Chapter 197

Zhao Jianguo put the Education Bureau's folder on the Eight Immortals table in the Main Hall, then poured himself a cup of hot water. The page edges were slightly wrinkled from his pinch, but he didn't care. The children in the courtyard had already dispersed, the robot had lost power, and Dong Xu was squatting nearby taking off the casing, saying he wanted to swap in a more stable power module.

Shuang Baotai played with iron rings under the jujube tree, running one after the other, their laughter bouncing off the walls. Chen Xiao Jian sat on a stone stool, fiddling with a small box that had a button, occasionally glancing toward Zhao Jianguo.

The sun had just risen to the height of the eaves, the air still carrying a hint of morning dew moisture. Zhao Jianguo was about to sit down and sip tea when the courtyard gate was suddenly pushed open from outside.

The visitor wore a dark gray outfit, neither a Mao suit nor a uniform; the fabric looked stiff, and his steps made almost no sound. He stood at the doorway, his gaze sweeping around, finally settling on Zhao Jianguo's face.

"Zhao Jianguo?"

"It's me."

"Management Bureau, evaluation complete." The person spoke flatly, without inflection, "You passed."

Zhao Jianguo didn't move, nor did he ask what evaluation. He knew who it was, and he knew this day would come sooner or later. He just didn't expect the person to show up in person, especially at this time.

The person took out a flat metal case from his pocket, opened it, and pulled out a stiff card. The card was dark blue, with several lines of print; the top read "Historical Observer Qualification Certificate".

"The Management Bureau recognizes that in the past three years you have completed three core tasks: promoting the resumption of the college entrance exam, establishing grassroots education experimental points, and blocking the abnormal spread of spacetime signals." He read it like a notice, "Your actions did not overstep bounds, your aim always pointed toward civilizational continuity. You meet the observer standard."

Zhao Jianguo took the card, and as his fingertip touched the paper he felt a slight warmth. It wasn't the temperature of something just taken out of the case.

"You've been watching me all along, haven't you?" he asked.

"Yes."

"You think I'll cause trouble?"

"There's that possibility."

"And now?"

"Now you have official status." The person took back the case, "You're no longer a monitored subject, but a collaborator."

Zhao Jianguo lowered his head to look at the certificate, then lifted it, "So from now on, whatever I do, you won't interfere anymore?"

"Interference won't happen." The person said, "But we will keep a record. You are a coordinate, not a pawn."

Shuang Baotai had stopped playing at some point, standing by the jujube tree looking this way. Chen Xiao Jian also stood up, no longer pressing the button on his box.

Zhao Jianguo turned the certificate over; on the back was a handwritten number, the ink faint, as if written with an old steel pen. He was about to examine it closely when he noticed something sandwiched inside the cover.

He flicked it with his fingernail and pulled out a thin sheet of paper.

The paper was very old, its edges yellowed and curled, bearing only two lines of text:

>1978 is just the beginning.

>1985 will bring greater challenges.

Zhao Jianguo's hand paused.

He recognized this paper. It was Chen Jianguo's handwriting. On the last night before the transmigration, that person sat under the lamp writing something; he had glimpsed similar slips before. At the time he hadn't paid attention, thinking they were work notes.

Now it appears in the Management Bureau's certificate, like a thread buried long ago that has finally been pulled out.

He said nothing, folded the slip neatly and tucked it into his inner pocket. The motion was light, as if afraid to disturb something.

"The system will upgrade." The person continued, "Your current permission isn't enough to handle what's coming."

As his words fell, Zhao Jianguo's wrist terminal suddenly lit up. The screen unlocked automatically, and a prompt popped up:

【Civilization Witness System – Ultimate Edition, Activating】

Light patterns rose from the ground, looping around his feet once, then climbing up his body. The metal rings on Shuang Baotai's wrists simultaneously glowed faintly, flickering on and off, as if responding.

"Are they linked too?" Zhao Jianguo asked.

"Bloodline binding is irreversible." The person said, "They are the next generation of guardians; the system will naturally recognize them."

The light patterns stopped at chest level, and the terminal emitted a short beep. The interface refreshed, adding several new options to the menu: Cross‑Spacetime Archive, Civilization Evolution Chart, Intergenerational Heritage Assessment…

"All functions are now open." Chen Xiao Jian whispered, "Even the underlying protocols have been unsealed."

Zhao Jianguo tried opening the archive, entered "1978", and a bunch of files immediately appeared. Among them was a photo he remembered—Xu Da Mao's cousin standing at the training camp gate, with several people in suits behind him. There was also a group photo; the silhouette in the corner was exactly the same as an executive he had seen when he used to work.

He closed the page, looked up, and asked: "Why are you giving me these now?"

"Because the time has come." The person said, "You've completed the basic verification. Now you can access the truth and bear the consequences."

"What exactly will happen in 1985?"

"We can't say."

"Then you want me to prepare?"

"You just need to remember." The person looked at him, "When time reaches that moment, you'll know what to do."

Having said that, he turned and walked toward the doorway. His steps remained soundless, as if treading on another layer of space.

"Wait." Zhao Jianguo called out to him, "Why didn't you acknowledge me earlier?"

The person stopped, without turning back.

"Because every observer must walk that path themselves." He said, "Trust given by others doesn't count."

The door shut.

The courtyard fell silent all at once. Shuang Baotai remained standing where they were, holding hands. Chen Xiao Jian walked over, stared at the terminal screen for a while, then looked up at Zhao Jianguo.

"Are you going to go?" he asked.

Zhao Jianguo touched his chest; the slip was stuck to his skin, still warm.

"No need to move yet." He said, "But we need to prepare."

He bent over and picked up one child; the other ran over and clung to his leg. The three stood in the middle of the courtyard, sunlight on their backs.

Chen Xiao Jian returned to the stone stool, picked up the small box again, and pressed the button. The machine hummed, and a waveform diagram appeared on the screen.

"Stability is normal." he said.

Zhao Jianguo nodded, his gaze falling on the courtyard gate. Where someone had just stood, the ground bore no footprint.

But he knew, some things had already changed.

The system interface was still running; a red marker in the archive kept flashing. He hadn't opened it, but he could feel it was the 1985 data packet, far larger than those of other years.

Shuang Baotai looked up at him, "Dad?"

Huh?

We'll help you.

Zhao Jianguo chuckled, said nothing, and just held the two children tighter.

Dong Xu lifted his head from the robot side, "Zhao Jianguo, the power's been changed, want to give it a try?"

"Just a moment." Zhao Jianguo said, "Let the kids rest a bit."

"Okay." Dong Xu responded, then crouched down again to tighten the screws.

Chen Xiao Jian stared at the Waveform Diagram, then frowned.

"Signal fluctuation." he said, "Southeast direction, the frequency matches that of the previous fragment from the well bottom."

Zhao Jianguo immediately looked at the Terminal. Sure enough, a red dot appeared on the map, located in the old industrial area on the city outskirts.

"Not 1985." Chen Xiao Jian said, "It's now."

Zhao Jianguo set the children down, quickly walked to the table and picked up the certificate. He turned to the last page, discovering that where it had been blank, a new line of printed text had appeared:

【First Field Observation Mission Issued, Please Confirm Response Within Today】