Chang Huaien already knew where he was, and the conversation with the prostitute Gao Chuan was a rare pleasure for him for so many years, not only because of the exchange of some interesting ideological topics, but also because he felt a sense of security after waking up. This sense of security comes from where you are, and by these friends around you. In this world, there is no safer place than the repeater, and this repeater is the result of the efforts of the network ball for a long time, he feels that the past efforts have not been in vain, compared to the indescribable horror in the abyss of the sea of consciousness, the shelter ability shown by the repeater is more valuable.

When Dorothy's voice suddenly sounded from behind him, Chang Huaien was not nervous and frightened, on the contrary, this sudden appearance made him feel nostalgic, in terms of the timeline of the material world, although it was only a few days, but in the deep dive of consciousness, the sense of time became extremely abnormal, plus encountered those terrible things, saw the light of day again, and settled down, he couldn't help but feel as if he had been separated by a lifetime. Chang Huaien laughed, turned to look at the girl who came over, and said, "Long time no see, Dorothy, it's so surprising, the impression of you in my mind seems to be still stuck in that workshop." He was referring to the workshop that had sealed the "Dorothy Project", but in fact, after the completion of "Dorothy", the two did meet, at that time, Chang Huaien was actually already in a state of deep diving, and then the communication with the Internet ball was just a kind of communication at the level of consciousness, and he was not under much pressure at the time, so it was not perceptible to others, and what was communicating with them was just an ideology.

However, in the aftermath of the catastrophe, the wounds caused by the impact of consciousness have not yet healed, and may never be healed, Chang Huaien knows. That fear was deeply imprinted in his bone marrow, and it was because of this intensity of trauma that his memory and consciousness were not quite the same as they had been before, and it was possible to lose the impression of something, or even to lose his memory—he had not yet realized it. He also knew that if others didn't bring it up, it might be difficult for him to notice. In psychology, it is true that people with amnesia feel that they are in a state of amnesia, but in many more cases, it is more frequent for people with amnesia to be unable to perceive that they have amnesia if they do not encounter an obvious factual gap. Especially when these memories do not involve their own personality makeup, but only some work information. This is even more so.

For Chang Huaien, as long as he can determine who he is, where he is, and remember his old friends, the tasks he shouldered, and the results of his hard work, other memories are not very important. Even when Dorothy called it a "philosophical ghost"—which is not a good description—he didn't feel deeply distressed. Because, he still remembers that fear. and the unspeakable thing that brought fear, which was especially important in his heart.

"Your adventure has made them sad." Dorothy said, "Still. I know you'll bring something useful. ”

"Of course, my adventure is not unconspiring, although it is true that some things have gone wrong, but don't you stand here now?" Chang Huaien smiled with relief.

"However, it is very doubtful that it is not the Chang Huaien we are familiar with standing here." A cold, angry female voice interjected. Chang Huaien turned his head and saw it. In the place where there was nothing a second ago, the figure of Catwoman appeared, as if she had been standing there all along, but she was noticing at this time. This kind of strange scene has long been accustomed to Chang Huai'en, since the repeater involves consciousness in more places. Even when it comes to the collective human subconscious, that is his area of expertise - no matter what happens, it doesn't make him feel strange, and the only thing that really scares him is the monsters that hide deep in the sea of consciousness. And this fear does not originate from death and failure, but is a kind of fluctuation that runs through the soul, as if those things themselves embody the concept of "fear", which cannot be stopped.

It's useless to think too much about the fear of "unspeakable, unstoppable", Chang Huai'en's mentality is much better than that of most consciousness walkers. He never dies because of something he can't do anything about.

"It doesn't matter if it is Chang Huaien in the past or not, Chang Huaien, this being, whether it is an actual human being or a philosophical ghost, is your old friend. This will not change because of his form of existence and the flow of time and space, I swear. Chang Huaien said this, and stepped forward to hug Catwoman hard, "It's really my luck to see you again, ma'am." ”

"That's right, you're so lucky, Chang Huaien." The figures of Walking, Lady Mayne, Omi and Marceau also appeared in Chang Huaien's field of vision, "You should thank Omi, Marceau, and Dorothy, they saved your little life at the last moment!" ”

