“Recently, there was a vicious arson incident in the city of Malacca in the Shicheng District. The incident occurred in a bar called the Dark Reef. According to the preliminary investigation by the police, the cause of the incident was a fight caused by an argument…”
The morning news was shown on the holographic TV.
Judging from the messy scene and the serious expressions on the faces of the policemen standing in front of the isolation zone, what happened here was obviously not just as simple as arson.
Lu Zhou sat at the dining table. He ate the fried eggs on the plate while taking time to watch the news from time to time.
“It seems that the 22nd century is not so peaceful either…”
Xiao Ai, who was sitting across the table with her cheeks in her hands, immediately said enthusiastically, “Don’t worry! Xiao Ai will protect Master! (๑•̀ᄇ•́)و✧”
Lu Zhou: “Thank you.”
Xiao Ai: “Haha, you’re welcome. Complimenting Xiao Ai like this makes Xiao Ai embarrassed. (///ω///)”
Lu Zhou ignored the emoji in her pupils. He put his chopsticks on the plate after finishing breakfast and wiped his mouth with a tissue.
“There will be guests coming in a while, so you should change to a normal outfit… Forget it, you should stay in the next room with Ling, don’t come out.”
This made Xiao Ai very shocked. Not only did the emoji in her pupils change, but also its color.
“Huh? Master won’t introduce Xiao Ai to friends?”
Lu Zhou sighed and said, “When your brain becomes a little more normal, I will consider doing this.”
While talking, there was a knock on the door.
Lu Zhou gave Xiao Ai an aggrieved look saying “please go to the bedroom for a while”. He then got up and walked towards the hallway.
Lu Zhou reached out his hand to open the door. He was about to say hello, but the person who entered gave him a big hug.
A little confused by this action, Lu Zhou was stunned for a long time before calmly saying, “What are you doing…”
Wang Peng held Lu Zhou’s shoulders with both hands as he looked at him excitedly. He gulped, and it took a long time before he spoke.
“You… are really alive.”
“Of course.”
Lu Zhou read many things from the eyes of this old friend. He was silent for a while, not knowing what to say.
The last time they met was a century ago, tens of millions of kilometers away.
They were still in the relics of the Martian civilization. No one expected that they would be separated for a hundred years…
“The door is not a place for a reunion, come in and let’s talk… You came alone?”
“There is another old acquaintance of yours.”
When Lu Zhou was about to ask who it was, he saw the familiar face that appeared at his door.
“Director Li?”
The turbid pupils stared at him intently, gradually there was a layer of mist, mixed with excitement and nostalgia. After a while, he spoke.
“Long time no see…”
There was also a touch of nostalgia in his eyes.
Lu Zhou looked at this old acquaintance who had caused so much trouble to himself, and he said softly with some emotion.
“Yeah…”
It’s been a long time…
Although this was the first time the three people had met on social media, they actually met once on the virtual social network. Last night, Li Gaoliang pulled them into a discussion group, where they planned to meet again the next morning.
Director Li placed the beer bought from the convenience store on the table. He sat down in the chair, took a look at the house, and said with a smile, “When I heard that you are still alive, Wang Peng and I tried to visit you.”
“Really? I actually planned to find you guys, but I was only able to contact Li Gaoliang last night.”
“After all, Li Gaoliang is currently serving in the fleet, he is not free to surf the Internet every day. After he sent me the address, Wang Peng and I came over…” Director Li smiled and continued, “Last time we came here, a woman answered the door.”
Lu Zhou coughed lightly and spoke.
“She’s a robot.”
Director Li showed a dazed expression on his face and nodded with a smile.
“Oh, I see…”
Although Lu Zhou felt that the old man had misunderstood him, he felt that it was better not to continue to waste time on this, so he changed the topic.
“Speaking of which, how are you doing here?”
“Pretty good, my retirement salary is quite high, so there are no problems with my life. The only problem may be that I am a little bored, and I am a person who can’t stay bored.” Director Li continued with a smile, “I’m quite worried about Wang Peng. I have been talking with him these days, trying to find new goals for him in this era.”
“Don’t make me seem so useless.” Wang Peng coughed softly. After a pause, he continued in a serious tone, “I have already thought about it. I plan to go to school for a year.”
Lu Zhou asked with concern, “Have you contacted the school?”
Wang Peng nodded.
“National University of Defense Technology. Li Gaoliang helped me contact them. He also graduated there.”
“National University of Defense Technology?” Director Li said, “That’s a good place. It is the top military academy in the 22nd century. It sent many outstanding engineers and officers to the First Fleet.”
Lu Zhou: “Speaking of which, I have always been curious, why did you come to this era?”
“Two reasons.” Wang Peng was silent for a while. He then said, “You know the inside information, so I will not hide it from you. I actually came to the future with two tasks, one is about The Spirit of The Universe Foundation and the other is the remains of the Martian civilization.”
After hearing an unexpected name, Lu Zhou frowned slightly.
“The Spirit of The Universe Foundation?”
He had heard this name before.
He just didn’t expect to hear it again after a century.
“Well, back then… That is, about a hundred years ago, the group of people that attacked you on the Aurora Borealis cruise ship. After we launched the operation against the warlords in Somalia, we found some clues about The Spirit of The Universe Foundation… That was probably the first time this organization entered the vision of our intelligence department.”
Lu Zhou: “The first time they entered your field of vision… In other words, did you meet them again afterward?”
