Seeing that he had truly become Rajesh Koothrappali, Kai Jun couldn't help but marvel at the extraordinary power of the system.
Shortly afterward, Kai Jun checked the current date and discovered it was September 22, 2007.
This particular point in time was incredibly advantageous for Kai Jun. He had committed to memory the precise coordinates of more than a dozen novae and stars, most of which wouldn't be officially discovered until after 2008.
Since it was still 2007, these celestial bodies remained unknown to the astronomical community, and Raj could use this knowledge to establish his reputation early.
For any Astro physicist, discovering previously unknown stars represented the pinnacle of professional achievement and brought the greatest glory to their career.
In the original show, it was precisely because of Raj's discovery of the planetary object designated 2008-NQ sub-17—which he affectionately nicknamed the "Planet Bollywood"—that he earned recognition as one of People magazine's "30 Most Noteworthy People Under 30 in the World."
Having a dozen new stellar discoveries under his belt would be enough to transform him into a rising star within the astronomy community. This would prove extremely beneficial in enhancing his self-confidence, increasing his professional reputation, and elevating his status in the field.
"I need to write down these coordinates immediately while I can still remember them clearly. Otherwise, I'll risk forgetting them eventually," Kai Jun reminded himself urgently.
The coordinates of these dozen or so celestial objects consisted of long series of irregular numbers that were exceptionally difficult to memorize. It had taken Kai Jun an entire day of intensive effort to barely commit those numbers to memory. That's why he felt compelled to record them on paper as quickly as possible to prevent any loss of this valuable information.
Kai Jun hurriedly located some paper and a pen, then concentrated intently, trying hard to recall the numerical sequences.
To his complete astonishment, those numbers that he had previously struggled to remember now appeared with perfect clarity in his mind.
Moreover, he found himself able to quickly and accurately discern what each set of numbers represented and their significance.
"This... This must be the memory and knowledge I've inherited from Raj," Kai Jun said aloud in amazement.
Among the four male leads in "The Big Bang Theory," Sheldon Cooper possessed the most exceptional memory. He had an eidetic memory, essentially photographic, allowing him to recall everything that occurred in his presence as clearly as if watching a high-definition video recording.
Raj's memory was widely acknowledged to be second only to Sheldon's—a fact recognized and frequently mentioned by both Leonard and Howard.
Kai Jun hadn't anticipated that after taking possession of Raj's body, he would also inherit his remarkable memory capabilities. The discovery was truly amazing and opened up incredible possibilities.
And this feeling of having a clear, photographic memory was really amazing.
Kai Jun then meticulously marked these coordinates in his notebook and carefully hid them away in a secure location.
In the following weeks and months, he planned to gradually announce the coordinates of these newly discovered stars to the astronomical community, strategically timing each revelation to maximize the fame and recognition he would receive.
In addition to noting down the coordinates of the novae, Kai Jun also wrote down the key findings and methodologies from the latest research papers on gravitational waves, dark matter, and black holes.
To be honest, when he had read those papers before—back when he was still his original self—it was like trying to decipher an ancient religious text. The complex mathematical formulas and advanced theoretical concepts had been completely incomprehensible to him.
But now, after inheriting Rajesh's extensive knowledge and academic expertise, Kai Jun could actually grasp the underlying meaning and significance of those papers. The equations made sense, the theories connected logically, and the implications became clear.
He had now written down all these crucial points and insights, creating a roadmap that he could study and build upon systematically in the future.
When doing scientific research, the biggest fear isn't failure—it's not knowing which direction to pursue in the first place.
If you choose the wrong path at the beginning, you may end up wasting years or even your entire life chasing dead ends.
In the show, Sheldon had devoted himself to researching string theory, but he once got stuck in a theoretical dead end that nearly broke him, sending him into a deep depression and making him question his entire career.
But Kai Jun had a significant advantage: he had read cutting-edge scientific and technological papers spanning from 2008 all the way to 2020, and he already knew which research directions would prove fruitful and which would lead nowhere.
As long as he remained focused, worked diligently, and moved forward along these proven paths, he would definitely achieve remarkable accomplishments in the field. Kai Jun felt genuinely confident about this prospect.
While Kai Jun was busy transcribing the main points and formulas from various theses, the mobile phone on the table suddenly began ringing, breaking his concentration.
Kai Jun picked it up and saw on the screen that the caller was Howard Wolowitz.
Howard was Rajesh's closest friend—the two were practically inseparable, sticking together all day long, often displaying behavior that bordered on what others jokingly called a "bromance."
