Chapter 64
“Outstanding Youth” was, without question, an honor of extremely high value.
In everyone’s impression, the people who received this honor every year were all the sort who wore administrative jackets, carried an imposing air or a strong scholarly aura, and had absolutely solid achievements to show for themselves.
Yes, almost no ordinary person in terms of ability could sneak into this award.
Ordinary people with noble character usually went next door to receive awards from the Touching China program.
Of course, because of the special nature of this honor, during the award ceremony, some “Outstanding Youth” recipients would not even appear in person.
And among the ones who did appear, some people also guessed that the honors revealed publicly might only be part of the whole.
Yet this year’s list of candidates actually included a name everyone knew by heart?
Shen Jinfeng.
An entertainment industry celebrity who had recently achieved phenomenal popularity on a survival variety show?
[I knew Big Boss was awesome, but I didn’t know Big Boss was this awesome. I don’t even know what else he’s awesome at. Holy crap!]
[Big Boss Shen is undeniably incredible. All kinds of skill points are maxed out, and conservative estimate says there’s still a lot we don’t know. Sob, are the other Outstanding Youth winners this awesome too? Isn’t everyone online saying the world is just one giant amateur stage? So the only amateur one is me? Jealous and heartbroken QAQ.]
[So where’s the résumé? Where are the achievements? What exactly did Big Boss Shen do to get selected for this? I’m so anxious I’m scratching my ears and cheeks. I won’t be able to sleep tonight! Editor, tell us already!]
[I am so shocked I’m prostrating myself in admiration. In the future, other fandoms’ comment-control lines will be: “My idol won such-and-such award,” “got such-and-such ratings,” “sold so many magazines”… But Big Boss Shen’s fans don’t even need to brag about What Kind of Person Are You. That’s not high-class enough. We can directly brag about Outstanding Youth! No matter what the other side says, four words KO everything!]
[Official endorsement. If Big Boss Shen continues in the entertainment industry, which crew or investor would dare offend him? Who would still dare throw dirty water on him? Hahaha.]
[The question is, will Big Boss Shen still stay in the entertainment industry? Don’t tell me he’ll disappear from showbiz after this program finishes? Once he gets this honor, it gives people the feeling that he has multiple identities, and joining What Kind of Person Are You was like completing some secret mission. Brain hole wide open.]
[No way. Fans said he still has schedules to finish. Why not guess that after completing his mission, he’s going to focus on the entertainment industry instead? Hehe.]
[So, even now, no one knows why Big Boss Shen was selected as Outstanding Youth?]
[Could it be because he discovered that ancient tomb from who knows how many thousand years ago, and then there was a major discovery? Dog head.]
[Hahaha, then he would have had to discover several things on the level of the Four-Ram Zun or jade burial suits, right? Even that feels like it might not be enough. Mainly, Big Boss Shen was only the discoverer, not the excavator.]
The archaeological team at the site, which had been mentioned by some viewers with wild imaginations, had run into a problem.
Jiannan Province, Anxin City, Tongque Town.
At the archaeological site, a temporary analysis laboratory had already been built.
However, the archaeologists were not living here.
Because this area was a scenic spot, they all stayed at nearby hotels. Commuting back and forth every day was very convenient.
“Old Gu, we’ve tried every method, but we can’t get in!” He Yingcai irritably took out a cigarette and held it in his mouth just to satisfy the urge, but did not dare actually light it.
“That mechanism is too bizarre. Which ancestor thought of using bronze chime bells as a mechanism?”
After they went down into the tomb, they used high-tech methods and finally managed to get past a stone door. Then, in the side chamber, they did indeed find some pleasantly surprising treasures.
It could be said that merely the artifacts in the side chamber included a few pieces that could serve as the centerpiece treasures of an ordinary small-city museum.
But after they found the main burial chamber, they ran into difficulty.
To be precise, they had not entered it.
They were blocked outside by a mechanism.
Although encountering difficulties was something they had expected.
As archaeologists, they could be considered one of the groups who understood the wisdom of the ancestors best.
Ancient people paid attention to the idea that the dead were supreme, and the dead should be treated as if they were still alive.
Families with even a little status and background all cared about this. They were also terrified that their tombs would be dug up, so arranging mechanisms after death was simply normal.
Hidden arrows, poison gas, and mercury were all very common.
The archaeology field had long since developed a whole set of methods to deal with them.
But this mechanism was truly different from all the others.
