bad seeds - Chapter 11
"Yes." I nodded in understanding.
He took a deep breath, and that fake smile disappeared from his face. What he said next made us realize that the problem was not as simple as we had imagined.
“Yes, I do need your help,” he said. “It’s definitely not for my own promotion, wealth, or fame. The information you have is not only important to me, but also crucial to all of China and even the world!”
He paused, then said, "Believe me, this is not an exaggeration; we're in big trouble!"
Chapter Six - The Answer to the Parchment Scroll
"What big trouble? Human experimentation?"
"I'm not in the mood for jokes. The problems we're facing are far more terrifying than you can imagine. Would you believe me if I told you that it would turn every inch of China into a Gobi Desert like this?"
"You're talking nonsense!" Ye Tong said.
“I believe you!” I stared into his eyes—the Liang Yingwu with whom I had gone through many incredible and strange events, the serious but humorless Liang Yingwu I knew, the Liang Yingwu as a scientist, not as a bureaucrat or agent, was back now. “I need to know what really happened, and if it’s as you say, I will do everything I can to help you.”
"Thank you, that's great." Liang Yingwu's smile finally became a little better than before. "Within my authority, I will try my best to satisfy your curiosity."
We have reached an agreement on this.
He looked as if he had breathed a sigh of relief.
First, Liang Yingwu explained the ins and outs of this event to us.
It all started with something so absurd it was almost laughable, something that no rational person would believe.
That is the "demon mountain" that is widely known in Delingha, Baigong Mountain.
The story became increasingly outlandish as it spread, eventually evolving into the claim that "Mount Baigong is the site of aliens."
Perhaps for the sake of developing tourism resources and boosting the economy, the relevant departments in Delingha erected a monument in front of Baigong Mountain after a cursory survey – “Delingha City Alien Site”.
This was clearly a publicity stunt, but the central government still took it very seriously. A special research team was dispatched to conduct sampling studies. The original intention of this measure was to dispel rumors and reassure the public.
But things weren't as simple as they imagined.
The metal sample contained considerable radioactivity, with iron oxide comprising over 30% of its composition, and significant amounts of silicon dioxide and calcium oxide. This is related to the long-term corrosion and fusion of sandstone, sand, and iron, indicating that the pipeline is quite old. Furthermore, 8% of the elements in the sample could not be identified by analytical methods.
This is a laboratory test report from Xitieshan Smelter, a subsidiary of Western Mining Group, China's second-largest non-ferrous metal smelting group.
"As you know, the matter was immediately transferred to our 'X Organization,' and we also conveyed the 'debunking' message to major media outlets and research institutions through relevant departments, using public opinion to suppress the matter. As a result, the research on this incident went underground," Liang Yingwu said.
"And then you closed the mountain?" I asked.
“No, that’s not the case,” Liang Yingwu explained. “In fact, to ensure the secrecy of ‘Organization X,’ we usually don’t use blockades or similar drastic methods to avoid contact with the public. It was a later discovery that escalated the situation and forced us to do this.”
"Here's what happened: those samples were transferred to our laboratory at the Chinese Academy of Sciences for further research. However, after about half a month, the important equipment in the laboratory was damaged to varying degrees, with its accuracy greatly reduced or it was simply scrapped. Because of this, the young man in charge of equipment preservation almost got taken to court for dereliction of duty."
"After reviewing the 24-hour surveillance videotapes, we were convinced that this could not have been done by someone. So, our focus naturally shifted to the recently delivered research samples. We conducted comprehensive experimental tests on all the samples delivered within the last three months, including the iron pipe slice sample from Qinghai. The test results were quite astonishing!"
"Just as some plants accumulate elements from their surroundings, those iron pipe slices accumulate metals and metal salts from their surroundings through a medium, causing them to grow in size and damage surrounding equipment."
Liang Yingwu took a sip of water and continued:
"We specifically inquired with the Xitieshan Smelter Laboratory and were told that their equipment had also been damaged to varying degrees."
"Given its destructive impact on the surrounding environment, we have decided to upgrade the incident to A3 level and request the military's assistance in sealing off Mount Baigong for on-site investigation."
"It's not as serious as you said before," I said.
"You don't understand. According to our measurements, its enrichment capacity is astonishingly strong. Just one branch can enrich more than 90% of the metals and metal salts within a 1-square-meter radius in a single day. In other words, no living organism can survive around it, and the environment will be severely damaged, with the soil rapidly turning into desert."
