Wei School's Three Good Students

Chapter 266 Seeing the Future
Eating a bowl of duck blood vermicelli soup is not about showing courtesy to the virtuous; it's about understanding the hardships of ordinary people.

The dishes served at "Lifu" restaurant use chicken and duck offal, all byproducts of industrial production. The meat is very crisp, a result of soaking in caustic soda. Of course, MSG and salt are also added for marinating.

As his entourage introduced Xuan Chong to the bustling life of Jianye, Xuan Chong's gaze was fixed on the endless rows of laborer residential areas on both sides of the river, with red brick buildings densely packed together!

Xuan Chong silently thought to himself: Such a large-scale complex of red brick civilian buildings means that the number of brick kilns is beyond imagination; and the number of brick kilns can determine the scale of the steel plant.

In Dongtu, people generally believe that the prosperity of Jiangnan was due to the abundance of steam engines. However, this is not the case. While the steam engine was indeed a productivity multiplier, capable of increasing basic productivity by twenty times, its threshold was that it required a workforce ten times larger than a traditional household to operate it.

When we praise industry, we should remember that people are also a resource! A hundred years ago, the Industrial Revolution was just beginning, and the traditional government could only manage a maximum of about 100,000 households in Jianye. Anything beyond that would be difficult to manage.

To date, the old-style management system still exists in the northwestern and eastern border regions of present-day Han.

With the advent of the telegraph, the rise of the steam engine, the production of cotton cloth, and the printing press, economic and ideological control began to be exerted comprehensively downwards; an unprecedented upheaval occurred. In Jianye's latest census, the population directly exceeded ten million.

Industrial progress led to the complete subjugation of nomadic peoples by agrarian civilizations, and at the same time, the strength of the southern provinces far surpassed that of the north!
Xuan Chong opened the newspaper on the ship. It was an old newspaper from a month ago, filled with all sorts of outrageous and absurd statements. A quick glance at it would have been enough to warrant a major literary inquisition in the Qing Dynasty.

Above, a scholar from Jianye proclaimed: "Throughout the millennia of Chinese history, the location of imperial capitals has changed repeatedly. First it was Chang'an, then Luoyang, and then Yanjing and Jiankang. These correspond to the Guanzhong Plain, the south of the Huang River, the north of the Huang River, and the south of the Yangtze River, respectively. The imperial aura has shifted southeastward; this is the mandate of heaven!"

Xuan Chong paused, glancing at the name of this well-informed newspaper. Oh, it's called the Jiangnan Provincial Newspaper.

The Jiangnan Province was established by Emperor Taizu during the founding of the dynasty, divided into the Jiangnan Left Circuit and the Jiangnan Right Circuit; however, after the imperial line moved and the capital was moved to Yanjing (Beijing), it was no longer recognized. This province was divided into three provinces, with Songjiang Prefecture being separated out.

This local newspaper, which so openly mocks the northern capital, has been running for ten years.

…His intentions are obvious…

Ships headed north, entered the river, and arrived at the bustling city center. Ten-thousand-ton cargo ships glided across the river, and at the city docks they passed, even black steam-powered cranes were hoisting cargo.

All of this represents at least forty years of progress compared to that place in Dongtu.

The forty years mentioned here is a conversion made by Xuan Chong based on the industrial development of his previous life.

Based on the economic model of this era, it might take seventy or eighty years or more. For other regions to catch up with the Jiangnan region, unless a major catastrophe occurs causing a mass exodus of people, Jiangnan will forever remain the number one region in East Asia.

Currently, only the Rhine and Seine River basins in Europe have the potential to compete with the Jiangnan region. The Northwest Plain of Europe has both a large population and a network of waterways. The rivers run north-south, avoiding economic competition with east-west railways, which are highly profitable. This makes it a prime location for industrial development.

Indeed, Europe is now the center of a small part of the western world.

Of course, Europe has a fatal flaw: the island nation to the west is too close and poses a military threat to the Seine River basin. Furthermore, there are cultural conflicts between the Rhine and Seine regions. This has led to Western Europe, a land chosen for industrial development, being divided into north and south, much like the Three Kingdoms period.

All modern Chinese military analysts agree that the risk of military conflict in the heart of Europe, though superficially masked by numerous peace treaties, is, in modern Chinese terms, merely a piece of paper. Each country maintains hundreds of thousands of troops on its home territories to safeguard these "contracts."

Meanwhile, the Jiangnan region, whether it is the Central Plains in the north or the Lingyue region in the south, is peaceful and prosperous.

