Deep Space Wandering Fleet-Chapter 109 - 111: Time Train

Chapter 109: Chapter 111: Time Train

Senior Brother Zhao blinked, “A hundred years ago, Mr. Qi Yuanshan had already calculated the emergence of the Earth Era Time code, and the remaining conclusions were given by him…”

“It’s a pity he didn’t provide a stronger conclusion.”

“So far, New Civilization History has not established a genuine theoretical foundation. We need more geniuses to take part in it, as well as more precise historical samples… On Earth, the Deep Space Foundation is burdened with such a task.”

Zhang Yuan’s confusion grew even more.

There were actually people who wanted to predict the future, which was simply unimaginable!

Seeing his expression, Senior Brother Zhao smiled without saying a word.

...

After a long silence, he spoke again, “Do you know what kind of civilization Earth Civilization is considered in the calculations?”

“What kind of civilization?”

“An ordinary civilization.”

Is Earth Civilization really so mediocre?

Zhang Yuan did not think so, at least it was still thriving for the moment.

In the end, Zhao Qingfeng threw out another line, “Don’t disbelieve it, pessimistic scientists actually make up a vast majority.”

“Senior Brother Zhao, do you also hold a pessimistic expectation?”

“Yes…” Zhao Qingfeng continued, “Your father was once a member of the Scientific Council, making a significant contribution to this discipline. Unfortunately, he did not live to see today, our departure…”

“If you want to understand these calculations, you could visit Professor Lin Fangzheng from the Scientific Council. I think he would be very welcoming of you…”

Spurred by a strong curiosity, Senior Brother Zhao refused to say anything more, which was incredibly frustrating for him.

This guy was definitely doing it on purpose!

In the following few days, since he had nothing better to do, Zhang Yuan applied for more projects from Academician Ding, including the mathematical foundation design for New Civilization’s industry.

Before the hibernation, he would do as much as he could, without any particularly stringent rules.

Keeping busy was always a good thing; it prevented unnecessary thoughts.

Then, trying to control his intense curiosity, he visited Professor Lin Fangzheng, the president of the Scientific Council.

This appeared to be a very kind middle-aged man, with an air of scholarship, similar yet somewhat kinder than Professor Wang Zhong’s demeanor.

“You’ve reached Level 16 in your job position, haven’t you?”

“Yes, I’ve just been promoted.” Zhang Yuan nodded; his recent good work, coupled with sufficient ability, had propelled his job level to soar rapidly like a rocket.

The usual graduate students only had Level 10 positions.

“Very good! I’ve read your turbulence paper… By the way, are you familiar with the Motivation Theory about dreams?”

“Motivation Theory? I’ve read Professor Wang Zhong’s paper.”

The two chatted casually for a while, and Zhang Yuan gradually relaxed. Scholars like these were easy to talk to as long as you had genuine knowledge. It was like standing on the same starting line; there wasn’t a huge disparity in status.

Professor Lin Fangzheng nodded, “…My research direction is mainly New Civilization History, which is closely related to the Motivation Theory. This discipline is too complex, and we urgently need more geniuses to perfect it.”

Zhang Yuan said, “In the future, I could try to learn it. After all, after waking up from hibernation, there will be plenty of time.”

Professor Lin Fangzheng replied, “That would be great. I’ll send some materials to your email. If you’re interested, have a look… And if you come up with any good ideas, you could try writing some related papers and send them to me.”

“The history of Earth Civilization will bring a qualitative change to this discipline. We must seize this opportunity.”

Zhang Yuan felt somewhat amused, a political discipline disguised as mathematics suddenly seemed less repelling. Even Earth’s rulers supported this discipline; it was a little puzzling as to why these experts wielded such influence.

After saying goodbye to Professor Lin, Zhang Yuan returned to his bedroom and heaved a sigh.

He read with a mix of excitement and apprehension about this famous yet somewhat mysterious discipline…

A day later.

His face alternating between red and pale, he put down the materials, feeling as if he had been persuaded.

With just a glimpse of the surface, he felt his knowledge reserves were insufficient.

