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Part One: The Singularity
The story begins on the Moon, beside China’s Tianhe Base, with the sudden appearance of a black obelisk. It was unquestionably not of human origin from the very first day of its discovery. Composed of an unidentifiable, perfectly smooth black material, it reflected no light and emitted no heat, as if it were a three-dimensional void against the cosmic background. The astronauts who discovered it named it “Witness.”
For twenty years, human scientists exhausted every technological means to study it, yet not a single atom could be removed from its surface. As research approached a deadlock, teetering on the edge of becoming a symbolic relic, a “point” was discovered.
On the side of the obelisk facing Earth, at its exact center, there was a point.
It was neither a mark nor a dent nor a protrusion. It seemed intrinsic to the material itself—a geometric perfection made manifest. The point was discovered by quantum metrologist Dr. Yun Tianming during a holographic surface scan aimed at mapping quantum fluctuations on the obelisk. Amid the torrent of data, he identified an absolute “nothingness,” a singularity with zero information entropy.
When the image was translated into visible-light models, the point appeared there: a perfect, dimensionless point.
The following decade became the most maddening ten years in physics.
The team first used an atomic force microscope (AFM) to examine the point at the nanoscale, hoping to resolve its edge structure. By conventional expectation, any solid surface should reveal electron cloud distributions and quantum fluctuations. Yet the force curves remained perfectly flat, devoid of noise or disturbance, as if the probe were suspended in a vacuum, unable to detect any structural signal.
Next, they turned to scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) to measure the local density of electronic states. Regardless of voltage adjustments, the tunneling current remained zero—no energy levels for electrons to occupy, as though the region did not belong to the three-dimensional material world.
To rule out instrument limitations, the team deployed laser interferometry to approach the precision of the Planck length. Still, the data remained perfectly symmetrical: the distances from the point to the four edges of the obelisk were exactly equal—not approximately, but to a precision beyond the limits of quantum measurement. Every terminal value in the dataset entered an infinite loop of zeros, seemingly mocking humanity’s grasp of physical law.
“This makes no sense,” Yun murmured to his colleague Dr. Cheng Xin after countless sleepless nights. “According to the Heisenberg uncertainty principle, we cannot determine a particle’s position with infinite precision. The very existence of this point undermines the foundations of physics itself. It is an ontological miracle, something that should not exist.”
Cheng Xin pointed to the rotating holographic obelisk model, streams of data cascading like a waterfall. “Perhaps we’re approaching this incorrectly, Tianming. We keep trying to measure it, treating it as part of our universe. But… what if it’s not?”
Part Two: The Anchor of Dimensions
Cheng Xin’s words struck Yun like lightning. He began feverishly developing new mathematical models. No longer did he consider the obelisk a three-dimensional object; instead, he hypothesized it was a higher-dimensional entity “sliced” into our three-dimensional space.
“Imagine this,” he explained at an international physics conference, his holographic presence tinged with fervor, “an infinitely thin needle piercing through an infinitely large sheet of paper. For two-dimensional beings on the paper, they would perceive only a perfect point. No matter how precise their measurement tools, the point would always appear at the ‘center’ they can perceive. They cannot comprehend the needle, because the third dimension is beyond them.”
His theory caused a stir. Most dismissed it as philosophical speculation. Yet it perfectly explained the point’s “perfect centering.”
“This point,” Yun continued, “is not a feature on the obelisk’s surface. It is the obelisk itself! Or rather, it is the projection of a higher-dimensional object’s ‘axis’ into our universe. We are not measuring a point on a two-dimensional plane; we are gazing upon a reality-piercing, higher-dimensional spine.”
The theory became known as the “Anchor of Dimensions” Hypothesis. The point anchors a four-dimensional—or even higher-dimensional—object into our three-dimensional space. The civilization that left it had used the simplest, most elegant method to demonstrate a physics beyond our imagination.
They were saying: You exist, but not in the space you can perceive.
Part Three: The Response
How could this hypothesis be tested? It could not be verified by measurement. Yun proposed a bold experiment: do not measure the point’s “position,” but perturb the reality around it.
A massive ring-shaped device was constructed around the Witness. It emitted no particles or energy, but generated an extraordinarily precise, twisted spacetime field—a “whisper of gravitational waves.” If the point truly was a higher-dimensional projection, disturbances in our dimension might elicit a response from the anchor.
