第27章
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But…the system obviously has holes.Hoffman saw someone enter the subway without going through security check.This was undoubtedly a miracle.Who was that woman who managed to bypass security so easily？Hoffman wanted to find her，but she has never reappeared.
4
After work，I go to the supermarket for groceries and then take the subway home，dejected.At the completely silent dinner table，I eat my food，ashamed and with sweat beading on my back like a man who has done something wrong.I think maybe things would be better if we had a child，but my wife and I have lost all interest in sex…
We finish dinner quickly and get into bed.In the middle of the night my wife wakes up abruptly and says，“Louis，we shouldn’t be together anymore.”
It has been a long time since we’ve really talked.I understand that she’s disappointed in my weakness，my lack of courage.For twenty years I haven’t been able to bring her a single，true，unaltered gift.Because the objects that connect us have grown more and more unfamiliar，the two of us have been drifting ever further apart.
Hoping against hope，I say，“A colleague mentioned that someone managed to bypass the security check and got into the subway.I want to try it，too.”
She looks at me as though I’m a stranger，her eyes full of tears.She doesn’t know that I’ve already tried—and failed to carry through—many times.
The next day，I’m arrested.My wife reported me by calling 911，telling them that I was about to try to break through a checkpoint.She said she suspected that I was a terrorist in disguise.
5
Three years later，I’m released from prison.
The world remains the same，except that my wife has divorced me.I find Hoffman.Like before，he tries to comfort me.“It’s not a big deal.I’ve figured something out during the last few years：life is a long security check，and not everyone passes.You just have bad luck.”
I ask him whether he’s found that mysterious woman.He shakes his head.Then he suggests that I leave the country.
“What？Leave America？”Surprise made my voice louder than normal.Very few people ever think of leaving America.
He shrugs.“If you can’t get through security check，you might as well leave.I’ve heard that some countries don’t require so much security on their subways.”
I find the very concept absurd.Deep down，I’ve never thought of leaving America—it’s not that I’m very patriotic，just that I’ve grown used to my country.Life is just surviving one day after another.
“You’re divorced and you’ve been to prison，”says Hoffman.“Even if you try to break through security check again it will be a meaningless gesture.”
“What about you？Will you leave as well？”I ask helplessly，having lost my goal in life.
“No，I’m going to stick it out.Maybe a day will come when I can bypass security check and win freedom in my own country through my own efforts.”He sounds like a stubborn child.
I lack Hoffman’s courage and tenacity，and my body and spirit are on the verge of collapse.So I start the paperwork for leaving the country.Though I fear that it would be difficult，it turns out to be simple.They actually really like it when you leave，and it’s best if you never return.Of course，they want the departure to be voluntary.They’ve never forcefully exiled an American citizen.
6
I choose to go to the People’s Republic of China.
Judging by official statistics，this is the world’s most secure country.I obtain a temporary residence permit in Shanghai and live on government subsidies.The Chinese subway does not require security checks；they really are that confident.But I’ve lost all interest in the subway.When I’m bored，I go to an Internet caféand browse for news about America.In China，anyone is free to use the Internet.China is the freest country in the world.
There’s lots of news about America on the Web.I find out that my motherland，though it still appears familiar，is in fact changing every day.It isn’t just the goods carried by the passengers that are being replaced.To ensure security to the greatest extent possible，each day the entire United States is remade.The Chinese observe and analyze America with great interest.They’ve discovered that the entire territory of the United States is filled with nanomachines：from the rural countryside to the big cities，from the broad rivers to the majestic mountains，everything is renewed daily.Harmful things have no safe harbor in that land.
But this phenomenon can only be observed from the outside and at a distance because no outsiders are allowed to enter the United States.Theoretically，no one can pass through the American border security check system.Americans who are inside its borders cannot detect the changes because they think everyday is the same as the day before.
Sometimes I wonder if the Chinese are observing and analyzing this because they are worried that America might one day deploy this technology to replace another country，or even the whole world.
But my worries are unfounded.America is focusing its security checks inwards，replacing itself.The effort has occupied all of its energy，with nothing left for other countries.
Gazing back from the other shore of the Pacific，I see a truly wondrous sight.The self-substituting America churns in constant transformation：one moment it’s like a wild flower—blossoming with a pop，collapsing，wilting，changing color from red to black，from yellow to white—and the next moment it’s like a dying star.Caught up in the changes are my compatriots.They are replaced and remade daily：from blood to muscle，from life to thought，becoming new people without knowing it themselves.From inside America，nothing is seen to change—every day people ride the subway to work like rats.But from China，the changes cannot be more obvious.I suppose this is a difference in frames of reference.
