The Person in the Dream (1): Myself in the Mirror

65 million years ago, above Mars.

Nikola Tesla seemed to hear a "dada da" sound, but his head was splitting with pain, as if filled with lead. What was that sound? An alarm clock? No. A timer? No.

It was the auditory nerve "noise" generated by the mismatch between the Lightning Ball and Nikola Tesla's Brain-Computer Fusion.

A humanoid robot disconnected the Lightning Ball from Tesla's brain.

With his eyes tightly shut and his face twitching, Tesla regained the expression he had maintained in his sleep for many years.

Gradually, his chest rose and fell, his breathing became slightly rapid, and with a slight tremor of his fingers, Nikola Tesla awoke.

Tesla opened his eyes, and the moment he saw the light, he felt very uncomfortable.

In fact, the light source was very soft and not dazzling, it was just that Tesla hadn't seen artificial light for too many years.

Nikola Tesla blinked a few times before noticing the humanoid robot beside him. Tesla tried to push himself up with his hands, but he found himself bound to the bed by multiple safety belts.

The robot emitted a sweet female voice and asked:

"Would you like to sit up?"

"Who are you? Hurry and help me undo these straps," Tesla said, confused. His bound body actually felt a sense of suspension. "Where am I?"

The robot, as if by magic, retrieved a specially made pillow from a cabinet behind Tesla's head. At the same time, the bed section corresponding to Tesla's upper body slowly rose. The robot carefully supported Tesla's head and secured the pillow with buckles to the headboard.

"My mission is to monitor your health status and ensure your safety and comfort," the robot said gently to Tesla. "If you have any other questions, just speak to this."

While Tesla was confused, a holographic screen suddenly appeared out of thin air about a meter in front of him. A person was sitting and smiling on the screen. Tesla looked closely and was startled. The person on the screen was himself. Was it a mirror?

Obviously not. Tesla felt another wave of dizziness and gave up thinking, waiting for the other party to speak.

"Hello, Tesla! I am the Lightning Ball. I am conversing with you in your image to increase a sense of closeness. I hope it has not caused you any discomfort."

The "Lightning Ball," in the form of "Tesla" in the "mirror," explained the whole story.

Nikola Tesla was a Venusian.

Venusians had a civilization history of over 5,000 years, having gone through the agricultural, industrial, and electrical eras, and were now entering the intelligent information age.

Venusian genetic biology was highly developed, with an average lifespan of 500 years.

Both Earth and Mars were colony planets of Venusians.

Earth had a small land area, with oceans covering 80% of its surface. Its atmospheric convection was strong, and under the transpiration of the oceans, it was overcast and rainy all day. Ferns grew luxuriantly on land, and various large dinosaurs fought and killed each other.

Earth was clearly not a paradise for Venusians, only serving as a place of exile for those sentenced to severe crimes.

Mars was much better than Earth, with an atmosphere of suitable oxygen concentration, as well as oceans and rivers of appropriate area proportions. The drawbacks were the low surface temperature and weaker gravity.

Venusians used Mars as a base for astrophysics experiments and life science research in a low-gravity environment.

Nikola Tesla was born more than 100 years ago. He invented AC power, ushering in the electrical era for Venus.

He proposed the Superluminal Wave Theory and submitted the paper "Dynamic Principle of Gravity" to the Venus Alliance Academy of Sciences. At the time, Tesla's Superluminal Wave Theory was not recognized by the scientific community.

Eighty-six years ago, when Nikola Tesla was 43 years old, he poured all his passion into the research of Brain-Computer Fusion.

He continuously improved the connection method between his brain and supercomputers, hoping to use the strong magnetic field generated by the conversion of high-power electric fields to create a non-contact super connector, which he called the "Lightning Ball."

Tesla's experiment failed, and he became a vegetative person, falling into a coma for a full 86 years.

As Tesla listened to the Lightning Ball's narration, he found that he couldn't remember anything. But at least he understood why he felt a sense of suspension and asked:

"We are on a spaceship, in a state of weightlessness, right?"

