Chapter 28

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.