CERN's vote

At the same time that the Jinling Institute for Advanced Study was conducting experiments on sonoluminescence and sonofusion, a conference on the mass gap problem was underway at CERN's headquarters in Switzerland.

Attendance was small, but almost everyone present was a renowned scholar at the very pinnacle of modern physics. More than half had received a Nobel Prize.

It was no exaggeration to say that if someone dropped a bomb here, the development of physics worldwide would be set back at least fifty years...

After entering the tiered conference hall, Witten found an inconspicuous seat and sat down. With some surprise, he turned his gaze toward another scholar near the conference table.

Peter Higgs!

The discoverer of the God Particle!

Since returning to the United Kingdom from CERN in 2013, he had rarely appeared in public. He was now ninety-one years old, and Witten had never expected to see him at this conference.

But on reflection, it made sense. For a conference that would determine the future of physics, anyone who still cared about the discipline to which they had devoted their youth and sweat would hardly let the opportunity pass.

Before the conference began, Witten took a moment to look around at the scholars in attendance. He discovered that Peter Higgs was not the only one making an unprecedented appearance. Many reclusive physicists who almost never traveled far from home were also sitting in the tiered conference hall, quietly waiting for the proceedings to begin.

"What a surprise," Jaffe said with a smile as he sat beside Witten. "I never expected to see so many old friends who rarely show their faces."

"Indeed." Witten nodded, feeling a little wistful. Just as he was about to say something else, the sound of a microphone being tested came from the front