QT- I’m Almost Died
Chapter 252. Not Even A Human, Yet Dreaming Of Godhood
TN:- Bronze is an alloy made up of copper and tin.
Chief Yan went to a quiet corner to make a phone call.
Knowing which supreme leader he was speaking to, everyone in the lab fell silent. Even Director Sun and Deputy Director Liu, who were both angry and anxious, pursed their lips and dared not utter a sound. However, deep down, they were still praying that Chief Yan’s call for instructions would not be approved by the higher-ups.
Those are the Nine Tripod Cauldrons, national treasures, symbols of stability for the country, the heavens, and the people. Who dares to drill into them? Who has the heart to drill into them? The supreme leader should know the gravity of the situation. The experts and laboratories have already released their findings, wouldn’t it be better to just suppress the case like this?
A glimmer of hope flickered in their hearts, but upon seeing the solemn-faced Fan Jialuo, they were suddenly struck by the vision of the future he had described. One person becomes a god, and all things wither. This nation will no longer be able to nurture talent, this land will become a desolate wasteland, what a terrifying prospect!
If the supreme leader’s judgment is clouded by these words, he might actually agree to drill into the Nine Tripods.
Thinking of this, Director Sun and Deputy Director Liu couldn’t help but shudder. Neither of them realized that their mindset had long since changed, from initial resolute disbelief to wavering, and now to vehement denial and self-deception. Why were they so eager to suppress this case? Naturally, it was because they sensed that those national treasures had indeed been replaced.
For some, national interests come above all else, however, for others, their own interests are paramount.
Everyone had already seen through the two directors’ thoughts and character, and now they were all looking at them with disdain.
Chief Yan was on the phone from a great distance, constantly shielding his face with his hand to prevent others from reading his lip movements. This was a habitual action of his, so no one could hear what he was saying or see his expression.
Fan Jialuo listened intently for a moment, a knowing look appearing in his eyes. He then put on gloves and ordered, “Give me a newly made bronze cauldron, a hammer, a chisel, and a high-temperature blowtorch.”
The lab director immediately sent a technician to prepare the supplies, and then asked curiously, “What do you need all this for?” After witnessing this man’s bizarre abilities, he found it really difficult to face him with the same nonchalant attitude he had before.
“We’ll need it later.” Fan Jialuo pulled out a tissue and wiped the dust off the electronic scale.
Just as the technician placed the items on the table, Chief Yan walked over with his phone in hand and said seriously, “Teacher Fan, Leader would like to see how you make new copper grow rust roots, is that alright?”
Everyone glanced furtively at his phone screen, then their hearts skipped a beat. Wasn’t that the face they saw on the evening news every day?
“Okay.” Fan Jialuo nodded politely to the person on the other end of the phone, “Hello, Leader.” His attitude was neither humble nor arrogant, and he remained very calm.
The person on the other end of the phone greeted him warmly and said a few more words.
Only then did the lab director understand why Teacher Fan had asked him to prepare these things. He had anticipated the supreme leader’s request and, to avoid neglecting him, had arranged everything in advance. He truly was always one step ahead. He said that since birth, his eyes had never misjudged a person, thing, or event——was that really true?
Thinking this way, the lab director felt an even greater sense of fear about the case. If the mastermind behind it all had truly become a god, would ordinary people like them still have a chance to survive?
Not only was the lab director afraid, but everyone in the laboratory was inevitably filled with apprehension.
Fan Jialuo seemed completely oblivious to the somber atmosphere, slowly turning the newly made bronze cauldron, its color still a clear, golden yellow, and calmly explaining, “This is a new cauldron that I had prepared, weighing 98.76 kilograms.”
He picked up a hammer and chisel, chipped a notch in the handle of the bronze cauldron, and continued, “You can see that it is indeed made of bronze.” Then he picked up a high-temperature blowtorch, put on a heat shield, and melted the notch into molten copper.
After watching the process, the supreme leader nodded and said, “This is indeed a bronze cauldron.” He believed that no one would dare to fake it under his nose, and it couldn’t be faked over a video call.
Fan Jialuo removed his mask, hovered his hands on either side of the new cauldron, closed his eyes, created a transparent space, filled it with a magnetic field, and then continuously compressed it. Thus, the new golden cauldron, like the previous piece of new copper, quickly became covered in rust and slowly disintegrated into a pool of black dust.
It was placed on an electronic scale by Fan Jialuo. The display initially showed 98,760 grams, but the number rapidly decreased with each passing second until it became a negligible 78 grams. Such a heavy cauldron was transformed into a handful of dust weighing only a few dozen grams in just a few minutes. Such a change is not only shocking but also chilling.
The supreme leader stared at the pile of black dust for a long time without saying a word, so everyone held their breath and waited silently.
A deathly silence filled the laboratory. The fact that the supreme leader didn’t speak indicated his continued hesitation, if he hesitated, whether the case could ultimately stand was still a question. Director Sun and Deputy Director Liu’s tense expressions began to relax, their lips trembling as if they wanted to laugh but held it back.
