Chapter 366: A Bubble

Chapter 366: A Bubble

Jiangmen.

Though he had long guessed that the Ring Chamber's headquarters lay in Jiangmen, when Lei Jie truly stepped into the Jiangmen Neutrino Experiment Center's grounds, a potent sense of unreality still clung to him.

He could not discern the source of this disquiet.

Was it because the technology he was about to encounter was too advanced?

Or because this place faintly echoed his most concrete memories of that bygone era?

If that were the case, he should have felt it back in the mountain city.

Yet reality proved otherwise.

This place is singular.

Even if one traced back to the very day he entered this world, it would be his first time feeling such a thing.

Stepping out of the vehicle, Lei Jie cast a slightly puzzled gaze around, seeking any distinctive “features”.

Yet he discovered that here, like most ruins in the wasteland,

indeed bore little difference.

“This way.”

Wang Lizhi gestured from the side, leading the way; Lei Jie fell in step, simultaneously signaling his fellow combatants to spread out and keep watch.

Noticing his move, Wang Lizhi gave an awkward smile and then said:

“In truth, there is no need for you to be so tense.”

“We have neither reason nor motive to oppose you, nor the Huaxia forces.”

“In fact, the Huaxia army is the strongest and most reliable ally we can find under current circumstances.”

“To put it starkly, even if we sacrifice our entire organization, as long as the Ring’s mission and hope endure, we would bear no grievance.”

“The Huaxia army alone qualifies to inherit the Ring’s mandate; why then should we cut off our own retreat, even dig our own graves?”

As the words fell, Lei Jie shrugged and replied:

“It is merely standard tactical preparation, hardly your concern.”

“To be frank, with the modest arms you possess, a single man like me could almost handle it alone.”

“Indeed, that is so.”

Wang Lizhi burst into a hearty laugh, his demeanor visibly relaxed.

——

He was evidently anxious that the forthcoming dialogue would unfold under a taut, sword‑and‑bow tension.

After all, the leader he had only seen twice seemed excessively solemn and cold.

The group ceased idle chatter and proceeded toward a clearly newly‑erected brick-and-stone edifice.

Sunlight streamed through the windows, and Lei Jie instantly spied an elderly man, hair already silvered yet bearing a sturdy frame, standing upright in the heart of the hall.

Hearing the approaching footsteps, the elder turned.

He took two steps, extended his hand to Lei Jie, and said:

“Welcome, Mr. Lei Jie.”

His expression was neither distant nor particularly warm.

It held a hint of reserve, yet not so much as to repel anyone outright.

Lei Jie grasped his hand, nodded, and asked:

“Who are you?”

“I am Fang Quan, the current leader of the Ring Chamber.”

“Greetings.”

Lei Jie released his grip and asked plainly:

“Where is the Ring’s model?”

The man seemed unbothered by such directness, showing no irritation, only a faint smile as he replied:

“I have long heard that the Huaxia army’s style differs greatly from other groups in this world; seeing it today, the claim holds true.”

“Then let us go.”

“I will take you to see our .model.”

“But most likely, it is not a mere model.”

“It is a miniature verification device.”

As the words faded, Lei Jie gave a slight nod.

The two walked toward the building’s exit, and Lei Jie spoke:

“Your diction is precise, unlike that of others in this world.”

He had keenly perceived the leader’s peculiarity, yet it did not comfort him; instead, it birthed an inexplicable sense of peril.

It felt like the first communion with the mountain city’s Lingxi.

Beside him, the man named Fang Quan simply gave a gentle nod.

“Indeed, I have absorbed much knowledge from before the Great Cataclysm, and learned their—your manner of speech.”

“​You are, in fact, closely linked to them, aren’t you?”

Upon hearing that, Lei Jie’s heart leapt.

“Why say that?”

“Inheritance.”

Fang Quan answered in a calm tone:

“I do not know how you preserve the pre‑cataclysm inheritance—but this world holds too many marvels for me to answer each.”

“Just as you wonder how I mastered these technical terms.”

“It may seem astonishing, yet it is merely the result of decades of daily study of those obscure tomes.”

“Even that alone sets us apart from other factions in the wasteland.”

“All profits from our commerce are devoted to sustaining a cadre of fully‑dedicated, exceptionally bright scholars.”

“These scholars are, in turn, candidates for future leadership.”

“Our sole purpose is to pass on the mission of rebooting the Ring.”

“Thus, can you accept how I differ from others?”

“.Yes.”

Lei Jie said candidly, “I am not wholly convinced, but at least it is a reasonable explanation.”

“Indeed, it is so.”

Fang Quan said little more, and the two passed through the building’s narrow corridor, then descended continually along the winding tunnel.

Lei Jie realized he had entered the very heart, the most critical shaft of the neutrino laboratory.

Hundreds of meters below, in the unfathomable depths, lay the place where the toroidal apparatus rested.

“How did you establish this laboratory?”

Lei Jie asked again.

“We did not ‘establish’ this laboratory.”

Fang Quan shook his head and replied:

“We merely discovered it.”

“We are not the original masters of this place; its first masters were the builders of the ring.”

“By a chance encounter we met them, and they imparted their teachings—though that was long ago now.”

“Later, the first master, for various reasons, either perished or departed, leaving only us behind.”

“Understood.”

Lei Jie gazed at Fang Quan’s profile, a teasing note in his voice:

“You are remarkably honest—I thought you would claim to be the rightful heir of the ring.”

“I dare not claim the heavens.”

Fang Quan shook his head, and Lei Jie shifted the conversation:

“Let us speak of business.”

“What result will that ring ultimately bring? Can it still be activated now?”

“It can be started.”

Fang Quan answered:

“Even if we fire it now, it cannot achieve the effect you desire.”

“Because the timing is wrong.”

The timing is wrong.

Then I have guessed correctly.

Lei Jie exhaled silently, while Fang Quan continued.

“As for its effect—”

“I have never witnessed it.”

“Not only I; the previous master, and the master before him, never saw it either.”

“Its only successful activation occurred two centuries ago.”

“According to our records, after that activation—”

“It produced a single… bubble.”

(End of chapter)