lcionline Chapter 257 Beihai is back
Chapter 257 Beihai is back
Shi Qiang leaned back in a chair woven from vines, closed his eyes, and began to count sheep listlessly.
Meanwhile, Liu Chang was fiddling with reagents, one tube after another, and occasionally asked Shi Qiang to bring over two machines from the warehouse to continue his research experiments.
They had lost count of how many days they had been living on Green Star. Ever since they were imprisoned by the three tree people, their every move had been closely monitored.
Since neither of them carried any timekeeping devices when they left the spaceship, Shi Qiang now feels like he's living in a daze every day.
If it weren't for Principal Liu chatting with him, Shi Qiang would probably have gone crazy long ago.
They are now finally experiencing the pain that Red Diaz went through back then, and in some ways, they are even more in pain than Red Diaz.
After all, when Radiázs was imprisoned, he could still judge how much time had passed by the time his meals were delivered.
They're doing much better now; they don't even need to go through the process of having food delivered to them. They just live off the various plants, fruits, and vegetables growing around the lab.
"Old Liu, what are you studying here again?"
"Gene fragment cutting and cultivation... You wouldn't understand even if I explained it to you, so why are you asking me?"
Liu Chang rolled his eyes at Shi Qiang, who, realizing he had made a fool of himself, didn't ask any more questions.
However, after all these years, Shi Qiang still hasn't learned anything from Liu Chang.
He himself was completely unwilling to learn. According to Shi Qiang, he would rather drink water and wait for his pee than learn anything at all, so Liu Chang had no way to deal with him.
During this time, the three original tree people also visited them a few times, but mostly to ask questions about the course of human history.
Shi Qiang originally didn't want to pay attention to the questions from the tree people who had imprisoned them, but Liu Chang didn't care at all and answered all the tree people's questions without reservation.
Shi Qiang wanted to say something, but when he thought of Principal Liu's identity, he automatically shut up.
There's nothing he can do; the other person is smarter than him and naturally thinks of more things, so he doesn't need to remind them at all.
Just as Shi Qiang was wondering when Zhang Beihai would come back to save them, Liu Chang poured the entire bottle of reagents onto the ground.
"It's failed again, Shi Qiang. Tell the tree people to bring another batch of experimental materials next time they come."
Shi Qiang had gone through this process countless times and was already used to it.
Since they were placed under house arrest on Green Star, Liu Chang has been studying the planet's unique climate and the fossils of organisms that have been left behind.
As a result, this planet was like a monster spawner, always bringing surprises to Liu Chang.
"Shi Qiang, look, what's this?"
Liu Chang held up a stone whose shape was completely indistinguishable and waved it in front of Shi Qiang.
"This is a mammoth fossil bone. See this piece? Although it is different from what I have seen on Earth, they are most likely the same kind of creature."
"Shi Qiang, look what this is..."
Liu Chang treasured these fossils and would often take them out to show off to Shi Qiang.
He knew that Shi Qiang wouldn't understand, so he always did all the talking, and Shi Qiang just had to be a listener.
"Do you know what this means, Shi Qiang? The creatures on Earth are almost identical to those on Green Star. This is natural selection in evolution!"
"If that's the case, it would prove that many of our previous assumptions were actually correct. Earth is indeed a petri dish for humanity, and all the seemingly coincidental choices were actually part of a pre-arranged script."
"This……"
Shi Qiang scratched his head.
"So you mean we're all insects being raised by an advanced civilization?"
"You can't say that. If we follow your logic, biology would cease to exist. Natural selection and survival of the fittest are true. Humans were indeed deliberately cultivated on Earth by an advanced civilization, but Earth's biological cycle system is precisely what we should explore."
Liu Chang laughed and said, "A small mistake can lead to a huge error. Do you know how much computing power is needed to complete such a unified and self-sustaining ecosystem? Even if you tied together hundreds of millions of Shi Qiangs, it might not be enough!"
Upon hearing this, Shi Qiang's face immediately darkened.
"Old man, if you can talk, then talk. Why do you keep using me as a unit of measurement?"
However, he roughly understood what Liu Chang was saying.
The entire ecological cycle system of the Earth is actually governed by rules pre-set by that advanced civilization.
They set everything up, and then released humans onto this planet to live and multiply.
And everything that humans do on Earth is actually within their calculations.
The rise and fall of species are all within their calculations.
If the SuperDream computer can predict the next hundred years, then they can directly calculate things millions of years from now.
This is practically the same as predicting the future.
The only variable in the entire ecosystem is actually the invasion of other civilizations.
"Therefore, before the Three-Body crisis arrived, there was something else that was happening."
"We were just too focused on the Three-Body Crisis to notice it at the time."
Liu Chang's eyes seemed to be shining.
"The emergence of a large number of endangered species is actually a precursor to the collapse of the ecosystem."
"That civilization only gave humanity so much time. Once the ecosystem collapses, humanity will inevitably face extinction because humans are not suited to Earth's environment. It was the first generation of observers who forcibly created an environment suitable for human survival."
"In this light, the first person to advocate for environmental protection can indeed be considered a great man. It's just a pity that his ideals were ultimately used by politicians as a tool for political maneuvering, which is quite ironic."
Just then, the laboratory door was slowly opened.
The two turned their heads and saw white branches reaching out from outside the door. The branches looked very light and ethereal, as if they did not exist in this world at all.
Both of them were already used to this fantastical scene and were not flustered.
"Tree of Imaginary Numbers, what are you doing here?"
The one outside the door was none other than the Imaginary Tree, one of the three Tree People.
These tree-men used to be about the same height as Shi Qiang, but no one knows what they did outside. Every time I see them, these tree-men grow a size larger.
Now, they have grown so large that they can no longer enter the laboratory and can only signal their arrival by using the branches on their bodies.
"Principal Liu, Zhang Beihai and the others are coming back."
Upon hearing this, Liu Chang paused in his actions.
Shi Qiang, standing to the side, immediately beamed with joy.
"See? Your good days are over!"
The fact that Zhang Beihai was able to return alive only means that their mission was accomplished.
Perhaps they can go home too.
Even if he can't go home, it just means that Green Star's house arrest can come to an end, right?
"Please forgive us, but it is not intentional that we have placed you two under house arrest here. It is simply that we cannot allow you to participate in the development of Green Star during this period."
The Tree of Imaginary Numbers was phrased in a very tactful way, but Shi Qiang didn't buy it at all and snorted coldly.
"Your attitude wasn't like this before. What, now that Zhang Beihai and the others are back, you're starting to back down?"
"No...just."
The Tree of Imaginary Numbers wanted to explain something more, but Liu Chang simply stood up and took off his research coat.
"Come on, let me see what you've accomplished over the years."