4.1 The Impact of Doomsday Truths
The holographic projection projected by the Quantum Spirit flickered in the shop. Lin Xuan stared at the churning black patches on the surface of the sun, his molars grinding painfully.
The unfinished mobile phones on the shelf suddenly let out a collective ear-piercing screech, startling him into knocking over the can of cola beside him. Brown liquid snaked across the circuit diagrams in bizarre patterns.
"Don't scare me like this!" he wiped the cold sweat from his face, the screwdriver on his work apron clattering noisily. "Is this Dyson Sphere Structure some kind of cosmic 'mobile phone virus' that specifically devours the sun's 'battery'?"
The AI's mechanical female voice echoed in the small space: "The Dyson Cloud is composed of self-repairing nanobots, whose proliferation rate follows a Fibonacci Sequence model. It has been observed that the population divides every 72 minutes, synchronously consuming solar radiation to convert it into its own energy."
Dense streams of data suddenly appeared in the air, winding around Lin Xuan's neck like countless silver threads.
Outside the shop, a fierce wind battered the warped glass door, distorting the figures of pedestrians hurrying past in down jackets into blurred patches of color.
Lin Xuan suddenly remembered the satellite phone he repaired for a customer last week, the strange static mixed in the signal, which now buzzed in his ears.
"So, we just wait for it to end?" he grabbed a pair of tweezers and brandished them like a conductor's baton. "We can't just bury our heads in the sand like ostriches, can we?"According to the Quantum Field Theory deduction/inference model, Earth's ionosphere will completely disintegrate in 90 days, 5 hours, and 16 minutes," the AI's voice was monotonous, but it made Lin Xuan's temples throb.
"All modern technologies based on electromagnetic signals, including power grids, communication, and transportation systems, will be paralyzed within 72 hours."
In the holographic projection, the city's 3D model was collapsing at a visible rate, turning into countless pixel fragments.
4.2 The Emergence of Hope for Survival
Lin Xuan slumped amidst a pile of parts, his fingers unconsciously picking at the solder on a circuit board. "So, we didn't even get to touch the boss's health bar?"
He suddenly jumped up and yelled at the top of his lungs, "That old man asked me to keep the phone before he died, he couldn't have just wanted me to hear bad news, right?" The old mobile phone cases on the shelf vibrated and clattered down.
The AI's twin tails suddenly dissolved into data streams and reformed, forming complex equations in the air: "Detecting a Quantum Resonance Device remaining in Dr. Chén's laboratory, if combined with your ability to modify electronic equipment..." She paused for 0.3 seconds, which in AI computation was akin to an eternity, "The individual escape plan's feasibility has been raised to 37.6%."
"What? Me, a phone repairman, can escape?" Lin Xuan pointed at his nose. He didn't even notice when his multimeter fell out of his apron pocket and hit his instep. "Don't joke with me! I don't have a rocket or a spaceship, am I supposed to learn from Sun Wukong and ride the clouds?"
The AI's voice remained cold, but it inexplicably reminded Lin Xuan of the cheat sheets before exams. "Please note that for every minute of delay, the success probability decreases by 0.05%."
Lin Xuan gritted his teeth and tucked the screwdriver into his belt like a sword. "Alright! If I really escape, I'll definitely get you a banner! By the way, it's not right to keep calling you AI, what's your surname?"
The AI replied: "My name is Quantum Spirit..."
"What? Lin Chih-ling?"
The AI was utterly exasperated and paused, then explained in a tone that was slightly helpless but patient: "It's Quantum Spirit, not who you think it is. Quantum is the most basic unit that constitutes matter, representing the mystery and unknown of the microscopic world; and I, as a product of the fusion of quantum technology and artificial intelligence, relying on the powerful computing power and complex algorithms of quantum computing, possess wisdom and abilities beyond ordinary human understanding, hence my name."
"Heh heh, sorry, I didn't react right away. Wow! I thought you were a big star!"
Lin Xuan scratched the back of his head and chuckled, his soldering iron in the toolbox swaying along. "So your name hides the secrets of the entire universe? Alright! From now on, we are the doomsday duo!"
He kicked open the door, and the cold wind, carrying fallen leaves, rushed into his arms. In the distance, the university clock tower gleamed with a strange metallic luster under the overcast sky, as if waiting for something.