Aerial Climate Garden
It was a week later, on Sunday, that all three of them finally got together.
On that day, when Yu Zou arrived at the designated location, he saw a building shrouded in green gauze through the car window, and a secretary in a gray business suit standing under the building.
Guided by her, Yu Zou wandered through a maze-like maze until he arrived at the entrance. He swiped his fingerprint to open a door half the width of his palm, revealing a dark, rectangular passageway. Voice-activated wall lamps turned on one by one, leading from light to darkness, allowing Yu Zou to experience a hallucinatory passageway to another world.
At the far end was a private cinema, where a holographic movie was playing enthusiastically in front of a circular sofa. Next to it, at the bar, Li Kuo directed the bartenders to move drinks around.
Zhao Junjie lay back in the booth, swirling a glass of colorful liquor. When he saw Yu Zou arrive, he paused the conversation, greeted him, and then asked Li Kuo, "Could you please stop messing with my liquor?"
Li Kuo turned a deaf ear.
Zhao Junjie grinned and said helplessly, "Never mind him, sit down! Let's look at something first."
The words "Sky Climate Garden" appeared, and after five minutes of the actual broadcast, Yu Zou realized that this was not a future movie at all, but an architectural visualization animation. The dynamic video showed the expected appearance and interior space of the building, and finally, the construction process and space simulation were based on BIM.
Zhao Junjie cut to the chase: "I'm just worried about the project stalling, and you just happened to be back in China. It seems fate has brought us together."
Yu Zou didn't waste any words: "Yu Long has just made a breakthrough in intelligent control of nanoscale materials, but it is not up to standard if used in a garden."
"The fact that I can tell whether something is feasible with just one glance proves that I've found the right person." Zhao Junjie put his wine glass on the coffee table and got up. As he passed Li Kuo, he patted him on the shoulder, signaling him to follow.
Led by Zhao Junjie, the three walked into another passage. Halfway there, the opaque black wall gradually became transparent, and at the end, a white polyhedral building could be seen. The upper and lower floors adopted an eclectic approach, integrating various architectural styles and striving to create a sense of avant-garde technology within the classical style.
Zhao Junjie enthusiastically explained: "The entire structure uses transparent photovoltaic glass and aerogel interlayer, with a smart dimming film embedded in the dome. The ultraviolet light conversion rate can reach 91%, and the top can be opened to receive real rainfall. Liquid carbon dioxide cooling pipes are embedded in the ground, combined with laser-heated air blades, to achieve precise zoning within the range of -35℃ to 55℃ within 10 seconds."
Embedded within the self-healing membrane are 1.2 billion micro-solar panels, mimicking the color-changing scales of living organisms, adjusting light transmittance in real time according to ultraviolet radiation intensity. The middle layer uses helium-filled air cushions containing microalgae cultivation tubes; during photosynthesis, the entire building exhibits a breathing-like fluctuation of light and shadow. The building is no longer inanimate, but truly alive, and what you see is different every moment.
“Of course, these are all theoretical,” Li Kuo said coldly.
Zhao Junjie said regretfully, "That's right. The actual margin of error is far from safe. Let alone ensuring operational safety, even construction would be difficult. At most, it can only maintain the operation of one climate zone—the Quantum Rainforest."
Yu Zouxin's heart sank. The promotional video had six sections, but only one could be maintained at present, which showed how technically difficult it was.
"But there are two difficulties with this one zone technology. First, it is impossible to control it precisely. For example, the piezoelectric materials in the dynamic vegetation cannot be controlled with a precision of more than 65% with the vibration frequency of the sound waves. Second, there is the environmental issue. It has not been able to meet the prescribed cycle cleaning standards. Although it is possible to let Hengxun operate it, there are still hidden dangers. In the end, everyone will be ruined."
The building was right in front of him. Zhao Junjie took out three small spray bottles from the storage box by the door and distributed them. The door opened, and a wave of humid heat, carrying the earthy and grassy scent, rushed out. The air was filled with mist, lush greenery, the sounds of insects, and the rumble of water and stones.
