Chapter 13: The Opening and Closing of Time

Professor Feng Zhiyuan's appearance immediately caused a stir among the students watching.

"Professor Feng, a gold-medal professor of science in Kyoto. Dabei University once invited him, but he declined."

"I was his student ten years ago and now I work at a research institute. His level is quite high, yet he's calling Jiang Zhe 'Little Teacher Jiang'?"

"Holy crap, I feel like my world is collapsing!"

While Professor Feng Zhiyuan might not be among the very top professors in the country...

...he was still a senior professor ranked in the top five in Kyoto's science circles. To think he would directly address someone from a younger generation as 'Little Teacher Jiang'!

This was hard for some people to believe; it was as shocking as an old veteran calling an eight or nine-year-old child "Teacher"!

Seeing this scene in the leaders' conference room,

the leaders felt much more at ease. They had initially thought he was there to cause trouble, but it turned out he had come to learn with humility!

This was enough to prove that the level of the substitute host, Jiang Zhe, was recognized even by professors.

Wang Lin said with a strange expression, "I applied to that university before. If everything had gone as planned, I would have chosen Professor Feng as my mentor, but my score wasn't high enough. In the end, I could only stay in Su City."

He felt somewhat unwilling. He and Jiang Zhe were the same age, so why was there such a difference? Where exactly was the gap?

At that moment, Jiang Zhe's voice came from the screen.

"Hello to you too, Professor Feng. May I ask what question you have?"

Jiang Zhe was also surprised. He had originally thought the other party had identified himself to make things difficult for him.

Who would have thought his tone would be so full of humility!

Professor Feng thought for a moment and asked softly, "In the answer you gave to that student from Shanghai earlier, there was some hidden content, wasn't there?"

"Oh?"

Jiang Zhe's eyes lit up. The other party had actually noticed?

"I indeed have hidden content. Do you have your own insight on it?"

"Yes. Little Teacher Jiang, your hidden content is that the [Past] and the [Future] simply do not exist; what has always existed is the [Present]."

"I have an example in mind: Hawking's Party."

"Over a decade ago, Hawking held a party at his villa."

"He left a note at the party, sealed in a [Time Capsule], which said: [If there are people from the future, please return to my party in 2009]."

"With Hawking's reputation, people from the future would certainly be interested in his party."

"But unfortunately, everyone who attended the party that night were people of the present. There were no so-called future people at all."

"Therefore, combined with your previous explanation, Little Teacher Jiang, perhaps the [Past] and [Future] have never existed."

"Because for us, what the future looks like is unknown."

"For people of the past, their future was also unknown."

"If anything exists, it is always the [Now]. People of the past lived in the past, and that past was their [Now]. People of the future live in the future, and that future is also their [Now]."

"We live in the [Present], which is also our [Now]."

"Am I correct?"

As Professor Feng's series of analyses concluded, many viewers were left dumbfounded.

It was as if a string in their minds had been cut, and a rush of novel knowledge washed over them.

"My brain is about to grow!"

"+1"

...

Inside the leaders' conference room.

Everyone looked at Wang Lin in surprise.

Because what Wang Lin had said earlier was exactly the same as Professor Feng's words!

Wang Lin gave a sheepish smile. "This is something anyone who loves learning can consider. It's not just me; I just happened to keep up with Teacher Jiang's rhythm."

After he said this, everyone turned back to continue watching the big screen.

Jiang Zhe looked surprised; this Professor Feng's analysis was even easier to understand!

He had originally intended to reveal this at the end of the program, but he hadn't expected a professional to see through it.

He smiled slightly. "Yes, Professor Feng's insight is very spot on. All that exists is always our [Now]."

Sure enough, Jiang Zhe's reaction immediately made countless viewers feel helpless.

"Looking at his expression before and after, he really didn't intend to say it."

"Yeah, if he hadn't held back, Professor Feng wouldn't have said it first."

