Light Speed ​​War

Chapter 226: Unbelievable

On June 22, 204, the new Earth era, a grand assembly of ten thousand people, organized by the federal government and hosted by the Federal Academy of Sciences, was held at the Federal Academy of Sciences Conference Center.

The bustling conference center was packed to capacity. This was the first open science and technology exchange conference held by mankind in four hundred years, with a very large lineup of participants, and the event was broadcast live on television and the internet worldwide.

At the conference, Federal Parliament Speaker Tang Qianyu, Federal Government Head Su Mo, and Federal Academy of Sciences President Feros delivered important speeches on behalf of the three major Earth institutions. Then, representatives of top global scientists, such as Peak, shared their thoughts on the new era of technology.

Following a series of reports was the guest interview and interaction session, hosted by well-known TV presenter Jamie. At this point, the conference center still had about 10,000 people, except for some senior leaders who had left.

"People say I'm very smart, but I know that half of my achievements, without exaggeration, come from the game Cosmic Wars." Even on such an important occasion, guest Peak still mentioned the inspiration this game gave him, continuing to promote it as always.

The game has now been released in its third version.

After the host Jamie's enthusiastic introduction, thunderous applause erupted as a stunningly beautiful woman stepped onto the stage. She was none other than Pan Na, the CEO of UWARS.

"President Pan, you see, even the Speaker doesn't receive such thunderous applause."

The crowd burst into laughter. "Everyone, this is a science and technology exchange meeting. We hope you will not be shy and will ask our guests questions."

"Mr. Pan, to put it bluntly, the game 'Cosmic Conquest' developed by UWARS is changing the world and influencing every aspect of our lives, such as virtual reality technology, artificial intelligence, the near-light-speed travel proposed by Academician Peak, and the intelligent robots developed by your husband Zhou Yuan. My question is, in the second version, a new race, the Alliance of Superpowered Individuals, was added. Their superpower is the effect of a powerful consciousness field. Doesn't this setting violate science?"

"Jamie, first of all, I would like to thank my husband for his suggestions on this game, such as the brain-computer interface technology. This technology allows us players to truly immerse ourselves in the game and create all sorts of possibilities in the virtual world of the game. As for what you just said about the role of consciousness, it goes against science. Well, Jamie, I can say that all so-called science is based on what we know. There is still a lot we don't know, just like the role of consciousness. That's all I can say to you."

"Peak, do you have a question?"

"Yes, Mr. Pan, I'd like to ask, since consciousness is also so powerful, why haven't any superhumans emerged among us humans?"

"Academician Peak, everything has a process of enlightenment and accumulation. Many people can't imagine the tremendous changes that have taken place in our society in the past four years, with new technologies emerging one after another. This is actually due to the powerful consciousness of the outstanding scientists and technologists present here. However, this consciousness is a manifestation of collective wisdom in the material realm."

Many people couldn't help but applaud enthusiastically, expressing their agreement.

"Mr. Pan, I'd like to ask, in the game 'Cosmic Domination,' there are many science fiction elements, such as hyperspace travel and the 'Heavenly Bowl.' How did you and your development team come up with these elements? Do you believe these elements are based on any evidence?"

"Yes, is this Professor Maria? Professor Maria, it's like this, our fourth edition hasn't been released yet. In the fourth edition, we believe that the multiverse exists, so anything we can imagine could potentially exist. Whether there's any basis for this is something we can't verify with our current technology and understanding. We hope that you scientists can verify it."

Panna smiled mischievously, and many others smiled too.

"Next, please welcome Mr. Pan and Researcher Zhou Yuan to the stage. Mr. Pan, please wait a moment. Photographers and reporters, don't hold back with your cameras, take lots of pictures of them."

Jamie's witty and humorous words drew bursts of laughter. Zhou Yuan and Panna stood at the front desk, side by side, as they took photos.

Panna then walked off the stage, and Zhou Yuan walked over to Jamie, sat down in a chair, and faced Jamie.

"Professor Zhou, I am so envious and jealous. You and President Pan are a perfect match, both talented and beautiful."

A chuckle rippled through the crowd, but everyone agreed Jamie was absolutely right; the way the two stood during their photo shoot made it clear to everyone. It's likely their picture will be all over the newspapers, television, and the internet tomorrow.

"Professor Zhou, the intelligent machinery and robots you led the invention of have gradually begun to be applied in production, daily life and homes. I remember you were doing spacetime research three and a half years ago, right?"

"Yes, Jamie."

"Then why did you switch to artificial intelligence research?"

"Because I often have wild thoughts, and it just so happens that I succeeded in artificial intelligence."

"You're too modest. As your wife just mentioned, the brain-computer interface technology you developed makes virtual reality possible for us. Do you have anything to add to what Mr. Pan said about the role of consciousness? As far as I know, brain-computer interfaces and intelligent robots require us to have a very deep understanding of human brain consciousness. In other words, you seem to be much more advanced than the average person in the field of consciousness."

Zhou Yuan looked at Jamie, smiled slightly, and then remained silent for two minutes. Everyone held their breath, and the entire venue was quiet. Even the television and online viewers outside the venue held their breath.

