87: The ethics committee's questioning and the "genius's" sophistry.

Deep within the "Torch Dragon" Base, inside that ward specially built for Excellence—filled with "hand-crafted" technology and the atmosphere of recovery—time seemed to stand still for a moment. Excellence was immersed in his world of devices known as "Emotional Visualization 3.0," cobbled together from various discarded parts and inconceivable theories. He was busy welding, programming, and debugging, thoroughly enjoying himself. Su Mu assisted from the side, sometimes handing him tools and sometimes complaining helplessly; the air was filled with a slightly absurd yet warm sense of peace. Evelyn's regular visits and Wang Jianguo's tacit approval seemed to provide a protective umbrella for this seemingly unreliable yet effective method of recovery.

However, the tree seeks peace but the wind does not subside. Excellence's extremely unique existence, along with the series of unconventional research and protection operations conducted around him by the "Torch Dragon" Base, created faint ripples that ultimately could not be completely isolated from the keen Perception networks of the outside world. Despite Wang Jianguo's use of the highest level of information blocking and security measures, some vague intelligence leaked through special channels—regarding a "young individual with extraordinary potential" and "strange cognitive changes resulting from a high-tech attack by foreign forces"—still attracted attention at a specific level.

This level consisted of top domestic neuroscientists, cognitive psychologists, cutting-edge ethicists, legal experts involved in high-tech regulation, and a few strategic experts involved in formulating the nation's highest-level scientific research ethical norms, collectively forming an undisclosed Joint Review Committee. The responsibility of this committee was precisely to scrutinize and evaluate the compliance and risks of special research projects involving individuals with ultra-high potential, cutting-edge brain science interventions, and those that might touch the boundaries of human cognition and ethics.

A formal inquiry letter, rigorously worded and citing relevant confidentiality regulations and ethical charters, was delivered to Wang Jianguo's desk. The letter requested that the "Torch Dragon" Base undergo an undisclosed hearing and inquiry by the committee regarding the "special case of Excellence" it was hosting and researching. The goal was to "comprehensively evaluate the ethical boundaries, risk control measures, and protection of individual rights during the research process of this case, as well as the potential value and controllability of the research results."

Wang Jianguo held the heavy letter, his brow furrowed. He knew this day would come sooner or later; there was no avoiding it. The base's operations, subsequent resource support, and even Excellence's safety required understanding and support at a broader level; otherwise, progress would be difficult. But he knew even better that the group of experts he was about to face were by no means easy to deal with. They were profoundly knowledgeable, meticulous in their thinking, and had sharp eyes, especially in their scrutiny of ethical risks, which was almost harsh. Excellence's past experiences, his current unstable and peculiar mental state, and the explorations the base conducted based on his unconventional abilities—any of these could become a focal point of questioning. This hearing was nothing less than a meticulously prepared, severe test for him and the "Torch Dragon" project.

After careful preparation, the hearing was held at the highest security level in a conference room within the base that had undergone special acoustic treatment and electromagnetic shielding. The venue was arranged solemnly and simply. On one side of the long conference table sat five review committee members with serious expressions and sharp gazes. Behind them were secretaries and security personnel responsible for recording. On the other side were Wang Jianguo, Little Zhang, Excellence's primary physician, Su Mu as a companion and emotional support, and Evelyn Li, who attended as a technical consultant.

Excellence had been specifically changed into a clean hospital gown and sat between Wang Jianguo and Su Mu. He seemed somewhat curious yet also a bit dazed by the atmosphere of the occasion, his eyes occasionally scanning the unfamiliar faces and the cold equipment in the room, his fingers unconsciously twisting the hem of his clothes.

The meeting began, and Wang Jianguo first gave a half-hour presentation, detailing Excellence's basic situation, the circumstances of his injury, the current progress of his medical recovery, and the various measures the base had taken to ensure his safety and rights. He spoke cautiously, emphasizing that all research activities were centered absolutely on Excellence's health recovery and were under strict medical monitoring and security control, avoiding any terms that might spark controversy.

However, the committee members' questions clearly would not remain on the surface. A senior ethicist with silver hair and gold-rimmed glasses was the first to attack. His voice was calm, yet carried an indisputable weight:

"Director Wang Jianguo, thank you for your introduction. We understand the great efforts the base has made to protect Comrade Excellence. However, according to the information we have, Comrade Excellence once suffered a highly targeted high-tech information attack from the 'Prophet Foundation,' which directly led to severe neurological damage and consciousness disorders. Our core concern is: has the so-called 'research support' and 'ability guidance' currently being conducted around him by the base sufficiently and deeply assessed the long-term, hidden neurological trauma that this attack may have caused? How do you ensure that these activities do not constitute secondary harm, or even... unintentionally slide into the ethical gray area of utilizing his special cognitive state to obtain research results? Please specifically explain your risk assessment model and ethical review process."

