novelraw Chapter 4 : Chapter 4
Chapter 4 : Chapter 4
Chapter 4: Golden Crow and Black Dragon
Zhao Meng tore his gaze from the microscope, his mind roiling with shock.
He looked again at the soybean-sized Buddha’s relic in the crystal container, unremarkable and unassuming. But the images seen through the microscope lingered in his mind, like a nuclear explosion in his thoughts. How could he view it with a calm heart now?
Seeing Zhao Meng so shaken, the other research team leaders, including Xie Tianshu, approached the Buddha’s relic with cautious and curious expressions, eager to uncover the astonishing secret it held.
After everyone had taken their turn, Lab 705 fell into a deathly silence.
One of the older research team leaders clutched his chest, nearly fainting, but was caught in time by Zhao Meng and Xie Tianshu, who helped him to a seat to rest.
It defied all reason, completely upending their understanding.
The worldview they had built over decades within the framework of science collapsed in that moment.
Professor Xu, having regained his composure, looked at the Buddha’s relic under the microscope with awe and choked out, “What is going on? How can the microscopic world be like this? My understanding of the microscopic was bacteria, cells, atoms, molecules… Why, why is there such… an unimaginable corner?”
The elderly research team leader asked weakly, “At the microscopic level, invisible to the naked eye, is this the norm on Earth, or is it just this one place?”
If Earth’s microscopic world was this terrifying, what kind of planet were they living on?
What was the connection between the microscopic and macroscopic worlds?
Director Yang struggled to answer. Despite decades of research, his understanding of the microscopic world remained limited.
However… he knew that, besides Lab 705, there were four other ultra-cognitive projects—701, 702, 703, and 704—each operating independently with high secrecy. They only knew of each other’s existence.
Zhao Meng said, “The Buddha’s relic itself is special, a sacred Buddhist treasure. The bronze ship resting upon it might be an inevitable event, not a coincidence.”
“Buddhism speaks of one flower, one world; one leaf, one Tathagata. It’s possible that Buddhist monks long ago glimpsed the secrets of the relic, leaving such words behind.”
Zhao Meng’s eyes never left the Buddha’s relic, a growing sense of familiarity dawning. A spark flashed in his mind.
Right!
The fish eye on the Tao Ancestor Tai Chi Fish, in shape and size, was similar to this relic.
Though the Tao Ancestor’s brow bone was pale green, while the Buddha’s relic was pale red.
Could it be that coincidental?
Was the missing fish eye on the Tao Ancestor Tai Chi Fish actually the Buddha’s relic?
Unlike the pained and confused scholars, Xie Tianshu’s eyes gleamed with excitement. As a scion of a prominent family, he had always gotten what he wanted—anything money could buy was within reach.
His participation in the Arctic expedition was to add a prestigious achievement to his resume, paving the way for recognition in cultural and scientific circles.
That was why losing the first mate position to Zhao Meng left him deeply resentful.
For someone like him, with a high threshold for excitement, the appearance of the bronze ship and the opening of a mysterious door was an immense thrill.
He said excitedly, “A single relic is as vast and magnificent as a planet. On the bronze ship, there’s clearly a massive corpse resembling the mythical phoenix. The other, a python with a horned crown, is no longer a python but a dragon from legend.”
“Everyone, does this mean ancient myths weren’t mere fabrications? Immortality, flying through the heavens, and escaping the earth—did they truly exist?”
“The ancient world of myths might have been even more glorious than legends suggest, only erased by some unknown force, forgotten, and overturned.”
“Now, traces of that erased mythical era have been found! In the microscopic, in the microscopic world!”
“Myths never left us! Where are the other traces of myth?”
No one could answer, all lost in stunned contemplation.
Xie Tianshu’s excitement didn’t wane as he continued, “I’ve heard drinking phoenix blood grants eternal life. If we can retrieve this bronze ship to the macroscopic Earth, or if we can descend into the microscopic world, does that mean we could gain immortality? Or wield extraordinary power to rule Earth?”
Director Yang shook his head, “Actually… that’s not a phoenix corpse; it’s likely a Golden Crow corpse, as it has three legs. In mythology, the Golden Crow represents the sun, destruction. Drinking its blood likely wouldn’t grant immortality but reduce you to ashes.”
Lab 705 had studied the Buddha’s relic and bronze ship for decades, delving into details far beyond what their brief observations could match.
Zhao Meng looked at Director Yang, “I’m curious—is this truly a Buddhist relic? It feels more like a macroscopic planet compressed into the microscopic.”
“Exactly. If it’s really a Buddha’s relic, doesn’t that mean the Buddha cultivated an entire planet, a world, within his body?” Professor Xu said, feeling like he barely recognized himself.
How had he become so mystical?
“There’s more than one Buddha’s relic! It’s said that after the Buddha’s death, his disciples found enough relics in his ashes to fill eight hu and four dou,” Xie Tianshu said.
