120: Evelyn's Choice and the "One-Way Mirror" Project

The "resonance" crisis triggered by the star map research was like a heavy boulder cast into the already turbulent heart of Evelyn Li, stirring up waves of self-reproach and profound internal conflict. In the days following the crisis, she maintained a facade of calm and professionalism, assisting the medical team in monitoring Excellence's recovery and handling the daily technical affairs of Homeland. However, deep down, she was constantly subjecting herself to a fierce internal interrogation.

In the dead of night, that heart-stopping scene would always vividly resurface before her eyes: Excellence collapsed in his chair, his face flushed, his body trembling, enveloped in an eerie and dangerous energy field; the star map flowing and reorganizing on the computer screen; the blinding light and low-frequency humming from the ore... Every detail was like a dull knife, repeatedly cutting at her nerves.

"It's my fault... it's all my fault..." a voice echoed repeatedly in her heart. It was she who, upon first discovering that box in the cave, had not firmly opposed bringing it back. It was she who, when Excellence developed an interest in the star map, had not only failed to stop him but had provided support, tools, and ideas in the name of "scientific exploration." Even the framework of those research methods was something she had helped establish. She should have been the barrier protecting Excellence, yet she seemed to have pushed him to the edge of danger with her own hands. If Excellence suffered permanent neurological damage because of this incident, or worse... she would never be able to forgive herself. This heavy sense of guilt nearly crushed her.

Yet, at the same time, another voice—belonging to Evelyn the scientist, who had received top-tier scientific training since childhood and was filled with endless curiosity about the unknown—spoke up tenaciously. That voice calmly analyzed: the phenomena displayed by the star map and the ore completely exceeded the cognitive framework of existing science. What was the mechanism behind that ability to "resonate" directly with consciousness and trigger synchronous physiological changes? How did it relate to the early activities of The Foundation? Did it even... suggest the existence of some grander, more ancient cosmic information carrier or knowledge system that surpassed humanity's current civilizational understanding?

Was giving up the research truly the safest choice? This thought caused her a nearly physiological sense of resistance. As a researcher, to shrink back when encountering such an unprecedented phenomenon was no different from betraying the scientific spirit. This could be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for humanity to glimpse the deep mysteries of the universe, perhaps containing the keys to solving future problems of energy, information, and even life itself. To seal it away entirely out of fear—wouldn't that be like giving up eating for fear of choking? This intense curiosity and desire to explore the unknown were instincts etched into her bones, impossible to easily erase.

What made her even more conflicted and worried was Excellence's own state. Under forced rest and with the help of medication, although Excellence's physical indicators were gradually returning to normal, his spirit was clearly somewhat despondent. He no longer spoke enthusiastically about his new ideas as he once did; most of the time, he just sat quietly in a daze or leafed aimlessly through books, the pure and bright spark in his eyes gone. That star map, that puzzle, seemed to have become an important spiritual anchor and a source of intellectual stimulation for him. Would forcibly depriving him of interaction with this complex cognitive object also be a form of harm? Would suppressing his naturally strong thirst for knowledge lead to a decline in his cognitive abilities or the emergence of psychological issues?

For several days and nights, Evelyn weighed self-reproach, fear, curiosity, and responsibility against each other, nearly unable to sleep. She consulted a vast amount of literature on neuroscience, anomalous phenomenon research, and even risk assessment management, trying to find a balance point. She knew her next decision would be crucial, not only for Excellence's safety but also for the future direction of their research.

After agonizingly deep deliberation, Evelyn finally organized her thoughts. She spent an entire day and night drafting a detailed, logically rigorous, and comprehensively risk-assessed report, which she submitted to Wang Jianguo. The core of this report was the compromise research proposal she had named the "one-way mirror" project.

In the report, she first candidly admitted the immense risks brought by the previous direct research methods and took responsibility as the primary proposer. However, she immediately followed this by arguing the potential drawbacks of a total ban on research (including the negative impact on Excellence's psyche and the possibility of missing a major scientific discovery).

Then, she elaborated on the concept of the "one-way mirror" scheme. Its core principle was: complete isolation from direct contact to achieve safe, indirect observation. Specific measures included:

Establishing a highly isolated controlled environment: A dedicated Isolated Observation Room, meeting the highest biosafety and electromagnetic shielding standards, would be built beneath the research area of Homeland. This observation room would be designed with two layers. The inner layer would house the metal box, the star map (using a high-precision replica, with the original sealed away), and the glowing ores, with internal environmental parameters (temperature, humidity, air pressure, background radiation, etc.) strictly monitored and stabilized. The outer layer would be the researchers' workspace. The two layers would be separated by a special composite wall several meters thick, with various sensor arrays integrated into the wall but physically completely isolated.

Non-contact, multi-filtered data collection: Researchers (primarily Excellence, under strict supervision) would not directly observe the items themselves but would collect data through a series of non-contact, ultra-high-precision sensors embedded in the isolation wall. These sensor types were carefully selected, including:

A high-resolution multispectral imaging system: To capture the reflection, transmission, and spontaneous spectral characteristics of the star map and ores under different wavelengths of light (from infrared to ultraviolet), though the light intensity would be strictly attenuated and filtered to avoid strong light stimulation.

