Jason's personal second physics laboratory is located in the basement of a certain experimental building.
When Yan Su and Zhen Ai arrived, the police were evacuating the students in the building. After a bombing incident a few hours earlier, the students exited in an orderly manner but were clearly panicked.
As Yan Su climbed the stairs, he paused, remembering something. He turned and placed a hand on Zhen Ai's shoulder, looking directly into her eyes. His gaze was as clear as the sky, promising, "I'll be back soon. Wait for me here."
Zhen Ai's heart sank suddenly, as if she had plunged into an overwhelming pain, unable to breathe.
Ah, how similar it is!
Her brother had said the same thing to her, and then he never returned.
That sentence had become his last words to her.
She looked at his light brown eyes, which held only her reflection in that pure view.
Feeling suddenly despondent, she said sadly, "I have to go." After a pause, she added, "Those who say such things are liars; no matter how long I wait, they will never come back."
A faint, undefined sting passed through Yan Su's heart.
This was the first time he saw such sorrow and helplessness in Zhen Ai's expression. He realized immediately that he had misspoken, touching upon a painful memory.
He tightened his grip on her shoulder, leaned in closer, and looked at her earnestly, almost pleading for her trust: "I promise, I won't be in any danger."
But she stubbornly acted like a child refusing to listen: "You're lying."
Yan Su was taken aback; Zhen Ai's behavior was entirely outside his familiar realm and beyond his ability to handle.
For the first time, he felt at a loss, unsure of how to respond.
He slightly narrowed his eyes, his expression inscrutable;
She, however, boldly challenged his assessing gaze.
After a few seconds of tension, looking into her deep black eyes and tight lips, his heart softened suddenly.
With a resigned sigh, he squeezed her frail shoulder and whispered, "Let's go!"
As they descended to the basement, Officer Blake, with a tense expression, told Yan Su, "He used all the explosives; the bomb experts estimate it could destroy the entire building."
Yan Su remained silent.
Winding through the lab, they found Professor Li shirtless, covered with dozens of large and small steel pipe explosives, and on his chest was a huge device with a small opening displaying a countdown: 00:14:59.
Several bomb experts were urgently working on the device attached to the professor's chest, while the culprit, Jason, stood handcuffed to the side, a faint, bright smile on his face.
Some bomb squad officers were setting up a blast wall to minimize damage in case of an explosion; others were clearing out various chemical and physical materials used for making explosives from the lab; and still others were installing visual screens.
In the cramped space, a dozen people were busy, and no one made unnecessary noise.
Zhen Ai glanced at Jason, finding him quite different from her imagination. He appeared refined and even somewhat gentle, smiling at the CCTV in the lab.
That was the terminal information station commonly found on campus, which had been broadcasting campus news, but suddenly switched to a homemade video. In the video, Professor Li, trembling and shirtless, pleaded:
"Enrique Jason's ideas in electronic physics are actually correct and feasible. They are not radical but ahead of their time. I was jealous of him surpassing me. I plagiarized some of his ideas," the professor glanced at the top left corner and shuddered, quickly changing his words, "No, many, many ideas and papers. I even applied for a patent for one of his inventions..."
Zhen Ai was astonished; this was the grudge between Jason and Professor Li. The mentor she had admired for years had used him as a tool?
While she was thinking, the video abruptly cut off.
The screen filled with static.
Yan Su expressionlessly unplugged a device; it wasn't the TV, but an instrument in the lab.
He touched the small device, seemingly talking to himself, "Remote control? How low-end. Such a foe always bores me."
Jason's smile vanished completely, revealing a growing darkness.
Yan Su didn't even look at him but said to Blake, "Tell the school radio that Professor Li's words, made under duress, carry little credibility."
Blake was taken aback, quickly understanding and immediately instructing someone to notify them.
Zhen Ai realized that Yan Su was deliberately provoking Jason, whose expression changed slightly as he scrutinized Yan Su. Yan Su continued to ignore him, focusing intently on Jason's notes and drafts left in the lab.
The blast wall was finished, and the bomb experts were still carefully disarming the bomb.
With just 11 minutes until the explosion, Blake announced that one bomb expert would remain while the rest of the police evacuated to the surface to monitor the situation via video call.
Once on the surface, countless eyes were fixed on the visual screen.
Both sides were silent.
Regardless of whether Professor Li's words were true or not, no normal person could calmly watch someone be blown to bits.
Zhen Ai watched the calm bomb expert and the sweating Professor Li on the video, her heart gradually tightening as she clenched her fists.
As seconds ticked by, the bomb expert finally removed two-thirds of the iron plate from the timer's box.
Just as everyone was about to breathe a sigh of relief, the bomb expert's heavy protective suit shifted, revealing a numerical keypad.
He calmly stated, "Password! Six digits! One chance!"
To Zhen Ai's surprise, it was a very young voice, sounding about the same age as Yan Su. This was rare among bomb experts.
Blake immediately turned to Jason: "Give us the password, and we promise to advocate for a reduced sentence."
Jason shrugged indifferently, clearly unconcerned.
Several officers nearly charged at him but were held back.
Tension began to rise.
The glaring red digits on the timer stimulated everyone's nerves. No one could bear to watch someone on screen get blown to pieces.
Jason laughed without restraint, a look of determination and a madness awaiting destruction on his face.
