NCCnovel Chapter 172 Yang Dong, Ye Wenjie, Luo Ji, Wang Miao, Ding Yi
Chapter 172 Yang Dong, Ye Wenjie, Luo Ji, Wang Miao, Ding Yi
The 80rd year of the Deterrence Era, 2295 AD.
Eighty years have passed since Luo Ji became the Swordholder and established deterrence, which is nearly 20 years longer than the original storyline.
In the original storyline, humanity had already entered the Bunker Era at this point, but with the flapping of Lin Xuan's wings, the Deterrence Era in this world lasted for an outrageously long time.
Luo Ji leaned back in his chair, staring at the white wall in front of him, remaining silent.
In his hand, he held tightly the key that was enough to destroy two worlds.
"Teacher Luo, what are you doing here?"
Zhang Xiang walked up from behind and waved his hand in front of Luo Ji's face.
Upon hearing this, Luo Ji couldn't help but roll his eyes.
"There's just a wall in front of me, what do you think I can do?"
Zhang Xiang was taken aback.
"You're cosplaying as the Wallfacer!"
"Zhang Xiang, your ability to make conversation has improved over the years."
Luo Ji had lost count of how many times Zhang Xiang had come to see him this week.
This may be the tragedy of immortals. Apart from themselves, all their friends have passed away one after another over the years. Zhang Xiang's former comrades-in-arms, except for Shi Qiang, have almost all turned into skeletons.
Therefore, Luo Ji was not too averse to Zhang Xiang's arrival. They were both figures from the Common Era, and were considered old-timers in the Deterrence Era.
In this era, it's probably only the two of them who can truly understand each other.
Thinking of this, for some reason, Luo Ji felt a wave of sadness wash over him.
"How pitiful, we are both people who have been eliminated by the times, imprisoned in the fault line of time, slowly decaying and withering away."
Upon hearing Luo Ji's words, Zhang Xiang laughed heartily.
"Teacher Luo, you're the one who's miserable. I'm not imprisoned. I can come and go from the deterrence center at will. By the way, I had Chongqing hot pot this morning. You know what, it was really delicious, especially the blood clots that were put into the cold pot, and the tripe that only takes seven seconds to cook. It was so fragrant!"
"And another thing, Teacher Luo, let me teach you a trick. When you go to eat hot pot, never go to those big restaurants. The best hot pot is found in those tiny, hidden gems. Those big restaurants are just scams to lure out-of-towners."
Luo Ji took a deep breath and forcefully suppressed the urge to press the switch directly.
"Thank you, Zhang Xiang. If you tell me this kind of technique again, I won't mind making you clean toilets for a month."
Although he knew Zhang Xiang's intentions were good, he urged him not to set off again.
The last time Luo Ji left the deterrence center was more than a decade ago. The Earth Alliance transferred him from one deterrence center to a new one, during which time he only saw the scenery outside the window from the car.
Over eighty years of service as a swordsman have transformed Luo Ji from a cynical academic fraud into a guardian of civilization.
Although his body is still young, Luo Ji's soul has long since died.
Over the course of eighty years, he began to speak less and less. If it weren't for Zhang Xiang bothering him every week, Luo Ji felt that he would eventually lose his ability to speak.
The only thing he could do each day was to face the wall and repeatedly recall his short and ridiculous life.
The outside world believes that the Swordholder, as the pinnacle of human civilization's rights, possesses the power to control two worlds, so Luo Ji should be very happy.
After all, he is now no different from an emperor in ancient times.
But only Luo Ji himself knows that his current life is even worse than that of a prisoner in jail.
At least when you're in prison, you know when you'll be released or when you'll be executed.
But Luo Ji couldn't even bring himself to die.
He didn't know how much longer he would have to stay there.
How much longer will I be trapped here?
The weight of "responsibility" made him feel like he couldn't breathe, and he was having trouble catching his breath.
When he first became the Swordholder, he was excited and full of confidence in the future.
However, as time went on, Luo Ji became taciturn and his temper gradually became more and more irritable.
He suddenly realized then that he might have really been screwed over by Lin Xuan, and that the job of the Sword Bearer was simply inhuman.
Later on, he gradually came to terms with it, and started to daydream, read books, and learn about the changes in the outside world, gradually adapting to this boring life.
In the end, Luo Ji felt that he had transcended the realm of humanity.
He felt his soul drifting beyond the century, beyond the center of deterrence, beyond Earth, beyond the solar system...
The staff thought he was having a mental breakdown at the time. After reporting the matter to Lin Xuan, the latter simply said that Luo Ji could be given a few days of annual leave to rest.
Then Lin Xuan personally served as the sword bearer for a few days.
Luo Ji thought he could get a good rest for a few days, but he only stayed away from the radio for less than three hours before he returned.
Indeed, after he left the deterrence center, he inexplicably began to feel a little panicked and uneasy.
Even though he knew that Lin Xuan was now in control of the transmitter and that she was even more of a threat to the Trisolarans than he was, Luo Ji still felt incredibly uneasy, as if something was missing from him.
Lin Xuan teased him, saying he had developed a "sword-wielding occupational hazard," and then returned the switch to Luo Ji, which made him feel much better.
He has become one with the identity of the Swordholder, an identity he cannot detach himself from.
Just like his daughter, Luo Congmin.
Even if Luo Congmin can get used to it, the senior executives of the Earth Alliance will not.
So Luo Ji returned to his simple and monotonous life, facing a white wall, and continued to contemplate his life.
There was a little incident during this time.
About a month or two ago, Ding Yi came to see Luo Ji to inquire about his wife, Yang Dong.
At the time, Luo Ji was quite surprised, because Ding Yi... well, how should I put it, he only cared about his own physics.
He created a model of Yang Dong when the world of Super Dreams was first established, but at that time he mainly wanted to conduct research.
Now that Ye Wenjie's daughter Yang Dong has been mentioned again, Luo Ji is having trouble figuring out what this old devil is thinking.
"Antimatter energy is almost complete, Bi Yunfeng and Cao Bin's Sun accelerator is very successful, and the construction of the Ringworld has also been put on the agenda."
"Therefore, I want to research the next energy direction as soon as possible—vacuum zero-point energy."
Ding Yi adjusted his glasses and said.
"I haven't figured out the specifics of how to conduct the research yet. I don't even know if this energy source really exists. But I think it's highly likely to exist. It's a pity that Lin Xuan broke through Taylor's Wallfacer Project. Otherwise, the Quantum Ghost Project could have verified this conjecture."
"So, you're looking for inspiration from Yang Dong?"
"Yes, she saw things more clearly than I did in many ways. That was true before, but I'm not sure about now. I've been working to recreate her model, not only to commemorate her, but more importantly, to uncover the relevant experiments she participated in before her death."
As Ding Yi spoke, he pulled up a document.
"To do that, I need to analyze her first. I can't do it alone. As her former classmate, you might know something."
Luo Ji chuckled to himself.
"Are you kidding me? Ye Wenjie knows very little about her daughter. What clues do you expect me to provide?"
"Give it a try. I've even asked that guy Wang Miao, let alone you."