A tour of the lab and Lin Jing's inventions

[china_shop]

I was thinking about how the hi-tech ear plug in ep 13 work, and that led to an inventory of Lin Jing's other inventions, starting with the scene where he gives Zhao Xinci a tour of his lab in ep 16 (2:09 to 3:23).

The scene

Lin Jing keeps up a running monologue. Zhao Xinci follows, listening and observing but not encouraging him.



Lin Jing: This way, Special Commissioner. This is my laboratory. All of my trophies are here.
来 特派员 这里是我的实验室 所有的战利品都在这



This one, the photon detector. It has helped us solve many important cases.
这个 这个光子探测仪 让我们破获许多大案 就是靠它

(He must mean the cases we saw in canon, right, since as far as we know things were quiet before then? Do we ever see him use this? Here's a close-up of the photo detector.)

And this one, the Bed of Experimentation. All of my research and results are on this bed
来还有这张 这张实验床 我所有的研究 所有的结果 都在这张床上

Zhao Xinci gets distracted by the Longevity Dial in its case.

Lin Jing hurries over and drapes his arm over it like it's his date.



Lin Jing: This is part of my personal collection. My hobby is to collect things.
这个是我的私人藏宾 我是个业余收藏爱好者



Zhao Xinci is sceptical? Curious? Can tell Lin Jing is lying?

LJ: Come, come, let me show you my inventions.
来来来 我带你看看我的发明



For instance, this apparatus. It's able to effectively detect dark energy. Special Commissioner, this tool is very perceptive and very accurate. Nothing will slip under its radar. Allow me to demonstrate.
比如这个仪器 它能有效地探测黑能量 特派员 我这个仪器非常灵敏 也非常工整 任何破绽 都逃不出它的法眼 我示范给你看



Dark energy detector: *detects*



LJ: It might be broken.
那个 可能是坏了

ZXC: That's enough. I've now seen what you guys do at your jobs. I want to meet your Chief Zhao.
行了 你们几个的工作 我都了解了 还是让我去见见你们赵处吧

LJ: Yes, sir.
是

Things I find interesting about this scene:

1. Zhao Xinci getting distracted by the Dial. Does he recognise it? Would Zhang Shi?
2. I love that Lin Jing doesn't claim it as one of his inventions or try to explain it away beyond "Just a collector's item, nothing to see here, moving on."
3. The SID is keeping the presence of the Hallow a secret from the Xingdu Bureau (and presumably the Department of Supervision, too). Why? And how much has Lin Jing secretly told Professor Ouyang?
4. The business with the dark energy detector is set up to foreshadow Zhao Xinci's secret, but it's interesting how quick Lin Jing is to assume it's his detector that's at fault. It's completely unthinkable that any Haixing authority figure could have dark energy powers (which helps explain why it takes so long for Zhao Yunlan to figure out what's going on with Shen Wei).
5. Lin Jing's sweatshirt reads "STRIKE OUT", which seems appropriate, given the end of the scene. Heh.

More of Lin Jing's inventions

1. Ep 5, 5:00: popcorn maker
   
   
   
   
   
   The popcorn maker looks steam-punky and strange and is primarily a humorous misdirect -- is Lin Jing doing amazing ground-breaking science? No, he's making snacks. It shows Lin Jing goofing off (which becomes a plot point later on), and gives us an adorable team scene with everyone happily partaking (including Zhao Yunlan, who arrives late and jumps onto the table to eat, why??). Xiao Guo starts to understand the SID team's dynamics.


2. Ep 8, 3:54: SID security barrier
   
   
   
   
   
   The SID's security system effectively keeps out people with dark energy, while being sensitive to the red stamp that lets friends of the SID pass through freely. Presumably the Envoy has some kind of token in lieu of a stamp, given he hasn't visited Zhao Yunlan's SID pre-canon. (The barrier is powerful enough to keep Ye Zun out, so should work on the Envoy, too.) Can be rebooted remotely.


3. Ep 8, 4:56: Changcheng's fear-electricity baton
   
   
   
   On my initial watch, Changcheng's baton made me laugh and laugh. Lin Jing finds it funny, too. The baton is half a clever weapon that turns Changcheng's greatest weakness into a strength, and half just a silly joke. *hearts*


4. Ep 12, 14:27: experimentation bed
   
   
   
   The experimentation bed shows up in many scenes -- this one where Zhao Yunlan has flagrantly lied to get Shen Wei to take his shirt off, the one with ZYL's nose bleed and Shen Wei's aggressive face-cleaning, as well as when Da Ji is killed and brought back to the SID, when Changcheng is brought back from Dixing half-dead, and others. It's unclear exactly what the bed does, but I love it anyway.


5. Ep 13, 41:10: ear plugs
   
   
   
   The high-tech ear plug must somehow turn Zheng Yi's/Zhu Jiu's unspoken hypnotic compulsions into suggestions, because otherwise Zhao Yunlan wouldn't have known what to do, and Zhu Jiu would have become suspicious. Also, there appears to only be one of them. Love the smug way Zhao Yunlan blows dust (or ear wax?) off it while showing it off.


