The RV was driving on the first highway in Mongolia. From time to time, it was bumped up by small potholes in the road and landed heavily. The suspension made an overwhelmed creaking sound. This highway connects Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia, and the border port of China. The national highway in Erenhot is one of the best quality express roads in Mongolia. However, the two-way six-lane highway that lacks maintenance is bumpy and bumpy due to heavy trucks. The manhole cover actually protrudes from the road surface. If you are not careful, it will be crushed up. There was a bump. The bearded Bert, who was sitting behind the steering wheel, dodged to the left and dodged with helplessness. He drove the huge touring car in a DTM racing style. But the passengers in the back compartment complained and they were busy fixing things everywhere. Rolling water cups, thermos bottles and cans.
Gu Tie sat by the window, leaning his elbows on the small table and sulking. After coming out of Genghis Khan International Airport, he was so excited that he shook Terry's body and asked about the Genesis network permissions. Unexpectedly, the clown's expression became more and more serious. I became more and more confused. In the end, I rolled my eyes and just flopped down on the table and fainted.
"You idiot." Ava hugged Terry's head and glared at the Chinese. "They have said that he suffers from sensory loss. For him, the real world is a distant TV screen. The stimulation brought by reality to him The bigger the screen, the further away from him. Until his nerves are on the verge of collapse, he completely abandons the sense of reality and hides himself in a fantasy world. Now he doesn't know how long he will have to sleep before he wakes up."
"But... I just want to ask a few questions..." Gu Tie spread his hands in shock. "I'm sorry..."
"Sometimes I really wonder if the listener has chosen the wrong person." The little Loli gritted her teeth and glared at him. She stroked the clown's hair and stopped talking to him.
This little woman is indeed the spiritual leader of the Glorious Circus. When she gets angry, all the members of the troupe are silent. Except for the pretty boy George who pats the shoulder secretly to comfort Gu Tie, everyone remains silent in a tacit understanding. The car bypasses Wu on the ring road. Lambato drove on the first highway to China. The car was as dull as a prison along the way. The Chinese were too angry to speak. Opposite him was Terry the Clown, who was sleeping at his desk. Gu Tie saw him. I felt angry at the back of my head. I turned my head and looked at the scenery outside the window.
In fact, there is not much scenery to see. The distance from Ulaanbaatar to the Erenhot port is 720 kilometers. There are no other landforms except grasslands, deserts and Gobi along the way. Mongolia is a country that rarely enters the international perspective. It is a poor country. In the middle of the 22nd century, there is still no highway. The grassland on both sides of the first highway is severely degraded. The desert is gradually swallowing up the barren grassland, driving the herdsmen to farther parts of the wilderness.
Gu Tie suddenly felt that he should contact his father. The call he made to his adoptive father in Poland went to voicemail. Before Dr. Bartholomew called back, he was put on a large plane and flew to the East. If the old man could not contact him, he would be afraid. It's time to worry. Thinking of this, he waved to pretty boy George: "Hey, come here."
"Boss." George was practicing sword swallowing. Hearing this, he pulled out the shiny long sword from his mouth and threw it aside. He ran over in a hurry. He didn't forget to take a peek at the cockpit on the way. Eva was sitting in the passenger seat. On the seat, I didn't notice what was going on in the carriage.
"I want to connect to the quantum network. Give me the satellite antenna interface and account number." Gu Tie pointed to the top of his head.
George hesitated: "Boss, Ava once said that the Red Owl Brotherhood has a very powerful power on the quantum network. Internet access is very dangerous. She prohibits anyone else except Terry from logging in..."
"Who am I?" the Chinese pointed at the tip of his nose.
"The chosen one." Pretty boy George stood at attention. "I know. Boss. I'm going to connect to the satellite channel and broadcast the wifi signal."
Gu Tie smiled and nodded. A minute later, the quantum network channel was established. The Chinese sent a message to his adoptive father. The reply came almost immediately. "Meet you at the old place."
Gu Tie and his father don't communicate very often. They rarely meet on the quantum network. However, the two have a fixed meeting place. It is an encrypted private discussion group. When a fence door is opened, Gu Tie returns to that familiar place. The white wooden fence was covered with freshly mowed green lawn. A six-bedroom red-roofed wooden house stood at the end of the cobblestone corridor. A black Belgian shepherd dog came out of the door hole and barked at him. Called "Sparky." A name blurted out. Gu Tie smiled and walked over and stroked the dog's head. This was their real home on the outskirts of Salzburg before leaving Austria. It was his real home.
The white-haired Dr. Bartholomew sat in a rocking chair under the eaves and waved to him. The old man was wearing a blue and white plaid cotton shirt, corduroy underwear and slippers. He was holding a cup of steaming Earl Gray tea in his hand. He seemed to be in good spirits. Not bad. Judging from the details of the image, this somewhat stubborn old man still uses a 2D camera as an information collection device. Only when viewed from the front can the expression on his face be reproduced perfectly.
