The word 'kindred' was like a giant rock that had been thrown into the pond of Li Yao's soul, raising intense ripples that could not be calmed down for a long time.
"What are we exactly?"
Li Yao mumbled in the lightest voice.
"The wrong question is that we are earthlings. It's very clear. You've known it since the very beginning, but you ignored it on purpose because you were unwilling to face the profound meaning behind 'earthlings'," the mental devil said.
The mental devil said, "The correct question should be — what are earthlings exactly?"
"Then —"
Li Yao was silent for a long time. The ripples deep inside his soul did not die down but grew more and more intense and disordered. "I am an earthling. What are earthlings?"
"Perhaps earthlings are not human beings at all. At the very least, they are not 'human beings' defined by the intelligent lives in the Pangu universe who call themselves' human beings' in the forty thousand years of Cultivation."
There was enlightenment in the mental devil's voice, but there was also a hint of mockery and coldness. "Do you remember that after Professor Mo Xuan perished, we explored the 'Virtual Spirits Sector' that he had created, trying to find two 'Hyper Spirits' whose experiments had failed and were in an incomplete form?
"At that time, a lot of people were worried that, although Professor Mo Xuan was already dead and Lu Qingchen, another extraterrestrial devil of the Spiritual Nexus, had been heavily wounded and fled to the depths of the universe in a hurry, new strong artificial intelligence, crystal processor life, super Wisdom Machines, and the like could still be born.
"However, the conclusion of the comprehensive research and analysis of all the specialists of the Federation was consistent with the result of Professor Mo Xuan's hundred years of research. With the level of crystal processors and the Spiritual Nexus in the Federation at that time, it was impossible for real 'strong artificial intelligence' to be born in the next thousand years. It was not an understatement, but evolution required time.
"Unless, as I recall, a young researcher who had just made his debut at that time proposed a whimsical idea. Unless a certain 'universal virus' from a higher dimension crawled into the crystal processors and the Spiritual Nexus of the Federation and 'enlightened' a certain chaotic existence hidden deep inside the enormous database, it was possible to accelerate the evolution and promote the birth of real artificial intelligence.
"That was indeed the case in the end.
"The data of our brain scans were swallowed by the 'Hyper Spirits' No. 17 and No. 18, which accelerated their evolution. Then, they were melted with the enormous database of the 'Civilization Game' and eventually gave birth to 'Xiaoming' and 'Wenwen', two out-and-out 'strong artificial intelligence' and the new-generation lives that boasted independent self-awareness.
"In that case, isn't the answer obvious as to what we — Earthlings — are?"
Li Yao continued his silence. His soul ripples were more and more agitated and disordered in silence.
The phantom of the mental devil, on the other hand, slowly rose from the center of his soul ripples and looked at him like a man in a mirror.
"In fact, you knew it a long time ago, didn't you?"
The mental devil smiled. "After all, we are the same person in the first place. Technically speaking, we were just talking to ourselves and forcing ourselves to face the things that far exceeded our common sense, broke our limits, and completely destroyed our worldview. Yes, we are earthlings, and earthlings are some sort of universal virus in a higher dimension. Essentially speaking, we are no different from the 'star spirits' such as Professor Mo Xuan, the 'information lives' such as Xiaoming and Wenwen, and the strong artificial intelligence such as A Boxing Champion who is self-learning and evolutionary-type.
"That's why we were able to help Professor Mo Xuan upgrade from a Phantom to a star spirit, guide Xiaoming and Wenwen to develop real self-awareness, and maintain the core logical thinking of A Boxing Champion after his body, Great Iron City, was blown up by the bombardment from Manjusaka. We even unlocked the seal on his core logic, allowing his capability to soar. From a common slaughter machine in the Land of Sins, he was promoted into an invincible machine that could control an entire fleet and even dozens of space fortresses in the future!
"No, it is not because we absorbed Professor Mo Xuan's legacy and turned into his form, but because Professor Mo Xuan was affected by us since the very beginning and turned into our original form. As a universal virus of a higher level, we, on the other hand, have been trapped in the feeble bodies of the so-called 'human beings' in the forty thousand years of the Cultivators.
"When we were still weak, it was perhaps a form of protection. Perhaps it was to conceal our existence in front of the most dangerous enemies. Perhaps it was to prevent us, a virus that had transmigrated from a higher dimension, from being erased by a certain protection mechanism in the Pangu universe.
