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The Modern Era, before the depletion of oil resources.
Grisha, who worked at the Academy of Sciences, was suddenly invited to the Kremlin to attend a very high-level eting.
He originally thought it was another eting to discuss revitalizing the national industrial chain, but unexpectedly, as soon as he entered the Kremlin, he was led to a small conference room.
The people sitting in the conference room surprised him. They were all top figures in the global scientific community, and their nas were almost household nas.
Another thing that puzzled Grisha was that, although there had been no international scientific gatherings in Moscow recently, the attendees included Chinese, Aricans, and people from the European Union.
The appearance of Chinese scientists in the Kremlin was not unusual, but the presence of Arican and European Union scientists here was sowhat strange.
After all, the war was still ongoing, and the sanctions from Europe and the Arica were still in effect.
Grisha greeted everyone briefly and then sat down in an empty seat. At this mont, a tall colonel with distinct facial features ca in with a folder and walked to the podium: "Gentlen, the reason we have invited you here today is because we have made a major geological discovery that requires your knowledge for further research."
The colonel spoke in English, so no translation was needed.
He continued: "Especially for foreign nationals, since you are here, you should be inford of the urgency of this matter, which also proves your countries' concerns and attention to it.
"Therefore, you must first sign a confidentiality agreent before I can describe the truth of the matter to you."
An Arican scientist joked: "Did you discover dinosaurs underground?"
Several scholars around him echoed with laughter, but only laughed for a mont, because the colonel's expression was serious, as if dinosaurs had really been discovered.
The Arican scientist cleared his throat awkwardly and made a "please continue" gesture.
The colonel continued: "If you do not intend to sign the confidentiality agreent, you may leave now."
He waited for more than ten seconds, and seeing that no one left, he opened the folder and distributed the confidentiality agreent to everyone.
After everyone signed the agreent, the colonel began to speak: "Ten years ago, the nuclear radiation at Chernobyl suddenly disappeared. At that ti, the war between us and Ukraine had not yet broken out.
"At the invitation of Ukraine, we sent a research team to investigate."
At that ti, Ukraine had already suffered a significant brain drain, and they investigated for a long ti without finding out the reason for the sudden disappearance of radiation.
Therefore, they had no choice but to invite scientists from other countries to investigate. Inviting scientists from Moscow was also a last resort, because Europe and Arica did not pay much attention to this matter and were very perfunctory about it.
In the subsequent investigation, Moscow gradually took the initiative. Until the war, the investigation was mainly led by Ukraine.
After the war began, the Ukrainen side took away a large amount of research data, so when the investigation was restarted recently, they had to invite the Ukrainen side to participate.
"We found a deep pit in Chernobyl," the colonel continued. "The deep pit seed to appear suddenly, and the reason for its formation has not been investigated clearly to this day.
"From the bottom of the pit, a strange sound occasionally cos. After a period of monitoring, we found that this sound is regular.
"Initially, we thought there might be so unknown geological activity underground, but we soon discovered that this sound seed to possess a certain intelligence.
"So, a research institute was gradually built there to conduct long-term research, but we used many thods and failed to reach the very bottom of the pit.
"To this day, it is not clear what geological activity is down there.
"Several scientists have claid that they have been affected by sothing from the depths, and their bodies have undergone so changes, but we have not detected any harmful substances such as radiation.
"Strangely, their psychological activities have indeed undergone so changes.
"However, due to the arrival of the war, this round of investigation had to be ended."
Speaking of this, the colonel turned on the computer and projector and continued: "Last year, a Ukrainian army brigade disappeared suddenly while passing through Pripyat.
"The subsequent search troops found them in the previously built research institute. They were constantly sending soldiers towards the deep pit.
"At that ti, a video like this was left behind."
The colonel began to play a video. The person in the video appeared to be a regintal commander based on his shoulder insignia. His eyes were blank, and his expression was sowhat unnatural.
Through his narration, everyone understood that this was an officer from the missing unit. He said that the entire brigade had heard a voice from underground.
That voice made them suddenly realize that the current direction of technological developnt was wrong. There was a substance, or rather a force, that had been neglected by the scientific community for a long ti, and that force was the key to constructing this world, this universe.
As long as they entered the very bottom of the deep pit, they could find this force and figure out all the operating rules of this universe.