The day of the experiment drew the eyes of the world to the Moon. Yun and Cheng Xin stood at the control center, their hearts racing.
“Spacetime field generator, 1% power.”
Nothing happened.
“10%… 30%… 70%…”
The obelisk remained silent. The readouts were unchanging, despairingly stable.
“100%.”
A moment of silence.
Suddenly, the room felt gripped by an invisible hand; the air seemed to collapse. Heartbeats across Earth faltered, as if drawn toward a nonexistent direction.
Walls stretched, floors sank, control panels warped, faces elongated into unseeable dimensions. It was a sensation beyond language—like a drowning person inhaling air for the first time, or a blind man suddenly scorched by sunlight.
Then, they saw.
The point was no longer a point but a luminous spine piercing reality, extending into dimensions that could not be named. It was not dazzling, yet clearer than any star.
A torrent of conceptual information flooded their minds—not words, not sound, but pure ideas:
—Very good.
—You have finally abandoned the ruler and begun measuring the universe with thought.
—This door opens for you. We await on the other side.
The messages faded, and perception collapsed back into three-dimensional space. The room was unchanged; instruments stable. Only their breathing and trembling eyes revealed the magnitude of what had occurred. It was as if they had been swept by a cosmic tsunami and returned to shore.
Part Four: The Beginning
The secret of the Witness was revealed. It was not a monument, a warning, or a work of art.
It was a test: the most concise, ruthless, and elegant test.
The civilization that left it used a perfect geometric singularity to filter cosmic civilizations. Only when a species transcended three-dimensional thinking and began to understand higher dimensions could it “graduate” and earn the invitation to higher-dimensional existence.
Humanity took thirty years to solve the puzzle. Thirty years to earn a single answer.
Yun Tianming and Cheng Xin stood by the viewport, gazing at the serene black obelisk. That point, the enigma that had tormented generations of scientists, was no longer a point—it was a nail, pinning human civilization onto the test paper of the cosmos.
Perhaps countless intelligent species in innumerable galaxies had faced similar points. Some solved them, some failed, some still wandered the labyrinth. Humanity was merely one example, granted the privilege to step through the doorway to higher dimensions. It was both an invitation and a judgment.
And it began with understanding that perfect, infinitesimal point. Now, the gaze of all humanity was drawn to the invisible line extending to higher dimensions, calling them onward.
Suddenly, Yun shivered: Humanity has been chosen. But does being chosen mean fortunate?
The Moon remained silent; the black obelisk unchanged. A signpost, or perhaps a chain.
Afterword
When I was a child, I read a story—I can no longer verify which magazine or author it was—but it left a profound impression on me. In that story, humanity discovered a black obelisk from an extraterrestrial civilization. Though seemingly ordinary, every measurement—height, width, every geometric feature of its surface—conformed to a perfect, infinitely precise golden ratio.
Scientists exhausted themselves trying to decode any physical message: cosmic coordinates, mathematical formulas, or warnings. Ultimately, they realized the obelisk was the information itself. It was not language, but a tool for measuring and filtering. This civilization had elegantly, nonviolently, demonstrated a force beyond physical scale.
This story fascinated me and inspired my creation of The Singularity. I further concretized the idea of perfection, transforming it into a dimensionless point—a miracle challenging the foundations of physics. It is not a display of technology, but a test of human thought itself.
This work pays homage to that childhood story, reminding us that the deepest cosmic mysteries may not lie in distant stars, but in the simplest of concepts.
