Chapter 120 The Essence of All Things
"Brother, what are you busy with all day in the office?" Conan asked curiously after Osiris challenged Wakasa to "revive a dead mouse within 3 days".
"I'm solving some really complicated puzzles... Anyway, let's not talk about that now. It's your birthday today, what do you want to do?"
"I want to see my brother's riddle!" the little detective exclaimed excitedly.
Osiris hesitated, as if he had some reservations: "Conan, this isn't a detective game in the usual sense."
"I want to see it too! Today is my birthday, and my brother said I can play whatever I want." The birthday girl pestered her brother relentlessly.
Osiris, having exhausted all his options, could only say, "Alright then, come with me."
"Great!" Conan was overjoyed that the plan was going so smoothly.
Osiris led Conan to the library. It was huge, with rows and rows of bookshelves, almost like a library. A large portion of the books were outside Conan's area of expertise.
Osiris opened the holographic projection screen in the center of the library and tapped a few times on the control panel. A mysterious and magnificent scroll slowly unfolded before the two of them.
Conan gazed at the vast starry sky before him and asked, "Brother, are you looking for stars?"
Osiris smiled slightly: "Conan, this is not an astronomical observation image, but the history of our world."
Conan then noticed that in a rather inconspicuous corner of the painting was their very home, Earth: "From the Big Bang until today..."
"Yes, it's a rather long history."
Conan was stunned for a moment. The history of the universe was condensed into a small picture, and the scale of space and time was infinitely shrunk here, becoming imperceptible: "What is the mystery that my brother mentioned?"
“Life.” Osiris gently stroked the blue planet. “Of all the celestial bodies, only Earth possesses life. It’s truly a miracle!”
"Is your brother looking for aliens?"
“No, I don’t think it’s necessary. The miracle of life was born on Earth, and this glory can only belong to her!” Osiris’s tone became agitated. “But life is so fragile… A new life is born, what a joyous thing it is! Yet it can only enjoy the joy of life briefly before leaving forever, leaving a fleeting glimpse, or even leaving any trace, unable to prove that it was ever here.”
Osiris tapped the control panel a few more times, and the images in front of him changed to many plants and animals that Conan had never seen before. He could roughly guess that these were ancient creatures that had long been extinct, and at least he recognized dinosaurs.
Osiris pointed at them and said, "You probably aren't familiar with most of them, are you? They are ancient ancestors, from the Archean Eon to the present Phanerozoic Eon. On our planet, countless species have multiplied and evolved, each individual striving to survive, but ultimately, death awaits them all..."
"Those who die are buried deep underground and become fossils, coal, and piled up layer by layer. Unfortunately, the fossils of some species are hard to find. And for those who are lucky, the prosperous scenes of the past are long gone, leaving only a few fragments for later generations to speculate... These traces are all the evidence that their entire species once existed. But in the thick chronicle of Earth's 4.5 billion-year history, they are just a few bookmarks."
At this point, Osiris sighed deeply: "But compared to the vast and boundless world, what is life on Earth? The first generation of life, cooked from the broth of the ancient ocean, took more than 3 billion years to reach the land and establish a new world. And the entire time occupied by carbon-based organisms since their birth is nothing more than a sigh in the ebb and flow of the universe."
"Compared to the universe, any living thing seems insignificant, doesn't it?" Conan murmured.
"That's right, but we're probably the only ones who think that way."
"Huh?"
Do you think other creatures would ponder things like the origin of life or the history of the universe? They would only think about more practical questions: how to find food? How to mate? How to reproduce? How to avoid predators?
"Because humans are smarter!"
“Indeed, we have evolved a more advanced brain. We can make tools, use fire, create painting and music, invent language and writing, domesticate livestock and poultry, and cultivate food crops. Our ancestors left the African savanna, traversing barbarism and backwardness, overcoming ignorance, step by step developing into the unparalleled human civilization we have today: we stand at the top of the Earth's food chain, proudly declaring ourselves the masters of the world!” Osiris curled his lips into a slightly contemptuous smile. “The birth of humankind is truly a momentous event in the history of Earth's evolution.”
"Brother's words are hypocritical!" Conan asked pointedly, "Those words you just said praising humans weren't sincere, were they?"
"No, I mean it. If the birth of life is the most beautiful miracle on Earth, then humanity is the most beautiful stroke in that miracle. We certainly have reason to be proud, and do you know why?"
"Because we can make and use tools?"
Osiris chuckled: "What are tools? What humanity should be most proud of is that, in the long history of the universe, we are the only race that has attempted to understand and comprehend the world. All life ages and dies, all species headed for extinction. Only we have heard the breath and heartbeat of the universe, recorded its past, and predicted its future."
