Chapter 996: The Exit of the Maze
Chapter 996 The Exit of the Maze
In the infirmary of the Orion missile cruiser, Jiang Xuezhou, wrapped in bandages, was lying quietly on the medical bed, and the intensive care equipment beside him made a slight beeping sound.
The person is still alive.
But he is not awake.
Facing the gentle ECG waves on the holographic screen, Luo Yi, who had taken off the power armor, frowned slightly and looked at the doctor beside him and said.
”Not awake yet?”
Before the doctor spoke, the nurse next to him couldn’t help but roll his eyes.
”How can it be so fast? It’s a miracle that this child can survive, okay.”
Luo Yi said with a wry smile.
”I don’t mean to rush…”
He may be a little impatient.
After all, everyone is confused about the situation in front of them.
Not only him, many people want to quickly figure out what happened.
And what went wrong.
Looking at the screen of the vital signs monitor, Lin Youyou, who had been thinking for a long time without speaking, suddenly raised her head.
”It’s a bit strange to say.”
Luo Yi looked at her and asked.
”What’s strange?”
Lin Youyou said thoughtfully, with her index finger against her chin.
”After we used the tissue repair gel, her wounds did heal, but her metabolic level and heart rate didn’t change at all…”
When she said this, she suddenly remembered something and said something again.
”It seemed to be the same before.”
Luo Yi asked.
”Before?”
”That kid named Ye Shi.” Lin Youyou said truthfully while recalling the situation at that time, “We cured his injuries and repaired his prosthesis, but his metabolic rate and heart rate showed no signs of recovery… Oh, and his body temperature is also the same. It’s not a normal person’s body temperature at all. I’m always worried that he will faint.”
Luo Yi frowned slightly.
At this time, a message from the staff of the Eighth Department suddenly popped up on the communication channel.
Without thinking too much, he immediately pressed the button to connect.
”Hello?”
”Are you free now?”
”I’m free anytime, just talk about things.”
The other party said immediately without any nonsense.
”Come to the reserve warehouse on the lower deck… the warehouse for emergency escape supplies. We have found new clues here.”
”I’ll be there.”
Luo Yi nodded and hung up the phone. Then he quickly left the infirmary and went to the warehouse mentioned by his colleague in the eighth department on the phone.
The warehouse was not far from the room where he was on duty, but it was still a little far from the infirmary.
It took him about five minutes to reach his destination. He saw the security personnel of the eighth department standing at the door of an open cabinet, and the warehouse staff who reported the case stood next to him.
”What happened?”
The security officer who called him earlier raised his hand and greeted him, then walked in front of him with a tablet.
”We just received a report from the staff of the emergency supplies management warehouse that a hibernation capsule was lost in the reserve warehouse, and the lock of the inventory cabinet was violently destroyed.”
Luo Yi asked.
”Did you just find it?”
The security officer nodded and said.
”Yes, it was fine when I checked it yesterday, but it disappeared when I looked again today. But the strange thing is that the security system failed. Isn’t it very similar to before?”
Luo Yi frowned.
”Could it be that the colleague in charge of the warehouse made a mistake?”
This is a hyperspace channel, no one can get out, and the lost hibernation capsule must still be on the starship.
And the most important thing is that he can’t figure out who would steal that thing.
The security officer shook his head.
”I don’t think it should be… because we have found the lost hibernation capsule.”
Luo was stunned and looked at him in confusion.
”… Is there any problem?”
The security officer looked at him with a subtle expression and continued.
”The problem is… we found the lost hibernation capsule at the ‘accident site’.”
…
In the security office on the lower deck, the main participants of the “Dawn” plan stood expressionlessly.
Including Captain Zhao Tianhe, Executive Officer Wu Mengke, and Dr. Wu from the Fifth Department, etc.
Their plan was obviously perfect.
But for some reason, it still failed in the end.
Looking at the sleeping girl on the screen, Zhao Tianhe stretched out his index finger and thumb to pinch his tired eyebrows, and sighed slowly and said.
”It seems that the universe is much more cruel than we imagined…”
Wu Mengke looked at him, with a trace of sadness on the crow’s feet at the corners of his eyes.
”So… we failed?”
Zhao Tianhe did not answer.
What they were going through was more complicated than any battle he had ever encountered.
His experience was of no use here.
