paranoianovel Chapter 67 The Genius Council
Chapter 67 The Genius Council
At the bottom of the cliff, only 20 kilometers away from Whistle Valley.
The towering tree of life, its branches swaying gently, leaves rustling, and its creamy white and light green flowers blooming in an instant.
Fireflies glowed green lights throughout this idyllic, paradise-like landscape, creating a scene reminiscent of a fairyland.
The thick tree trunk was covered with streaks of white light.
After circling around twice and observing carefully, Kyogoku Hiko made a major discovery.
"No matter which angle you look at it from, the pattern presented by the light pattern looks like a giant tree with nine large birds perched on it."
Yuan Sheng's eyes lit up and he said, "I also thought the light patterns on the tree trunk looked like some kind of design. Now that you mention it, it does look very much like one."
"I thought it was just a myth, but it's actually true!"
The bearded man looked up at the various rare birds fluttering around the treetops and exclaimed in genuine amazement, "These creatures, upon entering the territory of the Tree of Life, have all restrained themselves and are not fighting each other. Even the high-risk ones haven't started hunting."
"Amazing, absolutely amazing!"
Kyogoku Hikaru laughed and said, "Hu Zizai, are you questioning the authority of the Genius Council?"
The group of five came to the border region in search of the Tree of Life.
The Federation follows the old-fashioned time zone system, dividing the world into 24 regions that use the same time according to meridians.
Over the past two decades, a mysterious giant tree has appeared at the intersection of time zones such as West 2, West 5, East 1, East 2, and East 8.
The canopy can reach over 100 meters in height, and the area it covers varies, but it can be as small as one kilometer.
The place where the giant tree stands is filled with flowing water and thriving life.
Whether herbivorous or carnivorous, even ferocious and unusual creatures like hyenas and spotted wolves will not attack. Without killing or feeding, all creatures live in harmony.
Bees, butterflies, and insects suckle nectar, birds and beasts fill their bellies with fruit, and fish and amphibians roam freely in the streams.
It seemed as if this were the origin of life, a scene of flourishing prosperity. Therefore, this giant tree was named the Tree of Life.
Even humans who enter it can feel an unprecedented sense of peace.
Most importantly, the pollution index in the area where the Tree of Life is located is completely different from that in the rest of the border area.
Apart from 52 cities and vast sea areas, the rest of the world's landmasses are border areas.
Such a vast area is not something the Federation doesn't want to develop, but rather something it cannot.
The regime had only been established for a little over a hundred years. It took decades just to rebuild the city from the ruins, restore civilization and order, and the manpower and resources spent were incalculable.
The technological civilization of the previous era has not been lost, and the Federation is now frantically accumulating technology, but so far, it has not yet developed a technology that can effectively clean up various types of pollution in a short period of time.
A hundred years is a lifetime for humankind, an unattainable horizon. But in the face of nature, it is but a fleeting moment.
Pollution levels are exceeding safe limits across much of the globe. Worse still, an increasing number of abnormal organisms are undergoing further mutations. The crisis may already be lurking in the shadows, ready to erupt into a new catastrophe at any moment.
The appearance of the Tree of Life is not only a miracle of nature, but also seems to be a new hope for all mankind.
The federal government, major conglomerates, and anti-federal armed groups naturally wouldn't let this strange creature go unnoticed.
This includes the "Genius Council," a little-known and mysterious organization.
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Hiko Kyogoku has an IQ of 210, is fluent in eight languages, entered Starry Sky University (ranked number one in the Federation) at age 13, and earned an honors degree in science at age 15. He is 19 years old this year and just received his PhD in astrophysics six months ago.
To date, he has won a total of thirty-one awards, making him the most famous prodigy in Sakura County.
Yuan Sheng, with an IQ of 189, was exceptionally admitted to the Federal Military Academy at the age of 15. He later returned to the Long County military and joined Project Pangu. This project aims to create a habitable planet in outer space before the world suffers another catastrophe, and then migrate humanity to outer space.
Yuan Sheng completed all his training at the age of 18, and by the age of 28, he had already visited five space stations, where he discovered a cosmic substance that was similar to but also different from dark matter. The military named this substance "Yuan Matter" after him.
