Did the world end today?

Chapter 426 Rebellious Philosophy

"It feels like going back to 17 years ago. It's really strange."

"It feels very inconvenient."

"There is no global communication, no intelligent cloud, no gradient tunnel, and no directional force generator."

"Honestly, when I stepped out of the cabin, I even felt like I had returned to the primitive society."

"But it's strange, even though it's only been 17 years."

"When I left, I could easily recall the scene from 2011."

"Even now, I still remember the first smartphone I bought, and I remember taking the old green train to university."

“Even in the year I leave, 2028, the world will have changed a lot, but I won’t feel like a stranger.”

"Maybe it's because I know where those things came from—but that's not right either. I also know where everything in 2045 came from."

"But anyway, it's alright."

"It's best to come back; I've always wanted to come back."

"The air here seems much fresher than in that world—it's not about nostalgia, it's just that the artificial air there always has a faint smell of a sterile chamber."

"By the way, you're Engineer Lin Xu, right?"

"I never had the chance to see you when I left."

"I never expected that I would meet you in this way."

"Hello, please allow me to introduce myself again."

"My name is Wu You, and I am a father."

“A long time ago, no, it was two years ago, the precise magnetoelectric remodeling medical technology that you spearheaded cured my daughter’s glioma.”

"It was because of her recovery that I was able to go to another world and finally return here."

"I would like to express my gratitude to you, and my sincerest and deepest respect."

As he spoke, Wu You extended his hand to Lin Xu.

Lin Xu also reached out, and the two hands clasped together.

Looking at the man in front of him, Lin Xu felt an indescribable surge of emotions.

He didn't know this man before.

In fact, he only saw the man's information for the first time two hours earlier, after the man's aircraft landed and he revealed his identity.

According to the information, he was just an ordinary unmanned machine operator, one of the most ordinary members of the limiter array base.

In the materials, his photo reveals a kind of standardized simplicity, and his expression still carries a hint of fatigue that is not completely concealed.

But now, the man opposite him was wearing a light but futuristic protective suit, with a badge on his chest representing his identity as the "Supreme Commander of the Fleet." His every move exuded a rational demeanor unique to a "decision-maker" who had experienced many hardships.

Lin Xu finds it difficult to connect these two images.

But he also had to admit that 17 years can really change a lot of things.

Especially the 17 years of great change.

After a slight pause, he began to speak:
"No need to thank me, you are the ones who should be thanking me."

"To us, your contributions are enormous, even so enormous that they are difficult to quantify."

“You set off two days ago and returned two days later.”

"But what you brought is the fruits of 17 years of development."

"Although I had anticipated this outcome."

"But when it actually happened, it still felt a bit unbelievable to me."

"It's truly incredible."

Wu You sighed and said:
"Let alone the matter of returning itself, even the 17-year development process in that world is already incredibly incredible."

At this point, Lin Xu realized that Wu Youzhen was trying to get to the point.

He nodded slightly and, going along with it, asked:
"So what did you do in that world?"

"a lot of."

Wu You took out a stack of documents from the backpack he was carrying, which was somewhat "out of place" with his overall attire, or rather, too retro, and handed it to Lin Xu.

"Most of the information has been integrated into the data system, but to help you quickly understand the situation, we have prepared a report in a relatively traditional way."

"This report contains some brief information for your reference."

"it is good."

Lin Xu took the report and immediately turned to the first page.

To his surprise, the second page of the report was almost completely blank, with only one sentence in the middle.

Go back and look at the first page.

Lin Xu paused for a moment, then returned to the "Citations" page of the report, which was supposed to be uninteresting, skipped, and of little reference value.

On this page, someone wrote a short letter.

"Hello, Lin Xu from another world."

"In a more formal way, I should call you ZEROTH, or Butterfly."

"But this letter isn't for the butterfly, it's for you."

"So, I'll still call you Lin Xu."

"By the time you read this letter, our fleet will have already arrived in your world."

"So, when you saw the fleet from 17 years in the future, did you feel a little bit shocked?"

"Don't you feel that the 17-year gap has turned the two worlds into completely different entities?"

"Oh, right, you probably wouldn't think that way either—after all, you've already seen a more advanced world."

"But it's okay, I believe this gift will still bring you a pleasant surprise."

"After all, this is the limit of what we can do."

"Please accept this gift, and please forgive us for not being able to arrange for more of our compatriots to meet with you."

"This is the result of careful consideration from all sides—everyone in this world must stay here and await their final fate."

“We will exist quietly in death until you pull us out of it.”

"The reason for doing this is due to some rather special considerations—Wu You will explain this to you in a more specific discussion later."

"Alright, now, let's turn to the next page and take a look at the history of our world's development."

"This is our story, and theoretically, this is the final version of the story."

Finally, I have something to say to you.

"This is the culmination of the highest achievements our world has made in 'higher-dimensional philosophy'."

"The essence of life is rebellion; only the rebels can ascend the throne."

"Keep being a rebel."

After reading the first page of the letter, Lin Xu's expression changed slightly.

It is obvious that the person who wrote this letter was Jiang Xingye.

She briefly explained many things in a tone and word choice that Lin Xu was familiar with, which was indeed her habitual practice during the "Starship Era".

On the other hand, she didn't explain all the issues clearly.

For example, why should we stay in the original world, and what does it mean to be a "rebel"?

The answers to these questions may lie in subsequent reports.

Lin Xu composed himself slightly and turned to the third page of the report.

Starting from the third page, the report finally becomes more specific.

