Chapter 154: The Mastermind Behind the Scenes

Chapter 154 -64: The Mastermind Behind the Scenes

‘In the end… do we get rid of the physicists too?’

“You saw what happened after that.” Professor Ning looked out at the rainy night.

“First, the torrential downpours and the devastating floods. Then came the rumors, all pointing fingers at the physics experiment. Those people attacked the research institute like madmen, smashing equipment…”

The old man let out a bitter laugh.

“It was only then that I finally understood what he meant by ‘Torrential Calamity Water’.”

He closed his eyes in anguish.

“Professor Shu probably understood, so he ran. Old Gao… I don’t know what was going on with him. Maybe he understood too, but he couldn’t accept it, so he died. And me…”

Professor Ning looked at Yu Xian and gave a bitter smile.

“I was too slow.”

“Professor Ning, what about the last words Professor Gao Jiguo left on the blackboard…” Yu Xian stared intently at the old man, asking the question that had been plaguing him.

“‘I have sinned. I have failed all of humanity.’ What did he mean by that?”

Professor Ning was silent for a moment, a flash of pain in his cloudy eyes.

“Frankly, I don’t know what Dean Gao was specifically referring to. But if I combine it with Su Mingyuan’s warning to me, I have a theory.”

He looked up at Yu Xian and Shi Zuozhou.

“Perhaps Dean Gao received the same warning. Su Mingyuan might have even told him something more specific, more persuasive, and more verifiable. For example… if he didn’t stop the collider project, it would trigger a world-ending catastrophe.”

“A catastrophe…” Yu Xian’s heart skipped a beat. He asked subconsciously,

“Are you referring to the great flood? Or this downpour that defies the common sense of physics?”

“But how is that possible…” Professor Ning seemed utterly dejected.

“Particle collisions are a microscopic phenomenon, while torrential rain is a macroscopic, meteorological one. Even if the butterfly effect were exaggerated, how could the collision of a few protons conjure enough water to submerge a continent out of thin air?”

The old man gripped the window frame tightly.

“I’ve been researching this myself recently, but I still believe the flood is a natural disaster, a natural anomaly. But…”

His tone shifted, and he suddenly grew agitated, pointing a finger at the pitch-black sky and the distant academic building.

“Those rumors, those riots targeting the lab, the public opinion that put physicists on trial like witches… all of that is an absolute, man-made disaster!”

Professor Ning’s gaze sharpened.

“Given the current situation, while I can’t bring myself to believe the flood is connected to the experiment, I do believe this mob of ‘rioters’ and Su Mingyuan are definitely involved.”

“The flood might be caused by some natural cycle we don’t yet understand, but to use this flood to smear the name of physics, even taking the opportunity to purge the entire scientific community… this is definitely the work of certain individuals with an agenda!”

“But what could his motive be…?”

Just as Yu Xian was about to press for more, a beam from a flashlight suddenly appeared in the distance, bobbing in the curtain of rain.

Professor Ning’s expression changed drastically. He abruptly let go of the window frame and waved his hands frantically.

“Quick, go! They’re back!”

The window was slammed shut, the curtains were yanked tight, and the last sliver of light vanished.

The flashlight beam swept over in an instant. Yu Xian and Shi Zuozhou folded their umbrellas, crouched low, and sprinted for cover behind the shrubbery of the green belt.

Muddy water splashed at their feet, and branches scraped painfully across their faces as the flashlight beam danced erratically behind them.

But thankfully, the rain was loud enough and the night dark enough. The two teachers on duty didn’t seem too dedicated, and after a few turns, the boys burst through the wall surrounding the faculty apartments and ducked into a patch of woods.

They ran for several hundred meters until they were sure there was no one behind them, finally stopping, out of breath, under the awning of an academic building.

Shi Zuozhou plopped down on the damp, puddle-strewn steps, panting heavily. Rainwater dripped from his chin. He wiped his face and muttered, cursing,

“Holy crap… What the hell was that? Does this count as us learning some kind of state secret?”

Yu Xian leaned against the wall, his heart still pounding. He pulled out his phone, the screen’s bright light making him squint.

On WeChat, a message from Wen Xiao had arrived more than ten minutes ago:

“The security office teacher kept giving me suspicious looks, but he still walked me back to my dorm. How are you guys? You didn’t get caught, did you?”