6. Ep 20, 41:09: power-suppression handcuffs
   
   
   
   Afaicr, the power-suppression cuffs are only ever used on Zhu Jiu. Because otherwise the story would warp in a completely different direction. Still, it's interesting to know they have the technology (presumably related to the security system?). Like a lot of tech, their weak point is user error, eg, Changcheng being tricked into removing them from Zhu Jiu's wrists.


7. Ep 25, 18:24: stun-gun watch
   
   
   
   I'd forgotten about this, but trobadora reminded me. Lin Jing is very proud of this invention:
   
   LJ: *presenting the watch* High tech stuff.
   ZYL: A stun-gun watch? Like in the cartoon?
   LJ: Exactly, let me tell you...
   They're interrupted by a phone call, and Zhao Yunlan leaves without letting Lin Jing finish, to his dismay. "Hey, I wasn't done! Let me brag a bit, hey!"
   
   According to solo's subs, the watch is a reference to a watch in Detective Conan. In Guardian, I think it's used as a tracker, when Zhao Yunlan is kidnapped?

Any thoughts? Did I miss any?

Comments

[trobadora]

Oh, maybe he used it to analyse the samples from the water-boy kidnapping case or something? He was collecting evidence there.

Oh, good idea! I like that, yeah.

I only wondered because, to me, Zhao Xinci doesn't really look surprised or shocked to see the Dial (though of course he does always play his cards very close to his chest).

Yeah, I think it could go either way; there's no clear evidence one way or the other.

(After Lin Jing hastily explains it away, ZXC says "Ahh" in a very Zhao Yunlan kind of way, which pleases me greatly. I meant to mention that in the post.)

Hee! :D

I got the feeling it was during the meeting with Minister Gao in ep 14 when ZYL realised how much direct influence his father had over the SID and became wary of Minister Gao/the DoS.

I thought he was already wary, but when he found out that his father had been promoted AND Minister Gao knew him that well and thought highly of hiim, it suddenly became 500% worse. *g*

(It's so interesting to me that he didn't know ZXC and Minister Gao knew each other, since IIRC Minister Gao used to be ZXC's partner ...)

And it's risky, you know? If the DoS find out he's withholding info, that's going to undercut their trust of him, which weakens his position.

Yes, absolutely agreed!

I still feel like the implication is supposed to be that they're suppressing his dark energy somehow, though, and that Lin Jing must have made them.

Yeah, it still looks like that to me as well, I just wanted to point out it's not entirely unambiguous.

You know, I've always misremembered/explain that to myself as Shen Wei tracking him down via some kind of dark energy connection...

I feel like even apart from the watch, if it was Shen Wei tracking him, it would just be Shen Wei who turned up, not Lin Jing and the others as well ...

[china_shop]

According to wikipedia, photon detectors are used for: Fiber-optic communication, Quantum information science, Quantum encryption, Medical imaging, Light detection and ranging, DNA sequencing, Astrophysics, Materials science. Several of which seem relevant to Lin Jing's professional interests. :-)

I thought he was already wary, but when he found out that his father had been promoted AND Minister Gao knew him that well and thought highly of hiim, it suddenly became 500% worse. *g*

Yeah, that makes sense. I thought he was wary in a general "bureaucrats don't understand frontline staff" kind of way, but felt like they were on the same general side. Just, apparently, not enough to report the acquisition of a powerful ancient artefact.

(It's so interesting to me that he didn't know ZXC and Minister Gao knew each other, since IIRC Minister Gao used to be ZXC's partner ...)

I wonder if Zhao Xinci distanced himself from Gao Jingfeng after Zhang Shi's arrival, in much the same way he distanced himself from his family. Partly to protect the pushed-away ones, and partly because they were the people who knew him well enough to be able to tell that something fundamental had changed (ETA: and ZXC couldn't bear to be confronted with that?). Presumably Gao Jingfeng didn't move to the SID with Zhao Xinci, either -- just stayed regular police. I can imagine it being the kind of information about his father's work associates that a kid would be very hazy on. And Gao is a common enough name.

I feel like even apart from the watch, if it was Shen Wei tracking him, it would just be Shen Wei who turned up, not Lin Jing and the others as well ...

Oh yes, good point! (It would be so interesting to see Shen Wei's or Ling Jing's POV of the search for ZYL! I might have to request that for wishlist. :-)

[trobadora]

Several of which seem relevant to Lin Jing's professional interests. :-)

Yes, indeed!

I wonder if Zhao Xinci distanced himself from Gao Jingfeng after Zhang Shi's arrival

Yes, indeed! Though Minister Gao clearly still feels connected to him, it sounds very like Zhao Xinci to reduce things to just professional interactions. Gao Jingfeng must have been well-connected even then, since he's the one who tells ZXC about the plan to set up the SID, which makes sense for him then going into politics while ZXC runs the SID for some time.

It would be so interesting to see Shen Wei's or Ling Jing's POV of the search for ZYL!

Yes! WANT! :D

[china_shop]

Though Minister Gao clearly still feels connected to him

I feel like Minister Gao looks up to him, you know (because ZXC is sharper and more decisive) and that they were close enough once that he puts the distancing down to busyness rather than a deliberate withdrawal?

[trobadora]

Yes, that sounds right to me!