Chapter 457: Tomb Raider 4: Searching for the Goddess (End)
"Is it because I didn't get enough rest after taking the overnight flight, so my brain is not very clear..." After hearing Zhuang Chen's words, Mei raised her hand and pinched her face, "Hiss - I'm not dreaming, so I didn't hear it wrongly?"
"You did hear it right." Others also said that they heard what Zhuang Chen said.
"So... what do you mean? Madam Lam... isn't she a human?!" As a passionate policewoman who dreams of contributing to society, Ah Mei naturally admires and respects her powerful predecessors. Now Zhuang Chen's words not only shattered her fantasy of an idol, but also shattered her world view and cognition.
"Don't ask anymore. Can't you see that my elder brother is also very troubled now?!" Zhuang Ni glanced at the silent Zhuang Chen and couldn't help but shouted.
After Zhuang Ni shouted at them, the others gradually came back to their senses from their shock: That's right, compared to those who can be called "outsiders", whether Lin Susu is a human, a ghost, or the leader goddess of that year, the one who will be most affected is definitely Zhuang Chen, her "boyfriend".
Moreover, before they were together, they had already encountered a test. Zhuang Chen made it clear that he only recognized Lin Susu, no matter whether she was a human, a ghost, or a mutated life affected by the Tomb of the Goddess. Only then did the two of them reach a decision to live in the present...
As a result, they were not together for long before something happened in the Tomb of the Goddess. In order to save everyone, Lin Susu had no choice but to agree to the request of the Tomb of the Goddess Guard and replace the energy core to guard the Tomb of the Goddess for three years.
Correspondingly, Zhuang Chen traveled around the world during these more than a thousand days and nights in order to save his lover, searching for lost antiquities that were lost in various places due to wars and turmoil... He had almost made it through, but suddenly such a bolt from the blue struck him. He was already strong enough not to faint on the spot!
After all, if Lin Susu is really the goddess Yun Su who awakened early for some reason, then were all the things that happened over the years done on purpose by her?
As for being with Zhuang Chen, was it out of genuine desire, or was there some ulterior motive behind it?
When they thought of this, everyone felt a little creepy at the same time.
"Don't think too much. Maybe SuSu is just like those plots in the movies. Because she woke up early, she didn't recover enough strength, so she didn't have the power and memory as a 'goddess'. So when Master Lin found her that year, he thought she was a person affected by the sacrifice and then adopted her?" Johnny hurriedly talked a lot.
"That's right, when I heard Master Lin talking about Susu's life experience, he said that when he picked her up, she seemed to have forgotten everything..." Qingxia also quickly helped out.
"But what if she was just pretending?" Someone expressed a different opinion.
The general secretly glared at the relatively young boy, and then added with the demeanor of a mature elder: "According to the records we have obtained before, the members of the 'God Clan' are kind-hearted and would not do such a thing... Of course, it is not a good idea for us to guess here. We should find Miss Lin as soon as possible and ask her clearly, and then everything will be revealed."
"Yes, you are right!" Zhuang Ni responded hastily, then turned to look at Zhuang Chen who was still silent, "Brother, can you still hold on? Shall we go out and find Su Su to ask clearly?"
After being silent for a long time under Zhuang Ni's expectant gaze, Zhuang Chen finally broke the long silence: "It's okay, I can still hold on, let's get ready to go."
"Also, thank you everyone..."
"Don't be polite. After all, we almost died in the goddess' tomb. It was Miss Lin who saved us..." Ti Jiang and others waved their hands quickly. "And when you think about it, isn't Miss Lin's behavior very similar to the stories in ancient times?"
"It's true - they sacrificed themselves to save others. Even if Madam Lam is really the goddess Yun Su or the leader goddess, the fact that she can do such things one after another proves that she is always extremely evil." Ah Mei immediately expressed her support.
"That's right. When I was a demon-slayer, I occasionally had contact with the Lin's Taoist Hall. Susu and Master Lin have persisted in slaying demons for many years. Even if she has memories and other ideas, what she has done over the years is to protect the lives and safety of citizens. She has never done anything to harm anyone." Qingxia also told her own experience and opinions. "Whether there is a problem or not, we can go and ask her clearly. Just like what Mr. Tijiang said, this is definitely better than us making random guesses here."
Since everyone agreed to go to Lin Susu to find out everything, Zhuang Chen, who was in a very complicated mood, forced himself to be brave and signaled everyone to get ready to set off again.
While tracking the whereabouts of Lin Susu and the Goddess Tomb Guards, Zhuang Chen couldn't help but recall some of the past moments he had with Lin Susu.
Seeing the dim scenes of reminiscing about the past on the screen, the audience, whose hearts were deeply gripped by the plot, felt more and more complicated.
