Genius club

The next day, Lin Xianhe sat in the living room to eat breakfast, and the black and white TV next to him was playing the morning news.

"Your voice seems to be much better."

He forked the sandwich with a fork and looked at Lin Xian and said:

"It feels less hoarse now, and it has basically returned to its previous voice."

"Really."

Lin Xian cleared his throat and tried it.

Indeed.

It was probably because his anger had subsided, or it might be that yesterday's folk remedy "boiled eggs" really worked:

"I really don't know whether it is good news or bad news."

He said helplessly.

He looked at the calendar next to him.

In the morning, it had been turned to the page of November 1, 1952.

There were only 4 days left until November 5 to meet Einstein at the farm in the suburbs of Brooklyn.

In fact...

Time is secondary.

It doesn't matter if it's one day earlier or later.

The key is, how can I hide my voice and appearance? I can't wear a gorilla mask to meet Einstein, right?

Obviously it won't work.

It’s not like every day is Halloween in the United States. It’s okay to wear a mask at a dance, but it’s really rude to wear a mask when visiting someone’s home… And Einstein couldn’t understand it, and he couldn’t explain it either, which made him look even more suspicious.

Lin Xian took out the small note from his pocket and handed it to her:

"Can you help me check this address? Is it not far from the orphanage where you lived as a child?"

She swallowed the food in her mouth, took the note and looked at it:

"How can it be not far? It is still quite far. It does look not far on the map, but in fact... it is at least five miles away."

"This is Einstein's farm."

Lin Xian put down his knife and fork, leaned back in his chair and said softly:

"In the past few years, that is, since you were twelve or thirteen years old, Einstein passed by the door of your orphanage many times. The destination should be this farm."

Looking at the note, she thought for a while:

"But... it doesn't make sense."

She handed the note back to Lin Xian and said puzzledly:

"If he really planted something or raised something on the farm, he would only go there three or four times a year. This frequency is a bit too low; Even if they don't have to do it themselves, there are still many things that farmers have to deal with on a daily basis. "

"And if he just treats the farm as a holiday villa... I think there are better and more comfortable places to choose. What's more, the time interval between his visits to this farm is almost the same. If he is on vacation, it shouldn't be so regular, right?"

Lin Xian nodded:

"I think so too. It is obvious that Einstein is not growing vegetables, raising cattle, or vacationing on this farm... He has some other [purposes]. "

"But there is no need to discuss these now. Anyway, he invited me to meet at the farm on November 5th. By then, all the truth will be revealed. "

"I see that the weather outside is good today. Where do you want to go? What do you want to buy? We can cancel the room here and go to Manhattan to see a place farther away-"

Suddenly.

The morning news on the TV was cut off.

The female host was full of excitement and pride, and said loudly in the studio:

"Next, we will insert an exciting piece of good news! According to the latest news, at 2 a.m. today, November 1, the U.S. military tested a thermonuclear device called "IKE" on the Eluglubo Coral Island."

"The test explosion was a perfect success. This thermonuclear device released an equivalent of 10 million tons of TNT, razing the entire island to the ground."

"We are very honored to introduce to you that this thermonuclear weapon, which is far more powerful than an atomic bomb, is the first hydrogen bomb in the world and on the entire earth! The successful development of this hydrogen bomb indicates that our military strength far exceeds that of other countries in the world!"

On the TV.

The female host boasted.

The situation is very good, and it seems that the Soviet Union will be destroyed tomorrow.

It is understandable.

In this era of Cold War stalemate, the United States took the lead in developing a powerful hydrogen bomb, which has indeed greatly enhanced the people's confidence and sense of security... Now, it is the Soviet Union's turn to be nervous.

However, Lin Xian stood in the perspective of God, and he knew that the Soviet Union did not need to be nervous for too long.

Because.

Two years later, in 1953, the Soviet Union also tested its first hydrogen bomb, becoming the second country in the world to possess hydrogen bombs; and the Eisenhower administration of the United States also released a nuclear retaliation plan at this time, and the global nuclear deterrence was formally formed.

It must be said that the speed of technological advancement during the Cold War was really like a myth.

The United States and the Soviet Union were completely reckless and desperate in technological advancement, and one side sang and the other took the stage, and the devil was one foot higher than the road.

"What a magical era."

Lin Xian couldn't help but sigh, it seems that there will never be such a rapid technological advancement in the future.

"Hydrogen bomb?"

