Chapter 83 Chapter 82

At CERN, Secretary Sylvie Podlock felt a pang of hunger and wished she could go home.To her dismay, Khloe apparently made it through in the hospital.He called and ordered—not demanded, but ordered—that Sylvie had to work overtime tonight, without explanation. Over the years, Sylvie has forced himself to ignore his erratic temper and withdrawn personality-he ignores people and loves to secretly film meetings with the video camera in his wheelchair.He went to the recreational shooting range of the European Nuclear Center every week, and Sylvie secretly hoped that one day he would shoot himself to death.But obviously he's a very good shooter.

Now, sitting alone at her desk, Sylvie hears her stomach rumbling in protest.Kohler hasn't come back yet, and she hasn't given her any work for the evening.To hell with sitting here bored and hungry.She decides to leave a note for Kohler and sneaks into the staff canteen to get something to eat. She'd never done that before. Passing by the European Nuclear Center's lounge—a long hall lined with multiple televisions—she found that every room was packed with employees, who apparently had no time to eat and were focused on watching the news. something big happened.The first room Sylvie walked into was filled with unusually young computer programmers who were obsessed with bytes.Seeing the news headlines on TV, she held her breath in shock.

Horror enveloped the Holy See. Listening to the TV report, Sylvie couldn't believe her ears.Some ancient brotherhood murdering the cardinal?What is that to prove?Their deep hatred?Their prominence?Their ignorance?Incredibly, however, the people in this room were not at all sad. The two young men ran and shook T-shirts with Bill Gates' face on them, and a slogan printed on them: Weird people will take over the earth! "Illuminati!" one man yelled, "I told you there really were Illuminati." "Unbelievable! I thought it was just a game!" "They killed the Pope, man! That's the Pope!"

"Holy shit! I wonder how many points you've earned for this." They laughed and ran away. Sylvie was dumbfounded, bewildered.As a Catholic who works with scientists, she has to put up with anti-religious gossip from time to time, but these boys are ecstatic about the church's failure.How can they be so ruthless?How could they be so malicious?In Sylvie's view, the church has never been an organization that harms people...it is a place where people feel friendship and introspection...sometimes it is also a place where they can sing unscrupulously and loudly.The Church records life's milestones—funerals, weddings, baptisms, festivals—without asking for anything in return, even when donations are voluntary.After the weekly Sabbath, the sons and daughters of the church are always high-spirited, determined to be helpful and generous to others.What could be wrong with this?What surprised her was far more than that. So many so-called "elite" figures in the "European Nuclear Center" can't comprehend the important role of the church.Do they really believe that quarks and muons motivate humans?Can those equations really replace human's need for sacred belief?Sylvie wandered in a daze across the corridor and past the other lounges.All the rooms are full of people.She was now thinking about the call Kohler had received earlier from the Vatican.Is it a coincidence?Maybe.The Holy See will call CERN as a "polite" before severely condemning CERN's research—most recently for a series of major nanotechnology research by CERN. Discovery, because in the eyes of the Church, it undoubtedly implies the realization of genetic engineering.However, CERN has never taken this seriously.Often minutes after the Holy See issued the reservation clause, Kohler called technology investment companies that wanted to license the technology. "Exposure doesn't matter," Kohler always said.

Sylvie weighed whether she should call him, no matter where he was, and tell him to watch the news. Will he care?Has he heard it already?He must have heard it, and was probably recording the entire report on his wacky camcorder, grinning for the first time this year. Sylvie continued to walk forward, and then found a lounge, where the atmosphere was oppressive...almost heavy.Those who sit here and read the reports are some highly respected scientists in CERN.They didn't even look up when Sylvie slipped in and sat down. In Leonardo Witterer's bleak apartment on the other side of CERN, Maximilian Kohler finished reading the leather-bound magazines he took from Witterer's nightstand.Now he is watching TV news reports.After a while, he put Witterer's magazine back in its place, turned off the TV, and walked out of the room.

In faraway Vatican City, Cardinal Mortati threw another ballot into the fireplace of the Sistine Chapel, billowing black smoke from the raging fire. After two rounds of voting, the pope has not yet been elected.