Quatrième campus

Chapitre 15

At this moment, not only Hermann, but even Chu Xunfeng was stunned.

Seeing the still puzzled look on Hellman's face, Jin Dun said, "I'll tell you another story and you'll understand. You know about the disappearance of the DXIA spaceship?"

“Yes, I know. It was a spaceship that sacrificed itself to explore Proxima Centauri. The names of all the astronauts on the DXIA spaceship are still engraved on the Space Heroes Monument in Columbia!” Hellman said.

"That's not actually the case. The reason the DXIA spaceship disappeared was because it was summoned by the lost half from ancient times," Jin Dun said, not allowing them to argue. "Long ago, some important materials that made up the DXIA ship came from the fission of a certain substance. When the DXIA spaceship was traveling in space, it happened to come close to another fission substance. This fission substance was rapidly changing its state. In order to achieve momentum conservation, the DXIA ship also drastically changed its speed to balance itself. The crew members could not reverse the situation even with external forces, resulting in a tragedy in the history of human spaceflight." He let out a long sigh. "This happened ten years ago. Do you understand the use of this Turing computer now?" Jin Dun asked.

Chu Xunfeng nodded.

“This is simply a myth,” Herman said.

Jin Dun remained silent for a while, seemingly pondering a story from a very distant past: "This isn't a myth. The Earth Federation assembled experts from multiple fields to decipher the black box on the DXIA ship and uncover the truth. It exists in the 'Galaxy Files,' one of the most authoritative and classic cases in space history, and a fundamental case that every member of the Intelligence Bureau must understand. In essence, it's all about the law of conservation of momentum, and there's nothing incomprehensible about it. With the help of the Turing computer, I've solved many major cases with an accuracy rate of 99%. This Turing computer is one of the Federation's best; it already possesses a certain level of analytical ability, almost 100 times that of Einstein in logical reasoning. I originally thought I could use Turing calculations to decipher the 'possible world' where the man in blue resides, but now I've lost the ability to measure the fabric's speed and cannot observe that 'possible world.'"

Chu Xunfeng's left eye twitched: "The 'possible world' that the man in blue robes is talking about, the 'possible world' proposed by Leibniz 300 years ago, really exists?"

“Yes,” Jin Dun murmured, as if he saw a beam of light descending from the sky. “I’ve seen a little bit, but I can’t be sure. Because we can’t decipher its location, it seems the other side knows we’re calculating its state and is starting to interfere with my further analysis. Now the Turing computer can no longer obtain a valid physical speed.” Jin Dun stared intently at the screen.

"What 'possible world'? What are you talking about?" Herman pouted.

Jin Dun's eyes lit up: "A world that is rigorous, precise, and free from error. In a sense, Leibniz rigorously and precisely defined the 'possible world' of the Yi diagram, transforming the hexagram and line transformation diagrams into binary arithmetic, and then reconstructing this world based on arithmetic."

"Could there really be a parallel world?" Herman pouted even more.

Chu Xunfeng kept staring at the screen and noticed that just as the speed had slowed down a bit, it suddenly became violently erratic again.

"The man in blue must be nearby, otherwise the interference wouldn't be so strong," Jin Dun said, staring intently at the screen.

Chu Xunfeng glanced out the window. It was already daylight outside. He recalled the day before yesterday when he went to pull back the curtains in Xavier's room, and the moment he lifted them, he saw that deathly pale, expressionless face, with eerie red eyes reflected in the lamplight. He slowly walked to the window and carefully surveyed his surroundings. Apart from a pot of chrysanthemums in full bloom, emitting a faint fragrance, there was nothing else there.

Herman walked over and gently leaned against Chu Xunfeng, looking into his eyes, trying to discern something. Chu Xunfeng shook his head.

Jin Dun readjusted his Turing computer and went to the window to take a look.

Chu Xunfeng said, "Apart from this summer pine chrysanthemum, there's nothing else."

Jin Dun glanced at Chu Xunfeng, then at the pine chrysanthemum.

He lowered his voice and said to the two men, "We just connected the Global Investigations Bureau's network with the Galileo 3 Federal Military Information Network. We've roughly determined the location of the magnetic field that's interfering with the Turing computer. Come with me and try to act as if nothing's wrong. The other side is nearby."

"It's been found out?" Hermann was extremely excited.

“Without interfering with the Turing computer, it might take some time to analyze its location. But this interference can immediately detect the source of the magnetic field. The resolution of Galileo 3 has already reached…” Jin Dun looked around and said nothing more.

"You deliberately let them interfere..." Hermann asked, seeing that Golden Shield only nodded slightly, indicating that she should stop talking to avoid revealing her itinerary.

Chu Xunfeng secretly admired this; tracking and counter-tracking was truly a marvelous art. Just as there are no fixed formations in warfare, and water has no fixed shape, no one can know from the beginning what to do next; strategies must be changed at any time. This involves a contest of intuition, mental fortitude, logical judgment, and many other aspects!

