Did the world end today?

Chapter 114 The Death of Xu Qianlin

Lin Xu didn't know exactly how long it would take before Zhou Yue would truly compromise.

However, in any case, it is impossible for him to cooperate with Zhou Yue.

This is not some kind of "noble" or "pure" moral fastidiousness.

Honestly, if exchanging information were enough to get more information from Zhou Yue, Lin Xu could even tell him the secret of the bracelet.

Once you've obtained enough intelligence and confirmed that you've squeezed every last drop of value out of him, shoot him dead, and that's the end of it.

The timeline has been brought together; he was killed here, his consciousness dissipated here, so Zhou Yue in all worlds no longer has any special significance.

The concept of killer bees will cease to exist; he will be completely annihilated.
-

But here is the problem.

Are killer bees stupid?

How could he possibly reach a cooperation agreement with Lin Xu based on just a few pieces of information?
What he wants is an exchange, and the ultimate goal of that exchange is to escape.

Such an exchange is risky, so after weighing the pros and cons, Lin Xu's final decision was to postpone the exchange.

The National Security Bureau will find a way.

Even if they can't, others will.

Humans are ultimately human; they cannot exist completely independently of their bodies in terms of consciousness.

Even he himself can't do this, so how could a monkey version of him possibly do it?
There are countless ways in this world to get someone to speak.

Humans are a species that has a particular talent for tormenting their own kind.

Lin Xu didn't intend to get too involved.

He only looks at results.

After leaving the interrogation room, Lin Xu led Jiang Xingye and Qin Feng directly out of the National Security Office.

The three of them went straight to the airport and then took a flight back to Nanjing.

On the plane, Lin Xu didn't have a moment to rest. While looking at the experimental monitoring data report coming from the Beishan test site, he said:
"From the current situation, high-dimensional channels should be quite narrow and cannot be accurately measured using three-dimensional vectors."

“We haven’t actually fully reconstructed Zhou Yue’s ‘position’; no one can do that.”

"But by sheer coincidence, he traversed the higher-dimensional passage, while the other two experimenters did not."

"If we explain it simply as a 'natural phenomenon,' then the directional nature of such a phenomenon is far too strong."

"Therefore, I suspect that the emergence of higher-dimensional channels is not accidental, or even entirely natural; it may be a tool created by human intervention using rules."

"But we do not yet know the purpose of this tool, including its connection to the end times."

"I can only make inferences based on the existing clues—that is, the high-dimensional passage may not really be a byproduct of the apocalyptic disaster."

"Or to put it another way, it may be a derivative, but it may not necessarily cause the same serious consequences."

"If you want to escape the apocalypse, a 'higher-dimensional passage' is definitely one of the options."

"But how exactly to use it is another question."

"clear."

Qin Feng, sitting opposite Lin Xu, nodded slightly.

Then he began to speak:
"I will urge the interrogation team to expedite the interrogation of Zhou Yue as much as possible."

"As long as he is still a human being, the interrogation will definitely yield results, you can rest assured about that."

"I'm relieved."

Lin Xu paused for a moment, then continued:

"But we should still be careful not to kill him—although Zhou Yue probably also has the ability to come back to life, none of us know how he does it."

"If we really kill him and he can't come back to life, then we'll have suffered a huge loss."

"Of course, of course."

Qin Feng quickly replied:
"Interrogation is, of course, based on survival; in this respect, we will not make a mistake."

"That's good."

Lin Xu said no more, and instead calmed down to continue reading the experimental report.

According to the report, when the high-dimensional channel appeared, apart from obvious gravitational fluctuations, no other significant abnormal changes in physical quantities were detected.

However, according to recent feedback from experimenters, there was a moment when they did "see" a projection from a higher-dimensional channel.

According to their description, it was a fleeting sense of confusion—like suddenly drifting off into a daze.

This description left Lin Xu somewhat puzzled.

Theoretically, the anomalies they experience can also be sensed by the various measuring, testing, and recording devices they carry.

However, the fact is that none of the devices recorded any anomalies.

This kind of "direction".
That's really a bit too outrageous.

Lin Xu kept reviewing the information he had obtained from the bracelet world, but the final conclusion was that the answer to this question did not exist in "that world".