Wang Peng nodded and continued, “About the second year after you left, the Shanghai OECD planned to hold a meeting in Manila to discuss the ‘Pan-Asian Economic Integration Agreement’, then there was an explosion on the streets of Manila. We tracked down Mogadishu in Somalia based on the clues and found some new clues about the foundation and the Aurora Borealis cruise ship incident three years ago.
“Those people do not belong to any country or organization, and the source of funds is quite mysterious. Also, their actions are very cautious. I was not able to track down their leaders.”
Wang Peng’s expression suddenly turned emotional.
“But thinking about it now, that’s all from a hundred years ago.”
A hundred years.
Enough to change too many things.
He never thought that meeting would ultimately change the future of Asia and the world. The so-called Spirit of The Universe Foundation would never have thought that the actions they took would expand China’s influence in the Asian region.
“Then, it’s the relics of Mars.” Wang Peng said with a smile, “It was because of a paper that was widely spread in the academic world. The author of the paper was Professor Schultz. You should know him.”
Lu Zhou nodded and asked, “What did he write?”
“Some theoretical discussions on four-dimensional space fragment, from both the mathematics and the physics perspectives. He expounded the causes of the disaster that occurred on the Martian ruins that year. I know little about the specifics. My superiors made a judgment, that the technology buried in the remains of Mars, as well as the four-dimensional space fragment, if unearthed, may have an earth-shaking impact on the current international situation.
“So, he hoped that I would go to the future one hundred years from now and investigate the ruins…”
The expression on Wang Peng’s face brought a trace of regret as he continued, “But when I got here, I found that the situation had completely changed. No one contacted me at all, except the people of the Freezing Human Rights Protection Foundation. Then I heard that the plan to strengthen the future was canceled in the 2060s or the 2070s… If it weren’t for the news that you were still alive, this trip would have been for nothing.”
Director Li sighed and spoke.
“Objectively speaking, there are certain problems in the plan of reinforcement for the future. It is better to leave the future problems to the people in the future to solve them. I thought about it for a long time. If someone from a hundred years ago came to command us, we wouldn’t accept it either.”
“Enough about this.” Wang Peng sighed with emotion. He looked at Lu Zhou and asked curiously, “Speaking of which, where did you wake up? When you were in the Martian ruins, did you find anything?”
“The ruins of the Martian civilization… To be honest, there was actually nothing to find out there. Although I have seen a lot of interesting things, most of the traces of their existence have been lost billions of years ago.”
Lu Zhou thought of everything he saw. He then sighed softly and continued, “To be honest, the reason I can sit here and talk to you is thanks to the fragments of four-dimensional space. Fortunately, I found a well-preserved dormant cabin inside.”
Lu Zhou didn’t know whether his explanation was adequate, but considering that many things were difficult to explain, this was the best explanation he could provide.
Wang Peng didn’t say much. He just nodded to express his understanding.
Director Li, who was sitting next to him, was still a little curious. He muttered, “Fragments of four-dimensional space… What does that thing look like? I’m quite curious.”
Lu Zhou thought for a while and replied, “Its projection in the three-dimensional space is a transparent sphere. It will be troublesome to describe its structure and physical properties unless you can understand some basic mathematical tools.”
Director Li quickly coughed and said, “Forget about it, pretend I didn’t ask.”
Basic mathematical tools…
If this sentence came from someone else’s mouth, he might not take it seriously.
But since this sentence came from Academician Lu’s mouth, Director Li automatically translated this sentence into “mathematical tools that ordinary people cannot understand”.
“Speaking of which, are you familiar with Li Guangya?”
“Li Guangya?” Director Li touched his chin and said, “Is that the chairman of the Pan-Asian Cooperation? I saw him once when I woke up, but he didn’t say anything to me, just greetings. He left quickly after.”
Lu Zhou: “He wants me to be the chief scientist of the Pan-Asian Cooperation.”
Director Li looked at Lu Zhou in surprise and said, “Such a big position?”
Lu Zhou nodded and continued, “Not only that, but he also wants me to participate in his space elevator project.”
Director Li frowned and said after thinking for a moment, “I am a person from the 21st century, so I don’t know much. After all, it took us several years of meetings to build the mass driver… From my understanding, space elevators are a science fiction concept.
“However, regarding Li Guangya, I suggest you be more careful. Maybe I have not kept up with the times, but I am a little confused about what he wants to do.”
“I didn’t agree to him right away.” Lu Zhou continued looking at Director Li, who was full of worry. “After all, this concept is a bit too ridiculous for me. In contrast, I want to know about second-generation controllable fusion and the progress of other basic projects.”
Director Li asked, “Second-generation controllable fusion? I feel that the cost of first-generation controllable fusion is already low enough. Is second-generation technology… really that important?”
“Very important. Maybe it’s just my own opinion, but I think it is much more important than the space elevator.” Lu Zhou looked at the sky outside the window and continued, “Speaking of which, do you still remember the reason for my proposal of the establishment of the Guanghan Special Economic Zone?”
Director Li frowned and asked, “Is it related to the second-generation controllable fusion?”
Lu Zhou nodded.
“I can say responsibly, this is at least half of the reason.”
The establishment of the Guanghan Special Economic Zone was mainly for the convenience of developing the moon. The places he circled on the map were basically areas with abundant estimated reserves of helium-3 resources.
If the second-generation fusion technology had a breakthrough, the layout he made a hundred years ago would become a huge legacy left to the descendants of the Chinese civilization.
Just like the oil fields that the Arabs left for future generations.
The precious resources of helium-3 on the moon would be the key to their footsteps out of the solar system and to a more distant world.
The only thing he was not satisfied with in the 22nd century was probably that no one had found the key to open the truly valuable treasures he left behind…