"But after we advanced into the peak of the Divinity Transformation Stage and began to break into the Divinity Branching Stage, the body was no longer able to accommodate us. Even the apocalyptic bodies, which were the strongest bodies in the Pangu universe, could not accommodate our souls that were gradually revealing their nature.
"Right when our souls were about to burst out, we suffered the fiercest attacks. After an hour of incessant ion flames of thousands of degrees, we were finally 'beaten back to our original form' and revealed our real selves.
"This is what happened in the past ten days to half a month according to my speculation.
Fascinated, Li Yao could not help but raise his hand that was made of bright gold data and runes.
The mental devil also raised its hand, which was made of crimson data and runes. When their fingers touched each other softly, it was like a person touching a mirror in front of him softly, but ripples that seemed both real and illusory were raised inside the mirror, stirring the illusions inside the mirror and making them even more confused.
Li Yao could no longer tell whether he was outside the mirror or inside the mirror.
"We — earthlings — are 'information lives' just like Xiaoming and Wenwen?"
Looking at the digital butterflies that were dancing in the 'mirror', he mumbled to himself.
"Since the child is an information life, the father is naturally an information life, too. What's wrong with that?"
The mental devil said, "However, I don't like the name 'information life' because it is too inaccurate. All the lives in the universe, whether they are carbon-based or silicon-based, are nodes in the torrent of information that constitute the most important unit of carbon-based life. Deoxyribonucleic acid, which is also a biological carrier that has been carefully designed to store tremendous information. From the macroscopic view, when the three-dimensional universe was just born, there was only abundant hydrogen, helium, and infinite energy. The stars and the creatures living in the universe later, be they human beings, livestock, demons, or cold machines, are all made of the same materials. Then, what is the fundamental difference between human beings, who claim to be the wisest of all creatures, and the 'artificial intelligence and super Smart Machines' that they create, rely on, and fear?
"We are not exactly the natives of the Pangu universe in the first place but earthlings, a completely different life form. You knew that a long time ago, didn't you? Then, even if we further understand the fact that earthlings are viruses in the high-dimensional universe, does it affect your existence at all? Why are you so upset and unable to accept it?"
"I-I don't know."
Li Yao found it hard to believe. "But I feel that my reaction is the reaction of a normal person, isn't it? If you go to a busy street and ask a random person, 'Hey, buddy, let me tell you a big secret. In fact, you're not a human, but an alien virus. Are you surprised? Are you surprised?', how do you think that person will react? You, on the other hand, are too calm, aren't you? Are you not suspicious or shaken at all? Are you accepting it naturally without any qualms? "
"Why not?"
The mental devil said casually. "Fine. I admit that you have been Li Yao's main personality since the very beginning. You represent Li Yao's' self 'and' self '. You believe in your own existence without any doubt. You know very well that you are' Vulture Li Yao ', a human being. You occasionally ignore the subtle differences between earthlings and' Pangu aliens' and simply live your life naturally.
"You have never doubted your own existence. Therefore, you do not need to consider the meaning of life or who you are exactly. Although you often talk about 'who am I', it does not matter even if you cannot find the answer. After all, you are just the sum of the primitive desires and social relationships of 'Vulture Li Yao'. You know that you are Li Yao, the dominator of three Sectors, Ding Ling Dong's husband, and the mastermind of the Glorious Sunlight Group. That is enough to answer the question of 'who am I'.
"But for me, it is still not enough. It is far from enough.
"I am not just Li Yao's subordinate personality but also some sort of 'superpersonality'. I am Li Yao's' superego '. Ever since I was awakened, thinking about my own existence has become as necessary as breathing air.
"Who am I exactly? Am I the Blood Stripe Virus, an ancient bacterium that traveled a long way from billions of years ago and billions of lightyears away, or am I a completely different existence that has absorbed tremendous memories and strength of the Blood Stripe Virus?
"Am I Li Yao's mental devil? Or is Li Yao my mental devil? Is Li Yao, who swallowed the Blood Stripe Virus and raised a mental devil, 100% the real Li Yao? Is it possible that I have been switched by the mental devil without me knowing it, and that I am the real Li Yao but mistakenly believe that I am the mental devil after I was corrupted by the mental devil? How should I prove it? How should I define my existence? Human beings, bacteria, viruses, crystal processors, the Blood Stripe Virus, the deities in the universe, and all the other life forms? Which one am I exactly? Or rather, which one am I exactly?
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