”No, no…”
At this time, Dr. Wu, who had been silent, suddenly spoke.
A pair of eyes looked at him.
Including Zhao Tianhe, including his cousin Wu Mengke, the navigator and many other senior officers, as well as Sergeant Luo Yi who was standing at the door and was about to report the situation…
He cast his eyes on the monitoring terminal, looked at the unconscious girl on the holographic screen, and swallowed hard.
”We succeeded, but the final result was different from what we had imagined…”
Zhao Tianhe frowned.
”What do you mean?”
Wu Xinghuan moved his eyes away from the holographic screen and looked at the captain intently.
”You judged that the Gemini would definitely launch a neutron torpedo after confirming that we refused to execute the order… right?”
Zhao Tianhe nodded and said in an unquestionable tone.
”Based on my understanding of the captain of the Gemini, Song Yuchuan, he will definitely do this.”
Wu Xinghuan asked immediately.
”What kind of person is he?”
Zhao Tianhe answered without hesitation.
”That guy is a wolf. He is cruel to others and even crueler to himself. If there are ten radicals among a hundred civilians on a ship, he will take the other ninety innocent people as necessary sacrifices.”
Wu Xinghuan pressed on.
”So you opened fire without hesitation.”
Zhao Tianhe did not shy away and simply nodded.
”Yes, there is no other way to deal with the beast. In that situation, it is either you die or I live… Should we discuss this issue at this time?”
”We must discuss this issue because it is the key to our current situation.”
Wu Xinghuan stared at him intently and continued in a serious tone.
”Then now you are the captain of the Gemini, or you are Song Yuchuan himself… You are in front of someone who knows you very well. That guy will not show mercy. He will abandon all illusions and make the worst choice at the first moment… If you were him, what would you choose?”
Zhao Tianhe’s pupils dilated slightly.
That was the answer that almost didn’t need to be thought about. That option automatically appeared in his mind.
”…I will strike first.”
Wu Xinghuan stared at him and asked.
”You will definitely strike first. You know that your opponent knows that you are a beast. You know that your opponent will not hesitate or feel guilty about killing you… Then, how do you plan to strike first?”
The atmosphere in the security office became quiet, and pairs of eyes were staring at the two.
No one spoke.
Zhao Tianhe was silent for a long time, and moved his eyes to one side.
”I will hide the neutron bomb in the landing craft…”
Wu Mengke stared at Captain Zhao in disbelief.
The other officers on the side were the same, and their faces showed a look of surprise.
They were not surprised by the choice of their superiors.
But their superiors put themselves in the other’s shoes and made the most likely judgment.
At that time, the landing craft might have no one from the beginning…
Wu Xinghuan was not satisfied with this answer, and continued to press on.
”Just like that? Die together with your opponent? You still have an unfinished mission. Your cruelty should not only be to others, but also to yourself…”
This time Zhao Tianhe was silent for a long time.
But in the end, he still spoke of the last resort.
”… I will upload the thoughts of all the crew members to the shipboard server, and kill myself before the neutron torpedo that the other side is about to launch hits us, so that we will be invincible from the beginning, and ensure that the orders of the Lagrange point space station can be correctly executed even after our death.”
To put it bluntly.
They did not fight for interests, but just for their different beliefs.
They are not enemies.
Even after everything is over, he will consider atonement for what he has done –
such as using the files and data backed up on the server to revive the teammates he once killed with his own hands.
There is no need to continue to deduce what will happen next. They have already understood the whole story, and the truth is much more cruel than they imagined.
Zhao Tianhe’s Adam’s apple moved.
At that moment, he seemed to have aged by a dozen years.
”… Sorry, comrades, I still underestimated their determination.”
”You don’t need to apologize, this is something that has already happened… It’s just that we in the superposition state don’t know it.”
Wu Xinghuan shook his head gently, then continued to look at the girl on the holographic screen, and continued to mutter to himself.
”To be honest… I understood everything the moment I saw her.”
”We are all in superposition, and two different superpositions, from two completely parallel timelines α and β. There are two intersections in our entanglement, one is the starting point and the other is the end point.”
”The boy named Ye Shi is our starting point, and the girl named Jiang Xuezhou is our end point. In their own cycle, everything is reversed. The girl named Jiang Xuezhou is the starting point of everything, and the boy is the end point.”