Therefore, the soldiers scrambled to explore downwards with crude ropes, but so far, no soldier has returned.
The video ended, and the colonel continued: "In addition to the exploration team tying up so officers and soldiers, all the other people in the entire brigade entered the underground.
"And those officers and soldiers who were tied up did the sa thing within a month after being sent to the rear for recuperation: they returned to the research institute and continued to explore the deep pit.
"So, the research on the deep pit was restarted…"
In fact, this research was restarted by Europe and Arica, but in order to obtain the previous research data from Ukraine, they brought in the Eastern power to study together.
Under the coordination of the Eastern power, the war was still ongoing, but the secret research on the deep pit was restarted.
The colonel finally said: "What we can currently confirm is that there is an unknown mysterious force hidden in the underground of the deep pit.
"Currently, the frequency of this force's external influence is increasing, and the scope is widening. Experts predict that in the future, that force may affect the entire human race, so now we urgently need to summarize the rules of this force in order to avoid the destructive power that this force may produce in the future!
"This will be your future mission."
The scientists raised their hands one after another, wanting to ask so detailed questions, but the colonel replied that he didn't know either, and told them to take a break. In an hour, a special plane would be arranged to take them to Chernobyl.
Grisha remained silent throughout, but he was very interested in everything that happened in Chernobyl.
When he went to the toilet, he t Academician Zhang Hongwen from Beijing. He was very familiar with this fifty-year-old academician wearing glasses. The two smiled and chatted for a few words and went to wash their hands together.
Just as he turned on the faucet, Academician Zhang Hongwen suddenly said softly in Mandarin: "This is your last chance to give up.
"I know more than you. Several of us ca here after writing our wills."
After speaking, Zhang Hongwen turned off the faucet and left quickly.
Grisha understood Chinese, but he didn't speak it very fluently. He was stunned for a few seconds, but ultimately did not choose to give up.
One reason was because of his curiosity, and the other was a kind of helplessness. He was one of the few "young" people in the Academy of Sciences.
The National Academy of Sciences was no longer as prosperous as it used to be. Except for the relatively good situation of the Institute of Mathematics, most of the other institutes were filled with old people in their seventies.
They couldn't send these old n and won, could they?
Half an hour later, Grisha boarded the plane to Chernobyl. Zhang Hongwen didn't say anything after seeing him, as if he had never reminded him in the toilet.
They first landed at a military airport, and then took a helicopter to Chernobyl.
Everyone was stunned after arriving here, because it looked very desolate and did not look like there was a research institute at all.
But under the leadership of the previous colonel, they ca to an abandoned command room and opened a secret door here. There was a long downward staircase, as if leading to the underground.
Grisha glanced at the huge building built of layers of concrete, which was the No. 4 reactor where the accident happened that year. At this ti, their location was not far from that reactor.
Later, Grisha learned that the place where they worked was almost next to the No. 4 reactor, and there were several similar small secret doors connecting to the outside world, as well as a larger secret door responsible for receiving supplies.
After walking for a few minutes in the underground section, they arrived at a wide road where several cars picked them up and took them to the research institute. Only then did they realize that this was no ordinary research institute.
It was clearly built as a secret research institute from the start, capable of eting the needs of at least several hundred researchers for work and living, and there was also a company of soldiers maintaining order.
There were already so scientists here, but they were not as prestigious or highly regarded as Grisha's group.
After entering the research institute, the first requirent was far beyond Grisha's expectations: they had to wear clerical attire and carry a cross or corresponding religious artifact.
At this point, Grisha was very certain that Zhang Hongwen really knew more, because he and several Chinese scientists had brought Taoist robes, peach wood swords, and Three Purities Bells.
On the first day, they rested for a while. The next day, soone explained the research projects and progress to them.
However, soone raised their hand first and asked, "Excuse , why do we have to wear clerical clothes? Are we going to study demons here?"
"To be honest, our research subject is really a bit like a demon." The explainer suddenly smiled: "There is a mysterious force here, and we can clearly feel it expanding every ten days.
"Each expansion causes people to go crazy, but just a few months ago, we discovered that the priests here were hardly affected. We have experinted and found that as long as you wear clerical clothes and carry the corresponding religious artifacts, you will hardly be affected."
Everyone was stunned, suddenly feeling like they had entered the wrong door. Was this really a research institute?