Just as it was initially assumed that Saviel, guided by the ancient silver coin, would inevitably go to "Xianyang, China," the man in blue used a clever trick before "Yizhuang" to make him circle around the "Monument," causing him to miss the best opportunity to pursue her. While the man in blue was tracking Saviel, the man in golden shield unexpectedly began tracking him as well. Similarly, when the man in blue was tracking the man in blue, the man in blue nearly took control of the golden shield, but at the last moment, the golden shield retrieved the copy of the *I Ching* and the feather-like object on the man in blue's body, attempting to calculate the man in blue's state. Upon arriving in Xianyang, the Turing computer, interfered with by the man in blue, became ineffective. Ultimately, it was discovered that the interference with the golden shield was also a strategy; he used the man in blue's magnetic field to locate the man in blue.

Note:

① Asimov, a world-renowned science fiction master, authored the Three Laws of Robotics: The First Law states that a robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm. The Second Law states that a robot must obey the orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law. The Third Law states that a robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.

② Ancient books such as the *Classic of Mountains and Seas* and the *Records of the Ten Continents* record many legends about the "Weak Water." The *Classic of Mountains and Seas* states that north of Kunlun there is a water whose force is so great that it cannot even lift a mustard seed, hence the name Weak Water, which refers to this very thing.

Part 11

Image Inspiration (Part 1)

It was already broad daylight when Jin Dun stood up: "Let's go, watch how I dig up the blue-robed man's lair."

The two followed closely behind Jin Dun, whose steps were swift and agile.

When the three of them turned the corner of the alley, Jin Dun paused for a moment, like a hunter smelling the scent of a wolf.

This is where the madman died, but his body is gone, and there is no trace of blood on the ground.

All that could be heard was a vendor shouting: "Come quick! Puji roast chicken, which was unearthed along with the original copy of the Book of Changes! Eating it nourishes yin and kidneys, strengthens the stomach and warms the liver, improves eyesight and blood circulation, and has remarkable health benefits..."

Chu Xunfeng's lips twitched; he wanted to laugh, but didn't.

It was the same vendor who used to buy breakfast for the children and Saviel.

He went back to the place where he used to buy Puji roast chicken.

"The Puji roast chicken that was unearthed along with the original copy of the Book of Changes, isn't that the thousand-year-old beggar's chicken?" Chu Xunfeng stepped forward and said softly. He looked around, trying to find something amiss.

Hermann didn't understand what "thousand-year-old beggar's chicken" meant, but Jin Dun's tense face relaxed a little.

"You're from out of town, aren't you?" the vendor lowered his voice again. "You probably don't know that a major event has happened in Xianyang!"

"What important matter?"

“The Book of Changes was originally unearthed here, and even CCTV and other major media outlets reported on it!” He lowered his voice again: “But there’s something even more mysterious that they don’t know.” His tone was exactly the same as last time, including the pitch of his voice.

"Something even more mysterious?" Chu Xunfeng remained calm. This vendor's memory was so bad that he had no memory of his old customers. No wonder the business of this thousand-year-old beggar's chicken was nothing special.

The vendor's voice was barely audible: "You mustn't tell anyone about this. Along with the original copy of the *I Ching*, there was also a cookbook, which I obtained. Do you know why King Wen of Zhou didn't starve to death when he was trapped in Qishan? It was because he ate this Puji roast chicken!"

"You got the recipe?" Chu Xunfeng asked, but there was no surprise on his face. This inevitably disappointed the vendor surnamed Wang, as if he wasn't selling roast chicken, but rather a shocking "sigh".

"Yes, my Puji roast chicken is nourishing to the kidneys, stomach, and liver, and has remarkable health benefits. How about two?"

"Sure, but may I ask where your recipe and the original copy of the Book of Changes were unearthed?" Chu Xunfeng asked.

The vendor looked around: "This is a top secret! I'll tell you, the original *I Ching* wasn't unearthed from King Wen's tomb, but rather..."

"But where?" Chu Xunfeng asked.

The vendor paused for a moment, then smiled and said to Chu Xunfeng, "How about two Puji roast chickens first? This matter is a long story, let's talk slowly!"

"OK, let's talk slowly." Chu Xunfeng suddenly heard someone answer from behind. Someone walked over and had the Global Investigation Bureau's seal pinned to his chest.

Hellman gasped; it seemed like the Global Bureau of Investigation personnel could appear at any moment.

The man walked up to the vendor and pulled out several internationally accepted Asian dollars. His voice carried a hint of cruelty: "But what I want to buy isn't your Puji roast chicken, but this plate of pine needle chrysanthemums."

Next to the vendor, there was a plate of pine needle chrysanthemums, exactly the same as the one in Chu Xunfeng's room window.

“This…”, the vendor’s expression changed slightly, “This is not for sale, I bought it and put it in my yard.”

