by N. Heller
"Veda?"
It was difficult to describe the current expression on his face. Before today, Lin Sanjiu had never even imagined that a person's face could express so many intense and complex emotions in one expression. The highest god's smiling facade had cracked. His excitement, his eagerness to experiment, his fear, his helplessness, and his anger… oozed out like a mixed mess.
Fear.
When Lin Sanjiu noticed his fear, she felt an inward sense of relief.
"That's right. You are. You are really a Veda," the highest god fumbled with his words. He involuntarily swallowed his saliva. "What's going on? What are you saying? Tell me!"
Lin Sanjiu and Ji Shanqing exchanged glances. The grand prize gave Lin Sanjiu a subtle smile as the moisture in his eyes became more obvious. "Leave it to me, Sis. In the past, you were always the one solving all the problems we faced. Now, I can help you."
Before Lin Sanjiu could question him, Ji Shanqing walked past her.
Lin Sanjiu stared at Ji Shanqing's back as he approached the highest god. While the highest god focused all his attention on Ji Shanqing, Lin Sanjiu rapidly searched through her card deck.
Most people struggling to survive in the apocalyptic worlds usually brought some medical supplies around with them. Even though Lin Sanjiu relied on her own body to recover from her wounds most of the time, she remembered storing some medical supplies in her cards.
Ji Shanqing remained silent whereas the highest god's loud demands became the only voice that constantly invaded Lin Sanjiu's mind. It was almost as if he could only calm himself down if he continued with his persistent discourse.
"You didn't expect this, right?" The highest god seemed to be teetering between delight and anger as he yelled interrogatively, "You didn't expect that I'd come up, right? Do you still think you are all that high and mighty? Speak up! Answer me!"
While the highest god continued yelling, Lin Sanjiu tore Puppeteer's black leather top and examined his wound. The highest god did not leave Puppeteer with a normal open wound. Looking at it, Lin Sanjiu could not imagine what sort of attack created that cobweb-like wound. Puppeteer's upper body seemed like a piece of dry, cracked land. The deep black fissures on his body seemed to be deepening and extending at an alarming rate. His dehydrated skin was like a white parchment. Each time his skin split another inch, it only revealed a black shallow empty hole. It was as if the fissures swallowed the blood, flesh and bones that were supposed to be there.
The fact that Puppeteer was still alive under such circ.u.mstances was quite extraordinary. The layer of flesh under his skin seemed to already have been fully 'consumed'.
"What are you doing?" the highest god roared suddenly. Lin Sanjiu immediately turned to look. Ji Shanqing had already walked up to the transparent containment box without her noticing. He placed a hand on top of it and remained silent. The highest god inside the narrow containment box took two steps backward. His face turned beet red. "What are you trying to do?" he asked. The harsher his tone, the guiltier he sounded.
While Lin Sanjiu observed the unfolding events, she quickly scanned through her cards.
Antibiotics, injection needles, penicillin, bandages… Lin Sanjiu realized that she could do nothing but disinfect and bandage his wounds. In her world, the modern medical procedures for dealing with any external wounds basically depended on the body's own self-recovery. Unfortunately, after Puppeteer received that second attack, the fissures on his skin extended even quicker each time his skin was touched. There was no way she could bandage his wounds like before.
She also couldn't activate her [The Mountains Remove The Foolish Old Man] because some unknown condition was not met. Just when Lin Sanjiu grew anxious, Ji Shanqing suddenly spoke. The tone of his voice was so mild that it was almost like a fleeting breeze.
"Sis, you don't have to worry about him. He can't come out."
"That is just an item I imitated. It can only last for half…"
"I know." Ji Shanqing smiled at her. The fair skin at the corner of his eyes turned slightly red. "Sis, I'm now a Veda. It isn't hard for me to analyze this Special Item and modify it."
The word 'Veda' was like a leaden burden on her heart. She instantly shifted her gaze downward.
The highest god froze for a moment. Then the redness on his face abated as if he had just woken from a dream.
