Upon returning from the Metropolis, Zhao Meiyou immediately threw himself into integrating the personality software—or "Qian Duoduo," as it was now called—with the storage core of the Buddha Head. The results were gratifying.
Just as Zhao Meiyou had predicted, the interior of the Buddha Head housed a vast wealth of technical information from the 22nd century. The data they had managed to decode from the periphery of the storage unit in previous years had already been enough to convince the Metropolis government to increase the Ancient Capital’s research funding annually. Now that the main attraction was being unveiled, the upper echelons of the government were in an absolute frenzy, even going so far as to summon Zhao Meiyou back to the Metropolis for a formal commendation ceremony.
"Commendation my ass," Zhao Meiyou drawled, lazily rejecting the government’s leave approval. "Let them settle their internal power struggles before they talk to me. Otherwise, am I going back for a commendation or a funeral service?"
"Well, you certainly aren't going to die anytime soon," Diao Chan remarked from the other side of the lab, busily translating Zhao Meiyou’s blunt rejection into official diplomatic language. "The government seems intent on nominating you as a Meritorious Scientist. So far, the only person to receive that honor was the first leader, Grandma Bridge."
Zhao Meiyou didn't know much about this founding leader. He opened his terminal and did a quick search. "Died at seventy-eight, huh? Not bad. Seems she had a peaceful end." He read the biography on the screen aloud: "Buried in the Metropolis Cathedral, later moved to the 720th floor..."
"Zhao Meiyou, are you done with your current task?" Liu Qijue pushed the door open, followed by a young boy. "We’re just waiting on your data now. I’m telling you, this is the first batch of 'Golden Bodies,' and the investment is astronomical. If the engineering goes sideways, the three of us will have to commit ritual suicide to apologize."
"Zhao Meiyou won't die; his brain is far too precious now," Diao Chan joked from his corner. "At most, the two of us will be drawn and quartered."
"Give it a rest, Young Master. Is your mother dead to you or something?"
"Don't even bring her up. I have no idea what kind of trouble she’s stirring up lately," Diao Chan said, waving a hand dismissively. "When her secretary called me, it sounded like she was getting ready to sell me off..."
"Didn't she sell you off a long time ago?" Zhao Meiyou chuckled. "Otherwise, why would a pampered young master like you be out here with us, living on dew and starlight? Look at those dark circles under your eyes. Tsk tsk. Anyone would think you’re suffering from a kidney deficiency."
"Goods that have been sold can still be flipped on the second-hand market. You wouldn't understand." Diao Chan didn't bother bickering further. He looked at the boy Liu Qijue had brought in and beckoned him over. "Xiao Yao is here. How’s the health?"
Xiao Yao was the boy they had rescued from the "bride-snatching" incident in the Metropolis. After some deliberation that day, they had decided that it wouldn't be easy for him to survive in the Metropolis, so they brought him back to the Ancient Capital. Zhao Meiyou was the Director, after all; smuggling one person in wasn't a major issue.
Zhao Meiyou and Diao Chan clearly weren't the type to look after a child. For over a year, Liu Qijue and Xiao Xian-sheng had been the ones raising him, treating him almost like their own son.
Xiao Yao’s bone age was measured at twelve. When they first rescued him, he hadn't appeared to have any external injuries, but a check-up upon their return revealed that his internal organs had been harvested and scattered. To keep him alive, someone had crudely installed several simple plastic internal organs. Even Zhao Meiyou was surprised, thinking it a miracle the boy had survived at all. It took several major surgeries to stabilize him.
The boy walked up to Diao Chan and stood still, his eyes crinkling into a smile. "Hello, Vice Director."
Liu Qijue’s partner was clearly good at raising children. Compared to the timid, submissive creature who had first arrived at the Ancient Capital, Xiao Yao now showed normal emotional expression. He wore a research uniform tailored down to his size, looking obedient yet possessing a hint of teenage cunning.
"How’s the mouth?" Zhao Meiyou leaned in. "Come, let Grandpa have a look."
Liu Qijue barked, "Zhao Meiyou, whose grandfather are you supposed to be?"
"It’s much better," Xiao Yao said, removing a protective ring from his face. "Hello, Director."
