Chapter 45

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Chapter 45: You Need to Relax

After Ying Zhao finished her tour, she accepted Ti Ran’s invitation to share her theories on multiverse matrix theory. In the realm of multiverses and parallel time, both of their worlds had many theories in common. These past few days, Ying Zhao had worked with Ti Ran in this experimental environment, confirming some of her theories.

Today’s presentation was an academic crossover between the two worlds.

The audience listened with great interest, and many researchers in the field of parallel time vigorously discussed various details of her theories. The sharing session concluded around noon.

At lunchtime, Ying Zhao enjoyed a simple working meal with everyone at the time travel center. In the afternoon, another group of staff would arrive to conduct routine checks on the time capsule before its launch.

Noticing that everyone had no urgent plans for the afternoon, Ying Zhao told Ti Ran that she wanted to inquire about the gravitational field sensing device and whether the time capsule’s design experts were available to help troubleshoot the issues faced by the Shan Hai Jing.

She initially thought that since the conference attendees would likely finish their work, it would be excellent to invite an expert to help over the next couple of days. To her surprise, a spacecraft designer nearby heard her and enthusiastically said, "I’m free this afternoon and can come over to take a look."

Ying Zhao recognized her as the chief designer of the latest three generations of time capsules and was thrilled. "That’s wonderful! Thank you, Professor!"

At that moment, Lei Ming, who was also nearby, expressed her interest in going to the simulator, saying, "I’ll join you to learn something. I’ll ask Professor Mo Chuan if she’s available; she just inquired about your return simulation results."

After some discussions, they took a short break in a large lounge. Seeing that there was still time, Ying Zhao thought Luo Yu and Zhu Huai would likely be sent out for a break by the hangar robot soon, so she wasn’t in a hurry to return. She lay down on a soft chair in the lounge for a while. Around two o’clock in the afternoon, she and the others headed to the outside helipad.

Ying Zhao and Mo Chuan sat in the front row of the aircraft, while Lei Ming and the spacecraft designer settled behind them. They took off from the basin of the time travel center, soaring into the clouds, and after two hours, landed on the helipad of the channel simulator on the mountaintop.

The hangar robot noticed the aircraft landing and hurried over. After checking their identities, it reported the real-time data and conditions inside the simulator. Since the simulation was still ongoing in a vacuum state, it wasn’t feasible to open the hangar doors directly. So, they settled in a nearby lounge, allowing the hangar robot to enter the control room through a side door to inform Zhu Huai of their arrival.

About twenty minutes later, the hangar robot returned to the lounge to invite them in. "The simulation mode has ended; please come in."

As they entered the simulator, Zhu Huai was standing under the navigation platform holding a tablet, while Luo Yu had just opened the hatch and was stepping out. Both turned their heads when they heard the sounds at the entrance.

Seeing Ying Zhao return, Luo Yu and Zhu Huai quickly walked over to greet her. Mo Chuan looked at the analysis board in Zhu Huai’s hands and asked with a smile, "How has the return simulation training gone these past days?"

"Um…" Zhu Huai glanced at the report on the tablet. "It’s okay, but it’s still a bit unstable."

From this morning until now, they had completed two full rounds of eight simulations. The results varied, and there seemed to be no pattern; overall, it came down to whether they could avoid the randomly occurring gravitational wave fluctuations, which was largely a matter of luck.

After looking at the report in Zhu Huai’s hands and then at Luo Yu, Mo Chuan raised her hand and quickly waved a small device she wore on her finger in front of her, then said, "Your brain’s neural state is very tense. Let’s call it a day for training; continuing won’t bring improvement. You need to relax a bit."

At that moment, Ying Zhao quickly introduced the spacecraft designer behind her, mentioning that she was invited to take a look at the cockpit of the Shan Hai Jing. Perhaps she could provide some applicable technology to optimize the monitoring and early warning mechanisms for gravitational wave fluctuations.

Luo Yu nodded upon hearing this. She indeed felt quite tense today, often recalling Hu Jiao’s phone call from last night. She couldn’t help but worry about the sea anemones, and the repetitive training along with unpredictable gravitational wave fluctuations heightened her agitation.

Mo Chuan gently patted her shoulder. "Now’s a good time to go to the beach; it coincides with the tides. Come on, I’ll take you to clear your mind." After that, she asked Zhu Huai and Ying Zhao to take the designer and Lei Ming to the control room to further analyze the recent simulation data, helping to assess the potential modification space for their time capsule control panel.

Once she had given these instructions, Mo Chuan and Luo Yu exited the simulator and approached the aircraft on the helipad. Just as Luo Yu was about to walk to the co-pilot’s seat, Mo Chuan stopped her and smiled. "Today, you get to sit in the pilot’s seat and experience flying our aircraft."

Luo Yu was taken aback at first. Although she had wanted to try piloting the aircraft, she thought Mo Chuan would have her rest since she had just stepped away from the time capsule.

Mo Chuan seemed to see through her confusion and explained, "For some nervous tension, it’s difficult to simply clear your mind. It’s better to switch to another task that can help you relax more quickly." With that, she moved to the co-pilot’s seat, opened the door, and sat down.

Only then did Luo Yu switch to the pilot’s side and follow suit.

The common aircraft in this world, from her observations over the past few days, mainly fell into three models, with seating from one to three rows. They were not privately owned but were available for public use as needed from the hangar. In special cases, a hangar robot could be asked to start the auto-pilot mode to transport passengers.

