Eternal Passerby

"The Eternal Passer" is a science fiction fable that explores the nature of consciousness. The story is set in three eras: in the biological period, the terminally ill patient Lin Wantang became the first winner of the "Amber Project" and her consciousness was transplanted into a photonic crystal; in the consciousness period, she met the forerunner Chen Jiwang in the virtual world and learned that consciousness will eventually spread and dissolve into the collective; in the soul period, she witnessed the ultimate destination of the consciousness body integrating into the overall existence. Chen Jiwang chose to dismantle himself into 16 million "seeds" and disperse them into new lives in order to retain his daughter's individual memory. Lin Wantang pioneered a third path: 99% integrating into the whole, and 1% sticking to the individual, maintaining the dual dimensions of "me" and "all things" in a breath-like rhythm. The novel uses "existence is a tripod - the individuality of the biological stage, the correlation of the consciousness stage, and the integrity of the soul stage are all indispensable" as the core metaphor, asking what is the core of human nature that cannot be abandoned after technology transcends the physical body. It is both a sober look at technological optimism and an affectionate tribute to memory, family ties and individual dignity.