https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-304-Ascending-Tower-Chronicles-4-/13547705/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-306-Ascending-Tower-Chronicles-Six-/13547707/
Chapter 305: Ascending Tower Chronicles (V)
Chapter 305: Ascending Tower Chronicles (V)
"In fact, right now, as we speak, I can't help but think... Each of us has characteristics that contradict its laws. In other words..." Feng Bu Jue took a breath. "Right now, if I enter the 'effect radius' of that thing, my own traits will cause me to be erased." His gaze swept across the three before him. "However, you three still 'don't know' its laws. As long as you remain in that state, you can approach and touch it. So..."
"Wait a second..." Hong Hu, who had been following Feng Bu Jue's logic closely, interjected. "According to your explanation, for this object to 'activate,' it requires someone who knows its properties to stand within its effect range." He paused. "But the only person who currently knows its properties... is you, and the moment you enter that range, you'll die."
Qiu Feng picked up the thread. "Does that mean... you have to sacrifice yourself to trigger it?"
Ji Chang added, "Also, you said each of us has characteristics that contradict this object's laws. That implies... no one can survive triggering this thing. Because when we don't know its properties, we can't activate its effect. But once we learn them, we end up in the same situation as you."
"Exactly. That's the key point. I have a method to activate the object while keeping everyone alive." Feng Bu Jue replied.
The three teammates didn't show much surprise or confusion—only intense focus.
Feng Bu Jue was satisfied with their reaction. Talking to smart people was easy. He didn't need to explain much; they could trust and understand him instinctively.
"First, I need one of you to pick up the object and place it in a specific location. During this process, the person must keep their mind as blank as possible, avoiding too many thoughts." Feng Bu Jue began outlining his strategy directly. "Once the object is in position, the person will follow my instructions to move to the edge of its effect radius. At that point, I'll say something—a statement describing an objective fact." He paused briefly. "If nothing goes wrong, the moment I finish speaking, the object will activate. And in those few seconds, the person shouldn't have realized which characteristic of theirs would lead to erasure."
"I get it", Hong Hu said. "As long as the person immediately flees the object's effect radius upon hearing your words, the effect will only act on the information I described, not erasing the person."
"Once the person realizes their contradiction with the item, they'll already be outside the range, so they're safe", Qiu Feng mused. "Hmm... So does this mean the object is triggered by the 'cognition' of observers within its range?"
Ji Chang didn't comment immediately. After a few seconds of silence, he said something else. "Feng Bu Jue... You came up with this strategy in such a short time, yet you call yourself 'just an average puzzle-solver'?"
"I was just being polite to you all..." Feng Bu Jue knew by now that pretending to be clueless was impossible.
"Aren't you being too humble?" Hong Hu pushed his glasses up. "Among the four of us, only you know the object's properties, and those properties can't be easily shared. In other words... figuring out how to solve this puzzle without casualties can only be planned by you alone.
The Terrifying Paradise scenario is randomly generated based on all players' data from the basis team. Our knowledge, strength, skills, equipment, etc., were all considered. This shows your strategic ability has been acknowledged by the system. At least Optical Brain believes you have over a 50% chance of solving this puzzle independently."
"Hmph... I guess Feng Bu Jue originally wanted to play it safe, tagging along behind us so-called 'big characters' without drawing attention", Qiu Feng said sharply. "But when he saw that object, he had no choice but to get involved in puzzle-solving."
"Ah... something like that", Feng Bu Jue admitted straightforwardly.
"Hahaha... In the end, it's our problem", Ji Chang laughed, scratching his buzzcut. "From the start, the three of us assumed Feng Bu Jue was weak, just because his ID 'Mad Bu Jue' wasn't famous." He glanced at Hong Hu and Qiu Feng. "Put yourself in Feng Bu Jue's shoes—wouldn't you react the same way? You wouldn't go around boasting to three strangers about how great you are."
