Chapter 914: Miracle
It was gone.
The colossal creature exhaled a gust of air, hot and pungent, as it rushed towards Lin Sanjiu's cheek, blowing her bangs a few times. She closed her eyes and opened them again, watching as the blurry silhouette gradually approached her, becoming clearer and clearer.
The force that had stuck to her back had retreated at some point, but she remained motionless in place. The card she had just summoned floated down lightly from her hand and landed on the ground with a soft "thud."
It was gone—the sense of hostility, the desire to resist, the impulse to fight... Whatever you called it, it was all gone.
She just wanted to sit down slowly, let out a sigh, and have a good conversation with the person behind the gate—what in the world couldn't be resolved through mutual understanding? There was no need for bloodshed, especially since she was tired.
"Sometimes, you really have to admire the potential of humans, don't you?"
The voice behind the door sounded leisurely, carrying a hint of playfulness and seriousness. The sounds of Naga-ashi's panting, angry shouts, and occasional attacks cutting through the air still reached her ears, but apart from that, the night was quiet.
Who is it fighting against?
Lin Sanjiu wanted to turn her head and take a look, but the massive creature beside her blocked her view. She quickly gave up—forget it, if I can't see, I can't see.
"...The soft, powerless, and highly unstable physical body, once stimulated by external factors, can unleash all sorts of unexpected miracles."
The voice continued; it seemed that the person speaking was one of the researchers who created these bizarre creatures. Their mood was probably like that of a child who had successfully molded a dinosaur in a handicraft class, unable to suppress the impulse and desire to show it to others and seek recognition.
"You see, from ordinary and weak humans, we have differentiated two completely different species: posthumans and duoluozhong. Yes, we generally consider posthumans to be a different species from ordinary humans, whether at the genetic or psychological level."
Is that so? I still think of myself as human.
Lin Sanjiu pursed her lips.
"Oh, don't be so resistant. If you think about it carefully, you will agree with what I'm saying. There must be something different about you, whether it's mentally or psychologically, compared to ordinary humans... Some people can completely sever the satisfaction they get from fulfilling their physiological needs, so they don't have the desire for food, sleep, or sex; some people are extremely sensitive to the mental states of others, and they can even vaguely guess their thoughts; and there are those whose willpower is particularly strong and unwavering..."
"Enough," Lin Sanjiu interrupted him when she heard that. "Is strong willpower now a criterion for being non-human? What are you trying to say?"
"...Posthumans and duoluozhong are both creations of the natural forces in this doomsday world. And we, we are engaged in a greater endeavor here..." he murmured, almost inaudibly, through the thick iron door. "From the bodies of ordinary humans, we have developed a third possibility—something different from posthumans and duoluozhong. Doesn't that excite you?"
Lin Sanjiu couldn't help but turn her eyes to the creature beside her.
A flat, nearly half a meter long, gray-white surface, perhaps the face of this creature; deep, sunken, seemingly bottomless black holes. They were scattered all over the "face," making her unable to help but think of the famous painting called "The Scream."
But on "The Scream," there was still a humanoid figure; from this creature, there was no trace left of its once human form—even on the massive body supporting the "face," there were countless deep dark holes, like a lifeless beach with many crab burrows.
Even with such a peculiar appearance, it failed to evoke any sense of resistance or vigilance in Lin Sanjiu's mind.
"It's hard to imagine that this child by your side was once a human, isn't it? Oh, wait, it seems like it's composed of three and a half humanoid beings... But regardless, I think you have begun to appreciate its wonders."
The voice sighed with satisfaction and gently said, "Have you heard of that fable? A child accidentally learns the king's secret. He knows that he cannot reveal it, otherwise, his life would be in danger. But he feels so uncomfortable keeping it to himself, so he finds a tree hollow and pours out the secret, telling the hollow about the king's donkey ears..."
As Lin Sanjiu turned her head to look at the numerous small holes on the creature's face and body, a thought emerged faintly—just as the thought arose, a cold sweat broke out on her back.
"That child by your side is not the kind of person who resorts to violence. It is gentle and peaceful, do you feel it? Once you stand beside it, you won't be able to muster any thoughts of violence or resistance anymore, right? Who would have thought that the world peace humanity has long pursued could be achieved by just three and a half ordinary people." The person laughed as if finding the situation quite amusing. "And everything you say to it, it listens silently like a tree hollow... Everything, it listens to it all."
"No, wait—"
"You can say anything you want, your abilities, your thoughts, your dinner yesterday... come on, give it a try."
Even though the person ambiguously overlooked a crucial point, Lin Sanjiu knew without a doubt that she absolutely couldn't speak. However, even though she had turned her gaze away, the black holes on the massive creature's face and body remained as if drilling into her mind, persistently staying in her field of vision. Every time she realized that she was reminiscing about those holes, the desire to pour everything out, like into a hollow, grew stronger.
No... she looked down at the card at her feet. She must, she must pick it up...
The sole purpose of picking up the card was to confront the massive creature. Lin Sanjiu knew this in her heart, and she couldn't psychologically separate the two. So, while resisting the urge to confide, she attempted a few times, straining herself to the point where her veins stood out, but she couldn't even bend down—she could still move freely, she felt like she could sing, jump, eat, but she couldn't do anything related to "resistance."
Right, Naga-ashi! If it noticed her situation—
Just as Lin Sanjiu's gaze shifted, the person behind the door immediately understood.
"Don't look for that duoluozhong, it's useless," he chuckled softly. "You were so focused on me and it that you didn't notice, right? Haven't you realized that the duoluozhong has been slashing at the air for two or three minutes now... It has completely fallen into a world that only it thinks exists."