Tilting his head:

"10 million tons equivalent... What does this mean?"

"You know the atomic bomb in World War II."

Lin Xian explained to her:

"The equivalent of that atomic bomb in World War II was 20,000 tons of TNT, so roughly speaking, the power of this hydrogen bomb is about 500 times that of that atomic bomb."

"500 times!!!"

She widened her eyes and screamed:

"That atomic bomb destroyed a city back then, so this hydrogen bomb can destroy 500 cities?!"

"That won't happen."

Lin Xian smiled slightly:

"The destructive power of this thing is not calculated in this way, but it is indeed much more powerful than an atomic bomb."

At this time.

The female host on the TV has finished reading the press release and smiled at the audience:

"Then, let's watch the explosion video provided by the military and feel this extremely shocking scene!"

...

United States, New Jersey, Princeton, 112 Marshall Street.

Einstein sat on the sofa and watched the morning news broadcast.

The development of hydrogen bombs has always been the top secret of the United States. Like everyone else, he only got the news this morning when watching the news.

The principle of hydrogen bombs is different from that of atomic bombs. It is a kind of nuclear fusion, just like the sun. This is the most original energy of stars and the universe... much more than the energy released by nuclear fission.

On the TV, the host has finished reading the script, and the picture switches to a distant view of a camera.

The distance is very far, and there is still the sea between us. It is impossible to see what is in the distance clearly.

But suddenly!

Intense white light!

Explosion!

The earth is shaking!

Fireballs soaring into the sky!

It was not until more than ten seconds later that the sound of the explosion came, carrying with it a rolling airflow, causing the camera lens to shake violently.

At the same time... it seemed that some rays hit the videotape, showing a patch of intermittent, dense white snow.

Gradually.

The fireballs in the distant sky slowly extinguished, turning into rolling red smoke that gathered in the sky.

Mushroom cloud...

A huge mushroom cloud stood between heaven and earth.

Rolling.

Rotating.

Gathering.

Rising.

The gray-red mushroom cloud grew larger and larger, and until the end of this video, it was still rising slowly... like a rapidly growing tumor.

Looking at this huge destructive power.

Einstein was in a trance.

He was not worried or afraid, nor was he worried or concerned.

If he were the same as before, he might have fallen into a quagmire of despair when he saw the explosion of a hydrogen bomb that was hundreds of times more powerful than an atomic bomb.

But now it is different.

I chatted with the young man named Douglas yesterday. After he came back, he thought about it for a long time and felt that the concepts of nuclear deterrence, nuclear counterattack, and nuclear retaliation were very realistic. Perhaps this global situation will be formed soon.

Einstein knew it very well.

To form nuclear deterrence, the more powerful the weapon, the better; the greater the power, the greater the deterrence, and the more cautious it will be to start a war.

Douglas is right.

The detonation of the hydrogen bomb... when the Soviet Union also has hydrogen bombs in the future... this is not a bad thing for the long-term peace of the world.

And the reason why he is in a trance now.

is because the picture of the hydrogen bomb explosion just now gave him some unprecedented inspiration. Especially when the radiation and rays produced by the explosion hit the camera tape, the dense and flashing white dots.

This dense white dots reminded him of a study he had proposed and overturned, and even called it the biggest mistake in his life -

[Cosmological Constant].

In 1917, Einstein used his gravitational field equation to investigate the universe as a whole. In order to explain the existence of a static universe with non-zero matter density, he introduced a term proportional to the metric tensor into the field equation.

The value of this proportional constant is very small, even on the scale of the Milky Way, it can be ignored, so he named this constant "cosmological constant" and represented it with the symbol Λ.

Later.

With the deepening of research and experiments, Einstein found that this cosmological constant was completely wrong and unreal... In any case, this virtual constant seemed to not produce the correct result.

So he denied the cosmological constant and admitted that adding the cosmological constant to the general relativity equation was the biggest mistake he made in his life.

Over the years, he has never studied the cosmological constant again.

Because he knows that the cosmological constant is wrong, and there is no method or premise to make it correct.

But just now.

When the countless, layered, flickering radiation snow on the screen came into view.

He was suddenly stunned!

He had a new inspiration!

Universe... constant...

Perhaps the focus is not on the constant, but on the universe.

Just like the nuclear fusion energy released by hydrogen bombs, this is also the most original energy of the universe and stars.

