Leyenda del pueblo de Baima

Capítulo 6

That night, the truth behind my false memories.

Therefore, I must recount what happened that night.

That night, as the patrol boat gradually approached the "ghost ship," I clearly sensed something unusual about Xiao Zhang beside me.

It was purely an intuition. It was pitch black all around, and I couldn't see Xiao Zhang's expression clearly, but I could tell he was very nervous.

The divergence in memory began when the two ships came together with a "bang".

"You go up first," Xiao Zhang said to me in a hurried voice.

I jumped onto the covered boat. The boat rocked slightly, but there was still no sound inside, so it seemed that no one lived there.

When I turned to look at Xiao Zhang, I was taken aback. The spotlight shone on his face, revealing an expression of barely suppressed anticipation and excitement; his whole body seemed to be trembling slightly.

Before I could even speak, Xiao Zhang jumped up.

"Thank you," Xiao Zhang said to me.

I was stunned. Why would he say this to me with such a sincere expression and tone at this moment? What was he thanking me for?

Xiao Zhang took out a small metal object from his clothes. With a soft "beep", a three-dimensional image appeared on the square object.

If I'm not mistaken, it's a coordinate graph, and we're currently at the center of this graph.

At this point, I calmed down. After many adventures, I knew that when unusual situations arise, only by remaining calm can one find a solution. A hint of surprise flashed in Xiao Zhang's eyes, but he suddenly asked me a strange question: "Have you read Su Yiping's novels?"

Su Yiping is an emerging science fiction writer. Many of his works can be found online, and I have naturally read them as well, so I nodded in agreement.

"Then you should know about his network spacetime theory."

The so-called network spacetime theory is actually a speculation about spacetime that has been explored by many science fiction writers. It generally suggests that in addition to our world, there are many parallel worlds. In these other worlds, there is also an Earth, a Sun, and a Milky Way, but they are not entirely the same.

This difference stems from a concept called spacetime fission, much like cell division, where one becomes two, two become four, and so on, until infinitely many. Therefore, all parallel universes may have an original universe, which at some point, for some reason, splits into a new universe, a new world.

To put it simply, Zhang San was crossing the road and got hit and killed by a car. But there's another possibility: the car suddenly swerved and collided with another car, killing many people, but Zhang San survived. Thus, another world emerged where Zhang San still lived. The new world is only slightly different from the old one, but centuries later, the spark ignited by Zhang San will create a vast difference between the two worlds.

However, whether this fission occurs constantly or only under special circumstances is unclear to everyone.

I mentally reviewed the arguments about the network spacetime theory, and then nodded.

“I can tell you that this speculation is, to a considerable extent, true,” Xiao Zhang said to me with a serious expression.

Hearing those words at that time and place, and seeing that strange instrument in Xiao Zhang's hand, I could no longer contain my astonishment.

Xiao Zhang laughed: "Talking to you really doesn't take much effort. I'm not from this world. Two years ago, in our year 2097, my world finally discovered a passage between parallel worlds." He pointed to the tightly closed hatch.

I couldn't help but chuckle: "Could this be a passage between parallel worlds, on this damned ship?"

"To be precise, this is a wormhole, a spatial anomaly. But for some reason, such a wormhole cannot exist independently in the void; it must attach itself to a physical entity. This ship happens to be the entity that this wormhole is attached to. Where we are, it is a towering ancient tree. However, no matter how many animals we send into the wormhole, none of them have ever returned. I am the first person to enter the wormhole, and if I don't go back, this passage will be sealed forever. I thank you because it is because of you that I was able to approach this wormhole."

"Me?" I was completely baffled.

"Wormholes have their own unique frequency of fluctuation. Any object that approaches the wormhole will disappear if its frequency falls within the range that the wormhole can accept. For humans, this frequency is determined at the moment of birth. It is a kind of life imprint. As a biological characteristic, it will have a significant impact on the person without them realizing it. In fact, the ancient Chinese birth chart is a way to lock in and analyze this imprint."

I felt a bit like laughing and crying at the same time: "So you're saying that we're compatible in terms of birth charts, which is why I was able to get on the ship, and you benefited from my luck, and the wormhole didn't escape because of me? Then how did you get here in the first place?"

Xiao Zhang smiled bitterly: "At first, I was in sync with it, but when I came to this world, the frequency of the wormhole changed. That's why no one has ever been able to return. If it weren't for this instrument I carry with me that can measure everyone's frequency of fluctuation, I might never have been able to go back. When I met you on the street half a year ago, the beeping of the instrument made me ecstatic, and I started planning how to get you to bring me onto this ship."

