33: Wang Chu's chess game and Morpheus's probing

The "commentary on the huainan wanbi shu" was carefully packed into a specialized temperature and humidity-controlled transport case and escorted by authorized personnel to the technical analysis center of the National Special Bureau's Ninth Division.

Located deep underground, this laboratory was equipped with the country's most advanced artifact appraisal and analysis equipment.

In the strictly controlled laboratory environment, experts began a comprehensive analysis of the ancient book.

Carbon-14 dating confirmed that the paper and ink indeed originated from the Ming and Qing dynasties, ruling out the possibility of a modern forgery.

Ink analysis experts confirmed that the ink used was consistent with the manufacturing techniques of that period, and the fiber structure and aging marks of the paper were also undoubtedly authentic.

However, when the ancient book was placed under a high-resolution multispectral scanner, a surprising discovery emerged.

Under specific wavelengths of light, those peculiar symbols and patterns revealed a subtle layered structure, as if they were annotations and interpretations added by different people in different periods.

"Look here," an old expert pointed to the magnified image, "the way these wavy lines are drawn has similarities to Han dynasty astronomical charts, but these added dot-like markings… look like they represent some kind of energy Node."

Another young physicist frowned and said: "What's even stranger is this symbol combination; it actually has a startling similarity to certain mathematical representations in modern quantum field theory. But how is this possible?"

The analysis team fell into a heated discussion.

The content of these "commentary on the huainan wanbi shu" seemed to blend ancient esoteric thoughts with some extremely obscure, near-modern physical concepts, yet it could not be perfectly explained by existing scientific systems.

Wang Jianguo looked at the detailed analysis report, his fingers rhythmically tapping on the solid wood desk, his eyes as deep as a pool.

"Morpheus Li… or rather, his daughter, played this hand beautifully." He said to Xiao Zhang beside him, with a hint of admiration in his tone, "Catering to his preferences, sending an untraceable 'dead object,' yet it precisely hit the interest point of that kid Excellence. This is a show of force towards us, telling us that their understanding of our 'treasure' far exceeds our expectations."

Xiao Zhang stood at attention: "Director Wang, do we need to strengthen the protection for Excellence? Or… change our strategy?"

Wang Jianguo smiled, that smile carrying the glimmer of deep calculation: "Protection must be strengthened, as for the strategy… since the other side has made a move, if we don't receive it, it would make us look petty. They want to pass information through this book and test our reaction, so we will let them see a reaction."

"What do you mean?" Xiao Zhang asked cautiously.

"Let Excellence continue his research, especially those projects involving energy, frequency, and resonance." A sharp light flashed in Wang Jianguo's eyes, "We can appropriately 'leak' some unimportant, or even misleading, interim result data. See how the other side reacts. By the way, we can also probe their technical background and focus areas."

This was a risky move, but also a brilliant one. Playing along with the opponent's scheme, in turn, utilizing their desire to pry.

"That book…" Xiao Zhang looked at Wang Jianguo inquiringly.

"Make a copy, use the highest precision equipment to record every detail completely. Archive and protect the original." Wang Jianguo made the decision, "Return the copy to Excellence. Tell him he can read it and research it, but all insights and discoveries must be reported to you immediately. We want to see what exactly is hidden in this ancient book that makes Morpheus Li and his daughter value it so much."

Thus, after precise scanning and copying, an exquisite replica of the "commentary on the huainan wanbi shu" soon returned to Excellence's hands.

Xiao Zhang personally handed the book to him with a serious tone: "Director Wang has specially permitted you to research this book, but there are two conditions: First, all discoveries must be reported to me immediately; second, you must not attempt to practice any of the methods in the book."

Excellence held the mysterious replica of the ancient book, his feelings complicated and hard to describe.

He knew this was bait carefully designed by Evelyn, and he also knew Director Wang was playing along, making him the earthworm on the fishhook.

But facing this mysterious classic that fused a thousand years of wisdom, he could not resist its temptation.

The tenuous connection between that ancient wisdom and modern technology made him obsessed.

He began to study it, forgetting to eat and sleep; every illustration and every symbol in the book reminded him of the high-tech principles taught by the system.

