Chapter 735: Cosmic Treasure

Gagor Brown, who was following the workers from Boulogne Mining Company as they worked through the night, touched the nearly half-exposed egg-shaped extraterrestrial object, about the size of a small car, with an ecstatic expression and said, "Look, Chuck, this seems to be an iron meteorite! Countless meteorites fall to Earth from space every year, and this is just what remains after burning up in the atmosphere. If we could capture them outside the atmosphere, it would be an endless treasure trove! Your classmates at Boulogne Mining Company show such foresight in investing so much manpower and resources into this research. Can you imagine—a space smelting plant that could mass-produce parts for space stations and spacecraft, the profits would be astonishing!"

Gagor Brown recalled a lot of astronomy knowledge he had learned in college and spoke animatedly, his enthusiasm evident as he gestured with his hands.

Nearby, lights flickered around a crater where some Boulogne employees were using flashlights to search the ground, gathering fragments that were suspected to be meteorite remains for identification and analysis purposes.

The car-sized iron meteorite had heavily struck the hard Gobi desert, its immense inertia pushing it along the surface for several dozen meters, leaving a long, droplet-shaped indentation, with nearly half of it buried beneath the ground, and only a basin-sized part of it visible.

It was amazing that such a large meteorite had not shattered into pieces; its hardness was beyond imagination.

Most meteorites look almost indistinguishable from ordinary stones on Earth, only recognized by specialists, but this suspected iron meteorite stood out with a color, texture, and shape completely at odds with the native gravel. The arid environment with little rain and minimal geological changes in this area made it easy for Boulogne to find and quickly excavate it.

Compared to common stone meteorites, this extraterrestrial iron meteorite was denser and seemed to contain more complex components. Its surface, charred from the intense heat and friction of entering the atmosphere, revealed a dark and pockmarked texture.

Boulogne’s excavation team had just used special cleaning agents and tools to scrub away a piece about a square meter in size, revealing the true nature of the meteorite under tri-color lights that mimicked natural sunlight.

Every time a meteor falls, it signifies a natural refinement of the objects by Earth’s atmosphere; those that reach the ground are the essence. Some regions even have a practice of crafting weapons from iron meteorites.

Its surface gleamed with an unusual purple metallic luster, suggesting a high metal content without any signs of deep oxidation. More strikingly, various-sized crystals, as small as sesame seeds and as large as eggs, peeked out from the surface.

These unknown crystals exhibited unique crystallographic structures and came in transparent, green, red, and other colors. Under the light, they refracted a mesmerizing and profound beauty.

It was as if one were gazing into a treasure chest of heavenly jewelry, leaving people spellbound.

“Mr. Brown, w-what is this?!”

Viri Chuck exclaimed, dumbfounded. A treasure from the distant universe? Such miracles couldn’t be born from Earth’s mineral resources. Was that purple substance a special alloy?

Viri, specializing in geology, suddenly felt his professional knowledge was insufficient and couldn’t fathom what kind of environment could produce such strange mineral shapes.

He became dry-mouthed from excitement. His old classmate, Jack Roosevelt, and his company, Boulogne Mining, had discovered something remarkable.

Seeing Viri Chuck’s expression, Gagor Brown did not share the same shock but continued, slightly surprised, “Some iron meteorites and meteors from distant stars may contain very unique crystallographic forms. You study geology, of course, you’ve never seen anything like this. This type of thing is nearly impossible to find on Earth. Have you ever heard of the Fukang meteorite? It comes from Xinjiang in China and also has similar inclusions. Under sunlight, it shines like a golden honeycomb. It’s beautiful! Then there’s Lonsdaleite, which can almost be considered a different form of diamond. Do you know what this means? If we can identify something useful from this, it could lead to progress or even a technological revolution. Every spark of inspiration could lead to great science.”

Gagor Brown cited several examples using knowledge he had not yet forgotten, snapping Viri Chuck out of his awe at the true nature of the iron meteorite.

Such crystal forms are familiar to anyone who has studied astronomy, but they certainly haven’t appeared on Earth for the first time; it might even be a distinct new form.

There are many types of meteorites, from pure metal to pure stone, some are mixed, and others resemble jade-like glass. There are also diamonds from outer space; in the boundless universe, countless stardust exists, each having its unusual material forms resulting from unimaginable environments. Even the gold giant dragon, limited by its own innate restrictions, knows that the cosmos holds the greatest treasures of matter.