Xiao Yao’s mouth had been sewn shut; once opened, they found the oral cavity had completely necrotized. Zhao Meiyou had fitted him with an electronic mouthpiece that looked like a transparent mask to assist with vocalization.
"Hmm, the teeth are growing in well." Zhao Meiyou used a cotton swab dipped in saline to poke at the boy’s newly grown canines. "Does it hurt?"
"It doesn't hurt. Thank you, Director."
"Good. In another six months, we can start the lip reconstruction. You can come to my office and pick a style then. I guarantee I’ll give you a beautiful face." Zhao Meiyou stripped off his sterile gloves and began talking nonsense again. "Your 'dad' here is the belle of the Research Institute. When the Ancient Capital runs out of money, I’ll send your family of three to the Metropolis to debut as idols..."
Diao Chan tuned him out automatically and looked at Liu Qijue. "Are the adoption papers finalized?"
Liu Qijue hummed in affirmation. "I happened to be back for a meeting, so I took care of it then."
"Right, speaking of your meeting, that reminds me." Diao Chan sat up straight. "What’s the deal with that 'Cultural Architecture Project' the government issued?"
Recently, the Ancient Capital had received a high-clearance document from the government. Under the guise of cultural construction, they planned to build several massive statues in the city, each spanning hundreds of floors. "That’s no small sum," Diao Chan noted. "What are they actually for?"
Liu Qijue shot him a look. "Can't you guess?"
It wasn't hard to guess. A massive Buddha Head was already sitting in the Ancient Capital’s Experimental Site No. 2.
Xiao Yao knew they were about to discuss serious business and excused himself. "I’m going to find Papa."
"Go on," Liu Qijue said. "Tell him not to cook tonight. The cafeteria is serving Kashaya Pork."
Once the lab door closed, Zhao Meiyou lit a cigarette. "The government took a batch of classified data from the Ancient Capital a while ago. If I’m not mistaken, the interiors of these 'Golden Bodies' are all supercomputers."
Computers had many uses, from public services to urban construction to Sky Eye surveillance. Diao Chan felt an instinctive unease. "...The Metropolis is being built too high."
"It’s only reached the 790th floor," Zhao Meiyou chuckled. "The Lower and Middle Districts each have 330 floors. The Upper District has to reach at least 990 to get its money's worth."
"Based on what I heard at the meeting, each statue will span at least a hundred floors," Liu Qijue added. "If they build them all, it’s equivalent to enveloping the entire city. If they say it’s for administrative convenience, it technically makes sense."
The first Golden Body was already under construction. The Ancient Capital, the Metropolis Bureau of Construction, and the Antarctic faction each handled a portion of the project. Logically, as the source of the technology, the Ancient Capital should have been responsible for the core engineering. However, the government had taken the key data and handed it to the Antarctic faction to complete.
The Ancient Capital and Antarctica stayed out of each other's way. Over the years, they had only heard that many people went mad over there, but they weren't clear on the specific direction of their research.
Liu Qijue looked at Zhao Meiyou. "What exactly was the data the government took?"
"It was a portion of the content Qian Duoduo recently restored, related to some cutting-edge 22nd-century tech," Zhao Meiyou explained slowly, cigarette in mouth. "I’ve looked at it. To be honest, I don't really understand it either."
Liu Qijue frowned. "Even you don't understand it?"
Zhao Meiyou pulled out his terminal and opened the personality software. "You there?"
"I am," Qian Duoduo’s voice emerged from the terminal. "What is it?"
"That data you restored—the stuff I couldn't make heads or tails of—what did you say it was again?"
"The core data has been transferred to the Antarctic faction, so I cannot give a definitive answer," Qian Duoduo replied. "However, based on the data remnants, it involves experiments applied to wave function superposition states, related to quantum technology."
"Quantum technology," Diao Chan repeated. "...That’s a bit broad."
The lab fell silent for a moment. Finally, Liu Qijue asked, "Zhao Meiyou, did you really hand over all the data to the government?"
Zhao Meiyou looked profoundly mysterious as he puffed on his cigarette, making a "shh" gesture.
