CHAPTER 9: THE SHADOW OF DARKNESS

Wang Haiyun and Li Ming were surprised that the King of Hell came to pick them up in person. The two of them quickly got into Yan Tian's car, and the car swiftly left the airport. Yan Tian's car was one of those extended limousines, and he and Wang Haiyun and Li Ming sat face to face in the car. Shortly after, Yan Tian expressed his concern about the Qingshi Town incident to the two of them and asked them for some details. "The ancient relics patterns you sent back have already linked some clues to the puzzle. However, the whole incident is very complicated, with intricate and complex forces behind it. You will gradually understand. Also, your IAC identity ID cards have been officially upgraded to blue." Yan Tian looked directly at them as he spoke.

This kind of person had a habit of staring directly into the other person's eyes while speaking, making Wang Haiyun feel uncomfortable. He occasionally looked out of the window but still answered Yan Tian's questions. Yan Tian gave off an oppressive feeling. "I hope you will continue to work hard to solve the remaining problems. If there's any new progress, report to me immediately. I think John is in such a hurry this time because of the South Suburb Industrial Park matter. When you meet him, just tell him everything about Qingshi Town in detail." Yan Tian's words echoed in Wang Haiyun's mind like a reverberation inside the car.

However, he did not mention anything about IAC and Kunpeng or their transactions. The car weaved through the bustling streets of Shanghai, with lights illuminating the way. Wang Haiyun and Li Ming had no idea where they were heading. The King of Hell sat opposite them, observing their faces as they were alternately illuminated and shrouded in darkness by the lights from outside the car. Neither of them dared to say much.

In less than an hour's drive, Yan Tian brought them to a place - a district in the south of Shanghai. It was an industrial park surrounded by various factories and warehouses, and the air was filled with the smell of various chemical products. After parking the car, Yan Tian said to them, "This is a secret IAC research base with various advanced facilities. You will stay here tonight and prepare the information to meet Mr. John tomorrow. Someone will come to explain the situation here to you."

After Wang Haiyun and Li Ming got off the car, they saw someone coming out of the building to greet them, and when they turned back, they saw Yan Tian already driving away.

"I...I feel..." Li Ming wanted to say something, but couldn't find the words.

Wang Haiyun gestured for him not to say anything, carried their luggage, and walked inside. The person who came to meet them approached and said, "You've worked hard. Chairman Yan has already explained everything. Please settle in for now. The big boss will be here tomorrow, and we are still in a meeting to prepare. We'll explain everything to you later."

"Are you Jiang Bo?" Wang Haiyun asked.

"Haha, you've got a good eye. You still remember me," Jiang Bo said with a smile.

"Li Ming, this is my star classmate from university, a top physics student. I remember your paper 'Matter Breaking through Gravitational Waves at Superluminal Speed' was published in a prestigious international academic journal. You are really impressive!" Wang Haiyun appeared excited.

"It's all in the past. That paper was later ridiculed by the mainstream physics community as something a primary school student wrote," Jiang Bo seemed visibly disheartened, and his subordinates carried Wang Haiyun and Li Ming's luggage into the building.

Wang Haiyun felt a bit awkward, and at this point, Li Ming asked, "Dr. Jiang, what exactly are we here for?"

Referring to Jiang Bo as "Dr." seemed to make Jiang Bo feel a bit awkward too.

"Next, you will be exposed to a core secret. As IAC blue-level personnel, you are now allowed to access these core secrets. This is an artificial wormhole manufacturing laboratory." Jiang Bo said.

"An artificial wormhole?" Wang Haiyun and Li Ming couldn't believe their ears.

"This facility was built by IAC a few years ago. Chairman Yan found me and said he wanted to support some of my research projects because I was being disparaged by the industry due to the paper. I was teaching physics in a high school in Beihai city at that time. I thought about committing suicide by jumping into the sea if things didn't work out. Then Chairman Yan appeared and showed me his project. I was shocked. They found some information about cosmic black holes in some ancient books and were preparing to build an artificial black hole to create wormholes."

Wang Haiyun and Li Ming listened intently, unable to utter a word.

Once they entered the base, they were led to a hall. In the hall, a huge spherical object caught their attention. The color of the spherical object was pitch-black, resembling a giant black pearl with a shimmering halo around it. They immediately recalled what Kunpeng mentioned about the power of black causality on the plane. Could this be the legendary power of black causality?

Jiang Bo said, "This spherical object was made by IAC based on the interpretation of cuneiform characters from Sumerian clay tablets."

"Can the information from cuneiform characters be accurately interpreted? Won't the meaning be wrong?" Wang Haiyun asked.

"Thanks to the recent advancements in AI technology, the textual team was able to interpret some information from the cuneiform tablets. Cuneiform characters are actually three-dimensional text, while our modern human civilization uses two-dimensional characters. These cuneiform characters have depth, and the meaning varies with the depth of carving for each character. A small piece of stone tablet contains a tremendous amount of information, and it is remarkably well-preserved. Can you imagine that the Sumerian civilization was capable of creating black holes?" Jiang Bo explained.

Wang Haiyun and Li Ming listened carefully, not daring to miss a single word.