Water was stored in the funnel-shaped plant. When Yu Zou touched it, the red-eyed tree frog popped its head out, its orange claws gripping the leaves, its big eyes staring at Yu Zou as if condemning the intrusion of this uninvited guest.
Yu Zou was amazed that Zhao Junjie could perfectly replicate the rainforest in the concept film in reality. The fragile and sophisticated system, where the collapse of any node would trigger a chain reaction of extinction, operated flawlessly in an impossible environment under human supervision.
Even if he didn't have ulterior motives, he would definitely agree to join.
“I would like to meet with the architects and engineers,” Yu Zou said.
"I knew you'd find them. I notified them earlier. They'll be here in half an hour." Zhao Junjie knew the cooperation was a sure thing the moment he saw Yu Zou's expression. Indeed, he felt that anyone who saw it would agree.
Transcending the laws of nature, bringing the impossible to the impossible—who could refuse such overwhelming power?
Just then, his phone rang. Zhao Junjie answered cheerfully with a "hello," but his expression changed immediately, and he said quickly, "Wait for me."
Li Kuo asked, "What?"
Zhao Jun gave Yu Zou, who was walking ahead, a look, covered his phone, and whispered, "Hengxun is here with Du Pianjian!"
"How could it be such a coincidence?"
"Oh no, the secretary said he's already heading this way with his men. I just said I wanted to play a little longer."
Li Kuo's face darkened: "I'll go and get Yu Zou out of the way."
"How to set up the support? Where to set up the support? There's only one road and one venue. Oh well, we'll still meet eventually, it's just a matter of sooner or later."
"But not now!"
“I’ll go and keep Hengxun calm. You lead Yuzou forward. We’ll keep our messages in sync and make sure they don’t get separated.”
Li Kuo nodded and strode forward to catch up with Yu Zou, who was savoring the performance.
Chi Hengxun's strange behavior that day aroused Li Kuo's suspicion. Then, recalling that Du Pianjian, the fiancé Yu Zou mentioned, was a music teacher, a little investigation revealed that Chi Hengxun's elective teacher was also Du Pianjian.
Yu Zou and Chi Hengxun were already difficult to get close to due to their personalities, and now with the addition of the title of "love rival," they will probably become even more irreconcilable enemies in the future.
Li Kuo was most reluctant to see friends turn against each other.
Three electronic screens unfolded in an arc in front of Yu Zou, and he tapped rapidly on them, with information flowing smoothly.
Li Kuo walked up to him and called his name, but Yu Zou stopped him with a shushing sound, explaining, "Shh, don't disturb me. I'm having an inspiration right now. Once you miss this, it's hard to come back for it."
Whenever Yu Zou was filled with inspiration, his body couldn't stay still. While pacing back and forth, he unknowingly walked to the foot of a huge white statue in the center of the garden. The goddess held a water jug, stood on a rainbow, and her stone-carved dress flowed like white clouds, beautiful and graceful. Yu Zou raised his camera to identify her; it was the mythical rainbow goddess—Elise.
Li Kuo pressed down on his arm and spoke quickly: "The rainforest control room can see the current piezoelectricity of the vegetation. Today is 24 hours after the rainfall, so the data is the most accurate."
So Yu Zou readily agreed and went to the control room. In the control room, he opened the access key, which would take about five minutes to match. Yu Zou casually leaned against the wall, glanced at Li Kuo who was frowning and scrolling on his phone, and after thinking for a while, he said, "In the future, if there are places where I need to leave, don't make excuses."
Li Kuo was startled. He put his phone in his pocket, looked at the progress bar on the console which was only 28% complete, and said, "No way."
Yu Zou smiled and said, "See, you're making up excuses again."
Li Kuo was struck by Yu Zou's words and was momentarily speechless. Looking at Yu Zou's composure, he suddenly felt ashamed of his own despicable actions. He had been hiding the truth from his friend to avoid conflict in front of him, and he had an urge to blurt it all out. But to do so now would be to betray Zhao Junjie.
