2077: V really knows how awesome he is

V: "Huh?"

Ciri looked smug, thinking, "Trying to scare me? Dream on."

Watching their interaction, Joanne Koch thought they were acting like two children. But seeing V's rare smile, she thought this childishness was kind of nice.

"DiDi! DiDi!"

The large intelligent AI analyzer emitted a regular beeping sound, informing everyone that the analysis was complete.

Joanne Koch looked at the three-meter-long analysis sheet and nodded repeatedly, sometimes saying "uh-huh" and sometimes "ah," making Ciri extremely nervous.

V pulled back the data cable and asked, "How's the situation?"

Joanne Koch put down the analysis sheet and said with a serious expression, "I don't understand it."

"Damn it, what are you 'uh-huh'ing about? I don't understand!"

“I was saying ‘uh-huh’ because I understood some of it,” Joanne Koch said, a little embarrassed. “But there were also parts that were beyond my knowledge, and I needed experts from other disciplines to help me analyze them.”

"You should have said so earlier." V glared at Joanne Koch with annoyance and started making phone calls to call for backup.

Before long, all the scientific research experts from Night City arrived, among whom the highest-ranking was Nakamura Kayo.

The scholars' eyes lit up when they saw the analysis report. They held it in both hands and studied it word by word as if it were their own pay slip. They huddled together and whispered for a long time, jumping and shouting for about an hour. Finally, around 2 a.m., they came to the final conclusion with bloodshot eyes.

"Everyone's worked hard, I'll give you all rewards later." V skillfully painted a rosy picture. "Now, tell me, what exactly is this Ancient Blood thing?"

The person who answered on behalf of everyone was Nakamura Kayo. As a genius scientist who discovered isomers, she had a wide range of knowledge, especially classical physics.

Under the expectant gazes of V and Ciri, Nakamura Kayo spoke.

"First of all, the blood of the ancients is no different from ordinary blood in terms of composition. It is composed of plasma and blood cells. The plasma is composed of water, protein, sugar and various nutrients, while the blood cells are mainly red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets. Strictly speaking, this is just ordinary human blood, with blood type O, and there is nothing unusual about it."

V scoffed: "Human blood can't make people travel through time."

"That's because something is missing from human blood."

"What is it?"

"Substance C, of ​​course, this is just a provisional name. If you are not satisfied, you can name it yourself."

“That’s irrelevant. Let’s talk about this C substance.”

“Yes, please take a look.” Nakamura Kayo waved her hand to open a holographic projection, which V recognized as an enlarged image of red blood cells.

Kayo Nakamura continued, "Substance C exists in red blood cells. Like oxygen and other nutrients, it is transported throughout the body via the blood. Organs that receive substance C will gradually strengthen, and their functions will continuously improve over time. This improvement is far faster than normal exercise and can easily surpass the inherent limits of humans. This is why Miss Ciri has superhuman physical strength and physique."

V was taken aback when she heard this, not because the way the C substance worked was too strange, but because this way of working seemed to be similar to the nanobots in her body. Could it be that Ciri was also an AI?

"What exactly is substance C?" V pressed.

"Strictly speaking, C-matter is a particle, one of the fundamental particles in the universe. So it is not generated by the human body, but absorbed from the outside world. Simply put, Miss Ciri absorbs C-matter from nature through daily activities such as eating, drinking, and breathing. Red blood cells grab C-matter like they grab oxygen and deliver it to all parts of the body."

V was even more confused: "Absorbed from nature? According to your logic, C matter should be everywhere and should have been discovered by humans long ago, but I have never heard of the existence of similar particles."

“This brings us to the most peculiar aspect of C matter.” Nakamura Kayo pushed up her glasses: “C matter is very heavy… no, to be precise, C matter is very heavy.”

"Joy? Heavy?" V became more and more confused.

"Yes, this heaviness refers to the heaviness of gravity. C matter should only be able to form in high-gravity environments, and in low-gravity environments it will rapidly decay into other elementary particles. This is why C matter has never been found on Earth, because Earth's gravity is insufficient."

V gradually understood, but new problems arose.

"Earth's gravity isn't enough, but Jupiter should be. Its surface gravity is 2.5 times that of Earth."

But Nakamura Kayo shook her head: "First of all, Jupiter is a gas giant, and its volume 'dilutes' its gravitational intensity. Secondly, even with 2.5 times the gravity of Earth, it still wouldn't retain C matter, because the solar system is located on the edge of the Milky Way, a full 2.6 light-years away from the galactic center. Perhaps C matter existed on Earth at the beginning of the universe, but as time went on, C matter would flow like water towards the 'heavier' galactic center. Over time, Earth and the entire solar system would become the C matter desert environment we see today."

V was taken aback: "So that means there were beings like Ciri who could travel through time in Earth's ancient times?"

"Perhaps. If there really were creatures living in that era, they would certainly have had a strong physique and power, just like Miss Ciri."

“Xu Ling will be very happy to hear this; she’s a huge fan of cultivation novels.” V remarked, then asked, “I have a general understanding of C-matter, but how exactly does Ciri’s ability to travel through time and space work?”