Imdiately afterwards, the person who asked the question earlier reacted: "You said there are priests here?"
Besides a theological research institute, what research institute would have priests?
"Because the discoveries here are too astonishing, and many problems cannot be explained by science." The explainer said: "Let us get to the main topic.
"But before that, I would like to take you to a place first."
So, under their leadership, a group of scientists walked through the corridor to a large glass viewing platform.
Outside the glass viewing platform, it was pitch black, and only the stone walls on both sides could be vaguely seen, as if it was connected to the dark space outside.
The explainer used the button on the wall to turn on the outside lights. Under the illumination of the giant searchlights, a huge pit was revealed in front of everyone.
This gave people the illusion that the pit led to another world!
Below the pit, it was pitch black, causing the scientists to take a step back involuntarily, feeling that so dangerous monsters would crawl out of it.
In other parts of the glass viewing platform, there were many downward-facing devices, so were steel cables leading to the bottom, and so were platforms for launching drones or exploration robots.
Amid everyone's surprise, the explainer said: "So far, we have not had any instrunts that can detect the existence of that mysterious force, we can only rely on our human bodies to feel it.
"But when that mysterious force expands, our body functions, or rather, our tabolism, will accelerate, and this we can detect with instrunts.
"In addition, all possible thods have been used, but no matter what thod we use, we have not detected the bottom of this pit."
One scientist asked: "Have you used the latest seismic survey instrunt?"
"We have used it, but it didn't detect the bottom."
Another scientist asked: "What about the latest electromagnetic prospecting equipnt?"
"We have also used it, but it didn't detect the bottom."
The scientists were silent, which ant that this pit was at least ten thousand ters deep!
The explainer continued: "So far, the only person who has seen the bottom of the pit clearly is a devout Catholic believer, um… he was also one of the earliest researchers.
"At that ti, the top of this pit had not yet been covered with steel fras. According to the description of those present, at noon, the devout believer held a cross and said: Almighty, omniscient, and all-good God, please shine sunlight into the pit and let see clearly what is at the bottom!
"It is said that the sunlight suddenly beca very dazzling at that ti, and the devout believer really saw the bottom of the pit. He described it as: a beautiful and illusory ocean!"
Everyone continued to be silent, because they didn't know how to evaluate this event that seed like a story from the "Bible."
After a while, soone asked: "What happened to that devout believer now?"
The explainer said: "After he described what he saw, he turned into a monster."
"Turned into a monster?"
"Okay, we can go back now." The explainer did not imdiately answer everyone's questions, and first returned to the conference room just now, and projected a blurry photo on the projector.
Although the figure in the photo still had human structure, it did look like a monster in a movie: covered in blood red, as if the skin had been stretched and burst, with flesh exposed. There was also a large mouth with sharp teeth on his stomach, and this mouth was slightly open, and you could even see the internal organs inside.
Everyone understood one after another that this was the devout believer.
The explainer continued: "Later, we replicated the situation at that ti many tis, but we never saw the sunlight that could see the bottom of the pit again.
"However, we soon discovered that when the sunlight was at its harshest, or when there was thunder and rain, so researchers were prone to ntal breakdown.
"Occasionally, so pitch-black monsters would suddenly appear. People who were scratched by those monsters would have rust-like spots on their bodies, and die in great pain, with all their organs failing.
"Currently, we have not found any drugs that can treat or delay this process.
"These monsters are not afraid of bullets, bombs, or even the attacks of electromagnetic and ultrasonic weapons.
"We can only wait for the sunlight to no longer directly shine into the pit, or for the lightning to no longer be in the sky above the pit, and then those monsters will disappear on their own.
"This situation no longer occurred until we completely covered the top of the giant pit with a steel fra structure."
After everyone was silent for a while, soone finally asked: "Then, what exactly did you call us here to study? I an, I study quantum chanics, how can I help?"
The explainer said: "What we can say for sure now is that there is an unknown force existing underground here, and now we urgently need a theory that can provide a reasonable explanation for this force.
"However, we don't know where to start, so we can only widely invite experts from various fields to see if everyone can use their own theories to explain the current situation.
"Perhaps in the process of discussion, everyone can have a clear explanation for this phenonon."
Then he waved to the two soldiers at the door, and several soldiers each carried in a stack of thick docunts: "These are all of our research processes and results so far, and everyone can learn about them first.
