Chapter 24 Chapter Twenty-Three
Kohler stared at Annihilation Room dumbfounded, his face was full of astonishment, he couldn't believe the scene in front of him.Robert Langdon stood beside him, looking even more startled.
"I want to see my father," Victoria demanded. "I've shown you the lab. Now I want to see my father."
Kohler turned around slowly, as if he didn't hear what she said. "Victoria, why did you take so long? You and your father should have told me about this discovery long ago."
Victoria stared at him with wide eyes.Why do you think we are hiding it from you? "Director, I want to talk about this matter later. Now, I want to see my father right away."
"Do you know what this technology means?"
"Of course I know." Victoria shot back. "It will bring CERN a lot of money, of course, and a lot more. Now I think..."
"Is this why you keep it secret?" Kohler sternly accused, obviously trying to annoy her. "Just because you're worried that me and the people on the board of directors will make this achievement public?"
"It should be made public," Victoria said angrily, feeling involved in the debate. "Antimatter technology is indeed an important technology, but it is also quite dangerous. So my father and I need time to optimize the manufacturing process." , to minimize its danger."
"In other words, you don't trust the board to prioritize science over scientific and economic interests."
Kohler's indifference surprised Victoria."There are other reasons as well. My father needs time to get people to understand antimatter properly," she explained.
"What's the meaning?"
what you think? "Matter originates from energy? Originates from nothingness? This is the proof, and it proves that Genesis is completely possible from a scientific point of view."
"So your father is worried that the extraordinary significance of this discovery in religion will be wiped out by commercial interests."
"you could put it that way."
"Do you think so too?"
Strange to say, Victoria's thinking was exactly the opposite of her father's.In her view, commercial involvement is crucial to the development of new energy.She insists that while antimatter technology has been seen as having the most potential to be a highly efficient and zero-polluting energy source, it risks being destroyed if revealed too soon, a failure in strategy and PR. Killed nuclear and solar power.Nuclear energy was widely used before safety hazards were eliminated, causing many tragedies; while solar energy was widely used before the technology was mature, and many investors lost their money as a result.Since then, these two technologies have been notoriously killed in the cradle.
"What I care about—" said Victoria, "is perhaps nothing compared to combining science and religion."
"Is it environmental protection?" Kohler made a bold guess.
"Yes. My goal is inexhaustible mineral deposits, inexhaustible energy sources, no more pollution, no more radiation. Antimatter technology will save the entire planet."
"Or destroyed." Kohler sneered: "The key depends on who uses it and what it is used for." Kohler's disabled body made Victoria feel cold. "Who else knows about this?" he asked.
"No," replied Victoria. "I told you."
"Then why do you think your father died?"
Every muscle in Victoria's body stiffened. "I don't know. My father did have a problem with some people at CERN, you know that, but it can't have anything to do with antimatter. Besides, we swore to each other to keep this secret for a few more months until We’re going to make it public when we’re ready.”
"Are you sure your father did it?"
Victoria was going crazy: "My father never broke his promise!"
"Then you didn't tell anyone?"
"of course not!"
Kohler let out a breath and paused for a while, as if carefully choosing his words. "So, suppose someone did get the message, or someone sneaked into the lab. Just imagine, what would they do next? Did your father leave any notes here? For example, documents about the antimatter production process and so on. "
"Director, I've had enough. Now, I'd like some clarification. You've been going to such lengths to assume 'someone broke in', but you've seen this retinal scanner with your own eyes. My father was always careful when it came to secrecy and security. "
"Just listen to me," Kohler said decisively, glaring at her, "Is it possible that something was lost?"
"I don't know." Victoria scanned the laboratory angrily. The antimatter samples were all in place, and her father's workbench was also in order. "Nobody's been here," she said with certainty. "There doesn't seem to be any problem up here."
Kohler looked surprised. "Up here?"
Inadvertently, Victoria had vented. "Yes, this is the upper laboratory."
"Are you still using the labs below?"
"For storage."
Khloe moved in front of her in a wheelchair and coughed again. "You use the hazmat storage room for stuff? What's in it?"
Of course it is a high-risk substance, what else can it be!Victoria couldn't hold back. "Antimatter."
Kohler straightened up with his hands on the armrests of the wheelchair. "There are other samples here? Hell, why didn't you say so sooner!"
"Didn't I say it?" Victoria said unceremoniously, "You didn't give me a chance to say it!"
