"Uh..." Becker was stunned for a moment, "Parallel universe?"
"I'm sorry, I didn't quite understand what you meant. Could you please rephrase it?"
Becker unconsciously frowned, wondering if he had misheard.
But Carl, sitting opposite him, smiled. "Mr. Becker, you heard me right. I come from a different timeline than you. In our timeline, my position is the same as yours."
Becker looked directly at Chai Ping, tapping his temple with his index finger as if to say, "Are you asking me to recommend a hospital to this person?"
With a smile on his face, Chai Ping said directly, " Becker, what he said is true. I can vouch for it."
"They do indeed come from a parallel universe."
Chai Ping's expression gradually turned serious.
But Becker shook his head, still staring at Chai Ping with suspicion. "Are you sure this isn't me, or are you dreaming?"
Carl then spoke up, "Mr. Becker, there's no need to worry about our identities for now. You just need to know that we are harmless."
Becker glanced at Carl, the fat man who did indeed look quite amiable. He shrugged, his tone becoming much more irritated. "Fine, whatever you have to say, you can say it now, but every word has its price..."
Chai Ping remained calm, but he silently ceded the stage to Carl and said nothing more.
Becker saw everything, his questioning gaze never wavering.
Until Carl spoke again...
"Mr. Becker, your country's meteorological department should have received a paper yesterday."
"A thesis?" Becker adjusted his glasses, immediately recalling what Tom had just reported to him.
"Was that paper really fabricated in your country?"
"No, it's not fabricated. It's a research finding with scientific evidence. It combines the top wisdom and technology from several different timelines. Although it's a bit radical, everything in it is something that's about to happen."
"Your timeline will soon be hit by an unprecedented storm, and countless people will die in this catastrophe..."
"Excuse me, Mr. Carl?"
"I haven't finished reading that paper, but I know that won't happen. If you've come here today to try and sell me this idea, then I can only say you've failed."
"I admit you obtained some classified data, but that's no excuse for fabricating stories."
Although he hadn't heard Tom's report yet, based on Carl's words and the two, he had already guessed what the paper was about.
It's nothing more than throwing out a terrifying idea to scare people.
Having been in politics for so many years, what kind of frightening things hasn't he heard?
I was never afraid.
"I'm very busy. I have three meetings today, and someone is waiting to report to me in my office. I have to leave now."
"The cookies and coffee here are good; please have some. Good afternoon."
After saying this, Becker stood up and left without giving Carl a chance to speak.
Carl sat in the chair, lost in thought, for a long while.
He didn't respond until the waiter next to him asked if he wanted some cookies.
"Besides coffee, I'd also like two servings of cookies."
He also looked at Chai Ping with an inquiring gaze.
Chai Ping shook his head, indicating that he didn't need it.
"Then two portions will do, thank you."
Carl nodded to the waitress, indicating that she could go and prepare.
Then he turned his attention back to Chai Ping.
"Has this person always been like this?" While waiting for the cookies, Carl also took out a contract from his person.
It was the agreement of the Mutual Aid Society.
However, this is a completely new agreement specially drafted by Zhang Tianyuan for this time and space. It states that its purpose is limited to the temporary use of the Mutual Aid Society's special facilities by the signatory; signing this agreement does not constitute joining the Mutual Aid Society. (Xxs-2)
Although the system doesn't care about all that, as long as you sign, you're considered a resident...
Carl's original plan was to have Becker sign the agreement after listening to him, and then ask Zhang Tianyuan to open the Spacetime Tunnel and take him to his own time for a visit. This way, Becker would most likely believe them.
To everyone's surprise, Becker didn't even let him finish speaking.
"If it were me, I would definitely let the guest finish speaking... Chai, he's even more rude than you describe."
Carl, holding his coffee, felt a bit of a headache.
This time, he was judging others by his own standards.
I never imagined that Becker in this timeline wouldn't even have basic diplomatic etiquette and wouldn't listen to what I was saying.
Chai Ping smiled faintly and comforted him, saying that this was normal.
" Becker is just an impatient person. This is your first time dealing with him. We'll give this agreement to the waiter and have them pass it on to Becker. He'll take a closer look at it once he's calmed down."
