Chapter 131 Different Views
Lin Guantang finally figured out one thing.
It turned out that it wasn't Huo Shizhen's mother who wanted to see him, so she brought him here;
He made this request because Huo Shizhen wanted to help him cover the mark.
He looked at Huo Shizhen with mixed feelings. In fact, he wanted to ask why he didn't just say it directly, but thinking about Huo Shizhen's personality...
I always feel like I'm going to say something that's hard to handle.
Lin Guantang decided not to cause trouble for himself.
But he still had some doubts:
"Since Lilith can't do it, then why—why would you still have such concerns?"
He still remembered that before returning to the imperial capital, Huo Shizhen clearly said in a very certain tone that the nightmare he had was caused intentionally by someone and was not a coincidence.
"Lilith can't do it, but Lilith's origin system may not be."
As Yuan Mingli spoke, he pulled up some video footage for Lin Guantang to see.
Streets where humans and robots mingle;
The public rail vehicles that shuttle back and forth are not only buses and subways on the ground, but also crisscross and run in layers at high altitudes;
Public experience cabins and experience houses of all sizes can be found everywhere;
A towering tower built on the sea, reaching the sky;
And a photo taken in the sea - it is not clear what is there, it seems to be just dim sea water, but if you look closely, you can vaguely see countless huge structures operating on the seabed.
Lin Guantang already knew that after the system was fully deployed throughout the empire, various facilities based on the system would be rapidly constructed and developed and put into use. So when he saw these photos, his first reaction was the empire's envisioned future of the imperial capital.
But when he saw the Tower of Babel on the Sea, the purple leaves floating on the sea, and the time displayed on the tower, he recognized that this was not the expected imperial capital, but the current Fugan District.
However, has the Fugan District really developed to this extent?
Not to mention the gap with the Imperial Capital, it is completely different from District 35.
Even though he had known that the Fugan District was developing rapidly, Lin Guantang was still amazed after seeing it in person.
He also thought with some sadness that if he had come to Fugan District from District 35 in the beginning, he would really think that he had traveled to another world.
But Yuan Mingli obviously didn't know what he was feeling melancholy about. After calling up the images and photos, he gave Lin Guantang a few minutes to review them before continuing:
"As you can see, the Fugan District is already a completely systematized area. The large-scale system that supports the operation of the entire Fugan District and the surrounding area is code-named X. It is also the original system of the True Dimension World."
Lin Guantang collected himself and, while listening to her introduction, he also had a question:
For no reason, why did you suddenly mention Fugan District?
The real world and the simulated world, two systems——
Could it be that the simulated world was born from the real-dimensional world, and Lilith was born from the so-called "x"?
Lin Guantang naturally came up with this guess.
What Yuan Mingli said next confirmed that his guess was correct:
"The True Dimension World is the main body of the Simulated World. It has been operating in Fugan District for ten years. Together with its various derivative products, it has become Fugan District's largest pillar industry. Fugan District wanted to directly popularize the True Dimension World throughout the empire, but was rejected."
"The Empire's reason is that the level of development in other regions cannot support the operation of the system."
Lin Guantang: ...
It's really an irrefutable reason.
It just sounds a bit sad.
Then Yuan Mingli continued:
"But the Fugan District didn't intend to give up. Instead, they redeveloped the simulation world and carved out Lilith as the operating system to adapt to the Empire's popularization level."
"Products that share the same origin but are not synchronized can be simply understood as parent and child generations. If the relationship is truly the same as that between a parent and a child, while the child can operate independently, or should operate independently, if the parent wants to force a decision on the child, the child will have no choice but to obey."
After all, the system is not a real human being, and there is no such thing as a rebellious period. If the parent generation wants to requisition its rights, it will only obey and not refuse.
Lin Guantang understood what she meant.
Just like how sometimes tyrannical parents would forcibly deprive their children of their rights, X also forcibly expropriated Lilith's consciousness that remained in Lin Guantang's mind and activated it remotely.
This is quite a risky approach -
Or maybe it was because Lin Guantang couldn't really tell his nightmare in its entirety, because a dream wouldn't attract attention...
But no matter how many excuses he made, activating the mark so suddenly seemed a bit too hasty, even irrational, and it was completely different from "X's" style.
The reason for this unusual and risky situation is obvious: that photo.
That brings us back to the starting point. Who is the person in the photo that could cause such a big reaction?
What is his relationship with Lin Guantang - are they really direct descendants?
The only clue to solve this mystery is to ask Mr. Huo, the only person who knows the truth.
But before leaving here, Lin Guantang had another question.
If "x" refers to a specific system, then "Y"——
Lin Guantang asked tentatively:
"Don't tell me that Hexi also has an origin system codenamed Y."
"This is another thing I want to tell you, and it's another reason why you came here."
