The copy has 0 error tolerance, and the last words on the ground are all wrong for me.

Chapter 513 Research on Gao Xuezhong
Upon hearing Wu Chang's words, the gasps in the conference room were even heavier than when they heard that the number of people allowed to safely pass through each Pillar of the Present World had been increased to 100.

After all, the increased number of people allowed through the Pillars of the Present World was only related to the struggle between the Order faction and the Evolution faction, but the quotas being offered now are actually related to the interests of each of them.

The members of the Order faction who appeared at today's meeting were the core high-ranking members of the four major organizations. They were naturally aware of the situation in the Realm of Reason and what they would face after entering it.

Humans are social animals. At least before they acquire divinity and claim to be transcendent, they cannot give up everything on Earth, especially after they have achieved success.

Being able to travel freely between the Realm of Reason and Blue Star means that before level 50, their living conditions are exactly the same as when they were in the Desolate Realm.

In the intervals between conquering dungeons, they enjoy a safe and stable life, can meet with relatives and friends, and, more importantly, can maintain their dignity as superiors.

In the Desolate Realm, they were high-ranking members of the management team, but after entering the Realm of Reason, their strength only allowed them to remain at the bottom.

Out of respect for them in the Wilderness Realm, their rank might be slightly higher than that of ordinary members of the four major organizations, but in front of high-level members, they are no different from ordinary players who have just been promoted.

For example, Xu Dejun joined the Administration Bureau fifteen years ago. In the records displayed in the Administration Bureau's exhibition hall, Xu Dejun's name appears on the first wall.

Within the current administration, whether in the Desolate Realm or the Realm of Reason, he is among the most senior. As long as he utters a single word, Hou Jingchuan, as the head of the Desolate Realm Administration, dares not openly voice his opposition.

Despite his extensive experience, Xu Dejun is only regarded as a mascot in the world of reasoning due to his lack of strength.

He can participate in various important meetings and leverage his prestige and connections to connect various forces, but he has no real authority to make any decisions.

This is the Abyss Game, where everything is decided by strength.

If Xu Dejun is like this, how can the others in the room be any different?
In the Wilderness Realm, they enjoyed a comfortable and peaceful life, but in the Realm of Reason, let alone entering the safe zone, even staying in the private space controlled by the Order Faction required them to fight desperately in the wilderness of the Realm of Reason, exchanging contribution points for time to stay in the private space.

If they agree to Wu Chang's request, it means they can skip this difficult phase.

Even if they reach level 50 or higher in the future and can no longer stay on Blue Star, they will have already established themselves in the Realm of Reason and will no longer need to suffer that hardship.

The places that Wu Chang provided for them represented not only safety and peace, but also dignity.

No one can resist this temptation.

During the video conference, the person in charge of Baita, as if afraid that Wu Chang would change his mind, immediately stood up and said in a deep voice:
"We are a free nation, and in our federation, every citizen enjoys freedom of speech and expression, and freedom of religion, in accordance with the law."

"Mr. Peace, please believe that we will resolutely defend the freedom of the Church of Eternal Light, a church that brings light to the future of mankind. Any denial of the Church of Eternal Light is an enemy of the White Tower, and we will make them pay a bloody price!"

At this moment, everyone in the White Tower had a resolute expression, with no desire to return to the Desolate Realm in their eyes, only a pursuit of freedom and the maintenance of freedom.

There's no way around it; peace has given them far too much. Even if Yege himself were to descend today, as long as he couldn't offer something equal to peace, they would all stand on the side of peace.

Seeing that all four organizations had agreed, Wu Chang's smile vanished, and he said with a serious expression:

“I understand the circumstances and difficulties you all face. Your willingness to agree to preach for the Eternal Light Sect demonstrates your sense of responsibility for the future of humanity. Logically speaking, I shouldn’t make any more demands.”

"But there is something I need to make clear to you all. The reason why the Pillar of the Present World that I control is so solid is entirely due to the maintenance of His Majesty the Eternal Light. My request for you to help the Church of Eternal Light spread its teachings is not simply for my sake or for us, but for the future of Earth."

"If the number of believers is insufficient, the divine power of the eternal light will be unable to maintain the reinforcement of the pillars of the world, which will be a disaster for us all."

