Chapter 104: Gravity
Jiang Yang clearly saw that this passage, stretching several kilometers long, came to an abrupt end here. Further ahead was a massive underground cavity.
Visually, it overall presented a spherical shape, with a diameter of about one kilometer.
At the core of this spherical cavity, a circular ground was suspended, with a diameter of around six or seven hundred meters, total area approximately several hundred thousand square meters, and buildings of strange shapes, all emitting a soft yellow-white glow, were quietly situated on it.
It neither touched the sky above nor the ground below; it just quietly hovered there, motionless.
This…
Anti-gravity technology? Or some kind of magnetic levitation technology, or other unknown technology?
Looking down at his feet, he saw that the passage end was about a hundred meters away from that floating fortress.
Below were cold moon rocks also tinged with a layer of yellow-white glow from the reflection, with no supporting points.
“We need to find a way to go there and take a look.”
Without anyone issuing a command, at this moment, including Jiang Yang, this thought simultaneously arose in everyone’s mind.
Clearly, those high-energy neutrinos that exterminated the entire human civilization were emitted from here!
“Over a hundred meters distance, we must use an aircraft.”
Tong Zheng’s voice was steady and resolute: “We don’t have a ready-made aircraft, but we had flat-panel thrusters before.”
These thrusters had now been modified by their side into electric scooters, and their engines had also been removed.
But no matter, since they could be taken off, they could naturally be reinstalled; it would just take some time.
Jiang Yang didn’t know what training these astronauts had received on Earth or what skills they possessed, but it seemed that this disassembly and installation work was obviously no big deal for them.
In that case, their side needed to first return to the temporary camp and then transport various supplies and equipment in.
After quickly determining the follow-up action plan, Tong Zheng issued the command: “Everyone, prepare to withdraw!”
There seemed to be no danger here. Jiang Yang also freed his mind from the shock of seeing this floating fortress for the first time, holstering the pistol he held in his hand to his waist.
But due to lack of proficiency, it slipped from his hand this time, and the pistol slid straight toward the passage end on the flat ground.
Jiang Yang instinctively bent down to pick it up, but the next moment he was grabbed by a strong, powerful hand.
Tong Zheng quietly looked at him: “Leave it.”
“Okay.”
Jiang Yang originally thought that when the pistol reached the passage end, it would directly fall toward the bottom of this spherical cavity.
But the next moment, something unexpected happened.
After crossing the passage end, the pistol didn’t fall; instead, it flew straight toward the floating fortress ahead, following its previous direction and speed, as if it could fly on its own.
Tong Zheng also saw this scene.
“We don’t need to assemble an aircraft.”
He said slowly: “Outside the passage, there should be no gravity in this underground cavity.”
No gravity… then, the technology that floating city was using could be confirmed.
Not magnetic levitation, but anti-gravity technology.
This technology only existed in the fantasy art of human civilization and had never appeared in reality.
The scientific theories of human civilization had not even encompassed any possibilities related to anti-gravity technology.
Not to mention anti-gravity; even at the current stage, people hadn’t figured out what gravity really was.
The theory of relativity holds that it is not a true “force,” but rather the external manifestation of spacetime bending itself under the influence of substances with mass.
Quantum mechanics holds that gravity is also a fundamental force, like electromagnetic force, strong nuclear force, and weak nuclear force.
The latter three fundamental forces all have corresponding particles as carriers for transmitting the force, such as photons for electromagnetic force, gluons for strong nuclear force, and W and Z bosons for weak nuclear force.
Gravity should also be a force transmitted through gravitons.
Both theories have achieved great success in their respective fields, each propelling the technology of human civilization forward in great strides. But on the gravity issue, the two theories encountered serious mutual exclusion.
This is the reason why human civilization hasn’t figured out what gravity really is.
If they can’t even figure out gravity, let alone anti-gravity technology.
And now, this technology was vividly presented before Jiang Yang.
Well, although this was shocking, they had already witnessed the even more unbelievable “negative matter field” technology before, so anti-gravity technology appearing here didn’t seem unacceptable.
Since there was no gravity here, crossing this over hundred-meter distance from the passage end to that floating city was no difficulty.
Tong Zheng’s voice sounded again: “Number 2, Number 3, attempt to reach the floating city for reconnaissance.”
“Yes.”
Zhao Jianguo and the other came to the passage end, first trying to extend their arms out of the passage to feel it.
Then, the Number 3 astronaut took out the rope and tied it around Zhao Jianguo’s waist.
Zhao Jianguo stood at the passage end, slowly leaning his body forward until it was level with the passage ground.
The rope in the Number 3 astronaut’s hand was taut, firmly securing Zhao Jianguo to prevent him from falling. Only when Zhao Jianguo’s body was level with the ground did he slowly release it.
Then, an astonishing scene appeared.
Now without the rope pulling, Zhao Jianguo’s body still quietly hovered in the air, showing no sign of falling.
He bent his legs, then suddenly straightened them. The next moment, his body shot out lightly in a straight line, like a fish.
That rope was also pulled out following his dash.
His dashing speed wasn’t fast, at most two meters per second. But in this vacuum and zero-gravity environment, his speed and direction remained extremely constant, without any change.
He “flew” this distance in tens of seconds, directly arriving about two meters above the floating city, after which his body suddenly descended, landing on the “ground” of the floating city.
It seemed that floating city had gravity. And from the descent speed, it was equal to the Moon’s gravity in the passage at this moment.
Upon reaching the floating city, Zhao Jianguo didn’t rush to explore the surroundings but secured himself. On the other side, the Number 3 astronaut also fixed one end of the rope to the hydrogen bomb board cart with locked wheels.
He climbed over holding the rope, just like an astronaut performing a spacewalk in space, the entire process taking less than a minute.
The two figures then disappeared among the buildings of the floating city.
A few minutes later, a voice came from the communicator: “No threats detected.”
“Let’s go.”
Including Jiang Yang, all 13 people under them climbed over along this rope.
