Chapter 1: Classroom Experiment

"Today we will be conducting one of the most famous experiments in physics—Young's double-slit interference experiment."

Long Hua stood at the podium in the senior high physics laboratory, looking at the curious faces of the twenty-plus students before him, feeling a sense of anticipation in his heart. Although he had performed this experiment countless times, each time it sparked his contemplation about the fundamental nature of physics.

"This experiment was first conducted by Thomas Young in 1801. It not only proved the wave nature of light but also revealed the wondrous phenomena of the microscopic world," Long Hua explained while turning on the projector, which displayed a diagram of the experiment.

The laboratory was dimly lit, with only the projector beam and sunlight filtering through the windows interweaving in the air. Students sat quietly at long tables with experimental equipment already laid out: laser pointers, double-slit barriers, imaging screens, and various stands.

"Zhang Hao, please draw the curtains," Long Hua nodded toward a student by the window. "The experiment needs to be conducted in a relatively dark environment so we can clearly observe the interference fringes."

Zhang Hao quickly stood up to draw the curtains, immediately darkening the laboratory, with only a few spotlights providing necessary illumination.

"Everyone, follow the instructions on your lab guide and work in pairs. Pay attention to laser safety—never look directly into the laser beam," Long Hua scanned the room to ensure all students understood the instructions. "Raise your hand if you have any questions."

The students began working busily, discussing the experimental steps in low voices and adjusting the equipment positions. Long Hua walked around the laboratory, observing each group's progress and providing guidance when needed.

"Brother Long, our group's interference fringes aren't very clear," a female student raised her hand.

Long Hua walked over and examined their setup: "Adjust the angle of the double-slit screen so the laser hits it perpendicularly, then fine-tune the distance to the imaging screen." He gently helped them adjust the equipment position, and soon, clear interference fringes appeared on the screen.

"Wow! It really appeared!" the girl exclaimed in delight, and her classmates gathered around to look.

Long Hua nodded with satisfaction: "You see? This is evidence of the wave nature of light. If light were only particles, this interference phenomenon wouldn't occur. But in reality, light exhibits both wave and particle properties—this is the wave-particle duality in quantum mechanics."

The students' eyes sparkled with curiosity, and Long Hua felt a genuine sense of satisfaction. This was why he loved teaching—seeing young people's thirst for knowledge and their delight in discovering truth.

Halfway through the experiment, Long Hua approached Zhang Hao and Li Ming's group. These two were the physics prodigies of the class and always particularly engaged in experiments.

"How's your progress?" Long Hua asked.

"Going well," Zhang Hao responded while adjusting the laser's position. "We're measuring how the interference fringe spacing changes with different slit widths."

"That's a great idea," Long Hua nodded approvingly. "If you're interested, you could try measuring the relationship between wavelength and fringe spacing to verify the formula."

Just then, Li Ming suddenly exclaimed: "Hey, what's this?"

Long Hua and Zhang Hao both turned to look at the imaging screen. In the middle of the clear interference fringes, there seemed to be an unusual light spot that didn't match the standard interference pattern.

"It might be caused by multiple reflections," Zhang Hao suggested.

Long Hua leaned closer to the screen, carefully examining the anomalous light spot. It displayed a peculiar geometric shape with seemingly regular structures rather than random optical effects.

A strange feeling welled up inside him. This pattern somehow resembled one of the symbols he had seen on those special papers among his father's belongings.

"Let me see," Long Hua took the laser pointer from Li Ming and adjusted the angle. The strange light spot changed with the angle but consistently maintained a certain symmetry.

Even more peculiar, Long Hua realized that Zhang Hao and Li Ming didn't seem to see the pattern's details as clearly as he did. They had merely noticed something unusual within the regular interference pattern without discerning the intricate geometric structure.

"Brother Long, is something wrong?" Zhang Hao asked, noticing Long Hua's serious expression.

Long Hua snapped back to attention, forcing a smile: "Nothing, there might just be some impurities interfering with the light path. Try cleaning the double-slit barrier."

He calmly instructed the two to adjust their equipment while his heart pounded. That pattern was definitely not an ordinary optical phenomenon but one of those special light effects he had seen since childhood—the "Thousand-Eye Light," just as Lin Ruoxi had described.

Using the pretext of checking other groups, Long Hua left Zhang Hao and Li Ming. He needed time to process this unexpected discovery. Did this mean that what Lin Ruoxi had told him about those ancient texts actually had scientific basis? That special light phenomenon, visible only to "Clear-Eyed Ones," had appeared during his physics class.

The experiment continued, with Long Hua maintaining outward calm, guiding students through experimental procedures and data recording. But his mind was no longer on routine teaching—he was contemplating how to recreate and study that unusual light pattern.

The bell rang, and students began packing up their equipment and organizing their experimental data.

"Everyone, please complete your lab reports as required and submit them next Monday. Remember to analyze possible sources of experimental error," Long Hua stood at the door, watching students gradually leave the laboratory.