It is just the collision of two extremely tiny atomic nuclei, and the mass loss of a few quarks, but it can explode with such a huge force that can burn stars and destroy planets!

Small... and big.

The smaller, perhaps, the more magnificent.

Is it possible...

The same is true for the cosmological constant?

"What is the cosmological constant?"

Einstein frowned and asked himself:

"Could it be... that I was wrong all those years ago?"

"[What is the cosmological constant? What is the cosmological constant?]"

He had no idea before.

But now!

He has!

It was the explosion of the hydrogen bomb and the dense white snow that gave him inspiration!

"Paper... pen... I need to calculate now!"

Einstein breathed rapidly.

He turned and rushed to the study, knocking over many things along the way.

But he didn't care!

He needed to calculate! Needed to calculate immediately!

Perhaps the secret of the cosmological constant will be unlocked in his hands!

Swish——

He sat at the desk, spread out a stack of manuscript paper, and wrote rapidly on the manuscript paper with a pen.

In the early morning of winter, the temperature is very low.

There were actually beads of excited sweat left on Einstein's cheeks.

This seventy-year-old man has not been so excited for a long time.

He stared at the formulas listed on the manuscript paper one after another.

If the cosmological constant is really a specific number...

That number.

How much is it?

soon!

He can figure it out quickly!

…

at the same time.

USA, New York, Manhattan, Empire State Building hotel suite.

Clang.

The silver fork slipped from his hand, hit the New York Daily News on the coffee table, bounced twice, and rolled onto the wool carpet.

Shortness of breath and pale face.

She stared at the TV screen, the violent [explosion], the dazzling [white light], the [burning] fireball, the [mushroom cloud] soaring into the sky...

Pupils tremble.

The whole body is shaking.

"!"

Lin Xian noticed something was wrong and quickly ran over to help her:

"?What’s wrong with you?"

Take a deep breath.

He lowered his head and said softly:

"Lin...Lin Xian, let's go back to Brooklyn...I don't want to stay in Manhattan anymore."

"ah?"

Lin Xian was caught off guard and asked in confusion:

"Why? Aren't we having a lot of fun these days?"

Looking at the picture of fluorescent snow on the TV, I squinted my eyes.

That was the scene after the hydrogen bomb exploded.

The entire island was bombed.

The huge void evaporated in the middle, and the surrounding seawater continued to spread in.

all destruction,

Everything returns to nothingness,

Nothing exists anymore.

It was as if she had been worrying about gains and losses these past few days...

[Isn't this a dream? Once she wakes up from the dream, these things that do not belong to her will disappear instantly, just like being hit by a hydrogen bomb, leaving no trace. 】

She shook her head.

She is not afraid of having nothing.

But she was only afraid of... losing the only thing she had and regarded as a treasure.

"?"

Lin Xian couldn't speak and asked:

"Your dream is to come to Manhattan. Your life in Manhattan has just begun. Don't you... don't want to stay here?"

"We still have a lot of money, and we won't finish it at all. You can do whatever you want here in the future, open a coffee shop, a store, etc... Don't girls like this kind of life? ?”

Turn around:

"You are right, Lin Xian. I have been very happy in Manhattan these past few days. This is definitely the happiest and happiest day in my life."

"But... just now, I suddenly realized that these things do not belong to me. I am afraid that after I own them, I will lose something more precious..."

She bit her lip and shook her head:

"Lin Xian... what really makes me happy and happy is not Manhattan, but having you with me and having you by my side."

Lin Xian didn't speak.

He got it.

Sure enough, I was worried about gains and losses again, just like I was in the movie theater that day.

The scene of the violent explosion of the hydrogen bomb woke up the world, and it seemed to wake up the poor girl in Brooklyn...

"I won't leave."

Lin Xian said softly:

"I know what you are worried about. You are still worried that this is a dream and you will find that I am missing when you wake up. But... no, this is not a dream, this is reality."

However.

He didn't speak or react.

She seemed to be really afraid of Manhattan all of a sudden. She was afraid that this bustling international metropolis would submerge her little world.

"Lin Xian... let's go back..."

He said almost in a pleading tone:

"I want to go back to our Brooklyn with you... Even though it is poorer and more backward than Manhattan, even if there is no good food or beautiful clothes there, even if there is nothing in Brooklyn, but..."

She pinched Lin Xian's sleeves and held Lin Xian's sleeves like straw.

He raised his head and looked into Lin Xian's eyes:

"Brooklyn...you are enough."