Once one entered, there were bronze chime bells suspended in midair blocking the path. The moment one stepped in, it seemed to trigger some mechanism, and the bells would smash straight down toward you.
But after everyone searched around, they could not find any secret mechanism.
It was only later that someone noticed that at the opening after the stone door, instruments had also been placed.
They were a drum, a se, and a sheng.
All of them were among the earliest known musical instruments in China.
These instruments quietly remained in place and would not actively attack them.
Professor Gu and the others studied them for several days, and finally came to an extremely absurd conclusion.
That was: only when the drum, se, and sheng at the entrance were played together to produce the music the tomb owner wanted to hear would the bronze chime bells move aside and reveal the real path.
There was a widely known line in the Book of Songs: “I have honored guests; let the drums and se sound, let the sheng be blown.”
Clearly, this mechanism required the drum, se, and sheng to be played, and the bronze chime bells would also correspondingly play a piece of music.
The key was that the piece had to be right. Only then would the mechanism be considered solved.
Here came the problem.
Who the hell knew what tune the owner of this tomb wanted to hear?
Professor Gu had already contacted an old professor friend from a music academy at the first opportunity and made several attempts.
After several attempts, they had nearly scrapped several robots.
If real people had gone in, one could already imagine the outcome.
Of course, they had tried other technological methods, but those bronze chime bells simply could not be bypassed.
Unless they used violent means to break all the chime bells.
But if the bells broke, this tomb seemed like it would collapse.
“How particular. It might really be the tomb of some emperor.” Professor Gu held a cup of tea, his brows also tightly furrowed.
He Yingcai sighed and joked, “What else can we do? Actually, the harvest is already considerable. How about we protect this place and turn it into a scenic spot, then pack up and go home?”
Professor Gu glanced sideways at him and sneered. “If you’re willing to go back like this, then go back.”
He searched his mind for other possible methods. “I’ll contact some old friends and have them come over to take a look too.”
He Yingcai did not hold much hope.
“If the two of us can’t think of a solution, I feel like there’s even less hope for others.”
His words sounded arrogant, but they were not false.
In terms of professional expertise, he believed that he was absolutely among the top few in the domestic archaeology world.
“But calling them over is fine too. There’s strength in numbers. Maybe someone will have a flash of inspiration and perform beyond usual limits,” he said.
Professor Gu found him unpleasant to look at, so he snatched the cigarette from his mouth and threw it into the trash.
“I’ll go think of another way.” He walked inside.
“Hey, why are you taking your anger out on my cigarette? Wait for me, I’ll go with you.” He Yingcai froze for a moment, then quickly said.
Seeing the two big shots frowning in worry, the student who had been quietly working nearby while secretly pricking up his ears hesitated for a long time before carefully suggesting, “Why don’t we ask Big Boss Shen to come take a look?”
He Yingcai perked up slightly. “The young fellow who discovered this tomb? Does he really understand archaeology?”
The student awkwardly shook his head. His answer was, “I don’t know.”
“But he’s very impressive. He knows everything. Mainly, I feel that the problem we’re facing now isn’t exactly a technical problem. We need someone with a broad range of knowledge and skills. Maybe Big Boss Shen knows something.”
Big Boss Shen knew astronomy above and geography below.
He understood ancient martial arts and feng shui, and also knew medicine and massage.
On the left, he could build houses and make clothes; on the right, he could speak beast language and command beasts.
He could discover an ancient tomb just from reading a novel.
…
The wooden hut he built on the second day had even been called an imitation ancient structure, a textbook-level simple ancient building.
Then maybe he knew a little about ancient music or mechanisms too?
The student was not making the suggestion on a whim. He truly felt that Shen Jinfeng might really have a way to solve their problem.
But clearly, the big shots did not take it seriously.
However, Professor Gu still gave him a bit of attention.
“When does that livestream variety show end? Last time, you said there was still more than a month?”
The student’s expression hesitated. He scratched his head. “I don’t know. Because Big Boss Shen is too amazing, I feel like the show is going to end early.”
When he said this, the expression on his face was visibly sad and reluctant, yet also carried a pride that came from sharing in the glory.
“End early because he’s too amazing?” He Yingcai did not understand.
The student felt a little guilty.
These two big shots had been working day and night these days, yet he had watched livestreams and highlight cuts whenever he had free time.
If he said it out loud, it would expose how much extra energy he had and how much he had slacked off.
Fortunately, after listening to his explanation, the two big shots’ attention was completely drawn to Shen Jinfeng’s actions.
