Кузовной ящик

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It was as if he had floated out of the airplane window and fallen into the dark center of the Milky Way. He spun rapidly, feeling a little dizzy. He saw a sky full of dazzling stars, and a blue shadow gliding rapidly forward in front of him. He was holding a rope, and the rope was tied around his neck. Following behind him was a slender shadow, a shadow that was delicate, graceful, and incredibly beautiful.

Pitch black, frozen, the sound of wind, pressure, helplessness, clenched fists, about to fall into the abyss of darkness, a whistling wind blowing in his ears, he could feel a kind of pain, but he wasn't being shattered into pieces, and colorful 3D computer-generated circles surrounded him. Then, slowly, slowly, the light from those circles gradually faded, and finally he landed in a house, the blinding light inside making it impossible for him to open his eyes.

When he opened his eyes, he found himself in the Global Bureau of Investigation's office, with Habbs shining his small flashlight on him.

He turned off the light and asked with a smile, as usual, "Any clues?"

"Yes." Jin Dun clutched his head, slowly regaining his senses.

"It's you?" Only then did he clearly see Habis's face.

"It's me," Habbs said with his usual forced smile. "Any new developments in the case?"

He thought about it for a moment, and the bold and terrifying hypothesis began to become clear.

"have."

"Tell me about it," Habis said, still displaying his characteristic Arabic affability.

“If Professor Park Woo-seok is the mastermind behind all this, then the problem is easily solved.”

"This... how is this possible?" A layer of confusion clouded Habis's fat face, and his pimple-covered face twitched.

"Suppose that Professor Park Woo-seok, in order to get the Federation to activate his Matrix project, creates the illusion of Planet X invading Earth, and..."

Humanity sensed an imminent crisis, forcing the Federation to push forward with its Matrix project. Professor Nie Longping was his greatest adversary and the biggest obstacle to the project's progress. Therefore, he sought to eliminate Professor Nie. Directly killing Professor Nie would be too obvious; the disappearances of the previous three professors were merely scapegoats, and he would then attribute these culpability to an alien invasion.

“The theft of the original copy of the Book of Changes has nothing to do with this matter.” Habis seemed to agree with him.

"The theft and return of the original *I Ching* is merely a smokescreen, or rather, a ploy to attract the attention of the Global Investigation Bureau. The Federal Bureau of Antiquities is controlled by Professor Park Woo-seok's disciples, and major museums worldwide are also under its jurisdiction. It's no problem for them to orchestrate a deceptive charade. Professor Nie is an authority on 'mathematical logic' and is extremely interested in the original *I Ching*, a fact well-known among many academics. He even humbled himself to ask Professor Park Woo-seok to help him obtain the original to verify his theories, but Park Woo-seok refused, citing non-compliance with regulations. Meanwhile, Professor Nie's daughter, Saviel, is in Xianyang, China, and Park Woo-seok initiates his plan to eliminate Professor Nie at this time. Therefore, the Global Investigation Bureau will undoubtedly focus all its attention on Saviel and the original *I Ching*, keeping us in limbo and obscuring the true purpose of all this—the Matrix Project."

"Professor Park Woo-seok is a recognized leading figure in the scientific community and a leader of the Federation's think tank. Would he really do something like this?" Habis was a little skeptical.

"The price is indeed high. But the allure of being the father of a Type IV civilization is also considerable. Besides, when humanity enters a Type IV civilization, who will remember the cases from before? He will already be the god of that world."

"But can Professor Park Woo-seok really interfere with the Earth's magnetic field using a strong magnetic field? As for the nuclear explosion in western China originating from Planet X, how do we explain that it can only be treated as an isolated event?"

Jin Dun sighed and ran his hands through his hair. "There are still many doubts. I'm not so willing to believe my own reasoning. This is not what I originally thought."

"That overturns all your original ideas, it's driving me crazy!" Habis was very dissatisfied and began to tap the table with his fingers to vent his anger.