“Indeed! Mr. Brown, you seem to be an expert in this area.”

The voice of Jack Roosevelt came from behind Gagor and Viri. They turned to see Jack Roosevelt standing beside a man who looked like an engineer from Boulogne.

If Jack hadn’t confirmed that the other was an employee of Northrop Grumman, the world’s fourth-largest arms dealer, he would have thought his old classmate’s colleague was a competitor.

In reality, arms dealers and mining companies even share some business interests and do not have competitive conflicts. Thus, the Boulogne employees showed no rejection of the two onlookers.

“Thank you for the compliment. I originally studied astronomy in college and have dabbled in these matters.”

The recognition from others added luster to Gagor’s face, and he bowed slightly, feeling a bit smug. In Western social etiquette, humility is often overlooked, so he naturally accepted Jack’s praise, forgetting he once advised Viri not to worry about whether their fields matched, as long as there was money to be made, it didn’t matter if he forgot his previous knowledge entirely.

“Who is this?” Gagor and Viri looked at the engineer appearing beside Jack, who had a receding hairline and a gray and white Mediterranean hairstyle, wearing black rectangular glasses. They had crossed paths before, but Jack hadn’t made an introduction.

“This is our geology expert, Professor Rodriguez!” Jack Roosevelt smiled, introducing them to each other, feeling relieved he had been cautious in the past.

“Professor Rodriguez, I’m Viri Chuck, also studying geology and exploration, and I am a college classmate of Jack’s. It’s a great honor to meet you.” Viri Chuck appeared very excited as he reached out to shake hands with the professor, saying, “Although I don’t know much about meteorites, from a geological perspective, I can understand that these guests from outer space might not always bring good news.”

“Pleasure to meet you, that’s wonderful! Oh? Have you made any discoveries?”

Though the other man worked in the arms industry, Professor Rodriguez was happy to meet another colleague with shared interests.

“I wonder if you’ve heard about the great flood that has been mentioned in various countries’ legends, recorded in the Bible and ancient Eastern myths.” Viri Chuck glanced at the confused faces around him and said, “I once conducted a survey of the world’s history and discovered a very interesting and terrifying pattern.”

“What is it?” Gagor Brown couldn’t help but urge, interrupting his colleague. Jack and Rodriguez exchanged curious glances, eager for the story that was sure to be interesting, as this employee of Grumman had an intriguing hobby of research.

“This pattern results from the movements of celestial bodies in outer space affecting geological changes on Earth. Approximately every four thousand years, the Earth experiences a catastrophic disaster.” Viri Chuck did not seem to be joking, his expression remarkably serious: “Historical records indicate that twelve thousand years ago, humanity was struck by a significant flood, leading to the submersion of the Atlantian civilization. Eight thousand years ago, there was another great flood, with torrential rains falling from the Mediterranean to the Black Sea, totaling twenty-six cubic kilometers of water—130 times more than the Jala Falls—and sparked a colossal tsunami that turned what had been a freshwater lake into a black inland sea. This flood and tsunami have been recorded in the biblical Book of Genesis. Four thousand years ago, another catastrophic event occurred when the advanced Hemudu civilization in China suddenly vanished. The documented explanation is linked to Da Yu’s efforts to control floods. Archaeologists speculate that a massive icy comet struck eastern China, forming what is now Lake Taihu. Many records have provided evidence of an anomalous mini Ice Age and flood catastrophe, and while China claims a history of five thousand years, records actually show at least three civilization breaks, each occurring roughly every four thousand years, with the previous two disasters coincidentally happening in February.”

“Hmm? Every four thousand years? Are you saying the Earth suffers a catastrophic disaster every four thousand years? Haha, then Nostradamus’ prophecy of a fate recycle every four thousand years must be true. What a coincidence! I was just saying the tenth planet of the Earth, Nibiru, has an orbital period of four thousand years too. Uh, are you trying to tell me this planet, rumored in the Mayan legends to end humanity, is actually the culprit that destroys Earth’s civilizations every four thousand years…”

At first, Gagor Brown didn’t take his colleague Viri Chuck seriously, instead joking about it, but as he spoke, he suddenly felt a chill run down his spine and abruptly fell silent.