Also transforming is the wildlife，including the brown bear and the bald eagle，the sequoia and other plants，the fungi and bacteria，and every bit of soil，every drop of water.Sometimes the country displays the layered appearance of a tropical forest，and sometimes it looks like an ice crystal.Murky blood flows in the northeast，and the western deserts glow with a ghostly blue light.Sometimes the whole country is silent，save for the powerful rumbling of the subway system，the strangest sound on the planet.America has become distinct from all the other countries in the world.
From China，I can see all these changes clearly，and after shock and astonishment，I’m left with sorrow，my face drenched by tears.
7
New research indicates that as the security system itself evolves，America has developed even more advanced technology.Now the security system not only consists of nanorobots and 3-d printers，not only big-data-based distributed reassembly devices，but also self-organizing technologies and artificial world collage machines.Countless cellular automata toil away with the aid of quantum teleportation，engaging in mass-scale atomic exchange from second to second.The White House has been rebuilt into a gigantic machine to take over from the millions of engineers who oversee and control every aspect of the process.The United States has become a giant，intelligent，churning vat.
But then，one day，the self-transformation of America suddenly halts.Instead of constantly replacing itself，the country vanishes completely.The Chinese manage to record the phenomenon，and their analysis concludes that America’s security check technology has achieved a major breakthrough.The time when something is completely secure is not when it has been replaced，but when it no longer exists.No one can find it，ever.This is not only science，but also a kind of profound philosophy capable of being understood only by a few elite individuals on the whole planet.Thus，in this sense，America has finally returned to being the mightiest of nations.
I remember my ex-wife.Has she disappeared along with America？I hope she’s in another world，a happily-ever-after one.She will not have any mental baggage，and she won’t hate me.
I’ve left my country，never able to return.I wish her freedom and happiness in a powerful United States of America.
8
One day，as I stroll through the People’s Square，I meet a beautiful Caucasian girl.She had also left America and came to China.Sitting down on a lawn together，we begin to chat.This is the first conversation I’ve had in twenty years where I feel no pressure.
“You’re the first American I’ve seen overseas，”I say.
The girl，whose name is Lisa，says，“There aren’t many Americans left in the world.The nation of America has long been substituted away.”
“What about you？”I ask，suddenly remembering the story Hoffman told me about the mysterious young woman who got into the subway station without going through security check.
“I’m not like the rest of you，”she says.“I’m a real American.I’ve never been replaced.From the very start，I bypassed security checks.”
“How were you able to do it？”My heartbeat speeds up.
“I don’t have an invisibility cloak or an anti-electromagnetic-wave device.All I had to do was to walk calmly past the security agents.If you don’t acknowledge their existence，they don’t exist.”
“But didn’t you say that everyone has been replaced？The entire country has been replaced！”
“That’s right.At first，I was confused as well，but it’s the truth.Anyone who dared to defy the security checks，however，was not replaced.We were sent to a protected area，which was somewhere near the coast of Florida，about three hundred meters under the sea.”
“It sounds like you were chosen by God—”
“—not God.The Chinese.”
The girl tells me that there were about a thousand people like her from all over America.Before the disappearance of America，the Chinese helped with their evacuation.
“The Chinese？”I ask.
“They’ve been part of this business all along，including the security machines.Without the support of the Chinese，America couldn’t have produced those machines by itself.Chinese technicians even helped the American government to design and plan all those terrorist attacks from twenty years ago.If those events hadn’t shifted public opinion and increased the cohesiveness of the population，America might have collapsed a long time ago.Have you heard of the Huawei-Alibaba-ICBC Conglomerate and the Tencent-Baidu-Xiaomi-ZTE Corporation？They had the world’s best scientists and engineers.The White House and Zhongnanhai were extremely close partners，though superficially they pretended not to like each other—it was just a show to fool regular folks.If you look behind the scenes，China helped America design the neo-crony-capitalism of the twenty-first century so that America could act as a reference system…”
Impossible！I can’t believe any of this.I stop thinking.Lisa takes me to Xintiandi district to enjoy myself.The Museum of the First National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party was turned，some time ago，into a national laboratory.Many young women from America，like Lisa，now live here as volunteer subjects for experiments.A middle-aged Chinese man in a white lab coat welcomes us.The Chinese are trying to confirm an amazing discovery：they’ve discovered that the Earth is passing through a security checkpoint in space，which has something to do with the ultimate secret of the universe.The galaxy，it turns out，is a super security check machine.