"Yes, thank you very much, Omi, Marceau, and Dorothy. Then, thanks to the others as well, Fire, Catwoman, and Ms. Mayne, as well as Cyberball's other friends who know or don't. Chang Huaien let go of Catwoman and said in a sincere and stern tone: "I know how dangerous I am, but, believe me, I am not a fool who cares about my own life. It's just that what I saw in the deep dive this time was more important than my life. I had a premonition before I acted, and when it happened, I found it stronger than that - I accept any punishment, but maybe you can hear my story first? ”

"Of course, for you to survive, just to listen to the story." Omi said, "I hope your story has this value. In the greetings, everyone sat down, Chang Huaien naturally sat in the main seat, and then the sofas on both sides, on one side: Lady Mayne, Fire, and Catwoman; On the other side: Prosthetic Takakawa, Omi, Dorothy and Marceau. Chang Huaien looked around at everyone and felt that such a seat was really a bit interesting. But he quickly put aside these boring thoughts, because, no matter who has a better relationship with whom, everyone is friends who stick to the same goal. Solidarity is a particular emphasis on Cyberball, and it is also a value that runs through all actions. Only by uniting those who can be united can we save anything in the terror of the future. After witnessing the indescribable "monster", Chang Huaien felt more and more the difficulties of the future and the meaning of everyone gathering at this moment.

The people here are the Great Prophet, the leader of the world's second-largest occult organization, and the terrifying Cyborgs. There are technologists with unknown positions, powerful warriors from the far East, and a core of a repeater - their identities represent different classes, interests, and visions, but they are all members of the NOG. In order to move forward in the future, we are gathered here.

And such a scene made Chang Huaien feel hope and strength.

"This time, I'm going to dive to the same level as the repeater." Chang Huaien's words would surely be shocked to them if they were heard by other consciousness walkers. In fact, even if they knew that it would be such a fire, they thought it was an extremely remarkable achievement, and even made people feel incredible after listening to it several times. The repeater is a certain condensation and embodiment of the collective human subconscious. Its existence is of course difficult to describe in words, but to try to understand its position relative to the collective human subconscious according to sensibility and reason, we must give it an intelligible coordinate to describe its power, which must be "the depth at which every operation in a very deep place will have a fundamental impact on the collective human subconscious". That's a depth that almost no one thinks can be consciously reached by human consciousness itself. Yes. The human subconscious is there, and its existence transcends the concepts of time and space, embodying the high-dimensional nature that no one can tell, and theoretically, human beings do not need to "dive deeply". It has also been influencing the collective subconscious of human beings, and it is also affected by the collective subconscious of human beings, and the statement of "deep diving" is actually full of contradictions. But the problem is that the so-called "subconscious". In terms of definition, it is the level of consciousness that human beings cannot "self-consciously", and all consciousness walkers, including Chang Huai'en, can consciously walk in this world that is defined as "unconscious", which is a contradiction - and this contradiction reflects the existence and value of "mystery".

"Science" is logical and rigorous, and if it embodies contradictions, it means that it has gone wrong somewhere, and although it may be possible to apply it, it will never make progress without solving the "wrong" area, and even if it tries to use it, it will only bring danger. However, "mystery" is not logical and strict, and the concept of "contradiction" based on the concept of "logic" has no meaning for "mystery" at all, so when "mystery" is displayed, it will only feel incredible when viewed from a scientific perspective.

Inconceivable, illogical, unscientific, unprincipled, beyond imagination - the absurdity embodied in these descriptions is the most intelligible feature of "mysterious", and it also provides an understandable definition of "mysterious".

Chang Huaien's "deep dive to the location of the repeater", even in the midst of many absurd and mysterious phenomena, is extremely absurd, inexplicable, and even unbelievable, even if the facts are in front of them, the inherent logic of human thinking has been instinctively rejecting this kind of "unreasonable, unscientific" thing.