“Denying the past is always painful.” Jin Dun felt frustrated because he had worked so hard but couldn’t get his boss’s approval.

"Then how am I supposed to make decisions in the future?" Habis pounded on the conference table in a fit of rage.

Jin Dun was startled awake by a commotion. It had just been a dream; the sound of Habis pounding the conference table in a fit of rage had come from the airplane. He took a deep breath; he'd been under too much pressure these past few days, even managing to dream while sitting at his desk. He shook his head, sensing something was wrong, trying to shake off that magical, unsettling feeling—it was terrifying, wanting to completely possess him, tempting his thoughts.

A loud bang was heard, and the plane shook violently.

Some timid female passengers screamed, followed by children crying. The entire cabin was in chaos: the rattling of the cabin, the creaking of the seats, screams, and cries for help...

A silent announcement came on: "Dear passengers, please be quiet. The aircraft has entered a magnetic field interference zone. In-flight video is slightly interrupted. The aircraft is flying normally. Please remain seated and do not panic..."

Upon hearing "magnetic interference," Jin Dun immediately recalled the magnetic interference he had experienced last month and reached for his "rotating magnetic field phase-reversing regulator" at his waist. This was a weapon secretly developed by the intelligence agency, drawing on the combined efforts of research institutions worldwide, to deal with that terrifying strong magnetic field.

He felt incredibly tired. The moment he lost focus, that urge would haunt him, as if trying to pry open his fingers from the "regulator." He tried to press the switch, but his fingers ached, and he felt utterly weak. The plane shook even more violently, and Jin Dun's mind cleared slightly. He clenched his fists tightly, pricking his palms with the tip of his little finger, forcing himself to open his eyes. If the plane crashed, it would be the end. Was someone trying to kill him?

He gritted his teeth and measured the frequency of the interfering magnetic field, then selected the inverted magnetic field frequency. He then pressed the launch button to generate the inverted frequency using the rotating magnetic field, and the anti-interference measure worked immediately, stabilizing the aircraft. Fortunately, the interfering magnetic field wasn't too strong, which is why the "rotating magnetic field inverting regulator" came in handy. If a magnetic field as strong as the one that interfered with the Earth's magnetic field last month had appeared, the presence of an inverted magnetic field would have definitely caused a strong geomagnetic storm.

He tightened his fingers, his mind relaxed slightly, and in an instant he felt his brain being controlled again. He saw airplanes soaring in the vast sky, ships sailing on the boundless sea, and expeditions traveling through the desolate plains and the endless white snow of the Arctic...

He could clearly feel his consciousness being guided; someone wanted to control his thoughts and uncover the truth about the "regulator" in his hand. He bit his tongue, trying to escape through the cracks in the other's consciousness, but the pressure was too great, the magical control of that consciousness too strong. He could only maintain a sliver of clarity, unable to retaliate. Suddenly, he felt the pressure ease, and that consciousness seemed to vanish in an instant. He desperately opened his eyes.

Jin Dun saw the man in blue sitting next to him take advantage of the plane's shaking to subtly reach out and tug at the bronze handbag of Saviel in the row in front of him. Due to the shaking, Saviel's right arm was tightly wrapped around Chu Xunfeng, causing the small bag on her left arm to loosen.

It turned out that the man in blue wanted to switch the bronze handbag on Xavier's arm.

The plane shuddered as if it had lost its balance again, and with another hiss, as if a spring had snapped, a black object flew towards Saviel like an arrow. Chu Xunfeng didn't have time to think and grabbed Saviel in his arms.

With a "thud," the black mechanical part slammed solidly into Chu Xunfeng's back. He felt a sudden darkness before his eyes, a sweet taste in his throat, and he almost spat out a mouthful of blood.

Saviel screamed, her voice trembling with tears, "Xunfeng, how is it?"

"It's alright," Chu Xunfeng forced a smile through the pain, "Luckily, I practiced Chinese Qigong for a few years."

