In the fifty-fourth year of Xianguang era, Mozi was 119 years old. He is the only one of the three founders of string light civilization who is still alive. This kind of survival brings not joy, but a deep loneliness. Yue'er's mathematical formula is engraved in the genes of civilization. Xiuxiu's light moss covers every corner of the solar system, and Mozi chose to be the last observer. He has a fixed bench near the Jinghu Lake near the headquarters of Xianguang Research Institute. This bench made of intelligent materials will automatically adjust its shape and temperature according to his physical condition, and become a fixed stronghold for him to observe the world. Every morning, when the clock points to 6: 30, Mozi will appear here on time and start his day as a pure observer.
Jinghu Lake is an artificial water body. After special treatment, the lake water always maintains the most suitable light refractive index. The lake is like a huge mirror, reflecting the sky and the surrounding urban landscape. It's no accident that Mozi chose this place. This position can just observe the main building of the research institute, the distant city skyline and the spacecraft passing through the sky at the same time. His observation is not a casual look, but a systematic record. Micro-sensors implanted in his visual cortex are capturing everything around him at the speed of millions of frames per second, from the wave pattern of ripples on the lake to the orbital parameters of aircraft in the sky, from the subtle characteristics of pedestrian gait to the photosynthetic efficiency of plant leaves.
These data are transmitted in real time to a specific partition of the string light cloud brain through the quantum channel, which is marked as "pure observer data set". This data set has special encryption rules: no one has the right to access or analyze these data before Mozi's death. Mozi's mission for himself is to record the evolution of a civilization completely without the intervention of observers. He knows that, as the founder of string light civilization, any words and deeds of him may interfere with the development direction of civilization. Only by being completely silent and on the sidelines can we get a truly pure sample of social evolution.
"Good morning, Grandpa History!" A group of primary school students led by the teacher passed by the lake, and the children greeted Mozi politely. They all know that the quiet old man is a character in the textbook, but they know little about his specific contribution. In the eyes of children, he is like a living sculpture by the lake and a part of the city landscape.
Mozi nodded slightly in response, but did not speak. His silence has become the symbol of this community. At first, some people tried to talk to him and ask him about various current events, but Mozi always responded with a gentle and firm silence. Over time, people get used to the existence of this observer, just as naturally as they get used to sunrise and sunset.
At nine o'clock in the morning, the daily work of the institute officially began. Mozi watched young researchers rush into the building, many of whom were new generations born after the completion of the "Human Complement Plan". These young people have stronger empathy and a keen sense of cooperation, but in Mozi's view, they seem to lack some qualities-the tenacity to explore alone in difficulties and the courage to grope forward in the dark. His sensors record the statistical characteristics of researchers' pace, conversation frequency and even facial micro-expressions, which may reveal the subtle change of civilized mentality in the future.
At noon, the lake is sparkling. Mozi noticed that the reflection of moss in the lake showed a special optical effect-this was a new interaction between the imprint of life left by Xiuxiu and the natural environment. His sensor accurately records the change of luminous frequency of each piece of moss, and these data are compared with the overall state of the global moss network. Sometimes, Mozi will have an illusion, as if Xiuxiu is sending him some information through these luminous objects, but he always keeps the observer's restraint, does not interpret it, and only takes notes.
The afternoon is the longest. At this time, the city shows the richest ecology: drones migrate regularly like migratory birds, self-driving vehicles weave complex trajectories on the streets, and pedestrians carry out various social activities in parks. Mozi pays special attention to the small interactions that take place in public space-an action to help strangers pick up dropped objects, a spontaneous way for others, and a smile between strangers. These actions, which were common in the old days, have become so natural after the implementation of the "Human Complement Plan" that a new generation of young people have not realized what a rare quality this used to be.
"Grandpa, why do you always sit here?" A little boy broke free from his mother's hand and ran to Mozi. The child is about five or six years old and is the first generation born after the popularization of gene editing technology.
Mozi's sensor records the degree of pupil dilation, the change curve of skin electrical response and the subtle characteristics of sound wave frequency. He remained silent and just looked at the curious child gently.
The child's mother came in a hurry and smiled apologetically at Mozi: "Sorry to bother you, Grandpa History." She turned to the child. "This grandfather is guarding all of us."
This explanation made Mozi feel a little bitter. He is not guarding, but recording. Guarding means intervening, while recording means letting go. I'm afraid this difference will not be understood by the world until the data he collected is decrypted in the future.
In the evening, the clouds on the side of the day were dyed golden by the sunset, and Mozi began to sort out the observation records of the day. His sensors automatically generate a report of millions of pages, covering all levels from microbial communities to atmospheric circulation, from individual behavior patterns to social macro-dynamics. These data will be preserved forever and become the most valuable information for future civilization research.
On the way back to his residence, Mozi met Vivi Lin, the current president of the Institute. She is Xiuxiu's most proud disciple, and now she is over sixty.
"Teacher," said Vivi Lin, still honoring Mozi, "How was the observation today?"
Mozi nodded and didn't stop. This is a long-standing tacit understanding between them-Vivi Lin comes to greet them regularly, but never expects a response. She knows Mozi's oath as an observer, and understands the significance of this oath to the study of civilization.