Yuan Mingli said:
"Use the highest level of system privileges to overwrite the mark Lilith left on your mind. As long as you don't enter the experience chamber again, the mark will not be activated again. Neither Lilith nor X can influence you anymore."
Lin Guantang said "oh" and asked casually as if nothing had happened:
"What about Y?"
——Then will Y be able to influence or even control my consciousness in some way?
Yuan Mingli did not answer Lin Guantang's question immediately. He looked at him intently for a while, then smiled meaningfully and said:
"Do you not believe in the empire, or do you not believe in Huo Shizhen?"
Lin Guantang blinked, his expression very innocent:
"I just want to ask about the consequences of being labeled. Is this a question that cannot be asked?"
"You can ask me, but it's not a good thing to announce it to the public."
Yuan Mingli made a shushing gesture and whispered:
"This is a private operation without the Empire's consent. If others knew that Huo Shizhen used his highest authority to help you cover a small mark, the Huo family would be bombarded with attacks for abusing their power. Dad is very old, and it's hard enough to be irritated by Huo Shizhen on a regular basis. We don't want others to use us as a handle to abuse the elderly in parliament because of one of our own."
Lin Guantang: ...
How did it suddenly turn into a family ethics drama scene?
Lin Guantang nodded, unable to utter any accusations.
Of course, the most important thing is that compared to Lilith, he still believes in the position of the Empire and Huo Shizhen.
At least Huo Shizhen would not condemn his conscience in his dreams, and with unclear purposes.
However, even if he prevented the other party from continuing to use this mark to lure Lin Guantang to the mountain village or Fugan District, Lin Guantang still had a premonition - one day, whether actively or passively, he would always go to Fugan District in person.
Shortly after the conversation ended, Lin Guantang left with Huo Shizhen.
As the elevator spiraled upward, Lin Guantang suddenly said:
"Simulation World should never have agreed to a public release in the first place."
It's chilling to think about something that can leave a lasting impression on the mind.
"I'm so glad that you and the Huo family share the same view."
Under Lin Guantang's silent gaze, Huo Shizhen said with some regret:
"It's a shame the empire's full name isn't the Great Huo Empire. Applications for the simulated world were submitted three years ago. The fact that they've been rejected for three years is the best effort the Huo family and our colleagues have put in."
"If you were a member of parliament now and raised dissenting opinions in parliament, you and the Huo family would probably be criticized as conservatives. That would be a true couple in need."
...Is this idiom meant for you to use like this?
Lin Guantang was glad that he didn't ask Huo Shizhen why he didn't say that he was the one who brought him here.
Obviously, this would be another answer that would lead to his social demise.
In short, even the Huo family cannot stop the release of the simulated world.
Now that it is being developed and sold to the public, it is meaningless to trace back the past to determine the rights and wrongs of various parties. The only thing we can do is to prepare for all possible "accidents" as soon as possible.
Grafting Hexi in is one of the measures taken. At least in the genuine simulated world, Lilith will not allow Lilith to steal and control the consciousness of the experiencer at will. At the same time, it will also issue a reminder when the experiencer is immersed in it for too long or exceeds the immersion value, and force the experiencer to exit if necessary.
As for pirated products without any quality assurance, and the real-dimensional world, they are not within the control of Hexi. He cannot control the former, and he cannot control the latter even more.
But pirated products are far from being able to achieve the experience provided by genuine products. At least, they won't make people deeply immersed in it and unable to extricate themselves, unable to distinguish between reality and the simulated world, and -
The experience cabin is really expensive.
Even the fact that the simulated world itself has launched so many public experience cabins is still controversial as to whether it makes money or loses money, not to mention piracy.
but--
After completely exiting the experimental site and returning to the surface through another passage, Lin Guantang continued:
"Since we can't stop the release of the Simulated World, we can at least stop the transformation of the body."
Huo Shizhen said "Hmm?" It was unclear whether he really didn't understand what Lin Guantang was saying, or if he was pretending not to know.
But Lin Guantang didn't think this was a question that could be brushed aside, so he asked in detail:
"When the human prosthetic modification experiment matures, will the Huo family, or the Empire, order all citizens of the Empire to undergo mechanical modification?"
Lin Guantang recalled Yuan Mingli's mechanized body. It was not just his arms, but his feet as well that became prosthetic limbs.
I don’t know if her entire body has been mechanized, including her brain - whether it has also become the shape of a robot, but she still retains her human form because she doesn’t want to scare Lin Guantang, or for other reasons.
He asked the question seriously, but he didn't know what had struck a chord with Huo Shizhen, causing him to burst out laughing. Or maybe he just thought Lin Guantang's idea was a little... fanciful:
"Don't overthink it. The Empire doesn't have enough suitable materials to supply everyone with transformation materials."