This discipline seemed as if it originated from mysterious chaos. It was hard to imagine the creator’s brilliance.

As he read, the intricate structure even made him want to applaud in admiration!

But, unfortunately, the discipline had birthed an ultimate prophecy: Earth Civilization was nothing more than an ordinary civilization.

…

Over the next ten months, Zhang Yuan fully embraced his workaholic nature and became exceptionally busy. He published several papers, one on the application of Ricci curvature flow in industrial design and another involving topological obstacle theory methods, both receiving favorable responses.

However, due to the relatively small total population, it always felt somewhat lacking.

The entire living environment was undergoing dramatic changes; people were entering hibernation every day.

The thought of soon having to bid farewell to this era made whatever he did seem to lose its original significance.

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This feeling was peculiar.

Perhaps, humans are inherently social creatures. If there were only one person left in the world, even with eternal life, it wouldn’t hold much meaning.

This day had finally come, it was Zhang Yuan’s turn for hibernation.

“Here’s to you!”

After completing his final work summary, Academician Ding and Senior Brother Zhao were seeing him off. His other close friends, Li Zhendong and Ye Kaifu, had already entered hibernation; it had been Zhang Yuan who had bid them farewell.

Clink!

Zhang Yuan merely touched his lips to the glass, sipping a bit of the boiled water inside.

To prepare for hibernation, he hadn’t eaten for two days, just receiving regular injections of glucose to maintain bodily functions. His stomach was empty, but under the effects of the medication, he felt no hunger at all.

“Have you said goodbye to all your friends on Earth?”

“I have.”

Zhang Yuan couldn’t say much more. He had sent video messages to each of his friends on Earth and received many well-wishes in return.

Perhaps it was the hibernation drugs, but Zhang Yuan felt his mind was clouded, a touch duller than usual.

This dullness also masked the despair and loss that preceded hibernation.

“Go on, in a while, we’ll be entering hibernation too,” Academician Ding shook his head and sighed softly, “This era will inevitably pass. Don’t be too sad; we, this generation, must be prepared for this…”

Soon, Zhang Yuan arrived at the hibernation check-in.

A middle-aged man asked quietly, “Do you have any regrets left behind?”

After pondering for a while, Zhang Yuan finally said, “No more.”

“Your assets?”

“They’ve been arranged accordingly.”

Then, he signed his name on the agreement.

With the help of two nurses, Zhang Yuan lay down quietly inside a rectangular hibernation device. Then, the nurses injected him with another dose of the drug.

To put it metaphorically, these hibernation chambers resembled drawers embedded within a large cooling mechanism.

Each person had less than two cubic meters of space, and in such a small area, they were to sleep for hundreds of years.

A heavy drowsiness descended upon him.

Though his nerves were completely numbed, the painful sense of separateness was unrelenting.

At that moment, Zhang Yuan felt an unstoppable sorrow within him.

“Do not worry, the failure rate of the hibernation chamber is below one in a million.”

“If nothing unusual occurs, your hibernation period will be 183 years, and then you will wake and work for approximately two years…”

183 years, such a long, truly lengthy time.

Amidst the nurse’s gentle voice, Zhang Yuan’s eyes slowly dimmed.

“In three more months, I’ll be going into hibernation too.”

“Yeah…”

These were the last two muffled phrases he heard.

Then, the hibernation chamber closed up, and the super-cold liquid engulfed him, solidifying his life.

The world plunged into darkness, as if a series of hallucinations appeared at the edge of death.

All memories from his life fluttered through his mind—kindergarten, primary school, high school, university… Countless precious memories; conversations with his father, that memo on Earth, and the stories that occurred on the spaceship…

Goodbye, this era.

Time at this moment, transformed from a slowly crawling snail into a rampaging wild horse.

From birth to death, from failure to success, love and joy, pursuit and struggle, excitement and despair, everything, all of it, condensed into a solitary and utterly meaningless singularity…

Some stories had happened.

Some stories had ended…

Many stories had occurred.

Many stories had concluded…

10 years…

20 years…

30 years…

100 years…

183 years!