A genius? I just love studying.

Chapter 340 The Chaos Ring Begins

In the command center of the asteroid defense program codenamed "Mountain Shift," Chen Hui stood silently facing an optical screen filled with complex formulas.

All around was a cacophony of despair.

On the giant holographic projection, ALX's breathtaking mass and kinetic energy data, along with the red collision warnings indicating repeated simulation failures, tolled like a death knell in everyone's hearts.

Engineers argued about insufficient thrust, physicists lamented the closing of the window of opportunity, and a sense of powerlessness nearly crushed the sealed chamber that held the hopes of civilization.

Chen Hui, however, had long since escaped this chaos; his world consisted only of numbers, symbols, and the mathematical language flowing across the screen.

According to the solutions proposed by these physicists, violent destruction, thruster deflection, gravitational traction... they all have an unavoidable premise: the need to apply a huge and continuous force to counteract the trillion-ton-level inertia of the ALX.

This is exactly where we've hit a dead end!
Chen Hui's fingers moved unconsciously through the air. What came to mind was not rocket engines or nuclear flashes, but the solar system itself, an intricate gravitational network, a natural dynamic system containing infinite power.

Since Earth's civilization cannot generate such immense power, why not utilize the power of the solar system itself?
Gradually, the plan in his mind began to take shape.

"Why do we always try to push it?" Chen Hui suddenly muttered to himself. His voice wasn't loud, but it was exceptionally clear in the gradually quieting conference room.

Several scientists who were arguing heatedly stopped and looked at him with complicated expressions.

They respected Chen Hui's talent, but many believed he couldn't be of much help in the face of such an extreme engineering problem. Given enough time, Chen Hui might be able to create a powerful tool that could generate tremendous force, sweeping ALX into the dust of space like a baseball hit by a bat.

Unfortunately, ALX gave them too little time.

The time required from the emergence of a theory to the birth of a practical tool is too long.

Ignoring the stares, Chen Hui strode to the central control console and pulled up a real-time orbital data map of the planets in the solar system.

“We’ve been calculating how much thrust we need to change the ALX’s trajectory, but we’ve miscalculated.” His voice carried a hint of suppressed excitement as he pointed to the red trajectory on the screen that represented the threat. “We shouldn’t directly confront its momentum; we should utilize it.”

He brought up a brand new mathematical model and began writing rapidly on the auxiliary screen.

"Look here, ALX's initial orbit. Although it's unusual, it's not isolated. On day 187, it will fly close to Mars at a distance of 0.03 astronomical units. Look at this gravitational perturbation model..."

Complex partial differential equations and orbital mechanics formulas flowed like a waterfall, and he introduced the concepts of stable and unstable manifolds in chaotic dynamics and the three-body problem.

"Mars' gravity acts like a natural fulcrum in the universe. With the current capabilities of our fusion thrusters, we certainly cannot directly propel the ALX. However, we are fully capable of applying an extremely small lateral velocity increment ΔV to it at a precise time and place, perhaps only a few centimeters per second!"

He circled a key node in the calculation.

"This tiny ΔV, amplified nonlinearly by the Martian gravitational field, will be dramatically magnified like a butterfly effect. It will not directly change the main trajectory of ALX rushing towards us, but it will subtly alter the specific angle and speed at which it passes by Mars."

As he spoke, Chen Hui had already provided the formula, and a brand new model had been generated.

This terrifying modeling ability put all the mathematicians and physicists in the command center to shame.

Chen Hui quickly retrieved the simulation results.

The red trajectory that originally pointed directly to Earth underwent a subtle change in its interaction with Mars after receiving that tiny push. This change was amplified in Mars' gravitational field, causing ALX to enter a new orbit that would have more complex gravitational interactions with multiple objects in the inner solar system.

“We don’t need to carry the boulder; we just need to gently nudge the lever beneath it before it rolls down the hillside.” Chen Hui’s eyes gleamed with wisdom. “With a precisely timed push, we can guide the ALX into a gravity slingshot sequence.”

This allows it to engage in specific gravitational interactions with Mars, Earth, and Venus in sequence. Each interaction steals a small amount of energy from the planet's orbit or causes it to be "kicked" by it, thus accumulating considerable orbital changes.