"Is there a possibility that Jiang Zhe didn't know either?"

"Probably not, right?"

"..."

At this time, Jiang Zhe continued to answer, "That wasn't really a question; you were just supplementing my previous point. May I ask what your actual question is?"

"Time opening!"

"Opening?"

Professor Feng said straightforwardly, "Yes, a time opening. Since the grandson decides to return to the past, if someone must die, how is the logic completed in such a situation? To complete the logic, there must naturally be a time closed loop. I believe there must be a more suitable answer that fits the Grandfather Paradox, isn't there?"

An answer more suitable for the Grandfather Paradox?

Professor Feng's words once again piqued the curiosity of many.

Could it be that Jiang Zhe's previous answer was wrong? But it didn't seem like it.

Inside the leaders' conference room.

Everyone looked at Wang Lin again, seeking an answer.

Wang Lin explained thoughtfully, "Professor Feng means that while Teacher Jiang's previous answer was very fitting, the Grandfather Paradox is a thought experiment after all, and there must be other answers with high credibility. Therefore, to have a time opening, a solution with stronger real-world logic is needed."

Wang Guosheng asked curiously, "Was the logic of Jiang Zhe's previous answer not strong?"

"It was strong," Wang Lin said. "But that answer was strong in theory, and theory often deviates from reality. So, the actual situation also needs to be considered."

"Therefore, the Grandfather Paradox needs a closed loop!"

After Wang Lin's explanation, everyone present had a sudden realization.

Xiao Shiyi said with admiration, "As expected of Brother Wang, your level isn't weak either, though you're far from being as brilliant as Jiang Zhe!"

"That's enough, kid. Don't compare me to him. If Teacher Jiang is the original creator, then I can only follow and imitate him. If he can make a fortune, I can only make a bit of pocket change behind him."

To Wang Lin, Jiang Zhe had given him a new way of thinking, a new perspective, and a new everything.

Standing on the shoulders of a giant, Wang Lin naturally could not replace Jiang Zhe.

Xiao Shiyi gave a sheepish smile. "Brother Wang, you're too humble. Everyone gets sick. When Jiang Zhe catches a cold or has a toothache, you'll take over his shift, and the ratings will definitely be guaranteed!"

Old Zhao smiled at these words. "I think that works!"

At that moment, Jiang Zhe's voice came from the big screen.

"Regarding this point, it's actually quite simple!"

"If there is to be a time opening, then it must comply with the Law of Conservation of Energy!"

"The change in mass and energy from that previous phone call would cause a massive Butterfly Effect, leading to the collapse of the world."

"Therefore, time openings and closed loops require a prerequisite operation to be completed."

Hearing this, Professor Feng frowned. "A prerequisite operation?"

Jiang Zhe nodded slightly and continued to explain:

"Yes, there is a premise."

"A grandson in the year 2024 obtains a time machine."

"On a whim, he wants to go back to the past to kill his grandfather."

"When the grandson steps into the time machine and presses the button to start time travel..."

"...this grandson will never be able to successfully start it!"

This conclusion left Professor Feng and the vast number of netizens completely confused.

"Unable to start successfully?"

"Why can't it start successfully?"

"..."

Professor Feng thought for a moment and asked, "Is it because the grandson does not exist in the past, and his sudden appearance would cause a sudden increase in the world's mass and energy, leading to the world's collapse?"

Jiang Zhe responded without hesitation:

"Yes. The world does not allow foreign objects to enter the present. Referring to the Law of Conservation of Energy/Mass, once violated, the world will undergo earth-shattering changes."

"Therefore, for the grandson to successfully kill his grandfather, there is only one way!"

At this point, Jiang Zhe faced the camera and revealed a mysterious smile.

"The grandson, in a certain sense, has always been his own..."

"..."

"Grandfather!!!"

As Jiang Zhe's conclusion landed, everyone was once again struck dumb, as if they were witnessing a brand-new worldview!!!