43: Chapter 43 Is Chen Youhua an alien?

The heavy door slid open silently, and Academician Zheng stepped back into that quiet space enveloped in soft, full-spectrum light.

Having only been gone for a little over half a day, stepping back in gave him the dizzying sensation of having traveled through half a century.

Outside the door lay a tempest sufficient to cause the Republic's greatest minds to collectively crash and force the highest decision-making levels to initiate emergency protocols overnight.

Inside, however, remained that same drowsy warmth and tranquility.

On the giant screen, news that had looped countless times continued to flow silently; the mouths of international dignitaries opening and closing, the rise and fall of stock market curves—it was all like background noise from another distant planet.

His gaze immediately locked onto the figure on the sofa chair.

Chen Youhua was leaning slightly to one side, one hand supporting his forehead while the other rubbed his eyes in a somewhat childish manner.

His fine bangs were tousled from rubbing, and the eyes behind his lenses held the sleepiness of just waking up, along with a hint of annoyance at being disturbed.

He even let out a small yawn, his lips pursing into a brief arc, appearing... exceptionally harmless.

Academician Zheng's footsteps stopped at the doorway, his heart feeling as though it had been fiercely gripped by an invisible hand.

A feeling of utter absurdity engulfed him like a cold tide.

It's him?

This young man who looks like he just woke up, who even has a hint of student-like air about him?

This sophomore who, according to his file, is a "Provincial Top Scorer," a "Laboratory Rising Star," and "so low-key he's nearly reclusive"?

The thing he just handed over caused a group of national-treasure-level Academicians, who have dedicated their lives to the country and seen it all, to collectively lose their words, and caused the entire national apparatus to act as if facing a formidable enemy, instantly entering the highest state of combat readiness?!

Chen Youhua's resume flashed uncontrollably through Academician Zheng's mind.

Excellent in middle school; by high school, he began to display a near-inhuman academic dominance, with perfect scores and gold medals coming easily, yet he avoided all interviews and offers from Qingbei like the plague, stubbornly choosing to enter the Z University Biology Department as a top scorer.

In his freshman year, he dove headfirst into books, digesting four years' worth of knowledge in three months, then precisely hooked Professor Zhang Zhenhua to get into the laboratory...

Up to this point, although his genius was outrageous, the logical chain was still clear.

A super academic genius who didn't follow the beaten path.

Then, the style changed abruptly!

A top-tier "JCMI" paper that appeared out of nowhere, opening a new course for information engineering, acted like a dazzling signal flare, attracting the attention of the entire world.

When Academician Zheng first received that paper, his shock was beyond measure; he regarded him as a national-treasure-level strategic talent, which was why he had extended the invitation at any cost.

He had assumed this was the pinnacle of Chen Youhua's genius, a stroke of brilliance by analogy.

And the result?

The result was that when they met, he casually tossed out a USB drive and said nonchalantly, "Oh, that? Just something I whipped up. This is the important part—it's about the survival of humanity."

This couldn't be explained by mere analogy anymore!

It was as if he had taken a hoe to the biology pit, dug right through the Earth, and led directly into the divine realm of mathematics and AI!

Academician Zheng felt that his cognitive framework had been repeatedly crushed and reconstructed over the past few hours; now, looking at Chen Youhua rubbing his eyes, he was left with only a deep, almost debilitating sense of absurdity.

He had seen countless geniuses—some sharp and exposed, some arrogant about their talent, some steady and introverted.

But a "monster" like Chen Youhua, who calmly sat in the eye of the storm taking a nap, casually threw out toys capable of overturning the world, and then acted as if nothing had happened?

He had never seen such a thing in his life!

For a moment, an extremely absurd thought emerged uncontrollably: Could this kid... actually be an alien in disguise?

But the thought was fleeting, quickly suppressed by his strong intellect and professional ethics.

Suspicion?

It was meaningless.

He had reviewed all of Chen Youhua's files from birth to the present; every detail stood up to scrutiny.

His parents were ordinary intellectuals, and his growth trajectory was clear and verifiable.

Although his behavioral patterns were unconventional, his goals were clear and his logic was self-consistent.

He simply wanted to walk his own path and do what he deemed important.

A gentleman judges by actions, not by intentions.

No matter how inconceivable the things he produced were, no matter how different his way of thinking was from the norm, his actions were there for all to see.

Paper after paper that was logically rigorous and cognitively subversive.

A spark that he had solemnly and personally forged shackles for.

And at this moment, he was sitting here calmly, waiting for the results.

That was enough.

At this moment, which concerned the fate of humanity, doubts about his motives and origins had to give way to awe for the facts themselves and the need to respond to them.

Academician Zheng took a deep breath, forcefully suppressing the raging waves in his heart and that heavy sense of fatigue, then put on a gentle yet incredibly solemn expression again and walked in slowly.

He walked to the side of the sofa chair, not looking down from a height, but bending slightly, his voice kept exceptionally peaceful, as if afraid of disturbing something:

"Student Chen Youhua, are you resting well?"

Chen Youhua stood up, patted the wrinkles on his clothes, and said.

"I wasn't really that sleepy, to begin with, but I'd been waiting for too long, so I dozed off for a bit."

He continued.

"How is it looking? This is the result of about half a year of my work: electronic life! After I came up with it, I felt it was too dangerous, so I spent a few months designing shackles for it. But after thinking about it over and over, I still felt this thing was too hot to handle, so I figured I'd better hand it over to you professionals to deal with."

"..."

What could Academician Zheng say? He had nothing to say.

It was indeed an important achievement—so important that the entire national apparatus had to run for it, doing its utmost to ensure that this data could be quickly digested and understood, so that decisions could be made.

Academician Zheng looked at the young man's expression—one of taking it for granted, even carrying a hint of relief at finally shedding a burden—and the complex emotions in his heart were simply indescribable.

He took a deep breath, trying hard to make his voice sound steady and full of strength, carrying the solemnity of the head of the highest academic institution.

"Student Chen Youhua!"

Academician Zheng's voice sounded exceptionally clear in the quiet space, carrying a heartfelt shock and affirmation.

"Your results... we have... preliminarily contacted them."

He weighed his words carefully, avoiding revealing too many details.

"It can only be described as shocking and subversive! The wisdom and foresight it demonstrates have far exceeded the cognitive boundaries of our current era! Especially your clear awareness of the potential risks and the personally forged design of the shackles—it embodies an astonishing sense of responsibility and wisdom that transcends age and field!"