”And we are dead.”
He finally discovered new physics.
The transmission of information can not only exceed the speed of light, but can even travel through time and space.
Their encounter across time and space is the best proof.
Whether this memory is eventually interpreted as a dream, a sense of vision, or some kind of psychological effect… They have left proof of their existence on each other’s timeline.
He wanted to give this amazing discovery a name, but after thinking about it, he gave up in the end.
Let’s leave it to future generations to summarize…
about this special field where information is entangled with each other.
The room was quiet for a long time. The one
who finally broke the silence was Wu Mengke, the executive officer of this starship, or the second in command.
”… I don’t know why, after hearing you say that we are dead, I suddenly felt relieved.”
She smiled bitterly, looking at the screen of the monitoring terminal with complicated eyes and continued.
”At least… their existence proves that our choice is not wrong.”
Zhao Tianhe glanced at her, with a hint of surprise in his eyes.
”In what aspects?”
”In all aspects.”
Wu Mengke thought for a while and continued.
”The boy we saw before was a resident of the shelter… This child should be a wastelander.”
Zhao Tianhe nodded.
”Maybe.”
Wu Mengke looked at him, and a kind smile suddenly appeared on her always serious face.
”Actually… it’s pretty good, isn’t it? Although they are obviously different from us, I still see in them many things that we once praised, such as love and courage… and many other things that I don’t know how to describe.”
Luo Yi understood the executive’s thoughts and said after thinking for a moment.
”You mean… hope?”
Wu Mengke smiled and nodded.
”Probably. Anyway, I think it’s good to leave the future to them.”
They didn’t turn into beasts.
They are still human.
In this case, there is nothing to be afraid of.
As for death.
That is just a matter of destiny.
At this moment, she is like a kind old grandmother.
Although she is not that old, she is only middle-aged.
”Maybe you are right.” Zhao Tianhe was silent for a while, and then slowly spoke.
According to Dr. Wu’s theory, there was no one on the Gemini landing craft from the beginning, only a full load of neutron bomb warheads, and there might even be bionic people or intelligent programs that came to take over the starship.
In other words, it was not them and the Gemini that formed the superposition state, but themselves.
And whether they died at the exit or entrance of the hyperspace channel, their death was destined to happen.
In this way, the “Dawn” plan could not succeed from the beginning.
And they were destined not to go to the future 200 years later to fulfill the promise with the child.
After a pause, Zhao Tianhe looked at Dr. Wu Xinghuan.
”So according to your theory, we can’t do anything… right?”
Wu Xinghuan shook his head.
”Not really, even if our death is destined… there are still things we can do.”
Seeing a pair of eyes looking at him, he took a deep breath and continued.
”Like I said just now… we are in a superposition state at this moment. Even if our superposition state has collapsed in the future, there are still things we can do in the remaining non-existent time.”
Zhao Tianhe asked in a deep voice.
”What is that thing?”
”Our exit.” Wu Xinghuan stared at him intently and said firmly, “We can decide which future we will go to…”
Everyone looked at him.
Their expressions were either surprised, heavy, astonished, or unbelievable…
Zhao Tianhe continued to ask.
”…Can you explain it in detail?”
At this moment, Wu Xinghuan was calmer than ever before, and he had linked the chaotic clues together.
”…We did receive information from the future, didn’t we? Because of the quantum entanglement of the superposition state, because of some field we don’t know. In short, we did see them.”
”We have this common memory, even if this memory has never appeared in our timeline. We know that in 200 years, an organization called the Alliance will appear. They are full of ideals and enthusiasm. They will end the Wasteland Era, sweep everything in the old era into the grave, and then take our children to the new era!”
”That common memory is their coordinates. That’s where we are going – the future with those children!”
Although it sounds like a fantasy at the moment of death, that common memory is not completely fictional, but a memory that really exists in their minds.
And it is a memory that can resonate with all of them!
It is precisely because of that resonance of the future that they have not given up until now.
Zhao Tianhe looked at him seriously.
”How should we get there?”
”It’s simple… but not simple. We must form a closed loop with their timeline!”
Looking at the people who were getting serious, Wu Xinghuan cast his eyes on Luo Yi who was standing at the door.
”I remember you did a statistics, there were 227 people who heard the explosion… right?”
Luo nodded and said.
