Void Jigsaw Puzzle

It has been raining heavily in Wuming City for several days in a row.

The water of a large river became more turbulent, rapid and turbid.

Guo Ling sat in the driver's seat, tapping the steering wheel with the fingers of his right hand anxiously, staring at the back of the car in front through the gaps between the wipers working diligently on the windshield.

Further ahead is a row of simple traffic lights, with red dominating at this moment.

This is the last red light before leading to the underground parking garage of Linjiang Building.

Bored, he turned up the volume of the radio.

"...Police have stated that due to the large number of missing persons, all of whom share the common characteristic of 'no such person found in the system,' they will no longer be dedicating officers to the search. After communicating with the Prophet Society, police suggest that citizens who encounter similar situations consider joining the Prophet Society..."

Fan Ting, who was sitting in the passenger seat, smoothed her hair and said with a smile, "Well done! Even the police are advertising for us."

Guo Ling continued to stare forward. "I've spent the past few months reading, and I've noticed more and more that the institutions I'm used to imagining don't actually exist in reality, like the industrial and commercial bureau and the tax bureau. And now the public security system has collapsed. It seems the Prophet Society is about to become the de facto ruling group in Wuming City."

"You just discovered this? I've been wandering around for a few months since my suicide attempt, doing odd jobs here and there, and I've realized that there doesn't seem to be anyone in charge in Wuming City. Everyone relies on their own conscience to maintain order, and if someone disrupts this balance, there's probably going to be trouble."

"So, in this sense, we joined the Prophet Society to help that old man get out as quickly as possible. Our goals are the same."

As Guo Ling spoke, he slightly released the brakes. The car body trembled slightly, ready to rush forward at any time.

"Yeah, after all, we are still members of the advance team."

Fan Ting looked at Guo Ling's profile and felt that he had a unique calm charm.

Having known Guo Ling for such a long time, she had unknowingly developed a sense of dependence on him, and riding in her car to and from get off work seemed to have become a habit.

If working for free at the Prophet Society in Linjiang Building is considered work.

However, she knew very well that this feeling was more of treating Guo Ling as a steady and reliable brother, although she often had unrealistic fantasies that if her first love was sitting next to her at this moment, would he have the same temperament as Guo Ling.

"Why are you looking at my face? Didn't I wash it properly this morning?"

Guo Ling noticed Fan Ting's eyes out of the corner of his eye.

"You're handsome, okay?"

"Thank you, it's been a long time since I've heard such emotionless praise."

Fan Ting didn't answer, but just laughed and leaned back in her chair.

When they parked the car, took the elevator directly to the Prophet Society office, and arrived at the advance team's work area, Zhong Chenmu and Old Man Liu were already there.

As the Prophet Society's influence grew, Zhong Chenmu had already told the library that he was helping the Prophet Society. Unexpectedly, his difficult direct supervisor readily agreed, and told him that his salary would be paid as usual and that he was welcome to come back for a visit at any time.

Old Man Liu looked up at the man and woman walking in side by side and said, "You guys were driving the slowest. Did you do anything bad on the way?"

"It's so early in the morning and it's raining, what bad things can they do?" Guo Ling said.

"That's hard to say. There's an underground parking lot and a car, isn't that enough?"

"Old Liu, you are very experienced, right?"

"Of course, I've been through a lot, and I also know that in this situation, things can be done very quickly, so you're not late at all."

"..."

Fan Ting couldn't bear to listen any longer and interrupted Old Man Liu: "Don't be disrespectful to your elders."

"Hehe, I apologize. I am really a bit rude with my mouth sometimes..." Old man Liu was very straightforward.

Guo Ling glared at him and thought to himself, "You're clearly admitting your mistakes and refusing to change... When you first met us, you mistook Fan Ting for my wife and were messing around with her..."

Zhong Chenmu coughed and said, "Okay, we have important things to discuss."

The three of them actually shut up obediently.

Zhong Chenmu was a little uncomfortable.

They walked into the meeting room in the advance team's work area. After closing the door, Zhong Chenmu said, "We haven't seen each other these past few days, and a lot of things have happened. I'll explain them one by one, and we can all come up with some ideas."