"Now? You're now a Veda?" As he repeated those words, a look of realization came over him. "You… you weren't one before?"
No one paid any attention to him.
"Sis, you seem… very unhappy to see me." Ji Shanqing lowered his eyes. His eyelashes started to quiver like a dying butterfly assaulted by a strong autumn wind. Even though he might be a Veda now, the heartbroken expression he showed after he was rejected looked exactly the same as before. "You said you wished for me to become the type of lifeform I wanted to become…"
"Yes, I said that."
Lin Sanjiu did not lift her head to look at him. She tried to hold Puppeteer's unbroken skin together, hoping that the fissures would stop growing. After trying to bandage his wounds twice, she was out of options. Worried and defeated, she sighed. "I wanted you to become someone you strived to become—I need to ask you this: did you really want to become a Veda? Do you really like this way of life? Do you wish to become like them? Treating life like just a bunch of data and numbers, and not caring about what it's worth? Modifying and controlling whatever you want just because you have the ability to do so?"
As she didn't look up, she naturally couldn't see Ji Shanqing's expression. When she didn't hear any answer, Lin Sanjiu shut her eyes tightly and forced herself to focus on Puppeteer's injuries. The fissures on his c.h.e.s.t grew larger within that short period of their conversation. They opened like zippers showing the patch of darkness underneath his skin.
After Lin Sanjiu sprayed some rubbing alcohol while knowing that it was a waste of effort, she stared blankly at the black fissures. She bit so hard on her lower lip that it became white. She simply didn't have the ability to heal such a wound. She didn't even know what was happening to Puppeteer's body.
Just like she didn't know what the Grand Prize was thinking. At that moment, she had never felt more helpless.
Like a fish weaving through water, Ji Shanqing's long, soft hair swept past her shoulders as he walked over.
"Sis," the grand prize's gentle voice was slightly nasal. This was a place where they didn't need to use their voices to communicate; however, Lin Sanjiu could clearly feel the affection in Ji Shanqing's trembling voice. Could this be due to the highest god's "lens"?
"Have you forgotten? When you made your wish, you wanted me to keep whatever I could." Ji Shanqing stretched out his hand and wiped Lin Sanjiu's eyes with his tender fingertip. When he pulled his hand back, there was a sheen of tears on his finger. It was only then that Lin Sanjiu became aware that she had unknowingly begun crying. Ji Shanqing flashed a captivating smile at her. "Beside all the items I have, I also retained my original consciousness and personality."
Lin Sanjiu stared at him with her mouth slightly agape.
As Ji Shanqing spoke, he placed his other hand on Puppeteer's c.h.e.s.t, right where the fissures were. With the help of the highest god's "lens", everything played out in a way Lin Sanjiu could comprehend. Tiny screens immediately appeared around the area where Ji Shanqing touched. They were like miniature tracking cameras. As they magnified the wound on the screens, they chased after the countless black threads within the wound.
When removing the black threads, Ji Shanqing looked like a surgeon for a moment. Puppeteer's skin stopped tearing.
"T-that means…" Lin Sanjiu stammered as she watched. "Even though you're a Veda now, inside you… you're still the Grand Prize from before?"
Ji Shanqing crooked his head and couldn't hold back his laughter. Like blossom petals floating in the wind, his light chuckled rang out. "The only thing that is different is that I no longer have an inside or outside, sis."
Lin Sanjiu wa
s surprised that his words could bring her such comfort. Her tensed muscles suddenly relaxed as if she had stepped into a hot spring. However, her heart ached a little at the same time. Her grand prize could no longer accompany her into the next apocalyptic world.
Just then, the highest god interrupted her train of thought.
"Hey! I'm asking you a question! Did you just become a Veda?" He seemed to have calmed down significantly. "You're the same as me. Are you one of the citizens they groomed?"
Chapter 694 - It’s Great That You Are Fully Charged After Taking A Nap
A bunch of strange-looking weirdos was behaving weirdly at one corner of the space capsule-like Data Stream Library. They gathered together in a tight group like a colony of ants who had found some sweet food.
