Chapter 132 Soul Dialogue

A cloud of snowflakes flew up from the rolling glaciers and snow-capped mountains, and a white, fluffy ball sped past against the wind, a small one still in its mouth.

"Meow Xiaosu, why was Wuya able to predict my actions from the beginning, while I couldn't know what he was thinking?"

"Perhaps it's the blessing of black magic? Osiris once had a conversation with me about the problem of cognitive limitations, and I think this game is related to that: if listening to the other person's thoughts is to eliminate differences in cognitive levels and promote mutual understanding and communication, then different animal forms indicate that this is not only feasible between people, but can also transcend the barriers between species."

"If everyone's inner world could be laid bare, wouldn't there be no secrets left? There would be no way to deceive, and no way to have privacy. If everyone could easily know what their opponent was planning, how could they compete?"

The little ball of fur in the dog's mouth suddenly meowed: "Woof woof, I get it! This isn't human society. We don't need to think from a human perspective; we should look at things from an animal's point of view!"

"animal?"

"The ultimate rule of the game is the law of the jungle: the survival of the fittest. Your question is correct. If the prey is fully aware of the predator's plans, then their sharp teeth and hiding skills will be useless, and the hunter's advantages will be lost."

The dog seemed to understand: "In order for the competitive game to continue, a new way of defining superiority and inferiority is needed to replace the original survival of the fittest. Is this the secret that Alice said must be kept?"

"That's right. If we call secret information intelligence, then the food chain in nature will cease to exist in this game, replaced by an 'intelligence chain.' The degree to which secrets are kept will determine one's position in this new food chain. The animal at the top of the food chain will no longer be the strongest or the smartest, but the most mysterious: it can easily detect the enemy's movements, while the enemy knows nothing about it."

"So what mistake did Osiris make?"

"My conjecture is this: the food chain in nature is relatively stable and clearly defined. But the intelligence chain that Osiris established is easily broken. Once we unite and become bound together, the relationship of the intelligence chain will be reversed."

The dog thought the cat's words made some sense, but then it couldn't help but think of something else: "But why can't I know what that rabbit is thinking either? Does he hold a higher position in the intelligence chain than us?"

===

Conan's mimicry spirit is a small tarsier. However, unlike ordinary monkeys, it is entirely white.

Looking at the endless snowfield, Conan wondered, "Is this camouflage? But how can there be monkeys in this icy wilderness? That doesn't make sense!"

"Sorry, coloring is a bit troublesome, setting it to white is easier." Osiris's voice came from somewhere. The little monkey turned his head and saw a little white rabbit behind him.

"Who are you trying to impress by making yourself look so pure, kind, and innocent?" Conan muttered indignantly.

"Conan, I can hear you talking bad about me! That makes the game fair, right? I can no longer lie to you, and you can no longer lie to me."

"So one of the uses of crystals is in lie detectors?"

The little rabbit shook its head and sighed, "Why is it that after knowing you for so long, your level of understanding is still so superficial?"

"So what if you're superficial? I'm sure I'll beat you this time!"

"Come on, I'll take you to find my brother!"

The little rabbit hopped around a few times and then transformed into a black crow, taking off from the spot.

This operation completely opened the monkey's eyes. He looked up at the sky and gestured, "Hey, who was it that said setting it to white was more convenient? Are you lying to me without even thinking?"

"Can't a game developer have a little privilege? I can turn you black too!"

"Then forget it, take me to find your brother!"

The little crow flapped its wings and flew away, leaving the little monkey bewildered: "Why can you fly while I can only run? You damn Osiris, wait for me!"

For some reason, Conan felt that his hearing was exceptionally sharp in the game world. Even though the crow had long since disappeared into the snow-covered mountains, he could still determine the direction it was heading by the slightest sound he caught.

When the little monkey finally reached the finish line, a cute little white rabbit hopped up to him. Conan's first thought was that Osiris had turned back into a rabbit, but upon closer inspection, he noticed something amiss. This must be the legendary younger brother they had been searching for so long.

