Chapter 1455: Celebration Party!
The Yangtze River Delta City group.
A huge building that was made of steel was located on the edge of the coastline of Shanghai’s neighboring port area.
The dark gray steel frames const.i.tuted the outer wall of the building. The beautiful outline looked like a cradle from a distance, gestating the fire of life and hope.
Its name was the Heart of Asia.
Every inch of steel on its body was a type of special steel produced under the low gravity and low-pressure environment of Mars.
In order to commemorate the population of Tiangong City that broke through the 10,000 mark and the gross production value exceeding the threshold of one billion, China used steel sent from Tiangong City to cast this landmark building.
And it was this building that directly doubled the GDP of the Martian colony the following year.
In the past seventy years, this building had witnessed the cross-regional power grid spreading across the Asian land, the submarine quantum optical cable’s replacement of traditional optical cables, and the Pan-Asian people and the Chinese people uniting as one. A common prosperity was formed, as well as a community with a shared future in the new era.
This cultural center incorporated virtual reality technology and could accommodate tens of thousands of people at the same time. It had become one of the important venues for the Pan-Asian Cooperation to showcase regional strength and hold international events.
Today, this cradle standing on the coastline was once again illuminated by brilliant holographic lights.
Representatives of more than one hundred countries and regional alliances partic.i.p.ated in this event, as well as elites and celebrities from all walks of life. Representatives of civil society organizations were also invited.
The 36,000 holographic projection arrays were all powered on, and the two adjacent main roads were all blocked. All guests attending the conference were transported to the inside of the venue by the special light rail. The police force was concentrated in this area to ensure safety.
Such a high-standard evening party like this only happened every few decades…
Although Lu Zhou hadn’t stepped into the venue yet, he, who was standing in the lounge, had already heard the loud clamor outside the venue.
He calmed his breathing and forced a relaxed smile in the mirror, slowing down his heartbeat.
“… It’s embarra.s.sing to be the center of attention for such a grandiose party.”
Lu Zhou gently straightened the tie on his chest. He glanced at the “new era formal wear” that would definitely be called weird in the 21st century. Suddenly, he felt a little strange.
After he had returned to Earth, in less than three days, he was about to leave the boring life and return to under the spotlight. For a second, he was a little hesitant.
However, the slight hesitation lasted only for a moment.
After taking a deep breath, he nodded slightly to the waiter waiting next to him, indicating that he was ready. He then followed the waiter’s footsteps and walked towards the hall of the Heart of Asia.
The s.p.a.cious corridor was paved with red carpet and extended all the way to the door.
The honor guard soldier standing at the door opened the door to the main venue for him.
Almost as soon as he stepped into the main venue, virtual fireworks began to go off.
The light particles flying in the sky and the fake colorful ribbons slowly fell from the top of the dome, along the well-carved steel load-bearing structures. They finally landed slowly on the bright red carpet.
The cheers, applause, and the numerous pairs of eyes that were full of excitement, were surging like the tide, pus.h.i.+ng the atmosphere of the scene to a peak…
Many people took the maglev train for tens of thousands of kilometers and tried their best to get an invitation, just to come and see him on the spot and witness the greatest scholar from a hundred years ago…
“Welcome home!”
Director Li Guangya held Lu Zhou’s right hand with both hands and spoke with a warm smile.
“I hope this triumphant ceremony isn’t too late!”
“It’s not too late. For me, it was just a matter of closing and opening my eyes.” Holding the right hand of Chairman Li Guangya, Lu Zhou smiled faintly and continued, “The only thing that surprised me was that, in the blink of an eye, so many changes have taken place in the outside world.”
In fact, his experience on Mars couldn’t be completely described as opening and closing his eyes.
He watched the life of the Martian civilization in a fast-forward state; the memory of that period of time spanning tens of thousands of years took him several years in real-time.
However, compared to the elapsed time on Earth, this mere few years could only be described as trivial.
He didn’t know if he should tell anyone about this.
“Regardless of how the times have changed, I believe that people’s enthusiasm and respect for you will not change.” Chairman Li Guangya smiled heartily and said in a relaxed tone, “I believe you should have felt this from the cheers of the people.”
“Haha, that’s true.” Lu Zhou also smiled as he said jokingly, “Actually, I almost feel embarra.s.sed by the enthusiasm.”
After a few words of exchange, Lu Zhou followed the footsteps of the host and arrived at his seat. Sitting next to him were ministerial officials from the Pan-Asian Cooperation and diplomats from other regional alliances.
The diplomats from other regional alliances were staring at him intently, seemingly trying to observe something.
Lu Zhou responded with a faint smile to those inquiring sights. He did not say much.
He knew the surprise in these people’s hearts.
He was certain that if Newton or Einstein crawled out of the coffin one day, he would be just as surprised…
On the stage, an elegant and long song was playing, then a pa.s.sionate symphony was played.
The one-hundred-meter-wide holographic screen was like a golden waterfall, slowly falling from the dome of the stadium.
A line of powerful words appeared on the waterfall, presenting his life and honor to everyone.
s.h.i.+ng-Shen Chern Mathematics Award, Cole Prize for Number Theory, Winner of the Lingyun Medal, Hoffman Medal, Fields Medal, and Carl Friedrich Gauss Prize, n.o.bel Prize in Physics and Chemistry, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Honorary of the Pan-Asian Academy of Sciences Academician, founder of the Lu Zhou Education Foundation and Freezing Human Rights Protection Fund…
And announced by the United Nations at the beginning of the 22nd century as one of the most influential figures of the 21st century!
His t.i.tle and honors couldn’t even fit on the entire holographic screen. There were even honors awarded to him over the past century that he didn’t even know about.
As for the stories surrounding him, there were even longer.
Even if they were to spend the entire duration of the party talking about it, it would be impossible to describe it in detail.
However, the Pan-Asian Cooperation had no plans to do so.
This party was not prepared for the purposes of reviewing the first half of his life, but for sending a message to the world.
The man who once led China, led the world, and led human civilization to greatness!
Was back again!
The lights dimmed slightly.
The noise inside and outside the room subsided slightly.
A man in formal clothes walked onto the stage.
Facing the pair of enthusiastic and hopeful eyes, Chairman Li Guangya cleared his throat and announced in a steady and solemn voice.
“The exploration a hundred years ago opened the prelude to the era of s.p.a.ce navigation. A group of explorers from all over the world gathered together to challenge the ruins buried deep under Mars.
“It was also the exploration of extraterrestrial civilization that allowed us to cast our sights on the world beyond the atmosphere, and also made us realize in a real sense that we are not alone in this universe. That there are also mysteries and dangers that we don’t understand.
“We paid a heavy price for our immaturity, and let our hero be left on Mars forever.
“However, everything was not as bad as we thought.
“Perhaps because of the blessing of destiny, or perhaps because of the hopes and prayers, our hero did not die in the ruins. Instead, he returned to us with the glory that belongs to him!
“Let’s send a round of applause for his triumph!
“Let’s welcome our hero home!”