Tributes:
- Arthur C. Clarke, 2001: A Space Odyssey
- Carl Sagan, Contact
- Liu Cixin, The Three-Body Problem
- Ted Chiang, Story of Your Life
第一部分：奇点
故事始于月球，中国天河基地旁的突然出现的黑色方尖碑。它并非人类所造，这一点从发现它的第一天起就毋庸置疑。它由一种无法识别、绝对光滑的黑色材料构成，不反射任何光线，不泄露任何热量，仿佛是宇宙背景上一个三维的空洞。发现它的航天员们将其命名为“见证者”。
二十年来，人类科学家们用尽了一切科技手段研究它，却连其表面的一颗原子都未能刮下。直到对它的研究进入瓶颈，几乎要变成一种象征性的纪念时，那个“点”被发现了。
在方尖碑朝向地球的那一面，正中央，有一个点。
它不是一个标记，也不是一个凹痕或凸起。它看起来就像是材料本身的一个内在属性，一个几何学上的完美概念被赋予了实体。发现它的是量子度量学家云天明博士。他当时正在进行一次全息地形成像扫描，试图绘制方尖碑表面的量子涨落。在数据洪流的中心，他发现了一个绝对的“无”，一个信息熵为零的奇点。
当图像被转化为可见光模型时，那个点就在那里。一个完美的，没有维度的点。
接下来的十年，成了物理学界最令人抓狂的十年。
研究团队首先使用了原子力显微镜（AFM），希望在纳米尺度上分辨点的边缘结构。按照常规预期，任何固体表面都应显示出电子云分布及量子涨落。然而，扫描得到的势阱曲线始终平直，无噪声、无扰动，仿佛探针悬空在真空之上，无法捕获任何结构信号。
随后，他们改用扫描隧道显微镜（STM），测量点附近的电子态密度。无论电压如何微调，隧穿电流始终为零——没有可供电子跃迁的能级，仿佛该区域根本不属于三维物质世界。
为了进一步排除仪器局限，团队部署了激光干涉仪，将测量精度推进至接近普朗克长度的数量级。即便如此，数据链条依旧完美对称，测得点到方尖碑四条边缘的距离完全相等——不是近似，而是精确到超越量子测量极限。每条数据末端的值都呈现出无限循环的零，像在嘲笑人类对物理规律的认知极限。
“这不合道理，”云天明在无数个不眠之夜后，对着同事程心博士喃喃自语，“根据海森堡不确定性原理，我们不可能无限精确地确定一个粒子的位置。这个点本身的存在，就在嘲笑我们整个物理学大厦的根基。它是一个本体论上的奇迹，一个不该存在的东西。”
程心指着屏幕上旋转的方尖碑模型，数据流像瀑布一样刷新。“或许我们的思路错了，天明。我们总想着‘测量’它，把它当成一个我们宇宙里的东西。但如果……它不是呢？”
第二部分：维度之锚
程心的话像一道闪电击中了云天明。他开始疯狂地建立新的数学模型。他不再把方尖碑看作一个三维空间中的物体，而是假设它是一个更高维度物体在我们三维空间中的“切片”。
“想象一下，”他激动地对一个国际物理学研讨会解释道，全息投影中的他显得有些狂热，“一根无限细的针，垂直穿过一张无限大的纸。对于纸上的二维生物来说，它们能看到的只是一个完美的点。无论它们用多么精密的尺子去测量，那个点永远在它们所能感知的‘中心’。它们无法理解这根针，因为它们无法感知第三个维度。”
他的理论引起了轩然大波。大多数人认为这是纯粹的哲学臆想。但它完美地解释了那个点的“完美居中”特性。
“那个点，”云天明继续说道，“不是方尖碑表面的一个特征。它就是方尖碑本身！或者说，它是那个高维物体的‘中轴’在我们宇宙中的投影。我们不是在测量一个二维平面上的点，我们是在凝视一个穿越我们现实的、来自更高维度的‘轴’！”
这个理论被称为“维度之锚”假说。那个点，就是将一个四维甚至更高维度的物体，“锚定”在我们三维空间中的坐标奇点。留下它的文明，在用一种最简单、最优雅的方式，向我们展示一种我们无法想象的物理学。
他们在说：我们存在，但不在你们所能感知的空间里。
第三部分：回应
如何证实这个假说？无法用测量来证实。云天明提出了一个大胆的实验：不要去测量它的“位置”，而是去扰动它周围的“现实”。