Although there are various contradictions within Hanzhong, there is absolutely no risk of war.

Just as Xuan Chong was marveling at the abundance of manpower in Jiangnan, thousands of workers were toiling under the scorching summer sun at the Jiangyin docks.

The conveyor belt keeps rolling and transporting goods, but occasionally it becomes unstable, requiring workers to use shovels to deflect the goods.

Xuan Chong remained silent; this job was incredibly arduous.

Compared to the ports to the north, the ports here operate on a semi-automated system with conveyor belts and containers. While this may seem to save manpower, it actually saves money for the merchants and gentry, not the laborers.

As the "human resources required per unit of cargo volume" decreases, the "port throughput per unit time" increases accordingly.

Therefore, the workload of dock workers has not actually decreased. On the contrary, they are under even more mental strain because they need to keep up with the conveyor belt.

In the scorching sun, some people collapsed and were quickly dragged aside; but those suffering from heatstroke were not taken to the pavilion, but instead taken to the riverbank and given a bucket of cool water.

Xuan Chong frowned, thinking to himself, "Heatstroke shouldn't be treated with such a cold shock; one should slowly recover under the shade of a tree."

However, just as he thought this, Xuan Chong heard the overseer's inhuman scolding through the sound guide: "You bastard, stop pretending to be dead! Are you awake? You've lost your job. You won't get paid today. If you lose your job again this month, you're fired! If you don't work, someone else will!"

Upon hearing this, Xuan Chong exhaled in shock, sat on the bow of the boat, and pointed incoherently at the dock 1200 meters away, stammering, "This, this?"

However, when the worker begged for forgiveness and promised, "I just accidentally got dizzy, it won't happen again next time,"

Xuan Chong gritted his teeth and began to understand the hardships of this era. —The modern Han dynasty, inheriting thousands of years of development, possesses a complete system of governance, which makes the spirited men of this land hold their breath and bend over to bear the burden.

However, Xuan Chong couldn't stand it. The foreman was about to return to his ice room when, as he rounded a shipping container, a force suddenly pulled him inside. The container was then sealed off and left to bake in the scorching sun, where the temperature inside was like an oven.

Half an hour later, after the man fainted, Xuan Chong opened the container when the ship docked; five minutes later, the heatstroke supervisor was discovered. Workers carried him out.

However, Xuan Chong regretted it afterward, realizing he shouldn't have abused his abilities. Does being in his current position absolve him of responsibility?

…I examine myself three times a day…

Within Jianye City, trolleybuses travel along the main roads on the wide thoroughfares. They are essentially buses with an antenna on top connected to the electrical circuits.

Xuan Chong examined it closely. This thing was a rare find; in his previous life, it had only existed in large cities like Nanjing and Shanghai. It wasn't that it represented any cutting-edge technology, but rather that it became completely useless after the development of internal combustion engine vehicles. Only those cities that had already developed during the Republic of China era preserved this relic of the early industrial age.

Freight within Dongtu City was still handled by gas trucks, while people traveled by bicycle or rickshaw.

Just as Xuan Chong was about to look for a bus stop, Liu Yuanling pulled him back. A short while later, a convoy of sixteen black cars stopped and picked him up.

As the green belts flashed by, Xuan Chong scanned the city through the glass. At least from his vantage point, the city had no skyscrapers, but its appearance was already very modern.

It has a similar feel to Nanjing and Shanghai in period dramas set in the Republican era.

…However, what follows is a journey from the modern era to the future…

Soon the convoy entered an underground tunnel. As they drove, they veered off course from the main tunnel. After five kilometers into what appeared to be a normal mountain cave, the side of the tunnel, which had looked like a mountain wall, turned out to be a layer of cloth matching the color of the rocks.

The metal gate inside the fabric opened, and the convoy entered an underground passage unknown to most people.

Liu Yuanling, who accompanied them, introduced the place after entering the tunnel: "This is 'Linchao,' and the technology here is two generations more advanced than the outside world."

Xuan Chong glanced at the surveillance cameras set up every thirty meters inside the tunnel, paused, and nodded repeatedly.

Xuan Chong explored the underground tunnel by continuously extending the torque, eventually reaching the underground center; then, based on the calculation using a protractor, he determined that the endpoint was five kilometers underground.

Along the way, Xuan Chong also saw some strange things. For example, on the side of the tunnel, Xuan Chong discovered a tunnel boring machine! That's right, it was a third-generation tunnel boring machine of the 21st century.