Things being as they were, there wasn't much else they could do. If Zhao Meiyou had indeed kept a portion of the information, he was the only person in the entire Ancient Capital capable of deciphering it.
***
Several more years passed in the blink of an eye. The lotuses Zhao Meiyou had planted years ago now filled the pond. In the middle of the night, he climbed the mountain, rolled up his trouser legs, and sat by the water to soak his feet.
From this vantage point, he could see the entire Ancient Capital. The Research Institute was built against the mountain; at night, its lights were grand and imposing, possessing a certain opulence. The mountain looked bluish-black in the dark, like a sprawling blood vessel giving rise to a magnificent tumor.
He had his terminal with him. The screen flashed, and Qian Duoduo’s voice came out: "Do you want to listen to an audiobook?"
Zhao Meiyou was distracted. After a long while, he said, "The first time I came up this mountain, I listened to *Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio*."
"*Strange Tales* are mostly ghost stories," Qian Duoduo noted. "Do you believe in that stuff?"
"If it’s scary, I don't believe it. If it’s touching, I believe it for a bit," Zhao Meiyou said. "In the end, it all comes down to the word 'sentiment'."
The screen flashed again, a loading bar appearing. A moment later, Qian Duoduo said, "My personality growth is still hovering at 90%. I cannot fully comprehend the mechanisms of human emotion."
"I know." Zhao Meiyou splashed some water. "That’s exactly what I’m worried about."
Since their trip to the Metropolis, Qian Duoduo’s personality growth had surged to 90%, which allowed it to link with the Buddha Head’s core storage and restore much vital data. But the program’s upgrade had stalled there. No matter what methods Zhao Meiyou tried, it remained stuck at 90%, refusing to budge.
The upper levels of the government were already dissatisfied. They had hinted several times that if he couldn't make a breakthrough, he would be required to transfer Qian Duoduo’s core code to the Antarctic faction.
"When the snipe and the clam fight, the fisherman wins; when the hares are killed, the hounds are cooked," Zhao Meiyou muttered, plucking a lotus seed pod and crunching on the seeds. "Antarctica has been a bit too useful lately. If this keeps up, the Ancient Capital might be abolished."
"You are my highest authority holder," Qian Duoduo said calmly. "If you do not wish to transfer me, I can self-destruct."
"Well, that would be awkward."
"There is no need for awkwardness. You only need to issue the command."
"Let’s wait a bit longer. The Metropolis has already started building the second Golden Body; the government still has a use for me." Zhao Meiyou tossed the empty seed pod into the water. "I wonder how Liu Qijue is doing."
A year ago, Liu Qijue had been transferred to Antarctica. Initially, he was just there on a business trip to steal some intel, but before long, he sent word back saying he had made some discoveries and needed time to investigate further. Attached to the message was a formal transfer application.
Zhao Meiyou had asked Xiao Xian-sheng for his opinion. The man had been very composed, saying he respected his husband’s decision.
"Xiao Yao’s grades are excellent. If he is willing to join the Ancient Capital after graduation, he can take over the work Liu Qijue left behind," Qian Duoduo suggested. "Your current workload is too heavy; you should delegate some of it."
"Don't you dare. If Liu Qijue comes back and sees I’ve dragged his son onto this pirate ship, he’ll definitely try to kill me," Zhao Meiyou immediately rejected the idea. "We’ll just have to see if Diao Chan can convince him to come back when he goes over there."
Diao Chan was gradually taking over the Diao family’s affairs. Over the years, the time he could spend in the Ancient Capital had grown shorter and shorter. Recently, he had sent word from the Metropolis saying there was a collaborative project with Antarctica; he had to go show his face to maintain appearances and, while he was at it, check in on Comrade Liu, who was deep behind enemy lines.
Zhao Meiyou felt that if things really went south, they should just quit. Saving their lives was the priority. Since the Ancient Capital’s founding, he had gone from leading a scouting team of less than a hundred people to establishing the Research Institute single-handedly. He might not have worked himself to death, but he had a clear conscience.
If Zhao Meiyou had once harbored grand ambitions for the revival of civilization, as his research deepened, he sometimes wondered if he had gone a bit too far. The Metropolis was being built higher and higher, people in Antarctica were going mad every year, and more and more technical information was being decoded from the Buddha Head—if they truly dug out the core, what exactly would they be facing?
