41: The calm before the storm

The ecstasy brought by the theoretical breakthrough was like a high-concentration energy drink; after briefly burning through Excellence's every nerve, its effects inevitably faded. As Excellence gradually cooled down from that near-frenzied state of creation, what followed was an overwhelming wave of exhaustion and a bone-deep sense of emptiness, as if his entire spirit had been drained by the high-intensity mental storm he had just endured.

He slumped in his chair, feeling every cell in his body screaming in protest. His muscles were sore and stiff, especially his neck and shoulders, which were tightening in spasms from maintaining an awkward posture for so long. His eyelids felt as heavy as lead, making every blink an immense struggle. Yet, due to the neurotransmitter backlash following excessive excitement, his brain still hummed with residual echoes and tiny, meaningless flickers of electrical signals, unable to truly calm down—like an engine still running on inertia after overheating.

On the workbench, the screen remained stubbornly lit. That beautiful and complex multi-dimensional function graph, symbolizing his breakthrough, now appeared somewhat illusory and unreal in his blurred, dry vision, as if seen through frosted glass. The air was thick with the faint burnt scent of rosin solder paste, the mustiness of old book pages, the slight ozone smell of overheated electronic components, and the scent of his own sweat—all mixing into a weary yet familiar aroma unique to his "hand-crafted" lab.

He had succeeded. On a mathematical and theoretical level, he had conquered a seemingly impossible Fortress. Yet, it felt as if nothing had changed. The dormitory was still cluttered and cramped, with circuit boards, cables, tools, and leftover energy bar wrappers scattered everywhere. Outside the window was still that patch of sky sliced by skyscrapers, glowing with the grayish-white light of an urban dawn. As the adrenaline surging through his body receded, it left behind only endless fatigue and an... indescribable loneliness. This loneliness didn't stem from having no one to share it with, but from the fact that no one could truly understand the distant and dangerous unknown territory he had just touched.

He subconsciously picked up his phone, the cold metal casing touching fingertips that were somewhat hot from long hours of operation. He unlocked the screen, his finger hovering over Su Mu's avatar in his WeChat list—a simple mathematical formula icon, clean and pure. He wanted to share this hard-won joy with her, to hear her cool yet always pinpoint analysis again, or even... just to see her, to draw a sliver of real, human warmth from her. But reason told him that disturbing her late at night once was already presumptuous. Moreover, he couldn't confide in her about the true heart-pounding nature of this success, the unspeakable system secrets, or the omnipresent surveillance and threats.

Ultimately, he just subconsciously opened the photo of the thermal bag in his album—the one Su Mu had brought last time, printed with elegant little floral patterns. He looked at the image of the soup inside, which had long since gone cold and formed a layer of white grease, and his lips curled into a weary, complex smile. This brief concern from another person was the only tangible, reachable solace he could firmly grasp in this cold and vast ocean of technology.

【Physiological Indicator Monitoring: Host's adrenaline levels are dropping sharply, cortisol levels are abnormally high. Heart rate variability has decreased, and body temperature is low. The body is in a state of severe overexertion; cell repair rates have fallen below the safety threshold. It is recommended to immediately enter deep sleep for at least 8 hours and supplement with high-energy food and electrolyte water. Otherwise, there is an extremely high risk of triggering neuroendocrine system disorders and temporary organ dysfunction.】 The system's warning tone seemed lower than usual, even carrying a hint of near helplessness.

This time, Excellence did not argue, nor did he have the strength to. He stood up unsteadily, his legs somewhat soft and numb from sitting for so long. He didn't even have the energy to tidy up the mess on the workbench—scattered with scratch paper full of calculations, disassembled components, and a steaming soldering iron. Driven only by instinct, like a puppet drained of all strength, he collapsed directly onto the bed piled with clutter and cables, his cheek brushing against a cold data cable. Almost instantly, he was swallowed by a heavy, irresistible drowsiness, falling into a death-like, dreamless slumber. He didn't even manage to pull up the covers, his curled-up posture appearing fragile and helpless.