一个巨大的环形设备在“见证者”周围被建立起来。它不会发射任何粒子或能量，而是会产生一种极其精密的、被扭曲的时空场——一种“引力波的低语”。他们的想法是，如果这个点真的是高维度的投影，那么扰动我们这个维度的时空结构，或许能从“锚点”得到一丝反馈。
实验进行的那一天，全球的目光都聚焦在月球。云天明和程心站在控制中心，心跳如鼓。
“时空场发生器启动，功率1%。”
什么都没有发生。
“10%… 30%… 70%…”
方尖碑依然静默。控制台上的所有读数都稳定得令人绝望。
“功率100%。”
片刻的寂静。
忽然，整个房间像被一只无形的手捏住了，空气仿佛塌陷。地球上的每个人的心跳都骤然失去节奏，仿佛身体被拉向某个不存在的方向。
墙壁在延伸，地板在坠落，控制台在扭曲，他们彼此的面孔也像被拉伸到看不见的维度。那是一种没有语言的感受，就像溺水的人突然吸入空气，又像盲人第一次被刺眼的阳光灼痛双眼。
然后，他们“看见”了。
那个点不再是点，而是一条贯穿现实的光之脊梁，向上、向下，延展进他们无法命名的空间。它并不耀眼，却比任何星辰都要清晰。
意识中涌入一段无法拒绝的信息，不是声音，不是文字，而是一种纯粹的概念。
——很好。
——你们终于抛下了尺子，开始学会用思想丈量宇宙。
——这扇门，为你们而开。我们，在另一边等候。
话语消失，感知塌回三维。房间依旧，仪器稳定，唯有每个人的呼吸与眼神在颤抖。仿佛他们刚刚从一场浩瀚的海啸里被抛回岸上。
第四部分：开端
“见证者”的秘密被揭开。它不是一个纪念碑，不是一个警告，也不是一个艺术品。
它是一道考题。最简洁、最无情、最优雅的考题。
留下它的文明，用一个完美的几何奇点，筛选着宇宙中的文明。只有当一个文明能够超越三维的测量思维，开始理解维度的本质时，他们才算“毕业”，才有资格获得这张通往更高维度的“邀请函”。
人类花了三十年才解开这道谜题。三十年，才换来一个答案。
云天明和程心站在舷窗前，凝望着远处静谧的黑色方尖碑。 那个点，那个曾经让所以科学家痛苦至极的谜题，如今在他们的眼里已不是点，而是一枚钉子——把人类文明钉在浩瀚宇宙的试卷上。
也许在无数星系中，无数智慧种族都曾面对过这样的点。有的解开，有的失败，有的至今仍在迷宫中徘徊。人类只是其中一例，被允许踏上更高维度的门槛。这是一份邀请。也是一份裁决。
而是从理解那个完美的、无限小的点开始。现在，整个人类的目光都投向了那条无形的、通往更高维度的线， 向人类发出召唤。
突然，云天明不寒而栗：人类，已经被选中。但被选中，就是幸运吗？
月球静默，黑色方尖碑一如既往。它像路标，也像锁链。
后记： 我小时候读过一个故事，具体是哪本杂志或者哪个作家已经无法考证了，但它在我脑海里留下了深刻的印记。故事里说，人类发现了一个来自地外文明的黑色方尖碑。这个方尖碑看起来没有任何特别之处，但无论用多么精确的仪器去测量，它的所有比例，从高度、宽度到表面上的每一个几何特征，都符合一种完美的、无限精确的黄金比例。
人类科学家们耗费了无数精力，试图从中解读出任何物理信息，比如宇宙坐标、数学公式或者警告。但最终他们意识到，这个方尖碑本身就是信息。它不是用来交流的语言，而是一种用来衡量和筛选的工具。地外文明用这种最优雅、最非暴力的方式，向人类展示纯粹的、超越物理尺度的力量。
这个故事让我深深着迷，也成为了我创作《奇点》的灵感来源。在这个故事中，我将这种“完美”的概念进一步具象化，让它变成了一个没有维度的点，一个从根本上挑战我们物理学基础的奇迹。它不是一种技术展示，而是对我们思维本身的一次终极考验。本文就是对我小时候读到的那个不知名故事的一次致敬和再创作。它提醒我，最深刻的宇宙之谜，或许不是藏在浩瀚星辰中，而是隐藏在最简单概念里。
致敬作品：
- 阿瑟·克拉克（Arthur C. Clarke）的《2001：太空漫游》
- 卡尔·萨根（Carl Sagan）的《超时空接触》（Contact）
- 刘慈欣的《三体》（The Three-Body Problem）
- 特德·姜（Ted Chiang）的《你一生的故事》（Story of Your Life）
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