Chapter Twenty: The Archive Room

On the way back to the dormitory, Zhang Mingyang didn’t run into Bai Muqing. He entered the dorm through the front gate. Ever since it was rumored that the most beautiful woman in the base lived just across the road from their group’s dormitory, all the young people at the base envied them. But only Zhang Mingyang knew that it was not envy at all—it was surveillance, plain and simple.

Inside, the furnishings were much the same as Zhang Mingyang’s school dormitory: single rooms, four people to a house, though the furniture was quite dated, as if from twenty years ago.

After a quick wash, Zhang Mingyang lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling. It dawned on him that he had been away from home for nearly five days, the longest time and furthest distance he’d ever been from his family. He was about to spend a whole year here, living anonymously, as if his identity had been erased.

He remembered passages from his middle school textbooks: eighty years ago, for the sake of a “pillar of the nation,” countless people concealed their identities and labored in obscurity for over twenty years. Some even died without their families ever knowing what they had been working on.

Thinking of his current situation, Zhang Mingyang felt this must be the heritage of his country.

...

At five o’clock the next morning, Zhang Mingyang’s alarm woke him. He had promised himself a year of early rising—not just for the project’s sake, but for his own future. The technology at the base was a century ahead of anything outside. He had to learn as much as possible in his limited time.

After washing up, Zhang Mingyang dashed to the cafeteria. Only then did he realize the place was already packed. Clearly, he wasn’t the only one with a plan; everyone here had the same idea.

It took nearly ten minutes to get his meal. After a few hurried bites, Zhang Mingyang grabbed several buns and raced toward the “archives.”

Before he arrived, Wang Bowen had told him that the archives contained some of Wang Huairen’s rare drafts and blueprints. Zhang Mingyang was determined to make the most of his free time today and take a look.

On the way, he noticed many others heading in the same direction. The archives would be crowded indeed.

The archives were located in a cave on the north side of the base, covering over eight hundred square meters, storing advanced architectural and technological documents. The entire facility was cast in three layers of reinforced concrete, able to withstand the world’s most advanced bunker-buster missiles.

Outside, Zhang Mingyang passed through DNA, facial, and retinal verification before finally gaining entry.

Inside, he saw many people already buried in their research.

He carefully browsed the vast shelves, searching for anything about Wang Huairen.

At last, in the northernmost corner, Zhang Mingyang found a bookshelf filled with Wang Huairen’s works.

As he studied the labels, he was puzzled: the shelves were filled with designs and drafts of various weapons—“Laser Weapon,” “Quantum Communication,” “Dark Matter Void,” and numerous other sketches and blueprints.

Finally, he found a book that wasn’t about weapon design: at the very end, a volume titled “Energy Propulsion System.”

Zhang Mingyang gingerly took it down, found a chair, and sat quietly to read.

Within the book, drafts and notes were interwoven—from antimatter collection to propulsion system design. Everything was there, and Zhang Mingyang was amazed. Wang Huairen was beyond a genius—he was almost a deity.

Unfortunately, no books could leave the archives. Otherwise, Zhang Mingyang would have liked to spend a lifetime reading them.

After a cursory review, he replaced the book and began inspecting others.

“Dark Matter Void? What’s this?”

He took it off the shelf and found inside only a vast blueprint. Beside it were complex explanations that were utterly baffling.

For example: “Though dark matter is mysterious, we encounter it every day. It can form black holes to repel enemy attacks. As a fundamental element of the universe, it can be used to create cloaking devices to hide ourselves.”

Reading these lines, Zhang Mingyang was perplexed by the terms: “Enemy? Attack? Hide?”

“Wars between humans using dark matter—that must be centuries in the future!”

And in every book left by Wang Huairen, at the very end, Zhang Mingyang found the same two lines: “There are no born heroes, only ordinary people who step forward; and to touch the darkness, seeking a chance at life.”

What did that mean?

Was it a warning or a hope?

With these questions in mind, Zhang Mingyang spent the entire day poring over books, searching for anything useful to his plan.

“Grrr…”

His rumbling stomach and dazed eyes finally forced him to stop.

Packing away the books, Zhang Mingyang leaned against the wall and exited the archives.

“It’s already dark!”

Leaving the cave, the base was wrapped in darkness.

He checked the time: not yet six in the evening, but the sun was gone.

Looking up, Zhang Mingyang understood—the surrounding mountains were so tall they blocked the last rays of sunset, making the base seem like night.

“No way, I’m too hungry. I need to go to the cafeteria first.”

Zhang Mingyang rubbed his eyes and watched his feet, trudging step by step toward the cafeteria.

“Beep beep…”

A message notification came from his watch. Zhang Mingyang opened it: tomorrow morning at nine, there would be an “Oath Assembly” in the main conference room of the western cave.

Seeing the message, Zhang Mingyang sighed at the national style of organization: big events, big meetings; small events, small meetings; and if there’s nothing, they’ll have a discussion anyway!

Outside the cafeteria, Teacher Lin Guangming was waiting for him. Seeing Zhang Mingyang bent over and leaning against the wall, Lin Guangming hurried over to support him.

“What’s wrong with you, kid?”

He looked at his weak student with concern.

“Teacher, I’m starving!”

“Get out of here.”

Lin Guangming brushed him off. “I thought something serious had happened. Turns out you’re just hungry.”

Zhang Mingyang replied with a grin, “Teacher, you sound almost disappointed I didn’t have a real problem.”

Lin Guangming kicked him playfully, “Hurry up, stop pretending to be weak. I waited for you, and haven’t eaten yet myself.”

The two of them, bantering, entered the cafeteria, got their food, and Zhang Mingyang devoured his meal.

“Teacher, why did you come to wait for me today?”

Lin Guangming ate slowly and replied, “Did you see the message? Tomorrow’s Oath Assembly. All departments will be given their quotas.”

Zhang Mingyang nodded, “We don’t know what our group’s quota will be. As long as it’s not too outrageous, I’m fine.”

“You haven’t heard? This spaceship is required to reach ten times the speed of light. If you think the quota will be low, you’re dreaming.”