Chapter 158 part1
“I’ve already instructed my men to inform them,” Ren Chong, “To guarantee that you’re safe here with me.”
Zhou Sheng insisted, “I want to make the call myself.”
“No.” Ren Chong said, “I don’t want to fall into a trap of yours. The group of you really have too many plans, I may just end up failing miserably even if I have the upper hand now.”
Zhou Sheng suddenly laughed. “You actually gave us such a good evaluation, that’s not an easy accomplishment.”
“If this were a usual case that I’m confident in,” Ren Chong said, “I wouldn’t be afraid of you. But this incident is too bizarre. In order to deal with you, I haven’t been in a deep sleep for nearly a month.”
“And I was wondering…” Zhou Sheng muttered, “No wonder I couldn’t enter your dream.”
Ren Chong was only in his fifties, but he looked older than Qin Guodong, who was in his early sixties, or one could say that Qin Guodong maintained himself better than he did. His grey hair was carefully combed back, he didn’t wear gla.s.ses, had straight eyebrows, and a high nose bridge. His smile lines were very deep, and his gaze seemed to carry a constant trace of unfathomable misgivings when he looked at others.
“Get up, follow me.” Ren Chong said, “Don’t touch anything, and don’t even think about trying to mount a sneak attack on me. My skills in self-defense aren’t any worse than yours.”
“Don’t dare, really don’t dare.” Zhou Sheng got off the bed. Ren Chong’s men handcuffed him with a pair of rubber handcuffs. Zhou Sheng’s hands were cuffed in front of him. He followed Ren Chong out of the clinic and out of a corridor.
Zhou Sheng had seen the environment around him in Huang Ting’s memories. This was Zhao Liang’s underground research room, so he was now in Yanqing. Ren Chong’s pace was both strong and firm as he took Zhou Sheng and two men across a corridor and into the main hall. They walked down the steps quickly along the long corridor with a metal frame. Zhou Sheng glanced at the computer in the center of the research room.
“This used to be a bas.e.m.e.nt excavated for anti-aircraft warfare and protection against nuclear bombs.” Ren Chong said, “Once the huge steel door falls, no one will be able to get in.”
“Huge what door?” Zhou Sheng was still in the mood to joke around at such a time.
“Don’t ramble about irrelevant things and try to change the subject.” Ren Chong said, “Even if you have a 100 plans, after b.u.mping into me, even you wouldn’t be able to get away.”
Zhou Sheng said, “You really don’t have a sense of humour.”
Ren Chong and Zhou Sheng went to the giant research apparatus. Zhou Sheng frowned deeply; he studied the computer set up in front of him, as well as a small groove in the middle — it was clearly meant to hold the Golden Crow Wheel.
“You’re quite well prepared ma.” Zhou Sheng muttered, “Have you guys known about the Golden Crow Wheel for a long time?”
“Zhao Liang remodelled it.” Ren Chong took a folder that a researcher handed to him and casually flipped through it. “This apparatus is an important equipment used in Germany to a.n.a.lyse brain waves in order to judge and research epilepsy. It was remodelled afterward to cover the cutting-edge domain of ‘EEG Interference’. Many theories were put forward, but few people believed them.”
“I don’t get it,” Zhou Sheng said, “You don’t need to explain the theories anymore. What are we going to do now?”
“You…” Ren Chong would get stumped by Zhou Sheng every time he spoke, which was something he rarely encountered after becoming a leader. He watched Zhou Sheng for a long time. Zhou Sheng walked to a chair, then sat down all calm and unruffled.
He patted the arm rest and placed one ankle over his other knee, “Like this? I’ll take the initiative to cooperate with you ba?”
Ren Chong, “……”
Zhou Sheng continued, “Why is your expression so strange?” Seeing that there was a belt on the armrest, he buckled it on one side and motioned to the researchers on one side to help him.
Ren Chong said, “Get down first!”