The plane stabilized somewhat, the shaking stopped, and the swaying crowd could finally sit still, though the noise continued intermittently. When Chu Xunfeng hugged Savi, he also caught her handbag in his arms. Seeing that forcing it wouldn't work, the man in blue withdrew his hand. Pretending nothing had happened, he pulled out his calculator and began calculating something again.

Jin Dun realized that the person in blue beside him was controlling his thoughts. He bit his tongue, closed his eyes, concentrated, and tried his best to resist the other's consciousness.

About half a minute later, another loud crash rang out, and the plane shook even more violently. Everyone jolted, and Xavier jumped half a yard from her seat, dropping her bronze handbag. The man in blue moved with lightning speed, quickly switching the handbag back.

The golden shield was also shaken and tilted, landing right on the man in blue. He felt that the man in blue was as cold as a zombie.

"Sorry," he said in English, as if he were groggily waking up from a dream.

He glanced at the man in blue, then headed towards the restroom.

In the restroom, he turned on his watch, quickly wrote a few words on it with his finger, and sent it to the Global Investigation Bureau's remote network: "Xianyang-Leipzig China Southern Airlines: Flight CG3156, arrival time GMT 3 10:40, seat 25, key suspect, male, wearing blue. Arrest immediately. Golden Shield."

Note:

①The iris, also known as the "iris," is located between the cornea and the lens of the eye, with the pupil passing through it. The iris contains pigment, and its color varies among different races. What people usually refer to as "eye color" is actually the color of the iris.

②PDA is an abbreviation for Personal Digital Assistant. This handheld device integrates multiple functions such as computing, telephone, fax, and internet access.

③The local time on the Greenwich Meridian, or the time zone of the zero time zone (central time zone), is called Greenwich Mean Time, also known as "Universal Time".

Part 6

Newton's New Clothes (Part 1)

When Xavier brought Chu Xunfeng to her home in Leipzig, it was already 3:00 PM.

Professor Nie Longping's villa is located east of Leipzig University. He calls his house "Yi Zhuang," a distinctly Chinese name, the reason for which remains unknown. The house is surrounded by lush greenery. Leipzig University is one of Germany's top universities, and its eastern side is considered to contain almost all of Leipzig's best resources, a place of intellectual and academic excellence. It's also known as a hub for Germany's "golden brains," on par with the Left Bank of the Seine in continental Europe. It's said that a single stone falling from a rock could knock down nine professors, with the one who survives being a PhD.

In Germany, there are only two types of housing: apartments and villas. Villas refer to detached houses; there are no terraced, semi-detached, or stacked houses. This is because Germany has a relatively small population and a large land area, so there's no need for people to live crammed together in terraced houses, and certainly no reason for a world-class professor like Nie Longping to endure noise. Secondly, German villas are all custom-made and highly personalized. They are generally designed by the owners themselves; no one wants several families sharing a single wall to build a uniform, barracks-like "terraced" villa. Stacked houses are absolutely impossible; in the eyes of Germans, they are practically no different from apartments.

"Yizhuang" is like a woman hidden away in her boudoir, naturally beautiful and elegant, nestled among trees and vines, like a maiden draped in a green veil. This place was once filled with the laughter of Saviour's childhood, the aroma of her mother's "sausages" and "cocktails," and the sound of her father holding her little hand as they walked through the woods, their footsteps rustling through the autumn leaves.

Now everything has changed. Saviel no longer feels the warmth and brightness, nor that bone-deep sense of security and comfort. She can no longer see her mother waiting for her at the door, nor hear her father reading aloud from his study. Only two Global Bureau of Investigation officers stand guard at the door, a stark contrast to this academic and sentimental world.

Tears streamed silently down her face. Saviel tiptoed and held Chu Xunfeng's hand tightly, her mind hazy, as if afraid of driving away that distant dream.

When she reached the study, Saviel hesitated to push the door open. She knew this place all too well; she couldn't guarantee what would happen if she went in and didn't see her father.

