Searching for Him in a Thousand Crowds

Liu Yuewang had never thought about this question. Like most people, Liu Yuewang habitually felt that it was better to avoid trouble.

"That's true. I was terrified even as an adult. What if I scared the kids? There's an elementary school nearby." Hearing Liu Chang'an say this, Liu Yuewang thought it made sense.

Liu Chang'an glanced at Liu Yuewang.

"Actually, the key is that it's so realistic, so lifelike."

"Indeed." Liu Yuewang in agreement. She glanced at the head, and it was even grinning—it was terrifying.

"The skin is just like the real thing, smooth and delicate, even the lip lines are very fine and natural."

Liu Yuewang glanced at the skin on her arm, then decided that it wasn't the most delicate skin on her body and didn't care. She was confident enough; no matter how well a robot's skin was made, it couldn't compare to a real person's. Even if it was smooth and delicate, it still wouldn't have the texture of real skin.

"It feels to me like they made a clone's shell and filled it with robotic materials, such as an electronic brain, a nutrient solution system, a mechanical exoskeleton, and things like that."

"You... what do you mean?" Liu Yuewang was startled. "You mean it was made by taking a real person and removing their internal organs?"

Liu Chang'an smiled.

Liu Yuewang realized what was happening and rolled her eyes at Liu Chang'an. This guy was actually trying to scare her.

"Actually, to really achieve that, it would require a leap forward in human industrial civilization as a whole, involving groundbreaking technological developments in many professional fields. The idea of taking out a real person's brain and internal organs, filling them with electronic devices, and turning them into a robot is still in the realm of horror science fiction." Liu Chang'an was just saying it casually, taking advantage of Professor Liu's expertise in the humanities.

"If they really had that technology, they could probably make an exact replica. Why use a clone as a shell? That's terrifying." Liu Yuewang shook her head. This was indeed a setting from a horror story. Even if it were a clone, it would look like a normal person, not a chicken, duck, or fish, giving the impression of being of the same species. "Who would do something like that?"

"Of course, some people would do it." Liu Chang'an was quite certain of this. "The only thing that limits humanity is the level of science and technology, not things like ethics, morality, or human nature."

Liu Yuewang sighed softly. Although she asked in return, "Who would do such a thing?" she still had a clear understanding of Liu Chang'an's statement. A man in his thirties living a simple and kind life does not necessarily mean he is unaware of the dark side of humanity.

Liu Chang'an's words reminded Liu Yuewang of some past events.

Although I had initially considered giving up on the truth and no longer caring whether he was that "uncle".

But I still think it wouldn't be strange if he really was that "uncle," since he believed that the only limitation for humanity was the level of science and technology.

If he really is that "uncle" who played a trick on his girlfriend's mother, he really has the heart to do that!

Disregarding ethics, lacking morality, and devoid of humanity.

Liu Yuewang took a few deep breaths and told herself not to dwell on those things anymore.

"Speaking of the development of science and technology, I've been working on a project recently and found that until the late 17th century, the technological levels of China and the West... especially in military technology, were actually on par." Liu Yuewang dusted off her skirt, then realized that the hem of her skirt had been wrinkled from sitting, revealing the curves of her rounded thighs. She was wearing thin black leggings, which weren't see-through, but she still felt it was a bit inappropriate, so she quickly stood up and straightened her skirt.

Her eyes darted around, and out of the corner of her eye, she glanced at Liu Chang'an, who was focused on driving. She thought of An Nuan, that jealous woman. If she were here now, she would probably complain that Liu Yuewang wasn't paying attention. Actually, her boyfriend was trustworthy... Liu Yuewang never noticed that Liu Chang'an was secretly looking at her or giving her a lewd look.

Liu Yuewang made a decision: she wouldn't hold it against him, but that wouldn't stop her from naturally chatting with him about certain more professional topics at times. It's actually very difficult to change a person's chatting habits... such as his inclination towards certain topics, his habits of telling details and controlling the pace of the conversation, and so on.

Talk to him more, maybe he'll slip up... She didn't want to investigate anything, she just wanted to be aware of things.

"Yes, we often say that the Song Dynasty was weak, but in reality, if we only talk about military technology, it made a strong breakthrough during the Song Dynasty, thus laying the foundation for its military technology not to lag behind the West until the 17th century. This is even under the premise that the Song Dynasty suppressed military officers, which brought many negative impacts to the development of military technology." Liu Chang'an sighed regretfully. When talking about the Song Dynasty, he still remembered Kaifeng at that time. The nights were brightly lit, bustling with people. The theaters, brothels, restaurants, and teahouses were filled with music and singing that often lasted all night long, which was no less than the city nightlife of today.