However, the next second, the supreme leader’s authoritative voice came from the phone, “Yan Quanling, I have already given you the highest authority. I am now granting you a further mandate to facilitate your operations. As long as you can catch the mastermind, you can make any decision yourself. You don’t need to keep reporting to me through the layers of bureaucracy, as that will affect the efficiency of solving the case. I stand by what I said, we will never show leniency toward those who seek to undermine the very foundations of the country!”
Chief Yan immediately nodded in acceptance, but hesitated at the end, saying, “Leader, I already told you, those national treasures are probably……”
The supreme leader fell silent again, and after a long while, he sighed and said, “Just do your best. I only have one request for you, you must catch the person behind this!”
“Yes, Leader!” Chief Yan saluted.
The supreme leader offered him a few words of encouragement, sincerely thanked Fan Jialuo, and then hung up the video call.
Despite having had face-to-face exchanges with such important figures, Fan Jialuo showed no sign of embarrassment, nor did he use it as a weapon to attack Director Sun and Deputy Director Liu. He simply picked up a velvet cloth and silently cleaned the black dust off the electronic scale.
On the contrary, Director Sun and Deputy Director Liu trembled, hesitant to speak, appearing as if they wanted to defend themselves but had been suppressed and could only endure the humiliation. Their clumsy performance caused the experts and scholars who had initially sided with them to show their disgust, and they no longer dared to stand with them, all keeping their distance.
Chief Yan looked around at everyone and said in a deep voice, “You all heard the Leader’s instructions, right? All the cultural relics that have been appraised before, now re-appraise them. Whether it’s non-destructive testing or destructive testing, as long as it can be 100% accurate, use it. I will take responsibility if anything goes wrong.”
Everyone present had been thoroughly humiliated by Fan Jialuo, so naturally they dared not refute him and returned to their posts to bury themselves in their work.
Chief Yan slowly stepped back and stood in a row with Director Sun and Deputy Director Liu. He didn’t say a word, but the chilling aura emanating from him was enough to make the two men tremble with fear and break out in a cold sweat.
After cleaning the workbench, Fan Jialuo removed his gloves and waited quietly.
Song Rui leaned close to his ear and whispered, “Do you hate gods that much?”
“I do not hate the gods.” Fan Jialuo shook his head.
“No, you do. I’m sure your purpose in waking up was to eliminate everyone who tries to become a god, right?” Song Rui stared deeply into the man’s eyes.
“You’re right. In this world, everyone who tries to become a god is my enemy.” Fan Jialuo readily admitted, but then gently shook his head, “But I don’t hate gods.”
Song Rui chuckled twice, neither confirming nor denying.
Fan Jialuo looked deeply into his eyes and asked, “Do you know which god is my favorite?”
“You also have a favorite god?” Song Rui was quite surprised. He had always thought Fan Jialuo was a staunch atheist. Yes, he was a Psychic and had resolved many paranormal phenomena that science couldn’t explain, but strangely, he believed that there shouldn’t be a god in the world. His so-called atheism wasn’t about not believing in God, but rather about not allowing God to exist. He was truly contradictory.
“Why can’t I believe in gods?” Fan Jialuo lowered his eyelids and spoke slowly, “In the beginning of all things, the world was a chaotic void. The primordial god Pangu created the sky and earth with his own power. His left eye became the sun, and his right eye became the moon; his hair and beard became the stars and planets in the sky; his torso and limb became the five sacred mountains; his blood formed the rivers and oceans, and his muscles became fertile soil; his breath became the wind and clouds, while his voice became thunder; his fur became bushes and forests; his bones became valuable minerals; his bone marrow became precious jewels; his sweat became rain; and the fleas on his fur carried by the wind became animals.”
Fan Jialuo looked up at the dazzling lights overhead, “He was born of solitude, and he died of solitude. Like a whale fall, he gave everything back to the world. From that moment on, he would never again feel the pangs of solitude; for all things came into being and acquired a living spirit through him; the sun, the moon, and the stars revolved at his behest; and the very heaven, earth, and time became imbued with sentiment because of him. What manner of divine realm do the later Three Pure Ones and the Jade Emperor inhabit? It is a place where Heaven and Earth remain detached, treating all creation as mere straw dogs, and where the sages rule without favor, viewing the masses with absolute neutrality. They exist without emotion or love, devoid of self and form. Yet, compared to the primordial god Pangu, what do they truly amount to? Can a lifespan of endless millennia ever compare to a single, glorious flash of eternity?”
“A lifespan of ten thousand years cannot compare to a moment of eternity.” Song Rui pondered these words repeatedly, then shook his head and said, “I don’t know why, but hearing you say that makes me feel very uneasy.”
Because in the eyes of Fan Jialuo, he saw the same loneliness and solitude as that of the primordial god Pangu.
