Void Jigsaw Puzzle

After lunch, Zhong Chenmu was returning to his office when he saw a man standing at the end of the corridor with his back to him. The man had opened the window and seemed to be looking out intently.

A familiar figure.

He thought about it and walked straight over. Before he got behind the man, he smelled a smell of smoke coming towards him.

Zhong Chenmu frowned slightly and couldn't help but said to the man, "Brother Guo, why did you start smoking?"

This man was Guo Ling, and in his impression, Guo Ling never smoked.

Guo Ling heard Zhong Chenmu's voice, turned around, and took a puff of his cigarette. Perhaps because he took a puff a little too hastily, he coughed several times.

So he threw the half-smoked cigarette on the ground and stomped it out with his foot.

Guo Ling did not directly answer Zhong Chenmu's question, but said, "I'll pick up this cigarette butt and throw it away later."

Zhong Chenmu did not ask any further questions. He understood that although Guo Ling had seemingly given up his obsession with going to Xumi Star to find Hou Chang, his mood must be extremely fluctuating. Perhaps cigarettes could help him calm down a little.

He walked to Guo Ling and looked out the window together.

The prosperity of the Sanduping area is in full view, presenting a vibrant scene.

Neither of them spoke, but Guo Ling showed no intention of leaving.

A gentle breeze blew on his face, and Zhong Chenmu felt his head, which had been a little dizzy after lunch, clear up a lot. He looked ahead and said, "Brother Guo, do you have any new ideas about the information that Qingchen brought and how to deal with the Turtle Clan?"

Before Guo Ling could reply, he added, "I believe that finding a solution to this problem is a top priority. Furthermore, in this process, you will undoubtedly fully comprehend the ability of 'virtual and real duality.' When that happens, I will immediately take you to experience the elemental nodes so that you can return to your family as soon as possible."

He needed to clearly state the benefits of this matter to Guo Ling. Although he knew that Guo Ling was a person who took the overall situation into consideration, for a disabled person, no matter how much emphasis was placed on achieving his integrity, it would not be excessive.

Sure enough, after hearing his next words, Guo Ling let out a long sigh, as if to expel the foul air in his stomach.

"After listening to Qing Chen's story, I have a deeper understanding of the Hydrogen Clan's underlying operating system..." Guo Ling said slowly, not looking at Zhong Chenmu, but looking straight ahead. "Their system of order, rules, and authority, which has been in operation for many years, seems to be perfect and all-encompassing, ensuring the smooth operation of the Hydrogen Clan despite its abundant supplies and resources. However, when facing a clan like the Turtle Clan, who specializes in undermining this system, this advantage has become a weakness."

He did not directly answer Zhong Chenmu's question, but expressed his own views on the Hydrogen Clan.

Zhong Chenmu felt very happy: Guo Ling's concentration and quick thinking were back!

He didn't let the discussion drop, but instead looked at Guo Ling. "Brother Guo, you're absolutely right. Their system is very efficient and fair. It can be said that, based on a rich material foundation, it strikes a good balance between efficiency and fairness, two indicators that are difficult to achieve in our civilization. However, this also makes it vulnerable. I've been wondering for the past few days whether the order and laws that Qingchen mentioned are based on any evidence. I wanted to ask her then, but I doubt she would tell me."

Guo Ling also turned his head and looked at Zhong Chenmu: "Is there any evidence?"

"Let's take a simple example. When all members of the Hydrogen Clan want to contact the Clan Leader, can they directly speak and communicate with Hydrogen Memory? I think this is obviously not the case. So, is there a pattern to the communication between any two members of the Hydrogen Clan?"

"Communication is a very important social activity. I don't believe that the hydrogen family system has no relevant rules." Guo Ling has understood what Zhong Chenmu meant and made his own judgment.

"Well, I think so too. In this case, there may be a very serious problem."

Having said this, Zhong Chenmu looked at Guo Ling with an extremely serious look. He saw a very focused expression in Guo Ling's eyes.

He then continued, "As an Overseer, Qingchen should have been able to communicate directly with Clan Leader Qingyi. However, she told us at the time that she felt the patterns of her communication with Qingyi had changed. She was worried about being monitored or intercepted, so she didn't contact Qingyi. Instead, she thought of us and came to us for help. Although she didn't provide further details, after careful analysis, her words contained several layers of meaning."

"Well, what do you think?"

"It's likely that she can't communicate directly with Hydrogen Memory and needs approval or transfer through at least one 'node'. Otherwise, she wouldn't express it this way, but would say 'I can't contact the clan leader' or 'I can't reach the clan leader'. However, under normal circumstances, the existence of this node is almost imperceptible to her. Any information she sends to Hydrogen Memory will be processed by the node and transmitted to Hydrogen Memory in real time, and the same is true in the opposite direction. This is the first meaning..."

"Interesting, go on."

"...The second meaning is that the Turtle Clan has destroyed or infected this transmission node, and she is keenly aware of it, so she can't send any information to Hydrogen Memory. As an Overseer, she should have considerable authority. Therefore, I believe that there is only one node between her and Hydrogen Memory at most. The identity of this node is likely her leader, the person who oversees all the Overseers. If there is a problem now, it is very likely that her leader has a problem, and the Turtle Clan may have infected her leader."

Guo Ling said thoughtfully, "Your judgment is based on a premise: their supervisors are indeed organized in this way, and there does exist a 'chief supervisor' node and authority settings."

"Yes." Zhong Chenmu nodded. "Once we have further contact with Qingchen, we can ask her about it. However, I personally feel that this specific organizational method involves their rules, so she is not willing to share the details with us at the moment. In the small conference room that day, I tried to guide the conversation in this direction several times, but she always changed the subject."

"Do you think that the Hydrogen Clan's way of communication is very similar to their interstellar transmission mechanism in the universe? In your words at the time, it was like a communication network." Guo Ling asked.

Zhong Chenmu’s eyes suddenly widened: That’s right!

Thinking of this, an idea flashed through his mind and he was extremely excited.