by <unknown>
"To be frank, it's humans disrupting the balance of nature in the first place, altering the Earth's environment. All of these viruses and natural calamities are merely a byproduct of nature's balance being disrupted."
"Ah, so that's how it is."
Little X remarked upon having Chen Chen point this out.
"Also, he mentioned that he's going to go into the movie Event Horizon and commented on the USB drive's impact on reality. These are all things I already know, even including the terms meme and antimeme which he didn't go into detail about."
Chen Chen scoffed. "Point is, he only made it look like he raised many points when actually nothing he mentioned was of any value. The only thing worthwhile was probably the warning he issued about The Great Filter.
"When it comes to this warning, we can approach it from the basis of the law of large numbers — in a large number setting of repeated occurrences of random events, there's often a factor that appears as a constant. This is what's referred to as the law of large numbers. In layman's terms, under a fixed condition, regardless of how many times an event was replayed or simulated, there will always be certain factors that remain constant even when all other events are posed as random instances based on random variables. Human civilization will inevitably encounter various disasters in the course of its development. This is hardly a surprising fact and anyone could come up with it."
Little X reflected thoughtfully. "I get what you're implying. As humans develop their technology further, the technology will only become ever more lethal. This was the story behind the development of nuclear weapons. It was the first destructive trial that humans went through and has always loomed over the entirety of humanity ever since its first appearance in the last century and remains a present threat today. In the larger picture of human technological development, wouldn't nuclear weapons merely be the starting point?"
"That's right, nuclear weapons are just the starting point. From here on there's genetic weapons, biochemical weapons, anti-material weapons, and even memetic weapons that we started to dive into… These are all weapons created by humans that have the potential to destroy human civilization. This is just like the nature of the world we enter via the USB drive. There'll always be a constant factor even in a pool of randomness."
"Is this the explanation behind the destruction of the dimensions behind the USB drive?"
Little X remarked suddenly.
"This is just my speculation, it may not necessarily be precise."
Chen Chen shook his head. "But at least it's a more valid argument than this guy's half-*ssed argument."
"What if when he mentions The Great Filter, he wasn't referring to abstract concepts but a higher dimension weapon similar to memetic technology?"
Little X pointed out.
"I wouldn't say that's impossible."
Chen Chen fell silent for a moment, making a mental note of Little X's wise reminder before stating again, "That will depend on what his intention behind leaving this footage is. There are now two possibilities, one being that this is the last word he left behind before entering Event Horizon dimension as a warning for the next owner of the USB drive. Only he never expected that he would fail at his task and after merging with the antimeme, he decided to switch his agenda and intentionally plot my downfall.
"The second possibility, the very reason he went to the Event Horizon dimension was to fuse with the antimeme. That would make this footage a trap, just like how he inserted the four horror films inside the USB drive. Except before he could pull off his plans, he was exterminated by me."
Chen Chen took a deep breath. "Personally, I'm leaning toward the latter possibility because the former speculation wouldn't explain the reason behind him inserting the four horror films into the USB drive.
"It won't be too difficult for us to examine what the actual circumstance is since we already know his name. X, you can try to search the name Zhao Shanhe on the Internet database. If he truly is the antimeme, there should be some slight traces of his existence appearing after he was killed."
"Understood."
Little X closed her eyes and connected to the World Wide Web directory and performed a complete scan.
This scan took several hours.
Four hours later, Little X opened her eyes again, a hint of confusion appearing in her eyes as she did so. "Sir Godfather, I found news concerning Zhao Shanhe!"
"Show me!"
Chen Chen quickly ordered.
A web page immediately appeared out of thin air in front of Chen Chen. The web page was dated in 1988 and contained an information sheet.
There was a file inside the information sheet.
Chapter 417: Nobel Prize Announcement |
Chen Chen immediately became silent when he saw this web page.
His eyes were locked on a certain phrase on the web page as if he was trying to pierce through the text with his gaze.
It was not Zhao Shanhe he was looking at but instead…
Wang Xi!
It was at this moment when Chen Chen realized that the similarity between himself and Zhao Shanhe went beyond both of them being the owner of the USB drive. They were both students at Jiao Tong University and more importantly, both their tutor was Wang Xi!
A raging storm immediately emerged in Chen Chen's mind. He quickly replayed everything that had occurred to him in the past. His enrollment, daily studies, discovering the USB drive, the incident with the thesis, dropping out, getting a loan…
It was then when Chen Chen suddenly noticed that Wang Xi was more or less involved in everything that had occurred to him ever since he had obtained the USB drive!
"Coincidence?"
Chen Chen squinted his eyes and he felt his hair raising to a point. Could it be that Professor Wang Xi was related to the USB drive?
Was it Wang Xi who gave him the USB drive, just like he gave it to Zhao Shanhe many years ago?
Chen Chen immediately recalled the kind smile that came to the old man like second instinct. The way he would always carry a thermos flask with tea inside everywhere he went and how he would ramble on and on in classes. He could not believe that the tender and kind old man would be involved in this conspiracy.