Ultra-high sensitivity vibration/acoustic detectors: To monitor extremely faint vibrations or acoustic signals that the ores might emit, though the signals would undergo multiple stages of frequency reduction and noise cancellation to eliminate frequency components that might cause physiological discomfort.

A micro-gravitational wave detection array (experimental): To attempt to detect whether extremely faint ripples in spacetime related to the items existed.

A quantum state perturbation monitor (cutting-edge equipment): To observe whether measurable quantum system decoherence anomalies existed near the ores.

An environmental energy field scanner: To comprehensively measure any possible energy fluctuations within the isolation room, such as electromagnetic fields, electrostatic fields, and thermal radiation fields.

Strict control of data flow: All raw data collected by the sensors would not be presented directly to Excellence or the researchers. Instead, it would first be transmitted to an independent safety filtering and preprocessing system run by an AI. This AI system would be specially programmed, with its primary task being to identify and remove any data segments that might contain regular oscillations, strong energy pulses, or suspected encoding patterns (which were suspected to be the keys to triggering "resonance"). Only "purified" data, deemed "safe" and either static or slowly changing, would be allowed to be displayed on the monitoring screens in the outer observation room for analysis by the researchers. Furthermore, the data would be presented in a non-real-time, delayed manner to facilitate immediate interruption at any time.

Clear definition of authority and responsibility: Excellence's "participation" would be strictly limited to that of an "observer." He could only view the processed, non-real-time data flow during specific time slots (e.g., twice a week, for no more than an hour each time), accompanied by both Evelyn and Su Mu. He could not directly operate the equipment or make real-time interaction requests. Evelyn herself, as the project lead and primary person in charge, would be responsible for the calibration of all equipment, the formulation of data collection plans, and the final interpretation of data. All operational procedures had to be recorded in detail and would be subject to random audits by the Security Committee.

Evelyn emphasized at the end of the report: "The fundamental purpose of the 'one-way mirror' project is not to rush to crack the mystery, but to safely accumulate knowledge. We need to understand the mechanisms and boundary conditions of this anomalous phenomenon before it becomes possible to formulate truly effective protective measures in the future, or even to identify its potential, controllable positive value. Complete isolation could lead to the accumulation of unknown fears and potential hidden dangers, whereas the 'one-way mirror' strategy is a rational attempt to minimize risk while maintaining an observation window at our current level of understanding."

After receiving this weighty report, Wang Jianguo convened a core team, including safety experts, psychologists, and physicists, for several hours of intense discussion. Opposing voices still existed, with primary concerns focused on the unreliability of the technology and the unpredictability of unknown risks.

However, Wang Jianguo ultimately weighed the various opinions. He believed that Evelyn's proposal reflected a rare prudence and sense of responsibility, controlling risks to the utmost limit of current technology. Compared to letting Excellence come into contact again in an uncontrolled state, or causing his spirit to wither through a total ban, this "dancing in chains" proposal was perhaps the most feasible option at this stage. He finally signed off on the initial implementation phase of the "one-way mirror" project, but with extremely harsh conditions: strict budget control, safety standards higher than any existing top level, Evelyn bearing full direct responsibility, and the immediate, unconditional termination of the project upon the slightest sign of any anomaly, regardless of its potential value.

Once the plan was approved, it entered an intense phase of construction and implementation. The construction of the Isolated Observation Room employed Homeland's top engineering forces. When Excellence was brought to the outer room for the first time and saw the star map replica and the ores through the thick explosion-proof glass—surrounded by various precision instruments yet unreachable—his expression was complex. There was a hint of disappointment at not being able to touch them personally, but more so a sense of joy and curiosity at being allowed to "get close" to the puzzle once again. He sat obediently in the designated chair, following Evelyn's guidance, and watched the flickering, processed spectral curves and numbers on the screen.

Evelyn, for her part, invested an enormous amount of energy. Like a lead surgeon about to perform a highly difficult neurosurgical operation, she treated every data collection with extreme caution. Calibrating sensor sensitivity, setting filtering parameters, analyzing AI-preprocessed data... she double-checked every step, her forehead often beaded with fine sweat from the high tension. She knew well that what she controlled was not just a set of instruments, but Excellence's safety baseline. This pressure caused her to grow thinner by the day, but her gaze remained exceptionally focused and determined.

Su Mu saw all of this. She understood the immense pressure on Evelyn's shoulders and saw the effort she put in for Excellence's safety. The slight friction from before had long since been replaced by this shared concern and effort. She didn't say much but expressed her support through action. She took on more of the responsibility for Excellence's daily life and rehabilitation training, ensuring his routine was healthy, and finding ways to take him on pleasant outdoor activities to help balance the psychological expectations and tension that the "one-way mirror" observations might bring. She would also silently hand over a cup of hot tea or a simple late-night snack after Evelyn finished a long day of work.

Thus, the "one-way mirror" project, like a scientific exploration walking on a thin wire, carefully sought a delicate balance above the abyss of unknown risks. It had no thrilling breakthroughs, only day after day of tedious data recording and cautious analysis. But for Evelyn, it represented her responsibility and courage as a scientist—not to charge ahead recklessly, but to choose to move forward with the burden after recognizing the risks, all for deeper understanding and long-term safety. And for Homeland, it was a crucial step in shifting from passive defense to active, cautious cognition when facing unknown threats. The answers of the future might just be hidden within these seemingly mundane bits of data.