Once they got Liu Qijue back and scammed some pocket money out of Diao Chan, they should probably pack up and retire. The Earth was a big place; they could find a scenic spot to live out their old age.
"If I could really settle down and get away from all these trivial daily chores, I could finally study that remaining 10% of yours properly." Zhao Meiyou mused, his mouth running as usual. "I’ve got some android technology stashed away. When the time comes, I’ll make a body for you. Do you want to be a man or a woman?"
"I have no gender preference," Qian Duoduo replied. "You can decide."
"Then why don't you be my son?"
"Denied."
"Didn't you just say you had no gender preference?"
"This is a matter of seniority," Qian Duoduo said. "My base personality sampled a lot of your character data, and you have always enjoyed being everyone’s 'daddy'."
"Fine, I’m not lacking a son. Then how about you be my bed-warmer?" Zhao Meiyou pulled out a cigarette. "Since your personality growth isn't complete, it’ll be easier for the two of us to live together."
"Does married life have anything to do with my personality growth?"
"Of course it does." Zhao Meiyou exhaled a cloud of smoke. "I’ll die before you. If you’re too advanced, you’ll be terribly sad when the time comes."
He smiled as he spoke. "After all, I spent a lot of effort making you. If you got depressed and self-destructed, what would I do?"
"You do not wish for me to self-destruct?"
"Obviously."
"I understand." The screen flashed. "Highest command recorded."
Like a sword plunging into the sea, this command, recorded with Zhao Meiyou’s voiceprint, was etched into the deepest layer of the program. Even when his flesh turned to dust and his hair to white, this command would remain deep within the program’s marrow, becoming a part of its very structure.
During the two months Diao Chan was in Antarctica, Zhao Meiyou made up his mind and began preparing for his retirement, transferring or destroying technologies of questionable safety. He even dug out some old movies he had liked in university, importing the lead actors' facial data into a model, constantly merging and fine-tuning them, trying to create a perfect face.
His memory drive from university had been shared by the three of them, and it still contained many of Diao Chan and Liu Qijue’s things. Late one night, Zhao Meiyou was writing an experimental report with the projector on, the wall a kaleidoscope of colors. He had originally been watching an old French film—a man and a woman smoking on a red floor. Zhao Meiyou knew the lines by heart and just used it as background noise.
However, halfway through, the light suddenly brightened. The screen changed, the hazy ambiguity replaced by a sharp, bright clarity. It seemed the channel had jumped, somehow pulling up an opera Liu Qijue had saved. A voice sang out melodiously: *"I too once attended the Qionglin Feast, I too once rode my horse before the Imperial steps."*
After just one line, the scene changed again, replaced by a woman in military attire singing on stage: *"Only now do I feel three parts of my youth have changed; in the blink of an eye, white hair has touched my temples."*
"Why did the channel change?" Zhao Meiyou looked up from his documents and offered a critique. "The face isn't bad. What do you think?"
No one answered.
"Qian Duoduo?" Zhao Meiyou put down his papers. "Where are you?"
Zhao Meiyou pulled back the curtains, squinting against an intensely bright light.
Instinctively, he felt something was wrong. Recently, the Ancient Capital’s researchers had been constantly sent away on assignments, and few people remained at the Institute. At night, the lights were usually sparse, but this daylight-bright illumination was something only seen years ago during the Ancient Capital’s peak. He used his terminal to contact the power plant. "Who opened the main power gate?"
By rights, as the Director of the Research Institute, only he had the authority to activate the energy gates.
Combining this with everything that had happened recently, a suspicion formed in Zhao Meiyou’s mind. Sure enough, the staff member on the other end of the line said, "...Director, the other party holds a higher authority..."
Higher than his authority as Director.
A second later, the lab door was pushed open. Zhao Meiyou put down his terminal and looked at the woman before him, offering a small smile.
"Madam Diao, it’s been a long time."
***
Enjoying the story? Rate this novel:
Thus Spoke the Buddha: The Quantum Circus | Chapter 35 | A Name for the Soul | Novela.app | Novela.app