The bearded man, named Hu Zizai, appears unkempt and disheveled, almost like a homeless person, but his IQ is a staggering 180. He serves as a weapons development consultant for the Long County military and military-industrial enterprises' arsenal, possessing expertise in various weapons and an exceptional talent for mechanics.
Putting aside their superpowers, these three are already among the elite of the elite, looking down on the vast majority of humans.
All three received invitations to take the test from the Genius Council. Yuan Sheng and Hu Zizai, who were soldiers, jokingly said that the three of them were currently equivalent to the council's reserves.
The quiet, blue-haired girl was actually one of the official members of the Genius Council and the initiator of this trip.
The Originium she possessed came from this mysterious organization.
For Kyogoku Hiko, who believes in a little bit of everything and has dabbled in theology and metaphysics, receiving the invitation to the Genius Council to take the test was purely out of curiosity, his excess energy with nowhere to go, and his competitive spirit aroused by the word "test".
Before receiving the invitation, Yuan Sheng and Hu Zizai had never heard of this mysterious organization. They were certain it was not anti-Federal armed groups.
So, what exactly does the Genius Council do?
With such doubts and probing, the two embarked on their journey to find the Tree of Life.
All three were leaders in their respective fields, but they treated the existence of the Tree of Life as nothing more than a joke. The sharp-tongued and sarcastic Kyogoku went even further, directly mocking the Federation, saying that they had run out of options and had to resort to "creating a god."
Artificial intelligence is developing rapidly and is replacing most human labor, leading to optimization and layoffs in various companies.
Many unemployed people have nowhere to find jobs. Those whose abilities are compatible can try to become mercenaries or join the bounty hunter circle, while those whose abilities are not compatible can only rely on their savings, live frugally, and barely make ends meet.
The situation appears stable for now, but this balance won't last long and will soon be broken. The root cause, besides the major conglomerates' relentless pursuit of profit, lies in resources.
The city is only so big, and the opportunities are only so many. If the pollution problem at the border can be solved, then all the above problems will be solved.
Therefore, giving the public a boost of confidence can at least delay the onset of the imbalance.
After all, humans are the most resilient creatures on this planet. No matter how miserable or wretched they are, as long as there is something to strive for, they can get through it.
Kyogoku Hiko believes that the "Tree of Life" concept is a bad idea that some federal politicians came up with on a whim, intended to fool the people.
But when he saw this idyllic scene hidden in an inconspicuous corner of the vast borderland, all of Kyogoku Hiko's guesses and doubts vanished.
Similarly, Yuan Sheng and Hu Zizai finally became convinced that the Tree of Life truly existed. And that mysterious Council of Geniuses was far more powerful than any other conglomerate or armed organization they knew of.
Because of that even more mysterious Originium.
The three witnessed the blue-haired girl take out what looked like a broken stone picked up casually by the roadside from the body of the intelligent android AA and "light up" the Tree of Life.
This is enough to show that the Genius Council not only found the precise coordinates of the Tree of Life, but also mastered the method of 'lighting up' the Tree of Life.
As for what lighting it up actually means, all three of them were eager to know the answer.
Please enter the council member password.
AA poured cold water on the three of them with a blank expression.
"It seems we can only wait..."
Before Hu Zizai could finish speaking, the blue-haired girl sitting cross-legged under the tree trunk slowly opened her eyes and raised her palm.
As if freed from the pull of gravity, the Originium fell back into his palm like a feather.
The surface of the Originium, which originally had only rough particles, now emitted a soft white light, as if it had been engraved with some kind of scripture.
The light vanished in an instant, and the Originium returned to its unremarkable initial form.
"I know what you want to ask. I'll explain in detail on the way back."
The blue-haired girl frowned slightly, a hint of surprise flashing in her amber eyes.
Countless images flashed through my mind.
"There was an accident at the border. I saw one car, no, many cars."
"And, a golden dragon."
"It's out of control, it's running this way."
Kyogoku Hiko looked at the girl, puzzled. "What are you talking about?"
Before the words were even finished, everyone felt a slight tremor in the ground beneath their feet.
Then, a hurricane tore open the curtain of this green ocean.
The tree crown, branches, flowers, and leaves were all torn apart by the strong wind.
Almost simultaneously, two dark gray SUVs, like wild beasts unleashed, plunged down the cliff...