The little rabbit greeted the little monkey enthusiastically: "Hello Conan, I'm Karasuma Shona. Nice to meet you!"

Conan was stunned for a moment before realizing that the person in front of him was a real 10-year-old child: he had never grown up.

===

"Meow Xiaosu, I've spotted the Crow!"

"Be careful, don't underestimate it. Although we narrowly escaped last time, games usually have a negative feedback mechanism. Who knows, this raven might have evolved?"

"Anyway, let's bind ourselves first. I'm counting on you, Miao Xiaosu!"

The puppy put the kitten down and looked at it with encouraging and expectant eyes, but the kitten seemed guilty: "I'm sorry, I don't actually know how we got bound back then..."

"Hey, you didn't know?!"

"At the time, I was only focused on driving away the raven and getting you to safety; I didn't have time to think about anything else! I even learned the word 'binding' from Alice's notebook."

"But...but you still remember what you did, right?"

"Hmm, I remember pouncing on you, puffing up my feathers to make myself look more intimidating, raising my tail, and making a fierce noise at the crow."

The cat demonstrated as it spoke, then turned to the dog and asked, "Can you feel the bond?"

"I feel...you sound so cute when you bark so fiercely—" The dog's tail wagged like a snowflake.

"Don't say such inappropriate things at a time like this!"

Upon hearing this, the dog suddenly tensed up, its expression turning serious: "Alert! The raven is approaching!"

===

"Hahaha, Conan, you lost!"

The little rabbit happily hopped around in the snow.

Seeing this, Conan couldn't help but question his life: He thought his brother was the mastermind, but it turns out he's just a 10-year-old brat! And he even dragged him into a snowball fight! Why did he put all his eggs in one basket?!

"Conan, are you unhappy? I didn't hear what you just said..." The little rabbit poked its head out of the snow hole.

"Nothing, where's your brother?"

"My brother is setting up the game venue!"

"Is he going to renege on his promise?"

The little rabbit said sadly, "Conan doesn't like my brother, and Zero-chan doesn't like my brother either. But my brother is a good person, so why do you all hate him?"

"You just mentioned Little Zero, are you referring to Bourbon?!"

"Yes, yes, Brother Xiao Ling is dark-skinned, but very handsome! He even fell into an icy lake and climbed out again, he was so cool! But my brother is a little jealous of him and won't let me play with Brother Xiao Ling."

"Why?"

“My brother said that although he knew his mother loved him, he didn’t know how to love her, which created a distance between them. If his mother had another son, the situation would be even worse. So he forged his brother’s file so that his mother would be unable to find him.”

When did this happen?

"Hmm, I think it's 7 years old."

Conan was utterly shocked: "I never imagined that Osiris would commit such heinous acts when he was only 7 years old?!"

Shaoming argued, "My brother isn't crazy! He's just not easily understood by others. It seems like no one can understand what he's saying, which makes him very distressed."

Did your brother have a speech impediment when he was a child?

“That’s what the doctor said, but I think it’s all nonsense! I understand what my brother means; for a long time, I was the only one who could understand him. So even though Mom is usually closer to me, my brother isn’t jealous of me—”

"So how did your brother get better? I think his language skills are perfectly fine now."

"I taught my brother a method: using stories from books to explain his ideas. As long as the other person knows the story, they can understand the meaning expressed by the specific imagery. This method worked very well, and others gradually came to understand what my brother meant. To find more suitable examples, my brother read many, many books..."

"But this method also has significant limitations, doesn't it?"

“That’s true, but my brother doesn’t care. He said that when he used to tell the truth, nobody wanted to listen. Since telling stories can attract more listeners, why bother explaining the truth?”

"But this habitual liar still managed to create the Crystal Network." Conan thought to himself, and found it somewhat ironic. "Shaoming, your brother still hopes that others will understand him, right?"

