ThesolesofLiJin’spumpshitthefloormuchearlierthanhe’danticipatedandhefeltthemusclesinhissinewylegsabsorbtheimpactwithroomtospare.Hepausedforafewsecondsallowinghisheartbeattoslow.Thenheswitchedonthesmallflashlightandletthetinybeamdancearoundtheroom.Itwasasmallenclosure,notmuchbiggerthanhisdormitoryroomatTsinghua.Hesighed.Hewouldprobablynevereverseethatdormitoryagain.Thenthebeamdancedoversomethingthathadhisheartracingalloveragain.
Therewasagurneyinthecenteroftheroom.Oncloserinspection,LiJinrealizedthatitwasmorelikeanelaboratedentalchairwiththebackrestpushedwaybacktoallowtheoccupanttoassumearecliningposition.Nexttothedentistchairwaswhatlookedlikesomesortoflamp/heaterhybrid.TheyweremoninBeijing,inexpensivelampsthatprovidedamodestamountofheatingatthesametimebyredirectingtheheatfromthefilamentoutwardsintotheroom.Hefeltalongitsstemandswitchediton.Theroomwasilluminatedinaharshyellowglowandablanketofdryheatstartedtocrawloutwards,slowlywarmingtheroom.LiJinswitchedoffhisflashlightandlookedaroundtheroom.Thewallsweremadeofgraybrick,drippingwithhumidity.Thefloorwascoveredwithsomekindoflaminatedesignedtoapproximateawoodenfloor.
LiJinstudiedthecontraptioninthecenteroftheroom.Thedentistchairwasriggedwithacoupleofplasmamonitorssittingonmetalarmsthatcurvedoverthechairlikethetailofanagitatedscorpion.Apairofcyberspaceglovesandgoggleshungtoonesidenexttoametalarmwithseveralhooks.Thechairitselfwascoveredinasilvermeshfabricstretchedtightoverhigh-densitypoundmemoryfoamandsatonanhourglass-shapedmetalbase.Nexttothechairwasasilvertrolleystackedwithmedicalequipment.Therewereintravenouscathetersandtubes,somekindofpumpandmultiplepackscontainingvariousformsofmedicalhydrationandnutrition,thekindhospitalsfedtopatientsinaa.
LiJinscannedthepacksquickly,hisheartracinginanticipation.Itwaspainfullyobvious.Theseweremedicalnutritionpacksdesignedtokeepyouunderwhilejackedintocyberspace.Thiswastheprofessor’sbackdoorrig.TheUPSbelowtherigandtheheatingpanelsconfirmedhissuspicions.Theprofessorhadbeenspendingextendedperiodsoftimeonthenewnetworkandhadsetupthiselaboraterigforthepurposeofstayingjackedinforverylongperiodsoftime.
LiJinknewthedangersofthiskindofsetupverywell.Atoneendofoneoftheintravenouscatheterswasaneedle,whichyouplacedinaprominentveinunderyourskin.Thecatheterwasusedtoadministerfluidstopreventdehydration.Theprofessorwasalsousingnasogastrictubeswhichwerefeddownthenoseandthroatintothestomach.Theg-tube,whichwasinsertedjustbelowthecollarbone,allowedformuchmoreextendedperiodsofintravenousfeeding.Theputer-controllablepumpensuredthatnutritionfromthepackscouldberegularlyadministereddirectlyintothedigestivesystem.Theriskstheprofessorhadbeentakingweresubstantial.Liquidcouldenterthelungs,tubescouldbeecloggedandadislodgedneedle,whileyouwereinthethroesofsomecyberspaceepisode,couldresultinserioustissuecontamination.Thisstuffshouldonlybedonewithsomeone,preferablyaqualifiedmedicalprofessional,periodicallywatchingoverthesubject.Yet,theprofessorhadfounditnecessarytotaketheserisks.Why?
LiJinnoticedthatcablesfromthemonitors,thegoggles,theglovesandtheintravenouspump,allledtothebackofthechairwheretheydisappearedintoatinyboxmadeofcheapplastic.Anothercablefromtheboxdisappearedintoasmallenclosureatthebaseofthechair.Thebackdoordevice?LiJinopenedthedoortotheenclosureandexhaleddeeply.Inthesmallspacewasasmallgreenplasticboxnolargerthanapackofcigarettes.IthadnolabelexceptthefollowingnoticeinsimplewhiteChinesecharacters:PropertyofthePeople’sLiberationArmy.UnauthorizedUseStrictlyProhibited.Therewasatinyflickswitchatthebackofthedevice.LiJinswitchedthedeviceonandthemonitorsabovecameoutofhibernation.AflashoflightfromthegogglesandtheblinkingLEDsontheglovessuggestedthosedeviceswerealsohookeduptothegreenbox.
LiJinstaredatthemonitorandcouldn’tbelievehiseyes.Onthemonitorwasaspinning3DmapofShanghaiwithblinkingiconsindicatingvariouslocationsonthenetwork.Tinydotsmovedaroundthemapatrandom,theircolorsintermittentlychanging.Inasmallpicture-in-picturewasareadoutofvitalsignswiththeword‘offline’flashingforallofthem.Atthebottomofthattinyscreenwasacountdowntimerfrozenatzero.ItallmadesensetoLiJin.Theprofessorhadwrittenarudimentaryprogramthatmonitoredimportantaspectsofhishealthwhenhewasjackedin.Theprograminturncontrolledtheintravenouspump,theheatingandtheotherenvironmentalvariablesrequiredtostayunder.Thecountdowntimerensuredthathewasjackedoutofthenetworkataspecificpointoftime.
LiJinfoughthisinstincttodonthegogglesandtheglovesandenterthesystem.Hereathisfingertipswasprobablythemostamazingnetworkintheworld,asystemhehadhelpedbuildbuthadneverseenupandrunningintherealworld.Thesystemhadbeentop-levelclassified.Nobodyontheproject,excepttheprofessorandaselectedfewofthetopbrassofthePLA’sThirdDepartment,hadhadanyaccesstothefinishedproduct.
Yet,LiJinknewabouttheseductivenatureofcyberspace,especiallythisversionofit.Hecouldnotaffordtowasteanymoretime.HehadatraintocatchtoHongKong.Heswitchedofftheboxandquicklydisconnectedthecables.Heplacedtherig,theglovesandthegogglesinhisbackpackandrippingthelabelsoffthehealthnutritionandhydrationproducts,heplacedtheminhispockets.HewouldhavetomakesomepurchasesinXianoncetheRussian’screditwassittingsecurelyinhisaccounts.Thenitwouldbeofftoalocationhestillhadn’tpletelydecidedon.
Withsomeeffort,LiJinmovedthedentistchairsothatitwasdirectlybelowthetrapdoor.Usingthepneumaticpumpbelowtheseatheraisedthechairtoitshighestposition.Thechancesofhimbeingheardwereminimal.Hestoodonthechairandwasrelievedtofindthathisfingerscouldjustaboutcurlaroundthelipsoftheopentrapdoor.Withallhisstrengthheraisedhisbodyupthroughthetrapdoorlikeagymnastmountingparallelbars.HethankedGodforhisskinnyframeashistorsoandbackpackemergedontheotherside.
Stealthilyhecreptoutofthestudytothebackoftheprofessor’spoundwerehesuspectedtheremightbeasidegate.Again,thegodswereonhisside.Therewasasidegatelockedfromtheinside,probablybythemanwiththecigarette.LiJinwasagaingratifiedtoseethattherewasnopadlock.HeslidtheboltopenandslippedoutintocoldBeijingnight.
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