Such a great God, yet he split the sky and the earth because of loneliness, and sacrificed himself because of loneliness. Does this ending foreshadow anything?
“I’m just speaking from the heart, don’t overthink it.” Fan Jialuo held Dr. Song’s hand, gently tapping the back of his hand with his fingertips, and whispered, “If this world can successfully survive the catastrophe, I hope I can become an ordinary person, taste the flavor of food, see the world outside, and die peacefully and naturally.”
Despite being such a powerful Psychic, his wish was the same as that of an ordinary person, to die peacefully and at a ripe old age.
These words deeply touched Song Rui’s heart, causing him to echo in a hoarse voice, “My wish is also to die peacefully in my old age. Of course, it would be even better if you could add three more words.”
“Which three words?” Fan Jialuo asked curiously.
“Together, with, you.” Song Rui said slowly, emphasizing each word.
Fan Jialuo was stunned. It took him a long time to tear his gaze away from Dr. Song’s vortex-like eyes, and he hastily averted his gaze. His thin lips twitched slightly, as if he wished to speak, yet ultimately, he chose to remain silent. Before the dust had settled, before the matter of life and death was resolved, he lacked the capacity to bear the weight of those three words.
Even without receiving a reply, Song Rui wasn’t disappointed. His life had been barren to begin with, and he was already content to have a glimmer of hope.
While the two were whispering, the trace element test results for the famille-rose ‘God of Longevity’ porcelain vase finally came back. Counterfeiters can make the chemical composition of their imitations exactly the same as the genuine articles, but when the content of these components is accurate to one part in millions or even tens of millions, they are powerless.
Furthermore, the central laboratory has long possessed the trace element ratio data of various ancient porcelain kilns and has established a database based on this data. This database serves almost identically to a DNA comparison library. Technicians only need to place the collected samples into the testing chamber, and the main control program will immediately analyze and compare their trace elements, making it immediately clear whether it is an antique or a fake.
“Chief Yan, this famille-rose ‘God of Longevity’ porcelain vase is fake!” The technician held up the steaming appraisal report, his voice filled with panic and helplessness, “Based on the analysis of trace elements, it is indeed produced in Jingde Sub-district, but it is a new object from the last ten years.”
Chief Yan took the report and examined it repeatedly, his expression gradually becoming serious.
Dozens of experts and scholars who had previously asserted that the vase was genuine have now all fallen silent.
However, this was only the beginning. The more than twenty treasures that were brought in and subsequently identified as genuine, starting with the famille-rose ‘God of Longevity’ porcelain vase, fell like dominoes. After undergoing more accurate destructive testing, they were all determined to be fakes.
“Chief Yan, this ivory seated Buddha is fake.”
“Chief Yan, this flying goddess painting is fake.”
“Chief Yan, this human-shaped palace lantern is fake.”
“Chief Yan……”
One bad news after another brought the atmosphere in the laboratory to a freezing point. When the lead isotope analysis of Yong tripod and Qing tripod was also completed, this freezing point was shattered by a thunderbolt.
A technician stood up hastily, his hand holding the authentication report trembling, his voice shaking as he said, “Chief Yan, these two bronze tripods are also fake! We couldn’t find the highly radioactive lead isotopes in their bodies. We are absolutely certain that they were not cast before the Shang and Zhou dynasties.”
Chief Yan hurried over, took the authentication report, his mind a jumbled mess, unable to think straight. He had prayed to God hundreds and thousands of times, begging him not to let such a tragic fate befall these national treasures, but he never expected that the worst would still happen.
Who was behind this? Was it a foreign agent or a Chinese national? Teacher Fan said this case was committed by someone from the Taoist sect, meaning the person who switched the artifacts must be Chinese. How vicious must they be? They’re practically inhuman!
“MF, they don’t even deserve to be human, yet they want to become gods?!” Only at this moment did Chief Yan reveal his deep hatred for the mastermind behind the scenes. He then pointed at Director Sun and Deputy Director Liu and loudly ordered, “Arrest them both and take them away for interrogation!”
The moment Director Sun and Deputy Director Liu saw the report, they knew they were doomed. So many national treasures had been switched, and they had been completely unaware. Calling them traitors to the nation wouldn’t be an exaggeration. They couldn’t shirk this responsibility, after the interrogation, they would definitely be imprisoned.
“We……we really didn’t know! Chief Yan, this has nothing to do with us……”
The two men’s explanations quickly faded outside the door. Song Rui reminded them, “Check all the museums in the country, and also the treasures held by famous collectors. The person behind this has immense power and the ability to plunder all the treasures imbued with abundant spiritual qi and luck. To cast two such bronze tripods, and then to replace them discreetly, would require at least four or five years of planning and preparation. We only realized this now, and it’s probably too late, we don’t know how many artifacts can still be saved.”
Chief Yan felt dizzy and nearly suffered a heart attack. How did this case get so big?!
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