After that, he went on to recount his connection with hydrogen thought, Pierce's ideas on how to open a breakthrough, and his own deductions about the "singularity moment." Basically, apart from the existence of "cosmic rogues" and the unique system in his mind, he shared everything he could.

After all, we are a team and information must be kept fully symmetrical.

There was silence in the conference room.

But soon, the three people reacted differently.

"Hydrogen people? So cool! I really want to meet them!" This was Fan Ting's excited voice.

Guo Ling smiled bitterly: "Why can't I escape the fate of working no matter where I go? Now I have to work for the Hydrogen Clan..."

Old Man Liu's eyes lit up. "I never thought that everything before the 'Singularity Moment' actually only existed in our memories, and didn't exist in reality! In other words, my children didn't really exist, they were just in my memory. I was so stupid that I almost jumped off the building and committed suicide for people who didn't exist..."

Zhong Chenmu comforted him, "Uncle Liu, don't say that. You're not stupid at all. Now that we know the extent of this incompleteness, isn't finding them, finding our loved ones, the meaning of what we're doing?"

"Yeah, that's right. Otherwise, I wouldn't have met you. I wouldn't have known there was such a magical guy like you in Wuming City."

"..."

After chatting with Old Man Liu, Zhong Chenmu looked at Guo Ling and Fan Ting again: "Do you have any preliminary ideas?"

Guo Ling looked at Fan Ting and said, "Ladies first."

Fan Ting didn't refuse. "I support working for the Hydrogen Tribe. Anyway, I'm willing to do anything they need me to do, as long as it's not excessive. I've set up stalls, worked as a waitress, delivered packages, worked as a masseur, and even worked as a salesgirl. I once wanted to do stand-up comedy, but I ran into a scumbag... Of course, according to your theory of 'singularity moments', these experiences are all my memories, things I thought I had experienced, which may not have actually happened, but they have profoundly affected me, and that cannot be denied. So, I think I can do a lot of things."

Guo Ling rolled his eyes at her and said, "You've really never worked like me, yet you're so eager to do it."

"Humph, I'm a day laborer, and you're a long-term worker. Who are you looking down on? What's the essential difference?"

"..."

"Then tell me, what ideas do you have?" Fan Ting persisted.

Guo Ling wasn't panicking. "I think the current situation is very clear. Aside from labor, we don't seem to have anything of value to offer the Hydrogen Tribe. So, I can't think of a better option. However, besides the physical labor Fan Ting mentioned, we should also have a lot of mental work to contribute. My personal idea is to strive to participate in work related to the Hydrogen Tribe's information systems. That way, perhaps we can use their technology to find the whereabouts of our loved ones."

Old Man Liu poured cold water on him. "How do you know they need our mental labor? Besides, we don't even know if they use information systems to record data like we do."

"Isn't this speculation? Since it's speculation, of course it should be based on our own situation. Otherwise, wouldn't it be just wishful thinking?"

Old Man Liu said, "I think we could capitalize on their curiosity and tell them stories about the history and unique features of our civilization. Providing them with emotional value might be something they value more. Think about it, since they claim to be acting out of cosmic justice by recreating us from ethereal digital signals into our present concrete form, they must have a certain interest in us. And since they're interested in us, they naturally want to know more... Couldn't we let them experience something different by telling them stories about ancient civilizations?"

Zhong Chenmu couldn't help but interrupt him: "In the process of recreating us, they have already seen everything about us, without any blind spots. Therefore, they know all these 'stories' you mentioned clearly."

Old man Liu looked at his lower body exaggeratedly and shouted exaggeratedly: "Oh, no..."

Guo Ling then said, "I don't think there's much point in us just guessing here. Captain Zhong, everyone has come up with their ideas. Go discuss it with the old man—Old Man Pierce—and have a conversation with the Hydrogen Clan first. A lot of things will come out of the conversation."

Old Man Liu suddenly nodded seriously: "Well, I agree, it's just like falling in love."

"..."