39: Chapter 39 The Life and Death of Humanity?

The midday sun, carrying a belated warmth, slanted through the gaps in the curtains, casting a bright patch of light onto Chen Youhua's messy sheets.

A dull, lingering throb from his hangover still pulsed at his temples—the only remnant of last night's deliberate, indulgent farewell.

He sat up and looked around the dormitory room he had lived in for two years, furnished so simply it felt almost cold.

Apart from the mountain of specialized books and the laptop in the corner that was never turned off, its screen forever scrolling with complex symbols, there was almost no sign of personal life.

The knocking sounded at that very moment.

Knock, knock, knock.

Steady, powerful, and carrying an unquestionable rhythm, it penetrated the door panel and the silence of the room.

Unhurried and measured, as if it were precisely gauging time.

Chen Youhua's eyes cleared instantly; the lethargy of his hangover was stripped away completely.

He got up, his bare feet touching the cool floor, but did not open the door immediately.

The visitor outside was expected, though they had arrived a little earlier than he had anticipated.

He walked to his desk, his fingertips grazing the worn spine of the Molecular and Cellular Biology textbook that Professor Zhang had gifted him after he passed his first-year assessment, before turning and calmly opening the door.

Three people stood outside.

They were all dressed in identical dark gray Zhongshan suits, crisp and without a single wrinkle.

They stood like three silent pine trees, blocking the light in the corridor.

The leader was an elder of about sixty, his hair meticulously combed, temples lightly frosted with gray. He had a scholarly appearance, but his eyes were as deep as an ancient well, carrying the reserved authority of someone long accustomed to high positions.

A perfectly measured, warm smile played on his lips, and his gaze fell gently on Chen Youhua's face, as if he were looking at a junior he deeply admired.

The other two were slightly younger, their figures as straight as javelins. Their expressions were calm and unruffled, but their sharp eyes scanned the space behind Chen Youhua with professional vigilance.

Their presence was intense, yet they deliberately restrained their aura, like dormant beasts.

All three wore identical badges on their chests.

Red and yellow, the design was simple yet solemn—an emblem Chen Youhua had only ever seen in news footage from specific occasions.

There was no small talk, no introduction.

The badge itself carried more weight than any business card.

"Hello, Student Chen Youhua."

The leader spoke. His voice was not loud, but exceptionally clear and steady, carrying a soothing power.

"I apologize for disturbing your rest. I am the head of the Information Engineering Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Academician Zheng."

He omitted the title of Academician, but his demeanor said it all.

"We have come here today on behalf of the nation to extend our most sincere invitation to you."

Academician Zheng's gaze was calm and resolute.

"Join the Academy's Information Institute, and we will provide you with a professorship, an independent top-tier laboratory, the most generous research startup funding, and the best team support available. The nation has three critical projects concerning future strategic directions in the fields of communications, information processing, and high-speed transmission, and we urgently need a core brain like yours to take the helm."

He paused slightly, his tone becoming more earnest.

"Of course, if you have your own preferred research direction, we will also fully support you in establishing it. Even if you do not directly undertake a project, we hope to rely on your wisdom to provide directional guidance at critical junctures."

His words were clear and well-structured, the terms generous enough to make any researcher's blood boil with excitement.

Compensation, status, resources, the glory of serving the country... it was all there.

He even mentioned family benefits—a silent guarantee that meant comprehensive protection and prosperity.

Chen Youhua listened quietly, his face devoid of any ripple; there was neither surprise nor hesitation.

He was wearing a simple T-shirt and sweatpants, standing inside the doorway, forming a sharp contrast with the three imposing envoys outside.

The sunlight fell on his slender profile, making the gaze behind his lenses appear even more deep and unfathomable.

Academician Zheng finished speaking and waited patiently for a reply.

The corridor fell into a strange silence, with only the faint sound of the campus broadcast in the distance.

The other two men in Zhongshan suits stood silently, like two frozen statues.

Chen Youhua did not respond to the tempting invitation.

He was silent for a few seconds, as if organizing his thoughts or perhaps performing some deeper calculation.

Then, he raised his eyes, his gaze calmly meeting Academician Zheng's deep eyes. His voice was not loud, but it clearly pierced through the silence:

"Academician Zheng, thank you for the nation's trust and invitation."

His tone was steady, showing not the slightest hint of being overwhelmed by the favor.

"But before I answer your question, may I confirm one thing first?"

The warm smile remained on Academician Zheng's face, though a trace of extremely subtle inquiry flashed deep in his eyes.

"Please, go ahead."

Chen Youhua took a slight step forward, closing the distance between himself and Academician Zheng.

He lowered his voice further, carrying a gravity that was almost a whisper, every word falling with absolute clarity into the other's ears:

"I have a result in my hands. It is not about information, nor is it about communications."

He paused slightly, as if weighing his words, or perhaps observing the other's reaction.

"Its scope of influence... concerns the survival of the entire human civilization. Its potential risk far exceeds the sum of nuclear fusion and gene editing combined."

The air froze instantly.

The calm smile on Academician Zheng's face—forged over decades of official career, the kind that would not change even if Mount Tai collapsed before him—showed a tiny, almost imperceptible crack for the first time.

His pupils contracted imperceptibly, as if stung by a bright light.

The eyes that were as deep as an ancient well instantly churned with turbulent waves!

The two men in Zhongshan suits behind him did not move, but their eyes suddenly became as sharp as hawks, instantly locking onto Chen Youhua. An invisible, icy pressure permeated the air, and it felt as if the temperature in the corridor had dropped a few degrees.

Concerning the survival of humanity?

Far exceeding the sum of nuclear fusion and gene editing?

The weight of these words was immense!

The smile on Academician Zheng's face vanished completely, replaced by an unprecedented gravity.

He did not immediately ask what the result was, nor did he question whether Chen Youhua was exaggerating.

Years of experience and intuition told him that the young man before him was definitely not joking, nor was he playing games to garner attention.

His absolute rationality, his almost cold manner of stating facts, carried an unsettling credibility in itself.

Silence, like a tangible substance, filled the narrow doorway of the dormitory.

Time seemed to stretch, and every second became incredibly heavy.