"Disappeared?"
Meng Chao was stunned for a long time before he said, "Were they blown to smithereens?"
"Not really."
Wu Haibo shook his head slowly. "Even though the explosion was strong, it wasn't strong enough to completely vaporize Project 109. In fact, we found the remains of three researchers a few hundred meters away from the explosion site. Even though they were all carbonized and only fragments the size of fingernails were left, it at least proved that even human flesh and blood couldn't have been completely destroyed by the explosion.
"With the strength of the crystal carcass and the metal panel, even if they were completely melted, they should have been left with scrap metal.
"But the search and rescue personnel couldn't find these two things. They also found a lot of research facilities and information, including the remains of the other four researchers. They didn't even find a fingernail or a strand of hair.
"It's as if the explosion sent the crystal carcass, the metal panel, and perhaps a few of the researchers to a new dimension."
Meng Chao sank into deep thought.
Based on the law of conservation of mass and energy, nothing could appear or disappear out of thin air.
Let's say that he returned to the past and transferred some things from the apocalypse to the day before his national college examination, regardless of whether it was his memories, some sort of energy, or information.
Then, he had to transfer some things from the apocalypse to the day before his national college examination to reach a balance.
Could this be the reason for the explosion?
"Is there anything left from Project 109? Remains, photos, replicas of information and data?" Meng Chao asked.
"Yes, but not much, and they've all been sealed," Wu Haibo said.
"The more mysterious an ancient remnant is, the more it is impossible to replicate and unique. For example, the 3D runic symbols carved on the metal panel. No matter how we take pictures and make copies of them, even if we recast them, we can't replicate 100% of the information contained in them. We might not even be able to replicate 10% of it.
"Besides, the research projects in the ancient ruins are highly independent and confidential. Usually, the outside world rarely obtains replicas and replicas."
"Why?"
Meng Chao asked. "Isn't it safer to make a few copies and send them to the universities for research? We can also work together, right?"
"You're wrong. It's not safer, it's more dangerous," Wu Haibo said.
Wu Haibo said, "We have to always be respectful towards the primordial ruins. This isn't something that can be studied thoroughly by a group of people. It's just like how it's impossible for ten thousand ants to defeat an anteater.
"The primordial relic will corrode a human's flesh and mind without them realizing it, making them listen to the 'primordial call' while they are in a trance. They can't help but step into the abyss or suffer from mental derangement, turning into bizarre-looking monsters.
"Therefore, when conducting research, we abide by the 'watertight cabin principle'.
"Do you know about watertight cabins? Large ships in the Earth Era will divide the cabins into independent and sealed compartments. This way, even if a part of the hull is damaged and seawater gushes into the cabin, it will only be one or a few cabins that will be affected. It will not cause the entire ship to sink into the sand.
"When we research the primordial ruins, we also try our best to separate the more dangerous projects. If there's no need for it, we won't discuss any of the technical details. That way, even if the researchers of a certain project are 'infected' and 'summoned', at most, we'll just sacrifice that project. It won't affect the entire ruins research center.
"After Project 109 exploded, the research on the crystal carcass and the metal panel came to an end. But fortunately, the other projects were not affected. We can continue exploring the secrets of the ancient civilization.
"You don't have to be too dejected. Perhaps one day, we'll be able to dig out more crystal carcasses and solve the mystery of Earth's transmigration."
Meng Chao nodded and said firmly, "We definitely will. It's impossible for this crystalline ancient life to be the only seedling of the ancient civilization. It must have more of its kind buried in the depths of the ancient ruins.
"Also, you said that it left behind this information and picture in a hurry before it died. This means that it only 'foresaw' our transmigration, but it's not the reason why we transmigrated.
"I think that as long as we find the mysterious power that caused us to transmigrate, we'll be able to solve the mystery of transmigration. We'll also be able to understand the unfinished circle on the crystal carcass, especially the huge circle that looks like a star."
"That's right."
Wu Haibo laughed. "Since the crystal carcass from hundreds of thousands of years ago can accurately depict the appearance of Earth in the middle and later stages of the twenty-first century, Earthlings might really be the children of destiny. We're destined to conquer the Other World and the even vaster universe. Don't be impatient. One of these days, we'll solve all the mysteries.
"As for now, come and take a look at the newest progress and research results of Project 101!"
As he spoke, Wu Haibo brought Meng Chao to a huge, silver, inflatable tent.
There was also a group of soldiers dressed in motorized armor and armed to the teeth standing guard here.
When they saw that Dragon City was still alive and that the youngest blood badge holder had arrived, they puffed out their chests and stood at attention with a loud thud. Their armor clanked against each other as they saluted Meng Chao.
