Mage Adam-Chapter "360"

When electrons passed through the double slits and struck the display screen, what appeared was not the two clear stripes one would expect from small colored balls, but wave-like interference fringes.

This phenomenon sent shockwaves through the research institute. The mages found it hard to believe their own eyes.

Adam gave no answer to their doubts. He simply replaced the electron emitter with another and repeated the experiment. The result was the same.

Several of the most outspoken mages flushed red and sank back into their seats. The others no longer needed anyone to restore order—restlessness faded on its own. At this point, questioning the result would only reveal one’s own foolishness. Adam had not tampered with anything, nor had he any reason to deceive them. The outcome was undeniable: electrons possessed both wave and particle properties.

Adam had his own reasons for making the experiment and theory public. The wonders of the microscopic world would inevitably attract later generations to join the research, greatly accelerating the creation of a system and new theoretical frameworks. The grand edifice of quantum mechanics could never be built by him alone. Even with the knowledge of countless great minds from another world in his head, not all of it would necessarily fit into the Void. And even if it did, directly transplanting it would be an immense undertaking. Collective effort was the right path.

Just like the next experiment he was about to demonstrate—perhaps the Mage World itself could provide the answers to the “why.”

The academic atmosphere of the institute was an open one. Every researcher had faced doubts from others, and only by presenting concrete evidence could one convince the rest. This time was no different—only the scope was larger, the skepticism sharper. Adam could understand how they felt.

He moved on to the next stage of his unfinished experiment. Previously, electrons had been emitted in batches. Now, they were released one at a time.

The result was even more astonishing. If one could still argue earlier that the interference pattern came from electrons pushing against each other, then now—when a single electron produced the same interference pattern—their wave nature was proven beyond doubt, beyond refutation.

It was the True Spirits who raised a different question. One of them asked softly:

“Is this all you intended to prove? I admit it’s important, expanding our understanding of the inherent world. But it only tells us deeper knowledge. Where is the conflict?”

The iron facts shattered all doubt. The mages’ attitudes turned completely. Some even stood to apologize to Adam, immediately following up with new questions:

“Did the electron pass through both slits, or through neither? If it did pass through, which one was it?”

Adam raised his voice slightly so that everyone could hear:

“The experiment isn’t over yet. Please keep watching.”

He placed an observation spell at the slits to watch which path the electrons took. If an electron passed through, the magic circle would react.

Once ready, Adam activated the emitter again. Under everyone’s gaze, the electron abandoned its wave-like nature and behaved purely as a particle, forming two stripes on the display.

The second time, Adam suppressed the reaction of the spell. The interference pattern reappeared.

Boom!

The chamber erupted, not in suspicion of Adam, but in sheer disbelief at the phenomenon. They could not comprehend it. Just by being observed, did electrons change themselves? Did that mean they were alive? Did they somehow know they were being watched, and then made a choice?

Excited whispers rippled through the crowd:

“How can this be? Why? They’re the building blocks of matter! If every microscopic particle behaves like electrons, then what is the true nature of the world formed from them? Does the world only take shape when it is observed? Then what about us, who exist within it?”

The very situation Adam had feared came to pass. The observation experiment had only just begun, the delayed-choice experiment not yet started, and already the mages were doubting themselves. Their soul energy burst out uncontrollably, forming a storm within the dark chamber.

The True Spirit Prometheus intervened, forcibly suppressing the chaotic leakage of soul energy, and asked Adam:

“Is the experiment finished?”

Adam shook his head. “Not yet.”

He then began the final stage—the delayed-choice experiment.

The operation was disarmingly simple: move the observation spell from the front of the slits to the back. In other words, after knowing that the electron had already passed through the slits, try to determine which path it had taken.

The result was staggering. The mages discovered that no matter when they chose to observe, the outcome was the same.

The conclusion was terrifying: even if one decided to observe after the event, it determined what had already happened. Logic collapsed. Cause and effect were inverted. Did the future decide the present?

Thinking deeper: if they lived inside the microscopic world of some higher-dimensional lifeform, then did everything they knew exist only because that being wanted it to exist?

The series of questions drove the mages into madness. Some of their bodies deflated like punctured balloons as soul energy poured from every opening. Within moments, several mages’ souls shattered and they vanished where they stood.

The True Spirits present, along with those watching remotely, all acted at once to prevent further deaths and stabilize the survivors. When the chaos was finally under control, Prometheus declared grimly:

“This experiment is classified as top secret. It must not be made public beyond the Atomic Energy Research Institute for now. The confidentiality period is indefinite. This series of experiments will be added to the restricted list. Authorization is to be jointly determined by True Spirits and Adam.”

The three True Spirits exchanged glances. In each other’s eyes they saw the same dread. They, who knew more than any archmage, grasped the terror behind this phenomenon more keenly than anyone else.

Prometheus then asked Croft:

“What about the mages who died?”

“They’re waiting for resurrection,” Croft answered. “But they’re trapped in a state of self-denial. The Magic Net cannot yet reconstruct their souls.”

At that moment, Adam’s body rose involuntarily into the air. His soul’s metamorphosis had reached an uncontrollable stage. He said to the True Spirits:

“I need origin energy—massive amounts of origin energy!”

Author’s Note 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

This marks the end of the research arc. I sincerely apologize to all readers who have stuck with me to this point. Due to my limited knowledge base, there may be errors and nonsense in what I wrote. I’m truly sorry.

If you’ve felt uncomfortable while reading—again, I can only apologize. I’m still a newbie. My writing skill, emotional control, and plot management all need more practice and improvement. I believe you’ve seen it too—at least compared to the first 200,000 words before this book was even launched, I think I’ve grown a lot…

Please don’t fight over the plot; it’s all my fault. I’ll work harder to write words that satisfy you.