Technology invades the modern world

Chapter 111 Lin Ran's version of "The Man in the High Castle" (asking for monthly tickets!)

"Dick? Is that such a rude name?"

In the center of the stage, soft lights shone down from the 15-meter-high ceiling, shining on Lin Ran's face, and Jenny's breath hit Lin Ran's face while she spoke.

"Are you kidding me?"

Dick, dick, Lin Ran thought for a moment before realizing that Jenny might think I was joking with her.

Lin Ran said seriously, “No, no, no, Jenny, I’m really curious.

He is a science fiction writer from California. I have read some of his works and found them very interesting.

I'm a fan of his books and wanted to talk to him, so I wanted to ask if the publishing houses under the Hearst family would do business with him."

As mentioned earlier, the Hearst family is a media tycoon.

Jenny wasn't surprised at all that Lin Ran knew about the Hearst family, or rather, it would be strange if he didn't know.

“I haven’t heard of it, it’s probably not famous.

Moreover, we are responsible for publishing the Hearst International Library, which focuses on publishing hardcover books. No one would want to buy a hardcover science fiction novel.

Not to mention Philip K. Dick, even the hardcover novels of Isaac Asimov or Arthur C. Clarke are not easy to sell.

The fine book readers wanted to buy was Leo Tolstoy's "War and Peace," even though he was a Slav.

It seems that they acquired Avon Books two years ago and went into the paperback route. I’m not sure about the details, but I don’t remember ever hearing of a writer like Philip K. Dick.

But since Professor Lin mentioned it, I think he must have unique talents. I will definitely look for his works when I return to Washington.”

Philip K. Dick's most famous work is probably "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" published in 1968, which was later adapted into "Blade Runner."

At present, he is just an unknown little-known writer active in California.

Not to mention Jenny, even today's science fiction fans have only heard of it within San Francisco.

Lin Ran's casual remark changed his fate to some extent.

In a wooden villa far away from the city in Marin County, California, Philip K. Dick got up at 10 o'clock as usual. He looked at the villa and found that his wife Anne and daughter Laura had already left.

He went to the kitchen to make a cup of coffee and prepare to have it with bread and jam for breakfast.

Philip K. Dick bit his bread, held his coffee, and walked to the typewriter. Instead of starting, he stared at the reference book on the table in a daze.

The philosophical masterpiece he used to guide his creation this time was the "Book of Changes" from China.

That’s right, he later complained in an interview that it was because he referred to the "Book of Changes" that his plot became fragmented.

Because while writing this new book, he always liked to toss coins and then decide the fate of the characters or the development of the plot based on the hexagrams.

After finishing his bread, he picked up three copper coins and tossed each of them six times, generating a hexagram:

"—The first line, Yang."

Before he could finish the divination, a phone call broke the long-lost silence in the room.

"Ding ding ding~ ding ding ding~"

Philip K. Dick stood up and answered the phone. Anthony Butcher's voice came from the other end:

"Philip, good news! Mr. John Miller has taken a liking to your work and asked you to bring your most proud piece. He wants to meet you in person in New York.

If your work can be seen by John Miller, maybe you can leave California and become a famous science fiction writer like Asimov. "

Anthony Boucher was the co-founder of The Magazine of Science Fiction and Fantasy, where Philip K. Dick's early works, such as Minority Report, were published.

Although he has retired, he is still good friends with Philip K. Dick.

Philip K. Dick asked, "Who is John Miller?"

As a solitary writer, he had indeed never heard of this person.

Anthony Butcher explained: “He was previously a senior executive at Hearst International Library, and then when Hearst acquired Avon Books, he was transferred to Avon Books to become CEO.

He is a direct descendant of the Hearst family. If your work is favored by him, using the Hearst family's media network, your work is likely to be promoted throughout America, rather than being limited to a small place like California."

Philip K. Dick then asked, "When exactly?"

Anthony Butcher said, "I'll give you Mr. John Miller's phone number. You can talk to him yourself."

After writing down John Miller's number in the phone book, Philip K. Dick did not call immediately. Instead, he sat back at the typewriter and insisted on finishing the divination:
"—1st Yao, Yang
-
The second line, Yin

—*The 3rd Yao, Old Yang——
The second line, Yin
-
The second line, Yin

—The 6th Yao, Yang

Finally, I picked up the I Ching and tried to figure out the hexagram:

"The main hexagram is Zhen, with two thunderbolts superimposed on each other, symbolizing shock, awakening and sudden change."

