Many questions and answers on the Zhihu forum are hard to distinguish between truth and hoax; some are heartfelt, while others are sheer nonsense. But no matter what, a question that sparks hot discussions is certainly eye-catching.
For example, the current question:
[If trapped in a loop of the same day, how can you use the time to enrich yourself?]
It's still early morning, rain outside the window slowly intensifying, the sky vaguely getting darker.
Fu Qingjun sat in front of the computer, thought about it, and typed this title on a certain forum:
"Last night, I had a dream, vaguely depicting a grand scene of sacrifice in an ancient primitive dynasty. They seemed to be summoning some ancient deity from an old ship."
"This morning when I woke up, I felt like everything outside my room was turning blurry and hazy."
"After researching for a few days, I discovered that I was stuck in an endless loop of 'August 25th' day at home."
"I was utterly dumbstruck."
"I've watched plenty of things about horror cruises, butterfly effects, Steins;Gate—these time-loop phenomena."
"But why it's become like this is completely baffling; could it be because of that dream? I've tried all sorts of methods to contact the outside world, but simply can't find my specific location, as if I'm a ghost detached from time on the internet."
"What I really want to ask now is, I'm currently in my senior year of high school, frantically doing questions preparing for college entrance exams, learning university content in advance, pre-studying computer programming... I've been grinding for seventeen years. So, everyone, tell me, how should I continue to plan my life?"
Although August 25th is Qixi Festival this year, there are indeed plenty of idle singles online since this question is really peculiar.
"A little high school student is already in his thirties? (Shocked)"
"You're actually going to be a programmer, the type from 'Java: From Beginner to Dust'? (Doghead)"
"2333, seventeen years of high school, unprecedented!! Wouldn't he definitely become a top scorer when he comes out? (Dazed)"
Many people posted non-nutritive comments, simultaneously being extremely suspicious about Fu Qingjun's predicament, thinking the bait is just too fake.
Soon, some moderately famous forum contributors also started leaving comments,
She and the Sword of the Past: "Thanks for the invite, everyone, don't doubt, for I also have similar experiences with this matter!"
"Waking up after sleeping last night, I also had a similar dream, where I shouted, 'Don't bully the young and poor', and woke up to a bunch of Emperors Dou on horseback rushing into the living room, constantly shouting, 'Dare you, Great Emperor, dismount and duel!' "
"I was utterly dumbstruck."
"Why are there a bunch of Emperors Dou? I don't have any extraordinary treasures, ancient Great Emperor inheritance, or secret realms at home."
"Why it turned out like this is completely baffling; I asked my sister, and she said it's possible her right eye wasn't sealed properly while showering last night, its aura leaked and attracted those Emperors Dou; now, what's distressing is the living room's tables and chairs are overturned by heavenly martial techniques, a complete mess, and what I want to know is, how do I deal with this? It's urgent!!"
???
Fu Qingjun's face slightly darkened.
Really have no idea where to start ridiculing from.
This ID "She and the Sword of the Past" is a well-known certified bigwig in the forum, also the senior master he recognizes online every time he loops through this day.
But every time he appears, he posts this segment, leaving everyone speechless, a demolition master indeed.
But soon, something even more impressive came along, as a well-known certified programmer also joined the fun.
Mediterranean Barber:
"Thanks for the invite, I also have similar experiences as a programmer with this matter!"
"Last night I dreamt of a programming nightmare similar to the host's, waking up early today to electronic sounds echoing endlessly at home: System is initializing! Newbie gift pack being distributed!"
"The ding-ding-dong-dong noise is really keeping me awake; thought seniors would dance so early! Hastily got up and went downstairs to check."
"Who could imagine in my living room, there came good-looking men and women, carrying system prompts ringing continuously."
"I've certainly seen plenty of similar scenarios, but my home is quite ordinary, why would a bunch of time travelers come here? I asked my thirteen-year-old cousin in middle school, he said it might be system failure during their time travel, causing the commotion in our living room."
"My cousin said this high-tech isn't something my programming skills can fix, suggested I play the rich second-generation antagonist role to slap their faces, their system might normally activate; my issue now is, what if after face-slapping they kill me instead?"
Fu Qingjun was speechless.
Even the second master's imagination remains vast?
You guys are quite something!
Picking any story from you two's amazing imagination would make quite an intricate novel!
Fu Qingjun couldn't help but feel speechless inside, "How come both of you are like this every time? I'm really not making things up, I actually entered a time loop...."
As soon as he was interrupted, though, the comments exploded, countless people shared their stories.
"Thanks for the invite! I also have similar..."
"Thanks for the invite!"
Fu Qingjun fell into complete silence.
The flavor of this is just too strong.
I'm sincerely asking a question here.
After a while, another ID appeared to join the fun.
Fu Qingjun's eyes brightened, it's the third master, finally waiting for him.
Blood Knight: "What the heck are those above babbling about! Nothing but some internet clowns! The world is deteriorating! People are not what they used to be! Dare they swear their stories are true? I experienced the same as the host, and if I'm lying, let the heavens strike me down!"