"This is a plan between the two of us! At first, we just wanted Mom to understand us, but then my brother expanded the scope of the plan." The little rabbit's eyes shone with excitement, but he noticed the little monkey's emotional fluctuation. "Conan, don't you like crystals?"

Conan avoided the question, trying his best to eliminate distracting thoughts from his mind.

Children's whimsical ideas are understandable, but treating them as a lifelong dream and resorting to any means to achieve the goal has crossed the line of public order and good morals.

My first impression was one of pity, and that remains true to this day.

"If he had met me when he was 7 years old, would things have turned out better?"

However, time will never provide the answer to this question.

Conan changed the subject and asked, "Why did you name your brother Osiris? It's based on a story from ancient Egyptian mythology, so it must have a special meaning, right?"

The little rabbit lowered its head: "My brother said I killed him, that I turned him into this."

"Are you the one who stopped him from growing up?!"

"All I wanted was to play with my brother forever. I told him I didn't want to grow up, and that I'd found a way to stop growing. He agreed to try it with me, but in the end, my experiment failed. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to..."

"So you've been here ever since you died?"

“I didn’t die, but I’m very sick and can’t wake up in the real world. My brother said that once I get better, we can play together. But I can’t wait, so my brother built this place for me to play with. I designed all the landscapes here, including not only the snowfield but also many other landforms!”

The wind glides over the snow, leaving the air cool and sparkling. Licking it, there's a hint of sweetness—truly a child's nature.

How long have you been here?

"I don't remember. There's no time here, and my brother said I don't need to care about this."

"Is it usually just you and your brother here?"

"No, there's also Lord Yinpu."

"Hey, who's that?"

"The Hidden Servant is Lord Wuya! He is the most intelligent person in the world, a culmination of everyone's wisdom!"

"Could it be that gentleman?!"

===

"Meow meow meow!" (Hides behind me!)

The moment the raven appeared, the cat instinctively used its small body to shield it.

"At least give me a chance to show off my skills! I haven't lost yet!"

Before the dog could even display its prowess, the crows preemptively struck, their mournful cries echoing through the air and unsettling the mind.

The dog decisively picked up the kitten and tried to find a place to hide, but after running only a few steps, it felt exhausted: "Meow, Xiao Su, I'm so dizzy..."

"Cheer up! Don't give up!"

"Damn it! How did I even manage to bind it back then?!"

It's like having done the same problem before, only remembering the answer but completely forgetting the solution process. Cat was so anxious that it paced around in circles, feeling helpless and frustrated.

"Calm down, I can't panic, he needs me!"

"Think of a way to break this deadlock? Why haven't I been affected?"

"I am an empathizer! Not relying on perception, but on the power of emotional resonance!"

Close your eyes and cover your ears.

"Zero, ignore him, I want you to only think about me!"

Imagine shared emotions weaving an invisible spiderweb, striving to capture the tremor of every single thread. Confusion, excitement, euphoria… all these emotions resonate and echo in another place, belonging to both dogs and cats. “They’re all mine!”

Imagine a surging, interconnected galaxy, extending and expanding outwards, breaking free from the constraints of flesh and skin, climbing onto each other's branches, and intertwining to form a new totem. "We are together!"

"Jing, are we linked again?"

I think so.

===

"What does 'Shaoming' mean, 'incorporating the wisdom of everyone'?"

"The data for the Hidden Servant's model comes from the brain activity and decision-making processes of all the people collected by my brother. My brother said that the advantages of collective intelligence compared to individual intelligence are very significant."

"Everyone, including me?!"

"Yes, Lord Hidden Servant's wisdom is constantly evolving. With more and more people joining, Lord Hidden Servant is becoming increasingly intelligent. However, everyone's contribution is different, and yours carries a very high weight!"

Conan was speechless: After all that work, I was just hitting myself?!

