped into the room, looking at the chaotic intertwinings of handwriting on the walls.
Not a single digit was different.
And these ’42’s were written everywhere, filling the space; within the larger ’42’s, there were smaller ’42’s; within the smaller ’42’s, even tinier ’42’s were written with finer strokes; and even within the smallest ’42’s… Lin Xian brought his eyes close enough, within the holes of the ‘4’s and the bends of the ‘2’s… incredibly, there were minuscule ’42’s written!
All this was just too insane!
What on earth was Big Face Cat’s father doing? This was on the brink of madness indeed.
In the room, every wall was .
Every place where writing was possible was .
Even on the bedsheets and the duvet covers… they were also filled entirely with big and small ’42’s!
Lin Xian looked around and felt surrounded by thousands, even millions tens of millions of ’42’s.
“See? I told you he’s gone mad,” said Big Face Cat.
Big Face Cat, with a sullen face, walked in:
“During this time, it’s like he’s been cursed. When he sees people, he just grabs their arms tightly and mumbles one sentence—”
Big Face Cat’s expression was blank, his gaze distant:
“’42…It’s everywhere.'”