"If there are any research needs, please design your own experints, and we will try our best to cooperate with your actions."
Although everyone had so complaints, they still carefully read the materials.
The first day was spent reading, and from the second day onwards, everyone gradually had so discussions.
Geologists believe that this may be an unknown phenonon of the Earth's magnetic field. There are unknown drastic changes in the magnetic field here, which affect the emotions of the researchers.
However, this statent does not make sense in many places, such as why there is a pit? Why do monsters appear? And so on.
More importantly, changes in the magnetic field are relatively easy to detect. After several rounds of experints, it was proved that there were no obvious drastic changes in the nearby magnetic field.
So biologists also speculated that there may be unknown microorganisms underground, and people infected with microorganisms will undergo drastic changes in their bodies.
However, after multiple and multi-directional sampling on the stone walls of the pit, no unknown microorganisms were found.
Just as everyone was continuing to guess, suddenly, they all looked in the direction of the pit, and as if they had received so kind of order, they all ca to the glass viewing platform.
At this ti, it was already crowded with people, and everyone looked at the pit together, all feeling that sothing seed to be erging from it.
Imdiately afterwards, everyone seed to feel very terrified and took a step back.
They could clearly feel that a mysterious force was surging towards the surface from the ground. The veins on everyone's foreheads bulged, as if the blood in their bodies had rushed to their heads.
Beep— Beep— Beep!
The instrunt that detected everyone's tabolism suddenly sounded, but everyone entered a dreamlike state. They did not look at the bottom of the pit, but everyone seed to have a picture in front of them: a phantom stream was surging upwards from the bottom of the pit.
Only after several minutes did everyone awaken as if from a dream, hearing the "beep beep" sounds of the instrunts.
Another ten-odd seconds passed before the director announced: "This is the most turbulent surge of that mysterious power to date."
"Ladies and gentlen, if it were a sealed demon, then it is now not far from being unsealed."
Grisha and the others returned to the conference room sowhat dispiritedly, only now having a true feeling for that mysterious power.
The guesses they were just discussing seed very pale in comparison.
More than an hour later, astonishing news ca from the outside world: at the sa ti as that power surged, all the world's oil deposits disappeared.
… …
In the evening, after work.
Grisha, carrying two bottles of vodka, knocked on Zhang Hongwen's door.
After opening the door, Grisha said in sowhat broken Mandarin: "Old Zhang, looking for you to have a couple of drinks."
Zhang Hongwen smiled slightly, gestured "please co in", and took out so spiced peanuts and jerky from his suitcase.
The two drank and chatted, starting with their previous cooperation, then talking about their recent situations. By the ti they talked about their current research, they had already drunk a bottle of wine.
Grisha chewed on a peanut, looking at Zhang Hongwen: "You must have so ideas, right? I rember you used to be like this; the more silent you are, the more you have your own opinions."
Zhang Hongwen adjusted his glasses, smiling helplessly: "I'm afraid I'll disappoint you this ti, I really don't have any decent ideas."
"But you do have so ideas, right? Old Zhang, tell , you felt that atmosphere today too. We don't have much ti left, your ideas might be key."
Zhang Hongwen looked at Grisha for a second or two before saying: "My ideas might make you even more confused."
"Then I want to hear them."
"Alright, alright." Zhang Hongwen took a sip of wine, paused for a second or two, and then said: "Do you believe in science?"
"I do."
"Do you blindly believe in science?"
Grisha was stunned for a mont before saying: "Are you saying that everything that happened today is really related to theology?"
Zhang Hongwen did not answer this question, but instead said: "There is a huge gap between the cultural cores of you and . We believe that the appearance of many things cannot be explained by a single way of thinking."
"Because both the universe and human society are complex. If you only use a single way of thinking to explain it, it is easy to not explain it comprehensively enough."
Grisha seed to have thought of sothing, but was unable to connect the fragnts in his mind: "Old Zhang, can you explain in more detail?"
"That is to say, we Orientals believe that many things are not black and white. Perhaps they are both black and white, both right and wrong. Hmm, it sounds similar to Schrödinger's cat, but it's still a bit different." Zhang Hongwen smiled as he looked at Grisha's blank expression: "I told you, you would be more confused after hearing my thoughts."
"Okay, I'll just say my conclusion."
