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He resumed writing, noting down the three laws of time and space he had formulated:

Laws of Time and Space

Temporal Butterfly Effect: Any action in the present can ripple through history, causing changes—minor or major—in the future. Small alterations might go unnoticed, while significant ones could transform the world.

Temporal Disturbance: Human interventions in history can disrupt the original timeline, leading to changes in the future. These disruptions are known as temporal disturbances and are unpredictable.

Disturbance Anchor Point: Certain times and events that reach a critical threshold can trigger visible temporal disturbances. These are known as disturbance anchor points.

Lin Xian reviewed the laws he had documented. Something seemed off. He examined them again and pinpointed a potential conflict between the Temporal Butterfly Effect and the Disturbance Anchor Point.

“Does every action necessarily lead to a temporal disturbance?” he wondered.

If every minor action could trigger a significant future disturbance, then his dream wouldn’t have remained consistent for 23 years. For instance, winning the Youth City Parkour Championship for three consecutive years was impressive, yet it seemed to have no impact on the future. The world 600 years later appeared unaffected by his victories.

Lin Xian’s eyes settled on the half-filled glass of water on his desk. He pondered, “Would drinking this water now change the world 600 years in the future?”

“Certainly not,” he concluded. “Unless I consumed an absurd amount of water right now, which would either be fatal or severely impair me. In that scenario, I wouldn’t marry or have children, effectively ending my lineage. The absence of future Lin family scientists and criminals might indeed initiate a temporal disturbance.”

“It’s about the magnitude of change. Not every butterfly effect is powerful enough to influence the future. Routine actions like washing my face, brushing my teeth, or taking a bath would dissipate over 600 years, creating no significant ripples.”

He realized he needed to introduce another principle to his laws of time and space. Lin Xian picked up his pen once more and added a fourth law:

Temporal Elasticity

Time and space possess an inherent elasticity, meaning not every butterfly effect will trigger a disturbance. Only changes that accumulate sufficiently or are of significant magnitude can overcome this temporal elasticity, causing disturbances that influence the future.

Lin Xian speculated that the longer the timescale, the greater the temporal elasticity, making it harder for disturbances and changes to manifest. This elasticity also behaves with inertia, smoothing out over long time spans and becoming less reactive.

However, since the concept of inertia wasn’t fully proven, Lin Xian decided not to include it in his writings.

“That’s it for now,” Lin Xian said as he capped his pen.

[Temporal Butterfly Effect]

[Temporal Disturbance]

[Disturbance Anchor Point]

[Temporal Elasticity]

These were the four laws of time and space he had identified so far. Perhaps more laws awaited discovery as he delved deeper into his dream world.

“Maybe these laws are as potent as planes, tanks, and cannons in the realm of time and space,” Lin Xian mused. He closed his eyes and imagined bombing Donghai City with planes, tanks, and cannons, reducing it to ruins, and reverting human technology to the late 20th century—how challenging would that be?

Extremely difficult.

It isn’t just about the firepower; even if Donghai City were destroyed with nuclear weapons, technology would eventually rebound. Moreover, if an adversary pursued such a strategy, they would face the country’s formidable defenses. With strong air and sea defenses, could anyone truly devastate Donghai with conventional warfare?

But the laws of time and space, these temporal tools, are different!

This is a war without visible battles. You can’t see where the enemy is, don’t know who the enemy is, and can’t defend against their attacks. Temporal tools can strike from 600 years in the past, using the laws of time and space to effortlessly alter history and the future, catching you unprepared.

Just like the earlier hypothesis.

How difficult is it to breach all defenses and devastate Donghai City? For someone who masters temporal tools and the laws of time and space, it’s not difficult at all. A single paper by Xu Yun is enough.

“This is warfare on a temporal scale,” Lin Xian thought as he stared at the succinct lines on the paper, sensing the immense potential to reshape the world. “This is a temporal tool that only I control.”

A sudden thought struck him. If his temporal tool inadvertently led to a technological regression in the future, perhaps he could reverse it, propelling the future world forward by decades or even centuries.

“An interesting possibility,” he mused.

Lin Xian crumpled the paper he had written on and tossed it into the stove, lighting it with a lighter.

“But temporal disturbances are unpredictable. If I don’t want my well-intentioned actions to backfire, I need to first identify the underlying cause of the technological regression in the dream world. Technological regression doesn’t happen without a reason; there must be a specific trigger.”

Lin Xian was convinced. As long as he understood and mastered enough laws of time and space, he might one day be able to manage the butterfly effects and make temporal disturbances manageable.