Ren Chong didn’t know what to do with Zhou Sheng at all. Zhou Sheng glanced sideways at the large number of wires connected to a helmet. He couldn’t do anything to them indeed, so he could only turn around and get off. Ren Chong shrugged. “Give me the Golden Crow Wheel.”
Zhou Sheng had no other choice, so he untied the Golden Crow Wheel and pa.s.sed it to him. Researchers on the side walked forward and opened up a device set in between the two chairs.
“This is an a.n.a.lyzer Zhao Liang specifically ordered to have custom-made for the integrator.” Ren Chong took the Golden Crow Wheel and said, “Look carefully. Something that you have always had is supposed to be used like this.”
Zhou Sheng frowned, and he studied his surroundings out of the corner of his eye. Every corner had a gunman on guard, and they were constantly keeping a close watch for any movement in the room.
Ren Chong looked down at the Golden Crow Wheel. Its colour was a little dim, but it still seemed a little different from the old fake that Zhou Sheng bought. Tied to it was still the red rope woven for it by Yu Hao.
There was a circular groove in the a.n.a.lyzer. Ren Chong muttered, “It has already been waiting for more than two years…”
Ren Chong placed the Golden Crow Wheel in the a.n.a.lyzer’s groove, then covered it with a transparent cover. At this moment, Zhou Sheng realised that all of the researchers started getting nervous, as if they were waiting for the birth of a historic moment.
“You’re its original owner,” Ren Chong said, “We invited you here to let you witness this moment as well.”
Zhou Sheng fell silent, his brows furrowing deeply. After the transparent cover was on it, the Golden Crow Wheel was embedded in the groove and drew up slowly. Then, Ren Chong instructed, “Start ba.”
A researcher pressed a b.u.t.ton on the computer set up. A silver white liquid that looked like it had a life on its own dropped in the cover box, then it started to corrode and dissolve the Golden Crow Wheel!
Zhou Sheng, “!!!”
“Don’t worry,” Ren Chong glanced at Zhou Sheng and explained, “Just letting it return to its original appearance.”
The solution quickly corroded the entire Golden Crow Wheel, as well as the red rope on it, revealing a ring-shaped band wire within, as well as several uneven crystals that looked like water droplets! As the solution receded, the outer sh.e.l.l of the Golden Crow Wheel disintegrated completely and looked like a bare circuit board as it presented itself in front of them!
Ren Chong, “You’ve seen its internal structure before.”
Zhou Sheng forgot for a moment that he and Ren Chong were enemies, not friends. He walked forward and stared at the wonderfully exquisite micro-circuit boards laid out neatly in the cover box and was thoroughly stunned.
“It’s a kind of catalyst that can connect people’s brain waves.” Ren Chong said seriously, “But I think the energy injected inside it when it was first created is almost spent.”
“I’ve always had this question — where did it come from exactly?” Zhou Sheng looked at the complicated wiring; optical fibre filaments that were even thinner than silk connected hundreds of fine, flashing crystals of all sizes, like countless rays of light that connected all the stars in the night sky. Within the sh.e.l.l, a small universe had appeared!
“A very beautiful creation.” Ren Chong said, “The only explanation for its origins is that it came from somewhere outside our planet. Fortunately, it was discovered in an era where science and technology have been developed to what it is today, so mankind doesn’t need to suffer from the regret of letting such a treasure go to waste. Come, everyone should take their respective positions. We’ll start the next step. Zhou Sheng, what do you think it looks like?”
“Like the Milky Way.” Zhou Sheng said.
After the outer sh.e.l.l of the Golden Crow Wheel was dissolved, another researcher entered some instructions, and the transparent cover was filled with magnetic force. The base ‘buzzed‘, and the exposed wires and connecting crystals floated into the air. They scattered slightly within the sh.e.l.l and slowly revolved, possessing a dreamy light that could even stir one’s soul, such that everyone couldn’t help but immerse themselves in such a sight.