With his strength in the Desolate Realm, if he only needed to get the four major organizations to allow the Eternal Light Church to preach, he wouldn't need any covert services at all. He only needed to say a word, and he didn't believe anyone would dare to attack the Eternal Light Church.

What he wanted was not permission from the four major organizations, but their support—their full support.

That's why he proposed the hidden service, binding all five hundred members of the four major organizations who were about to return to Blue Star, and the nearly one hundred high-ranking members of the Desolate Realm who were currently at the meeting, to the Eternal Light Church camp.

Tell them to pay attention, because if he doesn't recruit enough believers, their access rights could be revoked at any time.

Everyone present understood Wu Chang's meaning and promised to develop a plan as soon as possible after returning home, set KPIs for themselves, and help Yongguang Church convert believers on time and in sufficient quantity.

With the general direction finalized, the rest were just minor details, and the meeting ended quickly.

When Wu Chang came out of the meeting room, his job transfer task had changed to:

"Job Change Quest 1: Make a deep impression on at least one hundred extraordinary individuals and leave an anchor point in their mental world. Current progress: 92/100"

The number of mental anchors he left behind increased by 91, which is the number of people who just attended the meeting.

Aside from Shi Ning's unique existence, somewhere between a clone and an independent individual, all the other attendees at the meeting were deeply impressed by him.

If he had wanted to, he could have called in more players and even completed the job change quest all at once.

But he didn't choose that path. Putting aside the number of spiritual anchors, their quality alone was unacceptable.

If you only leave an anchor in the hearts of these players in the Wasteland, even if you complete the job change quest, the quest rating will not be high.

The Mind Traveler is his exclusive job advancement, and it is also a power that originally belonged to him. He has high expectations for his second job advancement, even higher than for the Knight of Discord.

When he was changing jobs as a Mystic Knight, he achieved perfect ratings for every job change quest. Now, with the change to Mind Traveler, he must ensure that every quest is rated perfectly.

That's why now is not the time to make a breakthrough.

While Wu Changzhen was discussing the development of the Yongguang Church with the four major organizations, his true form was sitting with Gao Xuezhong in a barbecue restaurant, talking about their recent events.

Unlike when they were in school, when they liked to sit by the roadside or in the lobby to enjoy the lively atmosphere of the food stalls.

The topic they were discussing this time was rather sensitive, so to be on the safe side, they booked a private room.

Gao Xuezhong had officially joined the Bureau and had a basic understanding of its internal workings. When he learned that Wu Chang had quietly become the director of the Wanghai branch without anyone knowing, his expression became extremely interesting.

When he learned that Wu Chang's entry into the Bureau was due to Fang Hui's girlfriend, and that Fang Hui had not only joined the Abyss Game but also unexpectedly gained the power of the source, he was so surprised that he was speechless.

Gao Xuezhong downed two bottles of beer, his face flushed with alcohol, before he sighed:

"I originally thought that joining Professor Shi's research institute and studying the so-called extraordinary world was unique enough, and that I had discovered the truth of the world. I didn't expect that you all knew about it all along."

"Boss, you and Hui have both completed the world instance. Are you going to leave Blue Star and enter the Realm of Reason?"

Wu Chang nodded and said:
"Entering the Realm of Reason is only temporary. Once we've made a name for ourselves, we can return to Earth through the Pillar of the Present World, and we'll have another chance to meet again."

Gao Xuezhong poured himself a drink and sighed:
"Unfortunately, I am not good at combat, nor do I have your talent, so I cannot team up with you to conquer dungeons."

Wu Changkai explained:

"Everyone has their own strengths. Professor Shi Ning is no ordinary person. The fact that he has taken notice of you is enough to show your talent in research."

"By the way, you only mentioned researching the effects of abyssal erosion on Blue Star. How exactly did you conduct that research?"

Gao Xuezhong became excited when talking about his research. He said:

"Professor Shi Ning has created an instrument that can collect information on the extraordinary energy free in the air. This instrument is distributed throughout various regions of Earth. Every day, we use algorithms to calculate the fluctuation trend of Earth based on the data collected by this instrument."

"Professor Shi Ning only made those instruments. As for how to process the data and interpret it, we have to figure that out ourselves."