The question went straight to the core, sharp and profound. Wang Jianguo did not change his expression and responded calmly. He cited a large amount of medical data, neuroimaging evidence, and independent expert evaluations, repeatedly emphasizing that all interventions were within safety thresholds and were adjusted at any time based on Excellence's physical and mental reactions, never sacrificing his health for data. His answers were airtight, demonstrating strong control and professional quality.

Next, an authoritative expert who enjoyed a high reputation in the domestic cognitive science community turned his gaze toward Excellence, who had remained quietly seated. His tone was as gentle as possible, as if speaking to a child, but the question itself carried immense weight:

"Hello, student Excellence. We understand that you love thinking and creating, and are currently conducting some very interesting... um... explorations, such as that little 'Emotional Visualization' device of yours. Can you share with us your... original intentions or thoughts for doing these things? For example, based on what knowledge or feeling do you believe such a device is feasible? More importantly, how do you distinguish whether what you are doing now is a natural recovery and manifestation of your true abilities and interests, or... perhaps driven by some... special, even possibly pathological thinking patterns resulting from your previous brain injury? Are you aware of the potential risks to yourself if such explorations are misdirected?"

The entire room fell silent instantly, and all eyes focused on Excellence. Su Mu's heart suddenly leaped into her throat, and cold sweat broke out in her palms. She was terrified that Excellence would not understand these complex questions or would answer inappropriately, triggering deeper misunderstandings. Evelyn also held her breath, looking at Excellence with concern. Wang Jianguo appeared calm on the surface, but his hand under the table unconsciously tightened.

Excellence seemed a bit dazed by the sudden, dense questioning. He blinked and tilted his head as if trying to digest the words. Only the low hum of the air conditioning system could be heard in the room. A few seconds later, he did not directly answer the questions about "intentions" or "distinction." Instead, he slowly asked back in a tone of innocent confusion:

"Teacher, you just asked about... 'scientific basis'... right?" He paused, seemingly organizing his words, then raised a finger and tapped his temple lightly. "But... whose science is the basis? Is it Sir Isaac Newton's classical mechanics? Is it Mr. Einstein's theory of relativity? Or... perhaps, it's what's currently running in my head... this?" He looked around, his eyes as clear as a spring, yet he threw out a question that stunned all the experts. "If... if my current brain isn't running the Windows system everyone uses, or iOS, but a brand new, unnamed... let's call it 'Zhuoyue OS'... then why should the software and hardware 'compiled' using the logic and programming language of my operating system—like that little device—be scanned by your antivirus software or compatibility testing tools to see if it has 'viruses' or counts as 'genuine'?"

There was dead silence in the conference room. Several experts looked at each other; someone subconsciously pushed up their glasses, and someone opened their mouth but was momentarily at a loss for words. This... this had completely deviated from the preset defense track! This sounded like a child's nonsensical pestering, but if one savored it carefully, it seemed to contain a very tricky metaphor regarding cognitive relativity, the incommensurability of paradigms, and even the philosophy of science! This made their prepared follow-up questions, based on existing scientific paradigms and ethical frameworks, instantly feel as if they had nowhere to land.

Excellence did not stop. He seemed to have opened a floodgate, continuing to explain with his unique, jumping logic: "And the 'pathological thinking' you mentioned... what is a 'disease'? Is it... being different from what most people think that makes it a 'disease'? Then... for example, Grandpa Einstein, he sat there thinking and thinking, and came up with the theory of relativity. At that time, in the eyes of many others, he spent all day thinking that time would slow down and space would curve—wasn't that also quite... 'strange'? Like 'pathological'?" He looked serious, as if discussing a grave academic issue. "I think... maybe everyone's 'operating system' is just different, so the 'desktops' they see and the 'software' they can install are also different?"

He then steered the topic toward "risk": "Of course I know about risk! Like when I was working with salt water conductivity... uh... Squad Leader Su Mu said it was dangerous, that it might spill and wet the table, or even cause a short circuit. But..." He suddenly puffed out his chest with a nearly pious persistence, "Isn't exploring the unknown itself the greatest risk? If we're afraid of risk, why do we build rockets to fly into the sky? There are risks in the sky too, even meteorites! But we still want to go up and take a look, right?"

