Chapter 29: The Institute of Non-Natural Sciences
“Um, Lei... Academician Lei, sorry, but I’d like to ask, what exactly is the major taught in this special admissions class?”
The differences between people are often distinguished by their status and position. Hearing the title of Academician Lei, Su Xiaofan could not help but stammer a little when speaking.
However, out of responsibility for his younger sister, Su Xiaofan still had to figure out what was special about this special admissions class.
“Just call me Teacher Lei. I’m here today to answer your parents’ questions...”
Professor Lei said with a smile: “Our special admissions class is actually also an experimental class. We recruit students who are exceptionally outstanding and have great potential. The main content of their studies is more in-depth research into the natural sciences...”
Listening to Academician Lei’s introduction, Su Xiaofan and Zhao Zhengshan not only failed to have their questions answered, but the confusion on their faces grew even stronger.
According to Academician Lei, both Su Xiaoxiao and Zhao Qingyao had great potential and were suited to participate in the special admissions class’s in-depth research into the natural sciences. In any case, after a long explanation that left them in a fog, neither Su Xiaofan nor Zhao Zhengshan understood much of it.
If they had not been sitting in the conference room of Yanjing University themselves, Su Xiaofan and Zhao Zhengshan would probably have thought they had encountered con artists. Professor Lei had talked at length, yet had not gotten to the point even once.
“Ahem, Teacher Lei, sorry, but let me interrupt.”
Zhao Zhengshan could not hold back any longer and interrupted him, “I want to know, Yaoyao is only a high school student, so how can she enter a special admissions class to do research? Shouldn’t they be studying after entering university?”
“They study and conduct research at the same time.”
“This special admissions class itself is run by the Institute of Natural Sciences. Since it is special admission, they are different from ordinary university students. After graduation, they will all have the status of researchers.”
“Teacher Lei, I’m not questioning you, but becoming a researcher immediately upon graduation seems a little too much of a joke, doesn’t it?”
This time it was Su Xiaofan’s turn to interrupt him. The more they talked, the less credible it sounded. Although Su Xiaofan had never attended university, he still knew the basic rules.
Su Xiaofan knew that researcher was a series of professional titles for people engaged in academic research, corresponding to the title of professor in the education system.
Everyone knew that within the domestic system, advancing and obtaining professional titles required seniority and experience.
Normally, only two years after graduating from a master’s program would one be qualified to apply to become a trainee researcher. After serving as a trainee researcher for more than four years, one could apply to become an assistant researcher, whose title was equivalent to that of an associate professor.
One had to serve as an assistant researcher for at least five years before being able to apply for the title of researcher.
During the process from trainee researcher to researcher, there were also many requirements, such as publishing papers in professional journals or completing scientific research projects. Even with exceptional admission, most people would generally be over thirty or forty years old.
If, according to what Teacher Lei said, Su Xiaoxiao could become a researcher equivalent to a professor immediately after graduation, Su Xiaofan absolutely would not believe it, unless the certificate proving her researcher title had been issued by someone making fake certificates under an overpass.
“Brother, come take a look. Do I need to sign this?”
Just as Su Xiaofan was about to lose his patience and expose the scam, Su Xiaoxiao waved to her brother.
“What is it?”
Su Xiaofan walked over. While he had been chatting with Academician Lei, Su Xiaoxiao and Zhao Qingyao had also started talking. The two girls were whispering about something.
“Disclaimer?”
Su Xiaofan took the sheet of paper his sister handed him. When he saw its contents, his brows could not help but furrow.
“Teacher Lei, this is going a little too far.”
Su Xiaofan raised his head and looked at Lei Songwei
“My sister is here to attend university, not to join the army and defend the country. What do you mean by having her sign a disclaimer?”
Su Xiaofan saw it very clearly. The disclaimer on the sheet stated that accidents might occur during the period of study, and after signing the declaration, the institute would not bear responsibility, but would provide the family with a certain amount of compensation.
“It’s just a formality.”
“You have to understand, even our formal researchers may have accidents while conducting research...”
“Forget it, we... we’re not attending.”
Su Xiaofan shook his head and stood up, “Xiaoxiao, repeat your final year of high school this year and take the college entrance examination normally next year. There’s no harm in not attending this special admissions class that can’t explain anything clearly.”
“Huh? Brother, we’re really not going?”
Su Xiaoxiao looked at her brother with a bitter expression. Being able to attend one of the country’s top universities without taking the college entrance examination was an opportunity most people could not resist. Thinking about having to go back and prepare for another three hundred days of the college entrance examination, Su Xiaoxiao was extremely unwilling.
“No, unless they can explain everything clearly.”
Su Xiaofan’s eyes shifted toward Zhao Zhengshan, only to find him looking conflicted.
Unlike Su Xiaofan, Zhao Qingyao’s coming to Yanjing to study had been decided by Zhao Hengjian. Zhao Zhengshan was only here to send his daughter to school, and the choice was not in his hands.
