Chapter Fifty-Seven: Professor Fan in the Soul Mirage

The centennial celebration of Qingzhou University finally arrived as scheduled.

Ai Jing was at the school entrance, greeting alumni from previous years. At that moment, she was slightly distracted, her mind still dwelling on Andy.

Ever since that day when she heard Andy utter the name "Catherine," Ai Jing felt as if Andy had become a completely different person.

If not for Andy’s familiar personal habits, Ai Jing would have suspected that he had been possessed by some otherworldly soul.

The reason Ai Jing felt this way was because she had discovered Andy possessed supernatural powers. He seemed able to control fire. Ai Jing recalled the day Andy made money; even now, it felt like a dream.

Andy had merely bought some inferior jade stones. Then, flames appeared in his hands, scorching the stones, transforming them into translucent gemstones.

After selling the gems, Andy made a hundredfold profit.

With his earnings, Andy did something that baffled Ai Jing: he began using every means he could think of to search for someone.

From his search information, Ai Jing learned it was a blonde little girl named Catherine. Judging by her name and appearance, she was clearly not a local.

Had the girl been older, Ai Jing would have been overcome with jealousy. She had asked Andy what his relationship was with the girl. The answer was that she was his long-lost sister.

Of course, Ai Jing didn’t believe such nonsense. Did he not realize his own looks before telling such a lie?

If Andy had only offered a million reward to find a person, Ai Jing would have thought he had changed, but at least remained within the bounds of normality.

But what Andy did next was incomprehensible: he simultaneously offered a reward to find a black cat. Strangely, the cat was also named Catherine.

Andy’s search for the person yielded no results, but as soon as news of the cat’s reward spread, all sorts of people, hoping to try their luck, began bringing various cats.

The most ridiculous part was that someone even brought a dog.

Andy earnestly examined every feline, even playing and talking with the dog before confirming it wasn’t the right one and letting its owner take it away. He also gave some compensation to the cat owners.

Soon, more people came to try their luck. Andy’s dormitory was nearly overtaken by cats.

Because of this, Andy became quite famous at Qingzhou University.

Although it was the fame of someone foolish with too much money.

As Ai Jing pondered Andy’s situation, her companion reminded her that guests had arrived, prompting her to hurry forward to greet them.

Ai Jing recognized the guest; she had seen this woman’s photo on the school’s bulletin board.

Although she had left the university, her legend remained. She was the former president of the student council and the acknowledged campus beauty of her time—Su Qing.

Su Qing had originally not wanted to attend the celebration. Typically, only graduates who had achieved something would join such festivities. Her current circumstances were not good, and she was reluctant to meet former teachers and classmates.

But Nie Yong persuaded her to attend, as he had just started a business and was eager to expand his network.

Su Qing was still influential among her cohort; if she could help him meet friends beneficial to his career at the celebration, his entrepreneurial journey would be much smoother.

Beautiful women always attract one another, so Su Qing noticed Ai Jing at once.

Of course, they wouldn’t necessarily become friends. Ai Jing and Su Qing exchanged greetings and continued welcoming other guests, assigning a junior student to guide them to the auditorium.

As the junior led Su Qing and Nie Yong toward the auditorium, she chatted with them about campus gossip.

The hottest gossip at the university now was someone offering a million reward for a cat.

“A million reward, you say? For a black cat? Named Catherine?” Nie Yong suddenly cried out in surprise.

Only when Su Qing tugged at him did he regain composure, forcing an awkward smile. “The world is truly full of wonders.”

But the regret and frustration on his face were impossible to hide.

...

Professor Fan was the deputy dean of Qingzhou’s physics department and the academic leader. As physics was the university’s strongest discipline, Professor Fan was a prominent figure.

At the centennial celebration, he was scheduled to deliver a report to alumni on the direction of physics and the university’s research achievements.

Professor Fan knew that reports on cutting-edge fields could easily bore audiences unfamiliar with the subject, so he had been pondering ways to make his presentation more appealing, hoping to impress the city officials.

Yet, despite much deliberation, he had found no good solution. Frustrated, he went to his downtown apartment to tutor one of his female students, hoping to relieve his mood.

He tutored her from the bedroom to the balcony, only to be startled by a cat that fell from the sky.

After the student’s screams, he lost interest. But as he looked at the half-dead cat before him, inspiration struck.