"This brings us to the second characteristic of C matter: it is heavy and can react to gravity, and correspondingly, it can also affect gravity. According to Einstein's theory of general relativity, the strong gravitational field generated by massive celestial bodies—such as black holes—can cause the surrounding spacetime to curve. Theoretically, if a sufficiently strong gravitational source can be created or manipulated, space folding can be achieved."

"Gravity is the root of gravity, and gravity is a component of gravity. Creating gravity out of thin air can interfere with gravity. Matter C bends space by twisting gravity, thereby completing time travel."

V found it very interesting: "Nahiri said her grandmother lifted up a collapsed bridge..."

Kayo Nakamura nodded: "It should be a manifestation of the C substance controlling gravity."

Ciri seemed to understand but not quite: "But my grandmother can't time travel."

"Because her control is limited, she cannot control the C substance, or there is not enough C substance in her body, so she cannot create a gravitational field strong enough to bend space."

"What is the principle behind the manipulation of gravity by C matter?" V asked eagerly, because once the principle is understood, humans can create something similar, and then warp drive technology will be available.

But Nakamura Kayo's answer was: "I don't know."

V was stunned: "I don't know what you mean? Didn't we do an analysis? Even if you don't understand everything, at least understand a little bit."

Nakamura Kayo said with embarrassment, "I'm very sorry, we really don't understand how matter C works at all. It seems to be able to control gravity by nature, just like how the spin number of a particle can only be an integer or half-integer. Under certain conditions, it can exhibit both particle and wave properties at the same time. It has inherent angular momentum and other properties. These are all parameters and functions that were preset at the beginning of the universe. We humans cannot change them at all. The only thing we can do is apply them."

"Can it be used?" V's hope was rekindled.

“Yes,” Nakamura Kayo gave an affirmative answer: “Humanity has long had the theory of time travel, also known as warp theory, but it requires creating artificial black holes to bend space, which is extremely dangerous and costly. However, as long as we use carbon matter to replace black holes, the high risk and high cost will all become history.”

V got excited, but Joanne Koch poured cold water on him.

“I know you’re happy, but don’t get too excited yet,” Joanne Koch said. “First of all, there’s no C matter on Earth, and secondly, how to locate it is still a problem.”

V glanced at Ciri: "How about we hang her up and bleed her out?"

Ciri glared at V with annoyance.

V found it boring; he was too familiar with her and couldn't scare the girl away anymore.

However, Nakamura Kayo actually calculated how much C matter could be collected after hanging Ciri up and bleeding her, and shook her head and said: "The total amount of C matter in Miss Ciri's body is barely enough, but because of the heavy nature of C matter, it will be lost immediately once it is separated from the red blood cells. In order to create a real jump module, we need to go to the central region of the Milky Way and extract it from planets rich in C matter."

"Then go."

"The central area is too far away; we need to build a warp module before we can go there."

"Then let's manufacture it."

"Without enough C matter, we must first go to the center of the galaxy to make it."

"Well... forget it, it's pointless to try and catch everyone at once." V said, rubbing his forehead. "Isn't there a planet where we can extract enough C matter without going to the galactic center, and where we can reach it without a warp drive?"

Everyone fell silent and turned to look at Ciri.

Since Ciri can absorb C-matter, her world must contain C-matter. As for how to get there...

V smiled and said to Ciri, "Haven't you always wanted to go home?"

Ciri's internal alarm bells were ringing: "What do you want to do?"

"We Earthlings have always loved peace. Don't worry, I just want to accompany you back to your hometown to experience the local customs and culture. I will not do anything reckless."

As soon as V finished speaking, Xu Ling's communication came in and was broadcast through the laboratory's loudspeakers.

"Sister V, those bastards from the Supreme Council actually tried to sneak away! Quickly send me a few nuclear missiles, I'll blow their whole family up!"

Ciri retorted angrily, "Is this what you call loving peace?"

V looked up and chuckled, feeling slightly embarrassed.

“Fine, it all started because of me, and I will take responsibility.” Ciri sighed. “I can take you to my home world, but you must promise that you will only collect C-materials, never interfere with our lives, and absolutely not use force!”

V was overjoyed and immediately said, "I promise, if I can't do it, I'll be a computing power slave every day and let Koch exploit me until I die!"

Chapter 124 The Big Bang Theory

Let's do it! ...That's impossible.

Although Ciri said she was ready and could take V back to her home world without any problem, with the Wild Hunt about to invade, V, a top-tier fighter, certainly couldn't just leave.

Who knows what the other world is like? What if we go there and can't come back for a while?

Just as one cannot become fat overnight, science cannot suddenly achieve its goals in one leap.

At the suggestion of scientists such as Nakamura Kayo and Joanne Koch, interplanetary teleportation is not in a hurry; intraplanetary teleportation can be explored first. Scholars need to collect data and build a preliminary model.

Ciri didn't see the need for such caution at all; for her, time travel was as simple as eating and drinking. However, considering that V was the ruler of Night City, she understood the concerns of many scholars and didn't explain further, simply asking, "Alright, where do we want to be teleported to?"

V countered, "Anywhere is fine?"

Ciri nodded: "Anywhere is fine."

