Chapter 1392: Fool

This was the first time Wu Tongyuan had gained an understanding of his ability.

The first time he felt the existence of "K" was on the way back to the research institute from Shennongjia. He was bored on the high-speed train, and his peripheral vision caught the red scrolling subtitles above the carriage, which said the high-speed train's speed was 347km/h... He suddenly became curious: was the train's speed controlled according to some established curve, or was it changing in real-time?

Since he was a child, Wu Tongyuan had been obsessed with all kinds of sudden whims, but the difference between him and others was that he would actually find ways to verify these "whims." So, he asked for a piece of paper and a pen, wanting to try to build a speed curve model for this high-speed train. But when he wrote down the first line of the initial speed formula [v=s/t], an accident happened.

He sensed an indescribable existence, like a creature born from the depths of his mind. The moment the formula appeared, it manifested along with it...

It was a coefficient that could be freely manipulated.

When the coefficient was adjusted higher, the mathematical models in an area would be affected, and the physical rules based on those mathematical models would also change accordingly.

Wu Tongyuan tried placing the coefficient on the s/t side. When he increased the coefficient, the train's speed directly exceeded the maximum limit, causing the alarm to sound frantically; when he decreased the coefficient, the train's speed slowed down rapidly.

Wu Tongyuan didn't notice the adjustment of this coefficient at first, nor the changes to the train itself, until the train was directly called to a halt by the central control and a maintenance team was dispatched to investigate. Only then did he realize what he had done.

But the strange thing was that after the maintenance team carefully inspected the train, they didn't find any faults. The train was perfectly normal, all parts were running as usual, and brake failure didn't exist at all...

The train was still running as usual, except that the mathematical model used to balance the physical rules of speed, distance, and time in that area had been tampered with by Wu Tongyuan.

After that, Wu Tongyuan tried adding this coefficient to different formulas. He was surprised to find that any formula already summarized by humans could be applied with this coefficient. This coefficient was like a bug, a bug that could perfectly embed itself into any corner of the mathematical pyramid built by human hands...

Wu Tongyuan was very excited. He thought for a long time and gave this coefficient a name:

[Spirit Void Number].

But he soon discovered that the ability of the Spirit Void Number often failed, and as Wu Tongyuan tried more, the frequency of failure increased. Whenever he had some wild ideas to put into practice, reality would give him a hard slap in the face.

When he was in the United States, he even tried adding the Spirit Void Number to probability models, attempting to make some money this way. As a result, he couldn't even influence the probability of a single die, and he was beaten up for being accused of cheating.

Now Wu Tongyuan understood that changing probability models was far more complex than changing ordinary physical models. With his current strength, he couldn't adjust the value of K in formulas to a large extent.

Wu Tongyuan was a mathematician, not a professional physicist, so he needed to collect and understand a large number of physical formulas to better exert the power of the Spirit Void Number. The physical formulas he used in this battle were already all the formulas he had learned during this period.

Wu Tongyuan looked at the two killers who were still screaming. After hesitating for a moment, he still chose not to finish them off. He knew there were military personnel nearby, and they would probably arrive soon. Leaving them alive should make the interrogation much easier... Of course, this was also an excuse Wu Tongyuan made for himself; he simply didn't dare to kill anyone with his own hands.

"Old Lu!" Wu Tongyuan felt Lu Xun's breath.

Still there!

Wu Tongyuan didn't hesitate to carry him on his back and sprinted toward the research camp!

……

Cha——

Sasha——

A shovel of dirt, accompanied by the swinging of the spade, flew up from the meteorite crater. Under the illumination of the searchlights, a figure drenched in sweat was digging hard.

The drizzling rain hit him, and wet raindrops rolled down his hair. The young man's eyes were full of determination and persistence.

"Damn it..."

"...how is it still not here?"

Ji Xuan wiped the sweat from his forehead, looked at the large pit he had already dug, and muttered in a low voice.

"Lou Yu, do you have anything there?" he asked, turning his head.

On the other side of the pit, a figure in a black raincoat was also swinging a spade. Hearing Ji Xuan's call, he shook his head helplessly:

"No... there's nothing but dirt down here, nothing else."

"Didn't you meet someone like yourself? He told you to come here to dig; did he say exactly which location?" Ji Xuan asked, unwilling to give up.

"...No."

Ji Xuan's brows furrowed tightly.

He glanced toward the research camp, then continued to swing his spade, digging deeper with perseverance!

Lou Yu hesitated for a moment, then walked to his side:

"I think I heard gunshots just now. Should we go back? Could there be danger outside?"

"If you want to go back, go ahead." Ji Xuan had eyes only for the messy, deep pit he was digging. "I want to dig for a while longer... What if it's just a little bit deeper?"

"Is gaining power that important to you?"

Ji Xuan didn't answer. After silently putting his full effort into a shovel, he looked at Lou Yu: "Isn't it important to you? If you didn't want it, why did you come here?"

Lou Yu fell silent.

"I just want it." Ji Xuan answered straightforwardly. "I do research to become a great hero like Watt and Tesla who pushes human society forward. Now that a better opportunity is in front of me, and I can do things even more amazing than before... why wouldn't I want it?"

"..." Lou Yu opened his mouth. "Is your original intention for doing research really that pure?"

"Pure? You're quite good with words. Most people call it 'stupid'." Ji Xuan chuckled self-deprecatingly, his tone calm.

"In elementary school, I said my dream was to become a great hero who pushes humanity forward, and I would receive applause from classmates and teachers... In middle school, I still said the same thing, but I only got everyone's mockery... By the time I actually entered the academic circle and said this, they all thought I was mentally ill."

After finishing, Ji Xuan looked up at Lou Yu.

"I've heard about your situation from Lu Xun. If it's you, you should be able to understand my feelings."

Rainwater hit Lou Yu's black raincoat, making a slight pattering sound. He looked at Ji Xuan quietly without answering.

Of course Lou Yu understood. Among the Nine Sovereigns, no one understood the true bottom-tier academic circle better than him; he had climbed up from there step by step... In an era where most people were chasing fame and using academia as a tool for money and power, Ji Xuan's existence was definitely an anomaly...

Or rather, a fool.