Bates Ball

"Have you ever heard of the Bates Ball?" Leng Xiangwen asked.

"Bates Ball?" Song He looked bewildered. "What is that?"

Leng Xiangwen fell silent for a moment before beginning in a solemn tone:

"Three days ago, I was invited to attend an event at a club. I took the governor's private plane there. The weather was clear and sunny, and after we reached high altitude, I suddenly saw a small object flying above the clouds."

"It was a silver-white metal sphere about the size of a basketball. It was frighteningly fast, probably twice as fast as our plane, flying straight at an angle."

"I called everyone on the plane over to look at it. Everyone panicked a little. Someone used a professional camera to zoom in and managed to take a fairly clear picture. It was just a metal sphere. There were no engine exhausts or protruding wings on its surface. It was incredibly smooth."

"The governor's expression immediately turned strange. He cursed as he took out his phone and made a call. It seemed he was calling the local air force, saying that the ball had appeared again."

"After the governor finished the call, the ball plunged into the clouds and vanished. I asked him what it was. Was it some kind of aircraft belonging to the Lighthouse Air Force?"

"The governor said that was impossible. How could something the size of a basketball fly at high speed at an altitude of forty thousand feet? Where would its power come from? That thing simply wasn't man-made."

"Everyone in the cabin asked the governor whether it was something belonging to aliens. The governor said he didn't know either. He had seen it once over the Atlantic Ocean ten years ago, and this was the second time in his life."

"He said the Lighthouse Air Force encountered this thing once or twice a year. F-22s had even scrambled because of the metal sphere and tried to chase it at full power."

"After the ball realized it was being pursued, it accelerated and changed direction sharply. Its turns were incredibly violent, as if it had no inertia at all. It could drop from supersonic speed to zero and hover in an instant, then accelerate past Mach three in the next instant and fly off in another direction."

"To pursue this thing, the Lighthouse Air Force's already scarce F-22s pushed their engines until two of them broke down. One crashed into the Pacific, and the pilot passed out during ejection and drowned. Another crashed into a farm in Tennessee. The pilot was lucky enough to escape, and they told the public it had been a training accident."

"The governor said there were sightings of this ball all over the world. Almost every military power with fighter jets had tried to chase it, but none had caught it. Various radars couldn't detect it either. They could only track it by sight."

Leng Xiangwen finished speaking and waited for Song He's reaction.

Song He opened his mouth and remained dazed for a long while. "No... Seriously?"

"I swear on everything I have that I saw it with my own eyes. I even took pictures with my phone, but I can't send them to you." Leng Xiangwen raised one hand and swore. "I've been researching this thing these past few days. The closest description I found was the Bates Ball, but it's also different from the Bates Ball in the legends."

"To be honest, if someone else told me they'd seen a UFO, I'd definitely keep my distance and think they were a liar. But hearing you say this... I'm getting goosebumps." Song He frowned.

"Who can say otherwise? Back in middle school, I even argued with people online about UFOs and cursed them out viciously. I never believed such things existed. I thought those blurry UFO videos were either edited, or showed kites, plastic bags, rare atmospheric phenomena, or something similar." Leng Xiangwen smiled bitterly. "That was until I saw the Bates Ball with my own eyes. My entire worldview, built over more than twenty years, collapsed in twenty seconds."

"This is the first time I've heard of this thing too. I'll ask around for you later." Song He nodded. "Now that you mention it, I'm pretty curious too, though I'm afraid I may not be able to find anything out!"

"I'm not counting on an answer. But if you do find out, let me know." Leng Xiangwen said.

After they finished discussing the matter, the two suddenly had nothing left to say.

After a moment of silence, Song He spoke. "How are things on your end lately?"

"Getting by. Let's not chat anymore. And finally, thank you. The Dream Control Helmet sold extremely well, and my position there has become a little more secure." Leng Xiangwen said.

After taking off the Dream Control Helmet, Song He sat down in front of the computer and quickly wrote and submitted a report, detailing his dream meeting with Leng Xiangwen.

After finishing, he let out a heavy sigh.

He didn't know why, but he felt increasingly tired.

The passionate drive he had possessed in high school was fading. His fighting spirit to conquer heaven and earth was quietly ebbing away. Although life had been relatively relaxed recently, far less tense than the sleepless nights he had spent studying in middle school, he still felt deeply exhausted.

Was it because he was getting older?

No. He was still far from old age, and his physical fitness was good enough to run a marathon there and back.

If the current Song He faced his middle-school self in a boxing match, his present, fully developed muscles would let him knock the middle-school version of himself unconscious with one punch—the kind of unconsciousness that even pressing the philtrum couldn't fix!

After thinking it over, Song He felt that the reason for his exhaustion might be responsibility.

The responsibilities weighing on him were growing heavier.

In middle school, he had fought alone, simply enjoying the thrill of learning and moving forward. Temporary failure had not mattered; as long as he fought hard, he could always regroup and rise again.

Back then, he had been like a foot soldier swinging a blade on the battlefield. He didn't need to think too much—he only had to charge forward and cut down his enemies!

