Chapter 23: Reading the Thesis

Two emergency deployments in one night—something that hadn't happened since Facility 151 was built and commissioned. Before Old Man Ji left, he instructed Shang Lu and Bai Shu to keep an eye on things. The two could only nod, not entirely sure what they were supposed to be watching. The workers in the hangar were seasoned experts; once they were in position, they operated clamps, cranes, and heavy mobile platforms to dismantle the giant machine. Like a fallen titan of death, Crimson Lotus lay flat on the hangar floor, swarmed by a colony of ants that broke it down into irregular limbs and massive components before setting to work on replacements.

The hip, knee, and ankle joints were the most vulnerable parts, requiring replacement after every mission. The old ones were removed for inspection; these three-degree-of-freedom joints had to withstand thousands of tons of weight while stationary. If the pilot happened to go a bit berserk, the acceleration would add several more Gs to that load. They were the most punishing and harsh mechanical structures in the world, and even with their best efforts, engineers could only guarantee a service life of 120 minutes.

If all limiters were removed and the machine was pushed to its absolute limits beyond the flight envelope, their lifespan would be no more than seven minutes.

Shang Lu, wearing his signature white hard hat, patrolled the hangar with Bai Shu following behind in a red one.

Bai Shu remarked that Shang Lu had to be someone special, as he possessed the only white hat in the entire 110 Hangar system.

"Really, don't disbelieve me," the young girl hummed. "You can ask the other offices; they all wear red hard hats. Only yours is white."

"It's just a hat," Shang Lu replied dismissively. "If you want it, I can trade with you."

"I couldn't possibly handle that," Bai Shu said, waving her hands. "You know, back in the Ming Dynasty, when the Prince of Yan, Zhu Di, met the monk Yao Guangxiao, Yao Guangxiao told him, 'Your Highness, I can present you with a white hat,' and that changed the course of Chinese history..."

Shang Lu rolled his eyes.

"Humanity is on the verge of extinction, and you're talking to me about Ming Dynasty history?"

"My judgment of people is always accurate, really." Seeing he didn't believe her, Bai Shu hopped over in front of him and stopped him with a push. "You are an unusual person. A woman's intuition tells me that you are... well... unfathomable."

Shang Lu pursed his lips, his cheeks puffing out.

"What are you doing?" Bai Shu asked, hands on her hips.

"I'm holding back laughter," Shang Lu said. "Thanks for thinking so highly of me."

"You're making me lose face," Bai Shu said, deflated. She pouted and tapped her own hard hat with her fist. "But I still believe you must have something unique about you, something you just don't want to show. Perhaps, in the grand scheme of things, you bear a distinct responsibility and mission. Human history changed its course from the day you arrived at 151. You are the only one."

"They are the 'only ones'," Shang Lu said, leaning against the railing of the workstation, his gaze fixed on the deep red giant machine below. "Every giant mech pilot is someone who holds the fate of humanity in their hands. Every decision they make concerns the life or death of hundreds of millions. I can't even imagine such a responsibility. Compared to them, I'm nothing at all. I just came here to drift through life..."

"You are the grandfather of Crimson Lotus," Bai Shu said.

"So what if I'm the grandfather?"

"You have the highest seniority in the entire base. If you round it up, you're the grandfather of the Crimson Lotus pilot," Bai Shu said. "You have to be responsible for them."

Shang Lu was stunned. "Aren't there any other grandfathers in the hangar? Second grandfathers, third grandfathers? They should be responsible too; it can't just be me."

"There are no other grandfathers," Bai Shu said. "You are the only grandfather."

Shang Lu suddenly felt like he was a person of importance again. At the same time, he lamented how chaotic the seniority system truly was.

