Chapter 358: A Challenge

In truth, Xiao Yu had already accepted the hypothesis in his mind, as it was rigorous and aligned well with current observational data. But no matter how sound a hypothesis might seem, it still required concrete observational evidence to support it. History was filled with examples where seemingly perfect and well-matched theories were ultimately disproven.

Take the simplest case, in ancient times, people believed that the heavens were round and the Earth was flat. After all, from the perspective of the naked eye, the ground looked flat, and the sky resembled a giant dome covering it. So that conclusion felt logical and grounded in observation, but in the end, it was proven false.

Xiao Yu couldn’t afford to make the same mistake. So now, what he needed was more convincing observational data to support the hypothesis.

After Xiao Yu posed the question to Luka Three, every scientist in the conference room turned their eyes toward him, including Senya. Luka Three didn’t respond immediately. He simply closed his eyes slightly, leaning back against the wide chair, arms folded, appearing to be resting.

But Xiao Yu knew he wasn’t resting, he was thinking, thinking with full intensity, mobilizing every bit of his vast intelligence. Whether or not he could answer this question was tied directly to his dignity and reputation as the Chief Scientist of the Science and Technology Division. If he could answer it, he would once again solidify his position, decisively fending off Senya’s challenge. But if he couldn’t, though his position might not be threatened immediately, the first challenge would surely lead to more. His status would soon become precarious.

“This is what a truly dynamic research system looks like.” Xiao Yu thought with some emotion, his mind drifting back to Luka Three’s past achievements.

The first time Luka Three had left a deep impression on Xiao Yu was during the confrontation with the white dwarf beast. At that time, even Xiao Yu had been deceived by it, but Luka Three remained clear-headed throughout. To this day, Xiao Yu still couldn’t understand how Luka Three had seen through it. One could say that his success in killing the white dwarf beast, retrieving one of its fingers, obtaining the 90s Model spaceship, discovering the first human corpse, and eventually unraveling the secret of the Taihao Civilization, even creating his first Province-Class ship, the Hebei using alien beast flesh, all stemmed, directly or indirectly, from Luka Three’s contribution.

Over the course of this ten-thousand-year journey, the value Luka Three had brought to Xiao Yu was immeasurable. Among all the intelligent lifeforms under Xiao Yu’s command, only Luka Two could match Luka Three in terms of importance. No other individual, not even Luka Four, could compare.

In fact, even if Luka Three suddenly became a complete idiot, lost all capacity for thought, Xiao Yu would still never abandon him, and would instead do everything possible to provide him with the best quality of life.

Allowing Senya to challenge Luka Three did not mean that Xiao Yu’s regard for him had diminished. Rather, Xiao Yu simply wanted to see how much potential this genius scientist still held. And the rise of other talented scientists served as a perfect mechanism to force Luka Three to reach his peak.

Xiao Yu watched Luka Three with great interest, thinking to himself, “Is our small universe really orbiting the greater universe on a Four-Dimensional level? Does it truly intersect with the greater universe during its motion? Such elusive phenomena… how can they be verified through existing technological means? Even I can’t think of a concrete method. Forcing Luka Three to come up with one on such short notice, perhaps it is a bit much. No matter… if he truly can’t find a solution, I’ll reward him anyway. I can’t let him lose too much face, that would hurt his leadership position.”

The conference room was utterly silent. Every scientist’s attention was fixed on Luka Three. At this moment, he was undoubtedly the center of the entire room. Among those watching, the model Luka scientists, like Luka Two, Luka Four, and others, looked on with subtle concern, while the scientists from other races showed a faint trace of amusement and anticipation.

At this moment, Senya maintained a respectful and courteous expression.

“This young one is quite impressive.” Xiao Yu thought silently. “After we leave this small universe, I should invest in cultivating him further, strive to develop him into a scientific genius of Luka Three’s caliber. Even if he doesn’t reach that level, he should at least be comparable to Luka Four.”