"So what are your research results?" Ye Tong asked.
“Very strange!” Liang Yingwu frowned. “Both the ‘mother’ sample in Baigong Mountain and the sample separated from the ‘mother’ sample have been shown to have the same function of enriching metals and metal salts in the environment, but they are greatly affected by environmental factors.”
"Through experiments, we determined that both radioactivity and low temperatures can inhibit or even destroy their enrichment function; however, detached from..."
The 'parent' sample, when exposed to radiation, showed only a 30% decrease in enrichment capacity. However, in an environment of -15 to -20 degrees Celsius, its enrichment capacity dropped by more than 90% instantaneously, and at around -25 degrees Celsius, its enrichment capacity was destroyed and could not be recovered. This indicates that the effect of radiation exposure was relatively minor.
"The 'parent' component is much more powerful. Its enrichment capacity remains at around 20% even at temperatures as low as -30 degrees Celsius. But what surprised us was that it was significantly affected by radiation. When exposed to strong radiation, its enrichment capacity was only 2 to 3% of the average level. However, under any circumstances, its enrichment capacity was not destroyed, but merely suppressed."
"So what do you know about the Neolithic village ruins on the shores of Lake Kruk?" I asked.
"Yes, just a week ago, we received a new assignment regarding a strange discovery at the ancient village ruins near Lake Kruk, which is the place you visited. The stone slab with the strange carvings—I think you've already seen it—has been dated to the Neolithic period based on C-14 isotope analysis and surface corrosion. Experts told me that even during the Spring and Autumn Period, such exquisite geometric craftsmanship would have been difficult to achieve, let alone such processing of hard granite in the Neolithic period. It is clearly the work of an extraterrestrial civilization."
"Since Lake Crook and Mount White are so close, we naturally assumed that they had some unknown connection. However, we had no idea what that connection was until we followed you and discovered this well-preserved alien spaceship."
Liang Yingwu's narration came to an end here. He stared at us with eager eyes and said:
“I have told you everything we know. Now it’s your turn to tell me things I don’t know. Hurry up, we don’t have much time.”
“What we did was entirely out of our own curiosity. Our actions were far less scientific than yours. In fact, they were more like a superstitious activity.” Ye Tong took over the conversation and began to describe to Liang Yingwu in detail why we came to Delingha and everything we had experienced: the sacrifices, the emergence of the “demon-slaying warriors,” the legends of our people, the five parchment scrolls, the search for the “sacred chamber,” and our escape from death.
I was somewhat distracted. After learning about the situation at Baigong Mountain, the whole story gradually connected in my mind, and I was trying my best to sort it out.
"Clearly, what your people call the 'demon' is the 'mother body' in Baigong Mountain that has the ability to accumulate metals. In fact, my colleagues and I are well aware of the harm this 'mother body' has caused. The desertification of this land, the displacement of your ancestors, and the salinization of Tosu Lake are probably all related to it. However, with our current level of technology, we simply cannot destroy its enrichment ability." At this point, Liang Yingwu said with some frustration, "Our research costs are astonishingly high. Every half month, we have to replace the obsolete equipment with a new batch of equipment, but we can't just let it go. If the 'mother body's' fragments spread, the impact on the environment will be incalculable. We can't even get rid of it and launch it into space. My time is running out, which is why I'm seeking your help. If I can't come up with a solution by the end of the month, the central government will stop allocating funds to this research project. Now, whether we can destroy its enrichment ability, or even further control and utilize it, this spaceship is our only hope!"
“However, the behavior of these aliens is somewhat strange,” Liang Yingwu continued. “Judging from the legends of your people, these people seem to be scientific workers observing Earth’s civilization, yet they have violated the moral principles that observers should uphold.”
"Normally, when a higher-level community observes a lower-level community, it is forbidden to interfere with the lower-level community's living environment. Promoting or guiding technological advancements is even more strictly prohibited. This is not only a rule on Earth, but also a universal rule in interstellar space. This is true of all the extraterrestrial civilizations that the United States, Russia, and other countries have encountered. However, regardless of the technological traces they left behind—iron tools, granite carvings, even the spaceships themselves—just considering their 'oracle' alone, they seem to be manipulating us like children..."
“You’re wrong!” I interrupted Liang Yingwu.
“I’ve always admired you. I always feel a sense of defeat in your presence, from childhood to adulthood. But do you know what you lack most?” I said with a hint of pride.
"What?"