Chapter 225
The tone of that last sentence was as if the patient's family was entrusting the patient to the Doctor.
After leaving the Structure Department, Saria went to the parking lot, preparing to go to the explosion site for another on-site investigation.
She inserted the key and was about to start the car when someone suddenly opened the door and unceremoniously sat in the passenger seat.
"Muelsyse, what are you doing in my car?"
"Oh, go ahead and drive. Just think I'm bored and wanted to go for a walk with you?"
"..."
Saria gave her a disgruntled look, started the engine, and drove off towards the outskirts of Trimon.
An hour later, we arrived at our destination.
The explosion at the Haidon Pharmaceutical laboratory happened to coincide with a heavy rain. Otherwise, given the intensity of the fire, there probably wouldn't have been anything left.
Muelsyse looked around like a tourist, avoiding the dusty areas:
"Hey, what clues can you find in this pile of scrap metal? Wouldn't it be simpler to just ask that surviving blonde girl? Why come all this way and suffer like this?"
"It's no use, we won't get any information out of them."
Saria didn't turn around, and explained:
"She had a strong Stress Response as soon as she heard the words 'Haidon Pharmaceutical.' We can only look for clues at the accident scene. If you feel like you're suffering, you can go back to the Ecology Department; I'm here to take care of things."
Upon hearing this, Muelsyse immediately changed her previous sarcastic attitude and grinned, saying:
"Don't be angry, I'm just venting."
Saria walked to the end of the ruins, where the floor collapsed, revealing the underground level.
After checking that her equipment was complete, she jumped down, turned on her flashlight, and began exploring the dark passage:
"Muelsyse, you didn't come to this remote place for no reason. Now tell Kristen that I don't need to send you to spy on me."
"Oh dear, that's a really harsh thing to say. Anyone who didn't know better would think I was her spy."
"If you're not an informant, shouldn't you be doing something? Or are you just here for sightseeing?"
Saria pressed the light switch on the wall, but when nothing happened, she continued:
"Kristen rarely participates in meetings these days, and she's always elusive. She often locks herself in her lab, working on some research project I've never heard of. Sending you to investigate the Haidon Pharmaceutical bombing at this time is a bit unusual for me. Muelsyse, there are no outsiders here. Tell me the truth, what exactly is she researching lately?"
Muelsyse stood on the edge of the collapsed area, not jumping down after Saria. She looked up at the azure sky, a memory suddenly flashing through her mind:
"She's probably researching something extraordinary."
289 Extraterrestrial Visitor (Part 2)
March 23, 9:40 pm
In the afternoon, Shi Lei's team contacted the Melander Foundation through Zilan's connections.
After confirming the details of the request, the staff stated that it would take two to three days to verify and investigate. They would notify the employee of the results as soon as they were available.
This was Shi Lei's first time in Trimon, and he was unfamiliar with the place. For professional matters like this, it's much more efficient to leave it to professionals than to try and find someone else yourself.
After dinner, he visited Ifrit once again at the Structure Department of Rhine Lab.
Some time ago, Shi Lei witnessed firsthand hundreds of half-human, half-beast Experiment Subject who were determined to die in the biological laboratory of the Seventh Group Army of the Ursus Army in Yarbing.
In addition, Rhodes Island has an Operator codenamed Rosemary whose brain was replaced by a mad scientist. This makes him feel extremely disgusted with companies that conduct human experiments.
Shi Lei was worried about leaving Ifrit here and wanted to bring her to Rhodes Island for treatment. Amiya, upon learning of this, strongly expressed her support.
Around 9 PM, when Hemo saw the Rhodes Island Operator arrive, she waved and greeted them.
"Hello, Doctor Zhongli."
Shi Lei nodded in response and walked out of the observation room.
He saw Eve sitting on the bed, lost in thought, her eyes somewhat vacant, and casually asked:
"Doctor. Hemo, aren't you off work yet?"
Hemo, who was also standing outside the glass window looking into the room, shook his head upon hearing this and explained:
"I've already finished get off work, but there's nothing to do when I get back, so I might as well stay here and keep her company a little longer."
Shi Lei smiled slightly and asked politely:
"May I go in and see her?"
"No problem, this way please."
Ifrit's administration is jointly handled by Hemo, Saria, and Parvis. With the two directors absent, Hemo has the final say on matters concerning her.
The moment Shi Lei entered the room, he noticed that Ifrit's eyes had become wary.
Such a strong Stress Response is enough to show that she had a tragic experience in the laboratory.
Shi Lei reached into his pocket, paused for a few seconds, and then pulled out a palm-sized Rock Constructs Stone Statues:
"Look at this."
Upon hearing this, Eve tilted her head, staring at the brown Stone Statues in the other person's hand that looked remarkably like her. Her large eyes were filled with doubt and curiosity.
Hemo inwardly admired Doctor Zhongli's superb carving skills and took the initiative to introduce him:
"Eve, don't be afraid. This is Doctor Zhongli, who brought you fruit this morning."
After the introduction, she whispered a warning to Shi Lei:
"Doctor Zhongli, she can unleash fire-based Originium Arts when she's nervous, so please be careful."
"Don't worry, I'll be fine."
Shi Lei was never worried about safety and handed over the Rock Constructs Stone Statues.
Ifrit's eyes remained wary, yet tinged with desire. Her right hand slowly extended, then swiftly struck just before touching the Stone Statues, snatching it away.
Shi Lei didn't seem to mind, his smile was very friendly.