They did not notice how much free time he had at all.
“This young man’s observational ability is that sharp?” Professor Gu’s eyes lit up. “He has broad knowledge, reverse thinking, and the ability to see truth from the smallest details. It is truly exceptional.”
He really was a good seedling for archaeology.
Actually, a talent like this would be a good seedling in any field.
With one sentence, Professor Gu agreed with the student’s initial suggestion.
“When Xiao Shen comes out of that program, notify us. I’ll personally invite him over to take a look.”
The student nodded repeatedly, feeling that it was settled.
This tomb had originally been discovered by Big Boss Shen first. He must also really want to see it with his own eyes!
Since he could discover an ancient tomb just by reading novels, it proved that Big Boss Shen must have a deep interest in archaeology.
With the chance to personally take a look inside the tomb, Big Boss Shen definitely would not refuse!
Little did he know, Shen Jinfeng had only casually used that as an excuse back then.
In the life where he had been a tomb robber and later recruited into legitimate work, what kind of ancient tomb had he not entered? No matter how much interest and novelty there had been, it had long since been worn away.
However, no one present thought so.
Professor Gu even felt that Shen Jinfeng was a good seedling.
But as an industry titan, he had to maintain some airs.
He said very reservedly, “If that young man joins our team this time and performs well, I’ll consider taking him as my final disciple.”
He Yingcai let out a “wow” from the side.
“Old Gu, incredible. You haven’t even met him yet, but you already look like you’ve found the disciple of your dreams?”
Professor Gu spat at him. “Get lost.”
“Enough nonsense. Go work.”
He lowered his head. After two minutes, he suddenly thought of this again.
He reminded the student once more, “When he comes out, remind me.”
He Yingcai smiled from the side and said, “When your teacher eats later, show him your future junior disciple’s best clips from the show. Ease his longing for his disciple.”
The student suddenly did not know whether to cry or laugh.
What he should laugh about was that Professor Gu had really accepted his suggestion and agreed to invite Big Boss Shen to their team. If nothing unexpected happened, he would soon be able to meet his idol in person!
What he should cry about was that he was only Professor Gu’s student! He had been Professor Gu’s student for so many years!
Even the title of “disciple” had only half-successfully been gained because his family had used connections!
He felt like, at best, he belonged to the “registered disciple” category.
Why was it that the moment Big Boss Shen came, he would be the final disciple?!
Meanwhile, on the deserted island, Shen Jinfeng, who was currently focused on feeding pigeons, had no idea about the storms and waves happening outside.
He did not know that he had somehow been selected as an Outstanding Youth candidate.
Nor did he know that a group of archaeologists were eager to pull him into their gang.
Cough cough. Actually, it was not just archaeologists; tomb robbers were tempted too.
It was just that Shen Jinfeng was too famous and too prominent. It was impossible to recruit him. Otherwise, wherever he went, people would recognize him.
Shen Jinfeng had considered that he might be participating in some experiment as a volunteer, such as creating dreams, and after leaving, he would need to summarize his thoughts and help the team find bugs.
It was also possible that he had voluntarily entered some high-tech world similar to a holographic world, and he would only wake up once things like nutrient solution were depleted.
The last possibility he wanted to consider was that he was in a virtual world and someone might be observing his every move from outside.
But no matter how he thought about it, he could not have imagined that someone was indeed observing him.
But it was not one person. It was a group of people.
It was a whole-network livestream.
He did not know that the peaceful life he had finally obtained in his retirement world, the calm life he imagined, had already completely deviated from his expectations in reality.
After doing several more rounds of pigeon flight experiments, repeating it three times, the smartest pigeon could already fly two kilometers away and return by itself.
Under Shen Jinfeng’s instructions, it could deliver a letter to another team member who had run ahead and waited at a specific location two kilometers away, then return home.
Aside from this smartest one, three other pigeons were also improving rapidly.
They could independently fly one kilometer out and then return.
“Boss, I feel like if this continues, these carrier pigeons might really be able to cross this vast sea and send out a rescue message for us!”
Gu Shengsheng had been following behind Shen Jinfeng the whole time, running back and forth, like a little tail trailing after him.
He Erwang ran back from two kilometers away, chasing after the carrier pigeon that had completed the delivery mission and flown back.
Hearing Gu Shengsheng’s words, he nodded deeply in agreement. “There’s no doubt about the smartest carrier pigeon anymore. We haven’t even given it a name.”
He asked Shen Jinfeng, “Boss, do you want to name it? How about calling it Flies Fast?”
