I Have A Super USB Drive

by <unknown>

  Chen Chen let a frown slip upon noting this. "But when you think about it, does this form of teleportation truly conforms to the concept of teleportation? The principle applied here leans closer to a modern fax machine – wherein the receiving point creates a copy of a person, just like creating a clone. In a similar vein, even we can clone a copy of a person by strictly adhering to the person's genetic information. This way, we can reproduce a person with matching genetic information, essentially a counterpart of the original body.

  "Still, we all know that despite the similarities exhibited by the clone and the original body, there's zero relation whatsoever between them. Even if both of these entities possess the same memories, they aren't the same person!"

  Chapter 287: Secret of the Teleporter |

  There was this little story Chen Chen had once heard:

  It was a tale of the distant future, which by that point human civilization had invented countless dark technologies, one of them being teleportation.

  This was how it operated: You would walk into the teleportation platform, which was a very small room. After that, you would select your desired location, assuming you were departing from Shangdu and headed for Kyoto.

  Upon choosing your destination, you would then click the button. At that point, the devices in the teleportation room would perform a full scan of your body, collected data on each atom as well as the precise location of each atom on your body.

  While the teleportation room performed its scanning routine on you, it was also demolishing you part-by-part. While scanning, it tore down each cell in your body and decomposed them into its most basic, particle state.

  Upon completing the scanning sequence, you would be entirely broken down as well. Right after that, the teleportation platform would transmit all of the collected information to the transmission station located in Kyoto. Your body would be rebuilt in accordance with all of the data collected during the scan.

  It may seem like a lengthy process when in truth, the entire segment took less than a second. In just a second, you had traversed more than two-thousand kilometers and arrived in Kyoto from Shangdu.

  There would be no difference between the current you and the previous you – your mood unaltered, perhaps you might feel just as peckish as you did previously. Even the minor scratch on your fingers remained untouched. This was your experience as far as you were concerned: your vision turned dark upon clicking the button and the next second, you found yourself in Kyoto.

  In the twenty-eighth century, this had become an extremely commonplace technology. Everybody traveled this way. It was just as convenient as it was safe.

  One day, you were preparing to head on a business trip. Once again, you came to the teleportation room and pressed the button. You heard the device scanning you as usual, but you did not find yourself transported.

  So, you went to get the service staff at the teleportation station to inform her that the device in the transportation room may have malfunctioned. The service staff took a look at the user log before informing you: "The scanning device is operating as usual and it has collected all of your information. However, it seems that the cellular decomposition device that works in sync with the scanning device malfunctioned."

  "I'm about to be late for work, just quickly assign me to another teleportation room!" You had no time to listen to her explanation as you reiterated your point with greater emphasis.

  At this point, the service staff turned on the surveillance footage, revealing footage of you in Kyoto. "Look, this is the surveillance footage of you in Kyoto, you're already in Kyoto."

  You become enraged upon hearing this. "But that's not me, I'm still right here!"

  At this point, the manager who heard the ongoing commotion came over and explained, "The scanning device is indeed functioning as usual and 'you' have already arrived in Kyoto. The only minor issue is that the cellular decomposition device here in Shanghai malfunctioned. You won't have to worry about that, we shall just take you to another teleportation room and just activate the cellular decomposition device in that room to break you down."

  Although at this age, the theory behind a teleportation room transmission had all but become common knowledge, you panicked. "Hold on, doesn't being broken down means that I'll be dead?"

  The manager explained patiently, "That's not the case sir, please look at the surveillance footage, you're in perfect condition in Kyoto over there."

  That only caused you to panic more. "But that's not me, that's just a copy, I'm the real me!"

  The service staff and the manager exchanged a hesitant look. "I'm very sorry sir, but the law dictates that we must demolish your cells as the law constitutes that there must not be two of you existing in the world at the same time."

  You look at them, absolutely mortified, and prepared to make your escape. However, two security guards had grabbed you from behind and dragged you into another teleportation room…

  …

  "This may come across as a rather ridiculous, even funny short story, but the logic is sound – the 'you before teleportation' and the 'you after teleportation', which one is the real you?"

  Chen Chen smiled and explained to Little X, "At the end of the day, the true indication of whether someone is the true self still has to be determined by their conscience. The 'conscience' here has nothing to do with likeness. Based on the previous story, if mere likeness is used to define a person, then the 'you' in Shangdu and the 'you' in Kyoto should be the same person since both of you share the same memory and have the same personality. But if applied in the real world? The 'you' are 'you', but the 'you' in Kyoto isn't 'you'."

  "If likeness cannot be the determining factor, then what is?" Little X asked thoughtfully.

  "The answer is continuity."

  Chen Chen answered, "The human conscience operates on a linear basis. Your thoughts, personality, and memory all contribute to the shaping of your subjective consciousness. Take the growth process from an infant to an adult for example. Everything the infant experiences shapes his or her conscience, there's no way you can say that someone at one-year-old and fifty-year-old is a different person."