I could only manage a wry smile; it turned out I'd been outmaneuvered so early on.

"But are the entrances and exits of these wormholes fixed?"

Xiao Zhang shook his head: "The location varies each time, but in this world, it never leaves Shanghai Pudong."

"Are you sure that if you go in from here, you'll definitely be able to return to your world, and it will definitely be the same time you were back then?"

Xiao Zhang gave a bitter smile: "I've thought about this problem many times, but do I have any other choice? At worst, I'll just stay the same as I am now."

Before I could say anything more, Xiao Zhang said, "I think you'd better forget about tonight."

I was startled, but then I was drawn to his dark eyes, and then I became dazed.

Looking back now, it was an extremely sophisticated form of hypnosis; I was forcibly implanted with a different set of memories.

I went ashore there, and after walking a few steps, the awning boat behind me was enveloped in a yellow light. When the light dissipated, only the patrol boat remained, floating alone on the water. I, in a daze, hailed a car and went home.

At that moment, in a daze, I seemed to hear Xiao Zhang say to me: "In the two years I've been here, I've paid close attention. My world and your world only separated less than a hundred years ago. For me, and for you, it seems like it happened on September 11, 2001. On that day, try not to go to Manhattan."

No wonder that a few months ago, whenever I heard someone talking about going to New York, I felt a strange sense of aversion, and if someone invited me to go, I would definitely refuse.

"Try not to go to Manhattan that day." I finally understand what that means, but it's too late.

Na Duo Si, it's an open secret. I stared at the last two characters "Na Duo" for a long time. Just like last time, the handwriting in this notebook is not mine. Although it is somewhat similar, it is also a messy and unremarkable handwriting. But I have done some handwriting analysis before, and I can say with certainty that it is the handwriting of two different people. Although my handwriting is bad, it is still better than the one in this notebook.

I closed the notebook and stood up. Having squatted for so long, my vision blurred as I straightened up, and the discomfort in my neck and back finally became apparent. But compared to these physical problems, my brain, swirling with thoughts while I was reading, was throbbing with pain. I sat on the edge of the bed, then sprawled out on my back. Overwhelmed by exhaustion, I closed my eyes, giving up the fight, and drifted off to sleep.

Back in my school days, classmates used phrases like "bear-like strength," "eagle-like eyes," or "leopard-like speed" to describe people who excelled in a particular area. My nickname was "pig-like sleep." Because I could sleep soundly even if the sky were falling; my record of insomnia was extremely rare. Especially when faced with a difficult situation, while others would often worry themselves sick all night, I would still sleep soundly, wake up refreshed, and get back to solving the problem.

When I woke up, it was already dark. I was a little hungry, and by the light from another house outside the window, I checked my watch—it was 7:30. I didn't feel as refreshed as I usually do when I wake up. After all, I was in an old, dusty house, and I had slept on a bare, uncomfortable palm-fiber mat. My back and arms were covered in sweaty welts. Although I can't remember much now, I clearly had a lot of chaotic dreams while I was asleep. It seems that even when I was sleeping, my brain didn't get a complete rest.

The tidying wasn't finished, but I wasn't going to continue. I put the black notebook in my bag, didn't even turn on the light, and walked out into the dark, closing the door behind me.

I ate a bowl of cold noodles at a roadside noodle shop and slowly strolled back to the Bund. The slightly fishy river breeze on my face offered some relief from the summer night's heat. Looking at the tourists and couples enjoying the night view of the Huangpu River around me, I let out a long sigh. Why do they live such ordinary, mundane lives, while I always seem to encounter these weird things?!

I bought a pack of 555 cigarettes and a lighter from the cigarette stand next to me. I don't smoke, but when I'm feeling overwhelmed and confused, the slowly rising smoke and the flickering flame between my fingers help me focus and calm my thoughts.

The second mysterious "Na Duo's Notebook" has appeared. Just like the first "Na Duo's Notebook," it didn't appear out of thin air. Although there's no evidence, I intuitively feel that this was done by the same thief who broke in and left empty-handed last time. Unlike the first time, when Zhao Yue could conduct a limited investigation, I'm afraid I won't be able to find any clues about this intruder from months ago.