Captain Gao Xin said, “Director Yang, explain why Lab 705 came to the Arctic. And why do you suspect those two ferocious beasts were drawn by the Buddha’s relic?”
The thought of the terrifying bear-like creature and the even more horrifying Nine Infants beneath the ship snapped everyone back to harsh reality.
The sense of crisis grew even stronger.
It was as if mere mortals had been swept into a battle between gods and demons, leaving them with a crushing sense of insignificance.
Director Yang gathered his thoughts, “As Second Mate Xie said, many high-ranking individuals aware of Lab 705’s existence crave immortality and extraordinary power, constantly pushing us to find ways to bring the bronze ship to the macroscopic Earth.”
“For decades, we studied countless texts, sought every Buddha-related artifact, used every scientific instrument, and tried countless methods, but the bronze ship showed no reaction.”
“Until this year, during a long-distance journey, we noticed the sailcloth on the ship’s mast unexpectedly began to turn.”
At this, someone couldn’t resist looking through the microscope at the bronze ship again.
Director Yang continued, “After repeated tests, we found the sailcloth’s angle changed with latitude. The higher the latitude, the straighter it turned.”
“Calculations showed that at the North Pole, at 90 degrees latitude, the sailcloth would fully align.”
Xie Tianshu said excitedly, “What happens when it’s fully aligned? Will it set sail?”
“It’s possible, so we came to test it,” Director Yang said.
“Now… isn’t the sailcloth fully aligned?” someone at the microscope said.
“Because we’re very, very close to the North Pole.”
Director Yang’s expression grew visibly excited, “Last night, when the sailcloth was almost fully aligned, the bronze ship trembled slightly. Strange mountain-and-sea patterns appeared in the space around it, as if… another unfathomable world was unfolding.”
“Bang!”
“So last night wasn’t a fire—it was the bronze ship shaking the Dragon Pole? You hid the truth!” a research team leader slammed the table, furious.
Professor Xu realized, “I understand now. The fluctuations from the bronze ship last night drew the bear-like creature and the Nine Infants. What now? Those beasts are beyond our ability to fight. Should we turn back, away from the North Pole? Or throw the Buddha’s relic into the sea to rid ourselves of this calamity?”
“No!”
Xie Tianshu’s eyes flickered as he thought for a moment, “We’re already targeted. If we turn back, the Nine Infants beneath might attack early. With its power, it could drag the ship to the seabed, leaving us no chance of survival.”
“As for the Buddha’s relic, it’s a treasure of humanity, potentially capable of restarting the mythical era. How can we just discard it? Besides, it’s only our guess that the beasts were drawn by it!”
“Here’s an idea… I’ll take the risk.”
“I’ll take the Buddha’s relic and leave by helicopter, drawing the danger away from the ship.”
Zhao Meng laughed, “You’ve got quite a plan! If the danger comes from the Buddha’s relic, you’d be safe in the helicopter, untouchable by the bear-like creature on land or the Nine Infants in the sea. If the danger isn’t from the relic, even better—you’d take the treasure and escape the danger.”
“Zhao Meng, don’t slander me! I have no selfish motives; I just want everyone on the ship to survive,” Xie Tianshu said.
“Fine! Then the Buddha’s relic is yours,” Zhao Meng said.
Xie Tianshu was momentarily stunned, unsure why Zhao Meng suddenly changed his tune.
Zhao Meng, hearing the ice and snow pelting the ship like bullets, said, “The blizzard is here. The helicopter can’t fly. Since you, Xie Tianshu, have such a selfless spirit, take the Buddha’s relic and leave the ship to draw the danger away. You’re not willing to lose this human treasure, so it’s up to you to protect it.”
Hearing the ferocious, howling blizzard outside, Xie Tianshu’s face darkened, “Are you insane? In this blizzard, even without the bear-like creature, leaving is a death sentence. Would you dare go out?”
Zhao Meng shot him a mocking glance, then said seriously, “Who says I wouldn’t dare?”
He turned to Captain Gao Xin and Director Yang, “Leaders, we have two choices. Either throw the Buddha’s relic into the sea to eliminate this disaster, or let me take the risk. If I survive, great. If I die in the blizzard, you can install a tracker on the relic beforehand and locate it later.”
This time, Xie Tianshu didn’t argue with Zhao Meng!
Because he could see Zhao Meng was serious.
Director Yang, who had studied the Buddha’s relic for decades, was unwilling to let it fall into the hands of a beast now that the bronze ship had finally shown movement.
The Buddha’s relic was more precious to him than his life.
“Then…”
Just as Director Yang began to speak.
“Boom!”
“Rumble!”
…
From above the ship came first a muffled crash and the sound of the hull breaking apart.
Then, a series of explosions followed.
The ship shook violently, each sound more deafening than the last.
In Lab 705, everyone’s faces changed.
“It didn’t leave—it’s back!”
“Who brought explosives onto the ship?”