“Is the universe…not safe？”I ask，astonished.
“That’s right.It’s not safe at all.We’ve only figured this out now.The purpose for life developing on Earth and evolving intelligence is to maintain the security of the universe.”As he explains，he leans into the eyepiece of a giant telescope and makes careful observations.
Later，I find out that as the sole surviving major socialist nation，China is the only country concerned with the security of the universe.America，in fact，was nothing more than an experiment set up by China to help with this mission of protecting the universe’s security.The experiment that China carried out in America is about to be promoted across the whole globe，although there are still many mysteries related to this endeavor that I don’t fully understand，and the Chinese won’t explain the details to us.
Impulsively，I tell Lisa，“I want to be a volunteer subject for the experiments，too！”
She looks at me with pity.“I’m sorry.The Chinese don’t want you for now.You and I are different.You asked to come to China，seeking asylum.You had already been replaced in America during earlier experiments.You’re no longer a standard American—to be more precise，you are no longer an American，or even a person.What you really are and what you can do are matters that the Chinese haven’t decided yet.You’ll have to wait.”
When the security of the universe is the most urgent question，what role will the thousand or so real Americans like Lisa preserved by the Chinese play？That is the greater mystery.
Ashamed and confused，I lower my head.
Was Lisa designed by the Chinese？Who designed China then？I’ve heard that a long time ago，China was also torn by terrible disasters，both natural and man-made—how did they happen？If the rumor I heard was real，then China was once the most insecure country in the whole world.What conclusions can I draw？Oh，the universe is too mysterious.Who designed it？
“It doesn’t matter，”Lisa says to comfort me.“You don’t need to go through security checks any more.At least superficially，you could pass for a Chinese.You even get government welfare checks，right？”
“But had the Chinese already experienced what we experienced？”I blurt out.“How do you know they’re still Chinese？”Sweat soaks the back of my shirt.Sadly，I think of my ex-wife again.Yes，many countries in the world have survived，and they’re about to pass through the universe’s security check.But my country and family are gone.And Lisa and I aren’t even the same kind of human beings.
Lisa smiles awkwardly.Holding my hand，she takes me away from Xintiandi.We get on the subway.The Shanghai subway is far more crowded than the subway in New York.Squeezed in among the throng，she and I are temporarily pressed against each other as though we’re trying to fuse into one.The subway car is filled with every race from every continent.The multitude of passengers presses against and flows over our bodies like an underground river，directionless but melding into one another with every fresh encounter.
Preserve Her Memory
by Bao Shu，translated by Ken Liu
One o’clock in the morning.Heavy rain.
Ye Lin，her clothes drenched，stands at the edge of the roof of the three-hundred-story Future Tower.She shivers uncontrollably as the gale，whipping freezing rain，slices across her skin like an ice knife.From her perch more than a kilometer above ground，she surveys the city that never sleeps，glittering and coruscating in the rain like a metaphor for her glamorous life.
They look up at me like a princess in the heavens.But do they understand how cold and alone I am？
In the metropolis below，a scintillating net woven from thousands of glowing streets，infused with lust，greed，and fame，ensnares thirty million men and women and binds her the tightest of them all.She once thought herself one of the lucky few who found a rare morsel of happiness，but she had not realized that the spider of fate had already closed off all avenues of escape behind her.
All right，it will all be over soon.I’ll have eternal freedom and peace.
Ye Lin takes a deep breath and steps forward.There is nowhere to set her foot down except empty space.
And so she falls.Like a drop of rain，she plunges toward the gleaming city，toward the abyss of death.
Police Captain Jiang Yong，head of the investigations unit，took off his helmet and let out a long sigh.“You dragged me out of bed in the middle of the night for this？Who found her？”
“I did，Captain，”said a young woman with long hair.Liu Ningning was a new addition to the investigations unit.By the looks of her swollen eyes，she had been crying.“The impact damaged the body to such an extent that we couldn’t ID her，and DNA analysis was going to take some time.I decided to access her memories，and found out that…she’s Ye Lin，the actress.I called in a report immediately.”
“No wonder the bureau told me to handle it.”Jiang Yong yawned.“She’s a big star.I imagine those vulture reporters will be swarming here soon，and this is going to be all over the headlines in the morning…But the case doesn’t look that complicated.The memory replay indicates that it was suicide.All you have to do is follow the procedures.”
