Chapter 172: Descendant of the Shanghai Engineer

The child's small hand tightly gripped his wrist, the voice as light as wind blowing through a window crack: "Dad... time is up."

Zhao Jianguo squatted beside the bed, unmoving, his heartbeat skipping a beat. He watched the twins close their eyes, breathing steady, yet the force from just moments ago was real. He slowly pulled his hand free, lowered his sleeve to cover the birthmark, rose, left the room, and gently closed the door.

The hallway light flickered once; he glanced up and ignored it. The system had just quieted down, then gave a slight tremor.

【External memory interference source disappeared】

He stood where he was, not moving. The disturbance came too conveniently, as if someone had deliberately drawn his attention. He felt the note in his pocket, turned back to the side room, and stuffed the journal into the bottom layer of the cloth bundle. Outside, the wind was strong, making the door curtain sway.

Just then, a notification came from outside the courtyard.

"Zhao Jianguo, your university admission notice has arrived; you will officially enroll tomorrow, and dormitory arrangements are ready."

He acknowledged with a sound, but didn't move right away. He knew that leaving now would mean he wouldn't be able to return for several days. Yet at this critical juncture, the twins had just shown an abnormality, Chen Jianguo's last words remained undeciphered, and Xu Da Mao's side still hadn't been wrapped up.

But he also knew he couldn't avoid it. The system wouldn't send him to school for no reason; there must be something going on.

Early the next morning, he packed his luggage, brought the twins, and moved into the university dormitory building. The room was not large; he partitioned off a small space for the children to sleep. After settling them in, he had the two children lie down to rest, then he sat at the desk, staring out the window.

As the sky darkened, the hallway began to buzz with activity. New students were registering, people coming and going.

He leaned back in the chair, ears listening to the outside commotion, hand always near the storage ring. After dozing off a bit, a 'clang' came from next door, like luggage hitting the bed.

Then came the sound of metal hitting the ground.

He opened his eyes, stepped out, and took a look.

A young man was bending over to pick something up. In his hand he held an old pocket watch; the case was somewhat blackened, but the front was engraved with five characters: **Shanghai Machinery Bureau**.

Zhao Jianguo's steps halted.

The man flipped the watch over, wiped off the dust. On the back were three scratches crossing to form a 'rice' character shape.

His head buzzed.

The direction of those scratches matched exactly the crease on the note he kept hidden close to his body.

The man sensed the gaze and looked up.

"What are you looking at?" his tone wasn't aggressive, but carried caution.

Zhao Jianguo walked over, pointed at the watch, and said, "Where did you get this watch?"

"My father left it to me." The man stood straight, asking, "What's wrong?"

"Is it broken?"

"It's fine, just a bit loose."

Zhao Jianguo reached out: "Let me have a look; old watches like this easily get dust inside."

The man hesitated for two seconds, then handed it over.

He took the watch, his fingers rubbing the three scratches, his chest tightening. This was no coincidence. Not at all.

He asked in a low voice, "Is your father named Chen Zhiyuan?"

The other party snapped his head up: "How do you know?"

"Before he left, did he ask you to find someone?"

"Yes." The man stared at him, "He said, if you ever meet someone named Zhao Jianguo, hand over this watch."

Zhao Jianguo's breath caught.

It has come.

He had waited so long for this, and now it finally arrived.

"What is your name?" he asked.

"Chen Xiao Jian."

He almost laughed out loud. Not because it was funny, but because the taut string in his heart, wound tight for so long, finally loosened a bit.

Chen Jianguo's descendant has been found.

He returned the watch and said, "Find a place to talk."

The two entered Zhao Jianguo's room; as the door closed, their voices grew muffled.

Chen Xiao Jian sat down, pulled out a photo from his bag. It showed a middle-aged man in work clothes, standing beside a machine, his expression solemn.

"My father was an engineer at the Shanghai Machinery Bureau." He said, "In the late 1970s he participated in a key national project. Then an accident occurred, said to be a technology leak; it was investigated for half a year and ultimately deemed a major responsibility. He offered no defense, returned home, fell ill for two years, and passed away."

Zhao Jianguo looked at the photo, saying nothing.

"Before he left, he only said two things." Chen Xiao Jian lowered his head, "One was 'Be careful of 1978,' the other was 'If you meet Zhao Jianguo, give him the watch.'"

The room fell silent for a few seconds.

Zhao Jianguo suddenly asked, "Is there anything inside the watch?"

Chen Xiao Jian looked up: "You even know about that?"

He pulled a small screwdriver from his pocket, unscrewed the back cover. Inside was clamped a thin piece of plastic film, already blackened, but the edge still showed a few characters: **Do not approach 1978**.