How do you plan to position yourself?

"Get me a map and show me our current location and the place you want to go."

"That's all? You have no idea about the geography around here."

“The map is just a catalyst. I will use my will to communicate with space and time, and the ancient blood will naturally take me to where I want to go.”

V: "..."

Many scholars: "..."

Well, as expected of someone from the magical world, their method of location tracking is far too unorthodox. Joanne Koch and Nakamura Kayo, being Muggles, simply couldn't understand it. They could only install a bunch of monitoring software on V to record the subsequent warp jumps and try to find their location using their own orientation.

"Luckily, I have enough storage space now," V complained, looking at the bunch of new programs that had appeared in his system.

Once the world map was brought over, V thought for a moment and then pointed to Israel in the Middle East.

Ciri looked for a few seconds, nodded, and reached out her hand to V. V shook her hand, and the two of them disappeared with a "poof," only to reappear with another "poof" a few minutes later.

"Did it work?" Joanne Koch asked nervously.

"We did it!" V replied excitedly. "We arrived in Israel in no time."

Nakamura Kayo also spoke at lightning speed: "We did indeed detect a momentary gravitational distortion. Our theory is correct. We are currently collecting data and building a large model!"

Joanne Koch breathed a sigh of relief. The development of warp technology was a piece of incredibly good news for all of humanity. Only civilizations possessing warp technology could achieve true space colonization; without it, they were merely going for a stroll.

However, she was also a little curious and asked V, "What are you doing in Israel?"

V shrugged: "Didn't Xu Ling say that the Supreme Council members were going to run away? They were going to give the nuclear bombs to Eddin as local specialties, so I went and warned that Israeli president, Hu, and told him that if even one member of the Supreme Council ran away, I would take his dog's life, no matter where he hid, he would definitely die."

"Did he believe it?"

“He had no choice but to believe it.” V laughed. “I appeared in front of him in a flash, and he was so scared he almost peed his pants. When I left, he was already on the phone ordering the arrest of all members of the Supreme Council.”

Joanne Koch was both amused and exasperated: "You really know how to kill two birds with one stone! You even used me for an experiment. But that Hu guy is shameless enough. He brought in the Supreme Council for his own benefit, and now he wants to arrest them for his own benefit. He's a complete scoundrel!"

"Very surprised?"

"Not at all, it fits my stereotype of that nation. But the Supreme Council is no pushover either; they won't surrender easily, and there's likely to be a lot of fighting between the two sides."

"It's like dogs fighting each other, which gives us time to deal with the Wild Hunt army. Oh, and I also spent two minutes beating that roaming AI that Israel is raising half to death, injecting it with a bunch of viruses, including 'shake your phone' and '361'. It'll be reinstalling its system over and over again for the next three months, so don't even think about causing any trouble."

Joanne Koch gave a thumbs up: "AI is really ruthless against AI. It's true that there's naked hatred between peers. Well done."

Over the next few days, Ciri continued to fly around the world with V, while Nakamura Kayo and others gradually established a more detailed warp theory and data model. They spent seven days creating a technologically advanced warp machine.

Looking at the steel structure that was almost two stories high, a sense of superiority welled up in Ciri's heart: "It's so big and bulky. Science isn't as great as you guys say. Why don't you just give up on science and switch to magic?"

V said unhappily, "What do you know? This is a prototype. As long as it works, that's fine. It's mainly for testing the theory. Once we confirm that the program can run successfully, we will naturally proceed with miniaturization and modularization."

Ciri shrugged, indicating that he would keep bragging and not call him out on it to save face.

V was furious and immediately ordered the machines to be started, to prove it to Ciri.

Scientists placed a sealed container containing Ciri's blood into the machine. Despite being just an ordinary iron ball, the container actually generates extremely high levels of artificial gravity, a technology more advanced than the gravity generator used by the prosthetic body.

Because substance C can only be maintained in a low-gravity environment when it is bound to red blood cells, and blood loses its activity over time, and when red blood cells die, substance C is released, so high gravity is needed to prevent its decay.

Night City had already figured out these theories, so everything was pretty much a piece of cake for them.

V continues to act as the experimental guinea pig, since she is the most resilient among everyone. Even if the experiment goes wrong and she is torn apart by spacetime turbulence or crushed by gravitational field, she is an AI anyway, so it's fine to make a backup in advance.

"I hope everything goes well. I'm used to this body and don't want to change to a new one."

“Don’t worry,” Joanne Koch reassured her. “This experiment has run more than 20,000 times on the computer with a success rate of 93.7%. If you don’t trust humans, you should at least trust AI.”

V thought it made sense and ordered, "Let's go then. I don't believe I'm that unlucky as to run into something with only a 6.3% chance!"

Amidst the expectant gazes of the crowd, Nakamura Kayo pressed the start button.

Then, with a loud bang, the warp machine exploded instantly, and V was blasted away like a cannonball, embedding himself in the wall with a clang.

Inside the test site, alarms blared and red lights flashed wildly. The spatial folding, almost visible to the naked eye, tore apart the cables, sparks flew, and the sprinklers sprayed water out in a whoosh, leaving the scene in complete disarray.