Chapter 362: Illusory Hope

Chapter 362: The Evanescent, Elusive Hope

An Unstable Time‑Crystal Generation Device??

The moment Lin Yu uttered that phrase, Chen Jian froze, his whole being nearly rooted to the spot.

He could not instantly grasp the term’s inner meaning, yet Fuxi was the first to offer an explanation.

A plain‑spoken, easy‑to‑understand exposition.

“A time crystal is a non‑equilibrium quantum material grounded in quantum‑physics theory; it was first proposed by Nobel laureate Frank Wilczek, but even by 2045 this ‘form of matter’ remained speculative.”

“My database contains no record of any actual existence of such material—or even of the ‘concept’—but a handful of research institutes are experimenting with special metastable potential‑well generators to produce what they call time crystals.”

“They contend that the resulting time crystal exhibits spontaneous phase‑transition properties, capable of leveraging an actively triggered quantum tunnelling effect to translate space and time across super‑luminal temporal scales.”

“In simple terms, it is a means of traversing space‑time.”

“It is hailed as a possible future for faster‑than‑light travel, yet fabricating one is fundamentally impossible.”

“The reason is simple: with humanity’s technology in 2045, it is utterly infeasible to create a ‘stable, existing metastable potential well.’”

“One could even argue that this prerequisite does not exist at all.”

“It is like demanding a bowl of water to remain level with the rim while the bowl is being shaken violently and irregularly—you cannot achieve that by any means.”

“Unless you could, in step with the container’s motion, constantly alter the direction of gravity.”

“But clearly, that is impossible.”

“Likewise, a ‘stable, existing metastable potential well’ cannot be manufactured.”

“Because to forge such a state, the entire universe would have to be placed in the same unstable condition.”

“Hold on.”

Chen Jian interrupted Fuxi.

A sudden realization struck him.

If, before the apocalypse, this ‘time‑crystal generation device’ did not exist,

then how did it appear after the world’s end?

The catalyst that enables its effect is the universe’s own instability.

And that very instability may well have precipitated the so‑called Great Cataclysm.

Are the two linked by cause and effect??

His gaze grew suddenly complex.

He came to understand something.

Humanity’s actions in the fight against the apocalypse are far more extensive than he had imagined!

Not merely the disaster‑prevention works, not merely the Mechanical Cult, the Holy Blood Hall, the Flower City—those seemingly abstract groups struggling within their own limits.

In hidden corners, some even frantically attempted to pry open the laws of physics, using a faint, ethereal method to carve a chance for humanity to turn the tide.

The Ring

It was clearly a global, super‑large‑scale project.

Yet in those small nations, how many people, how many scholars of comparable knowledge could survive?

Installations in other regions of this planet were likely also erected single‑handedly by “us.”

Perhaps after first sensing the shift in the cosmic environment, they had already begun preparations.

And precisely because time was so pressing, they left few traces upon this world.

With that thought, Chen Jian turned his gaze back to Lin Yu and spoke:

“Let us return to the matter at hand.”

“What information can Lingxi give us about the Ring?”

Lin Yu sat up a little, then said solemnly:

“He said the Ring is not a solution, but merely a fuse that could ignite a greater disaster!”

“He did not tell me the specifics—that must wait until both sides formally reach a peace accord before he can reveal them.”

“But I think he isn’t lying.”

“Because he has no need to lie. He seems genuinely afraid that you might activate the Ring by some means, and that’s why he is eager to negotiate with you.”

Chen Jian shook his head.

“No.”

“Perhaps it is because we cut off the water supply, causing its computational power to suffer severe loss.”

Only then did Lin Yu notice the river water gradually dwindling.

He stared at Chen Jian in astonishment and asked:

“How did you manage that?”

“It’s irrelevant.”

Chen Jian gave no answer, but pressed on:

“Any other news?” “What other messages did it bring?”

“Nothing more.”

Lin Yu first shook his head, then suddenly asked urgently:

“Commander, can you find a way to rescue me from there?!”

“He has locked me up!”

“I cannot leave the so‑called ‘computational power’ to survive, but you also possess the same computational power, you also have the same ‘artificial intelligence,’ right?”

Lin Yu’s eyes were full of hope, yet Chen Jian could only shake his head.

“I too wish to free you, but we are powerless.”

“All of your information is stored in the cloud; you probably think you sit opposite me, but in truth this body is merely a ‘machine’ operated remotely via radio waves.”

“Honestly, don’t you find the scene before you rather blurry?”

As soon as he finished speaking, Lin Yu’s eyes widened in shock.

“How—how do you know??”

Chen Jian spread his hands.

“I don’t know how they achieved consciousness upload, but the principle of controlling drones, I’m quite clear on.”

“So truly, I have no means.”

“Of course, we will look for a way.”

“Rest assured, it will not let you die there—for now.”

“Because you are its only, remaining seed.”

"If there truly is some Nüwa plan, you are likely the sole candidate for the torchbearer."

"Such a consciousness—how could it possibly be willing to 'delete' you?"

".Understood."

Lin Yu let out a long sigh.

Then, with a hint of bewilderment, he asked:

"I've brought the message."

"So, where should I go next??"

"Back."

Chen Jian spread his hands and said:

"Your link with Lingxi should be physically isolated; when you appear before us, it would never dare to monitor you by any means."

"Otherwise, if it were invaded again, it might not withstand Fuxi's overwhelming decryption."

"Therefore, you must take the message back."

"I don't know if you can voluntarily sever your connection to this body."

"But if you can't, shall I help you?"

As he spoke, Chen Jian raised the explosive rifle in his hand.

Lin Yu closed his eyes.

"Come."

Chen Jian nodded.

"It won't hurt, rest assured."

The next instant.

"Bang!"

The gunfire roared, shattering the head and the brain-machine module of the body in one explosive blast.

He Shuo looked at the scattering fragments with a slight regret and said:

"This thing—perhaps it still holds some research value."

Chen Jian shrugged.

"We have plenty of brain-machine modules; let Fuxi study them."

"As for this body, in the terms of the Mechanical Church,"

"It's heretical!"

(End of chapter)