"The consciousness of any species other than humans cannot break free from the constraints of space and time. Yet we can observe distant stars billions of light-years away, trace the origin of time, and explore the mysteries of the universe. We can use our curiosity and imagination to spend our entire lives pursuing all the answers we seek."
Conan tentatively asked, "But we haven't yet grasped all the mysteries of the universe. Is that what you're unhappy about with humanity, brother?"
"As expected of Conan, he's so smart! Human wisdom is far from sufficient to solve such a complex mystery. We know no more about ourselves than the universe, and our understanding of the deep sea is even less than that of the moon."
"So what my brother wants to do is make humans... a little smarter?" Conan became less and less confident as he spoke: This motive is too outrageous, isn't it?
Osiris's answer surprised Conan: "Not just humans, I want all life on Earth to enjoy this gift: every living being should be entitled to understand the world they inhabit, and the stars and the sea should not be just a human goal. Because life is equal, and humans are just one of the more successful branches of primates in terms of evolution."
Conan gasped, struggling to process this incredible and ambitious goal: "Brother, what are you planning to do? You can't just modify all the living things on Earth, can you?"
"Of course not. The evolution of organisms is a long and complex process. If you try to force a one-size-fits-all approach against the laws of nature, you will only suffer more losses than gains. Conan, this is the greatest game on Earth, but players must have considerable patience."
"What are the rules of the game?"
“Darwin told us long ago! The rule is very simple, there is only one: natural selection, survival of the fittest.” Osiris emphasized, word by word, “Survival is the first principle of the universe.”
"So the game's name is: Species Evolution?!" Conan was confused and bewildered. "Brother, I still don't understand what you're trying to do? What do you want humanity—I mean, all life on Earth—to evolve into?"
“This is the complex puzzle I need to solve.” Osiris pulled a crocodile pocket watch from his pocket. “See this watch? Complex, exquisite, requiring a skilled craftsman to spend a great deal of time meticulously crafting it. But compared to even the simplest single-celled organism, this watch seems crude. Life is far more complex than any mechanical device. Interestingly, we weren’t deliberately designed. The natural laws, as the chief architect, are not a skilled watchmaker, but a blind man.”
"Through continuous trial and error, survival of the fittest, those who win become new species."
"That's exactly right."
"How far has your brother's attempt progressed?"
"Unfortunately, it's only the initial stage. However, I've found a promising path. I think I've found the key to solving the problem."
"What is it?" Conan asked impatiently.
Then, the answer was revealed to him: the classic double helix structure, which even someone with little knowledge of biology could recognize at a glance.
DNA?!
“Yes, that’s it! From the moment sperm and egg unite until death, DNA accompanies us, carrying the complete genetic code. It controls cell differentiation, gene expression, and everything about our growth, life, and even the next generation. In the end, we are all slaves to DNA. The evolution of life on Earth to this day is nothing more than DNA’s journey through life.” O’Sirius explained, “Did you know that the original replicator for the propagation of life wasn’t DNA? It was just that DNA was more efficient, so it took its place. But I think I can design a better replicator to solve all the problems once and for all.”
"So this is what shackles mean?"
"Does that specifically refer to your father, mother, or your younger brother who shares your genetic code?"
Conan suddenly realized.
He originally thought that Osiris's ultimate goal was to change the original way humans reproduce. The organization attached great importance to Shirley's research, probably hoping to induce stem cells to differentiate into germ cells, which could even eliminate the trouble of ovulation and sperm induction.
But he never imagined that Osiris's ambitions went far beyond that; what he wanted to challenge was the dominant position of DNA, the foundation of life's evolution on Earth over billions of years.
"Is this guy crazy?"
Osiris was so engrossed in his grand vision that he completely missed Conan's unusual expression. He grabbed Conan's small hand almost frantically, pointing to the image on the holographic projection screen and asking, "Look, isn't it beautiful?"
Conan examined the amazing biomolecular structure, which must be the replicon that Osiris wanted to use to replace DNA: "Hmm, like a heartbeat...like a star?"
Osiris said proudly, "I named it 'Crystal Network'."
The universe is within us, and everything is a star.
Conan, seeing the eager anticipation in Osiris's eyes, knew he should say something in support. But this insane plan was far beyond his comprehension. The crystal was beautiful, so beautiful that words failed him; he could only keep repeating, "So, so beautiful… Brother, you're amazing…"
Conan had to admit that his previous guess about Osiris was wrong: "He's the most shrewd villain I've ever seen!"
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