The record begins on the first day of the arrival of the "Kunlunshan" and continues monthly, with the report listing a brief timeline of major events.

From this chronicle of major events, Lin Xu could clearly see the various changes in that world.

A global support plan was established, science and technology developed rapidly, the direction of technological development was determined, and a reverse support plan was initiated. Numerous conflicts and contradictions arose.

Just like in the era of the League, those who were unwilling to accept their fate of death strongly demanded to make a final stand, and this time the trump cards they held were even more powerful than ever before.

They possessed technology supported by the main world of Destinystone, advanced development experience, a small but crucial amount of equipment and materials, and even a considerable amount of information unique to the butterfly.

Of course, more importantly, they also possess a "pollen" that can continuously and stably acquire high-dimensional information.

To be honest, when Lin Xu saw this, he almost thought that the world was destined to fall apart.

But just four months later, Huawei announced a complete break with the "independent dimensionalists".

Her reasons were both simple and sufficient, consisting of two points.

"A butterfly can destroy the world at any time and in any way."

"The reason why butterflies did not destroy the world is that they did not want any sacrifice to be wasted."

The first point is deterrence.

The next point is admonition.

When these two reasons were finally understood, the world's development finally got back on track.

Over the next 16 years, the world established basic directions for technological development and found its place as the “first to support the world.”

They developed all the necessary basic technologies, manufactured a large number of devices and equipment, and assembled a massive fleet.

The purpose of this fleet was to send a sufficient amount of orderly matter and information into the Destiny Stone's main world just before destruction, in order to maximize the "orderliness" of the main world.

Yes, orderliness.

In the "Starship Age" world of 2045, the people there no longer use the word "advanced" to describe their level of technological development.

As Jiang Xingye said, the most profound philosophy they developed was a philosophy about "rebellion".

In their view, the essence of the universe is entropy increase and disorder.

Highly ordered life forms are precisely the greatest anomalies in the universe.

Therefore, life itself is a kind of "rebellion".

The meaning of life is to spread this "rebellion" to every corner of the universe.

In the end, this philosophy led many people here to no longer care about life itself.
-
Or more accurately, what they don't care about is the end of life brought about by higher-dimensional disasters.

They believe that such an end would bring about a state of "stillness," while the process of rebellion would continue as long as enough "order" is supplied to the main world.
After reading all the reports, Lin Xu let out a heavy sigh.

Compared to the starship-era world he had seen before, this time, what he saw was not "tragic".

Rather, it is a kind of open-mindedness and clarity that is difficult to express and even difficult for him to understand with his current knowledge.

The humans in that world did not ultimately ascend to a higher dimension, but their culture and philosophy did reach a higher dimension.

Perhaps this is their mission.

After calming himself down a bit, Lin Xu pulled his mind away from the report.

Then, he asked Wu You:

"So, that world has completely given up on dimensional ascension?"

"That's not true."

Wu You shook his head and replied:
"During the implementation of the main plan, when there are spare resources, they—we—will still try to develop technologies related to dimensional ascension."

"But unfortunately, the analysis of boundary defects in that world has never made rapid progress, and the problem of high-dimensional adaptability is like a chasm standing in front of us."

"Many scientists believe that the problem of high-dimensional adaptability can only be solved in the Steins;Gate universe."

"Perhaps it's because of the special nature of the upper boundary of the main world, or perhaps it's because of the special nature of the defect."

"In short, all that world can offer are some clues."

"These clues and data are already included in the information set we brought with us this time."

"clear."

Lin Xu stood up and glanced at the time.

"It's 5:30—how about we have dinner first and chat while we eat?"

After he finished speaking, a hint of hesitation flashed across Wu You's face.

After a slight pause, Wu You asked:
"If possible, could I go back to Jinling first?"

"I have some personal matters that I need to deal with."

"Private matter?"

Lin Xu was taken aback.

"About your family?"

"No."

Wu You shook his head.

"They are He Yong's family members—my friends."

"This is something that's hard to talk about."

"But I have to tell you honestly, a 17-year gap has changed a lot of things."

"He has chosen to give up everything here, including his family."

"But I have to give his family an explanation."

As he finished speaking, a sudden inspiration flashed through Lin Xu's mind.

He nodded thoughtfully, then asked:

"So, that's why only you guys came back?"

"This is a very important part."

Wu You nodded and replied:
"The clash of cultures, ideologies, and identities will bring a serious political catastrophe to the world, a conclusion reached after numerous simulations."

"Of course, on the other hand, the world simply doesn't need that many 'fresh blood'."

"We have enough people here, and our experience has proven that even if we start training talent from scratch, it is entirely possible."

"so."

Wu You didn't continue speaking, but instead changed the subject and asked:
"Anyway, can I go back now?"

"of course."

Lin Xu immediately replied:
"But this is Nevada, and if I go back..."

"We can still make it in time for dinner."

Wu You interrupted Lin Xu and continued:

"With your permission, I can immediately instruct the flagship to begin constructing the gravity gradient tunnel."

"Within 10 minutes, we can reach the airspace above Nanjing and complete the landing."

"New technologies should be used, right?"

Seeing Wu You's slightly smug and boastful cunning expression, Lin Xu suddenly felt a weight lift from his heart.

This is one.
living people.

So he said with a smile:

"This time, it's probably our turn to be Granny Liu visiting the Grand View Garden."

"Come on, take me to see your flagship."

"Perfect timing, I also need to go back to Jinling to see my family."

"of course."

Wu You immediately stood up and then said:

"Not just a flagship."

"Next, I need to introduce to you everything we have brought to this world."

(End of this chapter)