In terms of content, if we take the contents of the journals seriously and assume they may contain some truth, then the first journal entry appeared precisely before the events it described occurred, while the second journal entry, which recounts the incident involving the covered boat, took place between June and December 2001, more than two years ago. Thus, it seems that the party that delivered these two "Nado Journals" to me didn't care when I saw them. In other words, I didn't have any mission to "prevent" or "achieve" anything regarding the events of the covered boat and the lost night. If I were to do anything, I should have seen the story of the covered boat before June 2001. Given the meticulous calculations and immense power that party has demonstrated so far, they wouldn't have made such a large deviation, allowing the thief to deliver the items to my old house only months ago.

So, why go to such great lengths to play riddles with me? What is the reason that this faction avoids direct contact with me and instead spends several years sending two notebooks to me?

Or rather, what these two notebooks record is not important; what matters is that I saw them. And after seeing them? Is there a third notebook? If so, how many more years will I have to wait?

One question after another looms, and all I can do is probably call the Pudong New Area Urban Management Enforcement Brigade's Waterborne Division tomorrow to inquire about "Xiao Zhang," who, if he still exists, should have left two years ago. And I have a feeling I'll get nothing. The mystery won't be solved so easily.

"That's a lot!"

I turned my head and saw Ye Tong. I've already introduced her identity in "Bad Seeds." Since returning to Shanghai, this girl, who's always lost in her own thoughts, hasn't improved at all. On the contrary, because she personally experienced such a major event, she's started to have all sorts of wild speculations about many actually quite normal things. Almost every time she calls me or runs into me, she chatters on and on about her new guesses, and pesters me to ask if there are any shocking inside stories lately, which often annoys me to no end. Now, seeing her walking quickly towards me, my eyebrows unconsciously furrowed.

Behind Ye Tong was a man with a slightly embarrassed smile. After Ye Tong quickly whispered something in my ear, I could understand how the man felt.

"This is such a hassle. My mom has arranged another blind date for me, as if I'm destined to never get married."

Ye Tong's father died early, and her mother is Han Chinese, so she didn't attend the last clan gathering. As a single mother, seeing her daughter getting older without a steady boyfriend is understandably distressing. Ye Tong has been set up on countless blind dates. Just looking at Ye Tong's performance this time explains why her mother's efforts have been in vain.

The man across from her probably never imagined he'd meet such a beautiful girl on a blind date. He was probably trying his best to win her over, but unexpectedly, in this classic romantic spot like the Bund, the girl he was pursuing suddenly broke away from him and rushed to another man. Even more outrageous, she was whispering in his ear and pointing at him...

"Huh, you're smoking!" Ye Tong looked at the cigarette in my hand in surprise, and a long ash fell to the ground with a thud. She stared at me for a moment, then turned to the man and said, "Excuse me, Mr. Zhang, I have something to attend to. I'll call you another time."

"Then, my phone..." Mr. Zhang was clearly extremely frustrated.

"My mother has your phone number. I'll ask her for it when I get back. Well then, goodbye." Ye Tong dismissed the poor Mr. Zhang in a way that left me speechless.

"Finally gone. What a man who doesn't know how to appreciate nature."

"Do you always do this?" I asked with a wry smile.

"That's not necessarily true. After all, I am a well-mannered lady." Ye Tong said calmly. I looked closely at her face but didn't see any sign of her blushing.

The cigarette had burned down to the very end without me noticing, and I burned my finger. The butt fell to the ground, and I stomped it out. It was uncivilized behavior, but looking at the ground, one more cigarette butt wouldn't make a difference. I kicked it into the drain, a small contribution to environmental protection. Ye Tong watched me dispose of the cigarette with interest, then gave me a beautiful smile: "So, what happened?"

"It's nothing," I denied instinctively.

"Who are you trying to fool? Why are you lighting a cigarette for no reason?"

I gave another bitter smile. In front of such familiar friends, arguing is futile; you can only choose to speak or remain silent. And with the troublesome Ye Tong, it seems I only have one choice left.

We'd walked back and forth along the Bund's embankment several times already; my legs were getting increasingly sore, while Ye Tong's eyes were growing brighter. Finally, I finished telling the story of the awning boat, then spread my hands and said, "That's all for now."

"It's truly a perplexing incident... But why do I feel that this awning boat is similar to the previous lost... lost..."

“A lost night,” I continued.

"Hmm, 'A Lost Night,' those two stories... I feel like I've heard them somewhere before." Ye Tong pursed her lips into a thin line, trying hard to recall.

"I've heard of it. Where have I heard of it?" I perked up.

"It looks familiar, it's...it's..." Ye Tong bit her lip for a long time, then gave me a helpless look: "I really can't remember."