Shen Jinfeng: “…”
He turned his head to look at He Erwang and asked, “Then what about the other three very smart pigeons?”
He Erwang held his chin and pondered deeply for a moment, but no ideas came.
“I’ve already come up with one. The three of you each name one of the other three pigeons.”
He happened to pull Mo Fan and Qi Xiu, who were beside him, over.
Mo Fan was similarly bad at naming. He stared at the pigeon placed in his hands for naming, his gaze full of hope.
“Then you’ll be called Two-Two. Two-Two, work hard. Aside from Flies Fast, you’re second, so you must fly second place!”
“Pfft.”
Qi Xiu burst out laughing.
“Hahahahaha, Brother Mo, do you have to be this funny? Isn’t ‘two’ used to call people stupid? If Two-Two knew what its name meant, it would definitely peck you a few times!”
Mo Fan scratched his head. “Then what are you naming yours?”
Qi Xiu’s eyes rolled around.
A pile of names floated back and forth in his mind.
But, “The first two pigeons’ names are already like that, so if my Three-Three’s name is too nice, that won’t work. Let’s call it Three-Three!”
Mo Fan covered his face.
“Little Qi, how is your Three-Three any better than my Two-Two?!”
But pigeons did not understand human words.
The two pigeons whose fate had been gripped by the throat fluttered their wings and happily lowered their heads to eat feed.
People who did not know might even think they were very satisfied with their new names.
There was still one last pigeon that flew fairly fast.
Gu Shengsheng quickly waved his hand. “Don’t ask me. I don’t know how to name things.”
Two-Two and Three-Three had already appeared.
If he did not follow the crowd and name it Four-Four, it would seem too different.
But what had the pigeon done wrong?
Not only did “Four-Four” sound bad, it also had a bad meaning!
The group looked at the last person who had not spoken, Qin Ye.
Qin Ye fell silent for two seconds.
He said, “Then let’s call it Five-Five.”
“The remaining slow pigeons can just continue in order. They benefited from my Two-Two too and now have names!” Mo Fan’s eyes lit up. He felt proud of his initial genius naming.
Shen Jinfeng: “…”
For these pigeons to have a group of feeders like this was truly fortune accumulated in their previous lives.
These names were really vivid and fitting.
He reflected on himself. When he had trained pigeons in previous worlds, he had named them a pile of seemingly elegant but, well, slightly pretentious names.
For example, Chasing Wind, Treading Shadow, Flying Arc, Falling Snow, Sky Blue…
It seemed that they really were not as easy to say as the “Two-Two, Three-Three, Five-Five” names everyone had just chosen.
“Boss, what do you think?” He Erwang saw that the matter was completed and turned to ask him, his face glowing. “Sure enough, first place gets special privileges. Only my Flies Fast has a three-character name.”
Shen Jinfeng fell silent for two seconds. He held back and held back again, but the absurdity was too much, and he laughed.
“Not bad,” he praised. “Better than me.”
The others more or less knew that the names they had chosen were a little terrible.
But anyway, the terrible names were on the pigeons. The pigeons did not know.
Now they had even received Shen Jinfeng’s approval.
This group of conscience-free feeders, whose guilt only lasted for 0.1 seconds, all burst into laughter too.
The pigeons suddenly heard the laughter and could not figure out what was going on. They also fluttered their wings and followed along, cooing “gu gu-gu gu,” as if waving their hands and feet with joy.
[Hahahahahahaha, I’m convinced. With naming skills like this, who can still tell the difference between you guys and Einstein?]
[Amazing. Two-Two, Three-Three, Five-Five. If you add “Little” before them—Little Two, Little Three, Little Five… what the hell, hahaha! Compared with that, Little Five is indeed relatively better.]
[Silly pigeons, what are you laughing at! Stop eating! You’re even cooing along! Do you know what names you’ve been given? Hahaha.]
[I’m really convinced too. I feel like Big Boss Shen’s expression is so worth analyzing. First stunned disbelief, then confused incomprehension, then silent thinking, and finally persuaded into thinking: whatever, that works too, as long as you’re happy.
Big Boss Shen’s inner thoughts are probably often: Who am I? Where am I? Why do I feel so out of place with these kids beside me?]
“Alright, let’s bet. How many days at fastest will Flies Fast need to cross this vast sea?”
He Erwang placed great expectations on “Flies Fast.” “Is it possible before we leave the island?”