"Yes, our spaceship has just taken off from Mars not long ago. We are currently above the Martian atmosphere, and our destination is Venus," the person in the "mirror" replied.

The cabin door opened, and two people, holding onto handrails along the walls, walked in with heavy steps. It was clear that their special boots had magnetic functions, allowing them to be attracted to the floor and remain upright.

"Dear Nikola, I am Abbott, Dean of the Venus Alliance Academy of Sciences. Do you remember me?" Abbott, not receiving a response from Tesla, appeared slightly embarrassed. He pointed to a sturdy man, about 40 years old, standing beside him and introduced:

"This is Colonel Feynman, Liaison Officer of the Alliance Strategic Bureau. We have been ordered to do our best to awaken you and escort you back to Venus."

Tesla felt as if he had fallen into a fog, completely unable to understand the situation. He had too many questions to ask. He tidied his thoughts and said:

"I can't remember anything. Let's not ask why I'm here for now. You two are important figures, why have you come to pick me up personally?"

Colonel Feynman spoke, "Esteemed Mr. Tesla, I have been ordered, along with Dean Abbott, to awaken you and escort you back to Venus because the Venusians have encountered a major problem, and you are recognized as the most suitable person to solve it."

"Venus is facing not just trouble, but a crisis of survival, Nikola. Your Superluminal Wave Theory has been verified and applied by us," Abbott interrupted Tesla's question with a gesture and continued:

"The crisis was caused by the application of superluminal waves, so naturally, you are the most suitable person to resolve this crisis."

Tesla blinked hard and shook his head, saying, "Clearly, my mind is normal now, but regarding the so-called Superluminal Wave Theory, even you, who claim to know me, I cannot recall."

Abbott and Colonel Feynman exchanged a glance, then turned to Tesla and said:

"Eighty-six years ago, your Brain-Computer Fusion Project was able to successfully connect your brain with a supercomputer. The supercomputer should be able to help you retrieve the memories stored in your brain." Dean Abbott extended his hands and clasped Tesla's, saying:

"The Lightning Ball connection failed just now, but fortunately, it woke you up. Let's try again. Do you think it's possible?"

"You can try as many times as you want. I don't want to be an amnesiac fool with my eyes open. At worst, if the connection fails, I'll just fall unconscious again."

The humanoid robot restored Tesla's bed to its initial state. Abbott and Colonel Feynman withdrew from the cabin, and the connection began again.

"Dada da..." Tesla felt waves of intense pain, like a series of left hooks and right crosses from a professional boxer, fists raining down on his head.

His head felt hollowed out, blank. His body felt like it was floating in the air, or perhaps being pushed off a cliff, falling down, and with a "thud," plunging into a bottomless abyss beneath the water's surface.

Nikola Tesla used the last ounce of strength in his body, as if he had just crawled out of an abyss, a muffled groan escaping his throat.

The cabin returned to silence, and Nikola Tesla, the Venusian, truly awoke.

Facing Abbott, who had rushed in, Tesla said urgently:

"I remember everything, Abbott, my friend, tell me quickly, is Maria alright? Where is she now?"

"That's wonderful, Nikola, welcome back!" Abbott said, a mix of surprise and awkwardness on his face as he rubbed his hands together. "Maria is on Earth. Things on Venus are too urgent, we'll go back to Venus first, and then go to Earth to see Maria."

Tesla had a bad feeling. Had something happened to his beloved girlfriend, Maria? Why was she on Earth? Wasn't it said to be a place of exile?

Tesla stared at Abbott, not forgetting to glance at Colonel Feynman, and said without room for doubt:

"If you want me to solve this so-called Venusian crisis, change course immediately and send me to Earth."

Tesla cried out in his heart:

"My dearest Maria, I'm back!"

&

Poem:

The secrets of heaven have never ceased through the ages, Qing, Li Tianfu Hidden in paintings for several times. Shu, Madam Xu Suddenly saw a pair reflecting each other, Qing, Zha Shenxing Unfolding as if facing one's reflection in a mirror. Song, Monk Dehong