Chapter 1034: The Final Challenge (2)
Chapter 1034: The Final Challenge (2)
The waterfall
was crashing down with deafening force, sending watery mist spraying in
all directions. All of the scientists standing in front of the waterfall
were completely rooted to the spot. Emoven adjusted her own glasses as
she looked on with an incredulous expression. She was an elegant
middle-aged woman wearing a tight-fitting business suit, and at this
moment, she felt as if something had gotten stuck in her throat,
rendering her unable to speak.
They had thought that upon finally
getting to see the Cathayan Underworld"s research team after so many
years, they would be extremely excited, but in reality, there was
nothing but astonishment in their hearts.
Have they already
reached this step? Were they really telling the truth all along? Have
they always been ahead of the rest of the world? Is this still the same
Cathayan Underworld that we all know, the one that ranks dead last among
the four pillars in both Yin runology and physics?
All of the
scientists were so astonished that they could feel their own ears
ringing. However, the astonishment faded just as quickly as it had
arisen because something had immediately occurred to them.
Did this mean that the development of the new energy resource was about to draw to a conclusion?
In
that case, the most difficult part of the project would"ve already
passed by, and that would mean that they were only here to ensure their
participation in the project!
This was a moment in which their
names could go down in history! With that in mind, all of the
scientists" breathing immediately began to accelerate as they turned
toward Qian Duolai in unison.
"Hold on." Right at this moment,
Emoven"s puzzled voice rang out. "This hydroelectric power station
doesn"t appear to have any electricity."
"That"s correct," Qian
Duolai replied with a smile. "Someone will clarify the situation with
all of you soon. For now, please come with me."
All of the scientists nodded in response before following Qian Duolai as he made his way toward the hydroelectric power station.
The
hydroelectric power station didn"t have any electricity, and that
indicated that the energy resource hadn"t been completed yet. However,
why was there a hydroelectric power station to begin with?
Hadn"t
they only constructed this final testing site because the new
electricity-like energy resource had already taken a massive step
forward?
With that in mind, they quickly made their way toward the hydroelectric power station, eager to see the truth.
One
door was opened after another, and they weren"t even in the mood to
examine the research center. In fact, even the explanations being
provided by the workers beside them were falling upon deaf ears as they
followed along behind Qian Duolai with single-minded focus, completely
ignoring everything else that they thought to be a distraction.
All they wanted to see right now was the truth!
As
the final door was opened, their anticipation and excitement had
already climbed to a peak. Right as the door was opened, a burst of blue
radiance immediately washed over them.
Deathly silence.
All
of the foreign scientists were completely rooted to the spot as they
stood at the entrance, looking ahead with dazed expressions. Inside the
room, Zu Chongzhi and the other architects turned toward them with
welcoming smiles.
In the past, even though the Cathayan Underworld held King Yanluo"s Seal, it still wasn"t the center of the academic world.
In the past, they had to go to other nations just to learn about physics and Yin runology.
However, on this occasion, they were the ones that everyone else had to learn from!
If
you"re all so good at what you do, why are you here sucking up to us?
Why didn"t you invent the new energy resource yourselves?
Of
course, despite what they were thinking, they presented warm and
amicable smiles as they greeted, "Welcome to the Yin Mountains Research
Center, everyone."
No one offered a response.
All of the scientists were looking beyond them with awe and wonder in their eyes.
Right
behind the architects, within a reinforced glass laboratory, a massive
ball of electricity was glowing with the radiance of 1,000 suns!
This was far too familiar a scene to all of the foreign scientists.
"My
god..." Emoven"s handbag fell to the ground as she walked forward while
trembling uncontrollably, like a devout follower meeting the god that
she worshiped for the first time in the flesh.
She reached out in a
slack-jawed manner as the blue light washed over her, and only after a
long, stunned silence was she able to muster up the words, "This is the
new energy resource! An electricity-like energy resource really has
appeared!"
She wasn"t the only one stunned by what she was seeing,
all of the scientists" jaws had dropped to the ground at the sight of
the radiant blue sun.
Franklin was the most excited out of
everyone, and only after a long while did he turn toward the smiling
scientists of the Cathayan Underworld as he exclaimed, "I can"t believe
you"ve already reached this step!"
"This is incredible!"
"To
think that the new era, one ushered in by this new energy resource,
would be brought into existence by the Cathayan Underworld!"
"This research and development agreement is the most worthwhile agreement I"ve ever signed!"
"I"m
truly in disbelief... A few years ago, I was even considering entering
the cycle of reincarnation, who would"ve thought that a new energy
resource would arise so soon?"
After what seemed like an eternity,
the scientists finally managed to tear their eyes away from the ball of
electricity. Amid the sound of heavy breathing, Franklin stepped
forward and extended a respectful bow toward the five architects. He was
beginning to choke up as he said in an emotional voice, "Thank you!
Through your efforts, you have saved the entire field of physics!"
All scientists knew just how significant this new energy resource was going to be to their future research and development.
From
this point onward, they would be able to pursue whatever projects they
wanted, rather than having to ask Abyssal Prefects or Yama-Kings if they
had to help them break down a Yin rune or item.
From now on, all
scientists would be able to conduct research in their laboratories
independently without having to rely on any external assistance, and
their patents were finally going to enjoy widespread usage!
No longer did they need to worry about pleasing others and sucking up to the consortiums!
