"Of course not," Xing Chen turned to Theresa and said, "I won't take it back to Earth."
Bringing back a bunch of advanced theories? At most, I'd say Shiva sent me a dream or Einstein possessed me. Verification would still take time, little by little.
Bringing back a product of a super-civilization? What then? I can't exactly say I dug up a tomb filled with a bunch of hibernating high-tech undead.
Would I then also have to say that there's an immortal golden big guy in this world?
"Oh, I understand. You want to complete the theoretical research on Terra, then take it back to your world and manufacture it using your methods."
"That's about right," Xing Chen nodded. After all, there are too many strange things on Terra, and relics of the Pre-civilization are not uncommon, making explanations quite convenient.
Just then, Xing Chen suddenly thought of something, "We need to 'die' once, then return to Rhine Lab."
"Why?" Theresa was puzzled. It would be so much easier to just use the abandoned passage. Why 'die' and then bury the bodies?
"Because of radioactive contamination—our current radiation levels are no lower than that uranium cake."
---
With the enriched uranium sorted, the subsequent work of building a nuclear bomb would be relatively much easier.
While the gun-type model has low efficiency, it boasts a simple structure; although the implosion-type has high efficiency, just making plutonium-239 into a spherical shell is a test of industrial capability.
Xing Chen handed the portable circular particle accelerator to Rhine Lab and informed them of its basic principles, to see if they could create a simpler replica using Originium Arts.
"This thing... we actually have a similar device," Nastya said after hearing Xing Chen's explanation, recalling their own uranium enrichment process.
"You also have a similar device?" Xing Chen was initially shocked, but then he reconsidered. Rhine Lab doesn't have large high-speed centrifuge factories, so how did they separate uranium so quickly? It must be Originium Arts.
High-speed centrifuge manufacturing isn't a problem for Terra's engineering and materials science, but the timing doesn't match.
"It's a past achievement of Director Saria, who uses her Originium Arts to precisely control and obtain the required elements."
No wonder a few people in a small area could complete isotope separation and enrichment in a few days.
"That only controls the enrichment of the same element," (actually, this is already a very useful technology, likely able to drastically reduce the extraction cost of various rare metals) "this accelerator directly changes matter."
"Oh, well, I misunderstood," Nastya said somewhat sheepishly. Her specialty was civil engineering. This matter might be better discussed with Ferdinand or Dorothy, but Xing Chen trusted this succubus more (because of Theresa).
No sooner had Xing Chen finished his conversation with Nastya than Theresa rushed in.
She placed a stack of newspapers on the table. Xing Chen and Nastya leaned over to look, seeing articles about several hospitals in Trimounts suddenly admitting patients with strange illnesses.
"Vomiting, diarrhea, and skin rashes. Is this what you called acute radiation syndrome?" Theresa pointed to the key points, asking Xing Chen with concern.
"It seems so, but I'm not sure if you have similar diseases here."
Terra's mosquitoes can bite through Terra people's bulletproof skin, so Terra's viruses can also infect Terra people and exhibit different symptoms.
"We do, but its outbreak time perfectly coincides with Rhine Lab completing uranium enrichment."
Theresa didn't believe there could be such a coincidence in the world. These symptoms should not be caused by diseases known to Terra people.
"There's a problem here. If it truly is acute radiation sickness—where is the radiation source?"
Terra people's enrichment of Terra uranium isotopes is much simpler than on Earth, but this is a new technology, still based on Saria's past research.
According to Nastya, what Xing Chen dealt with should be Terra's first and only batch of enriched uranium.
"Could someone have stolen your technology?" Theresa guessed.
"Do you think making enriched uranium is simple?" Xing Chen tried to refute her guess, "The theory is simple, but the actual operation is much more troublesome than you think."
What holds back human uranium enrichment technology is actually the manufacturing of high-speed centrifuges—including a series of technologies like power supply, material processing, and integrated control systems.
And on Terra's side, it's a similar situation. The Originium Arts for extracting uranium isotopes are based on the research results of Saria's Originium Arts. If it weren't for the Director General's personal connections, where would Saria get such detailed data?
"That makes sense," Theresa nodded after hearing Xing Chen's explanation. However, she had a new idea, "Perhaps, some organization has obtained Originium Arts similar to Director Saria's?"
After Theresa's reminder, Xing Chen thought of someone.
"I have an idea," Xing Chen put on his clothes, "Let's go to a hospital. I want to verify a hypothesis."
"Okay, I'll call a car right away." Theresa was faster than Xing Chen, so she went ahead.
Nastya wanted to follow, but Theresa refused, citing that it could be a serious nuclear accident.
She is a valuable talent of the Sarkaz and absolutely cannot be harmed here.
Soon, Theresa drove the car to the main entrance of Rhine Lab.
"Sorry, we can't take the car this time." Rhine Lab's security department was sealing off the headquarters building. Xing Chen showed the pass issued by Nastya to get out of the gate.
"What's going on?" Theresa pulled the car to the side of the road and turned off the engine.
"The Trimounts government is imposing a lockdown. The roads near those hospitals are full of Columbia Defense Force power armor."
This order was issued by the local Trimounts government. The permits obtained from Mike and Tin Man might not be effective.
"Don't worry, I have a way." After Theresa finished speaking, she put one arm around Xing Chen's waist, picked him up, and with the other hand released silk threads, connecting to a high point on the opposite building.
Spider-Man looks cool, but for ordinary people, high-speed three-dimensional movement between tall buildings is definitely a very painful experience.
When Theresa carried Xing Chen flying over the tallest building in Trimounts, he could even see the astonished expressions of Columbia soldiers in power armor, holding heavy anti-material crossbow bolts.
Upon arriving at the first hospital, the entire hospital had already been taken over by Columbia soldiers in power armor.
Most common power armor doesn't have full NBC (nuclear, biological, chemical) protection, but the thick metal plates still offer some protective effect.
"This hospital is finished." Held in mid-air by Theresa, Xing Chen said in a very heavy voice, "With soldiers taking over completely, the doctors and nurses are all done for."
"Then what should we do? Go directly to the next one?" Theresa was also very sad. She loved not only the Sarkaz but also the other living beings on this land.
"Let's go down. At least tell them not to burn the bodies."