Once the little rabbit started talking about the Hidden Servants, she opened up: "At first, only a few people got involved. Besides my brother and me, there was my mother, my uncle, and the others. But no one else knew about the existence of the Hidden Servants, nor did they know what my brother wanted to do. However, the things the Hidden Servants could do at first were also very limited."

"So my brother came up with a brilliant idea. He used the excuse of improving the physical examinations of the organization's members to collect all kinds of data and information from them. Later, he also cooperated with many laboratories that studied neuroscience, which greatly improved Lord Yinpu's wisdom."

"So, the Hidden Servant is the one who oversees everything?"

"Not entirely! Lord Yinpu is not omnipotent, but his ability to manage subordinates and operate an organization is quite outstanding! My brother also did a lot of training and adjustments for Yinpu to reach his current level of intelligence."

"So, in the end, it's still about doing things according to your brother's wishes?"

“That’s how it was at first, but Lord Yinpu will gradually develop his own thoughts. I once asked him not to make things difficult for Brother Xiaoling, but Lord Yinpu resolutely refused, which surprised my brother.”

"So what did your brother do?"

"Brother didn't do anything. He thought Yinpu made sense, so he let him decide. But I still think Little Zero is the better brother! He just beat Yinpu!"

"What?!"

===

"Meow Xiaosu, you want to defeat me? This time it won't be so easy!" The enormous black shadow approached step by step, completely engulfing the cat and dog in darkness. A semi-transparent barrier loomed above their heads, and crows pecked at it relentlessly, already piercing several large holes in the seemingly sturdy barrier. The dog wilted like a frostbitten eggplant.

"It's not just a thought, I'm sure I can beat you!"

"Such arrogance! But I see your helplessness and confusion. Should I say you're overestimating yourself or are you just being brave?"

"I also saw your arrogance and lack of remorse! Don't forget, last time you were the one who ran away because I scared you away!"

In a daze, Jingguang caught a glimpse of a face in the shadows that was all too familiar, and the cat froze in shock—

What's that old, tired saying again? Your greatest enemy is yourself!

"Meow Xiaosu, do you see? I know all your weaknesses now, and you have nowhere to retreat!" Wu Ya laughed arrogantly.

"If resonant emotions can form a strong barrier, can they also become a sharp blade to pierce the bubble of black magic?"

"Oh, so you must know all of the puppy's weaknesses now, right?"

Yinpu replied smugly, "Of course! You two have already completed collecting all the data from last time."

"That's good, go ahead and do it!"

"What did you say?" The hidden servant was taken aback.

"You want to use me against me? That's a brilliant move. But you've forgotten that he and I are one, even if it's just a part of our data! We belong to each other and will never truly be used by you. I'm sorry, it seems there was a big problem with the last version update; two traitors have infiltrated your ranks!"

"You, you're talking nonsense!"

"Oh, your breathing is unsteady. Are you hesitating? Are you angry? Are you starting to disagree? Or are you being disturbed by the traitor? As the saying goes, only eat until you're seven-tenths full. Eating too much at once can easily upset your stomach."

"You, you, you... shut up!"

The cat ignored her and swaggered straight to the dog's face hidden in the shadows, extending its furry little paw and saying, "Zero, let's go home!"

Suddenly, the situation changed drastically.

A black storm arose from the ground, surging and churning, countless crow feathers fluttering and disappearing with the wind. On the boundless, white snowfield, darkness seemed to have never existed…

The shadows faded, and the dog, lying limply in the snow, asked, "Jing, I think I heard you talking just now. Are we going home?"

"Okay, we can go home now." The cat gently rubbed the dog's head, feeling a bit lost at this unexpected turn of events. He had originally planned to interrogate Wu Ya thoroughly, but his opponent had unexpectedly fled, leaving him with a slight sense of regret.

"Did you defeat the witch raven?" the dog asked excitedly.

"Shouldn't you be considered the one who defeated him?"

Wow! I'm actually this amazing!

The dog, feeling smug, suddenly sprang to attention, startling the cat: "Something's up! There's a monkey 2000 meters to the south!"