Liu Yuanling seemed to sense Xuan Chong's gaze and explained in unison: "These are drilling equipment." — She knew that Liu Haoxing's hometown, Dongtu, needed this equipment.

However, Xuan Chong asked the robotic dog patrolling the tunnel, "Are all these things from the future?" The sensors on the robotic dog's head were constantly rotating.
Liu Yuanling smiled mysteriously: "There are a total of 6,000 people in this underground base, most of whom are researching the manufacture of future equipment."

Xuan Chong grasped the key point and asked, "Are these researchers really that confident that what they are researching is the technology of the future?"

Liu Yuanling: Lord Lin is able to see the future, reach the future, and exchange for the future.

However, as she spoke, she realized! This was Liu Haoxing's first time here, so why didn't he seem surprised when he saw these products? Instead, his eyes seemed to sparkle with "familiarity"?
Xuan Chong stared at the light rail tracks and saw the familiar sign: "Constructed by China Railway." Xuan Chong: "It's not from the future, it must have been taken from another time and space, right?" ...A technological twist...

After an hour-long journey through the underground tunnel, Xuan Chong arrived at the underground base, passed through the archway into the subway station, and entered a large hall.

Xuan Chong looked up and could see robots using their robotic arms to change trash cans on the tracks laid out around him; there were also windows on the sides, and based on the previous situation, he could guess that they contained some kind of automated equipment.

A short while later, forty-eight more people entered the base. Xuan Chong paused slightly, realizing they were martial artists. Their physiques were remarkably well-proportioned.

From their words, it was clear that they had gathered today to collect their "power" stats. Xuan Chong sensed that each of them possessed a kind of "field energy," similar to the field energy emitted by the hovercraft he had witnessed when it became invisible.

Of course, the internal energy of these young people is different from that of Xuan Chong. Their internal energy is quite "abnormal" and seems to interfere with their metabolism.

These young men are generally around 1.78 meters tall and weigh about 65 kilograms, yet they consume 6,000 calories a day! If they practice internal energy, their body temperature will instantly spike to 50 degrees Celsius. And precisely because they release their true energy outwards, a large amount of that body heat is dissipated.

These young people, who had achieved success in their internal cultivation, exuded powerful internal energy from their hands and feet.

In comparison, Xuan Chong's internal energy is currently very gentle. With his control over it over the past half month, his true energy is circulating calmly along a fixed energy path, and it does not interfere with his metabolism at all in daily life.

Of course, when Xuan Chong is using his brain to think, his true energy will cause his fat to be consumed rapidly, resulting in his body becoming too hot.

Xuan Chong wasn't clear on the difference between his internal energy and that of these young men, but in reality, the difference was vast. Xuan Chong's return to simplicity and mastery of internal energy was akin to innate talent.

As more and more people came in, Xuan Chong also began to circulate his inner energy in order to fit in.

When a martial artist circulates their true energy, they emit a unique magnetic field that interacts with the energy fields of others.

Of course, Xuan Chong's breathing technique did not reveal any characteristics of any particular school of martial arts, which aroused the curiosity of others.

The disciples of these sects sensed each other's true energy, then clasped their hands in greeting and inquired about each other's whereabouts. Xuan Chong introduced himself: "My name is Xuan Chong. What brings us here?"

This sentence caused the many martial arts practitioners who entered to look at each other in bewilderment, their eyes seemingly saying, "You don't know anything, how did you end up here?"

A handsome young man asked, "My name is Lu Changfeng. Are you also here to participate in the 'Mechanical Equipment' program?"

"Mechanical equipment?" Xuan Chong asked, puzzled.

Just as Xuan Chong was about to ask another question, two people entered through the special gate in the center. As the gate opened, the sect disciples greeted them as if they were seeing an elder.

One of them was Qin Tianyi, who claimed to be an "art student." The other was a burly man, standing at least two meters tall.

“This is Star Player, let’s step back.” Lu Changfeng, who had spoken to him earlier, reminded Xuan Chong to be careful.

Xuan Chong then used the torque thread to transmit sound to him: "What star player? (Simultaneously canceling the volume around him with the torque thread.)"

Lu Changfeng glanced at Xuan Chong in surprise: "They are the Qilin species here. Didn't you know that when you came here?"

Xuan Chong felt awkward and was about to say something when Tianyi's voice came from beside him: "Why didn't you ask me?"

Lu Changfeng's expression changed. He knew how terrifying Tianyi was. He reflected on himself and realized that he hadn't said anything he was supposed to avoid. But he didn't expect that Tianyi would still send the message over. She winked at Xuan Chong and asked him not to say anything.