“Next, you’ll see an even more beautiful scene.” Ren Chong said, “We will inject enough energy into it.”
Zhou Sheng’s heart instantly started to beat violently!
“Charge the integrator, check the power and its reserve power…”
“Three, two, one…”
The countdown on the computer screen ended. Ren Chong pushed an electric switch, evidently a bit nervous as well. When the switch was pushed to its end, a ‘buzz‘ sounded, and all of the lights in the research room went out at the same time! This would have been a good opportunity for Zhou Sheng to escape, but his desire to know the truth had already far surpa.s.sed his desire to escape. He decided to watch seriously, to see what would happen.
Electrical energy emitted from the maglev base; it was filled with a dazzling blue light. It grew more and more dazzling within the pitch dark underground research room. All of the crystals lit up at almost the same time, and only the biggest crystal remained dim. Yet, it only lasted for several minutes before the electrical discharge on the base turned still, and darkness returned to the surroundings.
“What’s wrong?” Ren Chong asked.
“Not enough electricity.” A researcher said, “The amount of energy it consumed exceeded our expectations.”
Ren Chong took the report and read through it. Zhou Sheng saw that it was the detailed a.n.a.lysis report by the STA when Chen Yekai had sent the Golden Crow Wheel there. All the way since then, they have already been preparing for the Golden Crow Wheel?
“The battery in the central processing area can’t be recharged.” Another researcher said, “The section that exports externally consumes a lot of energy, but we can give it a try.”
Zhou Sheng realised this as well. He asked Ren Chong, “Why?”
It was even less likely for Ren Chong to know, so he could only ask the researcher the same question. One of the researchers answered, “Maybe our method of energy input is wrong. Director Ren, do we continue? This is just the preparatory phase. If the experiment is carried out while charging, a stronger and more stable way of transmitting power may be required.”
“How much energy is needed?” Ren Chong turned around and instructed one of his men, “Go and prepare it, transfer enough resources over. We’ll start the experiment once we’ve made sufficient preparations.”
Zhou Sheng approached the Golden Crow Wheel and gazed at the largest crystal. The other tiny crystals were like stars as they revolved around it. After one round of charging, the tiny stars visible to the naked eye only grew a tiny bit brighter.
“What experiment do you want to do?” Zhou Sheng stared at Ren Chong suspiciously.
Ren Chong said, “There’s no need to expend so much energy to meet you in your dream, but we can do that now.”
Zhou Sheng turned vigilant. Ren Chong’s goal may not be as simple as he thought. What did he want to do? Mobilise the entire area’s power supply to activate all of the Golden Crow Wheel’s functions?
“Come,” Ren Chong said, “let’s strike while the iron is hot and begin now ba.”
Zhou Sheng, “I’d suggest that we wait for a while more?”
However, men came over from all sides, grabbed Zhou Sheng, and pushed him down on the chair. Ren Chong moved his wrists about, loosened his cuffs, rolled his sleeves up, and sat in the other chair. Zhou Sheng knew that struggling would be futile, so he chuckled and saw medical staff come over to inject him with a sedative.
Zhou Sheng said to Ren Chong, “Ren Laoshi, you’re already in your fifties, taking drugs isn’t good for the body.”
Ren Chong said confidently, “Of course I wouldn’t take drugs like Zhao Liang. Even if someone has to take them, it’ll be you. Don’t tell me you didn’t think that I would give you a little neuron suppressant? Aren’t you underestimating me a little too much?”
Zhou Sheng took a deep breath. Ren Chong said, “A life where you’re too arrogant and unbridled without experiencing any total defeat shaped your fearless character. As a human ma, we must know that there will always be someone who will be better than us…”
Zhou Sheng closed his eyes. A medical staff flicked a syringe and injected Zhou Sheng and Ren Chong separately, pushing in the sedative.
“Monitoring brain wave activity.” A researcher said, “Estimated to enter a deep sleep phase within 10 minutes…”