Meng Chao quickly returned the salute.
He felt that these soldiers who were stationed in the ancient ruins and did not have any outstanding achievements but might fight against the ancient demonic creatures at any moment were more worthy of a medal than him.
Project 101 was closely connected to Blue Home, and a large portion of the funds had to be gathered through Blue Home.
They also provided technical support for Blue Home's highest goal, which was to return to Earth. At the very least, it was a ray of hope.
They also had to rely on the Home Party politicians to fight for more research funds from the Survival Committee.
Meng Chao was a director of Blue Home. During the Noble Descent Hotel ambush, he also saved a large number of Project 101 researchers, including Professor Lu Tianxing, who was the leading authority on transmigration technology in Dragon City.
Naturally, his journey was smooth, and he was warmly welcomed by the transmigration experts.
The space inside the inflatable tent was also huge. It was like an enclosed basketball court.
More than one hundred researchers were busy working nervously.
Half of the space was filled with all sorts of ancient and complicated machines with runic symbols carved into them. They were driven by crystals embedded in the machines, and they shone with a dazzling and dark light.
The other half of the space was completely preserved in its original state. It had even been excavated until it was riddled with holes. It looked like a large archaeological site.
At the center of the archaeological site was a device that was similar to an armillary sphere, but it was much more intricate and larger than an armillary sphere.
It was formed by dozens of arc-shaped tracks that intersected with each other. At first glance, it looked like a huge, hollow, metal egg.
When Meng Chao looked closely, he noticed that there were hundreds of sparkling crystals and crystalized neurospheres levitating inside the metal egg.
As the dozens of tracks rotated slowly, the spirit energy in the crystals and crystalized neurospheres was released. They turned into thousands of wisps of spirit energy that surrounded all the tracks, causing the originally dull metal tracks to gradually become crystalline.
Meng Chao did not understand the ancient ruins.
But he could tell with just one glance just how valuable the crystals and crystalized neurospheres levitating inside the metal balls were.
They were all valuable items that could not be bought even if one had money.
And as the spirit energy continued being released, the crystals and crystalized neurospheres gradually shrank. They were like ice cubes tossed into warm water.
By the looks of it, the amount of cultivation resources needed to maintain the device's normal operation was astronomical.
"Come, I'll let you admire the most unbelievable scenery in the ancient ruins."
After obtaining Professor Lu Tianxing's permission, Wu Haibo brought Meng Chao to the bottom of the metal egg.
He gestured at the researchers outside the slowly rotating metal egg.
The researchers blinked quickly, and light shone in their eyes. Spirit tattoos crawled up their temples and the center of their brows through their eye sockets. Then, they came out of their temples and brows and crawled into the tracks that formed the metal egg.
As a solemn voice that sounded like an organ and a deep voice that sounded like a whale's song rose, the crystals and crystalized neurospheres in the metal egg above Meng Chao's head lit up one after another.
They were like dazzling fireworks, releasing all their psionic energy in an instant.
Sometimes, their spirit energy was like a trickle, and sometimes, it was like a raging river. They surged into the dozens of metal tracks, causing them to become increasingly transparent and crystalline.
When all the metal tracks became crystalline, they suddenly turned from cold, dead objects into pure energy that possessed life. In fact, they even surpassed life.
They were like a dazzling, burning flower bud that was formed by more than ten thousand colors.
Countless light spots that looked like fireflies and spirit threads that looked like tentacles exploded from the depths of the flower bud, causing everything around it to pale in comparison.
It was a beautiful sea of stars.
It was as if the most dazzling light and heat in the universe were displayed in front of Meng Chao's eyes.
Countless stars, galaxies, and nebulas were like the amalgamations of shining plankton and them. They swam around Meng Chao like predators that devoured plankton.
They exploded, swelled up, attracted and devoured each other, crashed into each other, and tore at each other. They released great vitality without restraint, and like all sorts of strange fungi and plants, they grew, bloomed, withered, and rotted at a speed that was ten thousand times faster than normal.
"What is this?"
Meng Chao asked in a daze.
"A star chart."
Wu Haibo answered.
"I never knew that there were so many beautiful constellations in our universe," Meng Chao said.
"Indeed, this isn't our universe. At the very least, it's not the universe we observe from Earth," Wu Haibo said.
Wu Haibo said, "From Earth's point of view, the universe is actually a vast expanse of suffocating darkness. The so-called bright stars are just some insignificant specks of light in the swamp of darkness.
"But the universe the ancient civilization observed is clearly not like this.
"The universe they saw was much more interesting than the universe we saw. Perhaps this is the original appearance of the universe."
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