Zhao Jianguo produced his own note and spread it on the table.

The two sheets lay side by side. One crease, three scratches, their directions completely matched.

This is not a token, but a code.

It is a marker left by Chen Jianguo for his descendants.

He stared at the plastic film for a long time, then suddenly felt a chill down his back.

Something is not right.

If Chen Jianguo had arranged all this beforehand, why did he die? If it was an accident, why did it happen specifically around 1978? Why do all the clues point to that year?

He was thinking about this when the system suddenly vibrated.

【Detected spacetime virus approaching】

【Energy signature resonating with target object】

He jerked his head up.

Chen Xiao Jian was still looking down at his watch, unaware.

Zhao Jianguo slowly rose, walked to the door, confirmed the twins were asleep, then returned and lowered his voice: "This watch, keep it with me for now."

"Why?" Chen Xiao Jian frowned.

"The dorm is damp; this kind of old item breaks easily." He said, "I have a moisture-proof box; I'll keep it for you."

Chen Xiao Jian hesitated, then nodded: "Okay, but I want it back."

"Of course."

Zhao Jianguo took the watch and casually slipped it into his storage ring. The action of copying the data was almost completed at the moment of contact. He didn't let the other see.

After doing that, he gently pushed open the twins' partition door.

The two children slept soundly, their little faces flushed. He lifted the left one's sleeve; the birthmark was still there, paler than daytime but the outline clear.

He exhaled, called up the system interface, and activated the basic protection protocol.

An invisible barrier unfolded around the room. Temperature unchanged, air silent, yet the whole space was sealed.

He returned to the desk, sat down, and looked out the window.

Night deepened, tree shadows swayed on the wall. In the distance, students roughhoused, laughter intermittent.

Chen Xiao Jian sat on the bed's edge, still flipping through the photo album.

"Is what your father did important?" Zhao Jianguo suddenly asked.

"Important." He nodded, "They were making precision gear sets for key equipment. Back then only three factories nationwide could do it, and the Shanghai Machinery Bureau ranked first."

"Then what?"

"The project was halted. Files sealed, personnel transferred, factory renamed." He gave a wry smile, "My father became a negative example; even his memorial service had no attendees."

Zhao Jianguo remained silent.

He knew that feeling. Being treated as a mistake, having his name erased, even death didn't count.

But now, this watch appeared, the children came, the birthmark glowed, and the system sounded an alarm.

All the clues were moving.

He lifted his gaze to Chen Xiao Jian: "Do you want to know the truth?"

"Yes." He answered quickly, "But I'm afraid that once I know, I can't pretend ignorance."

"Then do you still want to know?"

Chen Xiao Jian raised his head, his eyes steady: "As long as you're not lying to me, I want to hear it."

Zhao Jianguo chuckled.

This kid, he's like his father.

He was about to speak when the system jolted again.

【Shuang Baotai life frequency stable】

【Spacetime virus signal weakening】

【Threat level: TBD】

He exhaled, but didn't relax.

The danger hadn't gone away; it was just hiding.

He stood up, poured a cup of water and handed it to Chen Xiao Jian: "Rest first; tomorrow you still have paperwork to do."

"You're not sleeping?"

"I'll watch over the kids a bit." He said, "They're little and shy of strangers."

Chen Xiao Jian nodded, no further questions. He lay down on the makeshift bunk, turned over, and soon his breathing became even.

Zhao Jianguo sat at the desk, gripping that pocket watch.

He recalled many years ago, in another world, he was just an ordinary office worker, squeezing onto the subway each day, working late into the night, thinking life would always be like that.

Now he sat here, holding a watch from the past, listening to the two children's breaths, waiting for a storm no one could clearly describe.

He lowered his eyes to the system interface.

【Mission update: Protect the bloodline heirs】

【Target: Chen Xiao Jian, the twins】

【Status: Activated】

He placed the watch under the lamp to see it more clearly.

Shanghai Machinery Bureau.

The four characters were like nails driven into his memory.

He knew where this road led.

1978 was not an end, but a starting point.

He was thinking when footsteps came from outside the door.

Not the light, quick step of students, but steady, slow, purposeful.

He instantly became alert, turning sideways to block the twins' door gap.

The footsteps paused at the door.

Then came the sound of paper being slipped in.

He didn't move. After a few seconds, he walked over and picked up the sheet.

It was a lesson plan; on the back was written in bold: "The gear set blueprints are in the Third Archive Room—don't trust the clerk."

He stared at that line, his mind racing.

Who sent it? When? Why use a lesson plan?

He turned his head to glance at the sleeping Chen Xiao Jian, then looked at the twins.

Fingers slowly tightened.