Chapter 353: Chen Jianguo Descends·Bringing Hope

The water in the enamel tub was still swirling, rings of light spreading like bubbles before a pot boils. Zhao Jianguo's palms pressed hard against the golden lines on the floor; where the two lines crossed, it was hot enough to sear a pancake. He dared not relax—if he did, the barrier would collapse. The triplets kept their eyes fixed on the cabinet, not blinking, their little faces deathly pale, sweat beading on their noses.

"Close your eyes!" Zhao Jianguo bellowed, his voice not loud but forceful. He freed a hand and slapped the two kids' foreheads twice, forcing their eyelids shut. Zhao Xing was the most stubborn, craning his neck back, so Zhao Jianguo simply wrapped an arm around them, pressing all three heads against his chest, his spine against the wall base, standing like a wall between the cabinet and the children.

The water ball in the tub rose higher and higher, leaving the rim to hover and spin in midair; the light and shadow spun faster, and the lacquer on the wooden cabinet began to peel in flakes, drifting upward as if sucked by something. Zhao Jianguo felt a chill on the back of his neck, as if someone had pressed an ice cube there.

Just then, the vortex's center gave a soft "pop"—no movement, no wind—but everything that was swaying in the room suddenly froze: the water droplets stopped, the lifted lacquer lay still, even the lamp cord halted mid-swing.

A figure stepped out from before the cabinet; as his foot touched the floor, the whole room hummed, like a large bell struck, echoing in the ears. He wore a silver-gray outfit that looked like a raincoat but was crisper, holding a flat box in his hand, standing ramrod straight.

Zhao Jianguo glanced over and almost bit his tongue—this person's eyebrows, eyes, face shape, even stance were cast from the same mold as his, only looking a bit older, with wrinkles at the corners of his eyes and a hint of stubble on his chin.

"Who are you?" Zhao Jianguo's voice tightened; he didn't let go, still shielding the children.

He glanced at Zhao Jianguo, not rushing to speak, and waved his hand in the air. A ripple spread out; the suspended water droplets "plopped" back into the tub, the cabinet returned to its original state, and even the peeled lacquer obediently stuck back on.

"I am Chen Jianguo." He spoke, his voice deeper than Zhao Jianguo's, "You can think of me… as another you."

Zhao Jianguo stayed silent, his heart pounding. He had lived these years—time-traveled, signed in, seen rifts, watched starship projections—what strange thing hadn't he seen? Yet seeing a "himself" walk out of the cabinet with his own eyes was a first.

"Don't wonder how I got here." He seemed to know what Zhao Jianguo was thinking, "Time is short; just listen to me."

He bent down, set the box on the floor with two clicks, and opened it. Inside lay a glass tube filled with a faintly glowing blue liquid. He took it out, crouched, and pressed it directly onto the intersection of the golden lines. The liquid seeped in; the two scorching golden lines on the floor instantly cooled, and their light shifted from chaotic flashing to a steady pulse, like breathing.

"This is a 'Dimensional Stabilizer.'" He said, "It can hold the rift steady for twelve hours. Not long, but enough for you to catch your breath."

Zhao Jianguo finally exhaled halfway, lifted his hand from the floor, and shook out his tingling palm. "So what are you really here for? Just to deliver a bottle of medicine?"

"Delivering the medicine is just one part." Chen Jianguo (the original) lifted his head to look at him, "More importantly, I'm here to tell you what's going on."

He pulled a small tablet from his pocket; the screen lit up, showing countless fissures—some in the sky, some in the sea, some splitting open right in the middle of cities. Some fissure edges had already collapsed into dark holes, with buildings and terrain on the margins being sucked in.

"This isn't unique to you." He said, "Not just the world, but the entire universe—all parallel worlds are splitting in sync. Seventeen nodes have already completely collapsed into black holes. Our timeline is slated to be the eighteenth to fall."

Zhao Jianguo felt his scalp tingle. "Then you are…"

"I am the earliest awakened 'Zhao Jianguo.'" He pointed to his chest, "I've lived through over three thousand reincarnations, tried more than three hundred schemes, and finally discovered that only when all your branch nodes receive the information can we join forces to seal the gate."

"Seal what gate?"

"The Spacetime Gate." His eyes darkened, "Someone is stabbing from behind, deliberately tearing the rift to invite extraterrestrial lifeforms in. They don't eat or kill people; they devour 'possibility'—the world with the most hope gets destroyed first."

Zhao Jianguo lowered his head to look at the still-sleeping triplets, his throat dry. "So… my three kids drawing those diagrams is also because…"

"Because they received the warning signal." Chen Jianguo nodded, "Every 'Zhao Jianguo' has a potential sensitives nearby. Your three kids are the strongest in this round."

Zhao Jianguo fell silent. He had always thought he'd time-traveled just to enjoy life, but instead the whole family got dragged into a murky, inexplicable war.

"Why does it have to be me?" he asked. "There are plenty of people named Jianguo worldwide—why am I the one stuck with this burden?"

Chen Jianguo smirked slightly. "Because you chose the right path. Others who time-travel seek wealth and rank, but you focused on daily life—fixing the house, raising the kids, comforting your wife, treating the Siheyuan as home to guard. That 'stability' is the fundamental counter to chaos."

He paused, drew a card from the bottom of the box, and handed it over. "Inside is a portion of the universe report summary and simulation data for several key coordinates. Understand as much as you can—don't be greedy; the information load is huge, it'll blow your mind."

Zhao Jianguo took the card; its plastic case was icy cold, feeling somewhat heavy in his grip.

"You trust me this much? Aren't you afraid I'll take the stuff and run?" he asked.

"I'm afraid," Chen Jianguo said frankly, "but I'm more afraid you won't take it."

The two locked eyes; neither laughed, but both understood each other's meaning.

Outside, the light remained dull and overcast; even the chickens' cries were incomplete. On the north-room kang, the triplets huddled together, breathing evenly, the eerie focus gone from their faces—finally they looked like ordinary kids.

Chen Jianguo rose, flexed his wrists. "I should go. Staying too long here invites spatial backlash."

"Wait." Zhao Jianguo called out, "Will we be able to see each other again?"

"Not necessarily." He shook his head, "Being able to come once already took everything I had to bend the rules. Whether we can make contact again depends on whether you lot have a new 'resonance point'."

"What if I… can't manage it?"

"Then it collapses." He said lightly, as if talking about what's for lunch, "Anyway, more than one line has already collapsed. But if you truly don't want this courtyard, these neighbors, and these three kids to vanish, you must take a step forward—even if it's just glancing at that card one more time."

Having said that, he stepped back two paces; his form began to fade, like smoke blown away by the wind.

Zhao Jianguo didn't ask further, lowered his head to look at the card in his hand, its edge worn a bit—probably from being flipped through too many times. He slowly walked to the kang, slipped the card under Zhao Xing's pillow, and tucked the blanket corners for the three kids.

The barrier remained, the golden lines faintly glowing, their pulse steady. The water in the tub lay still, reflecting the ceiling beams, no more galaxy-like whirl.

He sat on the doorstep, back against the doorframe, gazing at the old cabinet on the west wall. The cabinet stood quiet, its lacquer still peeled in those few patches, the enamel tub holding half a cup of water, utterly still.

From the courtyard came the sound of sweeping; Wang Shen had risen.