146: Chapter 146: Is there a gigantic shell outside the universe?

"It's not the gas inside the balloon, but the person blowing the balloon outside..."

"Steel Rain, damn it!"

The conclusion inferred by Xiao Yu made the eyes of millions of viewers light up, accompanied by a sense of horror.

Could it be that outside the universe, there is something being dragged by some unimaginably huge existence, causing it to expand in all directions?

"The person blowing the balloon???"

"Damn it, my scalp is tingling!"

"So dark energy might not exist, and there's something outside pulling our universe along?"

"This is ten thousand times more terrifying than dark energy!"

"There's something outside, what is it, damn it!"

"But, this idea is inexplicably plausible. Why is the universe expanding at an accelerated rate? It's because the force of that thing outside is uniform, which is why our universe expands uniformly!"

A feeling of sudden enlightenment, yet deep horror, welled up.

But more than that, it was cognitive incredulity!

At this moment, in the principal's office.

Physics teacher Old Yu had fiery eyes. He opened his mouth, as if he understood the words "universe expansion" for the first time.

"Ex, external force?"

"The universe... is being dragged by something outside?"

He didn't argue about the truth, but was amazed by this shocking idea!

Beside him, Xiao Wang rubbed his goosebumps violently. "Damn it, if this is true, are the laws of physics I learned the rules of the outside, or the rules of the universe itself?"

Old Wang gasped, "I feel cold now. This is scarier than a ghost story!"

In Kyoto, in the History Staff Quarters.

Professor Chen Runzhi, Professor Qian, Professor Wang, and Professor Liu looked at each other.

They certainly didn't understand the universe, but they heard an incredible logic.

The global scientific community is studying things inside the universe, while Jiang Zhe is already studying outside the universe...

Just for this courage, it is very astonishing!

In Qingfeng Temple.

"This..."

Zheng Ming wanted to say something, but he couldn't even find evidence for why the universe is accelerating its expansion, so he sat down.

Wang Chongyang and Celestial Master Zhang looked at each other, both seeing the shock on the other's face.

And Zhou Ming was absent today, out for work.

...

In the Huaqing University lounge.

The atmosphere here is the most heated!

"Holy crap!" A man in glasses stood up directly. "Awesome idea! Regardless of whether it's correct or not, this idea is explosive!"

"The person blowing the balloon... comparing our universe to a balloon..." another physics student murmured, "Just like how the universe wouldn't explode out of thin air, there must have been an [Observer] at the beginning..."

"And what Xiaoyu's brother said fits perfectly: [The First Observer] is actually [The First Balloon Blower]."

"This idea might be wrong; however, the idea is incredibly brilliant!"

"That's right, if this were true, there'd be no point in studying physics; we might as well just say hello to the [outside of the universe]." A physics underachiever said half-jokingly.

The lounge was suddenly heated, with discussions sparked by Jiang Zhe's remarks.

"Simply nonsense!" Professor Wu scolded with a straight face. "Observation data clearly points to the existence of dark energy. Using an unverified hypothesis to deny science is called wishful thinking!"

He turned to Professor Ouyang, his tone very serious. "Ouyang, bickering is fine on normal days, but now, you really have to manage this. Such remarks are likely to lead students astray!"

Professor Ouyang, however, looked at the screen thoughtfully. "Old Wu,"

"Dark energy is actually controversial in the scientific community; you believe it exists, but more astrophysicists do not acknowledge its existence."

"It is indeed as Xiaoyu's brother said, we seem to have been [patching up] our physical models."

He looked at the excited students, also speaking for Professor Wu to hear. "What Xiaoyu's brother proposed is not an alternative theory—but a... thought experiment."

"He is asking: When all our observations are restricted to a box [inside the universe]; how do we determine the shaking of the box—is it a pendulum moving inside, or is the whole box being carried by someone?"

"This is like the Brain in a Vat—when everything approaches 100%, and the five senses' perception of the world is too perfect—but regardless, bugs will always appear, and it is our consciousness that perceives the bugs."

"He reminds us," Professor Ouyang's voice was not loud, but it made the room slightly quieter, "perhaps the greatest unknown is not what parts we haven't found in the box, but that we haven't even figured out what the box itself is, and in what kind of existence's hands it is."

Once these words were said, the originally chaotic atmosphere instantly quieted down.

Li Mo and Professor Guan looked at each other innocently. "It seems we can't get a word in!"

...

In the living room, on the sofa.

Xiao Yu recovered from the previous shock.

She couldn't help but swallow, with light in her eyes. "Bro, do you mean that the person blowing the balloon might be a bigger [thing] that wraps around our entire universe?"

"Is it dragging, or pushing our entire universe—causing us to observe the universe expanding uniformly and accelerating—rather than some dark energy generated inside the universe?"

"You can understand it that way, this is a possibility."

Jiang Zhe nodded, affirming what Xiao Yu said.

But Xiao Yu still frowned and raised the key point. "But, this doesn't make sense!"

"Bro, we observe that the universe is expanding, and it is expanding uniformly on a large scale—just like a small stone falling into water, the ripples are very uniform!"

"If there is something outside pulling our universe, what method would it have to use to pull every direction of our [observable + unobservable] universe so uniformly from all sides?"

"This is too hard to imagine, unless..."

Speaking of this, Xiao Yu's eyes suddenly lit up. "Unless outside our universe, there is also a very uniform thing wrapping around our entire universe."

"Like a... super huge and incomparably uniform [shell]?"

"Only in this way can the universe expand so uniformly, and even accelerate its expansion?"

Xiao Yu's statement made millions of viewers, Old Yu, Principal Fu, and the group of physics students in the Huaqing lounge light up.

They gave a thumbs up one after another.

Under Jiang Zhe's guidance, Xiao Yu was actually able to give such a brilliant idea!

Jiang Zhe was stunned, impressed by Xiao Yu's statement. He smiled and affirmed repeatedly. "Very good thinking!"

"Xiao Yu, while continuing to think about what exactly that [outside] is, you need to recognize more accurately [what shape our universe is]!"

"It is..."

Xiao Yu just wanted to speculate, then looked through the light at Jiang Zhe's back.

Next to the LCD TV behind him was a square fish tank. A small fish was circling in the middle of the tank, creating uniform ripples in all directions.

When the uniform ripples hit the glass cover...

Xiao Yu's eyes lit up. "It's circular, or a circular sphere, because this conforms to the cognition that everything in the universe is round, so that planets won't be decomposed and collapsed by gravity!"

As soon as these words came out, it made the viewers in the live broadcast room light up, and they nodded in agreement.

"Not bad, circular, circular!"

"Round, is the foundation of the universe, must be circular!"

"..."

But the next moment, Jiang Zhe shook his head gently. "If the universe were round, then does our universe have curvature in all directions, or rather... does it have an arc?"

After speaking, he handed the tablet to Xiao Yu.

"On Earth, smart people thousands of years ago could see through the sea and through mathematical calculations—that the distant sails enter the eyes first, and then the ships enter the eyes; the change in between is the [curvature] of the Earth."

"Xiao Yu, look at the scientific evidence report on the computer, tell your brother, does the universe have an arc?"

Xiao Yu looked at the information her brother had prepared on it... she was completely dumbfounded.

"No... no... no!"