In 1900, telegraph technology was already highly advanced.
As the world's leading power, Britain had undersea cables stretching across the Atlantic and Indian Oceans, connecting it to many neighboring countries.
Information had long traveled thousands of miles in an instant, making communication between people remarkably convenient.
Starting on June 15, anyone looking down from high above London could have seen the paper Li Qiwei published on the front page of Nature racing outward in every direction, spreading across the world like a web.
In a detached house in central London, Lord Kelvin was carefully reading the paper on Quantum Mechanics.
Though his hair was white and his eyesight had nearly failed him, he still refused to ask his secretary for help.
He slowly traced each word with his finger. From time to time, a smile even appeared on his face; there was none of the furious embarrassment one might have expected.
Lord Kelvin pictured Li Qiwei, the young man who had once crossed swords with him. The young man had, indeed, kept his word.
He really had opened up a new future for physics. Quantum Mechanics was still in its infancy, but it was like a beacon, lighting the way for those who came after.
As one of the foremost physicists of his age, Lord Kelvin could find no reason to dispute the concept of the quantum.
At the same time, he knew all too well how dazzlingly brilliant Li Qiwei, the man who had proposed the theory, was.
To reject Newton's classical view of continuous space and time and claim that the world was discontinuous—it was almost beyond belief.
The sheer boldness required to propose such a theory was beyond the imagination of ordinary people.
So he had lost their wager, defeated by the very young man he had once mocked.
It was, he had to admit, a strange kind of irony.
Lord Kelvin murmured to himself, "Bruce Li, I wish I could go and apologize to you in person. But I'm old now. I can't even walk that far."
"I've come to believe that when a person grows old, what he appreciates most is whatever can take him back to his youth."
"And you, Bruce Li—your work has helped me find the purity I once had. Thank you."
"Perhaps I agreed to that wager back then because I saw a reflection of myself in you."
"When I was young, I was just like you—so passionately devoted to physics that I forgot to eat and sleep."
"I shouldn't judge someone based on their race. Physics belongs to all of humanity."
His secretary sat nearby, not daring to interrupt Lord Kelvin, and continued taking notes.
These records would one day become precious historical artifacts.
Lord Kelvin's voice grew softer and softer until, at last, he fell asleep with a smile.
The secretary had never seen the lord drift off so peacefully. That paper must have touched him deeply.
Inside the Cavendish Laboratory at Cambridge University.
Thomson and his student Wilson said nothing as they read the paper from beginning to end, three times over.
At last, Thomson broke the silence. "I thought I'd given Bruce Li enough credit."
"But I still underestimated him. It's hard to imagine an idea so brilliant."
"Wilson, I have a strong feeling that Quantum Mechanics is right."
"Perhaps it's the most powerful tool we have for explaining atomic structure."
Had Li Qiwei been there, he would have been impressed beyond words.
Thomson truly deserved his reputation as the great man who discovered the electron. His intuition was extraordinary.
Thirteen years later, in 1913, Thomson's academic grandson, Bohr, would use the concept of the quantum to successfully explain the Hydrogen Atom model and become a giant of Quantum Mechanics.
But right now, Bohr was only fifteen—a mere kid.
Wilson was overwhelmed with conflicting emotions as he listened to his mentor's theory.
Was the young man who used to come to the lab to help him after class already so far out of reach?
No wonder he could casually solve the problems that had been troubling him. He was a giant who had founded an entirely new theory.
Wilson cried out inwardly. Li Qiwei had left him utterly stunned.
From the rocket problem at the very beginning, to the proposal of the Cloud Chamber, and now Quantum Mechanics.
Wilson had watched Li Qiwei grow step by step, though perhaps a little too quickly.
"Professor, what kind of reaction do you think Bruce's quantum theory will provoke?"
Thomson replied, "I don't know. But at the very least, Lord Kelvin's second Cloud Problem has been thoroughly resolved."
"Besides, Quantum Mechanics has enormous potential for development. I'm sure it will lead to an explosion of discoveries."
"Wilson, you need to talk with Bruce more and take part in researching this new theory."
"Perhaps you can help Bruce find stronger evidence and shore up the theory's foundations."
"As things stand, Quantum Mechanics is only a hypothesis. It happens to be internally consistent, that's all."
Wilson said, "I understand, Professor. I'll pay close attention to quantum theory."
"Like you, my intuition tells me the theory is right. It just needs experimental proof."
"And experiments are exactly what I'm good at."
Thomson said, "Wilson, I'm very glad you think that way."
"Your talent may not match Bruce's or your senior student Rutherford's, but you're still my favorite student."
"Because I can see your love for physics and your perseverance. Those are rare and precious qualities."
"I hope you'll hold on to them."
Wilson said, "Thank you, Professor. Once Bruce finishes his exams, I'll bring him here and ask him properly why he didn't put your name on the paper."
"After all, he did his experiments at the Cavendish."
Thomson burst out laughing. "Perhaps because he and Professor Planck got along so well."
"But from now on, any work Bruce produces will belong to the laboratory."
"After all, he's about to become my doctoral student."
With that, the two teacher and student exchanged smiles.
Berlin University, Germany.
Professor Planck was surrounded by a crowd of students and faculty. Everyone was beside themselves, firing questions at him nonstop.
"Professor Planck, was the work in that Quantum Mechanics paper done by Bruce Li alone, or did you contribute a great deal as well?"
"Professor Planck, why did you agree to be the paper's Corresponding Author?"
"Is Bruce Li really from the Qing Dynasty? Is he really only twenty?"
"Professor, since you're Bruce Li's honorary mentor, will you invite him to give a lecture at Berlin University?"
Looking at the excited students and colleagues he usually got along with, Planck could only smile wryly.
The paper's impact was immense, enough to drive every student of physics wild.
Of course, he and Li Qiwei would face all sorts of challenges in the days ahead. Newtonian mechanics would not be overturned so easily.
But Planck believed that young man would find a way through it all. His intuition told him so.
So he calmed everyone down, explaining that Li Qiwei would soon be coming to Berlin University as a visiting scholar. Only then did the crowd disperse.
At the University of Munich in Germany, fifty-five-year-old physics professor Wilhelm Röntgen showered the paper on Quantum Mechanics with praise. After reading it, he let out a hearty laugh.
At the École Normale Supérieure de Jeunes Filles in Paris, France, thirty-three-year-old teacher Marie Curie grew intensely curious about Li Qiwei. She thought the concept of the quantum might explain the Radioactivity of the elements.
At McGill University in Canada, twenty-nine-year-old physics professor Ernest Rutherford's eyes flashed with excitement. He was preparing to leave for Britain at once and join the momentous era about to begin.
At ETH Zurich in Switzerland, Einstein's breathing quickened and his face lit up as he finished reading the paper. He wished he could fly straight to Li Qiwei's side.
Countless physicists who would later become famous were now utterly stunned by Li Qiwei's paper.
Everyone sensed that the world of physics was about to change!
At the same time, everyone wanted to know who Bruce Li—this Qing Dynasty man named Li Qiwei—really was!
Thanks to 天地行健, 仙人抚你顶, and 北纬31111 for the recommendation votes. The new book is still a little seedling, and Lao Xu is begging you to keep reading and send all kinds of votes. Thanks, my dear readers!
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