Mein wilder Geist - Kapitel 10

Kapitel 10

I turned off the fluorescent light, and suddenly the only light in the room came from the faint glow of other lights outside the window.

The Empress took out a large flashlight, held it up to the crystal ball, and turned on the switch. The light from the flashlight shone through the crystal ball, creating a beautiful effect.

“Look at the shadows on the wall,” the Queen reminded them.

The flashlight beam passed through the crystal ball, casting a wondrous pattern on the wall.

It was a circular spot of light, but the brightness within it was not uniform. It formed many concentric circles from the outside in, each layer dimmer than the last.

I turned on the fluorescent light again, and everyone looked closely at the crystal ball. It was crystal clear and there was nothing unusual about it.

"Under normal light, it doesn't look any different from a regular crystal ball, but when you turn off the lights and shine a strong light on it, the difference becomes apparent."

"It seems this is the only clue that can help solve the mystery. But how could such a small crystal ball hold the answer to the great secret of the solar system?" I said, frowning as I pondered.

"Does this also need to be decoded? What information is hidden inside?" Ye Tong said, seemingly addicted to decoding.

I didn't say anything, though what she said was indeed possible.

"Why don't we give both of these to Organization X? After all, they have the strongest research capabilities." As I said this, I looked at Wei Hou.

"Why are you looking at me? Do whatever you say. You already had a share of this stuff, and now it's all yours. Do whatever you want with it," Empress Wei said readily.

“I can just take pictures of the skull, there’s really not much to study. I’ll send the crystal ball in tonight. By the way, Na Duo, do you have a way to contact Zhang Ming again? I remember when he completed the four pictures for you last time, he said that if you could figure out what was going on, he was willing to have an open and honest talk with you again.”

I perked up. Oh right, how could I forget that? "I'll send him an email as soon as I get back, just in case he's just giving me the runaround."

Liang Yingwu shook his head: "Looking back now, it doesn't seem like he was just giving you the runaround. If he were still on Earth, he would have come to meet you. You would definitely have gotten new clues from him, especially about that beam of high-energy particles. I believe the builders of that underwater base made some discoveries, otherwise they wouldn't have built the base. Those who choose to stay on Earth for a long time should have thought about how to solve the mystery, like the one in India, who lived there for hundreds of years and finally solved the mystery."

I nodded excitedly, then a strange thought suddenly occurred to me: "The Indian guy who finally solved the problem died immediately. If there had been a massive explosion at the base in the Java Trench, there probably wouldn't have been any survivors. Could it really be as the sage said, 'If one hears the Way in the morning, one can die content in the evening'?"

We arranged to meet again around this time next month. When Sir D left, he gave me a phone number, saying that he might not be able to come next time, and that I could call this number if I needed any help in the future.

When I got home that evening, I turned on my computer, pulled up the email Zhang Ming had sent me, and replied to the sender's address. The email clearly explained the meaning of the four pictures and pointed out his extraterrestrial identity. At the end, I also told him that I had obtained two items from the underwater temple at the Mahabalipuram ruins, which were closely related to solving this mystery, but I hadn't been able to decipher them yet, and I hoped to discuss them with him.

I believe that if he sees this letter, as long as he's not far from Earth, he'll come back to meet me.

After sending the email, I went online for a while, then took a shower. Not long after I lay down in bed, the phone rang. It had been no more than an hour; it was Zhang Ming.

"I saw your letter. When can we meet?"

I've started to get used to his straightforward style: "You're so quick! How about tomorrow? Tomorrow night, same time, same place."

“

The next day, Zhang Ming arrived as promised in a private room at Gengdu Garden.

When Zhang Ming came in, I extended my hand, and he smiled and extended his hand in return.

When our hands were clasped together, I didn't feel anything unusual.

"Why didn't you want to shake hands last time?" I asked with a smile.

“Creating a virtual entity consumes a lot of energy, but I brought enough energy with me today,” Zhang Ming said with a smile.

“I feel like even your expression is different now. You didn’t have so many expressions last time.”

Zhang Ming chuckled again: "This time we added an expression conversion system, which can convert our facial expressions into your corresponding reactions. I wasn't polite enough last time, so I'll make up for it this time."

These few words immediately put the atmosphere much more at ease.

However, I had a different understanding of Zhang Ming's change in attitude. Previously, facing a relatively primitive civilization, he naturally didn't need to put on a show. But now that I was qualified to converse with him, and even knew some information he desperately needed, he naturally had to show considerable respect. For example, a successful middle-aged man wouldn't pay much attention to a toddler, but he would have to be more attentive to a teenager who frequently utters surprising remarks.

Now, I've reached a level where I can communicate with him on equal footing. And this level was achieved through the collective efforts of a group of the world's top elites.

"You already know my situation, shouldn't you reintroduce yourself?"

A string of short syllables came out of Zhang Ming's mouth.

“This is my name, but I think it’s more convenient for you to call me Zhang Ming. I come from a planet 12,000 light-years away from our solar system. It’s a rather unstable binary star system, but our civilization still managed to develop. That’s nothing short of a miracle.” As he said this, a look of pride appeared on Zhang Ming’s face.

“According to you, I am a Vimo person from the Vimo Galaxy,” Zhang Ming said after thinking for a moment.

"Have you been on Earth for a long time?" I felt that he was very familiar with humans, for example, he spoke Chinese very well.

"It hasn't been that long; today is the ninety-fourth Earth Day."

"Oh? I thought you'd been living on Earth for decades."

"We can learn about Earth's civilization in a short time, but it's not so easy to understand it deeply."

I nodded. There must be some computer-like device that allows him to quickly collect data about Earth and make initial use of it.

"To be honest, I never expected you to discover this mystery in such a short time. I originally thought it was impossible for Earthlings at this stage. As bystanders, our discovery of this miracle was also very accidental, let alone for those involved."

I smiled slightly and said nothing. Discovering a secret involves many accidental factors, but I didn't intend to reveal them. Let this Vimo alien experience firsthand the formidable power of Earthlings.

"As a sign of respect, I am willing to tell you everything I know about this mystery."

Hearing how readily he was about to reveal everything, I guessed that Zhang Ming probably didn't believe I had truly made any discoveries he was unaware of, and that what he said in the letter was merely a tactic to lure him out. Deep down, he probably still held the idea that humans were superior to humans and was unwilling to break his promise to them lightly.

"I'd like to know, how did you feel when you first discovered the secrets of the four star maps of the solar system?"

"It's like the whole world has collapsed; that's a terrible feeling."

Zhang Ming smiled. I felt a little unhappy. But then I thought about how their technology far surpassed that of humans, and I realized I had no right to retaliate with a laugh.

But what Zhang Ming said next surprised me.

“The Vimo aliens were far more shocked than you were when they discovered this scene.”

"Although we now know that there are at least two directions for the development of civilization in the universe, the Vimo people are on the path of mechanical civilization. About four hundred Earth years ago, the mechanical civilization of Vimo had developed to a considerable level and began to leave our binary star system to explore the surrounding star regions. I think Earth civilization will need at least two hundred more years to reach that level."