"Because of the existence of eroded copies and supernatural disasters, the data in different regions will have special fluctuations. When interpreting this data, most of the researchers selected by Professor Shi at the same time as me will remove these anomalies and only interpret the stable parts."

"But I found a special pattern in these anomalies and designed an interpretation model that could also include the anomalies. It was because of that model that Professor Shi Ning brought me into the Administration Bureau."

Gao Xuezhong talked a lot about his special dynamic interpretation model, but Wu Chang didn't understand any of the technical parts. However, he did understand the part Gao Xuezhong said at the end.

Gao Xuezhong was noticed by Shi Ning and recruited into the Bureau after completing a research project on supernatural powers.

This situation is remarkably similar to when Shi Ning completed a research project and was noticed by the Administration Bureau.

Wu Chang raised his glass and clinked it with Gao Xuezhong's, saying, "I knew before you came to Yenching University that with your abilities, Professor Shi would definitely take notice of you."

This statement is not an exaggeration. Gao Xuezhong is different from other top students; he is a late bloomer.

Most geniuses, especially those who can get into Yenching University, are among the smartest of their peers from childhood. If they don't get full marks in science subjects on tests, it's considered an underperformance.

But Gao Xuezhong was different. Before going to university, he struggled with his studies and only got into Wanghai University by working hard and doing a lot of practice questions.

It's worth noting that the admission score for Wanghai University was 100 points lower than that for Yenching University.

However, after entering university, Gao Xuezhong seemed to have a breakthrough. It was as if doing a lot of practice problems had allowed him to see the common patterns among knowledge.

In the first semester of his freshman year, he was in the middle of the class. In the second semester, he moved up to the top ten in the class. From his sophomore year onwards, he has consistently held the top spot in the class and has never lost it.

Not only in school exams, but in all the exams he took afterward, he was number one, including the postgraduate entrance exam, where he ranked first in both the written and oral exams.

Gao Xuezhong chuckled twice, took a big gulp of wine, and then said:
"I've been so bored these past few days, boss. You have no idea what I've been researching lately. It's highly classified. I can't even tell the other researchers in the institute."

“Boss, you’re the director of the Wanghai branch, you have high authority and you’re tight-lipped, so you can listen to what I have to say.”

Wu Chang shrugged and said:
"What kind of research is so mysterious?"

Gao Xuezhong said:
"A couple of days ago, when you entered the world instance and were at the very last moment of conquering it, didn't a group of super terrorists attack the four major organizations, almost plunging Earth into the abyss and causing the end of the world?"

Upon hearing Gao Xuezhong's account of the Guangming Society's actions, Wu Chang perked up and nodded, saying:
"Yes, it is because of their actions that a part of Blue Star has sunk into the abyss. Thanks to them, the concentration of abyssal erosion on Blue Star and the number of wild superhumans will increase significantly in the future."

"The topic you are researching will be crucial for the future of Earth."

Gao Xuezhong left the private room, looked around at the door, then went back inside and locked the door.

Wu Chang was amused by Gao Xuezhong's cautious demeanor and said:
"This method alone is not enough to maintain secrecy."

He tapped the table lightly, and a transparent light emanated from it, enveloping the private room.

"This is a mental barrier I made. With it in place, even if there are listening devices in the room, they won't be able to hear anything we say. Just say whatever you want to say."

Gao Xuezhong looked at the surrounding mental energy barriers and said with slight surprise:
"As expected of the boss, the energy barrier you set up is somewhat similar to the layout of Professor Shi's office. Professor Shi said he spent a lot of effort to complete the layout of his office, but I didn't expect you to be able to do it so easily, boss."

Wu Chang: "Hmm?"

The layout of Shi Ning's office was designed using mysticism to close the energy cycle within the room, separating the space from the blue planet and creating a small, independent space.

That method was extremely clever. Wu Chang was able to discover the layout of Shi Ning's office through lord-level mysticism and his extraordinary intuition.

The reason Gao Xuezhong said that the method he used was similar to the layout of Shi Ning's office was because he actually set up a mystical barrier, and the method he used was inspired by the layout of Shi Ning's office.

Gao Xuezhong was not only able to see the independent world in Shi Ning's office, but also to see that his methods were similar to Shi Ning's arrangement, which really surprised him.

Before he could ask Gao Xuezhong how he made his judgment, Gao Xuezhong had already started talking about his research over the past two days.

