Scholar’s Advanced Technological System

Shanghai.

At the ILHCRC headquarters.

Luo Wenxuan was sitting at the roadside stall eating barbecued meat and drinking a glass of beer. He suddenly said emotionally, “Why do I… believe in love again…”

Yan Xinjue, who had returned from the Moon, blinked with a dazed expression on his face.

“Did you take the wrong medicine again today?”

“No, I’m serious this time.”

Seeing how Luo Wenxuan didn’t seem to be joking, Yan Xinjue calmed down. He frowned and stared at him.

“What happened to you?”

Luo Wenxuan sighed and filled up his glass with beer. He looked nostalgic in his eyes.

“Some time ago, I participated in the unveiling ceremony of the Lu Zhou Science Award.”

Yan Xinjue immediately knew what was going on.

“The holographic video?”

Luo Wenxuan nodded.

In fact, it wasn’t just him; that incident touched many people. He was at the scene and saw tears on the faces of the guests.

The video was recorded and posted on the Internet, causing quite a stir.

“After drinking this, starting from tomorrow, I will also take care of myself.”

Yan Xinjue glanced at him speechlessly and spoke.

“You have a partner now?”

“Sort of.”

“Is it Assistant Kong?”

“No… She is still in Jinling, too far. Also, I think she might go to Beijing. A long-distance relationship is too difficult, so I gave up…”

Luo Wenxuan smiled embarrassedly and touched the back of his head.

Dr. Yan couldn’t help but roll his eyes.

“Who is it then? You don’t want to tell me?”

“No, I don’t mind. It is the clerk who was transferred to the Administration Department some time ago…” Luo Wenxuan continued with a light cough, “The one with the surname Lin.”

…

For human civilization, 2024 was definitely an extraordinary year.

It took only one year from the Mars landing plan to the discovery that they were not alone in the universe, then the collapse of The Gates of Hell and the establishment of the Federation of Human Alliance and the Earth Defense Forces.

In the face of potential threats from outer space, it had become the consensus for all countries to set up a rapid response force.

The Kuiper belt was an ideal border, but countries on Earth obviously couldn’t travel that far. Once a conflict occurred, the battlefield would most likely be on Earth.

The current strategy of the Human Alliance was to launch an observation satellite to Pluto from China to observe a series of physical parameters such as electromagnetic wave signal, mass, and possible heat sources of the Kuiper belt so as to give an early warning of invasion.

On the other hand, the five major countries on the planet had launched joint military exercises. They would use nuclear strikes, genetic weapon attacks, chemical weapon attacks, and so forth to respond to any threats.

What was interesting was that although the vast majority of soldiers participating in the military exercise felt confused about the imaginary enemy, the military exercise unexpectedly built a bridge of friendship between the member states of the Human Alliance.

Having a common enemy was the best alliance catalyst, especially when this imaginary enemy was strong and mysterious.

Just two years ago, China and the United States were still fighting each other on trade issues. But now, people seemed to have forgotten this matter. The peace could be seen from the internet discussions alone.

As for Academician Lu…

Even after a year, people still felt sad thinking about this name.

Time would heal everything.

The wheel of history would always turn ruthlessly and move on…

…

Autumn, 2025.

Northwest China.

The desert had become an endless green forest, covered with bushes and other vegetation.

The artificially excavated river flowed slowly, nourishing the soil and water.

The wind blew the layers of leaves ups and down, like a turbulent ocean.

Chen Yushan, who was looking at the sea of forest, gently stroked the ring on her hand. She had a trace of relief and fascination in her eyes.

Almost a year had passed since that day.

The “Oasis” plan had already achieved initial results.

This showed that, with nearly unlimited energy, no matter how terrible the natural conditions were, human beings could conquer anything.

The two river basins were flowing toward three river basins, and the third river was a wonder of man-made excavation.

In the blueprint of the plan, the river followed the Silk Road all the way to the west, deep into the northwest, crossing the forbidden land, and poured seawater into the artificially excavated salt lake. The sun would evaporate the water there to form artificial clouds.

A lady wearing a black suit with short hair walked behind Chen Yushan and said, “The Star Sky Cancer Research Foundation has been established. It has a capital of 5 billion to fund scientific research projects with suitable qualifications in more than 20 research institutions, including the Jinling Institute for Advanced Study and the Institute of Medical Research at the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

“When the cure for cancer has been found, the money will be automatically transferred to the cryo-dormant rights protection fund for special expenses of various diseases.”