Philip K. Dick read slowly, thinking to himself, "So what I'm calculating today isn't Frank's future, but my own?" He was silent for a moment.

On December 12, the second day of the Christmas holiday, at the Hearst Tower at 21 West 57th Street in Midtown Manhattan, Philip K. Dick was carrying a backpack, which contained not only his previous masterpieces but also his almost finished work, The Man in the High Castle.

After a brief chat with John Miller, Philip Dick realized that it was not John Miller who was interested in him, but Randolph Lin and Jenny Hearst of the Hearst family.

The former had just returned from Oslo, Norway with great success, and the latter, as a member of the Hearst family, must not be much worse.

This made Philip a little uneasy. He didn't know why these two people were looking for him.

But considering that the hexagram calculated was Zhen, the thunder broke the silence, bringing awakening and rebirth. In the Book of Changes, it has no distinction between good and bad, but in Philip's opinion it is a good hexagram.

In addition to the personal career and divination mentioned above, another important reason why Philip chose to go to the appointment was that he was very interested in Lin Ran.

It's not because of the White House bureaucracy or the Nobel Prize, but because the media described him as Professor Horkheimer's last disciple, and the way Lin Ran spoke in public interviews all demonstrated his extraordinary philosophical attainments.

Philip was very curious. As a great Chinese mathematician with such a deep understanding of philosophy, Lin Ran had a deep understanding of the I Ching, the epitome of ancient Chinese philosophy, and whether he had a fresher interpretation from a mathematical perspective.

Therefore, he was very much looking forward to meeting Lin Ran.

On the 18th floor of Hearst Tower, Jenny and Lin Ran were already waiting for Philip K. Dick in the conference room.

From the moment she and Lin Ran walked into Avon Books, Jenny had been frowning.

Although it was a holiday and no one was working, the lingering smell of typewriter ink, cigarette smoke, and coffee in the office still made her feel uncomfortable.

The narrow compartment made Jenny even more uncomfortable.

Fortunately, the environment in the conference room was much better, but Jenny still couldn't help but complain to Lin Ran: "Professor, if you are really interested in Philip, you can definitely ask him to meet in Washington.

Instead of meeting here." Jenny obviously rarely appears in such occasions, even though this is the Hearst family's business.

After all, she had just started working at the New York Times and had her own independent office facing Manhattan.

"This is respect for each other. You have also seen Philip's work. Don't you think it is very interesting?" Lin Ran held "Time Disconnect" in his hand.

Lin Ran leaned close to Jenny's ear and said, "Dear Miss Hurst, please act as the front desk and bring Philip K. Dick here today."

Jenny rolled her eyes at Lin Ran, then took off her deerskin gloves and placed them on the table. "As you wish, my professor."

Lin Ran laughed awkwardly twice.

"Hello, Mr. Dick, I am Randolph, Randolph Lin, your loyal reader."

When Philip K. Dick walked into the conference room, he saw a face that appeared repeatedly in newspapers and on television. He was also one of the most famous Chinese people in the world today.

The other party's enthusiasm was beyond his imagination. It looked like a meeting for book fans.

Philip K. Dick politely shook hands with Lin Ran and said, "Professor Lin, I am honored that my work has been liked by you.

I also watched your interview, and I thought it was very good.”

Jenny sat quietly by the side without saying a word.

After Lin Ran asked the other party to sit down, he winked at Jenny, and then the other party slowly walked to the water dispenser, brought a glass of water and placed it in front of Philip, and then said:

"Jenny Hurst, but today it's mainly Professor Lin who's talking to you."

Before Philip could be shocked that a member of the Hearst family was actually responsible for reception and serving tea and water, Lin Ran had already skipped the small talk and got to the point:

"Mr. Dick, I've been having a dream lately, and the content of my dream is very similar to your work 'Time Disconnect'."

Lin Ran raised the book "Time Disconnect" in his hand and showed it to the other party.

Philip even had to think hard to remember his work, which had been published three years earlier.

"Professor, please go ahead."

Lin Ran said: "I dreamed that I was living in a small town, leading a seemingly happy life. I was a math teacher, with a gentle wife and a group of friends.

