“Did I scare you?” Big Cat Face, initially intimidating, suddenly burst into laughter. “Look at you, all frightened! My dad was just like that. Ever since he delved into that universal constant stuff, he’s gone a bit crazy. He used to grab random people on the street, all sweaty and shaking, and spout nonsense.”
“He scared so many kids around here. The neighbors complained all the time, so my mom had to keep him inside for a while. Then, suddenly, he just shut down and locked himself in his room, refusing to come out.”
“You’ve seen those numbers on the wall, right? It’s complete madness… I have no idea why those folks in New Donghai City invited my dad to their academic forum. It’s like watching the sun rise in the west.”
Big Cat Face’s revelations did little to calm Lin Xian’s nerves. The whole situation was utterly bizarre and almost incomprehensible. The only thing he could deduce was that the universal constant must be the number 42, but what did that mean? What was its significance? He was completely baffled.
Given that Big Cat Face’s father had been studying the book “Introduction to Universal Constants” for years without any problems, only to be taken away suddenly after a supposed breakthrough, something was clearly wrong. It appeared that there were people who wanted his research, possibly to keep it hidden.
It seemed that discovering the universal constant had deeply affected Big Cat Face’s father’s mind. After arriving at the constant 42, he seemed to have descended into madness. With these limited clues, Lin Xian could only make basic guesses.
As for the deeper reasons, he was utterly lost.
“Big Cat, where is the book ‘Introduction to Universal Constants’ that your father was studying? Where does he usually keep it?”
“It’s normally on his desk… I haven’t really noticed. Let’s look around.”
They searched the room thoroughly, but despite their efforts, they couldn’t find the book. There was not a single piece of draft paper or any notes from his research.
“That’s strange… This room has never been this tidy; it’s always been cluttered.”
Big Cat Face scratched his head, puzzled, and looked at Lin Xian. “If the book and the drafts aren’t here, then my dad must have taken them, right? If he’s going to an academic forum, he’d need his materials and findings, wouldn’t he? He wouldn’t just leave without them.”
Lin Xian nodded in agreement. That seemed the most likely explanation. The house showed no signs of a struggle or disarray, suggesting that Big Cat Face’s parents had left willingly. Even his father’s room, though empty of books and drafts, was neatly arranged, indicating he had packed up himself. Moreover, they had given their house key to their neighbor, Uncle Wang, before leaving… This all pointed to them trusting this so-called “academic forum” enough to possibly walk into a trap.
“Hey, I need to go make some pig feed and feed the dogs.” Big Cat Face turned to Lin Xian. “Do you want to stay here a bit longer, or come with me to prepare the feed?”
“I’d like to stay here a bit longer,” Lin Xian replied. “Sorry, Big Cat. I just need some time to think. I’ve got a lot on my mind right now.”
“Man, you intellectuals and your worries!” Big Cat Face scoffed and headed downstairs, his voice trailing off. “Stay here and drive yourself mad for a while then… When I’m done, I’ll drive you home. My wife and kid are waiting for me to bring back some roast chicken!”
Soon after, the sound of chopping resonated from downstairs. Lin Xian closed the door. He surveyed the strange room. His eyes were drawn to the walls, plastered with enigmatic numbers…
The significance escaped him. If the universal constant Big Cat Face’s father had calculated was truly 42, what profound meaning could it have? Constants were a familiar concept from basic education.
Pi is a constant, roughly 3.14. Gravitational acceleration is a constant, about 9.8. The golden ratio is a constant, near 0.618. Most mathematical and physical constants involve intricate numbers, both integers and decimals, which are difficult to memorize. However, the universal constant 42 didn’t fit this pattern.
Yet…
Lin Xian was certain. If Big Cat Face’s father, a renowned mathematician, had determined the universal constant to be 42, it must hold some significant meaning.
Furthermore…
The moment his dreams stopped was at 00:42, and the exact time Professor Xu Yun was struck was also 00:42. No matter how he looked at it, the recurrence of the number 42 was too frequent to be coincidental!
“42 holds an extraordinary significance.”
Lin Xian sat down on the floor, his chin resting on his hand, fixated on the wall covered in 42s. He examined each one closely, even the smallest figures filling every crack. If Big Cat Face’s father was merely insane, he wouldn’t have cared about the precise size or placement of the numbers. He could have just scribbled randomly.
However…
After studying the entire wall, Lin Xian made a shocking discovery—none of the 42s overlapped! No two 42s intersected. Though they appeared chaotic, they followed some pattern, some underlying principle!
“This isn’t mindless scribbling. He hasn’t lost his mind.”
A madman couldn’t meticulously ensure that every tiny 42 was separate. There had to be a message here, some hidden truth!
Lin Xian moved closer, squinting, his eyes fixed on the wall of 42s. Big and small, each 42 meticulously placed. He leaned in, his eyes nearly touching the wall, staring at the smallest 42 in a crack:
“42… what’s the secret?”
This novel is translated and hosted on bcatranslation