The person who spoke was named Cai Yunxia, Chen Yushan’s long-time assistant.

There had been rumors that Chen Yushan intended to train her as the successor for the CEO of Star Sky Technology. There were also rumors that the relationship between the two was somewhat unusual.

After all, humans were creatures who liked to gossip and add their own twists to everything.

Fortunately, Cai Yunxia was a woman; otherwise, if she were a man, there might be some unpleasant rumors.

“Okay, I understand.” Chen Yushan nodded approvingly. She said softly, “You did a good job. You have become a manager who can stand alone.”

An embarrassed smile appeared on Cai Yunxia’s face.

Although most of the time she was serious and competent, when CEO Chen praised her, she still couldn’t help but feel proud.

In her mind, Chen Yushan was like her teacher. The idea of teaching apprentices to become slaves to their teachers had always been popular in the workplace. Few people would truly teach their subordinates. Chen Yushan was undoubtedly an exception.

Not only had she taken care of Cai Yunxia at work, but Cai Yunxia could also clearly feel that she was cultivating herself as her successor.

In fact, she was not the only one. Every employee of Star Sky Technology respected this CEO, placing her second only to Academician Lu himself.

“The World Expo begins today. Star Sky Technology is the main force of the Jinling high-tech zone. Don’t you plan to visit?”

“No, I like it better here.” Chen Yushan smirked and squinted her eyes gently in the breeze. “The scenery here is beautiful.”

Cai Yunxia: “From the perspective of economic benefits, I think it is better to plant some farmland between forests. The desalination device and the plasma unidirectional membrane can easily draw fresh water from it for irrigation.”

“There’s no need for that.”

“Oh, really?”

“He said that the future is not grown from the fields, but in a building as high as the Oriental Pearl Tower. Like the products of a factory, crops will be produced in vertically distributed workshops.”

He said…

Cai Yunxia sighed again with a helpless expression on her face.

“He’s like your bible.”

Chen Yushan just smiled faintly.

“I need a favor from you.”

Cai Yunxia put away the joking expression on her face.

“Please go ahead.”

Without looking back, Chen Yushan, who had turned her back to her, continued with a relaxed tone, “From now on, I hope you can take over Star Sky Technology.”

Cai Yunxia was stunned.

For a second, she even thought she had misheard her.

“Take over…”

“Yes.” Chen Yushan turned to look at her assistant and said with a smile, “If everything goes well, the board of directors should have approved my resignation.”

In the end, after countless phone calls, she was able to convince Xiao Tong that this was a good idea.

Cai Yunxia looked at CEO Chen in surprise. Her lips trembled slightly, and after a while, she asked, “Where are you… going?”

“Go to Beijing to visit an old friend.”

“Then what…”

Chen Yushan looked at the forest in the distance. She had a smile on her face as she spoke.

“Maybe… I will go to a place far away.”

I wonder what the scenery will be like over there.

But I’m going to do this regardless…

Chen Yushan couldn’t help but look forward to this trip.

On the other hand, at a nursing home in Jinling.

Fan Tong looked at the sunlight outside the window through the cracks of the leaves. He bit his pen and pondered for a long time. He finally wrote the last sentence on the page of the book.

[It’s a beautiful planet. Even if you search the entire universe for prosperity, it is difficult to find another gem that can rival it.

[Just like the Gaia hypothesis put forward by the British scientist James Lovelock, living and non-living bodies form a complex system that can interact with each other. Everything is perfected on a harmonious track.

[Perhaps like all beautiful things, the final outcome will be destruction, the inevitable death is the eternal end of everything in the universe.

[But I still want to believe that somewhere in this universe, there must be a treasure.

[The distance between us and it can only be found by a person with dreams and curiosity.]

“This will do.”

After closing the book, he wrote down the title on the cover.

[What Happened on Mars]

Fan Tong didn’t know what impact this book, which he wrote out of boredom during recuperation, would have on future generations.

He would never know whether the “Holy Relic” really existed, whether his identity should be regarded as a geologist or a science fiction writer, or if the voices he heard in the ruins were just his own hallucinations… These questions would become the most controversial topics in academia.

The world he described would still inspire countless captains with dreams to embark on a journey to set sail for the world outside the Kuiper Belt…