Even with the energy barrier protecting him, he still felt guilty and subconsciously lowered his voice, saying:

"I was checking the data when the four major organizations' spheres of influence were attacked and Earth began to sink into the abyss."

"Through the data anomalies at the time and the model I designed, I discovered that the erosion of the abyss in the real world was surging. In Professor Shi's words, it was the abyss assimilating the blue planet."

"But at that moment, I noticed several unusual data fluctuations. These fluctuations were so peculiar that they instantly caught my attention. By interpreting them, I discovered that there might be some hidden regions on Earth."

Upon hearing this, Wu Chang vaguely sensed something, but unable to be certain, he asked:
"What's the meaning."

Gao Xuezhong looked puzzled, and after thinking for a moment, he said:

"It's hard to explain the specific principles to you. Simply put, the areas where data anomalies occur should not have that kind of data under normal circumstances, according to the records in the previous logs."

"According to my model, there is only one scenario that can satisfy the anomaly shown by the data."

"That is because the blue planet fell into the abyss. Under the massive erosion and impact of the abyss, some areas in the region that are normally unobservable temporarily became observable, which caused this deviation."

“I told Professor Shi about my discovery. He affirmed my conjecture and assigned it to me as an independent project, asking me to try to find those hidden, unobservable areas.”

Wu Chang raised an eyebrow. He had just heard Gao Xuezhong say that Blue Star was hidden and its area could not be observed, which reminded him of the hidden past.

According to Gao Xuezhong, the Shi Ning he met could tell him that a lot of effort had been put into arranging the office, which meant that Shi Ning was in a state of being possessed by the virtual body.

The fact that Gao Xuezhong's research was recognized by Shi Ning in the virtual world proves that it is indeed possible to find hidden areas on Earth.

he asked:
What do you think exists in those unobservable regions?

Gao Xuezhong said:
"Perhaps it's some hidden truth."

Wu Chang hissed, beginning to suspect that someone was hiding their past, pretending to be Gao Xuezhong to test him, and setting him up for a trap.

Is this level of intelligence something that Xiao Gao should know?
He asked calmly:

"Why do you say that?"

Gao Xuezhong said:
"Because when I was studying with Professor Shi, I discovered that there were obvious gaps in the research conclusions on the abyss and supernatural powers."

“In many fields, there are only results, but no process of reasoning and verification can be seen, as if the conclusion appeared out of thin air. No matter how much literature I consult, I can’t find any clues. Such a strange situation, but other researchers think it’s perfectly normal.”

"This anomaly makes me suspect that someone has tampered with knowledge, distorting our understanding."

Clearly, Gao Xuezhong's doubts about knowledge led him to discover the hidden past.

The problem is, how did Gao Xuezhong discover this, instead of ignoring it as a matter of course, like the other researchers he mentioned, or Jian Xing and others?

Wu Chang suddenly had a flash of inspiration and asked:

"When you were studying with Professor Shi, were you in Professor Shi's office?"

Gao Xuezhong nodded and said:

"Yes, Professor Shi has spent most of his time in his office since returning to Yanjing from Wanghai City."

Wu Chang's eyes lit up with realization. This explained everything. The layout of Shi Ning's office completely separated the interior space from Blue Star, ensuring that the office would not be affected by Blue Star's rules.

Gao Xuezhong studied the Abyss and the Extraordinary in this environment, which is why he was not affected by the relatively reasonable influences that permeated Blue Star and the Desolate Realm.

Wu Chang couldn't be sure whether Gao Xuezhong's situation was an unintentional act by Shi Ning of the Void Realm or a deliberate seed left for the Desolate Realm.

But he knew that he would need Gao Xuezhong's help to uncover the hidden past.

"If you owned your own research institute, with instruments customized to your specifications, instruments that were at least two generations more advanced than what you currently use, could they help your research and allow you to find unobservable areas as quickly as possible?"

Gao Xuezhong nodded and said:
"Of course, I've recently been thinking about how to improve the observation facilities for abyssal erosion and increase the accuracy of the instruments so that when the next unobservable area appears, we can further pinpoint its location."

Wu Chang snapped his fingers and said:

"In that case, would you be interested in going back to Wanghai City for a look?"

(End of this chapter)