The core experimental zone was completely open.
Su Qing stood with her back to everyone.
Outside, ambulances had already arrived, but Dr. Zhao adamantly refused to open the locked experimental door.
"Unless we figure out what's happening here, no one leaves! Not even the air is allowed to escape."
Supervisor Yang's expression changed, "The oxygen here will only last us about ten hours."
"That's enough. Su Qing's countdown is less than seven hours!"
Dr. Zhao made her decision, "Comrades, we need to observe what happens next and at least have sufficient communication with Su Qing before opening the door."
The locked experimental door was a complex password known only to Dr. Zhao herself.
Despite some disagreements, no one could leave.
Time ticked by, and the injured could only receive temporary treatment. Supervisor Yang and Old Wang kept talking in low voices.
The remaining security personnel had gathered, and this time, they were armed with lethal weapons.
"Dr. Zhao has lost control. Her mind is only on that strange meteorite," Old Wang said gravely. "First, she didn't report the situation to the leadership, and second, she won't let us treat the injured. So, Old Yang and I have decided to subdue Dr. Zhao first, take control here, and then eliminate Su Qing!"
The security personnel began preparing their counter-plan.
"I suggest... we can wait until the countdown ends, see what happens, and then act. Dr. Zhao is not capable of resisting, and Su Qing hasn't harmed us further."
Old Wang looked at the speaker, a young, unfamiliar man.
"Who are you? You don't seem to be on the list of laboratory experts?"
The young man smiled, "Minister Wang, I am the sponsor of this experiment. Surely you haven't forgotten? This experiment is not officially led, but privately funded by me."
Minister Wang suddenly recalled, "You... you are the supervisor from Xinghe Group?"
"Yes, I am the founder of Xinghe, Chen Xing!"
Ah!
The richest man in the city, the renowned entrepreneur, a giant in new energy, artificial intelligence, and commercial spaceflight, Chen Xing, known as the real-life Iron Man?
Minister Wang was greatly shocked, "Mr. Chen, when did you arrive?"
Chen Xing said calmly, "I arrived seven days ago. Dr. Zhao refused to let our company's people participate, so I bribed the security here and snuck in."
"For these seven days, I've been observing the entire experiment from the shadows."
Chen Xing was less than thirty years old, a new generation of entrepreneurs who rapidly accumulated wealth through the internet. These people were completely different from the old entrepreneurs, and their actions were always unconventional.
Minister Wang gave a wry smile, "You're really bold. What if there's something truly evil in that small universe?"
Chen Xing's eyes shone with a terrifying brilliance, "I've loved reading science fiction since I was a child, especially stories about alien civilizations. I've earned enough money over the years, and now I'm focusing on space technology. But it's all too slow. My think tank estimates that humanity might not even leave the solar system within a hundred years."
He shook his head, "I can't wait any longer. It makes everything lose its appeal. Money, to me, has no meaning anymore. And this place, this is where my new dream begins. The mere existence of that small universe is worth it."
After speaking, Chen Xing raised his hand slightly and made a gesture.
Six figures in black, who had been hidden on this floor, appeared.
Minister Wang and the others were even more astonished, "Where did these people come from?"
Chen Xing smiled, "Don't forget, I am the sole sponsor. When this floor was being modified and reinforced, it was my money that funded the operation."
Supervisor Yang understood, "You had people deliberately create a hiding place during the renovation of this floor."
Chen Xing nodded, "It's between two walls, a space that can accommodate six hidden personnel. And there are weapons inside capable of destroying this entire building!"
The six men in black were all mercenaries hired by Chen Xing. Unlike the security personnel on site, they were seasoned professionals with multiple operational experiences.
At this moment, the six men expertly disarmed the security personnel, then herded Minister Wang and the others to the office area, and secured them with tables and plastic restraints.
Chen Xing clapped his hands, "Apologies, but you'll have to bear with this for a moment. I won't allow you to harm any life that might originate from the small universe."