"It seems that I have to check the samples downstairs," Kohler ordered, "Quick, right now!"
"It's that sample," Victoria corrected him, "there's only one, and it's safe and sound. No one has a chance—"
"Only one?" Kohler hesitated, "Why don't you put it on here?"
"My father wanted to put it under the bedrock, just in case. It's bigger than the other samples, after all."
Kohler and Langdon exchanged a quick, alert look, but it didn't escape Victoria's gaze.Then Khloe took another step closer to her. "You made samples over five thousand nanograms?"
"This is necessary." Victoria argued: "We have to prove that the investment and the rate of return are considerable." In fact, all newly developed energy sources face the same problem: the ratio of investment and benefit—that is, Say how much money the investor has to invest in the project to make a profit.Just imagine, if you build an expensive oil well and only harvest one barrel of oil, the gain outweighs the gain.However, for the same oil well, if you can exchange for thousands of barrels of oil with only a small increase in investment, then you will make money.The same goes for antimatter technology.The 16-mile electromagnetic field created by a large number of people consumes far more energy than the pitifully small amount of antimatter obtained.Therefore, to prove the high efficiency and feasibility of antimatter, larger samples can only be produced.
In fact, Victoria's father has been quite hesitant in this matter, but Victoria played a role in fueling the flames.She believes that for antimatter technology to be taken seriously, she and her father must prove two things.First, the investment in antimatter technology can obtain great benefits.Second, antimatter can be safely stored.In the end, Victoria prevailed, and her father had to reluctantly acquiesce.However, the policies regarding confidentiality and access are unwavering.He insisted on keeping the antimatter in the hazmat locker—a small cavern in granite seventy-five feet underground.In this way, this sample became a secret they guarded together, and only the two of them could enter that place.
"Victoria," Kohler asked nervously, "how big a sample did you and your father make?"
A malevolent pleasure passed through Victoria.She knew that even the terrific Maximilian Kohler would be shocked to hear that amount.The image of antimatter came to her mind, and it was a jaw-dropping picture.In midair in the container, a droplet of antimatter clearly visible to the naked eye danced up and down.It's not a microscopic dot, it's about the same size.
Victoria took a deep breath, summoned up her courage and said, "A full 0.25 grams."
Kohler turned pale with fright. "What are you talking about!" He coughed uncontrollably. "0.25 grams? That's not...almost five thousand tons equivalent!"
kiloton equivalent.Victoria hated the word, she and her father never used it.One kiloton equivalent is equivalent to the explosive power of one thousand metric tons of TNT explosives, which is a unit of energy dedicated to weaponry, such as missile payloads, destructive energy.And she and her father were only happy to talk about electron volts and joules—constructive units of energy output.
"That's enough antimatter to destroy anything within half a mile," Kohler exclaimed.
"That's right, it can destroy everything in an instant," Victoria said bluntly, "No one would do that!"
"Those who don't know the truth may do it. Besides, what if the power goes out!" Kohler has already moved straight to the elevator.
"That's why my dad put it in a hazmat locker, plugged it in with auto-shutdown power, and had an extra safety system."
Khloe turned around, looking hopeful. "What other safety equipment do you have in the hazmat locker?"
"Yes, there is also a retinal scanning system."
Kohler spit out only two words. "Go downstairs, now!"
The freight elevator was falling like a boulder.
Here it goes another seventy-five feet below ground.
Victoria noticed that the fear of the two men deepened as the elevator descended, and even Kohler's always expressionless face suddenly tightened.I admit, Victoria thought, the sample is really big, but the measures we took were absolutely—they got to the bottom.
The elevator doors opened.Victoria led them down a dimly lit corridor.A huge steel gate stood at the end of the road.The hazmat locker has arrived.The retinometer by the door was identical to the one above.She carefully focused her eyes on the camera.
Suddenly, she stepped back.Something is wrong!The usually spotless lens was splattered with... no, something smeared on it, it looked like... blood?Puzzled, she turned to the two men, only to see two pale faces.Khloe and Langdon were pale, their eyes fixed on the floor at her feet.
Victoria followed their gaze...down.
"No!" Langdon yelled, reaching for her, but it was too late.
Victoria stared intently at something on the floor.To her, this thing was completely foreign and at the same time very familiar.
Everything is only in the blink of an eye.
The next thing she felt dizzy and terrified, it all came to light.The one that was abandoned like waste, lying on the floor and staring at her was nothing but an eyeball.She must have recognized the hazel eye.
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