Jiang Bo explained to them that this spherical object was an experimental body created and could not consume anything. Instead, it appeared more like a simple black image, highly unstable, and difficult to maintain in its current form. The current appearance was the result of hundreds of experiments. They had tried to send various objects through this black sphere, but every time, the objects passed through without any changes on the other side. The whole team couldn't find any clues. Last year, they conducted the first experiment with mice, and the mice passed through without any abnormalities. However, the next morning, the mice were found unconscious and died shortly afterward. The testing team's report revealed that a small number of brain cells were missing from the mice. Upon investigation, they found those missing brain cells inside the halo on the surface of the black sphere, and those cells were still alive in some form. The biological team's scientists explained that these brain cells were part of the mice's memories, as if they were still living and functioning normally in their memories.

"The pattern you brought back from Qingshi Town, with the divine bird surrounding the circular saw, has significant implications," Jiang Bo pointed to an image on a document. It was a mural image captured by Wang Haiyun and Li Ming.

"In 2019, the Event Horizon Telescope captured the first-ever image of a black hole at the center of the M87 supergiant elliptical galaxy. The image was relatively blurry at that time, but it was the first time in human history to capture a black hole. This is the original image, take a look," he handed it over.

As they examined the earliest image, which was indeed quite blurry, Jiang Bo continued, "Now take a look at this. It's a more recent image captured by multiple wide-angle telescopes and repaired with AI. Does it look familiar to you?"

They both looked intently. When they saw the series of images repaired by AI, they were astonished. The images formed a short animated sequence, clearly showing a rotating black hole surrounded by golden swirls. It was the same image as the mural in Qingshi Town. It was also the symbol found in Sanxingdui and Jinsha, as well as the logo on Chengdu Airlines' tail wing. Finally, they understood the meaning behind Una and Kunpeng's words about the ancient spirits revolving around the power of black causality.

"This... this is..." Wang Haiyun was too excited to find the right words.

"Yes, this mural you brought back showcases ancient black holes. This is of tremendous significance to us, and it might unlock the secrets of black holes," Jiang Bo said.

Wang Haiyun and Li Ming were still speechless.

"Our boss has always attached great importance to this project, but this is the first time he has come in person. Get some rest for now; I suspect he'll arrive early tomorrow," Jiang Bo said.

Then, they were taken to a guest room in the base to rest.

That night, Wang Haiyun and Li Ming barely slept. They kept thinking about everything Jiang Bo had said. From interpreting information from an ancient clay tablet to creating a black hole model in an experiment, and finally, that awe-inspiring image of a black hole. Their minds were filled with amazement. It all felt surreal and dreamlike. They had just returned from the ancient Qingshi Town and were now caught up in this scientific project involving artificial black holes. The rapid pace of change left them feeling somewhat dizzy.

"Li Ming, what do you make of all this?" Wang Haiyun broke the silence. He couldn't wrap his head around it.

"I don't know. I'm not an archaeologist, and I don't quite understand these advanced scientific concepts. It's beyond my comprehension. Did these ancient civilizations really master black hole technology?" Li Ming replied.

"I also feel like this is something out of a sci-fi movie," Wang Haiyun muttered, "that legendary power of black causality is a black hole. I think the story might go like this: the ancient spirits used the black hole to absorb the monster, but then the black hole went out of control. They somehow managed to contain it, which might sound exaggerated, but it does make sense."

As they spoke, they drifted off to sleep.

Early the next morning, the personnel at the base were busy. Around 9 a.m., several vehicles arrived outside, indicating that John Amato had arrived. His presence seemed to bring an intangible sense of oppression to the secret base, and everyone could feel his authority.

John Amato, accompanied by Yan Tian and a few followers, entered the base, and Wang Haiyun watched from a distance. Jiang Bo took John to the black hole exhibition hall, showcasing the latest experimental results.

"He must be showing him everything. I suddenly remembered Kunpeng going to Shanghai to see Panlong. I wonder how that went?" Li Ming said.

"I think this time John has called us here to meet him, there must be more tasks he wants us to accomplish," Wang Haiyun said, gazing through the window towards the exhibition hall.

"Both of you, Mr. John invites you to join the meeting. Also, there's a confidentiality agreement for you both to sign," a staff member informed Wang Haiyun and Li Ming.

They signed the documents and immediately went upstairs to the conference room. The room was rectangular and could accommodate around 30 people. Each person had to undergo strict security checks upon entry, and all electronic devices were temporarily confiscated before entering the room. When Wang Haiyun and Li Ming entered, John and the others hadn't arrived yet, but some people were already waiting inside. They found seats near the back of the room. Among the crowd, they recognized some individuals they had seen before, various experts in fields such as geography, physics, chemistry, and archaeology, both from domestic and foreign origins. But they all shared a common characteristic—they were young and ambitious experts, which was probably why John had invited them to join.

"Mingzi, do you think those two are from Kunpeng's Falcon organization? Look at their attire, resembling the ethnic clothing style of people from Qingshi Town. Also, that person over there doesn't seem like an academic type," Wang Haiyun whispered to Li Ming.