Yan Su remained hidden in the corner, quietly observing. He noticed a flash of arrogance in Jason's eyes when the bomb expert mentioned "six digits."
The scene briefly fell into chaos.
Yet, Yan Su's words brought a sense of calm: "It's not numbers; it's letters."
He kept his gaze fixed on Jason, watching for any change in his expression.
Jason jolted, realizing the young man who had previously dismissed his work was still there.
Yan Su continued, "It looks like a numeric keypad, but that seems too simple. With your intelligence and pride, you would surely find that beneath you. So it must be letters."
He didn't mention that his certainty came from Jason's emotional response; rather, he analyzed it psychologically, knowing it could provoke significant irritation in Jason.
Jason narrowed his eyes, silently staring at him.
Yan Su remained calm, treating Jason as if he were a trivial opponent: "What could the word be? A physics term, flora and fauna, a place or a name, a tool or a vehicle…"
He scrutinized Jason's every reaction, narrowing down the possibilities.
"Names!"
Jason's face tightened.
Yan Su smirked dismissively, his tone unruffled: "You think of yourself as a great scientist, so you wouldn't use a common name. You and Professor Li have no personal ties; he isn't someone you know well. A celebrity in the physics world? There are many. Where to start? Oh, right. The video you recorded with Professor Li, you made him say that. It reflects your inner dynamics, and I seem to have caught several interesting keywords—
Invention, radical, ahead of its time, jealousy, plagiarism, patent.
Thinking this through, there's only one person."
Jason's face paled further.
"In your view, this person had over 2,000 inventions, more than 1,000 patents, and his inventions changed the course of history. He was petty and jealous, claiming the inventions of those working under him as his own." Yan Su announced lightly,
"That person is the most famous inventor of the last century, Edison. 'Edison' has exactly six letters."
Jason widened his eyes, staring at Yan Su in disbelief, his hands moving involuntarily.
After a moment of silence, Yan Su casually smiled: "Unfortunately, it's not Edison."
Jason's body trembled slightly as he clenched his fists.
"Edison can't give you psychological validation. The person who truly affirms you is a genius who surpasses the times, radical and bold, with countless groundbreaking inventions, yet has never received fair treatment or recognition in history.
When the world-renowned Edison declared direct current as the future of science, he invented alternating current and selflessly gave it to humanity without taking a patent. In your heart, he possesses numerous creations that shocked the world only after his death, struggling through life while frequently facing exclusion and oppression from peers, especially Edison.
You see this as your own reflection, so you must set the password to honor another physicist from Edison's era, a genius who became obscure under Edison's jealousy and suppression—Tesla."
After he finished, the surroundings fell silent.
In just a minute, he had effortlessly laid bare Jason's psyche, like peeling an onion.
Jason's eyes turned dark, fixed on Yan Su.
Unfazed, Yan Su remained as composed as ever.
Blake interjected nervously, "But Tesla only has five letters."
Yan Su smiled faintly: "Tesla is the surname; Mr. Jason, believing Tesla to be his idol, would undoubtedly refer to him more intimately by his first name—Nikola!
Nikola Tesla.
Nikola translates to 645652 on the keyboard."
Yan Su looked at Jason's twisted expression and calmly declared, "Mr. Jason, unfortunately, Tesla is a forgotten genius, while you are destined to be a trivial criminal."
On the other side of the screen, the bomb squad entered the password. As they pressed the confirm button, every police officer's heart stopped.
Result:
No explosion; the lock opened safely.
Zhen Ai exhaled deeply, feeling a refreshing breeze and realizing she had unknowingly broken a sweat.
In that moment, the tension released, leaving her slightly dizzy, but one thought stood out clearly: Yan Su truly is a genius!
She looked his way, seeing his handsome profile, serious and focused on the screen.
The bomb expert continued to disarm the remaining wires. After that round, the officers momentarily relaxed, but Yan Su remained vigilant, lost in thought as he stared at the screen.
Perhaps sensing her gaze, he suddenly looked at her with clarity.
Zhen Ai's heart raced; she didn't know what to say.
His previously stern face softened a bit as he said, "Just a little longer; it'll be fine."
Zhen Ai remembered he had mentioned taking her to the hospital, and she smiled faintly, indicating she wasn't in a hurry.
Jason, completely broken, lost his earlier composure, staring at Yan Su as if he were his nemesis. After a long pause, he finally said, "I give up; I'll cooperate with the police. I need a reduced sentence!"
Officer Blake shot him a fierce glare: "It's too late for that now."
Desperation flooded Jason's eyes as he looked to Yan Su, who, unlike Blake, did not rush to judgment. He pondered for a moment before returning his gaze to the screen, where the bomb's timer read 00:03:43.
Meanwhile, the bomb expert paused, calmly stating, "The last one, black wire or white wire?"
A heavy silence fell.
The officers suddenly plummeted from hope into despair. Blake finally understood Jason's earlier words; he glared at him, reluctantly saying, "You decide."
Seizing the opportunity, Jason exclaimed, "White wire! Cut the white wire, and there will be no issue. I like white; it can represent me."
Zhen Ai stood nearby, her face pale from the start.
Once again, she faced the same question.
Explosive wires had always been red and blue; where was the black and white?
Except for that one time, the time she experienced before.
But now, encountering a similar situation again—was it merely coincidence?