Chai Ping confidently took Carl's hand
They put the agreement into a pre-prepared envelope and handed it to the waiter who made their coffee, asking him to submit it through other channels.
Watching Chai Ping's prophetic demeanor, Carl couldn't help but curl his lip and mutter, "Fine, this is your territory, you know it better than I do, that's normal..."
On the other side.
Becker had already returned to his office, while Tom was still waiting there. He patiently continued listening to Tom's report, only to find that, just as he had suspected, the paper indeed presented a terrifying viewpoint.
"Will the Ice Age return to Earth in a month and a half?"
"This is the most absurd conclusion I've ever heard!"
Becker simply threw the paper Tom had printed out into the trash.
Tom, looking at the scene somewhat awkwardly, said, "We are still organizing manpower and mobilizing resources to verify the arguments in the paper, which is expected to take at least a year."
Verifying the data in Liu Chunshi's paper is no easy task; extensive calculations are essential, and a professional and mature theoretical model and formula are also required.
As for why it took such a long time, a whole year...
Can a computer that Wandering Spacetime compare to a computer from 2002?
Upon hearing Tom's words, Becker's sarcastic nature immediately surfaced. "What's the point of verifying such an absurd paper?"
"Don't waste the budget I gave you on this kind of thing. I didn't tell you to throw money into the sea!"
Tom shrank back and quickly said he would cancel the plan.
Just as he finished speaking, the phone on Becker's desk rang again. Seeing this, he waved for Tom to leave and answered the phone himself.
This time, someone else was looking for him.
However, it wasn't Chai Ping who was looking for him; it was people from other countries.
"You mean, they also came to you with that paper?"
Upon hearing what was said on the other end of the phone, Becker immediately thought of Chai Ping: "Their people came to see me today too. Did they also tell you that the world is about to face a great catastrophe?"
"My opinion? My opinion is that they're talking complete nonsense; their views are worthless. Maybe they're crazy to do something like this, but that's not surprising, you know, they have very outdated customs, which makes them very easy to fool..."
Becker's mouth was like a machine gun, talking non-stop, and no one on the other end of the phone who wanted his opinion could get a word in edgewise.
Finally, seizing a moment while Becker was catching his breath, he found an opportunity. "They made me sign a strange Chinese agreement, saying it was an invitation for us to visit their country, and then we could personally travel to a parallel universe..."
"My advice is not to go. If you're not worried about being murdered, there's definitely a huge conspiracy involved..."
Becker started firing off attacks again, completely stunning the opposing team.
After a long while, Becker finally hung up the phone, let out a long sigh, and then fell into deep thought.
His vehement denigration over the phone was merely an instinctive reaction.
The other side didn't just contact him; they also contacted people in other countries about it.
This undoubtedly hides a grand plan.
Although he didn't know the real purpose, he knew that to prevent the plan from succeeding, it was necessary to destroy the foundation of mutual trust between the other side and other countries.
And slander is the best way.
After hanging up the phone, Becker for a moment and then proactively called several other major countries. Without exception, he met people from the "parallel universe" and learned that a storm was about to strike.
However, most countries are still in a state of confusion.
Becker's response was the same as before—to smear him as much as possible.
Just as he was getting into the conversation and was about to call the next person, he suddenly received another call. It was an internal call, and normally only one person would make this call.
That was his immediate supervisor.
He answered the call quickly, and within half a minute he knew why he had received it.
"Mr. Zhong just spoke with you on the phone? And he even talked about the disaster?" Becker was genuinely baffled when he heard this. What kind of plan was this that required someone of this rank to coordinate?
"It wasn't just me; as far as I know, he made impromptu calls with many people, all saying the same thing."
" Becker, I heard that Chai contacted you and had a conversation with you before. Is that about this matter?"
"... Yes, they did contact me and explained in more detail, but I thought they were crazy, so I ignored them."
At this point, Becker suddenly straightened up, his back stiffening. "Such a thing is simply impossible. I've already asked the experts, and they said... said what's stated in the paper..."