“But since the deceased is such a celebrity，there will be a lot of attention focused on us，”said another detective.“The bureau didn’t want anything to go wrong，and they specifically asked for you to review the investigation.”
“I don’t care if she’s a celebrity or some average Jane Doe，”Jiang Yong harrumphed.“I have no sympathy for suicides.”
“No！This is murder，pure murder！”Liu Ningning cried out，her voice full of anguish.
Jiang Yong frowned.“Ningning，I know you’re a fan of Ye Lin，but you can’t allow your personal feelings interfere with police work.”
“But…but…”Ningning wiped at her eyes.“You’ll understand if you replay more of her memories.”
Intrigued，Jiang Yong put the helmet back on，and data flooded into his mind from the memory black box.
The memory black box was the product of advanced research in neuroscience，information technology，nanotechnology，and other fields.The recorder consisted of a biochip smaller than the head of a pin implanted into the hippocampus and nanosensors embedded throughout the body.Normally，system lay dormant.But as soon as it detected severe deviations from the norm in various brain activity parameters—indicative of the stress caused by imminent death or great danger—the black box would automatically contact the police and record the short-term memory in the hippocampus via molecular scanning.In the event of death，about one to two minutes of memories preceding the cessation of brain activity could be decrypted from the black box.The device was invaluable for tasks such as criminal investigation，accident inquiry，insurance adjustment，and so on.
Although the chip was expensive，it didn’t require a craniotomy to install；instead，molecule-sized nanomachines were injected into the bloodstream，and they assembled themselves into the recorder and sensors in the requisite areas of the body without causing any discomfort.Many celebrities and the wealthy installed memory black boxes not only for the benefits in the event of death，but also to deter criminals who would wish them harm.Since the invention of the memory black box，the murder rate had plunged，accompanied by a corresponding rise in the percentage of solved murders.
The induction helmet used to replay the memories had originated in virtual reality gaming.Not only could the helmet replicate the recorded visual data and other sensory information with high fidelity，but it could also induce in the wearer the memories and emotions experienced by the deceased through artificial bioelectric fields localized to specific regions of the brain.Someone wearing the helmet would feel as though they were taking the place of the deceased，gazing through her eyes，hearing through her ears，experiencing everything she felt.
…As Ye Lin fell，she seemed to turn into a raindrop，one falling faster than the other raindrops.The blasting wind whipped the rain against her face as the windows of the skyscraper—some lit，some dark—flashed by her，the unconnected scenes seen through them like a string of memory fragments.
From the depths of her soul，Jiang Yong experienced terror，despair，and a profound，unrelenting hatred.
Many on the verge of death experienced a final flash of lucidity during which innumerable memories surfaced from the unconscious in a final farewell performance.Ye Lin was one of them.As she fell，millions of memory fragments danced and flickered like the ever-changing，chaotic patterns found in a kaleidoscope.The most fascinating type of experience recorded by the memory black box was this pre-death recollection.Someone replaying it through the induction helmet would even experience time as passing more slowly.Although the recollected scenes were hazy and fragmentary，when enhanced with the emotions felt by the deceased，they effectively conveyed the hidden depths and meanings behind each memory，allowing the helmet-wearer to empathize intensely with the deceased.Thus，decrypted pre-death recollections，when sold through legal channels，made a mesmerizing，fantastic entertainment product.
Jiang Yong saw the funeral of Ye Lin’s mother when she was a little girl；saw how she had lived in poverty with her alcoholic father，and vowed before a mirror，with tears staining her face，to change her fate with the one gift life gave her—her extraordinary beauty；and then，as she was stopped in the street by a talent scout，Jiang Yong experienced Ye Lin’s ecstatic heartbeats.
Once she entered the movie business，the talented Ye Lin threw herself wholeheartedly into her performances.One moment she was in period dress as she fought against the other empresses and consorts in palace intrigue；the next she was a graceful woman in a modern metropolis；and in another moment she was an adventurer in the jungle of an alien planet…She achieved success，accepted award after award，and became a star known in every household.She left poverty behind as she jetted around the world，hobnobbing with other international celebrities，laughing and chatting at parties…
And then that man appeared.At first，he was only a lowly cameraman in one of her movies who timidly manufactured excuses to be closer to her.One day，he finally found the courage to hand her a letter，which she promptly tossed into the trashcan without even unsealing.But the man didn’t give up.He stayed by her side as he advanced in his career，taking care of her and watching out for her in numerous ways，big and small.Gradually，she began to notice him，and finally，one night，after they were both drunk，the flame of romance sprung into life…
Jiang Yong was familiar with the basic biographical details of Ye Lin’s life，and he knew that the man in her memories was Xue Kai，a famous director and Ye Lin’s ex-husband.The memories weren’t too different from what she had revealed in her interviews and biographies，but the specific，vivid details he experienced had been absent from mere text.There was no question that if the contents of this black box were brought to market，they would become an instant best-seller.