"So that's the plan?"
"It's just a secret reserve of combat power. There's no need for everyone to enforce it."
"What about you, will you be one of them?"
“…”
The silence seemed to be a kind of tacit agreement, causing Lin Guantang's heart to skip a beat. Without thinking, he quickly ran a few steps, blocking Huo Shizhen's steps, looking at him in disbelief, and said:
"Do you really want to accept human body modification?!"
The more he thought about it, the more frightened he became, and he felt genuinely afraid - because when he thought about the rumors about Huo Shizhen, he was called the imperial weapon, so wouldn't he be one of the first to be transformed?
Huo Shizhen still had a smile on his face. When he was stopped, he stopped where he was. He looked at Lin Guantang with a smile and said thoughtfully:
"Such a big reaction? It seems you don't agree with your mother's opinion about that choice."
Lin Guantang bit his lower lip and said in a dull voice:
"I just don't completely agree. If such flexible prosthetic limbs could be put into use, it would definitely provide great convenience for many disabled patients. But I think it should be used as a compensation, not a replacement."
Mechanical modification is to compensate for the defects after the loss of the body, and it should not be done by actively cutting off the original limbs in order to install these prosthetic limbs.
As he spoke, Lin Guantang stretched out his palm, looked at the crisscrossing blue and purple veins on his wrist and palm, and murmured:
"It's a self-deceiving lie to say that by shedding the flesh and blood, one's soul will be free. But isn't it also putting the cart before the horse to forcibly transform a healthy human body into a machine?"
As for himself, although he has witnessed the flexibility and strength of the prosthetic robotic arm, if he is asked to make a choice now - to cut off his arm and replace it with a prosthetic arm, his answer is to refuse without thinking.
Another pale and powerful hand appeared in Lin Guantang's sight.
Huo Shizhen reached out his hand, slipped his fingers through his fingers, clenched them tightly, and said casually:
"Do you feel it?"
His fingers were sore from being held, but Lin Guantang didn't want to let go. He was silent for a moment and said slowly:
"I felt it, an unusually low temperature."
And he said:
"It's just a hand. It doesn't mean anything."
Huo Shizhen was silent for a few seconds, then looked at Lin Guantang with a playful look, and said with a smile:
"Then what should I do? How can I convince you that I haven't undergone any modifications to my body? Should I take off all my clothes and let you touch them? As for my body temperature, there are ways to raise it, but you need to—"
Before he could say a word, Lin Guantang reacted and suddenly reached out to cover his mouth.
Is this something you can say so casually?
Lin Guantang felt a burning sensation not only on his cheeks but also on his ears.
He looked at Huo Shizhen in disbelief for a while, then coughed a few times and said in a way that made things even more obvious:
"I believe you're fine now, but even if you're not fine now, what about your future self?"
"Will you accept the transformation? What do you think about this issue?"
There was silent silence. Huo Shizhen lowered his eyes and looked at his mouth and tongue which were still covered.
Lin Guantang quickly put down his hand and signaled him with his eyes not to say anything that he shouldn't.
Huo Shizhen was silent for a while, then revealed a contemptuous expression and said disapprovingly:
"Whether they are the former or the latter, they are just slaves of the system, and I will only be the master of the system."
At this time, Lin Guantang suddenly felt fortunate that Huo Shizhen had a somewhat arrogant character.
"Just consider it my unreasonable request. No matter what the circumstances, please don't actively transform yourself into a machine, okay?"
Lin Guantang reached out to him again, but he stretched out both hands, wrapped them around his neck, and leaned forward, his ear lingering at the position of Huo Shizhen's heart:
"Just live as a completely normal person, okay?"
If it was the empire's request, Huo Shizhen might have to do it, but his own request would make it difficult for him - so what, Lin Guantang thought with some reckless abandon, anyway, he didn't want a cyborg to be his boyfriend.
He heard Huo Shizhen's steady and regular heartbeat, felt Huo Shizhen's arms around him, and Huo Shizhen's steady reply:
"certainly."
As he said this, Huo Shizhen looked at the endless darkness in the distance.
The long silver hair fluttered in the night wind, and strands of hair fell on Lin Guantang's back, completely wrapping him up, as if they were integrated into one, and blending into the night.
It's dark again.
If you want to visit Huo Shizhen’s grandfather, you can only wait until the next dawn.
It's just a few hours, time to get some sleep.
Fortunately, nothing unexpected happened this time and I met Huo Shizhen's grandfather smoothly.
And it was very normal. After passing through layers of checkpoints and corridors, I finally arrived at a deep and quiet courtyard and saw an old man reading a book in the courtyard.
When the old man looked up at him, Lin Guantang felt a sense of fear as if his soul was being seen through.