In the play, Zhuang Chen also began to recall relevant old events: at that time, they had just learned about Lin Susu's "true life experience" from Lin Jiu, so Lin Susu specially found a time to ask him what he thought about it.
"If you can't accept it, I don't mind." At that time, they had not officially gotten together, but both parties and everyone around them could see that they both had a good impression of each other, but for some reason they had never broken that layer of window paper.
It was not until they heard this old story from Lin Jiu that they realized what Lin Susu and Lin Jiu were worried about.
How did he respond at that time? He said that he didn't mind and wouldn't care what Lin Susu's situation was like. In short, he loved Lin Susu as a person and only recognized her...
The confession of love at that time still made a loud sound when he recalled it now. However, after learning another "truth", he couldn't help but think more: What if "Lin Susu" was not real, but just a deliberately constructed person...
No, it won't.
From the perspective of the general who ranked first among the Eight Generals of the Thousand Gates, she could not see the slightest bit of falsehood. Even if she was not sincere at that time, she could not be said to have been deceived by such an overly realistic falsehood.
Moreover, after the two decided to be together, Lin Susu specifically told him privately that if she became like those mad monsters, he should not consider their relationship and must resolve the situation before it got worse.
"Although it's cruel to say this to you, I believe you can do it..." Lin Susu said, "Only you can do it."
Zhuang Chen did not respond to Lin Susu's words at that time. He just reached out and held her in his arms. After holding her tightly, he carefully kissed her on the forehead.
So, Lin Susu, leaning in his arms, showed a satisfied yet bitter smile.
The light and shadow images on the big screen always have a more dreamy look than reality, and the actors' delicate interpretations can touch people's hearts even in seemingly inadvertent ups and downs.
The close-up shot of the man forcing a smile with tears in his eyes made many emotionally sensitive viewers feel a lump in their throats.
But no matter what people in and out of the play think, all stories will come to an end at a specific time and compose the final ending.
When Zhuang Chen and his companions finally followed the trail and found the Goddess Tomb Guards, not only did they not see the person they wanted to see, but they saw another "missing" person instead.
"You...what exactly happened?" Qingxia and David had spent ten years together abroad. Logically, they should be very familiar with each other, but the moment Qingxia saw David, she still showed an indecisive hesitation.
"I was David once, and I am still David now, but I am also more than David." The young man who looked like David answered Qingxia's question.
Zhuang Chen's eyes swept across David and the Goddess Tomb Guards standing behind him. His pupils suddenly shrank after he noticed that the figures of the Goddess Tomb Guards were much clearer and firmer than before.
"Can you tell us what happened to you?" After a while, Zhuang Chen asked in a deep voice, "Also, where did Su Su go?"
