When I wake up
His drowsy consciousness remained hazy, Li Rong still immersed in the side effects of quantum observation. He could barely tell where he was—even though he remained in the same darkness until the anchor points connected by the strong current were artificially broken one by one. Only after the culture medium in the incubator completely faded did he open his eyes, stimulated by the electrodes on his hands and feet.
The weak current caused a mild pain. Li Rong opened his eyes and watched the experimenters coming and going, recording the data generated by the disconnection. He wanted to maintain this state until the data collection was completed. But he was in a trance. Sometimes he felt as if he was still lying in the wasteland of Longxi, as if he was about to fulfill an appointment, but at the same time, everything seemed to have disappeared, including himself.
He remembered the name Li He clearly, but as for what happened in the constantly changing superposition state after the quantum was linked, it was just mixed in his mind and he couldn't make sense of it at all.
The experimenter next to him removed the mechanical restrictions of the thermal chamber, giving Li Rong some time to recover. Li Rong lay in the chamber, gazing at the huge and complex equipment around him and the endless flow of experimenters. The familiar prompt sounded again, "Please repeat the rules——"
Li Rong moved his lips. His organs, which had not made any sound for a long time, were always a little sluggish due to the discomfort. He uttered a sentence that was almost engraved in his subconscious mind. Before he realized what he said, "The only rule for an observer is to respect time and escape from paradox." The faint voice was captured by the sensor and fed into the computer for radio wave translation. The computer monitored the various physiological indicators of the subjects. After confirming that everything was correct, the door of the thermal chamber was finally opened.
Li Rong was able to move his head freely to observe his surroundings. He hadn't yet figured out who he was, Li He or himself, from his chaotic state of mind. The experimenter beside him seemed to have finished recording the data and moved on to the next step of the experiment. "Who are you?" a soft female voice rang out. The surrounding experimenters were wearing heavy white protective suits, so he couldn't quite hear clearly. The voice rang out again at the same decibel level. "Who am I?"
Li Rong sorted through the memories in his mind, slowly sorting out those that belonged to him and those that didn't. There were no wastelands like those in Longxi, no corpses strewn across the ground, no hoarse, mocking cries of crows, no snow covering the ground or flowing rivers. In his memory, he glimpsed a figure lying in a hospital bed. Gradually, he made sense of the basic details: he was Li Rong, and the person lying there was his sister, born with a genetic defect.
"Who are you?"
"——Li Rong"
Li Rong responded to the question that had been ringing in his ears, "The link disconnection test has been completed." He was helped down the hatch by the experimenter. His body was temporarily unfamiliar with walking after a long time, and muscle soreness came with it. He walked slowly step by step, and the eyes of the people around him were focused on him.
The first thing he felt was extreme discomfort, so he lowered his head and let the person next to him support him in physical rehabilitation. The sound of electricity emanated from the specially designed channel. Li Rong's eyes swept over the various sophisticated instruments at his feet. The special numbers always gave him a sense of familiarity.
"Director Wu--" Voices rang out one after another, and the protective door behind him slid open from left to right. A group of experimenters followed the energetic old man, but they did not wear heavy protective clothing, but only the most common white coats in the laboratory.
Director Wu walked over to Li Rong, extended his hand, and shook his. He then turned to review his experimental data. Silently, Li Rong allowed the lab assistants to assist him with his rehabilitation. He briefly reviewed the current situation and learned that he would have three days of rest. One day would involve participating in a subsequent experiment, using biological agents to describe his experiences with quantum transmission. Today and the day after tomorrow, he would be free to do exercises to better restore his brain's biological activity.
Li Rong's memories remained a jumbled mess. His most vivid memory was finding time to visit his sister, who had transferred to the lab and had early access to drug testing. His own past, though a bit hazy, didn't matter. He observed the instruments as he walked around: transparent transmission tubes filled with violently colliding electron beams, and a large centrifuge connected to the accelerator, extending all the way to the ground.
He felt the pounding breath in his lungs and sat down to ease his fatigue. As the experimenters came and went, constantly exchanging experimental data, his memory began to unravel. Li Rong recalled that he had volunteered to be the quantum transporter for this large-scale experiment because of his sister's illness. Perhaps this experiment had a more common conceptual explanation: a limited "time machine."