Gu Shengsheng sighed speechlessly. “You’re thinking a little too much. I feel like this sea is at least several hundred or thousand square li. No matter how fast your Flies Fast flies, it can’t be that fast, right?”
He stumbled over the sentence for a long time. “The name Flies Fast is really… hard to say.”
Qi Xiu took out his tortoise shell. “How about I calculate a divination?”
“But this kind of thing seems relatively hard to calculate.”
Seeing the group enthusiastically imagining the pigeon flying out to deliver a rescue message, Shen Jinfeng did not interrupt.
It was only when He Erwang asked him, “Boss, how long do you think it’ll take?”
“I trust your judgment! Boss, whatever number of days you say, I’ll bet that many days with them!”
“Damn, He Erwang, you’re cheating! Asking Boss is no different from directly copying the answer!” Qi Xiu’s eyes widened.
He Erwang laughed loudly. “This is clearly me being smart. There’s a ready-made shortcut. Why would I leave it and rely on luck with you?”
But under everyone’s gaze, Shen Jinfeng only focused on watching the pigeons finish their feed.
Only then did he slowly say, “Give up. The pigeons can’t fly out.”
“Huh? Why?” As soon as he said this, the others froze for a few seconds and did not react.
Because it seemed very rare for them to hear a negative answer from Shen Jinfeng.
Shen Jinfeng narrowed his eyes and looked at the boundless sea, whose edges could not be seen at all.
The sky was clear for thousands of li. The sea rippled, shimmering beautifully under the golden sunlight.
It looked no different from a sea in real life.
But if his guess was correct, this sea was just like the forest not far away.
Since the setting was a seaside island forest, there would only be seaside, island, and forest.
So no matter how the pigeons flew, they could not fly out of the island and forest.
He smiled, tapped Flies Fast’s little head, and let out a deep sigh.
Then he casually slandered them. “Flies Fast, Two-Two, Three-Three, and Five-Five all don’t have enough potential. They can’t fly far.”
After hearing this, the pigeons seemed to understand.
Flies Fast raised its head in confusion and looked at him, letting out “gu gu” sounds in protest.
Two-Two lowered its head and directly pecked his fingertip.
Qi Xiu said faintly, “Boss, making groundless accusations will bring retribution.”
It turned out that even noble people could not avoid it.
Shen Jinfeng: “…”
Fine.
[Hahaha, the pigeon’s instant retribution came too fast! Flies Fast and Two-Two thought: I’m so talented, so full of potential, and this two-legged beast actually dares to look down on me!]
[Laughed to death. I’m going to call people over. Come quickly, come quickly. This is unprecedented! Big Boss Shen overturned live!]
The bullet comments were cheerful, all laughing.
Only in the program control room, Sun Xinping frowned.
Overthinking.
“What does Big Boss Shen mean? Does he know this sea isn’t right too, so he said the pigeons can’t fly out?”
The others originally had not been so suspicious.
But these days, especially the past three days—
Ever since Sun Xinping became suspicious, although he could not invite a psychologist over, he himself had nearly evolved into a micro-expression analysis master.
Almost every time Shen Jinfeng said anything, he felt something was wrong.
It had almost brainwashed everyone else too.
Xiao Li nodded solemnly. “That’s right. Ancient pigeons could even fly eight-hundred-li urgent deliveries. Big Boss Shen definitely isn’t unable to train them. What he said later about the pigeons lacking potential was just a joke. What he really means is that this sea can’t be flown out of.”
Old Qian, the head of the publicity team, chimed in, “That’s right. These past few days are just the calm before the storm. Big Boss Shen definitely discovered something and is holding back a big move.”
Goat rolled his eyes from the side.
This group of paranoid people kept discussing nonstop.
In the blink of an eye, it was evening.
Before seven at night, the guests on the deserted island had already finished dinner.
“Let’s go, let’s go, let’s wait for the meteor shower on the beach!” Gu Shengsheng was the first to stand up and urge the others.
“The sky has only just gotten dark. There should still be some time before eight. No need to rush,” Mo Fan said, but he also washed his bowl and chopsticks very quickly.
He Erwang’s eyes shone. “I’ve never seen a meteor shower either! Boss, the meteor shower is coming tonight, right? For sure, right?”
Goat had already set up the program. At this moment, watching the people on screen about to get up and walk to the beach—
He spread his hands, too lazy to think, and threw the problem to the others whose minds were full of twists and turns.
“What do we do? Do we release the meteor shower or not?”
“Director, have you decided?”
