He Pulled Off the Flex!

Magnificent steel structures pierced the clouds, towering on both flanks of a concrete platform broad as a plain. From a distance, they resembled a double-bladed steel spear thrusting straight from the ocean floor toward the heavens! It was a man-made canyon—right in the middle of the surging Southern Sea! Let alone Dora, whose eyes widened in shock as she stood rooted to the spot, even Ye Shi was utterly stunned the moment he emerged from the hatch, his jaw dropping open. He felt as though he were standing in the center of a colossal tower shaped like an inverted V. Looking up, there were only endless precipices, leaving at the very peak a patch of distant sky that could be blocked out by a single fist! This was the Alliance's space elevator! Though it wasn't ninety thousand kilometers tall, it was still enough to take his breath away. "Holy crap..." Ye Shi muttered under his breath. Damn. He had only been gone for a little over three months, and the Alliance had already become this badass?! Jiang Xuezhou was equally awestruck. She rubbed her eyes and took another look. "...Is that ceramsteel?" Having finally recognized the material of the steel framework, she drew a deep breath, only to catch a mouthful of sea wind, coughing several times before she managed to calm down. Ye Shi reached out, patted her back, and asked with concern, "Are you alright?" "I'm fine..." Catching her breath, Jiang Xuezhou looked up and muttered, "You guys are ridiculous. Did you build a starship right on the ocean?" Or rather, two aircraft carriers standing on end. Regardless, for someone who had only ever seen structures like this among the relics of the Human Alliance era, it was staggering enough. Ye Shi could easily understand the shock in her heart—after all, he wasn't doing much better himself. Though someone on the official forum had spoiled details about the elevator for him earlier, text descriptions and flat photographs could never compare to the grandeur of witnessing it with his own eyes. "...Even though it's my first time seeing it too, I heard construction began a long time ago and only wrapped up recently." And— This wasn't solely the Alliance's achievement. From the moment the project was approved, the space elevator had been a joint effort involving various levels of units and organizations from the Alliance, Enterprise, and the South Sea Alliance. Ideal Group in particular had contributed immense effort, supplying nearly thirty-seven percent of the manufacturing capacity. In return, however, their gains from the project were enormous. Word was that by yesterday's market close, Ideal Group had surged fifty percent over the past 120 trading days, reclaiming its crown as the highest-valued corporation in Ideal City! Ever since Ideal City's completion a century and a half ago, such an occurrence was unprecedented. Ideal Group, once degraded into a glorified property management firm, had reignited the imaginations of Ideal City's residents toward the future following the completion of the space elevator and the injection of prime asset shares—making itself great once again! In fact, it had transformed from a corporation of Ideal City into an enterprise of human civilization. By the time people began to vaguely realize it, it had already become a reality. The same held true for Endpoint Group in Ideal City. Once the figurehead of Ideal City's "most conservative faction," Endpoint Group had historically opposed corporate expansion beyond city borders to protect its market share and Supreme Council seats. After all, the wasteland had no demand for internet services, and chaotic environments were ill-suited for deploying the Endpoint Cloud—a server costing tens of millions of Cr could be blown to scrap by a single RPG. Yet with the end of the Wasteland Era, this most conservative corporate offshoot had paradoxically become the most progressive force, actively championing globalization just like the internet giants of the old world. Currently, Alliance postal, logistics, industrial, and financial sectors had steadily incorporated Endpoint Cloud services. Before long, the civilian network would surely go live as undersea cable bandwidth expanded and infrastructure matured. When that day arrived, Ideal City residents could lounge on the beach at Port French Fries and still connect to their home network, or even team up for matches with internet buddies down in sunken Coral City. After two and a half centuries, the human survivors across the eastern Central Continent would once again embrace the internet age! It was bound to spark a new wave of prosperity, perhaps expanding Ideal City's