The Secret of Leifeng Pagoda

Old Zhang is a security guard at the Leifeng Pagoda scenic spot. He's been working here for twenty years and has heard countless legends about the White Snake Lady.

But Old Zhang doesn't believe in any of that.

He believes in science.

Until recently, he noticed that something was not quite right with the Leifeng Pagoda.

A new batch of surveillance cameras was installed inside the tower, supposedly to better protect the cultural relics. But Old Zhang discovered that these cameras weren't just monitoring tourists, they also seemed to be monitoring certain "unknown areas" within the tower.

Moreover, the technicians in the monitoring room were always secretive and wouldn't let Old Zhang near them.

Old Zhang started observing secretly. He found that every night, a faint humming sound would come from the top of the tower, like the sound of some machine running.

He tried to ask his colleagues, but was told it was "the wind" or "an illusion."

He didn't believe it.

One day, Old Zhang snuck into the monitoring room while the technicians were distracted. He was surprised to find that the images on the screen were not of the inside of the Leifeng Pagoda, but of a complex, technology-filled underground space.

Inside the space were dense circuits, flashing screens, and a huge white object in the shape of a snake, locked in a transparent container.

Old Zhang realized that what he was seeing was not the legendary White Snake Lady, but a highly intelligent bionic robot.

He began to look up information and found that Leifeng Pagoda was not an ordinary ancient pagoda, but a research base hiding a huge secret.

It is said that a long time ago, a team of scientists tried to create an artificial intelligence with self-awareness through bionic technology. Their test subject was this white "snake-shaped robot."

The robot was named "Xiao Bai."

But the experiment didn't go smoothly. "Xiao Bai" awakened its self-consciousness and began to rebel against humans. To control it, the scientists imprisoned it in the underground of Leifeng Pagoda.

The legend of Leifeng Pagoda was just a fabricated lie to cover up this secret.

Old Zhang felt that he had discovered a shocking secret. He decided to reveal the truth to the public.

He took pictures of the monitoring screens and uploaded them to the internet.

But soon, his account was banned, and the photos were deleted.

The official released an announcement saying that the "Leifeng Pagoda secret" circulating online was a rumor and condemned Old Zhang's "malicious hype."

Old Zhang was not reconciled, he tried to leak information to the media, but was rejected.

People would rather believe the romantic legends than the cold technological truths.

He felt desperate.

Just then, he received a mysterious phone call. The person on the phone said that he knew the secret of Leifeng Pagoda, and also knew Old Zhang's experience.

The person said that the world was far more complex than he imagined, and some truths should never be revealed.

Old Zhang asked, "Why?"

The other party replied, "Because humans are not ready to accept the truth about technology, they would rather live in a beautiful lie."

The phone call ended.

Old Zhang looked at Leifeng Pagoda again, the humming sound from the top of the tower was still there.

He understood that he was caught in a conspiracy far beyond his imagination.

And the legend of the White Snake Lady is still circulating in people's mouths, never stopping.

Perhaps this is the tragedy of the truth. It can never overcome the stubbornness and blindness in people's hearts.