"Maybe this is the true message Zhao Shanhe was trying to leave behind?"
Chen Chen muttered to himself while he opened the previous video and replayed it.
"My name is Zhao Shane, the second person to hold the dimension key… Well, I only found clues of one previous owner of the dimension key, so I'm going to assume I'm the second…"
Chen Chen tapped pause at this portion of the video.
"Is he intentionally mentioning the existence of a previous owner?"
Chen Chen paced around while pondering the subject. "Could it be that the reason he intentionally rambled on and on about a bunch of nonsense in the video was to leave his name behind as a clue?
"He left this file behind because he knows that we're going to search his name to find more information. Was he trying to tell us that Wang Xi was the previous owner of the USB drive?"
"Who's Wang Xi?"
Upon hearing Chen Chen's rapid deduction, Little X suddenly asked curiously.
Chen Chen had an uneasy feeling the moment he heard Little X's remark. He turned to her and asked solemnly, "Professor Wang Xi of the Chinese Academy of Sciences of Jiao Tong University. I cured him of his Alzheimer's disease back then, don't you remember him?"
"Hm?"
This only made Little X more confused. She shut her eyes and searched for this person online. "But there's nobody who went by the name Wang Xi in the university. This person doesn't exist in the Chinese Academy of Sciences database either…"
"What?"
Chen Chen's pupils shrunk. He rushed to the computer in disbelief and started searching for the list of professors in Jiao Tong University and the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
It was just as Little X mentioned, there was no Wang Xi in any of the databases.
Everything concerning Wang Xi had completely vanished from the Internet…
"When did this happen?"
Chen Chen turned to the web page again. The glaring name of Professor Wang Xi still remained on the web page as if to remind him that this person truly existed at one point and that it was not all in his imagination.
"I knew it. This confirms that everything that happened with the USB drive has to do with Wang Xi."
Chen Chen took out a box of candy and swallowed one immediately. "I originally thought this was all a string of coincidence. That Zhao Shanhe probably just so happened to leave the USB drive in Jiao Tong University and Professor Wang Xi just so happened to be his tutor. It's easy to have a misconception based on the context, but now I'm certain that Wang Xi has something to do with the USB drive."
"Could it be due to the antimeme?"
Little X had no reason to doubt Chen Chen, but she still questioned the legitimacy of it all, "Could antimeme have an effect on artificial intelligence like myself?"
"The problem doesn't lie with you."
Chen Chen gestured. "The antimeme doesn't affect people but the abstract idea of 'information'. When it wipes away a piece of certain information, it ceases to exist and extends its effects to both the human brain and computers, wiping away all traces of this information. Even if it doesn't make sense for there to be certain gaps in certain information, people still won't be able to connect the dots because it's impossible to remember what doesn't exist…
"But here's where the mystery lies."
Chen Chen suddenly remarked, "If it has to do with the antimeme, then how come I'm the only one who remembers everything about Professor Wang Xi?"
Needless to say, there was no sure answer to this question.
Ten minutes later, Cheng Cao appeared in Chen Chen's laboratory.
"Cao, there's something I need you to do for me."
Chen Chen stated seriously, "I need you to take several people with you and head to Shangdu, that's where my previous school is. I need you to look for someone named Wang Xi.
"Wang Xi is seventy-four years old. You won't be able to find this person online or using any other networks, but there's one clue I can give you — Wang Luo. That's Wang Xi's daughter. You can start investigating from there and see if you can find anything concerning Wang Xi.
"You're probably going to meet something completely unexplainable during this mission. I believe I've told you about antimeme, I'd advise you to revise your knowledge on the subject before heading out for this mission. It might save your life in crucial moments. Also, having a larger force won't make a difference for this mission so you'd better bring maximum ten people, understand?"
"I understand, Boss."
Cheng Cao nodded and turned around to take his leave.
Chen Chen sighed silently after watching Cheng Cao leave. "I should've figured this issue with the USB drive is a lot more complex. If not for the 10 December Nobel Prize award presentation ceremony, I'd prefer to do it myself."
"Sir Godfather, the aerospace base in the southern suburbs of the Eco Science City is about to be completed and the military procedures are halfway complete as well."
Little X said, "We already have the estate for launching satellites. All we need now is for the SpaceX technicians to help us launch five Gantz satellites into the sky.
"The help we've enlisted from them is only temporary, it's most optimal that we properly extract the spacecraft technology from Elysium."
Chen Chen nodded. "Continue recruiting internationally for now. Right, have you contacted Musk?"
"I'm contacting him now."
Little X noted. A display of a video call being connected immediately appeared in front of Chen Chen.
"Beep!"
With a gentle beep, the video call was immediately connected as Musk's familiar face appeared on the display.
"Mr. Musk, it's been a while."
