Chapter 372 The End of the World (3)

When it came to cities in Western Europe, it was best to view them through a “classical culture” filter. It made the trip a little more pleasant.

Zurich had many old buildings; you could see several clock towers from a distance. It was as if time here was still stuck in the last century, giving it a uniquely relaxed atmosphere.

This relaxed atmosphere was also reflected in the campus security at Zurich Polytechnic Institute. Jiang Ran, looking the part of a college student, simply tucked a notebook under his arm, held his head high, and walked right in, plain and simple. The guard didn’t even bother to look up at him.

When he arrived at the lecture hall where Professor Noah was scheduled to speak, it was already four-fifths full.

Jiang Ran checked his watch. There was still half an hour until the lecture was supposed to start.

‘It seems Professor Noah’s standing in the academic world is truly high,’ he thought. ‘A level someone like me, a complete nobody, can’t even begin to comprehend.’

He found a seat as close to the front as possible so he’d have a chance to raise his hand and ask a question during the Q&A session.

‘I hope Professor Noah is a little less arrogant and a little more of a true academic,’ he mused. ‘I hope he’ll seriously consider the question I’m going to ask.’

“Hey! Pal, stand up for a sec, let me through.”

“Sorry…”

Jiang Ran realized he was blocking someone’s way and quickly stood up.

Huh?

Suddenly, his eyes widened.

‘Wait a minute.’

‘That accent… that Mandarin…’

‘Is this really Zurich? I could’ve sworn I was on a street in Shenyang!’

Jiang Ran glanced to his side.

Sure enough, he saw a Dragon Country international student, a bit taller than him, chewing gum and wearing a beanie. The guy had an unruly, defiant air about him.

‘Dude, we’re both from the same country,’ Jiang Ran thought. ‘No need to be so unfriendly, right?’

Deciding it was better to avoid trouble, Jiang Ran turned sideways and made way for the guy from the Northeast to sit down.

“Thanks, bro!”

The guy from the Northeast was surprisingly polite. It seemed his “defiant” look wasn’t directed at Jiang Ran. Because… after sitting down, he immediately and smoothly struck up a conversation, as if they were old friends:

“Bro, what department you in? When’d you get here? Where’s your hometown? Got any smokes from back home?”

“…”

This friendly interrogation right off the bat made Jiang Ran, a dyed-in-the-wool southerner, a little uncomfortable.

But he understood that the guy from the Northeast meant no harm. This was just how northerners chatted; they were generally straightforward and frank.

“I don’t have any cigarettes.”

Jiang Ran only answered the last question.

“What department are you in?”

He turned the tables and started asking questions himself.

“I’m in the business school!” the guy from the Northeast said, chewing his gum.

“Your interests are pretty broad, then.”

Jiang Ran spread his hands.

“Pompeii—ah, no, Professor Noah’s lecture is on Consciousness Upload technology. That doesn’t really have anything to do with business management.”

“Doesn’t matter.”

The guy from the Northeast waved his hand dismissively.

“I’m not here to learn. I’m here specifically for this professor.”

Jiang Ran understood then, a look of realization dawning on his face.

“Oh, so you admire Professor Noah, too.”

“Admire him my ass!”

The guy from the Northeast exploded in anger, slamming his fist on the table.

Fortunately, because of the language barrier, the foreign students nearby only glanced over before losing interest.

Perhaps in their eyes, this was just two Dragon Country international students engaged in a harmonious and passionate academic exchange.

“That guy is a ringleader for anti-humanity!”

The guy from the Northeast scoffed at the mention of Noah.

“I’m here today to crash this party. You just watch how I’m going to tear into him!”

“Wait, man…”

Jiang Ran was shocked.

“What are you going to do to him?”

‘When we’re abroad, we represent the face of the Dragon Country. This guy can’t go and embarrass us here!’

“Oh, oh, ‘tear into him’ is just a saying from my hometown. It means, watch how I’m gonna chew him out!”

“Chew him out?”

“Oh, oh, ‘chew him out’ is also a saying from back home. It means, watch how I’m gonna confront him!”

“Confront him?”

“…”

The guy from the Northeast was speechless. He looked at Jiang Ran.

“Bro, are you even from the Dragon Country?”

“Obviously I am…”

Jiang Ran leaned in a little closer.

“Bro, you’re not actually planning to argue with Professor Noah, are you?”

“Damn right I am!”

The guy from the Northeast made no effort to hide it.

“Since you came to this lecture, you must know what this bastard is researching, right? If he were just messing with the Consciousness Upload procedure, I’d let it slide. After all, that thing does have some positive effects for people in vegetative states.”

“But he once proposed at an international conference that we should build a digitized society! We’re not talking about some online game or Metaverse crap… we’re talking about actually uploading human consciousness into a Virtual World! If that’s not anti-human, what is?”

Jiang Ran gave a helpless smile.

“Even so… you can’t just crash his event. It’s normal to have academic disagreements. You should just look at it rationally.”

“I just can’t stand people like him doing this reckless research!”

The guy from the Northeast was filled with righteous indignation.

“Anyway, I’m going to teach him a lesson later. I know there’s an eighty percent chance his research will go nowhere… but since this is a seminar, I have to present my ideas and tell him that he’s heading in the wrong direction!”

“My biggest fear is that the world goes crazy and they actually end up building that whole Virtual World thing. That would be a disaster!”

…

Jiang Ran listened quietly, saying nothing.

This guy from the Northeast might have a bit of a temper, but he was definitely full of a sense of justice. Daring to voice opposition in the face of authority was also a highly commendable academic spirit.

‘Besides… who was he to judge someone else…’

Although he hadn’t come with the intention of crashing the event, his actual purpose was pretty similar to the guy from the Northeast’s—he wanted to make Professor Noah see the error of his ways.

“But, bro, try to be a little calmer later. Don’t be so aggressive.”