Hong Hu agreed. "That's true."
Qiu Feng said, "Then let's stop dwelling on this. Let's discuss who should move the object."
Feng Bu Jue asked, "Ji Chang, Qiu Feng—who's better at math?"
Ji Chang said, "Math? I'm pretty good."
Qiu Feng added, "So-so. I've long forgotten high school math. I'm probably at a middle school level now."
"Then it's you", Feng Bu Jue decided.
"Huh?" Qiu Feng blinked. "Why?"
"What do you mean 'why'? I can't explain it before solving it. Why ask?" Feng Bu Jue raised his arm, imitating a youthful voice, and shouted enthusiastically, "The decision is you! Go! Pikachu!"
Qiu Feng himself, and even Ji Chang and Hong Hu after hearing Feng Bu Jue's painfully awkward reference, felt a bit embarrassed.
"I can't believe I'm having a conversation with an adult..." Qiu Feng made a face and complained.
"Integrity Beast Evolution~ No Integrity Beast~" Feng Bu Jue shouted dramatically.
"Will you stop already!" Qiu Feng shouted, humiliated.
"I'm distracting your attention", Feng Bu Jue said seriously. "This can effectively increase your safety margin during the action."
"Just tell me where to put it after moving it out the door. Don't say anything unnecessary."
"Fine."
Though Feng Bu Jue's actions were highly embarrassing, they worked. After this awkward conversation, Qiu Feng's mind was indeed blank...
Project Number: *-233
Project Security Level: Keter
Special Containment Procedures: *-233 must be stored in a concrete-lined cubic containment chamber measuring 23x23x23 (any unit of length is acceptable as long as the dimensions are 23x23x23).
A 23-meter safety zone has been established around the object. No D-Class personnel who are not 23 years old may enter this zone. For research convenience, D-Class personnel born on the 23rd of any month are recommended.
No firearms are permitted within the zone unless they use .2323-caliber special ammunition.
Staff shifts must be scheduled at 23 minutes past the hour, and the final shift must end precisely at 23:23 Greenwich Mean Time.
[Redacted]mm ammunition must never be used near the object.
D-Class personnel born in [Redacted] month, or on the [Redacted]th, [Redacted]th, or [Redacted]th of any month, must not interact with the object.
Personnel working at the containment facility must be specifically warned to remain extra vigilant at [Redacted] minutes past each hour, especially during the [Redacted] o'clock period, as this is when the * is most active. For optimal safety, all personnel should evacuate to beyond 23 meters during this period.
Description: *-233 is a 23-hedron, with each face being an equilateral rectangle containing a straight line. Due to its anomalous spatial properties, it cannot be accurately modeled or replicated in 2D or 3D forms.
*-233 has the ability to alter mathematical laws in its vicinity, causing all counting to become incorrect unless using a base-23 numeral system. Calculators using the base-23 numeral system benefit from this anomaly, performing calculations at 23 times normal speed.
Proposals to destroy the object have been postponed, as it may be integrated into [Redacted] for utilization. Beyond the difficulty of converting binary to base-23 numeral systems, the device has already demonstrated its value to the Organization.
Unfortunately, the appearance of the number [Redacted] within *-233's influence zone causes it to exhibit extremely violent effects. Affected matter undergoes rapid chemical disintegration as its atoms collapse within 0.23 seconds.
Notably, based on Basis' past experiences, -233 does not seem to be triggered by the physical properties of nearby objects, but rather by the cognitive trigger of surrounding observers. For example, suspending -233 with a 2.74-meter-long pole is safe, as long as no observer within the danger zone knows the pole is actually [Redacted] feet long. The cause of this effect is unknown, but it may relate to the "Observer effect" in classical quantum physics.
Feng Bu Jue's knowledge of the series helped him recognize this "23-hedron." He also clearly knew that 2.74 meters was approximately 9 feet. In other words, the number targeted by this was "9."