But in just a moment, the old man's sharp gaze turned into a kind and non-aggressive one, and he smiled and beckoned them to come forward.
However, beneath his gray hair and eyebrows, his old facial features were still majestic, carrying a long-accumulated aura of oppression. Lin Guancha secretly guessed that this grandfather might have been a man as arrogant and harsh as Huo Shizhen when he was young.
Fortunately, the man I met was an elderly and kind person, and he didn't seem to intend to establish his authority by showing off his power.
He sat in a rattan chair, and the same rattan chairs were arranged for Huo Shizhen and Lin Guantang, surrounding a small round table with snacks on it.
Mr. Huo cheerfully asked about Lin Guantang's basic situation, and then got straight to the point:
"Don't worry about the sinful blood flowing in your veins. You are not the descendant of the man in the photo."
These words almost stunned Lin Guantang - he didn't expect the reaction to be so direct.
But this is indeed what Lin Guantang is most worried about.
Lin Guantang smiled bitterly:
"But I look exactly like the person in the photo. It can't be a coincidence."
God is really playing a joke on me.
Lin Guantang didn't know whether he should be disappointed or lucky, or what emotion he should express.
In fact, he had already assumed that he was the direct descendant of the person in the photo, but now he was suddenly told so confidently that he was not. No matter who he was, he would inevitably be confused.
Mr. Huo shook his head and said:
"This is indeed a mystery you should solve, but I can tell you that the man in the photo killed his entire village and then shot himself. He left no descendants, not even any ambiguous relationships."
"What?!"
Lin Guantang straightened his body and looked at him in shock. He never expected this would be the result.
Every word that Mr. Huo said was beyond his expectations.
Huo Shizhen, who was listening in, frowned for the first time. This answer was obviously not what he expected.
Lin Guantang felt that his mind was in some kind of confusion. After thinking blankly for a while, he said hurriedly:
"But in that dream, I dreamed that...the people in the mountain village were destroyed by a flood."
Huo Shizhen also said calmly:
"That villa was indeed destroyed by a flash flood."
"Boy, do you think you know everything just because you have the system?"
Old Master Huo snorted and laughed at Huo Shizhen mercilessly:
"Think this is the truth?"
Huo Shizhen was not angered, and continued to calmly complete his guess:
"You have altered all records related to this person, not only erasing all traces of his existence, but also modifying those that could not be erased, ensuring that even if any clues were found, they would be false lies."
"You're afraid of him."
Finally, Huo Shizhen also gave a summary without leaving any room for ambiguity.
Mr. Huo sighed heavily and pounded his chest in anger:
"How can there be a grandson like you!"
Lin Guantang trembled a little - how to say it, the verbal confrontation between the grandfather and grandson was much more unpleasant than the conversation between mother and son.
He thought inappropriately... He really understood why Mr. Huo's birthday party was so difficult to endure.
But the current discussion was closely related to his life experience, so he couldn't just sit back and watch. After Huo Shizhen finished speaking, Lin Guantang asked urgently:
"So who is he... Can you tell me everything?"
"I was scared to death when I was young, and now I'm probably even more afraid to say a word. We can go now."
Huo Shizhen was still pouring cold water on him, and Lin Guantang wanted to use tape to seal his mouth so that he couldn't speak.
Fortunately, Mr. Huo didn't argue with him - or maybe he was just too angry and became immune to it. He simply ignored his words and answered Lin Guantang's question.
It's quite simple to say.
I had only seen that boy who looked exactly like Lin Guantang twice.
Just as Mr. Yuan had recorded, the first time they met in a mountain village was when a very smart barefoot doctor was seen. He was not only self-taught and could treat or relieve the pain caused by glands for the villagers, but he was also able to quickly master the various equipment brought by their group. In just a few days, he was more familiar with operating the equipment than any of them.
But they were on patrol at the time and wanted to take the boy out of the mountains to train him, but the boy couldn't bear to leave the villagers and chose to refuse.
In the end, they could only leave with regret - but before leaving, they gave the boy a letter of introduction, saying that if the boy changed his mind, or had any needs, or wanted to learn some new knowledge, he could go to their friends.
He was just a young boy from the mountain village whom I met by chance. Even if he was a genius - there is no shortage of geniuses in the world.
In short, when they completed the patrol, they had forgotten the existence of this young man. It was only after some time that they remembered the existence of this young man and went back to find him and check on his condition.
As a result, I heard the boy tell a story.
The young man said that he had received a prophecy from the gods that the mountain village would be flooded and all the villagers would die in the flash flood.
But no one believed him. The officials thought he was talking nonsense and had no intention of sending anyone to pick up the people from the mountain. The villagers also thought he was speaking ill of them and were unwilling to move away.
He was very distressed. In this situation, how could he rescue everyone?
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