Light Ring: Can't Let Too Many In

Lin Yi was stunned once more. Oh, right...... The successful transmission of the metal box had already proven that crossing between the two worlds required spiritual energy as a driving force to break through the spatial barrier—it was nowhere near as simple as stepping up to the opening and falling through. So the question was. What force had pulled those ten-plus people from the vehicle back then into the Tianling Realm? Spiritual energy? Or...... An unknown force of higher quality? If that force really existed, how had it appeared? This was obviously a question worth investigating. "Also, Comrade Lin Yi," Pan Yongnian spoke again while Lin Yi was lost in thought, "I wonder if you've noticed a situation—compared to the beginning, that light ring... has shrunk slightly in range." "???" Lin Yi's head instantly filled with question marks, and he quickly cast all his previous questions to the back of his mind. "Academician Pan, what did you say? The light ring shrank?" "Yes, this is the precise result detected by the equipment," Pan Yongnian hummed, then quickly reported a set of data. "After the metal box was transmitted, the observable edge of the light ring shrank from 10.162 meters to 9.982 meters." "If you had been paying attention to the scene earlier, you should be able to tell the difference with the naked eye." Lin Yi quickly raised his head and looked around. A few seconds later. His gaze settled on a small tree stump not far away. Lin Yi remembered clearly. When the light ring first appeared, its edge had been only a centimeter or two from the small tree stump, the two very close. Back then Lin Yi had even wondered whether this small tree would be transmitted back to the home world. But now. The edge of the light ring was already a clearly visible distance from the small tree, apparently about twenty centimeters. In other words...... The light ring had indeed shrunk. Lin Yi then looked at the metal box before him, formed a guess in his mind, and asked, "Academician Pan, could it be because of the transmitted item?" "Most likely," Pan Yongnian affirmed. "Our preliminary judgment is that every time the light ring successfully transmits an item, its size shrinks by a portion." "As for whether the degree of shrinkage is related to the item's mass, volume, or something else, that remains to be observed." Lin Yi was silent for a few seconds. "What if the light ring shrinks to its limit..." "Oh, you don't need to worry too much about that," hearing Lin Yi's concern, Pan Yongnian's tone was much more relaxed this time. "The team has done observation tracking; when idle, the light ring shows signs of gradually returning to its original size." "However, this rebound rate is relatively slow. Even after we've chatted for several minutes, the light ring's size has only recovered by a few millimeters." Only then did Lin Yi's heart loosen. Regardless of efficiency, it was good that it could recover. He had really been worried this thing was single-use...... But this way, the transmission of supplies between the two worlds wasn't so free anymore. Besides needing spirit stones to drive it, there was also a limit on throughput. There was no way around it. Just as Pan Yongnian said, this was resistance from the rules. Investigating these rules would require a great deal of time and manpower and resources; maybe they would be cracked someday—Lin Yi was even fairly optimistic about it, after all, whether it was the charging technique he had tinkered together or the signal transmission experiment, both proved that the rules of the two worlds actually had intersections. But at least for the time being, these problems were temporarily unsolvable. After all, reality wasn't a single-player game. When you ran into a boss you couldn't beat, you'd hear a ding, activate Wind Spirit Moon Shadow, and one-click insta-kill it. ...... "Comrade Lin Yi." Perhaps sensing the atmosphere was a bit dull, Pan Yongnian soon spoke up again: "Although limited by our level of understanding, we can't yet let you physically pass through the channel to return to the home world." "But from the perspective of the preset objective, our experiment this time was undoubtedly quite successful—we have smoothly broken through the barrier between the two worlds on the material level." "In other words, the home world currently has the ability to provide you with cross-world military aid, thereby... resolving those two demon beasts." Cross-world military aid? Hearing these words. Lin Yi's old heart went thump-thump yet again. Oh, right...... Although due to the restriction of unknown rules, he himself couldn't return to the home world for now, and creatures from the home world also couldn't cross into the Tianling Realm. But lifeless items could! For example, electronic devices, food, Fiji Cups, books, and...... weapons! Thinking of this. Lin Yi couldn't help but grip his phone tightly, a flash of excitement in his eyes. "Academician Pan, has the home world already come up with a solution?" "That's right," Pan Yongnian said cheerfully. "Comrade Lin Yi, didn't you previously give the Think Tank information about the Golden-Eyed Crimson-Scale Beast?" "The Think Tank Base has prepared a batch of supplies based on the simulation results and the light ring's throughput volume, currently being personally escorted by Comrade Chen Zhengze, expected to arrive at the transmigration point within twenty minutes." Chen Zhengze was that officer who spoke first in the previous online meeting, from the Operations Bureau of the Joint Staff Department. Back then he had spent nearly half an hour thoroughly understanding various intelligence about the Golden-Eyed Crimson-Scale Beast from Lin Yi. Actually. Besides the series of identities introduced to Lin Yi. Chen Zhengze was also one of the important leading members of the Huaxia Fourth Military Branch forces. Otherwise, why do you think any random cat or dog could be the leader under Comrade Man? ...... Another twenty minutes passed. As expected, Chen Zhengze brought a batch of military supplies and smoothly arrived at Nan'an West Road, where the transmigration point was located. "Academician Pan." As soon as he got out of the car, Chen Zhengze actively extended his hand toward Pan Yongnian: "Nice to meet you, I'm Chen Zhengze." Although Pan Yongnian was also one of the Think Tank members, due to having too many projects on hand, he had almost never been selected for the base duty roster, so the two really hadn't had any offline dealings before. Pan Yongnian shook his hand too. "Chief of Staff Chen, long admired, long admired. This journey... has been hard on you." His words weren't just polite talk. The military supplies used to support Lin Yi this time were drawn from the garrison of a certain strategic force southwest of Lindu, which wasn't far from the transmigration point, only a hundred-plus kilometers. But Chen Zhengze himself was different. He had flown overnight from the Capital Think Tank Base to the force's garrison; just this journey was nearly 2000 kilometers, let alone that he took a military plane—this thing was nearly maxed out in durability, but its comfort level was basically on par with a 1970s 212 Jeep. Plus counting the supplies and escorting them, everything had to be handled within just over three hours...... To be honest, this intensity wasn't something an ordinary person could withstand. But Chen Zhengze, hearing this, just smiled freely. "Exerting myself for the state is my duty; it's not hardship." "......" Pan Yongnian raised his head and made eye contact with Chen Zhengze for a few seconds. The two men, who had been up all night, now had eyes somewhat reddened from overwork. Afterward Pan Yongnian was silent for a moment, then patted this soldier's shoulder hard. Everything was understood without words.