105: A "failed" experiment and emotional resonance

After the base leadership established an ethical framework and risk control mechanism surrounding the "intellectual achievements" of Excellence, a core initiative was quickly implemented—tailoring a highly isolated, computationally stunning "supercomputer simulation platform" for Excellence.

This virtual environment, internally dubbed the "Mind Sandbox," aimed to provide a safe testing ground for Excellence's increasingly deep-water frontier conjectures, allowing for full exploration while firmly confining any potential risks to the digital world.

The platform was equipped with the most advanced fluid dynamics, quantum field theory, and even preliminary consciousness activity simulation modules, connected to the redundant computing power of the base's supercomputer—second only to the national computing center—and monitored in real-time by a specialized technical support team to ensure the stability of the simulation and... to prevent Excellence's imaginative code from crashing the entire system.

Excellence showed great enthusiasm for this new "toy."

He temporarily set aside his grand thoughts on the nature of time and space, and the first thing he was eager to verify was, unexpectedly, his peculiar conjecture about "Quantum Entanglement communication between plants," which had been teased by Su Mu as "plants don't send WeChat messages."

This idea stemmed from a flash of inspiration he had earlier while observing two spider plants; though seemingly absurd, it created a peculiar Resonance in his revitalized brain with certain vague concepts about the emergence of quantum information in complex systems.

With the assistance of two senior technicians (whose primary task was to ensure Excellence's operations complied with platform safety protocols and to intervene promptly when he attempted "wild operations" that might trigger system logic conflicts), Excellence began to clumsily and excitedly build his model.

He sat in front of the huge curved display, his fingers sliding rapidly across the virtual keyboard and trackpad, invoking various complex simulation modules.

On the screen, a model composed of countless parameters and algorithms, attempting to describe the interaction between plant life activities and potential quantum effects, gradually took shape.

He envisioned a specific energy field environment (a "bio-friendly" microwave background he hypothesized could promote the maintenance of quantum coherence), set the initial states of two virtual green plants (including moisture, nutrients, light absorption, and even a "simplified emotional index" he defined), and attempted to simulate the information exchange process that might exist between them based on some form of Quantum Entanglement state.

Su Mu and Evelyn sat quietly in the observation area behind him.

They couldn't understand the dazzling, rapidly scrolling lines of code and real-time visualization data streams on the screen, nor could they understand the complex plant structure model, connected by vein-like light filaments, that kept rotating in 3D space.

But they could clearly feel the focus and... pure joy when Excellence was fully immersed.

His eyes were fixed on the screen, sparkling as if he were an explorer about to uncover the mysteries of the universe, and from time to time he muttered terms that others couldn't understand at all, such as "Add a phase factor here...", "No, the coupling strength might be too high...", "Try non-linear response..."

"It's starting, it's starting!"

When the final parameter setting was completed, Excellence took a deep breath and pressed the virtual "Start Simulation" button with slightly trembling fingers, his voice tight with excitement.

For the first few seconds, the simulation seemed to run smoothly.

The data stream on the screen poured down like a waterfall, the light and shadow of the two plant models flickered slightly, and the light filaments connecting them also showed rhythmic pulsation.

Excellence held his breath, full of anticipation.

However, the good times didn't last long.

Less than a minute into the simulation, the scene on the screen began to plummet.

The 3D models representing plant tissues first appeared to be abnormally distorted and stretched, as if kneaded by an invisible force; then, the pulsation rhythm of the connecting light filaments became chaotic, flashing sharply one moment and almost extinguishing the next; in the real-time data monitoring window, the values of several key physical quantities began to jump wildly, far exceeding reasonable ranges, and even showing counter-intuitive negative values or infinity; finally, accompanied by a jarring "pop" sound simulated by the system warning sound effect, the graphical interface of the entire simulation process completely froze, turning into a piece of unresponsive dead silence.

A conspicuous red error message popped up: "Simulation Error: Logic conflict caused kernel crash. Attempting diagnosis..."

Excellence was stunned, the excitement on his face instantly solidified, replaced by disbelief and a trace of panic.

"How could it... freeze?"

He moved the mouse and tapped the keyboard unwillingly, but the screen didn't respond.

Under the guidance of the technicians, he forcibly terminated the process, reloaded the model, and carefully checked the parameters, thinking that some coupling coefficient was set too aggressively, leading to numerical instability.

He adjusted the parameters, took a deep breath, and started again.

In the second attempt, the model ran for a slightly longer time, but the results were even more bizarre.

When the simulation ended, the summary report output by the system contained a staggering conclusion: "Simulation data shows that under 'sadness' emotional stimulation (defined in the simulation as moisture stress), Plant A released an anomalous gravitational wave spectrum, with characteristics having a low-match correlation with the theoretically predicted 'anti-gravity' effect."

"Plants release anti-gravity waves when they are sad?" Even the technician on the side couldn't help but complain in a low voice, "This... this is even more sci-fi than sci-fi."

Excellence's face flushed red, and his unyielding spirit surged.

He restarted, adjusted, and tried different algorithm combinations over and over again, even whimsically introducing some "empirical correction factors" that he himself couldn't explain.

However, the result was either the model crashing and disintegrating early on, or reaching various bizarre, absurd conclusions that completely violated known biological and physical common sense, such as "Photosynthesis efficiency is negatively correlated with the quantum superposition state of environmental noise," "Root secretions can induce local space-time micro-curvature," and so on.

After experiencing more than a dozen complete failures, Excellence finally deflated like a balloon pricked by a needle.

He slumped back into the ergonomic chair, his originally straight spine bent, his head drooping, and the light in his eyes completely extinguished, leaving only thick, unfathomable frustration and confusion.