He looked towards the experimental zone with infinite anticipation, "There are two more hours left. Perhaps we can have our first contact with an extraterrestrial civilization."
The six men in black protected him.
Dr. Zhao paid no attention to what was happening here. She and Zhang Min sat on the ground, staring at the gray oval object in the experimental zone.
...
Ten minutes left!
Su Qing had already stood up and muttered to herself, "Wang Jiaqian, you take control of the body now. Only you can distinguish between Haotian's consciousness and Brother-in-law's. Remember our plan, eliminating Haotian is not the priority. Getting Brother-in-law back into his body successfully is the most crucial thing!"
Her pupils changed again, and her demeanor shifted once more.
This time it was alluring and charming, with a hint of an eerie atmosphere.
Chen Xing, who had been observing, looked at the expert beside him, "Su Qing's behavior, and her self-talk, what do you think it indicates?"
The expert frowned, "It strongly resembles the multiple personality disorder seen in movies, but in reality, multiple personality disorder is not widely accepted, and we have no basis for judgment."
Chen Xing shook his head, "You have no imagination at all. Have you ever read transmigration novels?"
The expert was taken aback.
Chen Xing, with his billions of wealth, was full of enthusiasm, "In transmigration novels, there are body transmigration and soul transmigration. Soul transmigration is when the soul travels..."
He opened the tablet in his hand, "Based on the data and intelligence I've gathered this past week, I have a bold hypothesis."
Up ahead, even Dr. Zhao couldn't help but turn her head. Those locked in the office area perked up their ears.
Chen Xing flipped through the tablet, "My hypothesis sounds incredible, but it's the most logical and closest to the truth that I can think of."
He paused, "Ten years ago, in 2002, the first person to discover the small universe, Qin Xuan, didn't fall into a coma by accident. His soul transmigrated to the world of the small universe, which is the planet we just discovered."
"Regardless of how he soul-transmigrated, the body in this world naturally became a vegetable. And in the time flow of the small universe, he lived for a full ten thousand years."
Chen Xing licked his lips at this point, "That must have been an incredibly exciting and romantic experience."
"Ten years later, in 2012, the little nurse Su Qing rented the same house. As the second human to discover the small universe, she also soul-transmigrated into it. According to the time flow calculation, it would be seven days ago in our universe."
"And the time she experienced in that world was very short, but I boldly hypothesize that she must have found the same transmigrator, Qin Xuan!"
With a snap, Chen Xing closed the tablet and smiled, "Now, Su Qing and Qin Xuan are trying to come back. The disappearing stars in the small universe were the energy they used to travel back."
Dr. Zhao couldn't help but walk over, "But Su Qing just said something evil is coming."
Chen Xing looked at her, "You're really incompetent. Didn't you notice a piece of data collected the day before yesterday? The small universe had two energy fluctuations, and then two energies, one large and one small, merged."
Dr. Zhao looked bewildered, "What does that prove?"
Chen Xing pointed to his head, "Use your imagination. Isn't that Qin Xuan or Su Qing battling some powerful life form in that universe?"
The corner of his mouth curved up, "Su Qing returned first. The first thing she did was ask about the time the paperclip was discovered. This made me realize that the paperclip was brought by Su Qing when she transmigrated, and thus it became an essential item for returning."
"Su Qing started calculating the time flow upon her return. She was waiting for Qin Xuan to come back, and along with Qin Xuan, the evil entity we heard about would also return."
At this point, Chen Xing puffed out his chest with pride, "You are all too slow. I compared everything in this house from ten years ago and found that one item has completely disappeared."
Dr. Zhao and the others widened their eyes, "What item?"
"Qin Xuan's toy, a Transformers model, a knock-off. But based on the paperclip incident, I can be sure that when Qin Xuan and the evil monster come out later, they will use that missing toy!"
With a ding, the countdown ended.
As if to verify Chen Xing's hypothesis, the rift in the small universe opened, and a Transformers toy shot out directly!