  "It's true that from a physical perspective, the 'you' at one-year-old and at fifty-year-old doesn't have any similarities. All of the cells in the infant's body had been dead for decades, but the continuity of consciousness remains the same. A fifty-year-old may not be able to recall memories from an infant age but may be able to recall memories from forty-years-old. And the forty-year-old self may be able to recall memories from thirty-years-old. Even with amnesia, this principle of cause and effect remains unchanged…"

  "I understand now!"

  Little X immediately remarked, "In this sense, the molecular teleporter did shatter the continuity of consciousness. The consequence of this disruption of continuity is the termination of the previous conscience. Even if it were to make a copy of a particular conscience, it wouldn't be the same as its original version."

  "Yes, conscience is wholly unique and isn't something that can be simply preserved by making a copy."

  Chen Chen nodded. "In the Star Trek film series, there had been instances of malfunction with the teleportation device. In the film series, when Captain Picard was molecularly reassembled into two separate individuals, the result was the formation of a new parallel universe. From this, we can conclude that this molecular teleporter is inherently flawed to a point where even the USB drive suspects it's probable usability."

  "Does this mean that it's not that the teleporter doesn't abide by the construct of science, but that nobody knows how to use this device?" Little X asked.

  "Yes, that's the gist of it."

  Chen Chen responded, "I've tried both Gantz and Terminator a long time ago, and verified that there was no problem with these movies and that they can be accepted by the USB drive. This means the implementation of their teleportation technology should be distinctly different from molecular teleportation."

  With that said,
Chen Chen dragged both Terminator: Genisys and Gantz into the USB drive.

  With a swift audio prompt, the two movies were successfully pulled into the USB drive.

  "Terminator: Genisys was the first instance in the film series where the time machine was introduced. It was a gigantic platform nearly the size of a hill and is pretty much impossible to be instantiated. However, its features exceeded that of all other teleportation devices – to transport a life form from one timeline to another, but doesn't this cause a timeline paradox?"

  Chen Chen muttered to himself, "Or there may be another explanation for this…"

  Chapter 288: M Theory |

  "Based on my understanding, in the universe of Terminator, the future can be altered. Even the past can be altered. This is done with the time machine that can send someone back to decades ago."

  Chen Chen pondered. "But in practice, this shouldn't be possible because Einstein's Special Theory of Relativity tells us that time cannot be reversed. Humans can travel to the future by moving close to the speed of light, but it's impossible to return to the past in any way.

  "Otherwise, time paradoxes such as the 'Grandmother Paradox', 'Banana Peel Theory' or the 'Time Traveler's Party' may occur."

  "But the plot of the movie was verified by the USB drive," Little X stated.

  "To start, let's look into the parallel universe theory."

  Chen Chen nodded. "When discussing parallel universes, apart from Quantum Mechanics, we also have to mention the most well-defined M Theory. The reason this theory was proposed in the first place was that physicists wanted to settle on a unified physics framework which encompasses the four forces in physics – strong force, weak force, electromagnetism, and gravity.

  "With that, the earliest form of String Theory was born.

  "After another laborious process, the String Theory was merged with the concept of supersymmetry, forming the Superstring Theory which astounded the physics world…

  "Later, Jewish scientist Edward Witten used the Superstring Theory to verify the existence of a new dimension in the universe – the 11th dimension which soon led to the formation of the definitive theory of physics, the M Theory."

  Chen Chen arranged the thought in his mind. "Explanations such as Quantum Mechanics and M Theory in relation with the time paradoxes such as the 'Grandmother Paradox' are essentially an embodiment of the parallel universe. After all, there are multiple facets to the universe known as a multiverse. The multiverse is a cumulative sum of countless parallel universes while each one of these parallel universes is a division of the original universe. They are simultaneously the same as but also different from the original universe."

  With that said, Chen Chen glanced at the USB drive. "In this vein, all of the movie dimensions accessed from the USB drive are parallel universes, this point has already been proven. This means that the time machine from Terminator doesn't actually send someone back to the past but instead to a separate universe closely identical to the original universe.

  "And inside that universe, there are also the Skynet, John Connor, and all of the inhabitants from the original universe as well. The only difference between the two universes is that the timeline of the other universe is set nearly a decade in the past.

  "This is also the reason that the protagonists had been trying to stop the arrival of judgment day ever since the first part of Terminator, but was never able to accomplish it."

  Chen Chen remarked and sighed, "This means that the device in the Terminator universe is almost an identical copy of the USB drive, save for its only flaw – it can only send someone to a parallel universe of the Terminator series and is unable to cross over the boundary of the series."

  "Cross over the boundary of the series?"

  This statement was rather abstract and caused Little X to struggle with grasping its meaning for a moment.

