297: Chapter 297: They're not underground at all!!!

Huaqing University, Physics Professor Dormitories.

Ouyang Baili stood up abruptly. "Ariani, an underground world... this is freaking crazy!"

Professor Wu Ming's mouth hung open as he clenched his fists in excitement. With Robert's endorsement, the authenticity of this claim had increased significantly.

"If this is true, then physics will have to be rewritten. If the Earth's core is hollow, then the mass distribution, gravitational field, magnetic field... everything will need to be recalculated."

Guan Jingming's face was flushed. "The key is that flight technology—a platform without wheels, no sound, no vibration. What principle is that? Anti-gravity?"

Just as Li Mo was trying to find a professor who studied Antarctica, Ouyang Baili suddenly cut him off.

"Wait, everyone, did you notice that '27 minutes'?"

Professor Wu Ming looked at him. "27 minutes? What about it?"

Ouyang Baili said with a heavy expression:

"When Byrd returned from the underground world, his diary stated very clearly: [27 minutes later, they landed safely at the base]."

He then picked up a pen and paper from the computer desk. "Let's do the math."

He explained while writing:

"What kind of plane was Byrd flying in 1947? It was a B-29 Bomber. What is the cruising speed of that aircraft?"

Li Mo blurted out, "The cruising speed of a B-29 is approximately 350 to 360 kilometers per hour."

"Good, let's calculate based on 360 kilometers." Ouyang Baili wrote the number on the paper. "360 kilometers per hour divided by 60 minutes means it flies 6 kilometers per minute. How far can it fly in 27 minutes?"

He did the mental math and gave the answer: "6 kilometers times 27 minutes is 162 kilometers."

Then, Ouyang Baili looked at the three of them seriously, as if he had discovered something. "162 kilometers. In other words, from the moment Byrd took off from the underground world to the moment he returned to the base, he only flew a total of 162 kilometers."

Guan Jingming was somewhat puzzled. "What does 162 kilometers prove?"

Ouyang Baili put the pen down on the table and revealed the secret with certainty: "It proves that the place Byrd went to wasn't in the Earth's core at all, and it wasn't even underground!"

He pointed to the numbers on the scratch paper and explained:

"The average radius of the Earth is 6,371 kilometers, and the thickness of the crust is 30 to 70 kilometers. However, in Antarctica, the crust is more uneven, ranging from 20 to 65 kilometers."

"Even if there were a hollow space in the crust for an underground world, going down from the surface where Byrd took off would take at least several dozen kilometers."

"At the speed of a B-29, he could only fly 162 kilometers in 27 minutes. If the direction were vertically downward, he would have broken through the crust long ago."

"If the bomber's flight direction was horizontal, then it means that [Ariani] is somewhere on the Antarctic continent, perhaps even just beneath the ice sheet!"

Saying this, he took a deep breath, his eyes burning with excitement.

"And don't forget, Byrd was missing for over three hours."

"After he left that crystal city, it only took 27 minutes to return to the USA military base in Antarctica."

"This indicates that the entrance to the Antarctic base is very close to the entrance of the underground world—close enough to fly there in 27 minutes."

Hearing this, Li Mo gasped. "So Ariani isn't at the Earth's core, but just underground? Maybe the 'sunlight' in that city isn't nuclear fusion at all, but the same sun that shines on us? Could it be a massive cavity beneath the Antarctic ice sheet, a place where the sun can still reach?"

Ouyang Baili nodded vigorously.

"Exactly! The place Byrd went to didn't require penetrating the crust to reach the core."

"If there is a massive cave system under the Antarctic ice sheet, it could easily be hundreds or thousands of meters below the ice."

"The mist Byrd flew through was the entrance."

He looked at the screen with a deep gaze.

"Furthermore, the diary is very clear—the Elder said the 'Inner World of Earth,' not the 'Hollow Earth Core.' This wording is very subtle. It greatly increases the possibility that Ariani is the new name for Atlantis from twelve thousand years ago!!!"