"Brother Long," Zhang Hao, the last to leave, paused at the doorway. "About that strange light spot earlier—I checked some references, and it doesn't seem to be something that should appear in a standard double-slit experiment."

Long Hua tensed: "What did you see?"

"Just that bright spot in the middle of the fringes. Its shape was somewhat hexagonal but not quite regular," Zhang Hao answered. "Could it be some kind of quantum entanglement phenomenon?"

"Quantum entanglement wouldn't manifest noticeably in this experimental setup," Long Hua replied calmly, though his mind was churning. Zhang Hao had indeed noticed something unusual but clearly hadn't seen it as distinctly and complexly as he had. This further confirmed what Lin Ruoxi had said about the "Clear-Eyed Ones"—people truly did differ in their perceptual abilities of the same phenomenon.

"It might be experimental error or equipment issues," Long Hua added, patting Zhang Hao's shoulder. "But your observation is keen, which is good. Scientific discoveries often come from paying attention to anomalies."

Zhang Hao nodded, seemingly accepting this explanation, then said goodbye and left.

The laboratory was finally empty. Long Hua took a deep breath, quickly locked the door, drew the curtains tight, then walked briskly to the lab bench that Zhang Hao and Li Ming had been using.

He reassembled the equipment and adjusted it to the angle where he had observed the anomaly. The laser passed through the double slit, forming clear interference fringes on the screen. At first, everything appeared normal, but when he slightly adjusted the laser's angle, that peculiar geometric pattern reappeared.

This time, with no students around, Long Hua could fully concentrate on observing this unusual phenomenon. The pattern was clearer than what he had seen earlier, displaying a complex symmetrical structure with a perfect hexagon at its center, surrounded by countless fine lines forming a radial pattern.

This was completely different from ordinary optical interference—more like some sort of... symbol or code.

"This can't be coincidence," Long Hua murmured, taking out his phone to photograph the strange pattern. However, when he checked the photo, the screen only showed ordinary interference fringes; the complex geometric pattern had completely vanished.

This discovery sent a chill down Long Hua's spine. Cameras couldn't capture this phenomenon—just as Lin Ruoxi had said, this light phenomenon seemed perceivable only by specific individuals and couldn't be recorded by conventional equipment.

Long Hua tried several more times, changing the laser's angle, intensity, and the width of the double slit. He discovered that under specific parameters, the pattern became clearer. Even more surprising, when he concentrated his "observation," the pattern seemed to subtly change with his thoughts, as if responding to his mind.

"This is definitely not a conventional physical phenomenon..." Long Hua muttered, fine beads of sweat forming on his forehead.

He suddenly remembered the ancient bronze compass in his pocket. On a hunch, he took it out and found that the needle no longer pointed toward the school but directly at the laser on the lab bench. When he brought the compass near the strange light pattern, the needle began to oscillate in a regular manner, as if decoding some message.

Long Hua's heart raced, a mixture of unprecedented excitement and fear coursing through him. He realized he might be standing on the edge of a major discovery—a secret about light, the universe, and perception was about to be revealed.

Just then, the laboratory door handle turned, and someone knocked from outside.

"Teacher Long? Are you in there?" It was Lin Ruoxi's voice.

Long Hua quickly turned off the laser, stuffed the compass back into his pocket, straightened up the lab bench, and went to open the door.

Outside, Lin Ruoxi stood in the corridor light, her expression showing curiosity and concern: "I saw the laboratory light was still on. Is everything alright?"

"Everything's fine. I was just organizing some experimental data," Long Hua tried to keep his voice calm and natural.

Lin Ruoxi's gaze passed over his shoulder into the laboratory, focusing on the lab bench: "The double-slit experiment?" Her voice carried a hint of understanding.

"Yes, today's teaching content," Long Hua nodded, then hesitated before deciding to test the waters. "Some... unusual phenomena appeared during the experiment."

Lin Ruoxi's eyes brightened: "What kind of unusual phenomena?"

"A peculiar light pattern with a complex geometric structure, but only I could clearly see all its details," Long Hua looked directly into her eyes. "Just like the 'Thousand-Eye Light' you mentioned."

Lin Ruoxi's expression turned serious. She glanced down both sides of the corridor to ensure no one else was around, then said softly: "Teacher Long, this topic isn't suitable for discussion here. If you're willing, we could talk somewhere more private."

Long Hua nodded, turned off the laboratory lights, locked the door: "Let's go."

They walked side by side down the empty corridor, their footsteps echoing in the silence. Through the windows, they could see the setting sun in the west, bathing the campus in a golden glow.

Long Hua knew that from this moment on, his life would no longer be ordinary. That strange light pattern was like a key, opening a door to an unknown world. And Lin Ruoxi, this mysterious woman, seemed to hold clues to unlocking this puzzle.

A strange premonition told him that today's discovery was just the beginning—greater secrets awaited his unveiling.