"Dad." Gu Tie walked up the four steps to the wooden platform. He sat in an armchair next to his father. There was a cup of hot chocolate on the coffee table between the two of them. It was Gu Tie's favorite when he was a child. Drinks. The old man still remembers them clearly.
"Where are you now?" Dr. Bartholomew looked up and down at his son who had been away for a long time. The discussion team assigned Gu Tie a pair of loose and comfortable casual clothes. His appearance, physique, and physical condition were reconstructed by data retrieved from an implanted chip. Now. The old man looked at the complexion on the Chinese face and nodded secretly... At least the child's body looked healthy.
"I'm in Mongolia." Gu Tie looked a little reserved when facing his father. He answered honestly. "It's a long story. I'm accompanying a friend's circus to perform a few performances. I'm fine. Don't worry. How is your health? .Is your heart okay?"
Bartholomew raised his hand and motioned for his son to take a sip of the drink. "I'm busy with things. In addition to work, there are some mundane things. But my body is fine. My heart is beating healthily. You have recently entered the 'world' Is it right? It depends on the fidelity of your body. Is it right to use the implanted chip of 'World' to log in to the Internet? This function was taken into consideration at the beginning of the design of the implanted chip. But for some reason, GTC blocked it. .I believe that you with an IQ of 177 will not fail to see the mystery."
Gu Tie picked up the hot chocolate and took a sip. The olfactory and taste nerves simultaneously sensed the sweet taste simulated by the chip. But it was always a little different from the delicious taste in childhood memories. "Yes, Dad. Just use an arc to forcibly penetrate B3 to C14. Just use your feet. It's very simple. Many people have found this secret now." He had no doubt that his father, a senior executive of GTC, could see his login method at a glance. He gently put down the mug and replied.
"No. There are only a few people. They... forget it." The old doctor hesitated. "Are you enjoying your adventure in the 'world'?"
His adopted son smiled: "It's hard to say. I always feel that it's not the role I play. It's a character whose experience is partially experienced by me. But it's still very enjoyable. 'The World' is an amazing creation. By the way, Dad. Do you know about NASA's 'Bottle' project?" Gu Tie suddenly asked.
Dr. Bartholomew nodded: "I know. GTC also built a probe to join the deep space program. This is the responsibility of another department assisted by the Communications Department. I don't know the details."
"Is it the ninth department responsible for espionage, assassinations and internal investigations?" Gu Tie sat up straight and stared into his adoptive father's eyes.
The old man's eyes averted. He picked up his earl gray tea and sipped: "You know I will not reveal the internal information of GTC. Don't ask. Besides, no matter what tricks you are doing, stop immediately. Otherwise, you will cause unexpected consequences. trouble."
"What could be more troublesome than that day?" Gu Tie muttered in a low voice. Knowing that his father did not want to continue this topic, he obediently shut his mouth.
The father and son stared at the washed blue sky of Austria for a while. "If Sparky is still alive, he would be twenty-five years old this year." Gu Tie looked at the puppy rolling affectionately at his feet and stroked the shepherd dog's back. Soft mane. Q.
"It was you who refused to replace it with artificial organs. An artificial kidney only costs 4,000 US dollars." The old man said leisurely.
"When I was a child, I thought that humans in the future would face identity confusion. For example, the ethical conflicts brought about by artificial organs, mechanical prostheses, and implanted computers... Only now do I realize that I thought too much. The disasters that humans will face are basically the same as those in "Attack" It's different from what was said in "Shell Mobile Team"." Gu Tie sighed softly.
"What mobile team?" Dr. Bartholomew didn't understand.
"It's a very old comic. It's nothing." The Chinese shook his head.
Suddenly, a signal from the real world touched his central nervous system. Someone was trying to wake him up. "Dad, I'm leaving too. Please take care of yourself. I will definitely go to Austria to see you when this time is over." Gu Tie stood up. .Drank the hot chocolate in his hand and said with apology.
"Let's go." The white-haired Dr. Bartholomew waved his hand without looking at his son. The air was distorted. Gu Tie broke through the space and logged out of the discussion group. Sparky stood up and shouted at the sky. "Shhh. ..." The old man comforted the loyal shepherd dog. "Don't be in a hurry, Sparky. Don't be in a hurry..." As he said that, he stood up from the rocking chair and pushed up his golden glasses. "It's almost there. It's almost... "
The cracks in the air opened and closed. The discussion group that lost its owner gradually turned into scattered data and flowed into the endless space of the quantum network. Sparky barked anxiously. As the collapsed data structure became invisible.
"Is that okay? Dr. Bartholomew." A staff member wearing a blue uniform and a ninth identification tag knocked on the door and walked into the room.
"Okay. Let's go." The old man closed the terminal's display.