Chapter 564: A Glance
After more than a decade of arduous integration, the microorganisms on Earth, numbering billions of times more than humans, gradually formed hundreds of independent, complete consciousness clusters, existing as microbial pan-consciousness.
They, and humanity, the macroscopic overlords of this planet, seemed to live on two entirely different dimensions, neither disturbing each other nor even knowing of the other's existence.
This was all because the perceptions of pan-consciousness entities were entirely different from ordinary organisms. In their logic, humans and other animals alike were merely within the category of "habitable environments." They were a type of environment, not a type of organism on par with themselves.
As for humanity, no one would have imagined that the bacteria peacefully residing within their bodies day to day, and thus completely ignored, would actually give birth to something as profound as pan-consciousness.
The disparity in perceptual levels led to this situation.
However, when high-level cultivators reached the fifth tier, their bodies, having undergone the first complete sublimation, would gradually break free from the constraints of organic matter, either expelling all foreign substances or completely assimilating them into a part of their body.
Thus, to the microbial consciousness aggregates, they transformed from "habitable environments" into "uninhabitable environments." Yet, they were still merely an environment, no different from water, air, or stone.
...
The primitive consciousness aggregates almost had no concept of movement, because their "bodies" could even span two continents. The bacterial colonies in the intestines of dozens of ordinary people from different places might still belong to the same guiding will.
Of course, microorganisms in different locations within the same human body could also belong to two or more separate wills.
Between different consciousnesses, there was, without exception, a natural antagonistic relationship. Because, originating from the same source, they could, through mutual fusion and assimilation, form an even stronger will.
If they were to continue existing peacefully for several hundred more years, these mutually hostile entities, it's hard to say they wouldn't actually unify into a true Gaia-like Earth consciousness, contending with humanity, the macroscopic species, for the true overlord status of the planet.
...
What a pity, everything was ruined by that one curious glance.
...
Let's rewind twelve years.
Twelve years ago, Ni Lu was one of the thousands of microbial pan-consciousnesses on Earth.
But at that time, its name was still just "Lin." As for the entirety of its existence, it was focused on how to kill other pan-consciousnesses and then strengthen itself.
Due to a differing worldview, from the moment consciousness emerged, every "kin" it could perceive around it was in an antagonistic relationship with itself. Therefore, in their dictionaries, the words "communication" and "cooperation" simply didn't exist.
With no need for communication, the sole meaning of life was slaughter. Naturally, there was no need for language. The character "Lin" was merely a casual designation.
No language, no cooperation, no civilization. The world belonging to pan-consciousness was far more brutal than the animal kingdom. After all, animals of the same species wouldn't, from birth, treat all their kind as mortal enemies, like cultivating Gu.
...
Many, many cycles of light and darkness ago, it, like many other pan-consciousnesses, perceived the birth of an exceptionally dangerous environment in the world.
Its instincts told it that this place was absolutely unsuitable for survival, and it should stay as far away as possible.
What was most peculiar, of course, was that the danger level of that place seemed to increase by a fraction with every cycle of light and darkness it experienced.
After hundreds of cycles of light and darkness, due to their lack of a concept of movement, their survival instincts even urged them to quickly and proactively abandon the bodies closer to that area.
"Although the danger level of other hazardous environments was also rising, it was absolutely not at such a rapid pace!"
Hindered by the increasing pressure of danger, Lin, for the first time, expended precious energy thinking about something else.
Before this, it only needed to simply judge whether a place was suitable for survival and give a 'yes' or 'no' answer.
"Danger! Stay away! Stay away! Stay away!"
After proactively abandoning a considerable portion of its "body," the feeling of threat, like Mount Tai pressing down, did indeed diminish significantly within Lin's consciousness. However, this simultaneously brought about another, even more severe problem—
Because the dangerous place was closest to it, it had abandoned too much of its body, making it a target for its hostile kin surrounding it.
One picks the softest persimmon to squeeze. Having lost too much power, Lin had now become that "soft persimmon" in the eyes of everyone. Invasions from all directions came one after another.
The more it fought, the weaker it became. The weaker it became, the more new enemies it attracted, eager to divide the spoils. Lin was unfortunately caught in an unbreakable death spiral.
...
As for schemes like "Two Peaches Kill Three Warriors" or other intelligence-requiring maneuvers like sowing discord, they were clearly beyond the consideration of this group of pan-consciousnesses, which didn't even possess language.
Lin, completely powerless to resist, could only watch helplessly as its body was devoured bit by bit by its "kin," and more and more entities joined this gluttonous feast.
Fleeing didn't necessarily mean death; not fleeing certainly meant death.
Left with no other choice, it re-collected the scattered parts of its body within that dangerous zone, and in the manner of pan-consciousness, "fled" to that extremely perilous place.
For these microbial pan-consciousnesses, movement was almost equivalent to the concept of growth. To move to a certain place, it would use its consciousness to assimilate the microorganisms in that location, allowing its body to "grow" there.
...
The predators quickly annihilated all the parts of Lin's body left outside the dangerous zone, and then eyed the "meal" that had "fled" into the dangerous zone with covetous glares.
Completely dominated by their hunger, they ignored the warnings of danger within their bodies and pressed relentlessly towards Lin. One more bite now might mean an extra sliver of hope for victory in the brutal infighting to come.
After all, they all understood perfectly that in this game of survival, there would only be one ultimate victor.
...
Since the birth of its consciousness, Lin experienced an emotion called despair for the first time.
Enveloped in despair, some would give up on themselves and abandon all efforts, while others, conversely, would have ten, even dozens of times their potential squeezed out by the desperate situation.
Although Lin was not human, it fortunately belonged to the latter category.
Intense despair rapidly ignited its intelligence. Countless quantum entanglements connecting the bacterial bodies were activated in this life-or-death crisis.
Using most of its remaining body, it painstakingly differentiated and combined, rearranging itself to form an "eye" that, apart from basic functions, possessed no destructive power whatsoever. It proactively "looked" towards that area, that exuded an infinitely dangerous aura.
"Hm?"
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