For example, the bustling atmosphere of the Eastern Capital Horse Market Street Night Market at that time far surpassed any bar street in Junsha today, or was no less than the most prosperous night market.

"The Song Dynasty is a complex and difficult dynasty to describe, but the significant breakthroughs in military technology you mentioned, I believe, were developed on the foundation of the Song Dynasty prosperous economy. This strong economy, even under conditions unfavorable to the development of military technology, still led to breakthroughs... This sufficiently demonstrates that the foundation of economic development determines the speed and level of military technological development." Liu Yuewang paid close attention to the details of Liu Chang'an's conversation while earnestly discussing the topic with him, because Liu Chang'an indeed possessed such insight, capable of providing inspiration and assistance to her research. "For example, our country's current military development, while described as rapid expansion, is actually still catching up. But without economic development as a foundation, it's impossible to even begin, or rather, the pace would be too slow, making it impossible to catch up."

"You're right... It wasn't the emperor or the civil service system in the Song Dynasty that actively promoted the development of military technology; it was simply a benefit brought about by the incredibly strong economy at the time." Liu Chang'an glanced at Liu Yuewang and found her looking at him with a serious yet thoughtful gaze. Was she testing him or scrutinizing him? Liu Chang'an didn't deliberately interrupt the conversation and continued, "The * Notes from Iron Encirclement Mountain * records that at that time, the Horse Market Street night market in Eastern Capital (Horse Market Street) was free of mosquitoes and gnats, except for the entire capital. Horse Market Street was the most bustling night market and restaurant area in the capital. Mosquitoes and gnats dislike oil, but Mahang Street was noisy with people and brightly lit. Every day at the fourth watch, when the drums stopped, the mosquitoes and gnats were completely eliminated."

It means that the night market on Horse Market Street is so crowded that mosquitoes are flying around and are accidentally eaten up by people's breaths.

"Whenever I think of the Song Dynasty, I think of Xin Qiji's 'Green Jade Table - Lantern Festival': ' The Dongfeng wind releases a thousand trees of flowers at night. It blows down stars like rain. Fragrant carriages and jeweled horses fill the road. The sound of phoenix flutes stirs, the jade pot shines, and fish and dragons dance all night. Moths, willow branches, and golden threads adorn the scene. Laughter and sweet fragrance linger. I searched for him a thousand times in the crowd. Suddenly turning around, I found him where the lights were dim.' Reciting this poem, Liu Yuewang's gaze shifted from her slender, white fingers to Liu Chang'an's profile. At that moment, she had a vague, almost certain intuition: 'Searched for him a thousand times in the crowd?' Liu Yuewang remained calm and said lightly, 'This poem is very popular with modern people because it captures all the beautiful feelings modern people have about ancient times, as if those eras should have been so elegant and sentimental.'"

"I've been carefully planting flowers, but they haven't bloomed..." Liu Chang'an stopped himself in time. He really just had that feeling. He smiled and thanked him, "I haven't been able to decide on a theme for the dress I should design for An Nuan all day. But the poem you suddenly recited gave me some inspiration. It's perfect."

"But it's still early before the Lantern Festival!" Liu Yuewang was taken aback.

"It doesn't matter. I'll save her for the Lantern Festival. She'll be wearing this dress, waiting for me in the dim light." Liu Chang'an said dismissively.

"But this poem isn't just about the festivities of the Lantern Festival! Your interpretation is too casual; it's not a poem suitable for a skirt," Liu Yuewang couldn't help but continue to complain.

"Xin Qiji certainly had a background to writing this poem, but once a work is written, there are all sorts of interpretations. How can we be so rigid in our understanding? Such a rigid and demanding interpretation of the poem's original meaning is a misreading of the art of poetry." Liu Chang'an shook his head, disagreeing with Liu Yuewang's viewpoint.

"The most important point is, regardless of your interpretation of the poem's literal meaning, there's one thing you absolutely must pay attention to. In Xin Qiji's poem, the person who doesn't follow the crowd and enjoy this prosperity, standing in a solitary and calm place, actually refers to himself. He's dissatisfied with the court's complacency in this corner of the world, yet it puts on a facade of peace and prosperity. This person in the dimly lit place is actually a projection of Xin Qiji himself. By using this as a theme, are you implying that your love is only superficially sweet, and that you are still lonely inside?" Liu Yuewang said indignantly.