Seeing that Su Xiaofan’s attitude was firm, Professor Lei hesitated for a moment, then stood up and said: “All right, Su Xiao, let’s go somewhere else to talk. Oh, right, Mr. Zhao, you come too.”
Su Xiaofan nodded and followed Professor Lei out of the conference room. The three of them came to an office on the second floor.
“Gentlemen, what would you like to drink?” Professor Lei ushered Su Xiaofan and Zhao Zhengshan onto the office sofa.
“No need.” Su Xiaofan waved his hand and said: “Teacher Lei, I have to be responsible for my sister. Just tell us whatever you have to say.”
“It’s like this. How much do the two of you know about the natural sciences?” Lei Songwei paused and said.
“The natural sciences?”
Su Xiaofan thought for a moment and said: “The natural sciences should be the six basic disciplines of mechanics, physics, chemistry, astronomy, earth science, and life science, right? As for the branch and interdisciplinary fields derived from the natural sciences, I don’t know much about them.”
After learning that his sister had been admitted to the Institute of Natural Sciences at Yanjing University, Su Xiaofan had also done his homework. He wanted to help his sister choose a better major, but what he had not expected was that after arriving, he discovered that this special admissions class was a bit of a trap.
“Mm, you’re right, Xiao Su.” Professor Lei nodded and said: “Actually, our institute isn’t called the Institute of Natural Sciences. It’s called the Institute of Non-Natural Sciences.”
“What? The Institute of Non-Natural Sciences?” Su Xiaofan and Zhao Zhengshan were stunned at the same time. They really had never heard of this term,
“That’s right, the Institute of Non-Natural Sciences. We study all non-natural phenomena, which can also be called supernatural phenomena, that is, phenomena beyond the range of what conventional natural science can know...”
Professor Lei’s words clearly exceeded the understanding of Su Xiaofan and Zhao Zhengshan, but compared with before, he had at least explained things clearly.
So-called supernatural phenomena are forces or phenomena that cannot be seen in nature and cannot be verified by ordinary means. They have already exceeded the scope of scientific understanding, surpassed the limits of contemporary natural science knowledge, and are regarded as phenomena that are impossible to produce or cannot be explained.
The reason Professor Lei had been hesitant to speak plainly was that the authenticity of these phenomena had not been established, and they were generally not recognized by mainstream scientists.
Supernatural phenomena include humans with special abilities, such as precognition, clairvoyance, thought projection, and so on, as well as events that occur accidentally but cannot be explained through ordinary reasoning.
Professor Lei gave the two of them the simplest example. UFOs, which people often report seeing, are also supernatural phenomena and one of the subjects they study.
However, the subjects studied by their Institute of Non-Natural Sciences went far beyond UFOs.
Things such as mental states or abilities beyond those of ordinary people, physical functions beyond those of ordinary people, and even the religious beliefs of various countries and non-natural phenomena occurring in different regions all fell within the scope of their research.
“Teacher Lei, does the ghost wall that people encounter in rural areas count as a non-natural phenomenon?”
Su Xiaofan suddenly had a thought. He remembered what had happened a few days ago.
“It does. This is also one of our research subjects.” Professor Lei nodded and said: “The ghost wall should be a kind of mental confusion caused by magnetic field variation. We have colleagues specifically researching this area.”
“By the way, if we had to classify it as a discipline, we could also define the subjects we study as occultism.”
After introducing non-natural science to Su Xiaofan and Zhao Zhengshan, Professor Lei finally summarized what he had said.
“Isn’t occultism pretty good? Why didn’t you just say that clearly?”
After hearing Professor Lei’s explanation, Su Xiaofan had already accepted this field in his heart. Unlike ordinary people, Su Xiaofan had personally experienced quite a few supernatural phenomena during this period.
Being struck by electricity and lightning without dying, having a repair value appear in his mind, having his bodily functions restored in a short period of time, encountering a ghost wall—Su Xiaofan felt that any one of these things, taken by itself, could be considered a supernatural phenomenon.
“Xiao Su, occultism and non-natural science research are not yet mainstream sciences in this world, so they can’t be openly presented.”
Professor Lei gave a bitter smile. Although the times had advanced and things were no longer as extreme as in medieval Europe, where heretics would be burned to death upon being encountered,
the country still had to consider the public’s ability to accept research into supernatural phenomena, to avoid causing adverse social effects, so it could not be conducted on a large scale or with great publicity.
“I have another question.”
“Why was my sister selected for this special admissions class? Is there anything special about her?”
“It’s like this. When our researchers tested your sister, they discovered that she has an unusually strong resistance to certain forms of mental energy. Student Zhao Qingyao is the same.
This resistance can make certain research more convenient. Normally, among ordinary people, only one in ten million, or perhaps an even smaller proportion, will develop a similar resistance...”
“My sister isn’t going to be a guinea pig, is she? And besides, can you determine that they have mental resistance just from a simple test?
A bad feeling arose in Su Xiaofan’s heart. His sister had always been wearing the black jade Buddha. Could it be that this low-grade magical artifact had somehow affected the test?
(End of Chapter)
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