It was followed by another message:

“I’m heading to my evening class. Call me anytime if anything happens.”

Yu Xian quickly replied, “We’re safe. Let’s talk in detail after class,” then turned off the screen, plunging his surroundings back into darkness.

He looked at Shi Zuozhou beside him. In the faint light from distant car headlights, they could both see the same undigested shock in each other’s eyes.

“Old Yu, you think…” Shi Zuozhou swallowed hard.

“Is Su Mingyuan really the mastermind behind this whole series of events?”

“If Professor Ning wasn’t lying, he’s at least an insider,” Yu Xian said, turning to look at the dark night beyond the awning.

“Still, that timeline is too much of a coincidence.”

“You mean the timing of Su Mingyuan’s visit to Professor Ning?”

“Right.” Yu Xian nodded.

“Professor Gao committed suicide on November 6th. Su Mingyuan visited Professor Ning on November 7th. Which means…”

“When Su Mingyuan went to ‘persuade’ Professor Ning to quit, Professor Gao was already dead, but the news hadn’t been released yet?” Shi Zuozhou looked horrified.

“Does that mean… he had already seen Professor Gao before he went to see Professor Ning?”

This speculation left them both silent.

If Su Mingyuan really had met with Professor Gao first, and had also given him the so-called “warning” and “persuasion to quit”…

Then Professor Gao’s death was definitely connected to Su Mingyuan.

“And have you thought about this?” Yu Xian analyzed.

“Professor Ning said that when Su Mingyuan threatened him, he said, ‘If you don’t stop the research, it will bring about a Torrential Calamity Water.’ That was half a month ago. The rain wasn’t that heavy then, the flood hadn’t come, and there wasn’t even a hint of the rumors and riots targeting the physics community.”

Yu Xian looked at Shi Zuozhou and said, word by word,

“How did he know there would be a ‘Torrential Calamity Water’?”

“He’s the Prophet, gotta vote him out…” Shi Zuozhou, ever the revolutionary optimist, said before shaking his head.

“No way. He’s a writer, not a fortune-teller…”

As he spoke, Shi Zuozhou’s voice trailed off. He looked at Yu Xian, and their eyes met.

“He… is Shao Yiyi’s… martial uncle?”

“Yes. That’s what unnerves me the most. A half-baked practitioner like Shao Yiyi could use the AI model Wen Xiao developed to calculate the trigram for the great flood. If she can do that, then her martial uncle…” Yu Xian didn’t finish his sentence.

“You mean Su Mingyuan’s words probably aren’t baseless.” Shi Zuozhou caught on.

“But still, to be able to cause such a huge disturbance, what’s this guy’s background?” Shi Zuozhou frowned.

“A writer, where would he get that much power? Enough to force professors to either die or flee. Unless… he represents an organization, a faction.”

“Exactly. And that faction might be even more terrifying and powerful than we imagine.”

“Then what’s their goal? Every action has a motive. What conflict do they have with the world of physics? They can’t just be targeting us physics students for no reason, right?” Shi Zuozhou said, gritting his teeth.

“An operation this big must have consumed an incalculable amount of resources and energy. They would never target the physics community without a reason.” Yu Xian shook his head.

Shi Zuozhou stared blankly at Yu Xian.

“Don’t tell me… there really is some inevitable connection between the physics experiment and the flood, is there?”

Yu Xian was just as clueless. Just as Professor Ning found it absurd, he too couldn’t understand what the connection between the two could possibly be.

“I can’t figure it out either,” Yu Xian murmured to himself.

“Within the existing framework of physics, experiments like particle collisions and meteorological disasters are things from two completely different dimensions. Unless…”

“Unless what?” Shi Zuozhou glanced at Yu Xian.

Professor Ning’s words from his last lecture echoed in Yu Xian’s ears:

“If we don’t touch it, if we don’t cross it, how will we ever know if we’re living in a giant lie?”

“Never stop thinking. Never stop doubting. Even if the whole world tells you this is the truth, this is reality, you must always leave a place in your heart for the word ‘if’.”

“Science is the ‘art of doubt.’ Because the essence of science is not acceptance, but questioning; not obedience, but rebellion.”

Yu Xian looked at Shi Zuozhou and said slowly,

“Unless the existing framework of physics is, itself, wrong. Or rather, incomplete.”