He said he was not clear about the specific principles, but he vaguely knew that the experiment required huge amounts of consumables and funds, and the requirements for volunteers were equally stringent.
A harsh approach bordering on inhumane, selecting young people in the most urgent need of assistance as test subjects, they undergo months of continuous testing to confirm that quantum anchors can be placed in vital areas of the body, facilitating the establishment of quantum transmission channels. Subjects are required to be completely willing, willing to bear any consequences of the experiment, and prepared for any abnormal spatial collapse. After each phase of the experiment, biological agents within a reasonable range are used to record any events during the quantum observation process, leaving the subjects with absolutely no privacy. Rest periods are minimized to prevent the potential for energy from the anchors to escape.
Li Rong began to feel fortunate that he had met the requirements. His sister's condition could be monitored 24 hours a day by an authorized institution. As for himself, it seemed nothing else was important. He slept in the lab as required, and was taken to be injected with a classified biological agent early in the morning.
The needle pierced a dark blue vein. Li Rong sat in the small room, calmly observing the people in front of him. His consciousness began to blur, and he followed the questions from the other side and fell into a vast ocean of memory, which was flooded with this torrent.
He regained consciousness amidst a sharp pain in his brain. The recorder across from him had already left. Alone in this small, enclosed space, he reached out to wipe the tears from his face. He began to wonder about Li He's memory, but the biological agent took effect faster than he had imagined. As a byproduct of quantum transmission, it had been sealed in his subconscious, at the cost of widespread amnesia.
Li Rong pushed open the door and walked out, clenching his fists to feel the excessively cold fingertips, a trembling sensation still lingering. The experimenter guarding the room handed him a piece of paper, asking him to record the memories he needed to remember at this stage. Li Rong read his brief biography, re-recorded the necessity and compulsion of the experiment, and endured another night here.
Day or night had little to do with him. The laboratory always had sufficient energy supply, and quantum transmission was carried out day and night. He didn't know how many subjects there were in the entire experiment, and he had forgotten the purpose and overall plan of the experiment. He just mechanically recited the contents printed on the piece of paper.
His sister, Li Qingyue, he silently recited this strange yet familiar name. Li Rong was lost in a dream tonight, as if dreaming of the ever-flowing rivers and seas and the songs he could never understand. Everything would sink into his memory after he woke up, or perhaps it should be said, into memories that "did not belong" to him.
Li Rong regained consciousness, but his bodily functions hadn't fully recovered to normal levels. The lab technician, removing his protective suit, led him to his sister's hospital room. The white decor remained unchanged, a fact that amused him slightly. He only vaguely remembered his sister's critical condition, and through the transparent curtain wall, Li Rong could only see a frail figure lying on a bed, plugged into countless tubes. His memory registered before him. He reached out and traced Li Qingyue's image on the glass before closing his eyes.
He met the project's lead and listened to his detailed account. Li Rong was completely unfamiliar with the subject and could only grasp the phrases of improvement. He smiled, feeling that this was good. He, however, still had many subsequent experiments to complete, and he didn't know when the transparent wall would be lowered.
Li Rong followed the experimenter back to the busy testing area. He worked through the tedious tests, drawing tubes of blood and slowly analyzing them as new experimental data. He lay back in his insulated chamber and gestured to the experimenter for confirmation.
The hypnotic gas and nutrient solution were simultaneously ready for release, and Li Rong's ears gradually quieted down. He seemed to remember something and forced himself to close his eyes again. He didn't know where the aversion to closing his eyes came from at that moment, nor did he know that the nutrient solution swallowed up the tears dripping from the corners of his eyes.
He heard the mechanical voice again, "All anchor point connections are completed--" This time he was able to distract himself and think that the voice was still somewhat stiff, much calmer than the first exclamation.
"Please repeat the guidelines."
The words that sounded like a recitation rang in his ears. He opened his eyes and recited the only clear imprint in his memory, and he could hear every word.
"The only rule for an observer is to respect time and escape paradoxes." He clearly experienced the pain of quantum fluctuations with energy, and was unaware that the hatch was closing automatically, and the nutrient solution and mechanical tubes were working synchronously until they filled the entire insulation cabin.
Li Rong finally closed his eyes in such pain, his mind began to become dazed and collapse. Where he was going and whether he could come back on time this time, everything was unknown.
In his final consciousness, was the only principle left: respect time and escape from paradox?
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