Big Five into six, seven, or eight corporate titans. However, that was all a story for later... ... Not long after the group stepped out of the lift capsule, a crowd approached from the distance. Leading them were two individuals: Han Mingyue, a researcher from the Alliance Academy of Social Sciences, and Sun Zewen, a researcher from the Alliance Institute of Biological Research. The former's identity required little introduction; her frequent appearances in print media and regular quest assignments had made her quite famous among the players. As for the latter, newer players might find him unfamiliar, but veteran players who joined during the alpha test could still recognize him. He was a resident of Shelter 401, as well as an expert on psychic interference devices and resonance field theory. Resonance field theory was, in essence, morphogenetic field theory. Because morphogenetic field theory had recently been approved as an official project within the Alliance's research institutes, he, as a pre-war researcher in that field, had instantly risen to become a leading authority of this age. With his snowy hair and beard and his ethereal, dignified demeanor, he certainly looked the part of an eminent master. Yet Ye Shi still remembered that when he first met him, the man hadn't been the distinguished old professor he appeared today—he had been rolling pills with a marauder's gun pointed at his head. Just as Ye Shi was reminiscing about raiding dungeons with his buddies back when the game first launched, the old man rushed up to him in sheer excitement, grabbing for his hands right away. The unbridled enthusiasm startled Ye Shi, nearly making him question the old man's preferences. Seeming to realize the abruptness of his actions, the old man smiled sheepishly and quickly pulled his hands back to apologize. "Forgive me... I got a bit overly excited. Erm... is it true that you've mastered psionics?" "Yes..." Ye Shi nodded stiffly. Professor Sun Zewen rubbed his hands together eagerly, looking at a loss for how to express what he was feeling. Understandably so. After all, this was a realm even the Era of Prosperity had never unraveled—humanity's first contact with dimensions beyond the three-dimensional world. Ye Shi suddenly felt like some qigong master, with a faint air of a charlatan about him. Though he wasn't truly a fraud; he really had communicated with It. Even if the entity that had spoken to him was merely an echo It had left behind in this universe. "Truly unbelievable... If you aren't lying, your experience will illuminate extra-dimensional realms we've never been able to understand... Ah, wait, I don't mean you're pulling a trick. I saw the news." Watching Professor Sun Zewen scramble to explain himself, Ye Shi gave a light shrug. "It doesn't matter. Even on Planet Gaia, staunch materialists doubt the existence of the Tree of Ein Sof. After all, not everyone can see that sort of thing." Dora had claimed there were no psions among the Qiu, but Ye Shi didn't think so. For primitive civilizations with fiercely exclusionary religious cultures, accepting psions was exceedingly difficult unless their culture already possessed psionic elements to begin with. Perhaps there were psions among the Qiu tribes after all. Yet because of their worship of the Ancestor and the sky, combined with their hostility toward the Tree of Ein Sof, their society likely ostracized these awakened deviants of its own accord. After all, their technological level had not progressed far enough to unlock "psychic interference devices," let alone converse with It and hear Its mockery through the power of pure technology. As a result, even if an individual awakened psionics, their own subjective denial would dull their psychic perception, ultimately purging it from within. Ye Shi had experienced this firsthand. Back when he was still a "foolish materialist," he hadn't felt the existence of psionics at all—at most, his sixth sense was sharper than others'. Yet when he tried to understand what he had once dismissed, becoming a "clever materialist" or rather a "cunning pragmatist," psionics had miraculously manifested. That was the most fascinating aspect of psionics. The very existence and strength of such mental ability was itself determined by the mind. Professor Sun Zewen stared unblinkingly at Ye Shi with a hungry look, like someone admiring a masterwork of art, making Ye Shi's skin crawl. Soon, however, his gaze shifted toward Dora, and his expression grew even more fervent. "The humans of Planet Gaia... all possess psionics?!" Ye Shi shook his head. "Not all of them. Even in the forest tribes, only some can." "Even