Those who face the wall, but are in the Nascent Soul stage.

Chapter 45 Cultivation Theory (Please continue reading)

The limitations imposed on the development of computer technology not only affected Radiaz's Wallfacer project to create a star-shaped nuclear bomb, but also caused another Wallfacer, Hines, to suffer from unavoidable computational power difficulties.

“We have already touched the wall that Sophon has erected on the path of human science,” Hines said at last year’s PDC hearing.

Computer experts are somewhat at a loss as to how to achieve a breakthrough in computer development.

The computing power of traditional integrated circuit von Neumann computers has approached its limit, although these computer experts claim that they can still squeeze a few lemons out of Moore's Law.

However, squeezing lemon juice also takes more time.

Moreover, even if all the lemons were squeezed out of traditional electronic computers, it is highly unlikely that humans would be able to build a virtual world on the Internet that could rival the game "The Three-Body Problem".

As for quantum computers, which are hailed as the hope for the next generation... with cutting-edge physics locked down by sophons, the probability of humans building a quantum computer is not much greater than the probability of monkeys building a car.

Compared to Radiaz, Hines has a higher demand for computing power.

Considering that his next plan could not be carried out in the current era, Hines had actually considered hibernation and jumping directly to the future to continue his plan.

In fact, he had already considered hibernation last year, but his wife always advised him to wait.

Hines had originally planned to hibernate after Luo Qing, the fifth Wallfacer, came to visit him, but he did not expect that after returning from Luo Ji, this amazing cultivator seemed to have forgotten his original schedule and took a detour to space.

Hines was somewhat helpless. It seemed that he would have to wait until Luo Qing finished his visit before considering hibernation.

Moreover, as a neuroscientist, Hines was also very interested in researching Luo Qing's existence, and he had prepared many questions.

...

Two major events have recently captured the attention of young people.

The first big thing is that "Taoist Sect 3" and "Union of the Four Seasons" which have been delayed for a year are finally going to be released this weekend.

The second major event is that the PDC announced that joint military exercises in the Pacific will take place next week.

Regarding the first major issue, ordinary people are obviously paying more attention. Ever since humanity entered the Crisis Era, it seems that everything has to be related to that bullshit Three-Body Problem. The mysterious word 'universe,' which was rarely mentioned by ordinary people, has now become a topic that even two dogs on the street can discuss.

In contrast, cultivation-themed films and television dramas, which are completely unrelated to the real world and include themes like the universe, the Three-Body Problem, doomsday crises, and escapism, have undoubtedly become a refuge for human spiritual culture.

Under the call of that Wallfacer, the concept of cultivating immortality has gradually taken root in people's hearts. Now, there is no need for him to deliberately guide it. A complete and mature culture of cultivating immortality has been formed within human society, with various films, television dramas, literary works, and even games emerging one after another.

Although it differs slightly from the serious cultivation style promoted by Luo Qing, it does indeed conform to the definition of cultivation culture.

In response to the global popularity of the cultivation culture, UNESCO has termed it "Wallfacer Cultivationism".

Now, without a doubt, the 'cultivation of immortality' is about to reach its climax. The interconnected universe of movies, novels, and TV series that Luo Qing, the Wallfacer, has been building for six years is about to reach its peak.

People all over the world are eagerly awaiting it.

But the second major event, the joint military exercises in the Pacific involving more than 100 countries including the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, are even more baffling to ordinary people.

The Trisolaran fleet is drifting in space, so why are humans still stuck playing paper boat combat in a puddle?

The key is that you need an enemy for an exercise. The so-called "UN First Fleet" that was leaked almost covers all countries with navies. Who are they going to fight?
Fight ETO?

It would be more meaningful to launch a few nuclear missiles into the sky and conduct a so-called 'anti-sophistic low-dimensional deployment' exercise.

In any case, history will always roll forward, crushing the bodies of ordinary people.
.
Old town in the North, Metro Line 4.

Zhang Weiming tapped his phone, looking at the Global Times push notification printed on the screen: "Upgrade Plan for Space Elevator Car Shell Material Approved; Space Force Senior Colonel Bi Yunfeng Delivers Speech 'New Frontiers of Humanity in Space' on the International Space Station"

In the bottom right corner of this news push, there is also a long text article titled "Professor Wang Miao, a renowned expert in nanomaterials, shares his new views on space rope materials, which are highly praised by the Fifth Wallfacer."

Zhang Weiming irritably turned off his phone. He squeezed his employee ID card in his pocket, feeling as if something was weighing on his mind.

Zhang Yan, the son, had just been born, and his naive father had used the family's last 400,000 yuan in savings to buy a so-called "doomsday escape fund" from a fraudster. Ironically, the fraudster's father was a retired criminal investigator—a classic case of a scoundrel father and a scoundrel son. Now, the fraudster is in jail, and less than a tenth of the 400,000 yuan has been recovered. This has further strained the already precarious financial situation of the working-class family. In this era of deflation, every penny is hard to earn.