"Besides, if we were a high-tech civilization, would we really tell outsiders the exact location of our home and let them find us?"

Following this string of words, the four men looked at each other, seeing the shock on one another's faces.

The obvious answer was: No!

It was this point that made Ouyang Baili feel that this matter wasn't fiction at all, but entirely real!!!

...

Kyoto, Qingfeng Temple.

Zheng Ming's eyes trembled, his face filled with horror. "Impossible, absolutely impossible!"

Jin Xianmeng watched the large screen, his thoughts racing. He realized he lacked first-hand information, making him very passive while listening to Jiang Zhe's narration.

So, he pulled out his phone and dialed an encrypted number.

After a few rings, the call was connected. "Xiao Jin, what is it?"

Jin Xianmeng said solemnly, "Leader, I need to check some data. The files on Byrd's Operation Highjump, especially the records related to Byrd's three-hour disappearance on February 19th."

The leader on the other end of the phone was clearly surprised. "How do you know about that?"

Jin Xianmeng was stunned. "So it's actually true?"

After a long silence, the leader's voice came through. "Wait a moment, I'll send you something. It was just declassified three years ago and hasn't been made public in our country."

Jin Xianmeng held his breath.

Soon, his phone vibrated, and an encrypted file was sent via email.

He opened it and was filled with astonishment.

The document really contained the information.

Flight records of Admiral Byrd, February 19, 1947.

Missing for 3 hours and 17 minutes. During this period, radio contact was lost, and navigation systems failed.

Upon returning to the unit, Byrd underwent a six-hour debriefing by Naval Intelligence. The contents were classified as Top Secret.

Summary of the inquiry records—

Byrd claimed to have entered a green valley, seen flying disc-shaped devices, and conversed with blonde, fair-skinned humanoid beings.

The other party claimed to be from Ariani, the inner world of Earth.

Whether at the core or beneath the crust, analysis suggests they had not entered the Earth's core.

According to Byrd's 'Secret Diary,' on February 26, 1947, Byrd's fleet was attacked by unidentified flying objects, resulting in the deaths of 63 US soldiers.

Following the attack, Byrd was forced into retirement and required to sign a non-disclosure agreement, forbidden from ever going public with the matter.

The official explanation given was [Mechanical Failure].

[Archive Discrepancy: The USA military publicly stated only 3 personnel died, while Byrd claimed 63 deaths. This cannot be reconciled with official testimony.]

[Archive Discrepancy 2: The testimony in the Secret Diary consists of oral statements from pilots and cannot be classified as public evidence.]

In 1957, shortly before his death, Byrd stated in a private interview:

"[I have a responsibility to tell the world that there is a land beyond the South Pole where there is no ice or snow, only forests and rivers, and flying cities.]"

"[According to declassified archive content, there is indeed a land in Antarctica with no ice or snow, only forests and rivers. No flying cities have been seen.]"

"[Point of Doubt: How did Byrd know about that place in 1957?]"

"[Conclusion: Byrd's evidence is at odds with the official USA evidence!]"

Looking at this, it was clearly a comparative archive—one part from the official records of the USA from the last century, and the other from Byrd's personal records.

As for which was true or false, there was no longer a need to investigate deeply.

Through the clues provided in Byrd's diary from the last century, one could discover that much was hidden!

The hand holding the data trembled slightly.

He then transferred the content from his phone to his laptop and pushed the computer toward Zheng Ming and Celestial Master Zhang.

The two leaned in to look, and their faces turned pale on the spot.

Zheng Ming couldn't help but swallow hard. "This... this is real? An official USA document?"

Jin Xianmeng nodded slowly. "It was just declassified three years ago. It's just that the official version differs from Byrd's version. As for who to believe, Xiaoyu's brother actually understands who to believe better than we do!"

Zheng Ming wanted to argue, but he realized that Jiang Zhe never did anything he wasn't sure of.