Even in the most extreme scenario, such a disaster is unlikely to occur for at least a year...
Becker scratched his head as he said this; he couldn't quite remember what Tom had said back then, only that it had been a year.
There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone, who also found the whole thing too unbelievable. " Becker, continue to contact Chai and see what's going on. I'll hear your report next week."
After saying that, the phone was hung up.
Becker had just put down the phone when his secretary knocked and came in again, carrying an envelope:
"Mr. Becker, this is what Mr. Chai requested you to receive."
Becker took the paper, opened it, and then fell into deep thought as he looked at the paper inside, which was full of Chinese characters.
Washington International Airport.
Jack, carrying his luggage and accompanied by two colleagues, walked out with the crowd.
Frank and Jason followed behind him.
Jason kept saying:
"I can't believe it! They actually managed to force us back from Antarctica ahead of schedule!"
"Are they really highly educated people? Why are they afraid of evil spirits? They don't even exist!"
"I think the people we encountered back then were more likely an underground civilization living beneath Antarctica, and definitely not evil spirits..."
Frank listened to Jason's complaints and sighed.
"You'd better shut up. If you hadn't kept talking to them about what happened that day, constantly reminding them of the 'evil spirit's' existence, we wouldn't have slunk back like this..."
Jack, however, was quite easygoing. "Don't think too much about it. At least we have time to rest now, don't we?"
"I'll go back to the warehouse next time. You guys go home first."
With that, Jack quickly got into a taxi and drove straight towards the Weather Building.
Frank and Jason, left standing there, could only stare at each other as the taxi drove away.
After a moment, Frank finally spoke, "He doesn't look like he's come back to rest."
Soon, Jack returned to the meteorological department building, where his laboratory and warehouse were located, storing various ice core samples needed for his research.
Upon hearing the news of his return, Tom, who had just returned from Becker's office, didn't even go back to his own office and rushed over quickly.
He came to express his concern, after all, Jack was his subordinate, and he had almost encountered danger in Antarctica.
However, as the conversation went, the topic veered off course.
Tom put the files he was holding on the table next to him and asked with a gossipy look, "I heard that before the ice shelf collapsed, you encountered a group of black Ghost Riders? They're the ones who saved you?"
Jack:???
What kind of ridiculous rumors have been spread about this?
His lips twitched involuntarily, and he lost interest in speaking, "You're right."
Jack bent down to get his cup and suddenly noticed some familiar Chinese characters on the document Tom had placed on the table.
Liu Chunshi.
The shape of those three characters immediately triggered his memory; among those meteorologists with exceptionally radical views, one had those three characters on his name tag.
He instinctively picked up the document, only to find that it was entirely in Chinese.
"What's this?"
"It's a classified document, but you might as well take a look; it's quite similar to your current research field."
Tom said, handing the English version of the paper to Jack.
Once he got his hands on it, Jack immediately began to peruse it.
After reading only the beginning, he knew he hadn't misread it; this paper was written by the people he met in Antarctica!
He skimmed through the paper, then excitedly grabbed Tom's shoulder. "Where are the authors of this paper now? The people I met in Antarctica are them!"
" Antarctica... How do I know where this author is?"
Tom was completely baffled. "We only received this paper yesterday. How would I know where the authors are...?"
"However, you said you've met the author of the paper?"
"Yes, I've seen them. Those mysterious people we encountered before the ice shelf collapsed were them. They weren't evil spirits; they were real people with a lot of strange equipment."
"So that means the people on the other side really are conducting research in Antarctica?"
Tom stroked his chin thoughtfully.
He's not exactly the same as Becker.
Although he also found the views in the paper absurd, he felt that the paper was valuable because it mentioned many theories that he found impressive but didn't quite understand.
It was precisely because of this feeling that he wanted to study this paper.
Now that he knows the paper's author is in Antarctica, Tom suddenly becomes even more curious about the paper...
Just as they were about to continue questioning, the laboratory door suddenly opened, and a young man burst in, panting.
"Sir, something terrible has just happened!"
"What?"
"The meteorological department across the street has officially issued a climate disaster warning to all countries in the world!"