"Speculation? What speculation?"
Zhang Chen asked curiously.
Shirley also turned her gaze to Xu Ruina.
Only Xiaobai was happily chatting with Mo Ran.
It was unclear if the latter could understand.
"Actually, I didn't participate in many of the subsequent experiments, but when they first started researching the meteorite energy, the Raven Laboratory established a physics research department!"
Xu Ruina had nothing to hide from Zhang Chen and told him honestly.
"A physics laboratory? Meteorite energy is biological energy, and it doesn't conform to any physics laws at all!"
Shirley interjected.
Upon hearing this, both Zhang Chen and Xu Ruina looked at Shirley with questioning eyes.
Because if either Zhang Chen or Xu Ruina had said this, it wouldn't have been strange.
Xu Ruina was a researcher herself and had the most say on this matter.
Zhang Chen had read most of Xu Ruina's research diaries, and he contained meteorite energy within his body, so he also had a say.
But how did Shirley know that meteorite energy broke the laws of physics?!
Shirley shrugged and said:
"This isn't much of a secret for survivors in the later stages of the apocalypse."
"We didn't have entertainment like TV shows or movies back then, so when we were bored, we would collect books and videos from the natives."
"But most of the books and videos within the high-walled cities were about the meteorite energy and the Great Cataclysm."
"Although they weren't explained in depth, the content covered a wide range, and it mentioned that biological energy and energy in the physics sense are very different!"
As she spoke, Shirley took out a book from her ring: "New Era: Continuation of Civilization."
Zhang Chen picked up the book and skimmed through it. It recorded the history of Tengxiang Country from ancient times to the present, with the most detailed being modern history—the history before the cataclysm.
Perhaps it was to pass down the knowledge, so that future survivors could know how the world became what it is today.
It also mentioned some research results that the Progressive Faction had published, including the fact that biological energy broke traditional physics laws, causing significant obstacles to experimental research.
At the end of the book, the author also mentioned that he would write a new book dedicated to recording the history of humanity after the New Era.
This made Zhang Chen immediately think of the notebook wrapped in scales, and it was possible that these two books were by the same author.
Xu Ruina showed an expression of "I see," nodded, and continued:
"Indeed, biological energy and physics energy manifest very differently. For instance, heat transfers from areas of high temperature to areas of low temperature to achieve energy equilibrium."
"But biological energy is the opposite; low-energy beings are attracted and consumed by high-energy beings, leading to a situation where the strong get stronger and the weak get weaker!"
"And then there's the most famous law of conservation of energy: energy cannot be created from nothing, nor can it disappear into nothing. It can only be transformed from one form to another, or transferred from one object to another, while the total amount of energy remains constant."
"But the energy in biological energy within the same system can increase or decrease."
"However, of course, after research, it was discovered that mechanical energy and thermal energy can be converted into biological energy, so at present, we cannot definitively conclude that biological energy can be non-conserving."
Xu Ruina paused here, her gaze fixed on Xiao Ruan floating in mid-air.
"Getting back to the physics laboratory, the purpose of this laboratory was mainly to research how biological energy could be combined with modern physics!"
"Later, it was discovered that biological energy possesses properties that transcend time and space—of course, the research process was very complex, and I won't go into detail here, but the result is indeed so."
"Therefore, someone proposed a hypothesis: if biological energy could be fully utilized, it might be possible to open the door to parallel universes, allowing humanity to draw endless energy from other universes."
"It might even be possible to create a perfect time and space, becoming a new home for humanity!"
"Human technological development would jump directly from interstellar travel to planar travel..."
"And the prerequisite for realizing this hypothesis is the existence of species that can utilize biological energy to traverse parallel spaces and can perfectly fuse with meteorite energy."
"Xiaoruan... happens to meet all the conditions required to realize the hypothesis..."
Xu Ruina looked at Xiao Ruan as if it were a rare treasure.
She wanted to touch it but dared not, fearing she might cause it any harm.
Shirley frowned and said:
"If this world can truly draw energy from other worlds, have you ever considered what those worlds from which energy was taken would become?"
Xu Ruina gave a bitter smile and said:
"No one thought that far ahead at the time. After all, when this hypothesis was proposed, most people dismissed it with a scoff."
"They thought the idea was too far-fetched and that hardly anyone believed it, so they naturally wouldn't consider those implications!"
Shirley waved her ring and said:
"But... this technology seems to have been developed in the end, hasn't it?"
Seeing that Shirley was also showing some hostility towards Xu Ruina, Zhang Chen quickly smoothed things over with a smile:
"Although Xu Ruina is a researcher at Raven, her research work ended during the period of the mutated creature outbreak."
"The research within the high-walled cities has nothing to do with her. The Progressive Faction is the Progressive Faction, and Xu Ruina is Xu Ruina. Speaking of which, Xu Ruina's current state is also the doing of the Progressive Faction."
"And I don't think the Progressive Faction's mastery of space technology has reached the expected level."
"Because if they really had the ability to create a new world for planar migration, they wouldn't need to build lighthouses, nor would they need to bring us here."
Shirley nodded; that made sense.
Only then did her gaze soften slightly as she looked at Xu Ruina.
"Regardless, we must reach the seventh high-walled city before the next phase arrives, and it would be best to find the lighthouse and find Tang Houde!"
"This way, the most terrifying final stages of the apocalypse will not need to be initiated, and we can end everything!"
Xu Ruina said slowly.
"But... we haven't figured out the mission conditions for ending the apocalypse yet, and the previous batch of轮回者 (reincarnators) probably haven't woken up yet!"
Shirley said hesitantly.
"Perhaps we already have the capital to end the apocalypse!"
Zhang Chen said with a smile.
The meteorite core, the Spider Queen, humanity's hope Xiaobai, plus Xiao Ruan who could activate inter-spatial travel, the native Xu Ruina, the cleaner army...
If this all-star lineup couldn't handle it, then the apocalypse would truly be unsolvable!