Chapter 180

Zhao Jianguo stood under the eaves, rainwater trickling down the tiles. He had just put the twins back on the heated brick bed, the blanket pulled to their chests, the two children sleeping soundly. Jia Dongxu still crouched beside the bed, holding a detector, his eyes fixed on the screen without moving.

Signal Source matched successfully.

Those words were still flashing.

Zhao Jianguo said nothing, turned and walked out of the house. Water in the courtyard hadn't reached the soles of his shoes; he stepped out a string of splashes, heading straight for the center of the central courtyard. Jia Dongxu reacted, picked up the equipment and chased after him, shouting: "What else do you want to do?"

"They haven't left." Zhao Jianguo stopped, looked back at him, "Those people just now, their flyers fell, their movements stopped, but their consciousness wasn't cut off. This isn't the end."

Jia Dongxu frowned: "You mean... someone is still connected to the line?"

"Not just people." Zhao Jianguo reached into his chest and pulled out the system terminal, his fingers swiped a few times, calling up a function icon never used before—gray background with silver edges, resembling the outline of an old radio. "I've been checking in for so long, never knowing how to use it. Now I understand, it's not for listening, it's for speaking."

"You want to broadcast?" Jia Dongxu's voice rose, "Where to broadcast? Up above or down below?"

"Everywhere that can hear it." Zhao Jianguo said, already walking toward the ladder in the corner. He hoisted the ladder and headed toward the main house, his steps steady as if not in the rain.

Jia Dongxu stalled for two seconds, then hurried to catch up: "Wait! The frequency needs to be stabilized first, otherwise the signal will scatter and reveal our position in reverse!"

"Then go get the stabilizer quickly." Zhao Jianguo leaned the ladder against the wall, "I'll go up and wait for you."

The ladder wobbled twice, he climbed slowly but each step was firm. The roof was wet and slippery; he grabbed the ridge and slowly straightened up. Wind poured in from the hutong entrance, blowing his clothes against his back.

Jia Dongxu ran back holding a box, set up a modified metal-shell instrument in the courtyard, a few wires leading out, connected to the socket at the laboratory window. He shouted: "Done?"

"Done." Zhao Jianguo raised the device in his hand. It began to deform, the outer shell unfolding layer by layer, finally taking shape as a speaker‑shaped metal body, its surface giving off a matte sheen.

He pressed the switch.

No sound came out, but the air felt as if something had pushed it. A distant streetlight flickered for an instant, a bicycle bell by the roadside rang on its own, then fell silent.

Zhao Jianguo opened his mouth: "I know who you are, and I know why you have come— you want to twist the present with concepts of the future, replace order with chaos. But I must tell you: this is not a battlefield! It is the cradle that nurtures a new civilization!"

The moment the voice fell, the street's lights all brushed on in a row.

At the west alley entrance, three men in suits were walking with their heads down, then suddenly all looked up at once. Their eyes were a bit red, as if bloodshot, yet their steps kept moving, marching straight toward the Siheyuan.

Jia Dongxu stared at the detector, the needle jerking wildly: "They're coming! Three streams of consciousness, synchronization rate above ninety‑seven percent! They are sharing one brain!"

"Then let's clear together." Zhao Jianguo re‑activated the broadcaster, "You think manipulating a few people, issuing a few papers can change the course of this era? Wrong. Real change starts with teaching a child to read, repairing a radio, lighting a lamp."

His voice was not loud, yet it pierced the rain curtain straight into the ears. When those suited men reached the middle of the Hutong, they suddenly covered their heads, bent their knees, and thumped down to kneel. One's nose bled, another's mouth twitched, and they could not move at all.

Far outside the courtyard, a black armored vehicle sat quietly at the intersection. A column slowly rose from its roof, its tip glowing with a ring of blue light.

The Special Forces Captain sat inside the vehicle, watching the Data Stream on the Screen, and whispered the order: "Purification beam, prepare to fire."

"Captain, they haven't all gathered yet," the deputy reminded.

"No need." He stared at the Siheyuan's position on the Screen, "The leader has already spoken; we only need to respond."

A blue pillar of light rose into the sky, scattering over the neighborhood like a searchlight. Wherever the light swept, tiny fragments floated in the air, like charred paper scraps, drifting away until they vanished.

Jia Dongxu shouted, "Virus remnants are escaping! Dive into the East Alley electrical system!"

Before the words finished, a person burst through the Courtyard Gate, drenched, holding a repaired detector in hand— it was Chen Xiao Jian.

"My dad said it!" he gasped, his voice exploding, "When the bell rings, light is the door!" This was his prophecy for 1978! Not a dream, but a warning!

Zhao Jianguo's gaze flickered, and he immediately replied, "Activate whole‑courtyard resonance mode!"

He plugged the broadcaster into the pre‑welded iron frame on the roof. With a click, the interface locked. The foundation of the entire Siheyuan trembled slightly, as if current ran through from below. Over at East Alley, a family's radio was buzzing, then suddenly went black, spewing a puff of white smoke.

"Burned!" Jia Dongxu stared at the Screen, "All residual consciousness eliminated! Frequency reduced to zero!"

Chen Xiao Jian rushed into the courtyard, handing the detector to Jia Dongxu: "This thing can track the source; the Metal Sheet my dad left behind is the key. He knew this day would come long ago."

Jia Dongxu took the device, his fingers flying as he operated. Encrypted data popped up on the Screen, automatically decoding.

The Special Forces Captain stepped out of the vehicle, walked to the Courtyard Gate, and through the rain curtain looked up at Zhao Jianguo on the roof. He raised his hand and saluted.

Zhao Jianguo didn't see. He stood on the roof, hand on the broadcaster's bracket, gazing at the now‑calm street. Rainwater ran down his arm, dripping onto the iron frame.

Jia Dongxu looked up and shouted, "Decoding complete! That segment of information… is a list! All the transients' IDs and landing times!"

Chen Xiao Jian jerked his head up, "Is my dad's name in there?"

"Yes." Jia Dongxu's voice lowered, "ID JW‑07, landing time— winter solstice 1976. Note reads: 'Sacrificed in the first purification operation.'"

Chen Xiao Jian asked instantly, "Then what does 'When the bell rings, light is the door' actually mean?"

Jia Dongxu was about to answer when the detector suddenly emitted a sharp screech. The Screen flashed, and a new prompt jumped out:

"Detected a cross‑temporal response signal. Source: unknown frequency band. Content: countdown has been initiated."