Chapter 30: Various Speculations

Shen Xingyun stood alone beneath the brilliant expanse of the starry sky, gazing upward at the vast, infinite reaches of space. His heart remained restless, haunted by the words Professor Su Chunyang had spoken during their last meeting: "The energy fluctuations on Earth may be inextricably linked to outer space."

What secrets lay hidden in that immense void?

His assistant, Yang Donghua, stepped forward and said softly, "Professor, it is cold out here. Perhaps you should return inside."

Shen Xingyun smiled faintly and replied, "It is fine. As long as there is work to be done, my mind feels at ease. Donghua, is there any new data regarding the recent meteor shower?"

"Yes," Yang Donghua answered. "According to statistics from the Intelligent Cloud computer at the Southwest Institute of Science, the meteors that have recently fallen to Earth appear to carry a unique form of energy, as their arrival caused localized power outages."

Professor Shen was well acquainted with the "Intelligent Cloud," a new type of biological artificial intelligence. Beyond its immense computational power, it possessed reasoning and cognitive capabilities akin to those of a human, enabling it to actively deduce problems that remained obscure or overlooked by humanity—a reality that brought both potential crises and opportunities.

Currently, computers like the "Intelligent Cloud" were only in preliminary trials at select departments and had not been released to the public. However, its potential for civilian use was vast, and it was destined to become a powerful tool for serving human society.

Professor Shen frowned, pondering to himself: Was the situation truly this dire? He knew that as the roof of the world, the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau and the Himalayas had always endured a higher frequency of meteor impacts, but this time, the circumstances felt different.

Returning indoors, Shen Xingyun asked the intern, Yuan Jie, "Are you still persisting with that old relic to observe outer space? Any new progress?"

Yuan Jie understood his mentor was referring to the 2.4-meter diameter optical telescope at the Lijiang Observatory, a British-made instrument that had been in service for decades. Despite its age, it remained one of the largest general-purpose optical telescopes in East Asia.

Worried that there might be errors in the stellar spectrum records, Yuan Jie quickly replied, "Don’t worry, Professor, the observation process is proceeding smoothly."

Professor Shen nodded. Yuan Jie suddenly asked, "Professor, you asked us to record observations of the Milky Way, but the universe is vast—why focus only on our own galaxy?"

Shen Xingyun smiled and countered, "Do you find it easier to locate someone in a crowded place or in a place with few people?"

"In a place with few people, of course," the assistants answered in unison.

Yuan Jie continued, "But the Milky Way contains hundreds of billions of stars like the Sun; it is far too expansive. I really don't know where it is best to look."

Shen Xingyun smiled patiently and explained, "Although the Milky Way is massive, nearly half of its stars are concentrated in its central region, making the choice of observation coordinates crucial. Focusing on vibrant nebulae, in particular, often yields more significant results."

Yuan Jie nodded thoughtfully.

Shen Xingyun continued, "I mentioned earlier that there is an emission nebula called NGC 6188 in the constellation Ara, 4,000 light-years from Earth. Have you observed it?"

"Professor, I have. NGC 6188 is composed of a vast collection of young stars, some only a few million years old. But I am uncertain—has a black hole already formed within the NGC 6188 nebula, or is one currently in the process of forming?" Yuan Jie asked, his face full of confusion.

Shen Xingyun spoke with focused intensity. "This nebula is arguably the youngest and most active emission nebula, with the open star cluster NGC 6193 at its core. You know that one light-year is approximately ten trillion kilometers, yet on the scale of cosmic objects, 4,000 light-years is practically on our doorstep—a neighbor to our planet."

Yuan Jie pointed at the screen, bewildered. "But I only see a patch of bright light; how can I tell if there are any changes?"

Shen Xingyun smiled gently. "How long have you been observing? It requires cumulative, continuous observation to yield results. The final batch of stars there may be evolving into supernovae, and the bright light we see now could very well be the sign of a black hole in the making."

Yang Donghua had a sudden thought. "Professor, do you think that during the formation of a black hole, some matter might be expelled?"