With
that in mind, all of them were excited beyond belief, and Emoven"s eyes
had turned completely bloodshot as she asked in a frantic voice, "Where
is all the related data?! All of us swear on the Heavenly Dao that we
won"t disclose any details to anyone else! From now on, please give us
the most difficult duties to complete, the more difficult the better!"
This
was an opportunity for their names to go down in the history books, and
even if they had to kneel down and beg, they were going to stay here at
all costs!
Never had Zu Chongzhi and Lu Ban felt so satisfied
before. In the past, the Cathayan Underworld had always been dwelling
near the bottom of the pack when it came to all types of research and
development conventions, and never did they think that such a glorious
day would come!
It was impossible for Pang Hai, Xu Chengyang, and
Deng Ruifeng to understand what they were feeling. This was an issue
that had plagued the Cathayan Underworld for thousands of years, and it
had finally been overcome! If it weren"t for the fact that there were
all these other scientists present, they would already be embracing one
another in celebration!
"We"ll give all of you copies of the related data right away. At this point, there is only one final problem left to overcome."
Lu
Ban turned around and gently stroked his own beard as he stared
directly into the ball of electricity. "We need to figure out how to
fuse the electron Yin rune and the proton Yin rune together, so that
they can become true particles and enter a stable state!"
……………………………………
Another
four months had passed by since the three major research centers were
invited to join the Cathayan Underworld as per their agreement.
During
this time, the atmosphere in the Yin Mountains Research Center had
reached a peak. This was the final charge down the home straight, and no
one wanted to be left behind.
Everyone was working as quickly as
they could, and if anyone were found slacking or dragging everyone else
down, then they would be promptly dispatched and thrown off the wagon.
Everyone"s sights were focused exclusively on the finish line, and they had no eyes for anything else.
The
new energy resource was going to form the core of the new era, and with
its completion imminent, other things were also beginning to be set
into motion.
"Yanluo Qin." Secretary Jiang"s voice rang out beside
Qin Ye"s ears. "The panel of advisors and the department directors that
you"ve called for have all arrived. Would you like to see them now?"
Qin Ye opened his eyes.
In
front of him was a conference hall that was around 100 meters in size.
It had been constructed in a refined and antiquated style with elegant
screens dividing the hall up into sections to provide some privacy.
A
red carpet with golden edges and designs of mighty dragons and
resplendent phoenixes embroidered onto its surface had been laid down
onto the ground, and there was a giant, antiquated palatial lantern
hanging overhead, carrying countless pieces of Yin jade that were giving
off a faint white light.
At the center of the conference hall was
a table that was over 10 meters in size, behind which was a row of
chairs, all of which had been occupied by underworld emissaries, while
Qin Ye was occupying the main seat.
He didn"t have a habit of
wasting time with unnecessary words, and after sweeping his gaze across
all of the underworld emissaries present, he said, "All of you have a
right to know that the development of our new energy resource has
already reached the final step. A new era is about to arrive, and with
the new energy resource in our hands, this is an opportunity the likes
of which I daresay we"ve never had in the past. If I can"t make our
Cathayan Underworld the leader of this new era..."
A cold look appeared in his eyes as he concluded, "I won"t be able to forgive myself."
He
was sending a clear message here. Even as the ruler of the Cathayan
Underworld, he was placing immense pressure on himself. Under these
circumstances, the panel of advisors had no right not to give it their
all.
No one replied, but the resolute looks on their faces were a sufficient show of their determination.
For
advisors like them, it was also an unprecedented opportunity to be able
to take advantage of the arrival of a brand new era in the world.
All
of the underworld emissaries exchanged a glance with one another, and
they could all see their own determination mirrored in one another"s
eyes. Qin Ye continued, "During these past few months, we"ve already
thought extensively about how much power we"ll be able to secure using
the new energy resource as leverage. We"ve also considered the possible
reactions of the three pillars and the rest of the world, as well as how
we can deal with those reactions."
He gently tapped a knuckle
against the table, where a stack of documents that was around an inch in
height was sitting like a nuclear bomb that was waiting to be
detonated.
"This is the biggest secret that our Cathayan
Underworld currently has. Aside from us, no one knows what we"re going
to do next. We"ve already considered all of the possible outcomes that
we can think of, and from today onward, we"re going to begin taking
stock of everything. We have to decide on which step to begin at, who we
should target first, how we can emerge unscathed from the attacks of
both the Hindustani Underworld and the Aegyptian Underworld, which
underworlds we should recruit to our side first... After the completion
of the new energy resource, this strictly confidential plan will
immediately begin to be prepared for implementation. I know that all of
us have already worked without rest or sleep for four months and that
you"re all very tired, but all that I ask is that you don"t rest until I
do."
All of the underworld emissaries" expressions changed
slightly upon hearing this, and Qin Ye opened the document in front of
him as he said in a calm voice, "We"ll begin with our Asia-Pacific
strategy..."
Right at this moment, the door was abruptly flung
open, and Secretary Jiang rushed in while panting heavily. He paid no
heed to everyone"s surprised reactions as he rushed over to Qin Ye
before whispering into his ear, "Your Excellency, the architects and the
representatives of the research team wish to see you."
"What"s wrong?" Qin Ye asked.
"The
final experiment, with the codename of "Genesis", has failed. All I
know is that the bottom of the simulated hydroelectric power station has
been punctured, but all of the scientists have already been rescued,
and Mr. Qian is already taking care of the aftermath. During this
process, the entire area surrounding the hydroelectric power station has
been placed under lockdown!"