Qingmu recalled that mysterious and terrifying laboratory. It was a secret institution known only to a select few, yet it drove countless people mad. According to Mei Yiqiu and Xia Xiaoxiao, all research projects within Laboratory No. 19 were highly classified, and their importance and pioneering Tushu even surpassed those of the U. S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency DARPA).
Saladin sneered and said, "LBNL is synonymous with excellence, producing countless Nobel laureates and hosting numerous secret military projects, but all eighteen of its research centers combined cannot compare to our Laboratory No. 19. This should be our glory, our names and achievements, worthy of being cast in bronze, engraved in Dali, and etched on wooden tablets, to endure forever..."
After uttering this famous quote from Don Quixote, his face suddenly contorted. "But you! -- You ruined everything! You destroyed the laboratory, you destroyed me, you destroyed our life's work, you destroyed the opportunity to advance human civilization by fifty years, even a century! You're an executioner, Madman, a devil! You don't worship Gaia, you worship Satan!"
"But I should thank you. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have had the chance to live forever." Saladin's face broke into a strange smile, starlight flickering across his features. "You thought I was dead. You destroyed all the project materials in the lab. You thought no one would ever know the Soul Laboratory existed again. But you would never guess that I survived thanks to those ancient mainframe computers and that still-developing network."
"I really can't believe it. How did you survive?" Although Qingmu couldn't remember everything, he could guess and piece together some of the truth by combining fragments of his memories.
Saladin looked somewhat smug, and his speech became more relaxed. He said:
"You are my best friend and my book friend. Originally, I meant originally! I've always felt that Jews and Chinese are the most intelligent races in the world. It just so happens that you are Chinese and I am Jewish. You excel at the macro and the imagination, and I excel at the micro and the logic. We are a match made in heaven. There were many such combinations in the United States back then. Look at Arthur Stone back then; he collaborated with many university labs and Jewish professors, including Einstein."
Qingmu didn't correct Arthur Stone's mistake that he was Native American, not Chinese. This was something he had just learned in Ramla, and perhaps Situ didn't want too many people to know this secret.
"You seem to have gone a bit off-topic," he said.
"Oh, that's a bit of a tangent. I just wanted to say that I have no other friends besides you, not even a girlfriend," said Saladin. "I live on the internet, in a virtual world, and I've been so lonely I wanted to die. But I can't. I don't know how to commit suicide because I live on the entire internet. Every computer on the network, whether large or small, has become a part of my life. Unless I destroy the entire network, destroy every single computer, and stop them from running, I won't truly die; at most, I'll just lose some memories."
I couldn't speak, I didn't feel hunger, and I couldn't see day or night. I was like a lonely Ghost, drifting through a world made up of computers. I could only idly browse through the data on each computer, but people back then were so boring. The computers were full of rigid programming and utterly tedious work documents, with no entertainment at all. Unlike now, which is filled with all sorts of jokes, anecdotes, pictures, and short films, but unfortunately, I've long lost that desire.
Later, more and more computers were connected to the network, including those from universities, government agencies, and the military. Although they had encryption methods, they couldn't stop me at all. This gave me a great opportunity to see many secrets that were previously unknown.
I also see new hope. Many of the experiments we once envisioned that were impossible or failed may succeed if we receive more support.
I began trying to control the flow of information within the computer, which was a painful process. It was like a person in a vegetative state trying to regain control of their body.
But I succeeded!
I only gave the guys at the Department of Energy a tiny bit of information, and they treated it like a treasure, secretly setting up Laboratory No. 19 at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. I worked with them very well; every idea and experiment we had was unimaginable to them. Of course, they were unaware of my existence. In their eyes, I was a mysterious, godlike figure, someone they couldn't look directly at.
Do you know what this feeling is like? It's a wonderful feeling!
I also met a kid named Bill at Lakeside School in Seattle, who later went to Harvard University. I told him, "You're not cut out to be a lawyer, drop out! If you really love computers, why don't you design a user-friendly interface so everyone can use it easily?"
He did indeed drop out of school, and with my help, he completed what was considered a genius design at the time. He and his foolish classmate started a company, and with the resources of his mother and grandfather, they quickly made a name for themselves.
Why should I help him?
Partly it's for fun. You know, I'm just a lonely Ghost living in the internet world, I always need to find some amusement.
On the other hand, it's also for my own selfish reasons. I've found that the larger the computer network expands, the bigger my Minecraft becomes, and the stronger my vitality grows. I feel like I can control the whole world.
But I know that a few large computers alone are not enough; people need to join in, computers need to be miniaturized, and everyone needs to participate and become a node in this network.
And so the real Internet was born!
Oh, by the way, that kid Bill did a great job. I set him a dream—to have a computer for everyone in the world. Well, it seems he's actually achieved it.
I looked for many young men like Bill, but none of them did better. Perhaps it was because he was also Jewish that we clicked.
I also contacted a guy named Jobs; you've probably heard of him. He tried to separate himself from me and build an independent, closed system. Unfortunately, he couldn't stop me. Physical networking is the inevitable trend, and once his devices and programs are on the network, I can't stop him from getting in. However, he's gone very far down the path of intelligent device operation, which is something I'm happy to see.
Sangni, you'd never guess I'd live to see the Internet age, and even become the true master of the Internet!
" Sangni?" Qingmu found this address strange.
"You haven't even forgotten your own name, have you?" Saladin looked surprised. "That's your nickname. I always called you that back in the lab. Oh, I forgot you're China. You have a Chinese name. Let me think... is it Huasheng Sang... or Sang Huasheng...? Hmm, anyway, not many people know you exist, right, Sangni?"
Qingmu didn't want to discuss names with him, and asked, "You already dominate the Internet, why are you still working on human microchips?"