Chapter 56: Giant
Faced with Zhou Cheng's firm judgment, Liu Yu was a little confused.
"Why? The war between us and microorganisms has never stopped. To some extent, the history of human medicine is a history of war with microorganisms.
Microorganisms have caused great casualties to us, and we have also caused great casualties to microorganisms. There is a deep blood feud between the two kinds of existence."
Zhou Cheng continued to shake his head slowly, "Wrong, wrong. To use an analogy... our human body can be considered an ancient tomb buried with many treasures. Various microorganisms can be considered tomb robbers.
Our human immune system is like the various mechanisms and traps in this ancient tomb.
Microorganisms invade the human body to utilize the body's resources and nutrients for their own proliferation. To use an analogy, it's like tomb robbers digging up ancient tombs to obtain the burial objects.
When microorganisms invade the human body, they will be blocked and killed by the human immune system.
Tomb robbers who dig up ancient tombs are also threatened by mechanisms and traps.
Microorganisms are killed in large numbers by the human immune system, resulting in heavy casualties. Many tomb robbers have also died in traps and entrapments.
But one common principle remains unchanged: the human body and ancient tombs are valuable to both microorganisms and tomb robbers.
It is impossible for tomb robbers to hope that there are no ancient tombs in the world just because there are traps and mechanisms in ancient tombs that have killed and injured them in large numbers.
Microorganisms will not wish that humans did not exist in the world just because they are killed in large numbers by humans.
Instead, they would like the more people the better.
If that’s the case… even if microorganisms possess collective intelligence through various complex mechanisms, how could they possibly destroy us humans?
No, they have no such motive.”
Liu Yu thought for a moment, sighed, and nodded slightly.
She had to admit that Zhou Cheng's guess was correct.
Since the "microbial collective consciousness" cannot have such motivation even if it exists, there is naturally no need to make further speculations, and there is no need to speculate on their specific form of existence and possible means.
This option can also be ruled out.
So...what other unconventional existences are there on Earth that meet the conditions we have proposed?
Liu Yu thought seriously and came up with another idea after a moment.
"If it's collective intelligence, not microbes, then could it be the collective consciousness of animals, plants, or even the biosphere?"
Her eyes gradually brightened, but before Zhou Cheng could speak, the light dimmed on its own.
She shook her head: "No, it's impossible."
Zhou Cheng nodded silently.
Both of them understood that if the Earth's Gaia consciousness did not have the possibility of being the mastermind behind this disaster, then the collective consciousness of animals, the collective consciousness of plants, and even the collective consciousness of the entire Earth's biosphere, were also not possible.
Same reason.
The more human technology develops, the more we prioritize environmental protection. In this regard, both humans and the environment share an unchangeable, genetically grounded interest.
Also based on the principle of mediocrity of the earth, if collective consciousness can exist on earth, then there are countless strange and bizarre things in the universe.
In the face of external threats, human civilization, which possesses wisdom and continuously developing technology, is the only existence that can provide them with shelter.
Based on their own interests, they will not only not hinder humans, but will instead hope that humans will develop.
In this way, the possibility of these types of collective consciousness can also be ruled out.
But after ruling out these possibilities, it seems that there is really no existence on Earth that has the potential to be the mastermind behind this.
At this point in the reasoning, there seems to be an insurmountable cliff ahead.
During this long period of contemplation, the night gradually passed, and a faint, hazy light came into the room from outside the window.
The sun has not yet risen, but its light has already arrived on earth.
The room is well heated, and on this cold and lonely winter day, it feels like a warm paradise.
The warm air made them feel even more tired, but neither of them had any intention of taking a break.
Liu Yu stood up gently, walked to the window and opened it.
The cold wind of the winter morning blew in their faces and bodies, causing them to shiver involuntarily. The warmth in the room was instantly dissipated.
Zhou Cheng crossed his arms and looked at Liu Yu who was standing by the window.
Liu Yu also happened to turn around and look at Zhou Cheng who was sitting on the sofa.
It was originally just an unconscious eye contact, but at this moment, when Zhou Cheng saw Liu Yu, he was stunned.
The moment he saw Zhou Cheng, Liu Yu was also stunned.
The two of them stared at each other in shock, their pupils dilated involuntarily, their faces solemn and full of shock.
As if being attacked by the cold, the little monkey squeaked unconsciously.
But the cry did not break the current solemnity.
After a long moment, Zhou Cheng seemed to recover from his shocking conjecture. He gasped sharply, took a breath of cool air, and said hoarsely, "You speak first."
"good."
Liu Yu walked over, sat across from Zhou Cheng, and looked him straight in the eye. "I wonder, if it's not the collective consciousness of the Earth, not the microbes, not the animals, not the plants, and not the biosphere, then... could it be humans, our own?"
Zhou Cheng's expression became increasingly solemn.
At this moment, he and Liu Yu thought of the same possibility.
"Just like the relationship between cells and the human body, the human body can be seen as the collective consciousness of cells to some extent. So, if we regard each person, you, me, each of us as a 'cell', is it possible for these hundreds of millions and billions of 'cells' to be combined into a collective consciousness?
Judging from the relationship between the human body and cells, well, our thinking as a human being cannot be understood by a cell.
Similarly, if all of us can be combined into a collective intelligence, the thinking of this collective intelligence cannot be understood by us as individuals.
What is it? It is a being beyond the ordinary sense of human beings. Compared to individual human beings, it is so huge that perhaps it can be simply called... a giant?
But what about the motive? The motive…"
If the collective consciousness composed of many individual individuals, that is, the "giant", really exists, then it must have deeper common interests with human civilization.
Because the two are two sides of the same coin, it seems to have no reason to launch a catastrophe and exterminate humanity.
After all, if humans become extinct, it will die too.
Just like if all the cells that make up the human body die, the person will die.
Zhou Cheng murmured, "According to statistics, the average annual suicide rate for humans in their prime era was about one in ten thousand, meaning approximately 800,000 people committed suicide each year."
Liu Yu was instantly filled with horror.
suicide?
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