In the afternoon, Yin Shen made an appointment with a friend to have tea at a small tea house.
Yin Shen reached out his hand from the second floor and called out, "Over here!"
A man in the lobby immediately noticed him and walked up with a smile.
The man with a crew cut was a web novelist and also Yin Shen's college classmate. He was the type of person who knew a little about everything but never delved too deep into any specific topic. He was the perfect companion for casual conversations.
Yin Shen enjoyed chatting with him about a wide range of subjects, from science fiction and mythology to astronomy, geography, and current events.
It's either serious or just plain bullshit, but it's relaxing.
This time, the two talked from history to mythology, and from mythology to ghost novels, which were also mixed with strange rumors from the West.
Yin Shen suddenly spoke up, saying, "Lately, every night when I drift into slumber, I have this sensation of another self rising up from within my body."
"And throughout the entire night, I find myself watching myself, until I awaken."
"It's somewhat akin to... Western soul projection, and the departure of the spiritual consciousness from the body in your novel."
"What do you think, what's going on?" Asked Yin Shen.
The man with the crew cut didn't laugh at Yin Shen's words, which were filled with absurdity. Instead, he pondered upon the concept seriously for a while, organizing his thoughts.
"First, we need to understand one thing: if a person truly possesses a soul, what is it composed of?"
"Is it matter or energy?"
Yin Shen contemplated for a moment and replied uncertainly, "It seems to be neither."
The man with a crew cut continued to ask, "And what about memory and consciousness? Are they kept within the soul, or do they still reside in the brain?"
Yet again, Yin Shen confirmed, "It's within the soul."
"I feel like my body is an anchor point, anchoring the soul to this point."
"I could easily struggle and break free, but I sense that once I'm out, something horrifying will happen."
"This feeling inexplicably fills me with a sense of panic, causing me to hesitate and not dare to proceed further."
Yin Shen suddenly burst into laughter. "Do you perhaps think I'm about to awaken some kind of superpower or embark on the path of cultivation?"
The man with a crew cut shook his head. "Putting aside whether what you said is even true or not, if humans truly possess a soul that is not of matter or energy, and if memories and consciousness can be stored within it in perpetuity, then it by far surpasses any superpower or cultivation."
"All these notions of soul projection and the divergence of the material self from the spiritual self are mere imaginings of ancient people. Compared to that, it's like the difference between heaven and earth."
"Even the gods in historical myths and the immortals in Taoist legends..."
None can even begin to compare to this kind of existence."
"Even Pan Gu, the creator God, Brahma, Khaos and Azathoth, who opened up the heavens and the earth, can do nothing to you by lack of means to act against you."
Upon hearing these words, Yin Shen stood in astonishment. They were just discussing the human soul, how did they suddenly bring up these supreme divine beings from various mythologies and creators?
"You're going too far with your words. Are they really that powerful?"
"According to what you're saying, if humans have a soul, they would be invincible."
However, Crew-cut Man replied earnestly, "I'm not making baseless claims here; I have evidence."
"Because the universe is composed of matter, and time is the manifestation of the movement, continuity, and order of matter."
"If your soul doesn't belong to matter and energy, and consciousness doesn't rely on the brain but on the soul itself."
"What does that imply?" Yin Shen inquired with interest.
"It means your soul and this universe are like two separate planes that don't overlap. You can easily transcend this universe, even beyond the immutable constraints of time."
"Think about it for but a second, doesn't it make sense?"
Yin Shen continued, "Does that mean once the soul is freed from the constraints of the physical body, it immediately separates from this universe?"
"Could the soul even transcend the flow of time, traverse space and ages, existing as a detached entity above the timeline?"
"Couldn't I freely travel to any era, even alter history?"
Crew-cut Man then shared his thoughts, "That's not necessarily true."
Yin Shen asked, "Why?"
Crew-cut Man explained, "Just now, I mentioned that your described soul and this universe are like two separate planes without any points of intersection."
"If you have no connection to the universe via a material vessel, from what perspective do you perceive its existence?"
"If you cannot perceive the universe, how can you sense the flow of time, let alone traverse the timeline?"
A sudden realization of the source of his fear dawned upon Yin Shen.
"So, you're saying that once the soul departs the body, it's like a ship losing its coordinates and direction, possibly completely detaching from this universe without finding a way back?"
Crew-cut Man nodded, "One possibility is that you still have a connection to the real universe, an anchor point."
"Through this anchor point, you can observe the universe, and as I mentioned before, become an observer detached from the universe and time."
"If you exist with different anchor points in different time periods, it's even possible for you to become, as you said, a traveler across the timeline."
As he reached this point, Crew-cut Man's words trailed off.
His expression turned gloomy.
"But there's another possibility."
"The moment you detach from the anchor point of your body, you're thrown into the unknown beyond the universe."
"That place could be another universe, the origin of time, another dimension, or an unknowable outcome that humans can't even begin to comprehend."
"There, perhaps nothing exists, like a prison, and your soul would be trapped there for millions or billions of years."
"Until..."
"Eternity."
The scene instantly fell silent, and no one spoke for a long while.
At that moment, Crew-cut Man suddenly burst into laughter and motioned to refill Yin Shen's tea.
"Your idea is great, very innovative."
"I might want to use this concept in my next book. It might even become a hit."
Crew-cut Man didn't take Yin Shen's words seriously, thinking that it was just the same as usual. Once again, unconstrained imagination and unfettered empty talk.
However, Yin Shen was in a complicated mood and stood up, preparing to leave.
"I'll take off then!"
"If you decide to write it or have any new ideas and concepts, remember to let me know. We can discuss it together."
But the man the haircut stopped him and took something out of his backpack.
"Yin Shen, don't leave just yet."
"If I use your concept, I'll give you a nice gift."
Yin Shen accepted the box that Crew-cut Man handed to him. Opening it, he found an irregularly shaped stone with an intricate insect pattern on it.
"What is this? A fossil?"
Inch-Headed Man replied, "Redlichiida, a type of Trilobite. The earliest and most primitive kind of Trilobite found in the fossil record."
"Although this fossil isn't worth much money, just think about being able to see a vivid representation of a creature that lived hundreds of millions of years ago. It's an experience that no amount of money can buy."
"Take it home, contemplate and experience the ancient Earth and the vicissitudes of these ancient creatures!"
Yin Shen thanked Crew-cut Man and walked while looking at the gift.
However, as he reached the lobby, a speeding car suddenly crashed through the glass doors from the street at over a hundred miles per hour, bringing with it shards of glass that shot towards Yin Shen.
Yin Shen, holding the fossil in his hand, was thrown away like a ragdoll.
Amidst a pool of his own blood, Yin Shen's vision gradually started to blur.
"Who drives so recklessly, all the way from the main road into the restaurant lobby?"
But when he saw clearly, he suddenly felt relieved.
"Oh!"
"It turned out to be a Tesla!"