Shen Xingyun quickly opened a software program and said methodically, "It is likely. Look: the initial black hole originates from stellar explosions within the nebula, leading to supernovae or even neutron stars. As the orbits of two or more celestial bodies accelerate and shrink, they eventually collide and merge..."

As he spoke, he skillfully swiped the screen, bringing a stunning image of a supernova explosion into clear focus. "Even though a supernova explosion possesses immense gravity, accidents are inevitable, leading to the expulsion of certain matter. Therefore, we must closely monitor the subtle changes in the nebula’s data."

Yuan Jie looked troubled. "But these phenomena are so accidental, elusive, and fleeting. How are we supposed to detect them?"

Shen Xingyun nodded slightly, offering a hint. "Actually, it is not just stars that can form black holes. In fact, any object can potentially become a black hole under the right conditions."

Yuan Jie responded while quickly pulling up the latest data from the computer. "Professor, lately I have noticed that the edges of the NGC 6188 nebula seem to be growing brighter. Does this mean another supernova has erupted?"

Shen Xingyun’s eyes lit up. "This is a significant discovery..." Before he could finish, he walked briskly to the telescope, opened the lens cap, and prepared to verify the observation.

Professor Shen knew that while the supermassive black hole at the center of the galaxy had already completed its fusion, the galaxies at the edges were likely still undergoing constant change.

For days, he had felt an underlying sense of unease. The frequency of meteor showers in the sky had spiked, and the arrival of torrential rains and hail often rendered weather forecasts inaccurate. While similar events had occurred in the past, these anomalies seemed increasingly pronounced.

Professor Shen fell into deep thought, a single notion flashing through his mind: Could there be something wrong with space-time itself?

He realized that if space-time were truly abnormal, the consequences would be immeasurable. It could not only overturn existing astronomical theories but also trigger a chain reaction affecting Earth’s ecological environment and human life.

He wondered: Was it as the legends said—that time was running out for humanity? He had to hurry.

Meanwhile, police investigations confirmed that on the night of the racing accident involving Yao Kui and others, toxic substances had indeed been released at the scene.

Professor Zhao Xinru and her team at the Kunming Institute of Biology detected that some of the individuals present at the scene were already showing adverse reactions and symptoms, while others might still be in the incubation period.

Furthermore, scientists discovered that this virus, known as the "Halaha Virus"—now referred to as the "Plague of Disillusionment"—had previously been found in an ancient tomb. Because the unearthed artifacts bore inscriptions similar to "Halaha," it was named accordingly.

To this day, samples of this virus remain locked in a biological gene vault in Shenzhen, left unstudied because biologists suspect it may contain elements of "mirror life."

The report submitted by Zhao Xinru and her team indicated that the "Plague of Disillusionment" contains molecules of mirror life. Given the current level of medical science, they had never encountered a molecular structure so radically different from normal human DNA, making it extremely dangerous.

Dean Lin specifically asked Professor Zhao about this issue: "What is mirror life? What are mirror factors? Could this be related to the 'mirror space-time' Professor Su mentioned?"

Professor Zhao replied, "Mirror life is a technical term in biology, not yet discovered in the real world. However, components containing mirror life factors appeared as early as ancient times. It is just that throughout the long evolution of nature, the structures that dominate current life developed rationally and rapidly, forming the structural order of today's mainstream biological world. In reality, mirror life molecules still exist; they simply never gained the opportunity to develop. But now, some people, through artificial synthesis and especially with the participation of AI technology, have made the rebirth of mirror life a possibility."

"What is so terrifying about that?" Dean Lin pressed.

"It is terrifying indeed! It is completely different from the structure of our existing life. Once it appears, the order of all life will be thoroughly overturned. Take the simplest bacteria as an example: a single mirror bacterium could destroy an immune system that all living things have evolved over billions of years to build. Whether it is humans, animals, or plants, no immune system has ever encountered bacteria with a mirror-molecular structure. Once invaded by mirror bacteria, the immune system cannot even recognize the threat, let alone defend against or resist it. More fatally, not only would these immune systems fail, but all existing medications would also lose their effectiveness."

"This is truly horrifying! It sounds as if this mirror life would bring an apocalyptic catastrophe to our world!" Dean Lin exclaimed, his face pale with panic.