"This matter has lasted for two or three years now; I've gradually turned pale, gasping for breath after two steps, grew weak as a sixty-nine-year-old comrade, scared of going out and seeing the sun, yet extremely craving the fresh blood of pretty maidens."
"I think I might have transformed into the legendary vampire Cain or zombie Jiang Zhen; I can't just attack people, though I've considered sneaking into hospitals for blood packs which might expose me. After thinking hard, I finally came up with a life-saving trick: secretly dressing as a woman, picking up sanitary pads in bathrooms daily."
"This trick has persisted for several years. I've never dared share with anyone until now meeting fellow comrades of like mind, glad to meet you all! (Fists)"
Fu Qingjun's expression remained calm.
He knows this is the first person to speak truthfully to him.
Compared to the other two, the third master is still honest, Fu Qingjun couldn't help but feel touched and quietly dialed the police.
Whew!
"How many times has it repeated?"
He stretched lazily in front of the computer, feeling utterly calm, "It's been about six thousand days, right?"
Time is repeating itself.
Yesterday is today, today is today, tomorrow is today.
Everything trapped in the house has become dull and tedious.
But in this endlessly repeating cycle of days, Fu Qingjun happened to meet some extraordinary people online and humbly learned a lot from them.
Many times, Fu Qingjun even felt these three guys were like the great villains in the Evil Valley.
Each with an unusual background, deceiving and tricking, teaching the clueless him various knowledge.
Medicine, programming, electronic mechanics...
They have their strengths in different fields.
At this moment, Fu Qingjun knew they didn't really believe him, but it didn't matter.
Once the fish takes the bait, it'll be easier to proceed.
Fu Qingjun typed: "I'll add you separately on WeChat and pull you into a group."
Poof!
The three of them chuckled, pretending to be cool. How do you even know our WeChat IDs?
But the next second, they all received friend requests from a stranger.
And a more shocking scene unfolded—they were each privately messaged with more than a dozen secrets only they knew, personal secrets that no outsider could possibly know.
"These are what you personally handed over to me earlier, to gain your trust as quickly as possible."
Sitting in front of the computer, Fu Qingjun laughed lightly, with the crisp sound of the keyboard clacking,
"Let's get down to business, meeting again, life still feels like a first meeting."
"To you, it seems we've just met, but to me, I've known you three for over six thousand days, over seventeen years."
"You all heard what I just said, it's all true. I've been looping on 'August 25th', the day of the Chinese Valentine's Day."
The three were instantly shocked.
Anyone from the other end of the internet saying this would evoke nothing but shock, a strong fear of the unknown.
This person is intimately familiar with them, knowing secrets only they know...
Even they couldn't help but wonder: could there really be someone stuck in a loop, like a Robinson on an island of time, sending out signals for rescue from beyond the time island?
Mysterious loops...
A cage of time...
This was simply too strange.
The three present felt like they were plunged into a fantastical event.
She and the Sword of the Past furiously typed: "A loop? If it really happened, your room might have fallen into some wormhole!"
Blood Knight: "A wormhole?"
She and the Sword of the Past: "A wormhole is a theory proposed by Einstein and Nathan Rosen in the 1930s."
"It's a hypothesis based on the equations of gravitational fields, known as a potentially existent time travel passage, intersections of different spacetime in parallel cosmos... you might actually be traversing through a wormhole, since your current state of a dead loop is, in a sense, time travel, or rather, a time disturbance."
Fu Qingjun said nothing.
Didn't understand much about these scientific principles, not being a real physicist himself.
He just knew it was all real because of the ancient ship he found when he was young, only the size of a thumbnail.
On the ship were ultra-miniature decks, sails, an anchor, a compass... all mottled with the patina of age, the hull covered in marks from swords and knives, the deck stained with blood.
This ancient ship probably has the function to make one "repeat time in a loop" within it?
Fu Qingjun thought as much.
And the compass on the ship, like a clock, kept moving, as if the ship was sailing across a vast ocean.
He was on the boat, the great ship of time, where was he headed?
Blood Knight: "Hey, bro! When you come out of the wormhole, will you turn into a green rubber man and melt, appearing in various historical periods like in the Steins;Gate?"
The Three Masters always had some quirky chuunibyou language, but Fu Qingjun had long been used to it.
Luckily, there's someone to chat with during his voyage on this time island.
Fu Qingjun remained honest: "Three Masters, I'm very glad to have met you and learned a lot, but I've secretly reported your perverse behavior! On August 25th, you'll still be teaching me, but tomorrow they might suddenly come to check your water meter."
?
Reported it?
Blood Knight was immediately shocked.
I took you as a confidant, but you think I'm a pervert?
Kid, you don't respect martial virtue.
She and the Sword of the Past: "Stuck in the loop, will you continue to learn from us this time?"
"Yes, programming has almost been mastered, this time I'm here to learn medicine..."
Fu Qingjun was about to say something when suddenly, with a "boom," the entire room shook again, and the surroundings of the room revealed faint cracks like mirrors.
Fu Qingjun quivered, looking towards the door.
The ancient ship in his hand was slightly warm, and upon a closer look, the needle dial on that ancient ship had turned to its end.
The compass stopped, does this mean docking?
I've been trapped for seventeen years, can I finally go out alive now?