Yet, in reality, my life is a reality show broadcast live around the world. From the moment I was born, my every move has been recorded by hidden cameras, everyone around me is an actor, and the entire town is a giant studio.

Let the audience watch my life 24 hours a day."

Lin Ran actually told the story of "The Truman Show", and he modified some details.

For example, in the movie Truman was a salesman, but he was changed to a math teacher, which is more in line with his actual identity.

Lin Ran continued, “Then unexpected things happened in life: lamps fell from the sky, my deceased parents suddenly appeared and were quickly taken away, and the conversations of the behind-the-scenes staff were unexpectedly heard on the radio.

In my dream, I began to try to escape from Seaview Town, but found that every attempt was hindered by various factors, including weather, traffic, and the dissuasion of my wife and friends.

Finally, I discovered the truth and found that this world has boundaries.

It turns out that the blue sky and white clouds were painted.

The producer tried to convince him to stay through the broadcast, but I chose to leave the fake world and move forward into the unknown of real life."

Philip K. Dick was puzzled. "Professor, few people can have such a complete dream.

But your dream is indeed quite similar to the one I wrote, "Time Disconnect."

"Time Out" tells the story of Regal, who, like Truman, is a seemingly ordinary man living in a quiet small town in America in the 50s.

Reger has no formal job and makes a living by participating in a newspaper competition called "Where's the Next Stop?"

The competition requires participants to predict where a green man will appear on the map every day. With his amazing intuition and analytical skills, Reger has won the competition for many years in a row and is a legend in the town.

Reger lives with his sister Margot and brother-in-law Vic.

Similar to "The Truman Show", on the surface, life is uneventful, but some strange phenomena begin to trouble Reger.

Occasionally, he would find that objects in reality suddenly disappeared, replaced by a small piece of paper with the object's name written on it.

For example, after the radio disappeared, the note left behind said "radio".

These anomalies confused Reger, and he began to doubt whether his perception of the world was real.

The attention paid to Reger by the town residents seems to be beyond the normal range. His neighbor Bill Black and others seem to be secretly monitoring him.

Eventually, through a series of clues, Reger discovered that the 1950s town he lived in was actually a carefully constructed illusion.

The real time is the 1990s, and the Earth is in the midst of a civil war. Regel is no ordinary person. He was once a key military strategist with the extraordinary ability to predict the landing points of enemy missiles.

In the past, Regger refused to continue working for the government due to a mental breakdown, so the authorities designed this fake 1950s town to trap him in a time-disconnected environment.

The town is not only physically isolated, but also uses drugs and psychological manipulation to make Reger believe that he is living in the past.

His competition was actually about predicting where missiles would land, and the newspaper was the government's tool for delivering information.

The entire town, including his family, are "actors" whose purpose is to maintain the illusion and ensure that Reger continues to unconsciously work for the war effort.

In the end, he successfully broke through the control, leaving an open ending, just like The Truman Show.

These two stories are very similar at their core.

Lin Ran said, "So, Mr. Dick, I hope you can help me write my dream into a novel, either a short story or a novella. I believe in your ability.

Also, I heard that you are writing a story similar to "Time Disconnected". I wonder if I can have a chance to appreciate it in advance.

It seems like two purposes, but in fact it is just one purpose.

Lin Ran just wanted to get the manuscript of "The Man in the High Castle" from Philip K. Dick and then adapt the story himself.

It's normal for Raspberry Pi computers and user manuals to appear in the fictional world of "The Man in the High Castle", right?
It’s normal that a simulation software and operating manual suddenly appeared in "The Man in the High Castle", right?
Even some predictions about the future can be attributed to Philip K. Dick.

What Lin Ran intended to give to Chen Jingrun was this Lin Ran version of "The Man in the High Castle".

"Of course, I'm honored that the professor likes my story." Philip K. Dick took out a photocopied manuscript of "The Man in the High Castle" from his schoolbag and handed it to Lin Ran, and promised to adapt Lin Ran's dream into a short story.

His past works, including the current novel "The Man in the High Castle", will be published by Avon Books.

After Philip K. Dick made an appointment to come back after the Christmas holiday to discuss publishing matters in detail with John Miller, he left the meeting room with the prepared publishing agreement.

After he left, Jenny asked, "Professor, what was the name of your wife in your dream?"

(End of this chapter)