This "nonsense logic" of his instantly turned a serious and tense ethical inquiry into a nearly absurd situation filled with philosophical speculation and childlike questioning. Yet, his expression was incredibly sincere, and his eyes were pure, without the slightest hint of provocation or cunning, making it impossible to accuse him of intentionally causing trouble or evading the question.

A legal expert who had been silent all along tried to bring the discussion back on track. He cleared his throat and said in a steady tone, "Student Excellence, your ideas are... unique. But we are more concerned with the protection of rights at a practical level. For example, are you aware of the principle of voluntariness in your participation in these activities? Is your guardian fully informed and consenting? Has the base provided sufficient psychological support and an exit mechanism..."

Excellence seemed to understand the words "rights" and "protection." Before the legal expert could finish, he nodded vigorously, a bright and slightly proud smile appearing on his face. "Protection? Yes! It's great! Uncle Wang provides the meals, and the braised pork in the cafeteria is delicious! Squad Leader Su Mu plays with me every day and tells me jokes, even though they're not funny sometimes... Sister Evelyn brings sweet snacks! Oh, it's just..." He suddenly wrinkled his nose and complained with a bit of grievance, "It's just that the network signal here doesn't seem very good. I want to play that... that parkour game on my tablet, but it's always lagging. It's so annoying! Uncle Wang, can you get me a better router?"

Wang Jianguo: "!!!" (Inner thought: You brat! This is a hearing! Not a place for you to order food and complain about the internet speed!) The muscles in his face twitched, and he resisted the urge to facepalm. He could only cough with a stiff face and say vaguely, "...This... the network issue... we'll talk about it after the meeting."

Su Mu could no longer hold it in. She quickly lowered her head, covering her mouth tightly with her hand, her shoulders shaking violently as she tried to suppress her laughter until tears almost came out. Evelyn also quickly picked up her water glass to pretend to drink, hiding the uncontrollable upward curve of her lips. Even Little Zhang, whose expressions were usually scarce, had a corner of his mouth twitch imperceptibly.

The experts were completely dazed by this series of answers that defied all common sense. All the follow-up questions they had prepared based on reason, logic, and regulations seemed like heavy punches hitting cotton in the face of Excellence's self-contained "Zhuoyue OS" logic, which mixed innocence, philosophical metaphors, and daily trivialities. The atmosphere in the room became extremely bizarre—serious yet permeated with an indescribable awkwardness and... a strange sense of hilarity.

Ultimately, this hearing, which was originally expected to be a battle of words and filled with confrontation, ended hastily in a nearly farcical atmosphere that no one had anticipated. After a brief deliberation, the preliminary conclusion given by the review committee was also very vague and cautious: "The circumstances of the case are extremely unique, far exceeding conventional cognitive frameworks. Its research value and risks coexist and are difficult to measure simply by existing standards. It is recommended to maintain the status quo and allow exploratory activities to continue under the existing strict regulatory mechanisms, but long-term tracking observations and regular ethical evaluations must be strengthened, with strategies ready to be adjusted at any time."

After the meeting, Wang Jianguo looked at Excellence, who had a face that said, "Did I answer well? Didn't I make a lot of sense?" with eyes that were both clear and foolish. His mood was complicated beyond measure. He helplessly rubbed his throbbing temples, sighed, and asked in a low voice that was half-reproachful and half-curious, "You brat... did you really not understand and were just talking nonsense today, or... were you intentionally playing dumb?"

Hearing this, Excellence chuckled, revealing two sharp little canine teeth. A flicker of hard-to-catch cunning flashed in his eyes as he replied in a lowered voice, "Uncle Wang, you don't understand, do you? This is called... strategic playing dumb! It's the ultimate secret I realized from 'appear incapable when you are capable' in The Art of War, and from Jerry's clever tricks against Tom in Tom and Jerry! When reasoning with people who are especially smart and serious, sometimes you have to use a bit of 'nonsense logic' to disrupt their 'casting wind-up'!"

Wang Jianguo, Su Mu, and Evelyn, who had just walked over, were instantly floored upon hearing this explanation!

Su Mu didn't know whether to laugh or cry as she swatted him. "What on earth is inside that head of yours all day long!"

Excellence shook his head proudly and said righteously, "It's full of treasures! Although there might be some garbled code..."

Everyone looked at him like that, both annoyed and amused, but they also had to admit in their hearts: even if this guy's brain was damaged, that eccentricity and unpredictability deep in his marrow hadn't changed at all. In his own unique way, he might have successfully defused a potential crisis during this hearing. It was just that his method was truly heart-stopping.