"Dad!" She saw Nie Longping sitting in the study, looking back at her. His all-white hair was still as stubborn as ever. She screamed with joy, "Dad!"

There was no one there, only an empty desk, where the subconscious was flowing.

Was it an illusion? Saviel gently touched the chair his father had sat in.

The desk was still a mess. A Chinese pen holder, "Made by Xi Zhi," with an antique feel and an engraving of the Chinese "Tai Chi" symbol, held a gilded fountain pen at an angle inside. It was carelessly placed on the sharp corner of the desk, almost falling to the floor.

A book sat on the desk—"Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy." Although Chu Xunfeng studied humanities, he was still familiar with this groundbreaking work.

The book was turned to the first page, and below the title *Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy* and the author Newton's name, a few words were written in hastily in German: *Neue Kleidung des Newtons*. Translated into English, it means "Newton's new clothes." This was the professor's last handwriting.

The desk faced the window, where the warm winter sunlight peeked through the gaps in the trees and slanted in through the blinds. The Neue Kleidung des Newtons, bathed in this sunlight, shimmered silver, its glossy pages reflecting the sunlight in an eerie halo. The room was vast and deep, with only that single ray of sunlight moving silently through the space. It seemed to be the only living thing; within its radius, one could see swishing dust motes dancing and twirling.

"Newton's New Clothes, Newton's New Clothes?" Chu Xunfeng muttered to himself, "What does Newton's New Clothes mean?"

Saviel shook her head.

This is undoubtedly Professor Nie's handwriting; no one could write a more illegible font.

What does this signify? Did he realize he was in danger and leave a final clue to the police or his daughter, indicating his whereabouts? Or was it just something he wrote down on the spot?

The study looked no different from usual, as if Professor Nie had simply gone on vacation. Although it was messy, nothing seemed amiss.

Newton's New Clothes? Newton's new clothes. Newton's New Clothes? The Emperor's New Clothes? It's a ridiculous king, a fairy tale, what does it have to do with the scientific giant Newton?

Chu Xunfeng felt his thoughts were a bit confused. He looked up and suddenly saw a blue shadow flash past the window. When he looked closely, there was nothing there, but his eyes were blinded by the light.

A round silver coin hung on the window frame, its angle shifted by the wind, reflecting light directly into Chu Xunfeng's eyes. "It's that again?" Chu Xunfeng shuddered. He vaguely remembered the same silver coin hanging around the child's neck. A sense of unease gripped him; this was no ordinary object, surely concealing a crucial clue. He carefully removed it from the window frame, examining it closely, trying to uncover some hidden secret within this ancient coin. The coin was worn from its age, but had clearly been well-preserved. The designs on both sides were still faintly discernible. The obverse featured a profile portrait of a German duke, his hair curly, clad in military attire, his expression dignified and imposing. His prominent nose and slightly parted lips conveyed his former arrogance. Surrounding the duke's portrait were the German inscriptions RUDOLPHUS, AUGUSTUS, D, G:DUXBR, E:TL—likely his name. The horizontal inscription below the portrait, RXA, is written in an old German script, with rather complex letters in the middle.

The reverse of the silver coin is far more intricate than the obverse: a dark expanse of water emanates from the top of the coin, possibly symbolizing "sunlight descending from the sky," reminiscent of the creation story in Western Christianity. A rectangular table neatly displays the correspondence between binary and decimal numbers in the center. On either side of the rectangle, numerous calculation equations are densely packed, too intricate to decipher. What is still legible is a ring of German text encircling the water's surface: Ominibus (everything) EXNihiloDucends (from "nothingness") SUFFICITUWUM (one and enough), which translates to "everything originates from nothingness," fitting the metaphorical and suggestive style of Eastern philosophy, aligning with the Taoist cosmology of creation from nothingness, and seemingly mysteriously resonating with the Eastern classic *I Ching*'s statement, "Great indeed is the Qian principle, from which all things originate."

