The first Thousand-Eyed Garlic discovered in the inland regions was found submerged in a factory well, its wildly grown bulb having already cracked the well bottom, creating a massive cavern.
Thousand-Eyed Garlic was also discovered at the bottom of several lakes and rivers. It seemed this species was not picky about water salinity; it could survive in seawater and freshwater alike. After all, as an interstellar species capable of appearing on various planets, being too picky would lead to its extinction.
Troops also found Thousand-Eyed Garlic inside abandoned factory buildings. The local area was rainy, with an average of two small showers a day. The Thousand-Eyed Garlic had used its leaves to smash through the factory roof, allowing the rainwater to drench itself. However, this particular Thousand-Eyed Garlic was clearly underdeveloped, only about ten meters tall. By the standards of its kind, it was a severely disabled individual, its stunted growth possibly due to a lack of water or heavy factory pollution.
Notably, compared to the marine Thousand-Eyed Garlic, which fought back fiercely with its fangs and claws, the inland varieties were much gentler, even somewhat timid. They did not manipulate beast tides to protect themselves. Facing human lights, they would shyly retract their leaves, resembling an enormous, giant mimosa.
Jiang Ye heard his subordinates report this situation.
Initially, Jiang Ye believed that differences in water quality led to variations in the plants' temperaments.
After some thought, he considered another possible explanation.
The terrestrial and marine Thousand-Eyed Garlic had different strategic depths and thus adopted different defense strategies.
The marine Thousand-Eyed Garlic, possessing vast spaces, was difficult to locate. Furthermore, there was a continuous supply of nearby animals that could be recruited as a guard force.
The terrestrial Thousand-Eyed Garlic, on the other hand, were often in conspicuous locations, easily guessed once someone approached.
Moreover, in places like abandoned factories, the Thousand-Eyed Garlic were surrounded by mechanical equipment. They had few opportunities to control passing animals, so it was better to lie low and conceal themselves.
While the troops were excavating hundreds of Thousand-Eyed Garlic on Meteorite Star, the research team also achieved a breakthrough.
A research report on the side-brushing gold appeared on Jiang Ye's desk.
Upon opening it, Jiang Ye found the report maintained its previous flashy style, perhaps even more so.
The title page opened to a pop-up illustration of an Ink Squid standing upright, startling Jiang Ye.
Flipping further, there were other pop-up illustrations: an anatomically dissected Ink Squid, its muscular tissues bursting out, resembling a skinned kitten; Ink Squids in pairs; Ink Squid tadpoles...
Jiang Ye felt as if he were reading a deluxe edition of a children's book.
He directly flipped to the section he was most interested in.
[It has been measured that adult Ink Squids are typical dark matter animals, possessing multiple dark matter pathways within their bodies, with extremely rapid dark matter flow. When numerous Ink Squids surround a space, the flowing dark matter will alter the temporal distribution.]
Jiang Ye nodded slightly; he could still understand this part.
However, what followed was a bit of a brain-buster.
[It is known that the flow rate of time varies in different locations, and a universal "now" for all spaces does not exist. The temporal relationship between different spaces is akin to human generations. For example, Male A and Male B are the same age, but Male A remains unmarried for a long time, while Male B marries early and has a daughter, C. When Daughter C grows up and marries Male A, Male A and B are then peers, and B is one generation older than A...]
[The continuous temporal cones formed by the interconnected Ink Squids have different orientations yet maintain overall harmony. It is similar to a billiard table, where balls in different positions are struck and collide in different directions, with some balls returning. Time within the space enclosed by Ink Squids is also transmitted in a similar state. It flows normally at first, but upon encountering the dark matter temporal cones of the Ink Squids, it begins to warp and rebound. Due to the overall harmony, the warped and rebounded time simultaneously returns to the enclosed space...]
Jiang Ye fell into deep thought, feeling an urge to bite his fingernails.
[It is known that time does not exist; it is merely a generalized set of events, the mutual manifestation of quantum changes. Within the enclosure of Ink Squids, the observer, human, causes the temporal flow rate inside to tend towards equilibrium. However, between the layers of Ink Squids, without an observer, the randomness of the temporal gaps is amplified...]
Jiang Ye gave up on reading this chapter.
As long as the matter could be scientifically understood, that was enough. He was not a scientist, so there was no need for him to grasp it.
"There are pioneers in every field, and specialists in every craft," Jiang Ye silently made excuses for himself.
The office door was pushed open, and Cen Yemeng entered with a teacup, still talking animatedly. The earphone in her ear was glowing red, indicating she was on a call.
Seeing her husband standing by the desk, Cen Yemeng naturally walked over, placed the teacup on the desk, nestled into Jiang Ye's embrace, and looked down at the report.
After finishing her call, Cen Yemeng read the report carefully for a while longer.
"Amazing, so that's how it is," she said.
Jiang Ye was bewildered. "You can understand all of this?"
"Yes," Cen Yemeng replied. "It's all written very clearly. The research team was afraid you wouldn't understand, so they gave you many examples, analogies, and charts to help you. Can't you understand it?"
"The researchers might have overestimated my knowledge," Jiang Ye said, scratching his head awkwardly.
"Learn some physics, husband. This is very elementary knowledge; even middle school students would understand it," Cen Yemeng earnestly advised. "Let me check your foundation. Is the flow rate of time the same in your head and your feet? What is the direction of time? What does it mean for time not to exist?"
Jiang Ye's eyes widened.
"You're illiterate, husband," Cen Yemeng said with a smile.
Jiang Ye felt ashamed.
In truth, it wasn't entirely his fault.
When he was in school, these cutting-edge theories had either not yet been researched or were not published in middle school textbooks.
It was like quadratic equations. In Jiang Ye's era, they were considered basic problems; anyone who couldn't solve them would fail the monthly exams. However, before the Eastern Han Dynasty, anyone who could solve them would undoubtedly be a great mathematician and could earn a living in the imperial court.
Cen Yemeng tore off a sticky note from the desk and quickly wrote down over a dozen book titles with her pen. She then turned and stuck the note onto Jiang Ye's face.
"After reading these books, you'll reach the end of temporal research," Cen Yemeng said. "If you read one book a day, it'll only take half a month!"
"If it were a novel like 'Romance of the Three Kingdoms,' I could read three books a day. Physics books, one a day. Do you think I'm a god?" Jiang Ye hugged her. "Why don't Teacher Cen tutor me?"
"If you want to learn, learn by yourself. If you want me to tutor you, I might end up tutoring a child," Cen Yemeng blushed.
"That won't happen. When I study, I'll treat you as a real teacher, be respectful, and never overstep," Jiang Ye said seriously.
"But I can't treat you as a real student."
"Can't you have some ambition, my wife?"
"I have no ambition," Cen Yemeng hugged her husband tightly, rubbing her cheek against his.
The phone on the desk suddenly vibrated.
Jiang Ye grabbed it and saw it was Huang Bingyan calling. He answered immediately.
"Hello? What is it?" Jiang Ye asked.
Huang Bingyan's tone was surprised. "Uh... I was calling Chief Cen."
Jiang Ye froze. He looked at the phone and realized he was holding Cen Yemeng's phone. Their phones were identical, and neither had a case. Even their wallpapers were the same photo of the two of them, which was why they often mixed them up.