Perhaps it was because he presented the Stone Statues and fruit, or perhaps it was because he wasn't wearing white clothes.
Ifrit was captivated by the Stone Statues, and a rare, childlike smile appeared on her face:
"Thank you."
Shi Lei walked to the door of the observation room and took a children's book from Texas. He planned to tell Ifrit a story to lull her to sleep before leaving.
He used to tell Lisa bedtime stories occasionally when he was at Taiheng Road in Lungmen. He definitely has more experience in comforting children than Saria and Hemo.
"Do you want to hear a story? I'll tell you a few, and then you can go to sleep quietly, okay?"
Ifrit nodded vigorously upon hearing this.
She sensed that this man was different from other researchers. He showed her no hostility, and was as all-encompassing as the earth.
May I sit next to you?
Get Ifrit
With permission, Shi Lei sat down by the bedside. He had just opened the storybook when she leaned closer.
Seeing this, Hemo smiled with relief. He hadn't expected Doctor Zhongli be so experienced in caring for children at such a young age. Could it be that she already had a child?
She could think about it, but asking directly would be too presumptuous. Without disturbing the two of them, she quietly left the observation room.
Based on the bedtime stories he bought in the afternoon, Shi Lei told the fairy tales 'The Black Mermaid' and 'The Black Snow Princess', but Ifrit didn't seem interested.
After patient questioning, Ifrit finally said she preferred stories with mythological elements.
Shi Lei flipped through the children's books but couldn't find any fairy tales that met his requirements. After a moment's thought, he began to tell legendary stories that didn't exist in Terra History, such as Pangu creating the world, Nuwa patching up the sky, and Kuafu chasing the sun.
She listened with great interest, her eyes full of smiles. This was much more interesting than those days spent daydreaming.
Towards the end of the story, Ifrit suddenly asked:
"You said Nuwa mended the sky, how high was that sky?"
"The sky? It must be very high."
"How tall is 'very tall'? How many meters?"
Most adults would brush off such questions. Only children would press for answers and refuse to give up until they get a proper explanation.
He wasn't sure if Terra Planet, like Earth before his journey, had a troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, ionosphere, and exosphere. So he took out his phone and searched for relevant information online.
6152.31 meters, that is the height of the sky.
Seeing these numbers, Shi Lei was somewhat surprised. Was the sky over Terra really that low?
He usually flies to four or five thousand meters, but he's never flown any higher. Is it that the aircraft can only fly to an altitude of six thousand meters, or is the sky really only that high?
Ifrit shared the same question, and she leaned closer to point to the content on the phone screen:
"This isn't the height of the sky, is it?"
"It shouldn't be, but why do you want to know the height of the sky?"
"In those myths you mentioned, many people went to heaven, so I want to know how high heaven is."
"You know, that's a myth."
"But I just want to know."
Shi Lei was suspicious and wanted to confirm it. Anyway, it wasn't far; he could just fly up and find out.
If it can still fly above 7,000 meters, it means that the aviation technology of this region is inadequate. The concept of Barrier Layer is just a fig leaf to cover up technological deficiencies.
"Ifrit, after you know the answer, will you go to sleep obediently?"
"Um!"
"Then I'll go out and ask someone."
Shi Lei left the observation room and told Texas and the others that he was going out for a while and would be back soon.
He didn't have the instruments to measure altitude, so he could only estimate it roughly by feel. If there was Barrier Layer above 6,000 meters, he should be able to detect something at close range.
Shi Lei flies very fast and is not easy to observe.
But he never took any chances, covering his entire body with a rock helmet, rock armor, and Rock mask before setting off.
March 23, 10:11 pm
Kristen stood in the research lab, remotely piloting a modified drone into the sky. This thing needed to pass an altitude test before it could be completed.
The problem of losing signal at high altitudes has been solved by increasing signal power. If she can fly above 4,000 meters, she will receive substantial investment from the Ministry of Ministry of Defense.
In terms of aviation technology, Kristen's expertise goes far beyond that. Her goal isn't just four thousand meters; she wants to build the world's first drone capable of flying five thousand meters.
She began preparing for space exploration as early as when she was in college in Trimon. That's why she was able to work overtime to finish the project after learning about the Ministry of Defense's needs.
Kristen's "Horizon Arc Plan," which the Ministry of Defense funded, was, in essence, an elaborate scam.
Launching the aircraft into the sky and then using a relay station to deflect and drop it to strike long-range targets involves enormous energy consumption. To achieve a certain level of destructive power, several times the required energy is needed.
With Columbia's current level of technology, it is simply impossible to solve its energy problems.
But so what?
Kristen's concept of a superweapon attracted substantial investment from the Ministry of Defense. She simply wanted to use this money from warmongers to fulfill her own dream of space travel.
Kristen has an unusual obsession with the sky. Perhaps it's because her parents were the Wrights, the scientists who measured the height of the sky.
Their experiments represented a significant step forward for the aviation industry. Unfortunately, a test flight accident that claimed the lives of their parents brought this progress to a standstill for more than a decade.
Kristen still remembers the ugly faces of most scientists at their parents' funerals.
They felt that their parents had overestimated themselves and had offended the heavens, and that they had received their due punishment.
Kristen was not yet an adult at the time, and she stood alone at the funeral. On that day, she saw through the hypocritical masks of the world and felt utterly disgusted.
Later, Kristen learned from her parents' belongings about their romance with and pursuit of the sky.
From that time on, Kristen set a simple and pure goal.