Chen Chen greeted, "The construction of my space base has been built, but the matter of our company's 10% share contract in SpaceX still hasn't been finalized. Do you have anything to say about that, Mr. Musk?"
"I'm sure you know what the situation is like as well, Mr. Chen Chen."
Elon Musk expressed helplessly, "Congress has called for the suspension of this shareholding contract many times. I wouldn't dare to blatantly object their authority. I think you should have the people in God's Forbidden Zone step up and lobby in the White House to convince the politicians to act in our favor. The way I see it, most of them only need a gentle nudge to move in the right direction."
Chen Chen snickered. He knew that it was all an act the people in the White House put on. They only wanted to give the impression that all they needed was further encouragement so that they would receive further political contributions and resources. The truth was that none of them ever planned to agree to this shareholding. They were planning to move against Chen Chen.
Despite knowing this, Chen Chen played along and pretended to be disappointed. "In that case, alright. How about your technicians? We've already signed the launch contract."
The contract Chen Chen spoke of was the agreement that he and Musk had come to when he visited back in June — Blacklight Biotechnology would be funding the launch site while SpaceX would contribute with the relevant technology. Five geosynchronous orbit communication satellites were scheduled to launch within a year to officially debut Blacklight Biotechnology's global communication technology.
"Of course. Since your site is complete, I'll have thirty of my best engineers head over in three days."
Musk gave his word immediately. "The equipment and required parts will be shipped overnight as well, don't you worry."
"Excellent."
Chen Chen noted with pleasure before ending the video call.
Chen Chen's expression immediately became dark after ending the video call. He proceeded to inform X, "Next time Musk comes to Eco Science City for the Medpod 3000 therapy, tell him that it's out of commission and to return next year."
"Understood."
Little X snickered mischievously. "Musk must be immensely frustrated upon hearing of this news."
"I only extended him this mercy because I understand that he's in a difficult position concerning the shareholding contract. Otherwise, I guarantee you that I'll be detonating the chip in his brain."
Chen Chen remarked icily before leaving the laboratory.
…
A day later, it was the 5 December, which was the day where the full list of Nobel Prize winners in 2024 would be announced.
Due to certain changes, the announcement date of the Nobel Prize winners had to be delayed for two months and only set to be announced in December. Only five days remained until the award ceremony set on the 10 December.
As the most heralded award in the world, the Nobel Prize was a spectacle even for outsiders. After all, such awards were unlike the awards presented in other award ceremonies for films and the likes. Its existence had a long-lasting effect on the scientific and technological progress of all mankind and was closely tied to the everyday life of every person in the world.
Therefore, news of the delayed announcement had garnered several headlines around the topic.
For the people deeply involved in the field, they would be surprised to see an extremely foreign name.
Winner of the Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine: Chen Chen.
The name was accompanied by a matching photo placed in the Nobel Prize winner section on the web page.
More importantly, this was someone from the Mainland!
This would make the third person from the Mainland to ever win the Nobel Prize and simultaneously the second to ever win the Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine. This announcement was immediately met with robust reception. When they realized who this person was, they were surprised but not too astounded by it.
This was the description online:
On 5 December, local time in Sweden, at the Karolinska Institute in
Stockholm, the capital of Sweden. Thomas Perlman, the general secretary of the Nobel Prize Committee, announced that the Swedish Karolinska Institute officially designates the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2024 to Chen Chen, a scientist in the Mainland, in recognition of his "contribution to the Blacklight Virus epidemic in 2023". He will also be awarded 9 million Swedish Kronor.
What followed after was a summary of the Blacklight virus as well as the significant timestamps of the events which occurred last year, with the many contributions of Blacklight Biotechnology in Africa enclosed in the end.
On top of catching many scientists all over the world by surprise, it was the Mainland that was especially enthusiastic about the news. After all, Chen Chen was not a foreigner but a born and bred Chinese man from the Mainland. Additionally, he earned the award with excellent credit instead of having to rely on popularity or being vouched for by important people. His name started to appear on the headlines of major forums within hours.
[I was just wondering who could pull something like this off, winning the Nobel Prize award out of nowhere. Of course, it's the founder of Blacklight Biotechnology. Everything is right in the world again!]
[This is unbelievable, this Chen Chen rarely appears on networks. I'd never even know about this person if not for this award!]
[When did this Blacklight Biotechnology company come from? I've never even heard of this company until the recent V.1 holographic system, and they are registered in the Mainland?? Nani??]
[Commenter above must have recently climbed out of a well. If you've been paying attention to Eco Science City, you would have been well acquainted with this company by now. The infamous age-reversal treatment was founded by none other than this company! Extending human lifespan by thirty years!]
[Hehe, so what. You're making it sound like common folks get to access it, what does it matter if only the rich get to extend their lifespan by thirty years?]
[The next Edison? More like just another filthy capitalist. Scientists labored day in and out to research something like this and he sweeps in and gets all the glory, even claiming the Nobel Prize for himself, heheh…]
