Chapter 155: C.C.C. |
Ming Po finally understood.
In Shen Yiqi's vision, humanity would embark on a "Path of Evolution."
Through various technological means, he intended to squeeze out humanity's potential, forcing them toward a "more efficient" evolutionary direction. The fields left vacant by humans would be filled by machines.
But evolution required the culling of certain traits.
Typically, these traits were eliminated through competition and crisis.
The subtext of Shen Yiqi's words was that he would seize the authority of God to cull the evolutionary paths that shouldn't exist.
"...How arrogant," Ming Po muttered. "Do you think you are the sun?"
Even as arrogant as Ming Po was, he had to admit that Shen Yiqi's madness was far more severe than his own.
However, he also happened to know exactly why Shen Yiqi had developed this madness.
Everything Shen Yiqi described in his seemingly megalomaniacal "vision of the future" was built on a single foundation.
[In this world, a cure for regret exists.]
Whether it was a rogue AI, someone setting a trap, a usurpation of power, or even the corruption of ideals and a misstep in direction...
As long as he had enough Time Chips, he could return to this exact moment.
He possessed an infinite number of chances for trial and error.
—If the failure of this vision was merely because it was "too prone to issues" or "too difficult," yet still remained theoretically possible...
Then as long as he repeated it countless times, the day of success would inevitably arrive.
Ming Po took a deep breath.
Now, he felt he finally understood.
He understood why Virgil had said that it was best for a Deceiver to be a selfish person...
A purely selfish individual, regardless of how they used the power of the Time Chips, would only do so to seek worldly benefits for themselves.
No matter how many friends and family they helped, how much wealth they amassed, or how many regrets they mended, they would never shatter the structure of society because they lacked the interest and the spare time to rebuild order. All they wanted was to use the Time Chips to improve their own lives.
Such people were considered "good guys" within the Game of Deception.
They didn't fear fools, nor did they fear evil seeds.
What they feared most were these "idealists."
For a fleeting second, Ming Po actually felt a desire to kill Shen Yiqi.
To harbor such a terrifying ideal...
While simultaneously possessing the power to infinitely reset space and time, allowing him to return to the past and steal the future at will—if Shen Yiqi continued to live and grow stronger... his threat would eventually become incalculable.
Ming Po subconsciously looked at Zhuang Yan, his intent clear—Aren't you going to rein him in?
But all he saw... was that Zhuang Yan's face showed no sign of disapproval. Instead, he was listening and contemplating with grave seriousness. He might not support Shen Yiqi's ideal, but he chose to acknowledge that Shen Yiqi was entitled to have one.
Ming Po realized something.
He looked at Zhuang Yan and asked softly, "Old man... do you have any ideals?"
"I do."
Zhuang Yan chuckled, speaking openly. "My wish isn't quite as grandiose as Little Shen's.
"My wish is just... to develop Controlled Nuclear Fusion Technology for the country."
...Nuclear fusion technology?
Perhaps because Shen Yiqi's words were so outlandish, Ming Po actually found Zhuang Yan's goal to carry a sense of grounded inevitability.
"Do you know about Seawater Nuclear Energy? Ocean Deuterium-Tritium Extraction Technology allows us to extract more than enough fuel from seawater. The energy released from the deuterium contained in one liter of seawater during a complete nuclear fusion reaction is equivalent to three hundred liters of gasoline.
"That means the cost of energy would infinitely approach zero, and electricity bills could drop to practically nothing. Even in places plagued by power shortages, like Africa, they could obtain ample electricity through fusion reactors. Humanity's footsteps could truly span the entire globe.
"Because of near-infinite electricity, many exceptionally power-hungry industries would unlock new potential. The cost of seawater desalination would drop to an acceptable level, deserts would turn into oases, industrial water usage would no longer be restricted, and agriculture could become completely industrialized and automated... The price of all agricultural products would plummet to a level acceptable to everyone in the world.
"The highly polluting nuclear fission reactors could also be gradually phased out, and all kinds of new materials would spring up like mushrooms after rain..."
Zhuang Yan spoke slowly, his face brimming with a bright smile.
"That is a new world. A new world in the truest sense."
Shen Yiqi solemnly added for Academician Zhuang, "Our civilization will undergo a true leap, and even interstellar travel might not be impossible."
He looked at the silent Ming Po and sighed softly.
Shen Yiqi smiled faintly, speaking with understanding. "Some things cannot be comprehended until you've come into contact with them. Only those who have truly touched the 'possibilities of the future' can genuinely grasp this feeling—the future is coming, the future is already here.
"This might still be a bit too distant for you, but... it doesn't matter."
He smiled amicably and said softly, "I know you are not a hopeless block of dead wood. You didn't just reject it without thinking; instead, you carefully considered it and found the flaws in my plan.
"This proves that you value our words enough not to dismiss them as the ravings of madmen. Perhaps our stances will diverge... but we might not necessarily be unable to travel the same path."
—Of course I value them.
Ming Po said to himself.
If everyone in the Chinese Chamber of Commerce was like these two... he could roughly understand why Gao Song was so arrogant and why Virgil was so anxious.
Viewing the Game of Deception as a "dangerous yet immensely valuable" strategic resource, attempting to use it to reshape the entire world...
They would absolutely never agree with Ming Po's desire to "destroy the Game of Deception."
Because that would mean the shattering of their dreams.
Even...
Even Ming Po himself wavered for a fraction of a second—if such a future truly was that beautiful, was it really necessary... did he absolutely have to destroy the Game of Deception?
But very quickly, Ming Po banished that hesitation.
—If the Game of Deception still existed, then all this beauty would be fake!
If the world could become a paradise under the influence of Time Chips, it could just as easily plummet into hell under the influence of another Deceiver.
The real issue was this uncontrollable "divine authority" itself.
But right at that moment.
Shen Yiqi suddenly slid a black card across the table.
Ming Po paused for a moment before picking it up.
It looked like a business card, but it had a strangely smooth, velvety texture.
On the front of the pitch-black card, the three characters for "Chinese Chamber of Commerce" were embroidered in gold thread using a Song typeface.
And just below that, a string of English was also embroidered: "Chinese-Chamber-of-Commerce".
"...CCC?"
Ming Po subconsciously uttered this strange yet somewhat catchy abbreviation.
Only these two lines of text were on the front.
He flipped it over.
He found dense text written on the back left side:
;1. Do not reveal your true name, appearance, or personal privacy. Use a pseudonym or codename.
;2. Under no circumstances should you attempt to resurrect yourself or others.
;3. Do not trust any Host other than your contracted Host.
;4. Do not use time before you possess a palace.
;5. Do not create time paradoxes.
;6. When Manifesting, avoid all public surveillance cameras as much as possible.
;7. When not Manifesting, avoid all mirrors as much as possible.
;8. The secret key is "Infinity".
On the right side of the card, a symbol was drawn. It was a double-helix DNA strand formed by a cluster of interlocking gears of various sizes.
"Welcome to the Chinese Chamber of Commerce, Ming Po."
Zhuang Yan announced solemnly, "You don't need to completely understand the words on there just yet... you'll understand later."
"Now, please come with us."
...I've joined just like that?
Ming Po was taken aback, but he took it in stride.
In fact, his interest had been slightly piqued.
If he joined, he joined.
—I'd like to see exactly what you guys are really up to.