But after fighting his way to the present, more and more people followed behind him. From a research and development team of several hundred people to the livelihoods of tens or even hundreds of thousands of industrial workers, and even the progress of medicine in the country and around the world, all of it depended on the technological breakthroughs in his hands!

He was no longer a foot soldier. He was the commander of three armies holding the tiger tally. Every action had to be considered with the utmost caution. The slightest negligence could lead to hundreds or thousands of casualties on the front line. How could anyone remain relaxed while carrying such responsibility every day?

When would he be free of it? It seemed he would never be free.

He would just have to adapt slowly. Song He sighed again.

The sky darkened, and night fell.

Several buses were parked outside the School of Pharmacy.

The Technical Soldiers and the students from the Genius Institute arrived one after another and assembled in front of the buses. Everyone carried a huge backpack, having packed everything to take with them, as if they were setting out on an expedition to the ends of the earth, never to return.

Two figures approached from the distance.

"Attention!" Zhang Juyi shouted.

The four Technical Soldiers immediately formed a line, their expressions tense and their eyes faintly melancholy.

"Stand properly and stop talking!" Tang Rongrong also said. "Attention!"

The students from the three classes also stood neatly and waited in silence.

Song He and Xiang Xiaotong slowly walked over, first arriving in front of the Technical Soldiers.

"Do you still not understand the content of that lesson?" Song He asked.

"Reporting! I only understood it half an hour ago! They still need a little more time!" Zhang Juyi said.

"I understand. The Brain-Mimicking Supercomputer is indeed overly complicated, and it's no small test for you. But I hope everyone will grit their teeth and persevere. Learn bit by bit, chew through it bit by bit, and strive to learn everything you need to understand over the course of one or two years." Song He said. "There's no other reason. The country needs it, and this technology cannot be lost!"

"Yes!" the four Technical Soldiers shouted in unison.

"I'll set up online courses for you. If there's anything you don't understand, leave me a message online. The summer program is over. Everyone, board the bus!" Song He took a step back. "Safe travels!"

"Salute!" Zhang Juyi shouted.

The four Technical Soldiers saluted together, and Song He and Xiang Xiaotong returned the salute solemnly.

"Turn left! Board the bus!"

The four Technical Soldiers boarded the bus. The vehicles started immediately, turned around after a brief honk, and disappeared into the campus beneath the night sky.

Song He and Xiang Xiaotong walked toward the students from the Genius Institute.

Two students in the front row were particularly conspicuous, their heads wrapped like mummies.

"Reporting!" Yuan Tiangang suddenly said.

"Speak!" Song He looked at him.

"Principal, this afternoon, I beat Teacher Zhang at Xiangqi!" Yuan Tiangang said. "I won seven games in a row!"

"Reporting!" Yang Yu also hurriedly said. "This afternoon, I beat Teacher Tang at Weiqi. I won four games in a row!"

Dozens of students turned their heads in shock, their expressions incredulous. Everyone knew that the two homeroom teachers played mercilessly. Had they really been beaten by students? And lost so many games in a row?

Song He turned to look at Zhang Cancan and Tang Rongrong. The two highly skilled homeroom teachers wore stiff smiles, their faces filled with the embarrassment of being overturned in a ditch and then having it loudly announced to everyone, leaving them unable to refute it.

"Very good. The scholarships I promised you still stand. You'll receive them!"

Song He's approving gaze swept over the ninety little heads. He cleared his throat and began:

"Students, I imagine you've all noticed that within the short span of this past summer vacation, everyone's intelligence has improved by leaps and bounds!"

"You have officially entered the ranks of geniuses. Among ordinary people, your intelligence places you among one in a thousand, or even one in ten thousand. I hope you won't waste your talents. Find the direction that interests you, and study hard!"

"Until we meet again!" Song He said. "We'll see each other again in the future!"

"Until we meet again!" Xiang Xiaotong added.

A student in the crowd suddenly began to sob. The emotion spread within seconds, and dozens of students' eyes reddened as they began crying softly in sadness.

The children of the Genius Institute were still young and had not experienced many farewells. As orphans, they treasured every trace of warmth. Although they had spent only one summer at the Medicine Institute, they had vaguely felt a trace of paternal and maternal love from the two principals.

"Say goodbye to the principals. It's time to board the buses!" the homeroom teachers said.

The students called out their tearful goodbyes to the principals one after another and sobbed as they boarded the buses.

Once they were on board, their crying erupted violently. The children shouted and wailed for the principals at the top of their lungs, grieving as if the principals had died.

The three buses, packed with sobbing children, drove away after honking.

The entrance to the School of Pharmacy became empty and quiet, with only two figures remaining.

Song He turned and walked away. After two steps, he looked back and found Xiang Xiaotong still standing there in a daze.

"What's wrong? Let's go." Song He asked. "What are you spacing out for?"

"I'm feeling a little sad." Xiang Xiaotong's gaze was sorrowful. "All those lively children left at once, and this place suddenly became so empty."

"Empty my ass. The new freshmen will start arriving tomorrow! This place will be as lively as a street market!" Song He laughed. "The School of Pharmacy Opening Ceremony will shake the world. You can come see the excitement. I'll save you a seat."