Light Barrier

The library was silent.

Rows upon rows of bookshelves formed a dazzling sea of knowledge under the interlaced sunlight.

On a table lay a thick book titled ‘Research on the Logic of Electronic Physics Constants’. It was open halfway, with a monocle placed on the pages, its chain pressing down to act as a bookmark.

A gray suit jacket was draped over the chair in front of the book.

The owner of the jacket was standing in front of a huge bookshelf, bathing in the tranquil sunlight.

Deep Sea connected the entire world, sharing data and information.

Nowadays, hardly anyone came to paper reading rooms.

Cui Zhongcheng took away two books from the bookshelf.

He paused for a moment.

After he took the books, a pair of mischievous eyes with a hidden smile appeared in the empty space on the bookshelf. “It is said that the University of Oto’s library has one million, five hundred thousand books. If you read one book every day, it will take four thousand years to finish them all. And it only took three seconds for Deep Sea to input the library.”

On the other side of the bookshelf, the old man’s voice was extremely low, as though he were talking to himself. “How ironic. Humans have worked hard to develop culture for thousands of years, and a machine only needs a few seconds to digest it all.”

At this point, he looked up and asked with a smile, “Not many people come to places like libraries anymore. To maintain order and give humanity the last bit of dignity, AI is only responsible for recording, not guiding… In such a place, it shouldn’t be easy to find a book you want, right?”

“Mr. Zhou, you must not read books often,” Cui Zhongcheng remarked softly. “Every book is well categorized. You only need to follow the catalog to find books.”

“Ah, I see. I don’t read often.” Zhou Jiren smiled apologetically. “But in this era, having Deep Sea is enough. Apart from stubborn people clinging to the afterglow of the past, who would come to such a place to read paper books? Don’t you think so, Mr. Cui?”

Cui Zhongcheng glanced at his watch. He asked calmly, “Do you have something to discuss with me?”

“It’s nothing serious.” Mr. Tree smiled sincerely. “Gu Shen’s assessment has begun. As his guide, I had nothing to do and nowhere to go, so I wanted to look around the campus. Coincidentally, I met you here.”

The two of them were very respectful to each other.

“This is my alma mater. I haven’t been back for a long time, so I came back to take a look,” Cui Zhongcheng said. “A long time ago, it was quiet here too. But it’s different from the quiet now.”

“That must have been twenty years ago, right? Back then, Deep Sea hadn’t connected the Five Continents yet, and technology wasn’t as advanced.” Mr. Tree didn’t hide his sarcasm and smiled. “We’re becoming stronger and stronger. This is a good thing. In terms of the development of the East Continent in recent years. Parliament Member Zhao has contributed greatly. He has made most of Dadu a city full of radiance like Changye.”

Cui Zhongcheng frowned.

“To be honest, I didn’t expect him to agree to issue a pardon order for an unknown teenager.” Mr. Tree chuckled. “Originally, I thought I would have to use my connections for this. It wouldn’t have mattered if he didn’t agree. At that time, I would have gone to ask a big shot in Changye.”

“Isn’t it good that he agreed?” Cui Zhongcheng sighed. “It would have been embarrassing to go to Changye to ask for help. Seeking help from afar can’t quench your thirst. Whether or not you can get it is another matter.”

“At my age, what do I care about my face?” Zhou Jiren’s smile gradually faded as he stared at the other party. “Since he agreed to the pardon, why did he send such an assessment team? This is someone I’m willing to protect even if I don’t have any face. Let me make it clear upfront. No matter what the assessment result is, I will ensure Gu Shen’s safety.”

Cui Zhongcheng rubbed a page with his fingers. “Don’t you understand yet?”

He looked at the old man and said seriously, “It’s precisely because he saw your standpoint… that Elder Zhao made such a decisive decision to issue the pardon order and dispatch the assessment team…”

“The last person you were so resolute to take away was Nan Jin from the Dadu District, right? Compared to her, Gu Shen is just a poor child with no parents and an ordinary background,” Mr. Cui said softly. “Elder Zhao believed in your judgment, so he immediately issued the pardon order. At the same time, he wants to see who this child named Gu Shen really is. So he dispatched this assessment team.”

He showed a humble and gentle smile. “I think… you can understand Elder Zhao’s intentions, right?

“Now, everyone in the Parliament is having a headache over the dispute about the Awakening Act. At this point, everyone seems to be unable to accept the cost of their failure… This tug-of-war is reaching its climax, and the outcome is about to be decided.

“At this moment, even the slightest deviation can lead to significant mutations.” Cui Zhongcheng stretched out two fingers and slowly rubbed them. “A butterfly flapping its wings far away in the West Continent could potentially trigger a storm in Dadu.

“Perhaps this butterfly is not in the West Continent but in the Central Continent or the North Fortress…” Mr. Cui paused and said solemnly, “But no matter what, Dadu can’t withstand a bigger storm.”

Zhou Jiren’s expression was grave, and he didn’t say anything else.

He simply stared silently at Cui Zhongcheng across the bookshelf. Under the sunlight, his body should have the brilliance of noon, but for some reason, it seemed to be veiled in a faint layer of gloom.

“By the way, the proposals to issue the pardon order and dispatch the assessment team… were both made by me,” Cui Zhongcheng said. “Elder Zhao agreed immediately, so this trip to Oto… also has me.”

He stared at Zhou Jiren. “… I have nothing more to say.”

The old man was still solemn as he said calmly, “Even without you, Mr. Cui, there would be others. As long as there’s a pardon order, there will be an assessment team. I understand this logic.”

Cui Zhongcheng nodded.

He no longer paid attention to Zhou Jiren but walked back in the direction he came from with books in his arms. The sunlight had shifted its angle, and the original seat was no longer bathed in light but instead submerged in a slightly darker shade.

He took two steps.

“There’s one more thing…” Mr. Tree spoke again and stopped Cui Zhongcheng.

“Hmm?” He frowned and tilted his head slightly, making his face partially obscured by the books.

“It’s about our conversation just now.” Mr. Tree’s voice was soft and slow. “The method you mentioned about following the catalog is indeed simple and efficient. But some books… are severely damaged, or perhaps because the titles are missing or for other reasons, AI hasn’t recorded them into its database. Is there a way to find such books?”

“…” Cui Zhongcheng remained silent for a long time, seemingly lost in thought.

“We can only rely on luck,” Mr. Cui said. “You have to believe that as long as the book still exists, you will be able to find it one day.”