He was considering whether he should take advantage of his time after get off work to replace the battery in his old electric scooter and try his hand at food delivery as a side job. He couldn't let Xiaohong and Yanyan have to live hand to mouth with him.

"Make way, make way!" The deliveryman in the orange reflective vest pushed through the crowd at the turnstile. His insulated box was covered with a sticker advertising "Buy three get one free on emergency canned food for doomsday." Zhang Weiming, recalling his earlier thoughts, almost subconsciously asked, "Brother, how much do you make on one trip?"

"Make money the hell out of me. I run ten jobs, and eight of them are government assignments given by the system, the kind that are unpaid. I can't refuse them, otherwise I won't get any orders. Damn it."

The deliveryman was so busy that he didn't even have time to utter the last "bitch" before he hurriedly passed Zhang Weiming with his box.

These words immediately put an end to Zhang Weiming's hidden impulse to take on a part-time job. Watching the deliveryman put down the emergency kit and then disappear down the escalator, Zhang Weiming looked away.

Yes, the government intervenes in every aspect, it's almost like a planned economy. It's only the ninth year, and Yan Yan was just born. How will we live in the future?
Zhang Weiming recalled the department meeting last week, where the manager said with a gloomy face that the military had suddenly placed an additional order for 500 tons of "flying blade" nanowires. The production lines originally intended for civilian construction had to be shut down. The key point was that the military's order was not profitable.

The company is just a microcosm; a society in transition will inevitably experience growing pains, and Zhang Weiming understands this.

Actually, it's not just this side that's having a hard time. I heard that corporate taxes in the US are almost 90%. The new president is practically Roosevelt reincarnated. Those capitalists are frantic and cursing, but faced with the threat of force during the crisis, this outrageous tax law is still being pushed through.

A perfectly good beacon of capitalism is almost being forced into becoming a beacon of socialism by the transition period.

His own father, with his thick skin, said that at worst they could go back to eating bran and wild vegetables like forty years ago. Zhang Weiming retorted to his father, "Eating bran and wild vegetables? Do we even have any land left? We've already exchanged our homestead for an old, dilapidated apartment in the city. Where are we going to eat bran and wild vegetables? Are we going to pick leaves from the green belt?"

Zhang Yuanchao was speechless after being choked by his son's words.

After all, he was the one who was scammed out of 400,000 yuan. Faced with his son's questioning, he could only silently watch TV and remain silent.
The subway whistled through the tunnel. Zhang Weiming opened his thermos, took a sip of the Longjing tea that had been steeped three times and had long lost its flavor, and smacked his lips as he looked at the message he had just received on his phone.

"Wei Ming, Qing Xian's new movie is out, let's take our son to see it!"

Zhang Weiming typed a message in reply: "My son's eyes aren't even open yet, what can he see?"

"Let your dad watch over Yan Yan, the two of us will go. We haven't seen a movie in ages."

"If you're a fan of your idol Qingxian, you can go alone. I'll watch a pirated version and not waste the money. Premiere tickets are too expensive."

Li Xiaohong sent a crying emoji, and just as Zhang Weiming was about to assume that his wife was going to act cute and clingy, she immediately followed up with another message.

“Then I’ll watch the pirated version too, and watch it with you.”

Zhang Weiming remained silent for a moment, then took a sip of tea. However, the teapot wasn't properly closed, and he swallowed a large mouthful of tea leaves. Instinctively, Zhang Weiming wanted to spit it out, but his mouth inexplicably chewed it and swallowed the tasteless, rotten leaves.

"Hong, when was the last time we went to the movies?"

"About two years ago, I think the last time was when I was watching Xiu Lianyi."

"I'm buying premiere tickets. You have to be up-to-date with the latest stuff, otherwise you and your girlfriends won't be able to have anything to talk about."

A barrage of crying emojis immediately popped up on my phone screen, interspersed with a few "love my husband" emojis.

Zhang Weiming let out a long breath, looked at the not-so-rich balance in his hand, and comforted himself that he could get out of poverty if he saved up.

The subway soon entered the surface area, a unique feature of Line 4. Zhang Weiming subconsciously gazed at the city outside the transparent walls of the train. Perhaps because of the recent heavy rain, the starry sky was exceptionally bright. In comparison, the bright city of Beijing seemed to be filtered through a lens, appearing dim.
It was the beginning of summer night in the ninth year of the Crisis Era. Earth was five million kilometers away from the sun in its orbit, while simultaneously one hundred million kilometers closer to the shadow of the Trisolaran fleet. In this vast world, countless people busied themselves like ants in the veins of civilization, each as clearly countable as an atom on a nanowire. The blockade by the Sophons continued, and humanity seemed forever trapped in the vicious cycle of decline from its golden age.

But there is one thing that can escape the Sophon's blockade.

Li Xiaohong's excited voice rushed onto Zhang Weiming's phone screen.

"Honey! The government just announced that the new movie will be broadcast on all CCTV channels! Our whole family can watch the movie on TV now!"

Zhang Weiming smiled faintly.

(End of this chapter)