Silence ensued until a short ringtone sounded in the space, indicating that the access key had been successfully matched. The data graph flashed before Yu Zou's eyes, but the error was too large. He concluded, "I need to personally observe the rainforest data during a rainstorm."
"Okay." Li Kuo checked his phone for the twelfth time, feeling utterly exasperated. Why hadn't Zhao Junjie sent a message yet? What on earth was Chi Hengxun and his men doing? Why weren't they at home at this hour?
Half an hour later, Li Kuo finally received news that Chi Hengxun had left. He immediately led his men back, but a phone call interrupted midway, forcing him to let Yu Zou return to the rainforest area alone.
Yu Zou returned to the Rainbow Goddess statue, looked up for a moment, and after confirming that the goddess's cloud-like robes were enough to shelter him from the rain, edited the command and set it to start raining in thirty seconds.
Twenty seconds to go.
The air became humid and sultry, and the sunlight broke into visible bands of color among the vines. Yu Zoushun looked at the bands of color, but froze the next second.
There's someone on the other side.
Countdown to tens of seconds.
A person was walking slowly through the lush foliage, with a graceful figure and exquisite features. His narrow eyes scanned every corner precisely before finally settling on Yu Zou, whose small mole under his lip revealed his classical beauty.
Who else could it be but Du Pianjian!
Five seconds left.
How could he be here! Yu Zou saw a drop of water on his forehead, and he looked up at the green dome in surprise.
The countdown is over.
Thousands upon thousands of raindrops crashed against the giant leaf, like millions of glass beads falling on glazed tiles, causing Yu Zou's eardrums and heart membranes to tremble.
Du Pianjian ran over from the rain and hid with him under the ribbons of the goddess statue. He patted the water droplets off his body, and a bandage could be seen wrapped around his chest through his open collar.
Yu Zou mechanically shifted his gaze, recalling Chi Hengxun's disheveled state. Had he been in a fight? Was his clothes slightly dirty? After some deliberation, he took out a pack of tissues and handed it to him: "I didn't expect you to arrive at this time. Are you alright?"
"Thank you." Du Pianjian didn't look up, carefully wiping her clothes. "I'm fine."
"Since you're alright, you can continue working, right?"
During the rain, the passageway to the tropical rainforest venue was closed. Yu Zou saw Du Pianjian coming from the opposite direction. Chi Hengxun tried to force the door open, while Zhao Junjie tried his best to stop him.
"What?" Du Pianjian asked in confusion.
Yu Zou activated the light screen and calmly stated, "While the dodecahedral fractal structure of the main dome does maximize the regulation of ultraviolet refractive index, it also increases the percentage of inactivation of the nano-repair agent. After 5 years, the self-healing rate will be less than 65%. Moreover, the stress concentration coefficient at the connection points of the dodecahedron is 7 times that of conventional structures, making nanotubes more prone to breakage. Overall, the disadvantages outweigh the advantages, so why use this structure?"
Du Pianjian looked up at him, trying to understand the meaning behind his words. Her hesitant mouth made the small mole under her lip uneasy.
Yu Zou knew, of course, that he wasn't an architect, but he might as well play along and let him think that he had mistaken him for someone else. He tapped his ear and said, "Turn on the AR eyepiece."
Du Pianjian hesitated but did as instructed. He slid open the bracelet again, but nothing happened for a long time. The virtual light screen still couldn't be generated in front of him, as if he knew nothing about these modern technological products.
"Tap the headphones on the interface, turn on the mobile mode... Do you need my help?" Yu Zou bent down slightly, pointing his finger at a distance that was neither too close nor too far.
Du Pianjian nodded. Yu Zou reached out and swiped the interface on his wristband, which showed that the target did not exist. He hesitated for half a second before pressing the earphone on Du's right ear. He could feel Du's stiff body. A blue light closed into a circle. Yu Zou stepped back to a safe distance.
The light screen opened before Du Pianjian's eyes, instantly making the rainforest even more vibrant and colorful. Hundreds of blue moor butterflies gathered in the damp soil to feed on minerals, their dense wings reflecting a fluorescent glow that shone brighter than gemstones.
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