The Japanese detective guarding the area said the scene couldn't be disturbed, so he hung the ancient silver coin back in its original place. The coin was easily visible from the professor's desk. It hovered alone in the air, sometimes turning half a circle to the left, sometimes half a circle to the right. As the light and shadow shifted, it emitted a dazzling, flickering glow.

Chu Xunfeng glanced at the bookshelf again and saw a book peeking out from under the shelf, while the other books were neatly arranged. He gently brushed the top edge of the book; there was no dust, so it seemed that the book had been read recently. The title was "On the Technique of Combinations" by Leibniz, and the book was filled with dense annotations.

Just then, they heard a voice from the police officers downstairs, saying that someone was looking for Saviel outside.

It was Professor Cole, Saviel's neighbor, and her daughter, Herman. Cole was Professor Nie's colleague in the college, conducting research in applied mathematics. Although not as famous as Professor Nie, he was still a leading figure in number theory and arithmetic. He had watched Saviel grow up and adored this bright and clever girl. He often came over to play with Saviel and his daughter, Herman.

Saviel was quiet, dignified, and graceful, while Hermann was clever, lively, and spirited. If Saviel was a serene and refined lady, then Hermann was a spirited and energetic young woman. Saviel was a naturally traditional woman, while Hermann was a forward-thinking and energetic young woman. She had a baby face, extremely cute, with large eyes that could steal one's soul with a single glance, and her eyes curved into crescents when she smiled. There was a noticeable beauty mark between her eyebrows, but unfortunately, it wasn't located between them, but rather at the golden ratio point where her eyebrows met.

Saviel possessed exceptional talent in science, making her a top student in the School of Information Sciences. Herman, however, did not inherit Professor Cole's aptitude; his once captivating gaze dimmed at the sight of numbers, though he did show considerable aptitude for history and geography. Due to their differing interests, their relationship was lukewarm, especially as they grew older and focused on their studies, leading to even less contact.

Chu Xunfeng was surprised to see Hermann. He and Hermann were classmates in the Department of Classical Philosophy and had known each other for a long time. Hermann had long admired this "Xu Zhimo" from the East, especially liking his heroic demeanor when he shouted "I wield Wu spears and wear rhinoceros armor" and then waved his sleeves to "bid farewell to the Yi River".

Perhaps due to his exceptional intelligence, Professor Cole is completely bald. He has a distinctive German-style nose, and his deep-set eyes reveal a meticulous nature.

“Uncle Cole, I…” Saviel felt like she had seen a long-lost relative, and tears welled up in her eyes again.

"On the contrary. Child, you need to be stronger now." Cole patted her on the shoulder.

"On the contrary," Chu Xunfeng was taken aback. What did that mean?

Saviel nodded slightly: "Uncle Cole, did you find anything when my father disappeared?"

"On the contrary, I didn't find anything. Your father is a very busy man. We only talk occasionally and don't have much time to talk together."

Is there anything unusual?

“Just the right thing…” Professor Cole realized then that it wasn’t the other way around. “The night before he disappeared, I heard a loud laugh coming from Yizhuang, that kind of laugh, that kind of laugh…” Professor Cole’s face turned pale, as if he could hear that heart-wrenching, tearing laugh that pierced the night again. He shrugged, a chilling fear creeping into his heart.

"What are you laughing at?"

"A near-manic laugh, it was as if, it seemed like..."

"It seems like something."

"I can't quite put my finger on it, it's like a child finding his most beloved toy."

Upon hearing this, Xavier fell into deep thought.

It looks like a child has found his favorite toy.

Herman gently took Saviel's hand: "Let's go have dinner together. You can sleep at my place tonight!" Herman was worried that they wouldn't dare stay in "Yizhuang".

“It’s alright, this is my home,” Xavier said. “There’s nothing to be afraid of.”

Cole thought for a moment: "On the contrary, we still need to be careful. Come have dinner with me."

“Okay, let me see if there are any other clues.” She suddenly remembered something: “What about my father’s computer?”

She called out to the police officers outside.