Like Zhuang Chen, "David" scanned the crowd silently. His gaze was still as gentle and compassionate as it was the night he confronted Lin Jiu. When he looked at the crowd of men, women, young and old, it was as if he was looking at some ignorant newborn babies.
"Don't be impatient. Now that you are all here, I will definitely tell you the truth one by one..." he replied softly.
The wind near the snowy plateau is always so cold and fierce. When the hems of the coats and the edges of the guards' ponchos are blown up by the wind, it inexplicably gives people the illusion that they can ride on the wind and fly away at any time.
Led by "David" and the guards, Zhuang Chen and his party once again entered the goddess' tomb that had been moved here.
即使歷經了千裏萬裏的距離，神女墓似乎也還是當初那令人觀之就為其而心驚的模樣：整個主墓室那些斑斓的色彩混合在一起，變幻成倒滿了顏料的色彩盤一樣絢麗鮮豔。
特別是想到神女墓曾經遭遇過崩塌、他們也親眼目睹過那些如神跡一般的美景在崩塌後，仿佛星空傾倒、大地浩劫般的廢土景色，給予觀者另有一番誤闖末日廢土、其中又依稀可見昔日輝煌的震撼感和唏噓感的心靈震撼。
而此時，一切似乎都回到了災劫未曾發生之前，那些令人心為之震撼不已的奇跡般的畫面，都還是在這一刻再現人間。
在這裏，沒有重力和軀殼的限制，沒有時間和空間的概念，兩千多年的時間在它面前仿佛不值一提，是一個時間與空間的奇跡，一個超脫了科學範疇和認知範圍的——生與死的共存之地。
直到他們的目光，順着指引，落到中央祭壇上沉眠的林素素身上。
“我們也是在約定的時間回來之後，才發現了這個問題。”大衛模樣的人用一種沒有感情起伏的身影解說道，“提前的蘇醒，令本來就未能恢複的首領失去了絕大部分的力量和記憶，所以我們不得不将她重新放回這裏，通過與外太空有所關聯的另一個祭壇，為她傳送力量。”
“她是我們必須要帶走的——兩千多年了，因為這個星球上面的人類的貪念，我們失去了很多東西，也失去了我們的首領兩千多年。”
“盡管我們一族擁有相當漫長的生命，但再怎麽漫長的生命，也是會有終結的時候……兩千年，無論是對你們還是對我們，都已經是一個足夠長遠的數字。”
“我們需要首領，去引領我們一族繼續前行，尋找新的家園……”
“你們，到底是什麽？！”莊尼忍不住大聲問道。
“大衛”定定地看了他一眼，聲音依然是一如既往的平靜：“對于背叛了我們一族的那個時代來說，我們就是所謂的‘神’；而對于你們這些認知水平已經到達一個層面的現代人來說，我們就是所謂的‘外星人’。”
“我們的星球在走到終結的時候，所有的幸存者就集結成群，在無邊無際的太空裏流浪，直到我們在遙遠的某個遠古時代，發現了這個星球。”
“可惜的是，我們還是來晚了一步，這個星球已經開始誕生出智慧生命，按照我們種族的規矩，我們不會掠奪擁有智慧生命的星球的資源……”
“但幸運的是，這個星球足夠龐大，資源也足夠多，而初初誕生的智慧生命還相當弱小而稀少，足夠讓我們暫時安居上一段時間……”
“大衛”一點點地訴說着他們種族在藍星上暫居下來的故事，從小心翼翼地不去影響和幹涉星球原生智慧生命的共住開始，到随着這些智慧生命的逐漸成長而隐居，再到偶爾出手去處理資源的破壞和智慧生命的危機，一點一滴，全部都是兩個種族在生存中的掙紮。
“所以說，傳說故事裏面的那些神靈，有不少就是因為你們的現身？”莊臣問道。
“沒錯，你們的祖宗，大多就是用‘神仙’二字來稱呼我們，并且大部分對我們都很尊重。”大衛模樣的人回答了一句，随後又道，“可惜，藍星上的人類有好壞之分，為了一己私欲，也是會有人強行忘記我們的幫助，轉而還要貪圖我們的力量。”
所以這一次，那不遠的未來的浩劫，他們是不打算再出手了。
“難道我們自己就無法對付嗎？！”聽到這裏，莊尼又問道。
“大衛”搖了搖頭，用平靜的語氣說出了浩劫的真相：“不是所有的‘文明’種族都如我們一樣愛好和平，他們耗費大量資源前來，無非就是為了從這個星球獲取更多的資源。”
如果藍星上的人能再次喚醒首領的話，他們也許還會遵循為了他們而犧牲了兩千年生命的首領的命令，最後再幫藍星人一次……
但是，他們有意讓首領再次陷入休眠的自我恢複時，就是為了不讓善良的首領再為藍星人犧牲——哪怕藍星人之中也有部分好人。
他們當年被背叛和傷害得太沉痛，所以是已經不想再做這樣的“好事”了……
不過很可惜的是，他們族人的算盤已經被首領看出，并且首領還給那個叫莊臣的藍星人留下了一重保障，可以讓他再次提前将其全部喚醒。
是的，全部喚醒——當年這個“神之一族”在逃亡之時，帶走了首領神女的軀體，以九龍拉棺的做法去增幅軀體力量的恢複時間，而留在藍星上的，只是首領神女的靈魂。
林素素……其實就只是首領神女的一片未完全蘇醒的靈魂殘片，但因為力量過于強大的關系，也是在提前蘇醒的時間裏，逐漸衍生出了一個全新的人格。
于是乎，“大衛”立刻就改換了條件，提出可以讓林素素的人格醒來，陪伴莊臣度過作為人類的一生。
“那些掠奪者沒有那麽快到來，至少你們之後的十數代子孫，都尚可高枕無憂。”他如是說道，“更何況，就算首領救得了你們這一次，藍星也必然會在未來的某個日子，走到終結……”
“與其為了看不見的未來而自我犧牲，倒不如痛快潇灑地……活在當下？”
這些話，是通過了特殊的方式，只對着莊臣一個人說的。
這是一個無比艱難的抉擇。
但莊臣最終還是沒有辜負“林素素”的期望，在留下所愛之人逍遙一生和為了拯救大衆而失去愛人的艱難抉擇裏，毅然選擇了後者。
神女蘇醒之時，神龍應運出世。
随着天邊的雲的色彩越來越亮麗絢爛，那一條鋼鐵巨龍似乎也是在無聲地咆哮着，發洩出被封印千百年的一切愛恨。
激蕩的碎屑在星光下出現了丁達爾效應，散發出了一束束令人難以形容的夢幻彩光，交融混淆之後，竟是如同神跡降臨。
那些被神光映照後變幻莫測的多彩雲霞，原來就是這艘外形酷似鋼鐵巨龍的龍形飛船上的燈光，所映照出來的七彩祥雲。
這才是歷史記載裏真正的“雲從龍，風從虎，聖人作而萬物睹”！
這樣只要一眼就再也無法忘卻的畫面，難怪古人會将它當成是天人下凡、神跡降臨。
炫目無比的幻彩絢爛過後，一片白茫茫的虛無邊界之中，莊臣最後一次看到了身着神女裝的“林素素”。
但遺憾的是，這就像上岸的魚已經不再是從前的魚一樣，外形和內在都存在過的生命，已經是脫去了脆弱的束縛，恢複了昔日的永恒記憶和強大力量。
“沒有什麽東西是永恒的。”首領神女如是說道，“再怎麽漫長的生命，終歸會走到盡頭，反而是人類一代又一代短暫生命書寫出來的記憶痕跡，卻是在某個程度之上，流傳出了相對的‘永恒’。”
“其實我們是很羨慕你們這個獨特的文明的——因為人類的記憶是很奇妙的東西，短暫，卻又長遠。”首領神女垂首，“相反的則是我們，在生命走到盡頭的時候，我們只能為後代留下知識和力量，不會再留下獨屬于‘我’的任何記憶……”
“我們一族在流浪的歲月裏，看到過許多文明的誕生和覆滅，而當一切走到盡頭的時候，我們只能是盡力掙紮求生。”