"Really? You seem to have quite refined tastes! But it seems you don't have a wife!"

The vendor's face turned pale, and he stammered, unsure how to answer.

The detective pulled out handcuffs from his pocket.

The vendor, realizing the truth had been exposed, looked panicked. He suddenly pointed behind Chu Xunfeng, "Look, that person's gone!"

The detective snorted coldly, his iron wrist snapping, his fingers hooked, gripping the vendor's forearm tightly. The vendor cried out, "Ouch! What...what do you want?"

Chu Xunfeng and Herman looked back and found that the Golden Shield had vanished without a trace.

"Where's the Golden Shield detective?" Herman exclaimed.

"Let's go," Chu Xunfeng said to Herman. He grabbed Herman's hand and ran back.

It's getting colder in Xianyang.

A cold wind, sharp as a knife, blew through the crack in the door, striking the faces of the man with the golden shield and the man in blue.

The two remained motionless, like two stone statues.

They both knew they had met a true opponent, and any flaw could be fatal.

Even Chu Xunfeng and Herman, who were standing at the door, felt the silence of the world and the chilling atmosphere.

For a long, long time, Herman and Chu Xunfeng were almost out of breath.

"We've finally met again!" Jin Dun said slowly.

Hermann and Chu Xunfeng both breathed a sigh of relief.

“Yes! We were destined to meet.” The man in blue’s voice sounded like it was synthesized from metal, making it particularly grating.

"Can't you speak?" Jin Dun said.

The man in blue remained silent, his face even colder than the man in gold; such a face would give anyone a nightmare if seen at night.

Chu Xunfeng suddenly remembered that the child's white skin was somewhat similar to that of the man in blue.

“I don’t need to speak, but I can communicate with you using a synthesized speech generator,” said the man in blue. “Mr. Golden Shield, you are one of the most outstanding figures in the Newtonian world that I know of. We should indeed communicate properly.”

“You thought we’d never catch you?” Golden Shield said. “But now you’re under my control.”

The man in blue seemed to reveal a barely perceptible sneer: "When it comes to calculations, people in Newton's world will never be our match. Mere pictographic sensing, let alone control."

"Oh!" Jin Dun rubbed his earlobe and said, "Your peddler has been arrested, you know?" Jin Dun suppressed his smugness.

“He won’t be arrested,” the man in blue said. “His calculations are wrong; he’s doomed, including that detective.”

The word "death" sounded so flat in the man in blue's voice, as if he were simply crushing an ant. Hellman and Chu Xunfeng both shuddered, their fear and dread compounded by the thought that Saviel and Professor Cole were in his hands. Judging from his tone, the peddler and the detective were surely dead. What about the missing professors? And Saviel?

"Because of a calculation error, one must die?"

“Yes, there is no greater sin than a miscalculation! We do not allow miscalculations.” A rare smile appeared on the man in blue’s face. Perhaps because he hadn’t smiled in a long time, his face seemed to be twitching, and his forced smile looked particularly ferocious. His excessively pale face reminded people of a zombie walking in the polar regions.

“Everything else was within my calculations, but there’s one thing I don’t understand: how did you know I would go to the room to retrieve the Turing computer?” the man in blue asked.

Jin Dun glanced at Chu Xunfeng. "It's the pine needle chrysanthemum by the window. Chu Xunfeng found it."

"Pine needle chrysanthemum?" the man in blue asked.

"The 'Pine Needle Chrysanthemum' (also known as the Dragon Beard Begonia) blooms in April and May, unlike other chrysanthemums, which bloom in autumn and winter. This is the biggest loophole. Why is there a 'Pine Needle Chrysanthemum' that blooms in autumn on the windowsill? This 'Pine Needle Chrysanthemum' is a bit strange. I suspect you hid the jammer in this 'Pine Needle Chrysanthemum'."

"Not using the Galileo 3 search engine?"

"Galileo 3 can indeed locate, but the magnetic field you emitted is too strange, making it impossible to find a reference model and accurately locate."

"Did you say those things on purpose for me to hear?"

"That's one way to put it."

"Taking them out and placing the Turing computer in the room was just a pretext; you were actually trying to lure them into a trap?" the man in blue said.

“Isn’t that vendor just a front for you too?” Jin Dun said, a strange smile on his face.

“I don’t take the rest of the Global Investigations Bureau seriously. Believe it or not.” The man in blue’s voice was unusually cold.

Jin Dun's expression shifted between anger and uncertainty. He glanced out the window, but there was no movement. It seemed that the spies he had planted were likely in grave danger.

After thinking for a long time, he sighed and said, "Yes."

The man in blue beckoned to Chu Xunfeng and Herman at the door: "Come in!" He acted as if he were the master of the house.

Chu Xunfeng tried his best to control his emotions.

Hellman didn't care about any of that: "How is my father? How is Saviel now? And what about Professor Nie and the others?"