The 'sweet food' they were surrounding was a n.a.k.e.d man with exquisite features. His physique was so beautiful that it could be the dream creation of an ancient Greek sculptor. Even the harshest critic would have difficulties spotting flaws in his body.
The man sighed and sat down in the containment box. However, before he could settle down, somebody shouted.
"Can you just put on a pair of pants?" Soulsqn looked upward, maintaining her gaze above the highest god's c.h.e.s.t. Apparently, she couldn't appreciate the aesthetics of a Greek sculpture. "Wear a pair of u.n.d.e.r.w.e.a.r at least. Hey, Lin Sanjiu—"
"Why do you think I would have men's u.n.d.e.r.w.e.a.r?" a tall, slim woman with also an extremely toned body answered stiffly. She lowered her head and contemplating for a moment before she finally took out a [combat pants] card. "You can wear my extra pair of pants."
"To hide this body of mine?" the highest god retorted incredulously with a sparkle of surprise in his emerald eyes. "This body? Hide it?"
"Just forget it. This isn't important," Ji Shanqing finally persuaded his sister mildly. He didn't mind it at all. To him, seeing or not seeing any body parts made no difference to him.
"Stop wasting our time. You know what you have to say," as Ji Shanqing said this, he knocked on the containment box.
The highest god scratched his face and pouted like a big kid. That expression would be cringe-worthy on any other person's face but it seemed completely natural on the highest god's face because of his youthful looks. However, Lin Sanjiu grew even more impatient when she saw his expression. "Hurry up!"
"Alright. This is an ability I copied from a posthuman." the highest god shot a glance at Puppeteer. The man's wound had stopped extending but anyone missing a whole layer of flesh wasn't going to regain consciousness anytime soon. "Are you ready?" the highest god pointed at the grand prize with his chin. "I'm going to tell you the data analytics of that ability," he was surprisingly cooperative.
Ji Shanqing nodded.
[Unattainable Love]
In the middle of the night, I was turning and tossing in bed, but I just can't get his face out of my head. When I think of the slightly upward corners of his lips, his chiseled jaws, his kissable Adam's apple… Ah, I can't stand it. Once again, I've been thinking of him the whole night. When I looked out of the window, it was already day time. This sort of obsessive unrequited lovesickness could literally swallow a secret admirer's body and mind.
What if it was literal?
Obsessive love is like a toxin. When a target is poisoned, it would inflict three levels of harm. Level 1: "I want to open myself up for you to see so badly."; Level 2: "Without you, I'm just a hollow shell."; Level 3: You torments me like a drug, and I'm going down forever."
"He is pretty tenacious."
The highest god seemed rather unperturbed even though Ji Shanqing took away the data analytics containing his ability. He rested his chin on his palm and drawled, "It has been such a long time, yet it still hasn't reached the third level yet. Rest assured, as long as it did not develop into the third level, he can be saved."
"I'm not worried about him," Lin Sanjiu replied coolly. Staring at her grand prize who had taken over to treat Puppeteer's wound, she asked with a frown, "How many posthuman have you analyzed? Do you have a lot of abilities?"
If the highest god could copy down a posthuman's ability by simply analyzing him, then his stat value must be incredibly high.
"I have analyzed a lot of posthumans, but I can keep three abilities at most for myself to use," the highest god answered with a grin. Perhaps it was due to his golden hair and his emerald eyes, his smile always reminded people of the forest at the end of the summer days.
"You can only keep three abilities at max? That's less than I expected." Lin Sanjiu replied with an arched brow. She was slightly taken aback at the highest god's honesty.
"Fundamentally speaking, analyzing is a process that will generate a lot of information and data in the analyzer's body," the highest god leaned himself against the wall of the containment box and explained to Lin Sanjiu patiently, "The more data and information the analyzer has, the more energy and substance he needs to sustain his body. For example, analyzing a posthuman or an item is like reading a book. Thus, in order to memorize the whole book, there are two things that you need: your memory and your ability to understand. If we view it from the physical aspects, you will need neurons, frontal lobe, and hippocampus to name a few. You will also require to feed yourself to get enough energy to support your brain's function."