Liu Chang'an was somewhat surprised and said incredulously, "Could you research whether the 'he' in 'searching for him in the crowd' is male or female, and perhaps even bring up the issue of women's rights? Why don't you also talk about Wang Guowei's three levels of understanding of this poem, and then say that this poem describes the three levels of scholarship, reminding us to study it carefully?"

"Well... no... it doesn't make any sense at all." Liu Yuewang lightly, realizing she was getting stuck on this, but ultimately found her daughter and son-in-law's frequent displays of affection rather annoying. She pointed ahead, "That car has been circling the North Campus area several times. What's it doing?"

"They've realized we're following them, don't want to reveal their destination, or are simply seeking instructions and waiting for further directions."

"Then what do we do?" Liu Yuewang was a little confused. What exactly did Liu Chang'an want to do? This situation was a bit like a movie, where the good guys were chasing the bad guys.

"I'll take you home first." Liu Chang'an's phone rang; it was An Nuan checking up on him. He showed Liu Yuewang An Nuan's name on the screen.

"Don't answer, it's so annoying." Liu Yuewang was afraid that if she answered the phone, An Nuan would talk nonsense again, so she decided to avoid seeing her and getting annoyed.

Liu Chang'an dropped Liu Yuewang off at the entrance of the Juyuan residential area and got out of the car. He didn't drive in; instead, he walked straight ahead.

This place isn't far from Su Nanxiu's glass house. Liu Chang'an had noticed earlier that the van was circling around several streets near the North Campus, and the center of its circling path was actually Su Nanxiu's glass house.

Liu Chang'an walked straight over at a moderate pace. He had assumed the van had already completed its mission and delivered the robot to the glass house, but as he approached, he saw the underground parking lot on the side of the glass house open, and the van was slowly sinking.

It seems that this glass house is not only Su Nanxiu's living and studying place at Xiangnan University, but may also serve a similar function as a base.

Liu Chang'an recalled the Tesla Biological Research Institute base that had disappeared at the foot of Mount Lu Mountain. At the time, he and Qin Yanan had also speculated that the base should be underground, but they just hadn't found the entrance.

As the van that was supposed to be carrying the headless robot sank into the ground, Liu Chang'an looked up and saw a girl who looked exactly like the robot standing on the ground looking at Liu Chang'an.

Is it a human, or another robot?

Liu Chang'an walked over, and the girl turned around and went into the glass house.

Liu Chang'an didn't care whether it was a trap or not. After approaching the glass house, he saw a sensor door where the girl had turned and walked in. Looking through the door, he could no longer see the girl.

If this girl is also a robot, then how many robot girls look exactly alike? Robots of this level are truly rare. Of all the humanoid robots that have appeared in the world so far, none have been publicly revealed to be of this level.

Liu Chang'an had previously told Liu Yuewang that it was impossible for humanity's current technological and industrial level to truly achieve the integration of cloned humans, artificially cultivated human torsos, 3D-printed human organs, and other systems into the field of robotics, combining biological tissues with electronic devices.

In fact, even with the robot now being built to this level, Liu Chang'an recalled the translucent liquid covering the severed neck of that robot... If this liquid served to create a liquid environment within the robot, or even functioned similarly to human tissue fluid, it would seem utterly unbelievable.

Liu Chang'an approached, the automatic door opened, and Liu Chang'an went inside.

This was a long corridor. Liu Chang'an looked around but didn't see the figure of the "girl" from before. He walked on casually, but then he heard a series of voices.

A group of young men and women were gathered together, their faces beaming with enthusiasm, discussing something while two robots were performing a fighting match in front of them.

These robots look much more normal; they have wheels, exposed wiring and electronic components, and resemble two toy cars.

"I didn't expect our school to achieve such good results in the field of robotics. I heard that the team from our School of Electrical and Information Engineering won first prize in the 1v1 combat competition at the World Robot Competition this summer?"

A soft voice rang out, carrying a hint of surprised joy, instantly giving the listener a great sense of accomplishment.

Liu Chang'an hadn't officially met her yet, but upon hearing her voice and seeing the delicate-looking girl who walked up to the crowd, Liu Chang'an knew who she was.