If Senya had known what Xiao Yu was thinking right now, if he realized that Xiao Yu already had plans to nurture him into a scientist of Luka Three’s level, who knows what his reaction would be. He might have been so thrilled that he fainted on the spot.

Time passed quietly. A minute, then two, then five minutes went by.

Whispers began to stir throughout the conference room. Scientists related to the topic started murmuring softly, sharing their views on the matter.

“There’s no way to verify something like this. We’re three-dimensional beings, what, are we supposed to travel into the fourth dimension ourselves and confirm whether this small universe is orbiting the greater one? If we had that kind of power, we wouldn’t still be stuck here.”

“Exactly. Space technology falls under the domain of Level 6 Civilizations. We’ve only just stepped into the Level 5 Civilization threshold, and only in military technology. In terms of civilian tech, we’re still behind some Level 4 Civilizations. This is far too much to expect.”

“Still, this situation isn’t all bad. Among the Lukas, Luka Two commands the Psychosocial Sciences Division, Luka Three the Science and Technology Division’s natural sciences, and Luka Four the life sciences. The Luka race has essentially monopolized all branches of research. For the rest of us, the hundred-plus species that came later, it’s honestly a bit suffocating.”

“True. This kind of dominance isn’t good for the Master’s overall scientific development. What we need is a flourishing ecosystem with diverse competition.”

Five full minutes passed, and Luka Three still had not spoken. But Xiao Yu noticed a few drops of sweat rolling down Luka Three’s forehead. He understood very clearly, this wasn’t nervous sweat. Given Luka Three’s current mental state, he had long abandoned emotions like anxiety. These droplets of sweat signified the sheer intensity at which his brain was operating.

Luka Two cast a worried glance toward Luka Three and sighed lightly. He was just about to stand and offer his own opinion. While not particularly skilled in science and technology, managing the political situation was his specialty. As the supreme leader of the Luka race, he felt obligated to support Luka Three in this moment.

But just then, Luka Three opened his eyes.

“I have a way to verify the hypothesis.” he said calmly. “In fact, it’s quite a simple method.”

“Oh?” Xiao Yu looked at Luka Three in mild surprise, thinking to himself, He really came up with something?

The conference room fell silent at once. Senya respectfully bowed toward Luka Three and said, “Lord Three, please explain your method.”

Luka Three cast a faint glance at Senya and then said, “Master, have you noticed something? That the power of Space One is unusually great?”

“Unusually great? Hmm?” Xiao Yu was a bit puzzled. “It’s true that Space One’s power is enormous, it can cripple a Level 5 Civilization’s Nation-Class ship with a single strike. But when you say ‘unusually great,’ what exactly are you comparing it to?”

“That’s the issue.” Luka Three replied, shaking his head. “You see, Space One is a deliberately stripped-down version of a space weapon. It’s incomplete. Even Level 4 Civilizations can use it. Granted, they lack the capability to mount it on a ship, but with a dwarf planet as a base, they could theoretically construct such a weapon. So, if Space One’s power truly is this overwhelming, then any Level 4 Civilization that inherited Trolor technology would have the ability to destroy a fully equipped Level 5 Civilization flagship in one shot. That… doesn’t seem reasonable. The Trolor Civilization couldn’t possibly have passed on something that powerful.”

“I’m not entirely convinced by that.” Xiao Yu responded. Emotionally and logically, he didn’t want this to be true. Since Space One was now in his possession, naturally he preferred it to be as powerful as possible. Moreover, Luka Three’s reasoning wasn’t airtight. Level 6 Civilizations were still beyond Xiao Yu’s reach, what kind of capabilities they truly possessed remained unknown. So both emotionally and rationally, Xiao Yu had plenty of reason to object.

Luka Three ignored the buzzing discussion in the room and simply smiled, shaking his head. Then he turned to Xiao Yu and posed a question.

“Then, Master, based on our current level of technology, do you believe we could accomplish this, modify one of our existing weapons so that even a Level 3 Civilization could use it, and even in their hands, that weapon could cripple a flagship of a Level 4 Civilization in a single blow?”