Lin Sanjiu was sensing a pattern here.
"The same things applied to me and the Veda. The more information we stored inside of us, the more it will occupy and slow our system down. And I'm just talking about storing information. If we are going to code an ability into our own body, then the burden will be multiple folds heavier," the highest god glanced at Lin Sanjiu and smiled, "Fully analyzing a posthuman is equated to cramming millions of books into your brain. Otherwise, why do you think that the Veda needs to build these cord?"
It was hard for Lin Sanjiu to imagine a situation where there were millions of books in her brain. She shoved the thought to the back of her brain and asked again, "Since you said you are a subject, so can I take it as you are created by the Veda?"
For a moment, the warm and pleasant air about the highest god disappeared. When he looked at Lin Sanjiu, he could only remind her of the stiff and cold gaze of a lizard in a murky corner. After a few seconds, he licked his lips and nodded.
Soulsqn measured the highest god from his head to his toe and grumbled, "So in a way, he is their descendant, though this guy's brain is a bag full of cats." The flesh worm continued to stare at him as she muttered, "Perhaps I should go and ask the Veda as well…"
"Then first, you have to become a Veda," Lin Sanjiu said to the flesh worm before asking another question to the highest god, "Can you tell me how the Veda created you? Did you start out like this? Where are the other subjects?"
"Weren't you have been to the Salvation of God before?" The highest god answered impatiently. He looked at Ji Shanqing, who was busy saving Puppeteer and continued, "You can say that the Salvation of God is the incubator. Didn't you have already seen how the other subjects look like?"
"You are different from those I've seen in the Salvation of God. You should be a successful subject, right?"
"Well, sort of," the highest god smiled mockingly, "They had never succeeded in creating a complex higher intelligent creature. Hence, a long time ago, they decided to change their method. The Veda will single out several rather well-developed subjects from the Salvation of God, and I'm one of them. After that, they will separate us and put us all on different planets while exerting different external conditions and stimuli to observe our growth to see whether or not we are able to reach their expectations. If we failed to reach their expectations after a certain period of time, they will eliminate us. In other words, we are a bunch of cultured bacteria."
He paused. It was as if he decided to drop his amiable veneer, the smile on his face was gone.
"In a way, I can be considered lucky. I didn't know about the other subjects, but I was lucky enough to be able to grow and develop a rather
complete self-consciousness without being interrupted or watched. I've tried to come back to the Data Stream Library about ten years ago, but I did not dare go too far away as I did not want to be caught by them."
The highest god's eyes were hollow and vacant. It was as if he was apathy towards his origin and his future, "It's just that I cannot stay in hiding forever. The Veda has set a deadline for my self-growing state. And now, the deadline is approaching."
"But you have a complete and functional self-consciousness," Lin Sanjiu could not help and asked, "The Veda should be happy."
"Do you think I'm similar to them?"
"Not quite."
"That's right," said the highest god. He paused for a moment, peeled his eyes away from Lin Sanjiu and cast a heavy gaze at the cord in the distance. Then, with a low voice, he began talking again, "I didn't meet their requirements. I don't know what will be taken out of my head. Yes, I'm a narcissist, I'm a freak, and I'm cruel. No matter what do you guys think about me, these are a part of me that I gained during my days in the Olympics. I don't want to lose any of them."
The question in Lin Sanjiu's heart was finally answered. The reason the highest god was being so cooperative was that he was scared and he was looking for companions.
After Lin Sanjiu had figured this out, she had gotten the answer for the second question in her heart as well. She instinctively spun her head around and threw a gaze at Ji Shanqing, only to find that the latter had been looking at her for a long time. His eyes were clear and bright. Puppeteer was laying next to his feet, still in a coma.
"Sis," the grand prize smiled bitterly as he heard what the highest god had said just now. "I haven't had time to tell you that the reason I dare not go into the cord after becoming a Veda is that, like him, I'm afraid of the same thing as well. So I cannot touch the information that is stored inside the cord—"