We must push the world inside the bracelet into the next stage as soon as possible!
He was eager to get to work, but there were still many things he needed to do before he could begin.

One of the most important items is the physical examination.

After getting off the plane in Jinling, Qin Feng took Lin Xu and Jiang Xingye straight to Zhongshan Sanatorium.

There, Bai Mo, Xu Jin, Zhang Yuan, Xu Qianlin, and others were already waiting.

The physical examination process was not complicated, and Lin Xu finished quickly.
-

Good news, the person is alright.

Bad news: a whole host of people were diagnosed with sub-health conditions.

With the nutritionist's arrival a certainty, Jiang Xingye probably won't have the chance to ask her out for late-night snacks anymore.

But Lin Xu didn't have time to think about it much, because Bai Mo, Zhang Yuan, and Xu Qianlin's medical examination results were also in.

Their inspection process is more complicated because they are all so-called high-dimensional experiencers.

The inspection process was cautious, complex, and precise.

And the result was quite meaningful.

From a macroscopic and medical perspective, their various indicators are no different from those of normal people.

However, even without conducting microscopic particle experiments, simply analyzing tissue fragments taken from their bodies using a basic medical-grade MRI scanner can reveal abnormalities in their bodies.

Normally, under the influence of an external magnetic field, the movement of atomic nuclei should be orderly and directional, which is the principle behind nuclear magnetic resonance imaging (NMR) for medical imaging.

However, their body structures are different. When a strong magnetic field passes by, the disordered tendencies of the atomic nuclei become more pronounced, and the amplitude of their movements becomes more intense.

The material introduced into the nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer exhibits a completely disordered state—some decompose and dissipate, while others, due to the movement of atomic nuclei, transform into a completely unpredictable mixture of complex elements.

This is why all those who have experienced higher dimensions cannot undergo MRI scans.

Theoretically speaking, under such conditions, a single MRI could potentially completely alter the composition of her body tissues. In fact, right there on the MRI machine, the atomic nuclei in her body might spontaneously form a metallic substance due to disordered movement, and then be directly penetrated by the MRI scanner.
In the world 20 years from now, her physical condition may very well have deteriorated as a result.
-

But if we can precisely control the magnetic field strength, does that mean that, with existing medical techniques, medical staff could also use a relatively gentler method to treat the cancer cells in Xu Qianlin's body?

Lin Xu quickly informed the medical staff of his plan, but he soon realized what he had done.

No.

Not only that.

When the chaotic state of the four fundamental forces is guided in a different way and directed in a new direction, it may even be possible for humanity to create entirely new matter.

Room temperature superconducting materials?

That's child's play.

Quark-gluon plasma?

Supersymmetric particles?
Quantum spin?
Antimatter?
Magnetic monopole?

These things may be the groundbreaking prospect brought about by these "matters influenced by higher dimensions".

Lin Xu quickly reported his thoughts to Wang Yifan, but it was clear that Wang Yifan had thought further ahead than he had.

After determining that the physical quantities of the current world are affecting so-called "high-dimensional modified matter," he quickly convened an emergency meeting.

The purpose of these people is to discuss how to use existing, limited high-dimensional modified matter to drive leapfrog development in cutting-edge physics.
A medical check-up seems to have kept everyone busy.

After the physical examinations, everyone had their own tasks to complete. Bai Mo and Jiang Xingye were to participate in discussions on the flight control scheme for the Star Travel No. 1 project, while Xu Jin was to participate in the materials development work involved in the project.

In the end, only Lin Xu remained, seemingly a little more relaxed.

He did not leave Zhongshan Sanatorium immediately, but stayed and sat with Xu Qianlin for a while.

Xu Qianlin was growing weaker, but his eyes remained firm and sharp.

He grasped Lin Xu's hand for the first time, and then said:
“The waves behind the Yangtze River push the waves ahead.”

"What you are doing now has already surpassed what I have accomplished in my entire life."

Lin Xu felt a little embarrassed after saying this.

He coughed and answered:

"Actually, I'm not that important?"

"I just happened to be chosen."

"no."

