84: Chapter 84 New Product Launch: Holographic Projector? No, It's a Dream Machine

West Suburb Base, Warehouse No. 3.

This place was originally used to store cement and steel, but now Supervisor Li Guoqiang had led a few cleaners to sweep it out overnight, setting up a makeshift stage and hanging a red banner with yellow text—[Chenxing Technology Autumn New Product Launch].

The banner was wrinkled and even printed crookedly, exuding a strong vibe of a rural enterprise trade fair.

In the livestream, tens of millions of netizens watched this shabby background, and the comments flooded the screen.

"Good heavens, this is the billionaire God Jiang? This is where he's holding the launch?"

"Pinxixi Technology really lives up to its reputation! This background is so hardcore; if I didn't know better, I'd think a pyramid scheme den got busted."

"Stop the chatter! I want to see if that 9.9 invisibility cloak is back in stock! What are they selling this time? Is it a 9.9 nuclear battery?"

Amidst the mockery, Jiang Chen walked onto the stage wearing his eternal white T-shirt, carrying a black plastic bag in his hand.

Academician Chen Shuyin stood beside him, still in professional attire with black-rimmed glasses, only today she looked a bit nervous, clutching a technical parameter sheet tightly and glancing worriedly at the plastic bag in Jiang Chen's hand from time to time.

"Ahem, good evening, everyone."

Jiang Chen threw the plastic bag onto the podium, making a crisp "clatter" sound.

"Welcome to our Chenxing Technology's second 'street stall' event."

As he untied the plastic bag, he said nonchalantly:

"Last time we sold raincoats, and the feedback was pretty good. Although there was a little 'bathhouse misunderstanding,' that's all in the past. Today, I'm going to bring you a piece of... black technology in the true sense."

Saying this, he took something out of the bag.

It was a metal ring.

It looked like some kind of discarded headband, covered in exposed red and blue wires, with even a few spots patched with electrical tape. In the center of the ring, a crystal that looked like glass shards was embedded, appearing dirty.

The whole place fell silent.

A row of ellipses floated across the livestream.

[...]

[What is this? Sun Wukong's headband? Or something for electric shock therapy to cure internet addiction?]

[God Jiang, have you gotten addicted to picking up trash from the dump? If you dare to sell this thing for 9.9, I'd feel like it's a loss!]

Jiang Chen ignored the screen full of mockery, picked up the "headband," and twirled it twice in his hand.

"Let me introduce it."

"This is our protagonist for today—a holographic projector."

"However, it's different from the kind you see in sci-fi movies. It doesn't need a screen, it doesn't need a medium, and it doesn't even need source files pre-recorded."

Jiang Chen pointed to his own head, his voice suddenly dropping, carrying a strange, seductive power:

"Its light source is here."

"Inside your brain."

The reporters off-stage and the audience in front of the screens were all stunned.

What does that mean?

The brain glows?

"Academician Chen Shuyin, explain the principle to them, don't go too deep, I'm afraid they won't understand." Jiang Chen handed the microphone to Academician Chen Shuyin.

Academician Chen Shuyin took a deep breath, pushed up her glasses, and brought out her professional scientific demeanor:

"Simply put, this is a 'Memory Visualization Terminal' based on brain-computer interface technology."

"It can capture extremely weak biological electrical signals in the wearer's hippocampus, which is the area where humans store deep memories and emotions."

"Through quantum algorithms, it converts these abstract brainwaves into a visualizable photon array, reconstructing the image directly in real space."

Having said this, Academician Chen Shuyin paused, looking at the tattered headband with a complex expression:

"In other words, what it projects is not a movie."

"It is your dream."

"It is the scene... deep in your heart that you desire most, regret the most, and want to see one more time."

This explanation was too hardcore, too mysterious.

The livestream exploded instantly, with most people not believing it at all.

[Nonsense, right? Mind reading? This isn't scientific!]

[Brain-computer interface this, quantum algorithm that, and you ended up making this piece of junk? Who are you trying to fool?]

[Scripted! It must be a script! Are you going to sell 'sentiments' again later?]

Seeing the skepticism growing, Jiang Chen smiled.

He had expected this.

"Don't believe it, right?"

Jiang Chen picked up the headband, his gaze sweeping over the dozens of randomly invited audience members off-stage, "We aren't playing games, let's do a live test."

"Who wants to come up and try? There is only one requirement: you must have something on your mind; don't be the type who is heartless and just wants to see Ultraman—it's a waste of power."

There was a commotion off-stage.

Soon, a hand in the corner was raised timidly.

It was an auntie in her fifties, dressed simply.

Her hair was gray, the corners of her eyes were full of wrinkles, and she was clutching a faded pink small backpack tightly in her arms. Her eyes were empty and numb, like two dry wells, revealing a heartbreaking dead silence.

"I... I want to try."

The auntie's voice was hoarse, carrying a trace of cautious trembling, "I want to see... if I can see... the person I want to see."

Jiang Chen glanced at the backpack.

There was a teddy bear pendant hanging on the backpack, which looked like it had seen better days.

He was silent for two seconds, nodded, walked off the stage, and personally helped the auntie up.

"Auntie, what is your surname?"

"No need for formalities, it's Liu."

Ms. Liu sat on the chair, her hands still unconsciously stroking the backpack, tears welling up in her eyes, "I just want to know, this isn't a scam, right? Can I really... see her?"

"As long as your memory is deep enough, you can see her."

Jiang Chen's voice was rarely gentle.

He picked up the old, tattered headband and gently placed it on Ms. Liu's head, then helped her adjust it, avoiding her graying hair.

"Close your eyes."

Jiang Chen guided her softly, "Don't be nervous, take a deep breath."

"In your mind, think of the person you want to see the most. Think of her appearance, think of her voice, think of the last scene you met."

"Even if it's a dream, it doesn't matter."

Ms. Liu closed her eyes.

Two lines of turbid tears fell along the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes, dripping onto the pink backpack.

"Sweetie..."

Her lips trembled as she silently called out a name.

Jiang Chen stepped back and nodded to Academician Chen Shuyin.

"Start."

Academician Chen Shuyin pressed the switch on the control console.

"Hum—"

The headband, which originally looked like scrap metal, suddenly lit up with a circle of soft blue light.

At that moment, all the lights in the warehouse went out.

Darkness descended.

Only in the center of the stage, the light emitted by the headband grew brighter and brighter, and countless tiny light particles began to dance, condense, and reorganize in the air.

There was no cool opening animation, and no deafening sound effects.

Amidst the intertwining light and shadow.

A slightly blurry figure slowly emerged from the void.

First the feet, wearing a pair of small red sandals.

Then the legs, wearing white tights.

Then, a floral dress printed with sunflowers.

Finally, a young, smiling little face with curved eyebrows clearly appeared in everyone's sight.

It was a little girl who looked only seven or eight years old.

She was carrying the same pink backpack that Ms. Liu was holding, wearing two pigtails, and standing only two meters away from Ms. Liu.

It was as real as a living person.

The comments in the livestream disappeared instantly.

Tens of millions of people held their breath, staring fixedly at the screen.

The little girl tilted her head, looked at Ms. Liu who was sitting in the chair with her eyes closed, and suddenly grinned, revealing a missing front tooth.

The voice was crisp, filled with childhood innocence, piercing through the dust of time, and rang out in the dead-silent warehouse:

"Mom!"

"School's out! Why are you just now picking me up?"