Back then, some people were quietly gossiping about Tianyi's secrets. But after only a short while, the gossipers stopped abruptly because their entire bodies were being pierced by the sound waves! Even their eardrums were damaged and had to be repaired.

Of course, for Qin Tianyi to make a move, the topic of discussion must have been anything but friendly.

Qin Tianyi acts in accordance with the rules and etiquette of this world, and her position is not to be desecrated. She releases positive emotions like a spring, but only to those who are "doing the right thing"; to those who are not doing the right thing, she switches to a cold and aloof demeanor.

Xuan Chong was quite surprised: he had clearly blocked all spatial transmission, so how could she have heard him?

Xuan Chong stared at her, and in the dense torque perception, the sound waves formed a strange ring-shaped oscillation layer around her.

Tianyi explained, "Sound is not merely a matter of the propagation of vibrations through a medium in classical physics. The transmission of vibrational energy also involves quantum effects (everything has quantum effects; photosynthesis has them, as does fluid dynamics. Just like Newton's laws, they are everywhere, only they don't actually occur)."

Tianyi noticed that Xuan Chong seemed unaware of this basic physics concept, and then she understood. She then explained, "I can detect any sound produced in this space. I can even hear the sound of the solar wind in the cosmos. In the 25th century, people will use this principle to 'hear' the sounds emitted by various stars in the universe."

Seeing Xingzou Zhe speaking gently to Xuan Chong, Lu Changfeng immediately understood and withdrew on his own.

In this world, martial arts and true qi are merely personal cultivation practices, but dragon offspring are ordained by Heaven.

Xuan Chong was curiously sensing the sound waves around Tianyi and was trying to summarize the wave function formula!
…sports students…

Just as Xuan Chong and Tian Yi were having a nonsensical conversation, another person next to them said to Xuan Chong in a very familiar tone, "Oh, we both have the surname Liu. Um, you can just call me Dayang. I'm a physical education student."

Standing nearby, Tianyi heard Xu Xi (Liu Dayang's name at the school) reveal that he was a "sports student" and shook her head slightly.

Because when she mentioned earlier that she was an art student, Tianyi noticed that Xuan Chong had a cold and aloof demeanor, leading her to speculate that Xuan Chong was an elite from the Third Dynasty, which was the period after the end of the Ocean Refuge era when competitive education was restarted.

Xuan Chong was clearly a student of the "mathematics and physics" system. In certain eras of highly competitive technology, this type of student possessed the pride to "mend the sky."

Xuan Chong might not show this "arrogance" in front of others, but it's too obvious when he's facing himself (Tianyi).

However, what happened next made her mouth twitch even more.

Xuan Chong was slightly taken aback when he heard the classmate who claimed to be a sports student.

Then, as if confirming the guy's sturdy build, Xuan Chong greeted him very warmly: "Well, we both have the surname Liu. My name is Liu Haoxing. This is my first time here, and I don't understand many things. Could you introduce them to me?"

Xu Xi: "Of course, we're all classmates."

After a few words, Xuan Chong was so eager to become sworn brothers with Xu Xi that he said, "If I ever fall into a fire, I'll be counting on you to help me out."

Xuan Chong quickly became acquainted with Xu Xi. Xu Xi generously revealed that his newly awakened cheat ability was called "human body modeling."

Using himself as a base template, he can obtain a large amount of body data, and then he can directly load this data onto other targets!
Xuan Chong: "You can roughly understand it as directly adding points to others, adding agility, stamina, and strength; intelligence can also be added, and motor memory is also a kind of 'data'. Coming here to receive power is actually coming here to receive 'attribute points'."

Xuan Chong thought for a moment and explained his time travel situation, namely, the use of a ruler, protractor, and compass to calculate torque.

Liu Dayang stared at Xuan Chong and then introduced himself further: "Um, my name at school is Xu Xi."

Xuan Chong paused for a moment, then immediately replied, "My name at school is Xuan Chong."

Qin Tianyi opened her mouth, but found that no one was asking her. She then looked dejected.

Between men, a few words exchanged about their profession can quickly reveal whether they can "get things done together."

Qin Tianyi coldly stared at the two people over there, and then heard the martial arts cultivators whispering among themselves using telepathy. She turned her head and said impatiently, "You can stay here."

Then he followed directly behind Xuan Chong and Xu Xi.

The young heroes waiting to receive their cultivation points looked at Xuan Chong and his companions with great awe.

(End of this chapter)