"I think that the problems we are encountering now cannot be solved by either science or theology."
"Sotis I have this idea that science, which is regarded as truth by modern people, always has a limit, right? There are always things that it cannot explain, right? So you can believe in science, but you can't blindly believe in it."
"And theology is 'human theology'. Those disciplines are all imagined by humans. Rather than using theology to solve problems, it is better to say that we are using human imagination to solve problems."
Grisha felt that these ideas were in a field that his thinking had never touched: "Then what kind of thinking should be used to solve the problem?"
"I don't know." Zhang Hongwen spread his hands: "Maybe this is a discipline that mankind has never touched."
Grisha seed to suddenly realize sothing: "Double-slit experint! Wave-particle duality!"
The forr is an experint to observe light. Under the sa preconditions, there are completely different observation results under two different conditions: with and without an observer.
The latter ans that microscopic particles sotis have "wave-like" properties and sotis have "particle-like" properties.
Zhang Hongwen said seriously: "I don't know if there is any connection between them. I'm just saying that we should break away from our original way of thinking now, and maybe then there will be a breakthrough."
Grisha was silent. Just as Zhang Hongwen said before, after knowing his thoughts, he really beca more and more confused.
At the sa ti, it was like opening a new door, with many new ideas.
For a period of ti after this conversation, the two remained silent. They were both very clear that at this ti they should think like ascetic monks, and it was best not to announce their ideas to others before they were sure, otherwise it would only complicate the problem.
About a week later, various countries sent representatives to Moscow, wanting to hear if the scientists had any new ideas about the Chernobyl research.
So Grisha and others returned to Moscow together to participate in a large-scale seminar held there.
It was also at this ti that Grisha received a call from his old classmate Augustine Farbauti. The conversation with this old classmate gave Grisha so inspiration.
That night, he excitedly brought two bottles of vodka and knocked on Zhang Hongwen's door.
Zhang Hongwen had dried tofu and vacuum-packed soy-stewed pig trotters, which his family had just sent from China.
The two were still eating and chatting, but this ti they quickly got to the point.
Grisha smiled and said: "Old Zhang, I have a very good idea today."
"First, let talk about a discussion I had with a classmate about humanity when I was in college."
"At that ti, we were very strange. Why is the ability of the human body so limited, but it has a brain with a very vast thinking space?"
"I initially studied biology and was very clear that although the human body is very precise, its limit is there, but the upper limit of human imagination is very high."
"Of course, I an under sufficient cognition."
"Just like Einstein, many of our current studies are only gradually proving that Einstein's theory was correct."
"This is a concrete expression of our idea. Taking the scientific community as an example, when a person has a very good idea, there is no way to imdiately verify this idea."
"Even decades later, we can prove so of the theories of top scientists."
"This is a manifestation of human action not keeping up with ideas."
Zhang Hongwen nodded repeatedly, indicating that he understood.
"So, is there such a phenonon?" Grisha asked: "Actually, our bodies were originally very strong? Or rather, they could match our thinking?"
"For example, if we want to go to the moon and have a look, we can jump to the moon."
"But I don't know why, the ability of our bodies has been weakened, but so of the characteristics before the weakening are still hidden in our genes."
Grisha stared at Zhang Hongwen. He had expressed his thoughts very clearly, so he didn't continue.
Zhang Hongwen held his wine glass and paused for a full minute before saying: "This is a very constructive idea."
He took a sip of wine before saying: "That is to say, the illusory ocean at the bottom of the pit may be the key to our bodies being weakened!"
"Now that illusory ocean is erging to the ground, it will make our bodies strong again."
Grisha nodded seriously.
Zhang Hongwen looked at his Ukrainen friend for a second or two before finishing the wine in his glass and saying: "We can announce our ideas, and the sooner the better."
With the announcent of their idea, the direction of research imdiately began to unfold towards this conjecture.
But at this ti, people discovered a paradox: if that illusory ocean would make human bodies stronger, why have so many people gone down to the bottom of the pit, but no one has returned?
At this ti, Zhang Hongwen gave an explanation: humans have been weak for too long, and their current bodies cannot withstand such power at all. It's like a person who has been hungry for several days, if you give him a lot of at, he will die from diarrhea instead.
The only thing that cannot be explained now may be why those illusory water currents devour oil?
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