Ball Lightning(75)
“Compared to an object like a computer chip, a conscious being in a quantum state, particularly a human, behaves in a far more complicated manner. How they interact with us in the non-quantum-state world is an unanswered mystery, one that contains many logical and even philosophical traps. For example: maybe they have written, but how large is the probability that those letters would have a non-quantum state for you to read them? Also, is the real world in a quantum state for them? If it is, then they will have a very hard time finding this state of you in your probability cloud. For them, the road home is long and uncertain....?But that’s enough. These are things that can’t be figured out in a short amount of time. Get stuck down a blind alley and you’ll burn out. Take your time to think things over later.”
I said nothing. How could I stop thinking?
Ding Yi picked up a more than half-filled bottle of Red Star erguotou from the table, and poured us each a glass. “Come on. This might push those thoughts from your mind.”
With the fiery spirit burning in my blood, the chaos in my brain did clear out a little. I tried to think of other things instead.
“How’s Lin Yun doing? What’s she up to?” I asked.
“Still collecting chip-attacking macro-electrons. I’m not too sure about the details. Some unfortunate incidents came between us.”
“What happened?”
“I secretly installed a miniature video camera in her apartment.”
I waited.
“She found it and called me a pervert. If it had been any other man, she would have forgiven me, but on the surface I look like someone who’s never had an interest in women. And that is indeed the case: my mind is fully occupied by abstract theory, and naturally I’m obtuse when it comes to these irrational matters. The camera didn’t even capture anything, anyway. It recorded, and then erased the recording. I explained this repeatedly, but she wouldn’t listen.”
“You were trying to install an...?observer? Are you worried about the terrorists?”
“Particularly that teacher. She’s got to hate Lin Yun’s guts.”
“Can people in a quantum state attack people who aren’t?”
“I don’t know. From a logical standpoint, there’s too much that’s unclear. But it’s better to be safe than sorry.”
“Didn’t you explain your motivation to her?”
“I did. But she said I was bullshitting. With the quantum effect on a macro level, the world has become strange and uncanny, and it’s hard for ordinary people to believe. I couldn’t offer much by way of explanation, and before further research is in, I don’t want to sow confusion on base.”
“My mind is already confused to the extreme,” I said, dropping to the bed in a daze.
“You should find something to do.”
Part 3
Tornadoes
I soon found the thing I needed to do. It was the kind of research I’d spoken of to Gao Bo, which would save and benefit lives, but could not be put to military uses: predicting tornadoes. Witnessing a tornado from the small island with Jiang Xingchen the past summer had left a deep impression on me. The optical system for detecting macro-electron bubbles clearly displayed atmospheric disturbances on the screen as it operated, which had given me the idea that it might provide a key breakthrough in tornado forecasting. Modern atmospherics had a thorough understanding of the aerodynamic mechanisms giving rise to tornadoes. By building an improved mathematical model of the process of tornado formation and linking it to the atmospheric disturbances observed by the bubble detection system, we would be able to identify the ones that might develop into tornadoes, and thus be able to predict them.
Gao Bo solved the biggest obstacle to the project: transferring technology behind the bubble optical detection system over for civilian use. When he contacted the military, he discovered that it was easier than he had imagined: since the system had no direct connection to ball lightning, the military readily agreed to the technology transfer.
When Gao Bo returned from GAD, he had me set up direct connections with the two units working on the development of the bubble detection system: namely, the software and hardware researchers, both of which were non-military and had no more ties with the base. I asked Gao Bo about conditions at the base, and he said he only spoke with the GAD project management department, and had not interacted with the base at all. He had heard that secrecy had been tightened substantially, and that practically all contact with the outside world had been cut off. This was understandable, in light of the present global situation, but I still found myself worrying about my old colleagues from time to time.
My research made swift progress. Since the precision required for detecting atmospheric disturbances was far less than what was necessary to detect bubbles, the optical detection system could be used in its present state, and its detection range correspondingly increased by an order of magnitude. What I needed to do was to use an appropriate mathematical model to analyze existing images of atmospheric disturbances, and recognize which ones might give rise to tornadoes. (Later, specialists in the field would call such disturbances “eggs.”) In my early days doing ball lightning research, I had put an enormous amount of energy into mathematical modeling. It was a road I had no desire to look back upon, but at least it seemed like it wasn’t a total waste of time. I had the skills to construct models in fluid and gas dynamics, skills that were immensely useful in my present research, allowing the software portion of the tornado detection system to be completed quite quickly.