He stared blankly at the error report dialog box on the screen, muttering to himself: "Why doesn't it work... It clearly felt right... That thought was so clear... Why is the simulation all wrong..."

His voice grew smaller and smaller, filled with self-doubt.

The Emotion-Visualization Device (a portable wristband, with data synchronized and displayed on the side screen) continued to project a dim, gray-blue halo like a hazy sky, the pattern twisting and uncertain, accurately reflecting his low and chaotic mood at the moment.

Su Mu felt heartbroken watching from the side.

She knew very well that Excellence had high aspirations, and this first formal exploration in the "sandbox," on which he had pinned high hopes, ended in such a disastrous defeat, which was undoubtedly a heavy blow to his newly rebuilt confidence.

She couldn't watch him fall into the mire of self-denial.

She walked quickly to Excellence's side, not immediately saying those empty comforting words, but first handed him a cup of honey water that had been kept warm, and said softly: "Drink some water first, take a break. It's normal for a simulation not to work. Look at those great scientists, which one didn't succeed after failing hundreds or thousands of times?"

Excellence took the cup and drank mechanically, his eyes still empty, with no reaction.

Su Mu knew she needed more specific, more convincing examples.

She immediately asked an assistant to find a tablet and pull up the pre-prepared database.

She sat beside Excellence and, in her unique, warm, and vivid tone, began to vividly tell those famous "failure" stories in the history of science.

She talked about Thomas Edison, who failed over a thousand times in search of a suitable filament material, but optimistically said "I have found a thousand ways that won't work"; she talked about how many times the Wright brothers' "Flyer I" experienced disastrous failed test flights before truly succeeding, and was even ridiculed by people at the time as being whimsical; she talked about how the discovery of penicillin stemmed from an accidental experimental contamination rather than careful design... She deliberately highlighted the twists, hardships, and the persistent spirit in the face of failure during these exploration processes.

"You see, failure is truly the mother of success," Su Mu gently patted Excellence on the shoulder, trying to resolve his heaviness with a relaxed tone, "Your idea is so amazing! You even thought about whether plants use 'Quantum Entanglement' to whisper! This idea itself is already great! What does it matter if one simulation doesn't succeed? Maybe our simulator isn't advanced enough to simulate such a magical phenomenon? Or, just as sister Evelyn said, the real world is much more complex than the model. Don't be discouraged, take your time, we have plenty of time."

Evelyn also came over.

She didn't join the army of verbal comfort but took more practical action.

She produced from somewhere a beautifully packaged, extremely complex-looking large mechanical transmission model kit—a "self-propelled vehicle" model modeled after Da Vinci's design, with countless gears, connecting rods, and cranks.

She placed the box on the table in front of Excellence, her voice calm and gentle: "Excellence, sometimes when you get stuck on a difficult problem for a long time, your thinking is easy to get into a dead end. Why not change your mind and try this? It takes good spatial imagination and patience to put it together. The process of working with your hands can sometimes allow chaotic thoughts to settle, and even generate new inspiration."

Excellence was initially uninterested in the model box, just glancing at it lazily.

But under Su Mu's continuous soft encouragement and Evelyn's patient disassembly of the packaging and demonstration of the exquisite parts inside, he was attracted by the shining metal components and complex structural diagrams.

With their coaxing and persuasion, he finally reluctantly agreed to give it a try.

At first, he was still somewhat distracted, his fingers clumsy, unable to understand the complex assembly instructions, making mistakes frequently, either installing the gears backward or jamming the connecting rods wrongly, feeling annoyed enough to want to push the model away several times.

But Su Mu stayed by his side the whole time, helping him hand over tools and identify parts; Evelyn, relying on her excellent engineering literacy, guided him step by step to understand the transmission principle and pointed out the key structural points.

They didn't do it for him but encouraged him to try it himself and learn from his mistakes.

Gradually, Excellence was attracted by this activity that required extreme focus and fine operation.

He stopped thinking about those failed simulation data and fully immersed himself in this concrete, tangible challenge in front of him.

When he finally, through his own efforts, installed the last exquisite gear in place, gently turned the handle, and watched the complex transmission mechanism inside the whole model run smoothly, driving the small car forward slowly, a long-lost, pure, and huge sense of achievement and joy after overcoming difficulties surged into his heart like a warm spring!

A bright, cloudless smile bloomed on his face, and he cheered like a child: "Success! It moved! It really moved!"

Su Mu and Evelyn looked at his heartfelt smile and smiled at each other, the stone hanging in their hearts finally fell to the ground.

They knew that the Excellence full of curiosity and desire for exploration was back.

That night, after returning to the rehabilitation room, the light halo projected by Excellence's Emotion-Visualization Device was no longer a gloomy blue, but had turned into a brilliant, warm pattern like golden fireworks blooming in the night sky, full of joy and satisfaction.

Before going to sleep, he took Su Mu's hand, looked into her eyes very seriously, and said: "Squad leader, thank you. And sister Evelyn. Today... it was really hard when I failed. But... with you by my side, it seems... failure wasn't so scary after all."

Su Mu felt warmth in her heart, gently touched his hair, and whispered: "Silly, of course we will always be by your side. Whether you succeed or fail, you are our Excellence."

This frustration encountered in the "Mind Sandbox" accidentally did not hinder Excellence's growth but became an important opportunity to deepen the emotional bond between him and Su Mu and Evelyn.

It allowed Excellence to experience the hardships and uncertainties of scientific exploration in a safe range, and initially learned how to face setbacks and adjust his mentality.

More importantly, it made Su Mu and Evelyn realize more profoundly that for Excellence, stable, warm, trusting, and supportive companionship during the exploration process is far more important than the success or failure of any specific experiment.

This intangible emotional cornerstone will be the most precious wealth supporting him to face greater challenges and deeper unknowns in the future.