Bai Yang and Zhao Bowen returned to the house. Old Bai and Wang Ning had gone to the bathroom and kitchen respectively, and were now back sitting on the sofa drinking water.
“Yang, time to wash up,” Mom called out from the bedroom. “It’s getting late.”
“I know,” Bai Yang replied, taking off his shoes as he entered, letting out a yawn. “I’m going.”
These past few days, with family meetings every night, Bai Yang had been staying up late.
Zhao Bowen and Wang Ning prepared to say their goodbyes, as they needed to head home.
“How should we handle this?” Bai Zhen asked in a low voice.
Old Zhao and Old Wang exchanged glances.
“You and Old Bai help establish the data transmission link here, while I’ll do the legwork. We’ll progress on both fronts simultaneously,” Zhao Bowen said. “I estimate it’ll take some time.”
“Take some time?” Bai Yang poked his head out from behind them. “How long?”
“At least two to three weeks, at most a month or so, but I’ll return,” Zhao Bowen answered. “I’ll try to move as quickly as possible.”
“That long?” Bai Yang’s eyes widened in surprise.
“You think that’s long? Yang Yang, how do you think this should be handled? Take tomorrow’s high-speed rail straight to Beijing?” Zhao Bowen smiled. “Then knock on the State Council’s door?”
“Yes!”
“That’s called petitioning,” Zhao Bowen said. “I’d be immediately restrained by security and sent to the police station.”
“Just tell them the world is about to end, it’s extremely urgent!”
“Then in a few days, you’ll see the news: ‘Mental Patient Creates Disturbance at National Ministry,'” Zhao Bowen said. “Then your father would have to travel thousands of miles to bail me out of jail.”
Bai Yang fell silent.
“This society has its own set of operating rules. If you want to achieve your goal quickly, you can’t violate these rules. Sometimes taking shortcuts isn’t the fastest way. To be fastest, you need to step on the gas on the main road, not jump over the median barrier,” Zhao Bowen patted his shoulder. “Otherwise, you’ll be stopped by traffic police and fined, which defeats the purpose.”
Bai Yang nodded glumly.
“What’s your plan?” Bai Zhen asked him.
“I plan to return to school first. Tonight I’ll have to stay up writing materials, and visit the city government in the next day or two,” Zhao Bowen said. “Old Wang, that deputy secretary’s surname is Chen, right?”
“Yes, Chen.”
“Who are you going to see?” Bai Zhen asked.
“An acquaintance Old Wang introduced,” Zhao Bowen pointed at Wang Ning.
“A fishing buddy,” Wang Ning said.
“What do you mean fishing buddy?”
“A friend I go fishing with,” Wang Ning answered. “Terrible at fishing, watches Deng Gang on Douyin all day, but he’s a decent person.”
“After arranging everything here, I need to make a trip to Shanghai. While the city government slowly studies and reports up level by level, which who knows how long that’ll take, I need to act on my own first and gather the necessary people,” Zhao Bowen continued. “Old Wang will stay here, you’ll be responsible for dealing with government visitors when they come.”
“Damn,” Wang Ning said. “They’re so inefficient, moving at a snail’s pace.”
“Want to switch?” Zhao Bowen asked. “I’ll stay here, you do the legwork?”
Wang Ning thought for a moment.
“No way, no way. If I go, absolutely no one would believe me. At least you’re a professor.”
“Old Wang, Old Bai, you must help Yang Yang establish the data transmission link as quickly as possible. This is crucial, we’ll need it later,” Zhao Bowen instructed. “Use everything available. Oh, and I’m an associate professor.”
“You don’t need to tell us that, we’re more professional than you,” Bai Zhen patted his chest.
Whatever the reason, if the Icom 725 could communicate twenty years in the future, it proved that a radio transmission channel must exist between the two stations. Since a communication channel existed, theoretically it could transmit any data—as long as you had sufficient equipment and modulation capabilities, whether voice, images, or video, everything could be transmitted through the 14.255 MHz radio waves.
As long as radio waves could come through, anything could come through.
Except for the person.
This was a crucial step. It was foreseeable that if people of this era wanted to change the future, they would have to rely on data transmitted from twenty years later. But this was far more complex than sending a few time capsules—never in human history had there been such distant signal transmission. This wasn’t a shortwave expedition crossing from one side of the ocean to the other, nor was it a data relay from Earth’s surface to lunar orbit. This support stretched across twenty years of endless time, giving it everything they had in one go.
Fortunately, Nanjing’s two most experienced HAMs were present.
Wang Ning, director of Nanjing Amateur Radio Observation Station.
Bai Zhen, retired communication technology sergeant third class of the North Sea Fleet.
Use everything available!
In the days to come, this phrase would become the answer to countless problems.
Zhao Bowen placed his hands on their shoulders and took a deep breath, “This is of utmost importance, old friends. For the people and the country, for all humanity, this is our one shot.”
Zhao Bowen bid farewell to return home, as he needed to hurry and write materials tonight.
Bai Yang saw him downstairs.
“Uncle Zhao, how will you convince them to believe this?”
Zhao Bowen gave a bitter smile. “I don’t know either.”
“You don’t know either?” Bai Yang was surprised, seeing Uncle Zhao’s seemingly confident and strategic demeanor.
“Yes, I don’t know. Who could know? But even if we don’t know, we still have to do it. You have to start running first, and figure out the rest later,” Zhao Bowen said as he descended the stairs step by step. “The difficulty will certainly be great. An individual is always insignificant in the face of the entire world. To make the world change its course is even more difficult than ascending to heaven… But I’m not the only one facing difficulties. Yang Yang, I asked your father and Uncle Wang to help you establish the data link. You need to find a way to collect enough data and information.”
“Okay,” Bai Yang nodded. “I understand.”
“You’re more suitable for dealing with the young lady,” Zhao Bowen said. “Your father and Old Wang wouldn’t work, they’d probably scare her away as soon as they opened their mouths.”
“Uncle Zhao, you won’t be back for half a month?”
“At least half a month. No choice, this is how the world operates. Even if the world were to end tomorrow, the legs you need to run, the doors you need to knock on, the people you need to find—not a single one can be skipped,” Zhao Bowen sighed. “If you want to blame someone, blame your Uncle Wang for still being just a small Director Wang after all these years. If he were Director Wang of the provincial department, we could save so much trouble.”
Old Wang: Aren’t you still just an associate professor after all these years? If you were President Zhao we could save lots of trouble too!
“What if they don’t believe?” Bai Yang worried.
It had taken so much effort to convince Zhao Bowen and Wang Ning, and now Zhao Bowen had to go convince others single-handedly. That would undoubtedly be another unimaginably long journey.
“Then we make them believe,” Zhao Bowen said. “Block their office doors, stop their cars in the parking lot. With my silver tongue and this old life of mine, I’ll drag even an aircraft carrier over if I have to!”
“Uncle Zhao.”
“Hmm? What wisdom do you have to share, young Yang?”
“Heaven bestows great responsibility upon this person,” Bai Yang said.
Zhao Bowen laughed heartily.
The two reached the building entrance, and Old Zhao firmly pressed Bai Yang’s shoulder.
“I’m heading back, no need to see me further.”
Bai Yang nodded, stopping on the steps.
Zhao Bowen walked alone into the night, like a lone cavalryman. His journey would change the fate of many.
After walking a few steps, Old Zhao turned around, waved, and called out loudly: “Two to three weeks at shortest, a month or so at longest! When the time comes, look to the east! I shall bring you thousands upon thousands of troops!”