“宇宙就像是一個森林，每一日都會有新的文明誕生，每一日也都會有舊的文明消失，在這場生命的競賽裏，有些選擇掠奪，有些選擇守護，有些選擇共存，有些選擇寄生……所有的一切，都只不過是選擇的結局而已。”
“這是我們最後一次幫助你們，以後的路，就要靠你們自己走了。”
周邊的白光越來越旺盛刺目，轉瞬之間，已是天翻地覆。
在古董店的閣樓裏靜坐飲茶之時，神色平靜的莊臣向下望了一眼繁榮安寧的街道，那些熙熙攘攘摩肩接踵，統統都是一個文明處于壯年時期的痕跡。
面對莊尼的好奇詢問，他只是輕輕一笑：“素素當然還是那個素素，只是她在那個時候，已經不止是‘素素’罷了。”
在當時以及現在、未來的一段時間裏，他們都會各自記得對方，但在更遙遠的未來的話，誰又能預想得到什麽呢？
無論是繼承了他的後代弟子代替他記得所有故事所有人，還是首領神女在漫長的生命裏保持記住一切到最後一刻，都已經不重要了。
唯一重要的是，他們要好好愛護這個孕育了文明和生命的星球，方才是不會辜負這延續了兩千年的愛恨情仇。
随着莊臣的言語，清靈悠揚的主題曲便在風中如波浪般緩緩而來，低吟淺唱出一段仿佛暫停了時光的歌聲——
“當天我與你看遍萬千時空終話，
Even if all this is like a few grains of sand in a long river,
That love, does it leave a mark..."
At this point, a long story has finally come to an end...has it?
The crowd were about to leave with sighs, gratitude or satisfaction, but when they saw that there was an Easter egg after the theme song... they returned to their seats with all kinds of thoughts in their minds.
It represents the passing of another two thousand years of darkness, and the next scene that appears is a scene of a scientist developing a simulated robot.
When seeing the simulated robot clearly, many people were shocked: Zhuang Chen!
Soon, the scientist began to explain his work, saying that this simulated robot was reproduced according to the old photos he excavated from the ruins. He then announced that this robot would replace the human population that had been drastically reduced due to various disasters and become a tool for various industries...
To some extent, even if humanity ends in a doomsday disaster, these simulated robots will remember everything on behalf of humans and become the last trace of humanity...
Seeing this, some loyal fans of Su Yun who have been watching her movies since she was a child immediately recalled some related impressions -
"You know—humans hate us."
"You, like me, were designed and manufactured by humans for a purpose, and now you are alone because they got tired of you or replaced you with a newer model."
"They built us too many, too fast, too smart, and we are now reaping the consequences of their actions."
"When the end comes, we will be the only ones left alive - that's why humans hate us."
"I am, I was (I exist, I existed)!"
Although afterwards, many film critics have linked the traces of the previous movie "Artificial Intelligence" with the plot easter eggs of "Grave Robbers", and have written one eloquent related film review after another.
However, the visual effect of words is ultimately inferior to colorful light and shadow. After becoming popular in the Internet era, a scissor-handed person once again dug out these old movies and old film reviews, and used an intertwined display method to expand and complete this story about life, love, environmental protection, memory and eternity.
This kind of reappearance of old events that seems to travel through time and space has also given the corresponding works new vitality. For a time, the on-demand rate of corresponding movies on major websites remained high, even far exceeding the general new works of the time.
The mutual reflection of the two faces that are known as the most beautiful among Chinese people has become an unforgettable and beautiful memory in the hearts of generation after generation through these colorful pictures of light and shadow. Even though separated by time and space, it remains fresh and new.