”Yes… and I have one more thing to report. The hibernation capsule we found in the landing craft is the one we lost.”
Wu Xinghuan snapped his fingers and looked around energetically.
”The timeline has changed. This is the most direct evidence! And at the moment we sent the child away!”
”That’s why I said just now that our ‘Dawn’ plan did not fail, it was just different from what we expected!”
”At that time we didn’t know we were dead. We thought there would be a group of fully armed soldiers on the landing craft. It wasn’t until we found that there was nothing there that we realized we were wrong. Our opponents are more cruel and tenacious than we thought!”
Zhao Tianhe already vaguely understood what he meant.
”The timeline has completed the first intertwining… A second intertwining is needed to form a closed loop, right? Is that what you mean?”
”Correct!” Wu Xinghuan looked at him with a sharp gaze, and then glanced around at everyone at the scene, “We have successfully received information from the future. We already know our own death, and even know how many people will survive and how many will die.”
”A total of 227 people heard the explosion… The speed of neutron radiation is much faster than the transmission of sound waves. Under what circumstances can you hear the explosion of a neutron bomb?”
”…Although this is nonsense, I still have to say that only living people can hear the explosion of a neutron bomb.”
Luo Yi’s eyes widened in an instant, including many people standing at the scene.
He had this vague feeling a long time ago, but it was ignored because it was buried in those trivial clues.
Zhao Tianhe stared at Wu Xinghuan intently, and suddenly laughed out loud.
”It seems that I am the ghost.”
Not only him.
Including almost all the senior officers in the bridge at the time, they did not hear the explosion, nor did they hear the alarm triggered by the explosion. It was not
until someone ran up to report that they realized that something had happened on the lower deck.
At this moment, he finally understood why.
The equipment did not fail.
It was just that they could not live to the “next second” when the alarm sounded.
However, in this hyperspace channel where time was stagnant, they still completed the exchange of information with the help of an unknown field.
In other words.
They did not just exchange information with the future, but there was also a resonance field between them.
After adjusting the expression on his face, he looked at Wu Xinghuan calmly and continued fearlessly.
”Go on, tell us… what can we dying people do for the new era 200 years later.”
”There is only one thing you can do – that is to go back to the moment you entered the hyperspace channel, stay where you were at that time… and then wait for death.”
Looking at his cousin, Wu Xinghuan said this sentence with pain, and then turned his gaze to Luo Yi who was standing at the door.
”And you… including me, and all the 227 people who heard the explosion, we are survivors of neutron radiation. Although we were lucky enough not to be killed directly, death is only a matter of time.”
”But even so, there is still some time before we die of suffocation or hunger… During this time, we have to complete the time loop, guide the girl lying on the treatment bed to come to us, and prepare weapons for them to help them defeat the enemies we have not defeated.”
”It seems that what we should leave behind is not the ‘celestial being’,” Wu Mengke joked, “but something else.”
Luo Yi raised his hand and looked at everyone seriously.
”I will be in charge of the hibernation capsule… The emergency equipment management warehouse is next to my office. I heard the explosion, and I will open the warehouse as soon as possible and drag the hibernation capsule to the landing craft at that time.”
Koala was silent for a while and raised his hand.
”Leave the guidance work to me… I heard that they crashed into the lower deck, and my repair room is nearby. I will make a holographic guidance device to guide the girl… uh, to the room where the hibernation capsule is located?”
”That’s not enough.” Zhao Tianhe shook his head and looked at Wu Xinghuan who wanted to say something, “She must start the warp engine of this ship, right?”
”Yes, and more than that,” Wu Xinghuan nodded and continued calmly, “The Celestials occupied our starship two hundred years later and took control of it… at least control of most of the equipment including the weapon system. We have to help her and her friends regain control of this starship.” Koala said with
sweat on his forehead.
”This… this is a bit too difficult for me.”
He didn’t even know how long he could survive if he left the hyperspace channel.
”Haha, it’s okay, brother.” The artificial intelligence expert of the Tenth Division put his arm on his shoulder and patted his shoulder with a smile, “There are also us! You are responsible for designing the navigation device and helping her find the switch of the warp engine. We are responsible for leaving a surprise for the tomb robbers on the engine.”
Koala breathed a sigh of relief and smiled weakly.