As long as someone who knows its properties enters the 23-meter radius around *-233, anything within that person's cognition related to the number 9 will be erased.
"Feng Bu Jue, you're being too modest." Hong Hu pushed his glasses up. "Out of the four of us, only you know the object's properties, and those properties can't be easily shared. In other words, only you can figure out how to solve this puzzle without casualties. The Terrifying Paradise scenario is randomly generated based on all players' data from the basis team, including our knowledge, strength, skills, and equipment. This shows that your strategic ability has been acknowledged by the system. Optical Brain believes you have over a 50% chance of solving this puzzle independently."
"Hmph, I guess Feng Bu Jue originally wanted to play it safe, tagging along with us 'big characters' without drawing attention", Qiu Feng said sharply. "But when he saw that object, he had no choice but to get involved in puzzle-solving."
"Ah, something like that", Feng Bu Jue admitted straightforwardly.
"Hahaha, in the end, it's our fault", Ji Chang laughed, scratching his buzzcut. "From the start, we assumed Feng Bu Jue was weak just because his ID 'Mad Bu Jue' wasn't famous. Put yourself in his shoes—wouldn't you react the same way? You wouldn't go around boasting to three strangers about your greatness."
Hong Hu agreed. "That's true."
Qiu Feng said, "Let's stop dwelling on this. Let's discuss who should move the object."
Feng Bu Jue asked, "Ji Chang, Qiu Feng, who's better at math?"
Ji Chang replied, "I'm pretty good at math."
Qiu Feng added, "I'm so-so. I've long forgotten high school math and am probably at a middle school level now."
"Then it's you", Feng Bu Jue decided.
"Huh? Why me?" Qiu Feng blinked in confusion.
"What do you mean 'why'? I can't explain it before solving it. Why ask?" Feng Bu Jue raised his arm, imitating a youthful voice, and shouted enthusiastically, "The chosen one is you! Go! Pikachu!"
Qiu Feng, Ji Chang, and Hong Hu couldn't help but feel a bit embarrassed by Feng Bu Jue's painfully awkward reference.
"I can't believe I'm having a conversation with an adult..." Qiu Feng made a face and complained.
Feng Bu Jue shouted dramatically, "Integrity Beast Evolution~ No Integrity Beast~"
"Will you stop already!" Qiu Feng shouted, humiliated.
"I'm distracting your attention", Feng Bu Jue said seriously. "This can effectively increase your safety margin during the action."
"Just tell me where to put it after moving it out the door. Don't say anything unnecessary."
"Fine", Feng Bu Jue agreed.
Despite the embarrassment of his actions, Feng Bu Jue's strategy worked. After this awkward conversation, Qiu Feng's mind was indeed blank...
No matter which of the three teammates moved the object, once they heard his statement, even without knowing *-233's properties, they'd quickly realize the issue was with the number 9. Then, the faster they connected their own factors to 9, the faster they'd be erased...
If this were a team of dullards, sending someone slow-witted to act would be best. But these four were all sharp minds—once information entered their brains, they'd instinctively derive conclusions.
Therefore, Feng Bu Jue decided to send Qiu Feng, who was relatively weaker at math, and used language to disrupt his thoughts. His chosen method aimed to minimize the teammate's thinking time and information exposure.
This puzzle-solving strategy seemed simple but fully demonstrated Feng Bu Jue's brilliance. Even his seemingly nonsensical actions had purpose. Every detail was meticulously handled.
"Where should I put it?" Qiu Feng, now emerging from the white door, shouted.
Feng Bu Jue had already retreated far enough—where he stood was safely beyond the 23-meter radius even after the object was moved.
"There!" Feng Bu Jue pointed. "Place it between the two pillars near the wall."
Qiu Feng acknowledged and carried the 23-hedron toward the spot. The object wasn't too heavy—easily manageable for a player with enhanced physical abilities.
Dozens of seconds later, Qiu Feng placed it.(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