***

Descending the stairs from one workstation level to the next—from the tenth floor to the ninth, then to the eighth—the entire hangar looked like a massive construction site from above. Workers had already dismantled the major modules of Crimson Lotus for inspection. Cables as thick as an adult's arm lay across the floor, while small, bright yellow carts crawled along sluggishly. Only from this angle could one truly grasp the complexity of the giant machine. Stripped of its smooth red armor, the dizzying construction underneath was revealed: thick alloy frames, dense cables, hydraulic pipes, heat sinks, and sensors, all resembling its bones, muscles, and blood vessels. Crimson Lotus looked like an alien life form being dissected, its skin cut away to reveal an incomprehensible biological structure.

Crimson Lotus was undoubtedly the most brilliant jewel in the history of human technology—a culmination of mechanical design, materials science, nuclear engineering, microelectronics, semiconductors, neuroscience, and even mathematics and theoretical physics. If not for the descent of the angels, it would be hard to imagine that humanity would one day concentrate all its wisdom so densely into one place to create a powerful god.

It possessed the infinite power to move mountains, yet it also had the most sensitive senses and the smartest brain in the world.

As Shang Lu walked down, holding the railing, he remarked, "Shen Jiang's brain has some issues."

Bai Shu didn't catch what he said. "What?"

Shang Lu tapped his own head with a finger. "Shen Jiang, the pilot of Crimson Lotus. Her brain has some issues."

"Yes," Bai Shu nodded. "Strictly speaking, all giant mech pilots have problems with their brains, to one degree or another. It's a side effect of the BCI system."

"Do you know what her problem is?"

"What is it?" Bai Shu asked, curious.

"Prosopagnosia, or facial blindness. In layman's terms, severe face blindness," Shang Lu said. "I think she can't distinguish people by their faces at all. She has always identified people by their clothing. That's why she knows so few people in the hangar. When I'm not wearing my hard hat, she doesn't recognize me, but when I have it on, she knows who I am. She's actually identifying me by my hat."

"You can tell that just from that?" Bai Shu was startled. "Did you ask the medical team?"

"I don't need to ask the medical team," Shang Lu turned and gave a slight smile. "Did you forget? Neural interface control systems are my specialty."

"That's incredible!" Bai Shu was taken aback.

"The invasive electrodes of the BCI system go deep into the posterior parietal cortex of the brain, while human facial recognition relies on the fusiform gyrus of the temporal lobe and the occipital face area. It's not surprising that the operation of the BCI system affects these areas, but in Shen Jiang's case, it's particularly severe. The BCI has almost destroyed her ability to recognize other people's faces," Shang Lu said seriously. "She must rarely tell others about this; she has always relied on remembering people's outfits to pretend to be a normal person."

"But how can she remember that? Everyone in the hangar wears basically the same thing."

"That's why she acts so cold," Shang Lu said, "and rarely faces people."

"Poor sister," Bai Shu said, suddenly full of sympathy.

"The BCI system currently used by Crimson Lotus isn't mature. In fact, none of the implantable BCI systems we use now are mature. From the very beginning, it was an imperfect system, just cobbled together for an emergency. The damage it causes to the human body is still too great," Shang Lu sighed. "We can't control the side effects."

"Heh, that's why our Engineering Department is working hard to update the algorithms!" Bai Shu chuckled. "Shang Lu, you could continue to improve the BCI system and save the giant mech pilots from their suffering!"

For some reason, Bai Shu suddenly felt that the young man in front of her looked thin and frail, flickering like a candlelight, as if he were about to collapse. It made her want to reach out and grab him.

But immediately, Shang Lu returned to normal. He continued down the stairs and said softly:

"I don't have that ability."

Bai Shu stood there, dazed for two seconds. For a moment, she had keenly grasped that feeling—the reason she was so certain Shang Lu was different from most people. He stood there alone, not like a young person who had just arrived and was confused, but more like a defeated soldier struggling against fate.

He was clearly so young, yet there seemed to be an irrepressible weariness deep in his bones.

"What do you think they're doing right now?" Shang Lu asked, looking back. "What is she doing?"

Bai Shu thought for a moment. "Having a meeting."

"It's not just a meeting," Shang Lu said. "She's also having a nosebleed."