He had no idea that while he was sound asleep and his body was undergoing difficult self-repair, the carefully "filtered" technical report he had sent to Little Zhang was causing a silent but violent earthquake within the National Special Bureau.

In the underground command center of the National Special Bureau's Ninth Division, the lights stayed on all night. The air circulation system hummed lowly, and a massive holographic projection screen occupied an entire wall. On the screen, key parts of Excellence's report were highlighted, surrounded by a large amount of real-time data streams, spectral analysis charts, and constantly scrolling complex algorithmic derivations.

Wang Jianguo stood before the screen with his hands behind his back, his posture as upright as a pine tree, his expression more solemn than ever before. Beside him stood several technical authorities who had been urgently summoned overnight—one was even wearing a lab coat over silk pajamas, clearly picked up directly from his bed at home; another white-haired old professor kept pushing up his glasses, his gaze as sharp as a hawk's.

Their discussion was intense and hushed, carrying a sense of shock and confusion as if they had discovered a new continent:

“...Look at the construction logic of this non-linear coupling model! It completely jumps out of the framework of existing classical field theory and quantum field theory! Here, the imaginary term he introduced to handle energy dissipation caused by phase lag... this idea is too bold! This requires a profound understanding of both complex functions and field theory, and... a near-instinctive insight!” The authority in pajamas spoke with irrepressible excitement.

“It's more than that!” The old professor pointed to another set of equations. “He has performed a subversive reconstruction of Shannon entropy concepts with the wave equations of classical Maxwell electromagnetic fields! He is trying to describe an energy field that ‘carries a specific information structure’? This has already touched upon the deep waters where information ontology and physical realism intersect! This is definitely not the thinking of an undergraduate!”

“And here! From those vague concepts like ‘Yin-Yang Mutual Assistance’ and ‘Essence-Qi Resonance’ in that ancient book, he actually abstracted a highly mathematized expression! It's used to describe the dynamic balance and mutual transformation mechanism between two physical fields of completely different natures (like an electromagnetic field and some hypothetical ‘consciousness field’?)... This...” The third expert shook his head, his face full of disbelief. “This isn't just simple interdisciplinary work; this is practically mathematical modeling on a philosophical level! Who is standing behind him? Or is he himself...”

Wang Jianguo listened in silence, his fingers unconsciously tapping on the metal surface of the console in a rhythmic pattern. On the screen of his private communicator, an encrypted message marked with a highest-priority red triangle had just arrived. Its content was concise and heavy, like a final judgment:

“The ‘Torch Dragon’ level protection directive has been confirmed for execution by headquarters. Highest-clearance security resources have begun deployment.”

“The activity frequency of ‘The Prophet’ and its associated organizations has risen abnormally. Three sleeper units located in the East Asia region were detected entering an active state within the past hour, with a surge in communication volume.”

“Comprehensive analysis and judgment: The opponent has perceived the theoretical breakthrough of the ‘seed’ through unknown channels. A high-intensity, high-priority reaction is imminent. Repeat, a high-intensity reaction is imminent.”

The storm was quietly gathering and accelerating while Excellence was sound asleep and unaware. His cluttered and crowded dormitory, the place where this astonishing concept was born, had now become the eye of the storm in this silent war.

Outside, the sky gradually brightened, the city began to wake, and the hustle and bustle grew. But beneath this peaceful dawn, invisible electromagnetic beams were transmitting encrypted data, disguised vehicles were moving into predetermined positions, sniper scopes occasionally glinted in the reflections of high-rise buildings, and analysts stared intently at every abnormal data stream on their screens...

Everyone held their breath, waiting for the inevitable moment of collision. Meanwhile, at the center of the storm, Excellence merely smacked his lips unconsciously and curled up a bit tighter in his sleep, as if trying to ward off some impending chill.