Since he dared to include it in his lesson, it meant the authenticity had already been greatly increased.

The thought of arguing vanished instantly.

"Is it really possible? Are there really such magical and incredible things in our world?"

He still found it hard to believe.

After reading the file, Celestial Master Zhang was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter. "Hahaha! Marvelous, simply marvelous! So the underground world from the myths actually exists!"

"As for Brother Zheng, you've watched the livestream for so long; you should have noticed that Xiaoyu's brother has always been for real."

In response, Zheng Ming gave Jiang Zhe a deep look and shook his head helplessly.

"Even if it's true today, so what? I don't believe he won't make any mistakes in the future!"

"Fine!"

Inside the large screen, in the living room.

Xiao Yu was still trembling, hesitating to speak.

"Big brother, after returning to land, was that when the UFO attack happened? No, wait, was it the attack seven days later?"

Jiang Zhe nodded slightly. "Correct. On February 26th, that attack occurred, and 63 US soldiers died."

"However, around the time of the UFO attack seven days later, some smaller incidents also took place."

"What kind of interludes?"

"After Byrd reported his findings of the underground world, the high-ranking military officials naturally didn't believe him."

"In the words of a general at the time: even if there really is something under Antarctica, that's the USA's Antarctica. No matter who lives down there, they have to follow our rules."

As those words fell, Xiao Yu and the viewers fell into thought.

In 1947, just two years after World War II ended, the USA was the only country in the world that possessed nukes.

Their total economic output accounted for more than half of the global total, their military bases were spread across the globe, the dollar was pegged to gold, and Hollywood movies and Coca-Cola were conquering the world.

In the eyes of the USA military at the time, they were the masters of this planet.

Antarctica?

That was just a place they hadn't gotten around to planting their flag yet.

In the livestream, the viewers' comments flooded in.

"August 6, 1945—the USA had just finished dropping Fat Man and Little Boy. Those were the years when their ego was at its peak."

"With half the world's industrial output, who would dare challenge them!"

"The former Bear Country didn't have nukes yet. The USA was in a league of its own."

"In their eyes, Antarctica was probably just an unclaimed territory."

"So that general saying they'd play by the USA's rules is likely true, because they really were qualified to say that."

"Man, this USA style of doing things adds another layer of social evidence to this Antarctic high-tech theory; it's just too damn plausible..."

"..."

Jiang Zhe's commentary continued.

"Whether they believed it or not, it was a fact that abnormal radar signals appeared in that area."

"Thus, a fleet consisting of destroyers, submarines, and aircraft carriers launched a large-scale search in the same waters where Byrd had disappeared. They wanted to find that entrance."

Xiao Yu gasped. "And then?"

Jiang Zhe shook his head slightly. "What happened next wasn't written in the diary. It jumped directly to the attack on February 26th. The deaths of the 63 USA soldiers were officially attributed to mechanical failure."

"The public record says 3 soldiers died; the diary says 63 died in an encounter with UFOs."

"So, Xiao Yu, have you discovered a certain secret? Hint: 27 minutes—how far can a fighter jet fly?"

As he spoke, a slight smile played on his lips.

Xiao Yu rested her chin on her hand and thought for a moment, then her eyes suddenly lit up.

Combining the Antarctic Pyramids and the series of evidence, it was clear that there must be something in Antarctica!

But ultimately, not many people knew about it.

Soon, Xiao Yu took a deep breath and said steadily, "27 minutes is too short. So, even if there is a civilization in Antarctica, they... aren't... underground at all!"

Jiang Zhe smiled with satisfaction. "Correct. Whether it's called Ariani or something else, if there are people there, they aren't 'inner-earth' people. Because you can't fly very far in 27 minutes. Even if there's a civilization there, it's a super-civilization in a secluded oasis!"

"So, where exactly is Atlantis?"

Xiao Yu replied directly, "Most likely, it's right there in Antarctica!"