"Recently, some new patterns have appeared in the light moss network," Vivi Lin seems to be talking to himself. "We suspect that it may be related to teacher Xiuxiu's conscious activities. If you notice anything unusual in the observation, the data system will record it automatically, right? "
Mozi nodded again, his steps still steady. His sensors did record subtle changes in the behavior of the moss, but these data could not be analyzed until the right time. The observer's precepts require him not to have any influence on the observed object, including through data feedback.
After nightfall, Mozi will continue his observation on the terrace of his residence. The city at night is completely different from the day. The light of light moss and artificial lighting interweave into a fantastic landscape, and the navigation lights of spacecraft draw elegant tracks in the night sky. His sensor switched to night mode and began to record completely different data sets: the distribution of light pollution in cities, the activity law of nocturnal creatures and the social characteristics of human nightlife.
During this period, Mozi occasionally allowed himself to break the observer's commandments briefly. He will bring up the old images stored in Yunnao, watch the back of Yue'er writing in front of the blackboard, watch the posture of Xiuxiu focusing on debugging equipment in the laboratory, and watch the three of them look forward to the future on the top floor of the research institute when they are young. These memories are so vivid that it seems as if they happened yesterday. But when he turned off the video, he still saw the civilization he was not fully familiar with-a more perfect, but also more unfamiliar world.
In the middle of the night, Mozi will carry out the most important observation project of the day: recording his own thinking activities. As an observer, he knows that his state of consciousness is also part of the observation data. The sensor records the birth and death of every thought, every emotional fluctuation and every memory. These data about the observer himself may help future researchers understand the limitations of the observation behavior itself.
On a starry night, Mozi noticed a strange arc of light on the horizon. That's the trajectory of Xiuxiu's spore group sailing in interstellar space. These lichen spores carrying her genetic information have spread to the edge of the solar system. Through special observation equipment, Mozi can see the weak band of sunlight reflected by them in the night sky. This band of light changes every day, recording the trajectory of life in the universe.
"You have gone further." Mozi meditated in his heart, which was the only time in his day that he broke the silence in his heart. Immediately, the sensor recorded the complete neural signal characteristics of this idea.
With the passage of time, Mozi noticed that some subtle and profound changes were taking place in civilization. The new generation of children seem to naturally understand the basic concepts of quantum physics. When they play, they will naturally use gravity art to create dynamic patterns, and when they talk, they will unconsciously quote the terms in Yue'er field theory. This internalization of scientific literacy was unimaginable in the old days.
At the same time, Mozi also recorded some worrying trends. The society's pursuit of efficiency has reached an unprecedented height. Every decision has to be optimized by complex algorithms, and every innovation has to pass multiple feasibility tests. Will this excessive rationalization make civilization lose those great breakthroughs that come from intuition and accident? Mozi recorded these observations but remained silent.
On a full moon night, a group of young people came to the lake to hold an open-air concert. The instruments they use can produce sound waves that interact with the moss. When the music starts, the moss on the whole lake begins to blink with the rhythm. The young people noticed the existence of Mozi and deliberately chose an ancient tune-it was Yue'er's favorite piano concerto before his death.
Mozi listened quietly, and the sensor recorded every feature of music sound waves, as well as his own physiological reaction. When the music went to a familiar movement, he felt a strong emotional fluctuation, but soon recovered the calm that the observer should have. After the music, the young man bowed to Mozi and left quietly. There was no verbal communication in the whole process, but a spiritual dialogue spanning generations was completed.
With the increase of age, Mozi's observation time gradually shortened. His physical function is inevitably declining, but his will to observe is becoming more and more firm. He knew that he was recording the state of civilization in a critical period-an important moment for the transition of string light civilization from maturity to a new stage.
In the last days, Mozi turned his attention to the smallest details: the track of a leaf spinning and falling in the wind, the ripple caused by a drop of rain on the lake, and the moment when a baby learned to smile for the first time. These seemingly insignificant details may be the key to understanding the essence of civilization.
When the last moment of life came, Mozi was still sitting in his observation position. Sensors recorded his gradually slowing heartbeat, gradually weak breathing, and finally calm EEG activity. At the last moment before his consciousness dissipated, he saw a group of children flying an ancient Kongming lantern by the lake, which was painted with the images of the three founders they imagined.
"Let's move on." This was Mozi's last thought, and it was completely recorded by the sensor.
When the monitoring system confirms that Mozi has passed away, the encryption lock of "pure observer data set" is automatically released. This data treasure house, which contains millions of hours of observation records, is finally open to civilization. At the beginning of the data, the researchers found a short explanation left by Mozi:
"These records are not for guidance, but for understanding; Not to judge, but to witness. The true value of civilization lies not in what height it has reached, but in how many possibilities it has retained in its progress. "
Since then, the benches by the Mirror Lake have been permanently preserved and become the spiritual symbol of civilization. People from all over the world come here every day, not to remember the past, but to think about the future. The observation data left by Mozi has become the most important reference for civilization's self-cognition, guiding mankind to move on in the sea of stars.
In the early morning, when the sun shines all over the lake again and a group of children pass by the bench, they will still whisper, "Look, it's where Grandpa History sat."