He took the cat to the best pet hospital for urgent treatment. It would be his crucial experiment tool. Yes, he planned to replicate Schrödinger’s cat experiment.

He would bring the cat-in-the-box to the auditorium, using the famous physics problem and philosophical thought to introduce quantum mechanics and the microscopic world.

With the idea in mind, sparks of wisdom began to flash in Professor Fan’s mind. He felt a surge of creativity, and the outline of his report quickly took shape.

As for the campus rumors about the million-reward cat, Professor Fan, being so busy, paid no attention. His concerns were only titles, reputation, funding, and officials.

The classic Schrödinger’s cat experiment goes like this: a kitten is sealed in a box containing food and poison. The poison bottle is rigged with a hammer, controlled by an electronic switch, which in turn is controlled by a radioactive atom.

If the atom decays, it releases an alpha particle, activating the switch, the hammer falls, breaks the bottle, and releases cyanide gas, killing the cat.

If the atom does not decay, the switch isn’t triggered, no poison is released, and the cat survives.

The atom’s decay or non-decay each have a fifty percent chance. According to quantum mechanics, before the box is opened, the cat inside exists in a superposed dead-alive state, the so-called Schrödinger’s cat. Only opening the box and seeing the cat determines its fate.

After bringing the healed black kitten back to campus, Professor Fan quickly had several graduate students prepare the experiment. He personally placed the cat in the box, then had the students add the radioactive material and seal it.

Carefully, the students carried the box to the auditorium.

Soon after, Professor Fan’s lecture began...

While Andy was still identifying cats in his dormitory, he suddenly stood up, sensing Catherine’s direction!

Andy rushed to the window, and amidst cries of alarm, jumped straight from the fifth floor and sprinted toward the sensed location.

Behind him, astonished onlookers whipped out their phones, snapping photos furiously...

As he ran, Andy cast a lightness spell on himself. Unfortunately, although he had regained his memories, his powers were not fully restored, and he was only at apprentice wizard and knight-level strength.

“Andy, wait!” Andy suddenly heard Ai Jing’s voice, but he didn’t stop. Unexpectedly, Ai Jing darted from the side, grabbing him in an embrace.

Andy’s movement halted.

“Are you leaving me? Ever since you called out Catherine’s name, you’ve seemed different. Are you still the Andy who secretly admired me for years and finally summoned the courage to confess?” Ai Jing spoke mournfully from behind him.

Hearing Ai Jing’s voice softened Andy’s heart, and he was about to comfort her when a fierce palpitation interrupted him.

With his connection to Catherine, Andy knew she was in danger.

“I’m sorry!” Andy said, breaking free from Ai Jing and running off, leaving her standing in place, tears streaming down her face.

Professor Fan, combining video materials and the real experiment, was vividly introducing Schrödinger’s cat and quantum physics to his audience.

“So, according to quantum mechanics, the cat in the box is in a superposed state—both dead and alive! Only when the box is opened and the cat is observed does its fate become determined...”

“Boom!” Just as Professor Fan finished this sentence, the auditorium doors exploded apart. Andy, anxious-faced, burst in. Behind him, two security guards who had tried to stop him lay unconscious.

Guo Lei, the chief of campus security for the celebration, saw Andy rush in and quickly positioned himself before the main leaders, hand gripping his holstered gun.

Sensing danger, Andy glanced at Guo Lei, who immediately felt as if plunged into an icy abyss, no longer daring to move. In Andy’s eyes, he saw blood, slaughter, and blazing flames.

His training told him that if he acted, he would be the first to fall.

Andy ignored the fear and chaos in the auditorium and walked straight toward the box on the podium.

Professor Fan’s lecture still echoed through the hall: “So, is it dead or alive? Unless the box is opened, no one can say...”

Andy, who had cowed others with a mere glance, now placed his trembling hand on the box.

Upon entering, he had heard the lecture and seen the large screen at the front, quickly understanding what was happening. Schrödinger’s cat was famous, and Andy was familiar with the experiment.

But now, must he personally decide Catherine’s fate? Standing before the box, Andy’s heart was in turmoil, but his hands did not falter.

He slowly opened the sealed box...

Over a thousand people in the auditorium fell silent, their attention riveted by Andy’s actions.

Everyone watched in curiosity.

Inside the box, was the cat dead, or alive?