Xu Qianlin took a deep breath and, after calming his breathing, said:
“No one is selected because of so-called ‘randomness.’ Of course, as a party member, I cannot say that it is ‘destiny’.”

"It should be said that this is an inevitable result driven by a sense of responsibility."

"What you can do, no one else can."

"Therefore, you must not underestimate yourself."

"We must continue on this path with our ideals and beliefs."

"clear."

Lin Xu nodded solemnly, while Xu Qianlin continued:

"In addition, from a personal point of view, I am really grateful to you."

“My son, Xu Jin, he has changed.”

"I don't need to say more about this; you can see it for yourself."

"Perhaps later, due to his own illness and condition, he will cause you some trouble."

“I don’t need you to tolerate him. If he’s affecting the overall work, then let him leave.”

"But as a father, I hope you..."

"Give him a bite to eat."

"of course."

Lin Xu nodded solemnly and said, half-jokingly:
"He's now a major shareholder in both MX46 and PEEK-RTM materials, so he'll be eating his fill from now on."

"That's good."

Xu Qianlin patted Lin Xu's hand and said:

"Also, there's no need to go through the trouble of treating my illness."

"To be honest, it's too late."

"At most, I have a few hours left? Or even a few minutes? It's all possible."

"My candle has burned out."

"Thankfully, we've managed to get our campfire going."

Xu Qianlin's eyes became somewhat dazed.

Medical staff rushed over to try to save him, but he suddenly raised his hand.

"One more minute."

"Let me finish what I have to say."

Then, he strained to open his eyes wide, looked at Lin Xu, and said:
"I saw almost no valuable information in that so-called higher-dimensional space."

"But even so, after returning from there, I still felt that my thinking had changed as a result."

"That's a subconscious influence."

"If you are going to conduct further research in this area, you should perhaps focus more on the parts related to the subconscious."

"Don't go it alone, find a way to bring in brain science research."

"There's a discipline called biophysics that might be helpful to you!"

".clear."

Lin Xu nodded solemnly.

Xu Qianlin waved his hand and lay down weakly.

Medical staff immediately rushed over and pushed him into the emergency room.

Lin Xu waited outside for a long time. An hour after he entered the emergency room, Xu Jin also rushed back from the laboratory and sat down next to him.

That night, May 14, 2025, at 11:36 PM, Xu Qianlin passed away.

He did not live to see humanity discover a way to treat diseases using higher-dimensional channels.

For a moment, Lin Xu even regretted not making a trade with Zhou Yue and letting him cure Xu Qianlin.

But he soon realized that someone like Xu Qianlin, who had already accepted death, would not allow such a risky approach.

He wouldn't allow anyone to save him in that way.

Because for him, that was just one thing.
Unnecessary sacrifices, pointless investments.

Sitting outside the emergency room, Lin Xu watched helplessly as Xu Qianlin's body was wheeled out.

He didn't move, and neither did Xu Jin.

Aren't you going to go see him?

Lin Xu asked.

Xu Jin shook his head, stammering slightly.

"No, no need."

“My father’s last words, he had already told me.”

"He told me he wouldn't let me see him one last time."

"He told me to just take good care of my mother."

"Also, he told me to follow you."

He said, "You won't do bad things. You're different from other higher-dimensional experiencers."

"Boss, can I come with you?"

"of course can."

Lin Xu nodded.

Xu Jin breathed a long sigh of relief.

Lin Xu thought he would break down because of his father's death, or at least, he might have a relapse.

But he just sat quietly, as if the immense emotional impact had calmed him down.

He only went over to comfort her a few times when his mother stepped forward to tidy up Xu Qianlin's appearance, but the equally strong woman waved her hand, signaling Xu Jin to return to Lin Xu's side.

Lin Xu stood up and nodded to the woman who also had white hair.

The woman looked at Lin Xu and bowed slightly.

Xu Jin walked towards Lin Xu and said:
"They said they wanted to see if Dad would be resurrected like Zhang Yuan."

"Then, my mom told me that my dad had told her something else."

"He said, if he dies and does not come back to life."

"Then we should donate his body."

"Part of it was donated to the Institute of Physics, and part of it was donated to the Institute of Medicine."

(End of this chapter)