Whoosh…

The flames flickered. Each flame danced unpredictably.

Lin Xian decided to enter his dream world earlier the next afternoon to explore as much as possible.

The following day.

While at his office, Lin Xian received an unexpected call from his university counselor. He was quite surprised. The counselor, a young man who had begun working after earning his master’s degree, maintained a strong rapport with the students due to his approachability. Lin Xian had formed a good relationship with him during his university years, and he was curious about the reason for the call.

Once connected, the counselor enthusiastically congratulated Lin Xian, “Rhine Cat has become incredibly popular, Lin Xian, especially among female university students. It’s a huge hit.”

“By the way, do you have any free time these days, Lin Xian? The freshmen in our department learned that Rhine Cat was designed by an alumnus and are thrilled. I got a bit carried away and boasted that I could invite you to give a brief lecture at our college, sharing your experience in IP character design with the students.”

Lin Xian chuckled. It was true that Rhine Cat was popular, but he hadn’t designed it. What expertise could he possibly share? At best, he could discuss his dreams. However, the counselor was so enthusiastic, asking him as a favor to enhance his credibility with the freshmen. Lin Xian agreed, “How about tomorrow afternoon?”

“Perfect, tomorrow afternoon it is.”

Since Lin Xian planned to delve into the dream world early that afternoon, he scheduled the lecture for the following day.

“Sigh,” Lin Xian sighed after ending the call. Now committed, he needed to prepare. He retrieved the black notebook from his desk, drafted an outline for his talk, and decided to use it for his upcoming lecture.

After wrapping up his work, Lin Xian left the office early to enter his dream. He checked the time. It was not yet six o’clock, giving him a full seven hours to explore—an ample window.

After a quick wash, he lay down on his bed and entered the dream world.

In this new dream, the summer heat persisted, but there was no stifling breeze. The chaotic, self-built houses around likely obstructed the winding paths, preventing any wind from penetrating.

Lin Xian opened his eyes. He was at the same “starting point” as his last dream. Brick walls, low houses, narrow paths, lanterns, stone tiles, moss… Everything was as impoverished as before.

“Is this still Donghai?” he wondered, scratching his head.

But he could easily find out by asking someone.

“Thief! Catch the thief! Young man, please help!” Behind him, the anxious voice of a middle-aged woman called out.

Turning, he saw a well-dressed lady gasping as she pursued a fleeing thief. The thief, donning a black hat, muttered curses under his breath. It was the same thief who had robbed the convenience store and killed Lin Xian with a knife the previous night!

“Can’t you rob a different village?” Lin Xian was exasperated. This thief consistently targeted the same village, burglarizing the old man’s store at night and snatching the lady’s handbag during the day.

“Get lost!” The thief elbowed Lin Xian aside and sprinted down a narrow path. The lady, breathless, grabbed Lin Xian’s arm.

“Young man, I can’t run anymore! Please help…”

Having been murdered by this thief the day before, would Lin Xian let him escape today? Obviously not!

“Okay, ma’am, just wait here.”

Whoosh! Lin Xian activated his parkour skills, weaving through the paths, vaulting over walls, and quickly catching up to the thief.

“Take this!”

“Aah!”

A flying kick brought the thief to the ground, pinning him. This time, Lin Xian was cautious. Instead of immediately grabbing the handbag, he reached for the thief’s waist, found a gleaming knife, and flung it far away.

Clang. The knife clattered down some steps. Believing it was now safe, but—

Swish! Another flash of cold steel—the thief had drawn a second dagger!

“Dual-wielding?” Luckily, Lin Xian was ready and quickly dodged backward.

What’s with this world? In his last dream, CC wielded two guns. Now, this thief brandished two knives. Does everyone feel this insecure?

“You!” The thief growled, rubbing his neck in pain, advancing with the dagger. “Always interfering, huh?”

Lin Xian backed away and suddenly found himself at a dead end.

“Damn it!” The thief’s face contorted with rage, his dagger waving threateningly. “Today, I’ll teach you a lesson!”

“Who do you think you’re teaching a lesson to?!!!” A booming voice resounded from a nearby alley.

Boom!!! A stack of firewood at the alley entrance was kicked aside!

A burly figure, flanked by three fierce-looking followers, emerged.

Swish! The leader flicked out a long baton.

“Spit!” He spat out his cigarette, his face twisted with anger as he glared at the thief.

“Stealing on my turf… You’ve got guts!”