He showed the final simulated trajectory, that deadly red line, skillfully weaving and turning between planets, like a precisely controlled billiard ball, ultimately passing by the blue planet at an ever-increasing safe distance.

The conference room was deathly silent!
This was the first time they had seen ALX's trajectory deviate from Earth's.

Even in a simulation, this is the first time that Earth has been saved.

This guy!

The way everyone looked at Chen Hui changed once again.

According to Chen Hui's model, they mainly utilized the gravity of the existing planets in the solar system throughout the process, and the amount of force they needed to propel ALX was entirely within the capabilities of Earth's current technological level.

Several leading figures in astrophysics stared intently at the complex mathematical derivations and simulation animations, their fingers trembling slightly.

They have never thought about the problem from this perspective. They have always considered themselves to be outside the solar system, believing that the blue planet is the blue planet and other planets are other planets, but that everything in the world can be used by them.

They were pursuing power enhancement in a frenzied, impotent rage, while Chen Hui had already begun to utilize the power of the universe itself, achieving great results with minimal effort.

“This…this requires unimaginable computational precision…” an old professor murmured, his voice filled with shock and a glimmer of hope.

“Yes,” Chen Hui turned around, facing all the gazes fixed on him in the command center, his expression calm and firm, “This is essentially a problem of controlling a massive chaotic system, and computation is the key!”

“We need to precisely calculate the timing, angle, and momentum transfer of every gravitational interaction. Any tiny error could lead to catastrophic consequences, but it is mathematically feasible. We don’t need a miracle engine; we just need… smart enough navigation.”

The meeting room began to buzz with excitement as everyone rushed to the model Chen Hui had just created, trying to find any possible flaws.

But when they discovered that the plan actually worked, everyone burst into laughter with excitement; they were saved!

The head of the Mountain Moving Project immediately reported the news to Qian Xuesen. They knew that the plan had a very low margin for error because it required a series of gravitational slingshot effects, the time window was very tight, and the entry of ALX into the solar system would itself disturb the original system. How to rebuild the correct model was also a huge challenge.

If any one of them goes wrong, all subsequent plans will be devastated.

This plan is like walking a tightrope.

But they also understood that this was the only way they could save Earth; they had no other choice.

After the plan was submitted, it received Qian's approval immediately and entered the implementation phase as quickly as possible.

"Professor Chen, I believe you should be the chief person in charge of the Mountain Moving Project."

Zhao Kuo, the head of the mountain-moving project, approached Chen Hui, saying, "Only you can guarantee the success of the mountain-moving project."

Chen Hui shook his head, "I believe you can do it!"

"And I have more important things to deal with." He looked towards the equator. The Chaos Ring is now in its final stages. The manpower and resources needed for the Mountain Moving Project have been greatly reduced, so they can all be devoted to the Chaos Ring project. Chen Hui expects that the Chaos Ring will be completed in another two months. At that time, he can verify his ideas.

Undoubtedly, the chaotic ring is a miracle in the history of world engineering, but it is only a small step in China's industrial development.

Compared to the massive development of space exploration, this is indeed insignificant.

"Something more important?"

A dark cloud drifted down Zhao Kuo's forehead.

If the Mountain Moving Project fails, the entire planet Earth will be destroyed. What could be more important than the Mountain Moving Project?
This gave him a bad feeling, as he recalled the sudden appearance of ALX and the speculations from some previous science fiction works...

"I believe you can accomplish this task!"

Chen Hui patted Zhao Kuo on the shoulder, "This is just the first step. We still have a long way to go."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Kuo's expression turned serious, and he said solemnly, "Professor Chen, rest assured, we will definitely complete the mission successfully."

Unbeknownst to him, Chen Hui was no longer that high school student; he was now a pivotal figure in the entire Blue Star civilization.

……

Three months have passed in the blink of an eye.
With the emergence of ALX, although a small number of people were still plunged into desperate riots, under the strong management of China, Blue Star quickly returned to order.