Zhou Yuan glanced at Pan Na sitting in the front row of the audience, then stood up. Jamie was a little surprised, but he also stood up, microphone in hand.

"Jamie, what would you say if I told you that you don't exist, that you're an illusion?"

Jamie's eyes widened; he hadn't expected Zhou Yuan to say that. Whispers filled the room.

"Professor Zhou, I really hadn't thought about that. If I'm an illusion, what about the others? For example, Peak, or you."

"Jamie, good question. Well, none of us exist, we're all illusions."

This was like a heavy bomb going off, and the noise in the hall grew louder and louder.

An audience member stood up, holding a microphone, and asked, "Professor Zhou, how did you determine that we were all hallucinating?"

Suddenly, the person who asked the question let out a scream. His microphone, which had been in his hand just moments before, had inexplicably vanished. The people around him all stood up in astonishment and stared at him.

Jamie also took two or three steps back. He was startled. Zhou Yuan suddenly held a microphone in his right hand. Jamie didn't even see when the microphone appeared in Zhou Yuan's hand.

In the audience, many people stood up, looking at the person who had just screamed with surprise, and then at Zhou Yuan. This strange scene was somewhat terrifying.

"Professor Zhou, you can do magic tricks too?"

Jamie calmed down and asked loudly; only by speaking loudly could he calm down and gain courage.

Zhou Yuan smiled slightly and nodded. "Dorai, thank you for your wonderful cooperation." Zhou Yuan waved to the man who had been standing there frozen after screaming. A look of fear appeared on Dore's face. He quickly sat down in his seat, his face ashen and his right hand still trembling.

Many people in the audience were also inexplicably heartbroken. If Zhou Yuan was performing magic, his technique was too fast. You know, many people didn't even see how the microphone got to Zhou Yuan's hand.

Panna was sitting in the front row when the two people on either side of her asked her, "Does your husband know magic?" Panna gave a noncommittal "Mmm".

"Professor Zhou, could you perform another one?" a few people in the audience clamored. Six or seven well-known physicists, such as Peak, were all deep in thought. Hearing these people ask Zhou Yuan to perform again, they all looked up, their eyes fixed on him, afraid that if they blinked, they would miss the "flaw" in Zhou Yuan's magic trick. You know, the more mysterious and unpredictable something or a phenomenon is, the more it attracts people to investigate and solve it. Curiosity can kill, and sometimes there is some truth to that.

"One more! One more!" The cheers from the audience grew louder and louder.

Jamie gripped the microphone tightly, staring at Zhou Yuan, and took several steps back. "Which one would you like Professor Zhou to perform?" he asked, extending the microphone towards the audience.

"Flying man," "Water tank escape," "Human levitation," "Bullet capture," "Human clone"... The audience erupted in chaos.

"Pike, what's your opinion?" Jamie asked as he saw Peak stand up.

Peak took the microphone from the attendant and put it to his lips, "Professor Zhou..."

"Academician Peak, please speak."

"Professor Zhou, I wonder if you could... could you conjure me up in front of you?"

Zhou Yuan smiled and said, "Academician Peak, do you think I have that ability?"

Hearing Zhou Yuan's words, everyone breathed a sigh of relief, seemingly disappointed. Judging from Zhou Yuan's tone, this was something that magic couldn't possibly do.

Peak gave an awkward laugh, then said "Oh," seemingly disappointed. He handed the microphone to the attendant and was about to sit down when suddenly he felt himself being lifted into the air. His head spun, and he let out several "Ah," "Ah," "Ah." The first "Ah" was Peak's, and the subsequent "Ahs" were from the audience. Peak felt a whooshing sound in his ears, and the crowd saw him suspended in mid-air, flying directly onto the stage and landing between Jamie and Zhou Yuan.

"Flying man!" someone shouted, and the crowd applauded enthusiastically. Although it wasn't a transformation, it was still very exciting. It must have been tough for Peak.

Peak felt beads of sweat trickling down his back. Jamie paused for a moment, then whispered to Peak, "Peak, what's wrong?"

"Jamie, how would I know? You'll have to ask Professor Zhou." Peak was also completely baffled. He hadn't conspired with Zhou Yuan, nor was he his prop or assistant. This was simply unbelievable.

“Jamie, Peak, this is the effect of consciousness. What you all see is an illusion, Peak, in reality, you are still sitting in your seat.” Zhou Yuan winked and smiled at the two of them.

Jamie and Peak turned around, and were immediately startled to see that there was indeed another Peak sitting in Peak's original spot, exactly the same as the one on stage.

Jamie and Peak seemed confused. They rubbed their eyes and looked at the audience below the stage. The audience looked at the three of them for a while, and then at Peak in the audience, with puzzled expressions on their faces.

Two Peaks! No, no, this must be my hallucination, just like entering a virtual world through a brain-computer interface. Could it be that I, no, could it be that we have all entered a virtual world? This is impossible, Peak's mind was in turmoil.

The audience below the stage stared in astonishment at the two Peaks, so much so that you could hear a pin drop. Meanwhile, viewers watching the live television broadcast and online were experiencing pounding hearts. This was utterly unbelievable.

(P.S.: Wishing all my fellow readers a happy and healthy Dragon Boat Festival.)