I glanced at Ye Tong with extreme disappointment: "You weren't dreaming, were you?"

“That… is quite possible. Many people have had prophetic dreams,” Ye Tong said seriously.

"Yes, yes." There's just no way to deal with her.

Ye Tong and I stood side by side on a semi-circular, outward-protruding viewing platform overlooking the Huangpu River. We leaned against the low granite embankment wall, gazing out at the twilight that the dazzling lights on both banks couldn't illuminate. I knew Ye Tong, standing silently beside me, must be trying to process the whole incident, just like I had done before. But I was actually lost in thought.

I felt much better after a good night's sleep, but some things can't be understood just by being energetic. I'm usually quite curious and inquisitive, but that only comes into play when I have a vague idea of where the road ahead leads. Now, surrounded by fog, I feel powerless and it all seems pointless to go any way.

A ship's horn sounded on the river. Ye Tong suddenly turned to me and asked, "Little Zhang from the story of the covered boat, he came from another world, right? Didn't you claim to have been to another world last time?"

I realized she was referring to my and Lin Cui's Iron Ox journey, but that was different. I had naturally thought about this before, so I had to snap out of my daze and explain to Ye Tong, "The little Zhang in the 'Black-awning Boat' story does have similarities to Lin Cui, whom I met back then. Both of them came from another world, and those two other worlds can be called 'parallel worlds,' which are intricately connected to our world because they both split off from ours. The passages between the worlds are similar to 'wormholes,' but there are still many differences between the two."

"Little Zhang, this way of distinguishing things should be easy for you to understand..."

Ye Tong scoffed, utterly disdainful: "Go on, go on."

"The split between Xiao Zhang's world and our world was accidental, starting with a major event like 9/11. Lin Cui's world and our world split synchronously, traversing each other through the wormhole created by Tie Niu, achieving spatial crossing without affecting time. Because the two worlds are synchronous, there is another Na Duo in the other world, and there is also a Lin Cui in our world. When Lin Cui suddenly descended from the other world to our world, the Lin Cui in this world was replaced. Only one soul named Lin Cui can exist. Xiao Zhang came from his world, but simultaneously crossed nearly a hundred years of time, so there was originally no Xiao Zhang in this world, and therefore the issue of soul replacement does not exist."

Ye Tong rested her chin on her hand, carefully processing what I had said, and slowly said, "There is only one truth."

I immediately burst out laughing; that was clearly a line from "Detective Conan."

Ye Tong glared at me, and my smile vanished.

“There’s only one truth, so either you’re lying, or the story of the awning boat is pure fiction. Based on what I know about you…” Ye Tong looked me up and down, as if trying to confirm something: “Although it’s not a good thing, well, the story of the awning boat is probably the bigger problem.”

"You can't say that," I shook my head slightly.

"Just because the two stories offer different explanations of parallel worlds or networked worlds doesn't mean one of them deliberately fabricated the story. My own experience has already told you exactly what happened, so there's no need for me to lie. But don't forget, my explanations of those incredible phenomena are all my speculations, even if they're the most reasonable ones I can come up with. Speculation is still just speculation. As for Xiao Zhang in the awning boat story, even though he explains it clearly, it's not his speculation but a scientific conclusion based on Xiao Zhang's world. But do you think all scientific conclusions are correct?"

I stared at Ye Tong, and after thinking for a moment, she shook her head.

"That's right. Science is constantly evolving, and old conclusions are constantly being overturned. Throughout history, what were once considered ironclad truths often seem ridiculous to later generations. There are too many examples of this. Science has its limitations."

“Moreover,” I hesitated for a moment, “based on my current knowledge and experience, if one day someone tells me that there is more than one truth, I will not easily deny it.”

The discussion with Ye Tong ended inconclusively. No matter how rich her imagination was, she couldn't reach a reasonable conclusion under the current circumstances.

I went back to my place, took a shower, and started browsing the internet. I'll call Zhang tomorrow to verify his identity, but if nothing unexpected happens, I probably won't get any useful information. In that case, I'll just have to continue my ostrich policy and wait and see how things develop.

After reading a few completely fabricated online fantasy novels, it was almost midnight. I went to bed. Although I had already slept in the evening, it wasn't a problem at all for me, who has a "pig-like sleep."

I quickly drifted off into a daze, and then the phone rang shrilly.

I opened my eyes, stared at the telephone on the bedside table for five seconds, and then reached out and picked up the receiver.