Ye Lin was still falling.For a body to traverse the full distance between the roof of a thousand-meter-plus skyscraper and the ground，impeded by air resistance and the strong wind，would take tens of seconds，plenty of time for those important memories to play through.The sweet memories winked out of existence in a flash，and all that remained were acute pain and deep hatred.
Jiang Yong saw Ye Lin ignore the objections of the studios and retire from her acting career.She put on the white wedding gown and stood by Xue Kai in the cathedral.By now，Xue Kai was gaining some renown as a director.Soon after，Ye Lin became a joyful，expectant mother.But then a string of misfortunes arrived：she found intimate photographs of Xue Kai with other women on the computer…Fights between the couple flashed before Jiang Yong’s eyes；her shock，rage，and despair roiled his heart；and then Xue Kai walked into their home holding the hand of another woman，arrogantly showing her that he didn’t care—and after shoving and pushing and screaming，she rolled down the stairs，blood flowing from between her legs in a torrent.The terrified Xue Kai ran away…
What a shithead，Jiang Yong said to himself.
After the miscarriage，a frightened Xue Kai swore that he would break off all contact with his mistress.At the hospital，he cared for her day and night without complaint.Finally，Ye Lin forgave him.But half a year later，cruel truth revealed itself：Xue Kai abruptly disappeared.After a few days，rumors said that he had been seen with his mistress in another city，and when Ye Lin went to the bank to check her account，she found that more than thirty million yuan in savings—the couple’s joint property—had vanished.She fainted.
Courts and lawyers were useless，and even after the divorce was finalized，she couldn’t get a single yuan back.After her loss was reported in the tabloids，Xue Kai attacked her by claiming that she had defamed him.Nude pictures of her surfaced on the Web from anonymous posters，and rumors spread that she was actually the mistress of some important party official or the sexual plaything of a wealthy businessman.The tabloids printed damaging“news”about her without cease，and she was dogged by threats and hurled abuses.Even contracts she had reached agreement on were rescinded.Though she knew thatXue Kai was the one making trouble for her，she had no recourse.Xue Kai had seized the public narrative.She felt she was being driven insane…
The concrete ground loomed before her eyes.After a momentary flash of utter despair and horror came the eternal darkness.No more memories.
Jiang Yong took off the induction helmet and exhaled deeply.Though he was used to the multitude of tragedies humans put one another through，it was hard not to be moved after experiencing such memories.The heartbreaking scenes seemed to linger before his eyes.He understood how Ningning felt—rage burned in his chest，too.
“I couldn’t believe her life was like that.”Jiang Yong heaved a heavy sigh.“When I used to read the gossip about her，I just thought she was one of those celebrities with an immoral，extravagant lifestyle.I had no idea there were such painful secrets behind the scenes.”
“It was all because of that asshole Xue Kai！”Ningning exclaimed.“He killed Ye Lin.Why can’t that son of a bitch die！”
“He didn’t commit any crimes，”said Jiang Yong.“The law can’t punish him for what he did.”
“There is a cosmic balance at work though，”said Ningning.“Karma will catch up to him.”
Ye Lin’s death shocked the nation—no，the world.Her memory black box，of course，became the focus of media attention.As both of her parents had died，and she had no children，her legal heir，an aunt，soon declared that she would place Ye Lin’s memories on auction.Many memory entertainment companies swarmed to bid，and in the end，the black box was sold for fifteen million yuan to a megacorp，which promptly brought the memories to market.Anyone could pay the requisite fee and then experience the memories of Ye Lin on the verge of death.
And in this manner，the truth of Ye Lin’s life，which had been buried under a flood of ugly rumors while she had been alive，surfaced.Xue Kai’s despicable acts became public knowledge，and no matter what he said to defend himself，the power of those vivid memories triumphed over his rhetoric.Soon，he was buried by the tide of public opinion，and became the favorite target of the shaming mob.Many companies pulled out of contracts with him and his girlfriend；his friends stayed away；fans knocked on his door to give him a piece of their minds；and some even sent him death threats.He dared not show his face in public—one time，he was recognized in the street，and a mob harassed him and attacked him until he was afraid for his life.
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