As they were speaking, the front door opened, and the room instantly fell silent. An elderly and emaciated figure walked in, accompanied by Yan Tian. If he hadn't appeared in this setting, anyone would have mistaken him for a well-dressed Caucasian old man.

John sat down towards the front, his cold and stern eyes sweeping over the audience. He remained motionless, like a sculpture. The lighting around him was intentionally dimmed, allowing him to see everyone while keeping his features obscured. Only his deep eye sockets and serious expression were visible.

A host-like figure spoke, starting in English and then introducing Mr. John in Chinese. The gist was that Mr. John rarely appeared before ordinary people, and this time, everyone should feel honored by his presence.

"These flatterers, always babbling. Let's cut to the chase," Li Ming whispered to Wang Haiyun.

The host continued, "We have gathered here because the Clay Tablet Miracle Project and the Wormhole Project have officially merged, codenamed L19. By interpreting multiple clay tablets, we have already identified the time fault and completed the preliminary work to find the required energy source to activate the large black hole. After confirmation from other organizations, the rich Helium-3 ore hidden underground is the vital energy source we need. Our latest mission is to find the underground entrance. Our outstanding explorer, Mr. Wang Haiyun from IAC, has discovered crucial clues in his exploration of Qingshi Town, Sichuan, China."

"That's you!" Li Ming nudged Wang Haiyun.

The host continued, "Now, let Dr. Hu, a humanities expert, introduce the contents of the clay tablets."

Wang Haiyun knew Dr. Hu was a professor at Stanford University in the USA, renowned for works like "The History of Ancient Super Civilizations' Destruction" and an authoritative expert on researching lost ancient civilizations such as Atlantis and Mu.

Dr. Hu greeted everyone and began, "You must find the story about the clay tablets absurd. The truth of history is like this—discovered and demonstrated amidst skepticism. Thanks to the recent advancements in AI tools; otherwise, it would have taken another ten years. After interpreting the existing Sumerian civilization tablets using AI, our team has combined them with present historical records to confirm that the beings referred to as the celestial gods 'Anunnaki' by the Sumerians were, in fact, extraterrestrial intelligent creatures resembling modern humans. Earth was once a desolate planet, and in the early stages, they sowed large quantities of super-giant extraterrestrial mushrooms to improve the atmosphere. These organic fungi could produce humidity, form clouds, and purify harmful substances in the atmosphere, eventually leading to the emergence of water sources. Earth underwent rapid changes. They came to Earth not to seek gold, as the legends suggest, but to genetically engineer new species and reshape the planet's ecosystem. Their idea was to use biological resources to create new places suitable for their survival. Their home planet was already depleted, and they urgently needed to find a new home. Using advanced genetic technology, they bred various intelligent creatures, and the mythical beasts in human legends were all created by them. These new species continued to modify their living environment to survive. You can imagine, if a group of animals settles in a new place, they would undoubtedly improve the surrounding environment in various ways. After thousands of years of development and evolution, they not only created various monsters but also designed the first generation of colossal and intelligent humans. However, this generation turned out to be a failure for them. They had strong physical abilities but low intelligence, resembling wild beasts. They proceeded to create the second generation of humans, who had improved intelligence but lacked physical abilities and were too small in size. The second generation became the ancestors of the Sumerians. The Anunnaki continued to create the third generation of humans. After their creations were complete, all the Anunnaki were recalled due to the war on their home planet. Earth was left with the third generation of humans to propagate on their own. Compared to the previous two generations, the third generation was relatively perfect, with enormous bodies and perfect intelligence. They began to multiply and survive across different continents, further encroaching on the first and second generations of humans and launching massacres. They established highly developed civilizations like Atlantis, but after many years of development, they became greedy and warlike, no longer respecting the Anunnaki. Around 3000 years later, the Anunnaki returned, witnessing the arrogance of the third generation of humans and deciding to execute their extinction plan. They placed the monitoring celestial body 'Moon' in Earth's orbit, and its initial movement caused massive tsunamis worldwide, almost destroying all surface civilizations. The second-generation highly intelligent humans found the entrance to the underground world in the Mesopotamian region, and through these passages, they came out and created various new civilizations. This is why people of different ethnicities worldwide have memories of a great flood."

Dr. Hu took a sip of water and continued, "The clay tablets record that human technology was highly advanced before the Great Flood, capable of harnessing various energy sources to create unparalleled weapons and artificial wormholes for instantaneous travel. Currently, there is an urgent need to decipher ancient documents and use other ancient monuments as pointers to find the underground entrance and locate energy mines."

After this, the experts began discussing, but it was more like endless debates over certain arguments.

"These so-called experts are all the same. Let's go outside and catch our breath. We won't be able to get a word in anyway," Li Ming said to Wang Haiyun.

As they left the conference room, they noticed several others who seemed uninterested in the debates. Suddenly, John's assistant called Wang Haiyun and Li Ming, gesturing them towards another small room.

After entering the room, they saw John sitting in a dim corner. When he saw them, he stood up and walked towards them. It was the first time Wang Haiyun and Li Ming saw Mr. John up close.

John said to them, "Thank you, thank you."