just some is incredible enough!" Professor Sun Zewen exclaimed, gazing at him with burning eyes. "Next time you go to Alpha Centauri, please take me along!" Meeting that fiery look, Ye Shi took a subtle half-step back and made a regretful face. "I probably won't be going back." Professor Sun Zewen stared blankly at him and blurted out, "Why?!" Ye Shi pondered for a moment before replying. "How should I put it... The ruins on that planet have already been explored, and the Tree of Ein Sof told us everything It knew about the Progenitor... Besides, I don't really want to disturb the people living there. I've already caused them enough trouble." Pausing, he continued, "However, I plan to propose to the Administrator that we set up an observation post there to passively observe their civilization's progress without interfering. Perhaps you could consider pushing for this together with me." Professor Sun Zewen looked at him in bewilderment, his eyes half puzzled, half astonished. In the end, though, he relented and nodded with mixed emotions. "Perhaps that's for the best..." He had wanted to argue that direct intervention might be more efficient, but he soon thought of the Human Alliance. Maintaining a measure of reverence toward the cosmos was probably a good thing. As a survivor of the Human Alliance era, his feelings regarding the fall of past glory ran far deeper than those of any junior present. "Alright, there's no need for regrets... I think even without looking back to the Human Alliance era for historical lessons, what the past two centuries left us is profound enough." Han Mingyue laughed heartily and clapped Professor Sun on the shoulder, then turned toward the young woman named Jiang Xuezhou and said in an easy tone, "I've also found the Alliance's most skilled cybernetic surgeon for you—Mr. Ibers, CEO of Boulder Military Industry. He'll oversee your cybernetic surgery and fit you with bionic skin co-designed by the Academy and Kangmao Group—" Before Jiang Xuezhou could speak, Ye Shi grew tense and cut in on Dr. Han Mingyue. "Ibers?! You're having that maniac perform the surgery?" Han Mingyue smiled. "He's certainly a bit unhinged, but his craft is likely the best on this planet... Even people from Enterprise say so." There was really nothing wrong with that claim. Still, Ye Shi couldn't quite put his mind at ease. Jiang Xuezhou took Ye Shi's hand and said softly, "Don't worry about me. I'm an expert in cybernetics myself; I know how to look after myself..." Seeing Jiang Xuezhou say so, Ye Shi held his tongue. Watching the young couple being affectionate, Han Mingyue teased, "Alright, alright, it's only a matter of days. The surgery will be over before you know it... Your mentor's research vessel is already waiting at the landing pad, so you'd better head over." Jiang Xuezhou nodded and was about to leave when Ye Shi blinked in surprise. "Aren't you coming with me?" Jiang Xuezhou shot him an embarrassed glance. "What kind of nonsense is that? You expect me to wander around looking like... this weird mess? Even if you don't mind, I do! Anyway, I won't be following you around for now... Just take Dora and Little Koala on a tour. I'll wait for you in Dawn City." While still in orbit, she had already discussed it with her mentor: head to Boulder City first to cure her condition. At this point, as if remembering something, she added a warning tone: "And one more thing... Don't you dare take advantage of someone's worship of the Ancestor to do weird things! That's unethical!" Dora tilted her head. Perhaps because Jiang Xuezhou's phrasing had been too vague, Dora's psionics failed to grasp what she meant. However, while Dora was left confused, everyone else around understood completely. Han Mingyue had the strongest reaction, bursting out into a snort of laughter. Professor Sun Zewen coughed sheepishly, pretending not to understand. Though a fellow vault dweller, he had recently become a rising star in academia and a leading authority in "psionics," so he still had an image to maintain. As for Ye Shi, he nearly choked on his own saliva. Weird things, seriously?! Talk about framing someone out of thin air—at least wait until he had the tool for the crime before throwing accusations! Though come to think of it, maybe he should look into getting one installed once he got back to Dawn City? Just as Ye Shi was seriously pondering this question, Dora, who had remained quiet all this time, asked timidly in embarrassment, "Did I cause you trouble?" "Not at all," Han Mingyue said, stepping forward with a smile. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am a researcher at the Alliance Academy of Social Sciences, entrusted by the Alliance Administrator to serve as your guide for this journey to Earth... By the way, do you know what the Academy of Social Sciences is?" Dora blinked. "Your eyes tell me it's an institution that studies us." Surprise flickered in Han Mingyue's eyes, and she remarked teasingly, "It seems our young friend Ye Shi wasn't joking after all—'psionics' really does exist. But please don't take offense. Our research holds no malice; on the premise of peace, it's merely meant to deepen our mutual understanding... We wish to understand you." Dora nodded gently. "I can feel it." Han Mingyue's astonishment deepened, and the curiosity shining in her eyes grew even more intense. "Incredible... Now I'm more and more curious about what goes on upon Planet Gaia." A society where psions were commonplace and the cost of trust between people was virtually zero... It formed a fascinating and vivid contrast with her previous research topics, and might just offer unexpected inspiration. Dora offered a shy smile and said warmly, "We can talk along the way." ... While everyone was conversing merrily, an Orca transport touched down at the Dawn City airfield. Escorted by a squad of soldiers in exoskeletons, a black case was loaded onto a transport truck and driven to the warehouse of a research institute under the Alliance Scientific Expedition. At that very moment, the Alliance's Chief Scientist and Administrator stood together in this unassuming warehouse. The black case was unloaded from the truck. Two guards in power armor stepped forward and opened it, revealing the oddly shaped reactor device inside. Looking at the crude, almost haphazard mechanical structure and metallic dials, a strange expression crossed Chu Guang's face. "...This is the so-called perforator?" The "sacred relic" left behind in this world by that supposed "Progenitor" civilization through the hands of their successors. To be blunt, no matter how one looked at it, the thing resembled nothing more than a piece of junk shaped like a reactor; its mottled rust practically begged the question of whether it could still function at all. Had he not followed the entire sequence of events from start to finish on the official forum, he might even have wondered if that rascal Ye Shi was playing a joke on him. The researchers present murmured among themselves, exchanging glances filled with surprise and skepticism. Evidently Chu Guang was not the only one who felt the device looked unreliable; even Yin Fang standing beside him wore a nuanced look. "...At any rate, let's test it first." As he spoke, Yin Fang waved to the side, signaling an awaiting researcher to step forward and insert a matching fuel canister into the cylindrical metal tank. This canister was a second-hand, empty fuel canister salvaged from the Orion missile cruiser. This had also been Ye Shi's recommendation. According to him, only a fuel canister that had "once been filled with fuel, and never opened after depleting all of it" could be recharged by the perforator. It sounded a bit mystical. And nonsensically mystical at that. Nevertheless, in the spirit of controlling variables, Yin Fang followed the bizarre recommendation, conducting the initial experiment strictly by the book. The researcher, having made all preparations, looked back at him, and upon receiving the order to begin the experiment, immediately pressed the button. At that exact moment, an incredible scene unfolded: a dazzling white light burst forth from the center of the reactor, instantly penetrating the solid tank and rendering it completely translucent! Faced with this sudden turn of events, Lyu Bei stepped in front of Chu Guang almost by reflex, while X-16 beside them tensed, stepping half a pace forward and glaring warily at the mass of brilliant white light. Fortunately, the terrifying energy did not linger long. It collapsed rapidly, shrinking down to a single point before being drawn into the fuel canister plugged into the reactor. As everything returned to quiet, the technician operating the equipment stepped forward immediately. Cutting the power, he pulled out the canister from the tank and inspected it. And then, the most unbelievable moment occurred— After a series of scans by the team, the once-depleted fuel canister was now filled to the brim with helium-3! As though it had never been empty in the first place... "Th-This is simply incredible..." Shock was written all over Yin Fang's face, his eyes glued to the canister. Chu Guang's reaction was comparatively calm, but after a moment, he too couldn't help muttering an impressed sigh. "The kid actually pulled off the flex."