During their recent travels, they found that most of the time, even if someone was in the pilot’s seat, they usually operated in auto-pilot mode. It was only during their first days at the center that Mo Chuan occasionally took them in manual mode when picking them up. That seemed to depend on personal habits.

Once seated, Mo Chuan briefly told her about the various function buttons on the control panel. However, having frequently studied it during their flights, Luo Yu had already grasped the operating logic. With a quick confirmation, she understood how to take off.

Before long, Luo Yu grasped the joystick, easily lifting the aircraft from the ground in manual mode and flying smoothly toward the target destination Mo Chuan had pre-set.

"You seem to have a talent for piloting," Mo Chuan remarked, glancing over at her and then ahead, pondering. "I remember the memories retrieved when you first arrived indicated you were a chief fighter pilot. What type of aircraft did you commonly fly?"

This question prompted Luo Yu to reflect on the years she preferred to forget. She frowned slightly. "Fighter aircraft is a general term. I’ve flown various models, including bombers, strike aircraft, anti-submarine, and reconnaissance planes, depending on the situation. There are probably around thirty different types."

Mo Chuan chuckled softly, shaking her head. "There are so many variations in warfare. We haven’t experienced war here for centuries. I don’t know much about that history."

Luo Yu also smiled and shook her head. "That’s just the air defense aspect. There are various armed forces on land and sea, and each country invests a lot of resources every year. We have no choice; if they have it, we need to have it too. Otherwise, we get hit. Everyone’s exhausted, but we just can’t stop."

Mo Chuan nodded in agreement. "Yes, from your social analysis model, I can see that this sense of anxiety is pervasive, reaching commercial and many other fields. It seems like people there are struggling regardless of their profession. Even as technology makes great progress, people haven’t genuinely found liberation; instead, they have lost more, which is quite tragic."

"Indeed, it is quite tragic."

While they spoke, Luo Yu had flown the aircraft up to three thousand meters. As the airflow stabilized, she reached out to activate the auto-cruise mode and turned to Mo Chuan with a faint smile. "This aircraft is very comfortable to fly."

"Much simpler than your fighter jets, right?"

"Of course! Flying this compared to a fighter jet feels like a toy plane."

Mo Chuan burst into laughter, and the two enjoyed a light-hearted conversation in the cockpit as they headed southeast. After flying for about an hour, they realized from the coordinates display that they were nearing the coast.

Luo Yu turned off the auto-pilot and switched back to manual mode, gradually lowering the altitude until they reached one thousand meters above a vast ocean.

"We refer to this area as the East Sea, and the bay below us is called the Young Sea."

As Luo Yu listened to Mo Chuan’s description and looked down, she recalled seeing this ocean through the burning smoke outside the time capsule just before her emergency landing here. That sight confirmed for her that this was not their time and space, as their world no longer had such a clear blue sea.

They flew low over the sea surface for a while before deciding on a helipad on an island to land.

Once they stabilized, the two of them exited the aircraft and chose a flat rock to sit on. This small island was relatively secluded, with only the two of them present, but nearby, the beach was lively, with people surfing, playing with seagulls, and some dual-sport enthusiasts kite surfing. Laughter, cheers, and the calls of seabirds filled the air.

Taking a deep breath of the lightly salty sea breeze, Luo Yu felt much more relaxed. At that moment, the hangar robot from the island’s helipad brought them drinks. They accepted the refreshments and quietly gazed at the distant scenery while seated on the rock.

Mo Chuan understood that Luo Yu had to return, so she refrained from suggesting she stay. Instead, they casually chatted about the fun activities typical of the bay. Mo Chuan also casually mentioned the return simulation, offering many words of encouragement that helped soothe Luo Yu’s emotions.

Sitting on the rock and listening to her, Luo Yu thought about how Mo Chuan was a neuroscientist and must have substantial achievements in psychology. If she had many diverse jobs like everyone else here, she could become an outstanding therapist.

Hearing Luo Yu’s thoughts, Mo Chuan chuckled, "Well then, I can consider myself having a second job today; you are my first client."

They lingered there until the tide receded, and the evening glow stained the surrounding sea with sparkling golden hues. The cheers from the beach gradually faded as many people changed into wing suits to head home.

Mo Chuan stood up and dusted off her pants. "We should go back; it’s likely they’ve come up with some conclusions from the simulator after a few hours of work."

The two handed the empty cups to the nearby hangar robot, boarded the aircraft, and headed back.

When they returned to the simulator entrance, the sky was completely dark, but the hangar inside was brightly lit, and Zhu Huai and the others were indeed still there.

As Luo Yu and Mo Chuan entered the simulator, the four were enjoying fruits and chatting. Upon seeing them return, Ying Zhao stood up first and smiled. "Two pieces of good news: first, the existing technology here can enhance our time capsule’s gravitational sensors; second, I’ve discovered that the fluctuations in the gravitational field are not entirely random but follow patterns that align with my matrix theory."

Zhu Huai chimed in, "Ying Zhao is preparing to teach you some multiverse physics to observe gravitational waves, so get ready to learn about the Yan Yi matrix."

Everyone in the Time Bureau knew about the Yan Yi matrix. Yan Yi was Ying Zhao’s real name, given to her by her adoptive mother, Professor Yan. This matrix theory was her award-winning work, and the new parallel space research project created by the Space Administration and the Time Bureau in recent years was built on this theory.

Hearing this good news energized Luo Yu. She rolled up her sleeves. "Okay, let’s go!"