This unusually close friendship was actually a running joke throughout the show.
"Hello?!" Kai Jun took a deep breath to steady himself and then answered the phone, trying to sound natural.
"Raj, where are you? Weren't you supposed to meet me an hour ago?" Howard asked with obvious irritation in his voice.
Kai Jun was momentarily taken aback, but then the memory surfaced and he quickly remembered that he actually did have an appointment with Howard today.
They had made plans to go to RadioShack—the electronics retail chain—together to help pick out a mobile phone with an oversized number keypad for Howard's elderly mother, who had trouble seeing regular-sized buttons.
But Kai Jun had just transmigrated into this world earlier today, and he'd been so absorbed in transcribing all this valuable knowledge from his inherited memories that he had completely forgotten about the appointment.
"I'm sorry, Howard. I made some new discoveries about my project and I was busy confirming the data, so I completely lost track of time," Kai Jun apologized sincerely.
"You? Rajesh? The project has a new discovery?" Howard immediately responded with his typical sarcastic tone. "What did you discover—ET's home or Thanos snapping his fingers?"
His words carried a sharp edge of mockery. If this had been the original Rajesh, he would have simply endured the teasing in silence. After all, Raj had always admired Howard tremendously, regarding him as one of the coolest people he'd ever met—he even styled his hair to match Howard's look.
But Kai Jun frowned slightly when he heard the dismissive joke. "Haha, very interesting. Thanks," he replied with an undertone of displeasure.
He firmly believed that true friendship should be built on equality and mutual respect, not constant ridicule. He had no intention of tolerating this kind of one-sided teasing.
Moreover, from watching the show, Kai Jun knew that Raj had been teased far too much by Howard over the years, which had gradually eroded his confidence and self-esteem. Interestingly, after Raj eventually distanced himself from Howard's influence, both his career and love life had experienced significant breakthroughs.
Therefore, when Kai Jun had decided to maintain his friendship with Howard, he had resolved to establish certain boundaries from the start. He refused to be anyone's doormat.
"Wait, hold on. I'm sorry, man," Howard said quickly, noticing that Raj's reaction was completely different from usual—he wasn't accepting the teasing with his customary sheepish smile.
Although Howard did enjoy bantering with Raj, deep down he genuinely cared about his friend like a brother. Seeing him actually upset, he immediately backtracked with a sincere apology.
"So what kind of new discovery have you made? Can you tell me about it? I'd really like to know—I'll be happy for you," Howard said, his tone shifting to one of genuine interest and seriousness.
"I believe I've discovered a new celestial body—possibly a new star," Kai Jun replied, his irritation fading at Howard's apology. He smiled warmly. "I'm still in the process of confirming the observations and running the calculations."
"Really?! Wow, that's a major discovery! Congratulations, buddy!" Howard exclaimed, his enthusiasm completely sincere now. His eyes lit up with authentic excitement for his friend's achievement.
"Thank you, I appreciate that," Kai Jun said with a genuine smile.
"Actually, I also made a pretty big discovery today," Howard said with renewed excitement, a mischievous grin spreading across his face. "I managed to track down a recording of Stephen Hawking's lecture at MIT from 1974!"
"Wow, that's incredible! I can't believe you found that!" Kai Jun responded with genuine enthusiasm and excitement.
In his previous life, when he'd heard the name Stephen Hawking, he had only vaguely recognized him as a famous scientist—someone important in physics—but he hadn't known much about his specific work or contributions.
Now, after inheriting all of Raj's memories and knowledge, Kai Jun immediately grasped the full magnitude of Hawking's achievements and significance. Stephen Hawking was undoubtedly one of the greatest theoretical physicists in the world today. His primary research focused on cosmology and black holes—two fields that were also central to Raj's own astronomical research.
For someone in Raj's position, finding and watching a rare video of Hawking's lectures from 1974 held enormous significance. It would be comparable to a devout Buddhist witnessing the Buddha himself materializing to deliver a sermon.
"Why don't you come over to my place? Then we can go to Leonard's, and all of us can watch it together," Howard suggested enthusiastically.
When Kai Jun heard this invitation, he immediately recalled the opening scene of the very first episode of "The Big Bang Theory." In that scene, when Raj and Howard made their debut appearance on the show, they were at Leonard's apartment doing exactly this—watching that same vintage Hawking videotape.
"It seems the plot has officially begun," Kai Jun thought to himself with a slight smile of recognition.