Today, there is no America or Japan on Earth, only a unified China!
The people of the entire planet Blue Star united like never before, unleashing astonishing creativity. In just three months, the Chaos Ring was completely completed, and countless Tiangong space stations appeared in Blue Star's geosynchronous orbit. The Moon's Guanghan Palace had been numbered up to number ten, and the fourth Mars colonization base was under construction in full swing...

In the Tiangong Command Center, in the geosynchronous orbit of Earth, Chen Hui stood in front of a holographic projection, his figure surrounded by countless flowing data.

He was still the same boy, but his eyes had become like dark matter itself—deep, cold, and possessing a gravitational pull that could devour all light and mystery.

Before him was a miniature model of the entire chaotic ring, and the core expression of the mathematical equation "Chen Hui's Unified Field Theory," which was suspended to the side and had an extremely beautiful and complex structure.

It attempts to integrate the four cornerstones of the universe—gravity, electromagnetism, the strong nuclear force, and the weak nuclear force—with a simple set of symbols.

"Professor, all systems have completed their final self-tests. The vacuum level, magnetic field stability, beam focusing accuracy... are all better than the design specifications by 99.9%."

"The chief engineer of the Chaos Ring system, Jiang Tonggao, said with some excitement."

Inside the control room, hundreds of top scientists and engineers held their breath, not only to witness history, but also to witness a miracle, or rather, to witness the final judgment of the crazy idea in the mind of this young man.

Chen Hui didn't look at anyone; his gaze was fixed solely on his equations and the collider model.

"Initiate primary beam injection." His command was clear and calm.

As the command was given, protons began to be accelerated within the giant ring encircling the blue planet, flowing like billions of points of light along an invisible orbit, with the energy reading steadily increasing.

"The energy has reached the design peak of 50 PeV." Jiang Tonggao's voice trembled slightly as he reported.

This is an energy frontier that humankind has never set foot in before!
Chen Hui nodded slightly, "Prepare for the first full-energy collision experiment to search for a unified boson."

This is the key to his theoretical prediction: a fundamental particle that only appears briefly at extremely high energies, acting as a messenger carrying evidence that the four fundamental forces were once one at the beginning of the universe.

"Three, two, one... Collision!"

On the holographic projection, the lines representing two beams of protons collided at a pre-set collision point.

In an instant, dazzling particle trajectories erupted from the simulated detector, and data streams surged toward the central supercomputer like a burst dam.

Ordinary particles—quarks, gluons, electrons, neutrinos… have all been identified and labeled.

But the signal Chen Hui was waiting for never appeared.

The first time, no.

The tenth time, none.

For the hundredth time... in the detector's field of vision, there was still only the clamor of known physics, and no whispers of new physics.

The atmosphere in the control room gradually cooled from its initial heat, and a sense of oppressive disappointment began to permeate the air.

Could Chen Hui's theory be wrong? Could this colossal structure, which has consumed enormous resources of civilization, ultimately only be able to verify what is already known?
Chen Hui remained calm.

He pulled up the raw data stream, his gaze sweeping over the corners that conventional algorithms would classify as background noise, like the most sophisticated scanner.

"Stop," he suddenly said.

The data stream stopped at an extremely weak signal.

It is so short-lived that it is almost negligible, and its energy characteristics are inconsistent with any known particle, let alone the magnificent decay pattern that he envisioned for the unified boson.

Jiang Tonggao couldn't help but remind him, "Professor, the confidence level of this signal is less than five sigma, and... it seems to contradict your theoretical predictions."

A barely perceptible smile appeared on Chen Hui's lips.

“We have been looking for a messenger in standard formal attire,” he whispered, as if speaking to himself, “but the truth may send a rascal in tattered clothes.”

He turned to face all the confused gazes, his voice regaining its strength.

"I need to readjust the detector sensitivity threshold and focus on these atypical low-energy soft signals. My theory needs to be revised. It's not that the core is wrong, but that our imagination of a unified form of presentation is too narrow."

The command was executed swiftly.

A new round of collisions has begun, and this time, the probes' ears are even more acute, listening to the previously ignored whispers of the universe.

A miracle occurred during the third collision!
(End of this chapter)