”That’s good… I’m really not good at hacking, especially when the opponent is also a master.”
At this time, someone suddenly raised his hand.
”I have a question, can’t we design it in stagnant time? Or even… let the dead participate in the design of the program.” It
’s always good to have one more helper.
Besides, there are many talents on this starship, not just the programmers of the Tenth Division.
However, Dr. Wu shook his head and denied their plan to fix the bug.
”It’s useless. All the changes we make in the hyperspace channel will be erased. Except for the memories that have been proven to be preserved… nothing can be retained.”
But looking at the disappointed expressions of the people, he suddenly changed the subject.
”But it’s okay to practice a few times… and as many times as you want. After all, information can be retained through the resonance field, which does not violate the rules we have figured out.”
Looking at the people brainstorming and thinking of more and more solutions, Zhao Tianhe’s cold face unfortunately showed a faint smile, and he made a rare joke.
”I didn’t expect that the dead can do so many things.”
Wu Mengke said with a smile.
”After all, we won’t die until the ‘next second’, and we haven’t died yet.”
Zhao Tianhe was silent for a while, with a look of relief and melancholy on his face.
”But it’s still a bit regretful when I think about it. I have an appointment with the person I met online… to go to Shilong City for vacation together after the war is over.”
It is said that the place 200 years later should be called French Fries Port.
I heard that the scenery is also pretty good.
Wu Mengke looked at the officer who usually doesn’t smile in surprise, as if he was looking at an alien species in the wasteland.
Noticing the strange gaze, Zhao Tianhe looked at her with a strange expression.
”Any questions?”
”No…” Wu Mengke shook her head blankly, “I just haven’t heard you say it at all.”
Zhao Tianhe said with a smile.
”Hahaha, why do you talk about that kind of thing at work? It will make you think I am such a frivolous person.”
Well.
In fact, he is indeed not a serious person, just an ordinary human being.
In a place where his colleagues can’t see, he also has his own life. There are still some stocks in the virtual machine that he wants to delete but probably doesn’t have time to delete.
The reason why he always has a serious expression is just because of the needs of work.
After knowing that he will die soon, the burden on his shoulders has been lifted and he lives out his true self.
”I have begun to feel so…” Wu Mengke raised his index finger and pressed his eyebrows, with an expression of unacceptability, “You should take this secret to the grave, thank you.”
”You’re welcome! Just think that I was just farting just now, haha.”
Zhao Tianhe smiled and cast his eyes on the screen of the terminal. The smile on his face suddenly became much more relieved, and the original melancholy also dissipated.
”But then again, after chatting with you for a few sentences, I suddenly have no regrets.”
Wu Mengke sighed.
”…What do you mean?”
Zhao Tianhe said with a smile.
”Don’t you think that girl…and that boy, are like our children?”
Wu Mengke was stunned for a moment, and her eyebrows slightly raised.
”Did you say such dirty words when you were dating online?”
Zhao Tianhe coughed.
”Okay…I’m serious.”
Wu Mengke cast his eyes on the girl lying on the treatment bed on the holographic screen and said slowly.
”I have always thought so…If I have a granddaughter, or a great-great-granddaughter, I will probably be as brave and strong as her.”
”It seems that I am slow,” Zhao Tianhe smiled, “but now I have come to my senses. In fact, we don’t need to go two hundred years later. They are our continuation…the world we can’t see, they will see it for us.”
Wu Mengke joked.
”It would be great if everyone was as open-minded as we are.”
”That’s impossible.”
The kind smile was put away, and a resolute look reappeared on Zhao Tianhe’s angular face. At
this moment, he seemed to have become the serious captain again.
Determination is not something only beasts have.
However, beasts always seem to misunderstand again and again, thinking that as long as they are more ruthless than humans, have no bottom line than humans, and scare the people standing, they can eventually put them in the cage.
He will let the guy on the Gemini and the crazy people at the Lagrange point know how wrong they are and how ridiculous their dreams are.
”A bunch of old immortals want to take over the nest, fantasizing about taking over after everything is over… Dream your damn dreams.”
”No matter if it’s 200 years or 2000 years, even if I have both feet in the grave, I will pull them into the coffin! Lie together!”
The original title was actually called Morphogenetic Field, but I always feel that saying too much will be a spoiler, so I’d better shut up.
(End of this chapter)