  "This means that inside the movie Terminator, the protagonist and his group can only transport themselves to a 'separate timeline parallel universe' of the 'base universe', but they cannot transport themselves to a parallel alteration of a separate universe."

  Chen Chen made an example. "For instance, the protagonist and the Skynet would never be able to send themselves to the world of Avengers. Even if they were to somehow pull it off, director Cameron might find himself receiving complaints from Disney…"

  "…"

  "From here, we can see that the time machine in the Terminator universe should operate on a space-time dimension principle, which is unlike the molecular teleportation device which operates on a separate principle. In that sense, it's also spared from the concern of 'killing the messenger'."

  Chen Chen elaborated further, "But inside the movie Terminator: Genisys, there was another time machine apart from the hill-sized teleporter shown in the opening sequence. It was a teleporter handcrafted by the female protagonist and T-800 which was used to send them back to 1984. This means that if we can get our hands on the design specification of that custom-made time machine, then we should also be more than capable of replicating it."

  Chen Chen continued prodding into his thoughts. "If I can get my hands on that machine, then I'll be able to traverse across a parallel universe of varying timelines. I'm curious to see if the 'me' from other parallel universes will also own the USB drive or am I a special exception across the multiverse?"

  "Sir Godfather, I think it's better to avoid such methods."

  Little X advised, "If the USB drive isn't a unique instance, then your actions may very well trigger an unpredictable chain reaction!"

  "I understand what you mean."

  Chen Chen smiled, suddenly realizing. "If the USB drive isn't a unique instance, then if I instantiate the time machine technology from Terminator, the 'me' from other parallel universes may do the same as well. If that happens, there's a great chance of 'me' from another parallel universe arriving in our current universe, which may cause an unprecedented conflict…"

  "That's right, which is why I think this approach isn't recommended," Little X answered.

  "But even if I don't do this, what guarantees do you have that the 'me' from another parallel universe will not go through with it?"

  Chen Chen shook his head and turned it around on Little X. "The reason it's called 'parallel universe' is that there's no such thing as a main universe or sub-universe. The universe which we reside in doesn't function as the core of plenty of other universes, since the others are on an equal level as ours as well. Just because I choose to not commit to this option doesn't mean I can stop the others from doing so."

  "Is that so…" Little X responded helplessly.

  "Still, I have to say that the teleportation technology from Gantz fits my needs better than the time machine from Terminator."

  Chen Chen considered for a moment before resuming. "For now, I don't have any particular requirement for parallel universe traversal, since I hardly have a grasp on my own universe so it's not the time to be concerned about other parallel universes yet. So from here on, we shall prioritize attaining the teleportation technology from Gantz.

  "Of course, the operating principle of the teleporter in Gantz is unlike the molecular teleporter. You can see from the show when the protagonist and his crew were transported by the black sphere otherwise known as Gantz, the continuity of their consciousness is preserved. Meanwhile, the basis of molecular teleportation cannot achieve such a result where the teleported can preserve their consciousness."

  "How do you explain the resurrection as shown in the movie then?" Little X asked.

  "There are already plenty of explanations online."

  Chen Chen's expression turned grave as he considered this. "There are many minor hints that can be taken from the canon story. For example, when the protagonist and his group went on missions, they could achieve real-time teleportation while also preserving their consciousness. However, it's another matter if they sustained injuries in the middle of a mission…

  "If they sustained grave injuries o
r in certain cases, attempted to resurrect a dead ally, the black sphere would've to run a slower 'print' process. With this, the 'printed' person will lose all memories they have of the injuries they sustained. Therefore, many people online speculated that the resurrected person isn't the same as the original 'person' anymore but a mere copy…

  "This means that the black sphere has two abilities. The first one: perform real-time teleportation on a living person and the second: use every single detail of a person, including that person's memory to produce a replica, in a fashion similar to 3D printing.

  "This is the true nature behind the black sphere's ability to resurrect a person.

  "Even after the resurrection, the person brought back to life is no longer the original 'person' anymore. Instead, the person becomes a mere replica with the same genes, memory, and even thoughts of the original version."

  Chapter 289: Gantz Black Sphere |

  After listening to Chen Chen's analysis, Little X suddenly became contemplative. "If what you said is true, the black sphere from Gantz has the ability to print a human body out of thin air. Isn't this the same principle as the particle teleporter you talked about?"

  "It's very similar indeed, but the black sphere is more refined because it not only includes 3D printing but also real-time teleportation technology. These are its two distinct technological features."

  Chen Chen explained.

  Little X seemed to perk up. "If that's the case, then if we use the black sphere's 3D technology to replicate the Black Knights, wouldn't it save us three months of cultivation time?"

  "This kind of printing consumes a massive amount of energy."

  Chen Chen explained, "Otherwise, the government in Gantz can just print tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of their best fighters. According to the comics, the technology of those aliens is nothing much. If the government used that strategy, wouldn't the aliens be defeated almost immediately? However, they didn't do that. It's a problem with energy.