"The moving of sincerity, the harmony of yin and yang…" Excellence muttered the sentences from the book, suddenly his eyes lit up, "Isn't this the classical expression of Quantum Entanglement? How could the ancients…"

He was frantically calculating on his notebook, trying to translate the metaphors in the book into the language of modern physics.

Those seemingly mysterious symbols, under his interpretation, actually had a startling correspondence with modern resonance theory and field theory.

Excellence did not know that his focused expression while reading, the calculation drafts he wrote down casually, and even his unconscious muttering were all recorded by miniature sensors and high-definition cameras hidden in the bookshelf, becoming key data for Wang Jianguo's analysis and his game against Morpheus Li.

On a particular night, Excellence had a breakthrough discovery.

He noticed that an illustration in the book, which seemed to describe a "ghost summoning" ritual, was actually depicting a special type of energy field distribution pattern.

When he tried to interpret it using electromagnetic field equations, he reached a shocking conclusion: this described an extremely efficient energy transmission method!

"System, verify this model!" He called out urgently in his mind.

【Analyzing… Compatibility between the model and the resonant energy transmission theory already mastered by the host is 87.3%. Optimization plan discovered: Adjust the frequency to…】 The system gave a positive response and even provided optimization suggestions.

Excellence was so excited that his hands trembled. This thousand-year-old book actually contained such advanced scientific wisdom!

Meanwhile, in a luxury apartment on the other side of the city, Morpheus Li was listening to a detailed report from his subordinate regarding the news that Excellence had resumed researching that ancient book.

He elegantly sipped aged red wine, a satisfied smile on his face: "It seems the little fish has taken the bait. He is very interested in that ancient wisdom… Very good. This shows that he is the same kind of person as us, both having an innate Perception and craving for power that transcends the era."

He put down his wine glass and said to Evelyn, who was standing quietly behind him: "It is time to give him some more substantial 'sweeteners.' Leak some peripheral technical data from our 'abandoned' 'Firefly' project to a place he can access, through 'accidental' means. Make him think it's a treasure he 'discovered' himself."

The "Firefly" project was a failed project from The Foundation's early days researching the interaction between bio-electric fields and the environment, but its basic theory and technical accumulation were still very valuable, and it partially overlapped with Excellence's current research direction.

Throwing out these "discarded" materials could further attract Excellence without exposing The Foundation's core secrets; it was a perfect bait.

Evelyn responded softly: "Yes, Father." Her voice was calm and waveless, but as she turned to leave, a faint trace of struggle flashed in the depths of her eyes.

Returning to her studio, Evelyn looked at Excellence's research data on the screen; those innovative ideas full of inspiration made her recall her initial love for science.

But soon, she suppressed these emotions that should not exist and began to carefully design the "leak" plan.

She decided to let Excellence "accidentally" discover the technical data, disguised as ordinary research papers, through a seemingly accidental vulnerability in an academic forum.

Everything had to appear natural, leaving no traces.

Meanwhile, in Excellence's dormitory, he was deep in thought, staring at a particularly complex illustration in the ancient book.

That picture described an advanced application of "using a burning mirror to draw fire," but the symbol system within it was completely different from what he had previously understood.

"No… this shouldn't be explained using electromagnetic field theory…" Excellence muttered to himself, "This is more like… some kind of interaction between psychology and physics?"

He suddenly remembered the "consciousness-matter interface theory" that the system had once mentioned, a profound concept he still could not fully understand.

Could it be that the ancients had long ago discovered the secret that consciousness could influence matter?

This thought made Excellence both excited and fearful.

He realized that he might be touching upon a field far more profound and dangerous than wireless energy transmission.

And all of this started with that mysterious ancient book sent by Evelyn.

The night was deep, and Excellence was still staring blankly at a page of the ancient book, completely unaware that he had become the focal point of a clash between two powerful forces.

The thousand-year-old wisdom in the ancient book and modern technology were intertwining in his hands, weaving an increasingly complex web.

And in the center of this web, Excellence was both the weaver of The Weave and the trapped one.

Every discovery of his could change the direction of this shadow war and would also determine his own fate.