"Well, it's scary." Catwoman took a deep breath and said, "Are you really, really, really convinced that you have indeed penetrated into the position of the repeater - that is, you have seen the repeater for what it really is?" ”

"I did see repeaters, but it's hard to say what they really are, it's really not something that humans can understand. Therefore, if I insist on fixing it as an image in my mind, there will inevitably be a lot of missing. Chang Huaien blinked and said, "Even so, I can still say that I may be closer to it than anyone else, and have made a holistic observation." ”

"What does a repeater look like? Is it like the big bunch of machines we remodeled before? "It's not just Catwoman who is curious, everyone else is interested in this topic. The repeater built by the network ball is, strictly speaking, just a shell. It is like an apple, the material flesh that wraps around the core of consciousness, and you can point to the flesh and say, "This is the repeater", but the real "repeater" may only be regarded as the indescribable core of consciousness - it is the condensation and embodiment of the collective subconscious of human beings, so it is not really observable where anyone is, and the practice of "packing" it into a shell is actually quite contradictory logically speaking.

"I think it will look different in the eyes of different people, but, in my eyes, it will be like a fortress floating in the current." Chang Huaien said with a sigh. In his heart, he regretted that language could not accurately describe his mood and what he saw at that time, and he also felt that human language was even more. It's so pale and shriveled that it's useless when it's needed to work.

"Wow, fortress." Catwoman imagined it for a moment and said, "It's not what I used to imagine." When you say this, you think that the repeater is not very majestic. ”

"And what do you think it should look like?" Omi asked with interest.

"I can't tell." Catwoman spread her hands and said dejectedly, "How can you describe the unimaginable?" I just think it's a form that I might have imagined. More impactful and shocking. ”

"It's like suddenly realizing that the world is different from what I used to think. It's like, for the first time, we realized that mystery really exists. Prosthetic Takagawa interjected.

Catwoman slapped her thigh hard, made a crisp sound, and said loudly, "That's right! That's it. A fortress? Even the depths of the sea are not remarkable. The Three Immortals Island of the Central Duchy is a hundred times more majestic than that. ”

"Let's talk about the rest, since you've dived to that depth, you should have seen something more - your body is completely broken. There is also a problem with consciousness, it can't be caused by the observation of repeaters, right? A misfire interrupted the conversation. "Actually, now that I think about it, the wheelchair man actually hinted that he saw the repeater - at that time, we hadn't been able to build the repeater, he saw. Perhaps it is the nakest form of the repeater. But, because he can't describe it in words, he ends up with a few roundabout hints, and now you mention it. I realized that this was what he was talking about. ”

"Mentor he...... Did you dive to that depth too? Chang Huaien was a little shocked, but at the same time a little ashamed, he also felt that he had surpassed his mentor in the deep diving distance, and achieved an unprecedented level.

"He's not as lucky as you." "I don't know where he went, but what he described at the time made me think that he should have reached the same depth and seen the same things as you, but there was no power to help him at that time...... If the repeater had been completed by then, perhaps he wouldn't have just died. ”

"Yes...... Yes, it must be so! Chang Huaien suddenly became excited, he didn't see the death of his mentor with his own eyes, but in the description of the fire and Ms. Mayne, combined with his own experience, he imagined the closest scene to that time, "Mentor, he must have been in that place and saw that storage zài, so he went crazy and died!" The mentor is so powerful, and only that thing can seriously injure him at once! ”

Misfire and Ms. Mayne exchanged glances, and Chang Huaien's expression of excitement reminded them of the madness of the wheelchair man at that time—and he also described a "terrible thing" in such incoherent words. It seems that that is the root of the destruction of the world, the desperate existence of zài, something that should not appear in this world.

"The wheelchair man also mentioned that there is something that should not be stored there." Said cautiously.

"Yes, yes, that's something that shouldn't be stored there, but it really exists there, in the collective subconscious of human beings......" Chang Huaien's body trembled, his eyes were full of fear, he indulged in this fear, to dig out all the memories that he had firmly locked in his heart, because, it is very important, even if he collapses immediately, he must let them know the information, "I can feel that it does not belong to the human subconscious at all, it is not the same as the repeater, It's alien, lurking there, indescribable, just having a sense of zài is enough to make people crazy. It's hidden deeper than the repeater, it's a bottomless abyss, I think, it's deeper than I can feel, it's just that it's too big, it's crazy, it's too existential, that's why I feel like I've been close to it. ”

"It's moving? Why not float up? What are the implications for the repeater and the entire sea of consciousness? "Can a repeater solve it?" If we could concentrate the power of all the repeaters......"

"Hah...... How do I know? I was already crazy the moment I saw it. Suddenly, Chang Huaien became extremely calm, and said word by word to everyone here: "Actually, I have already gone crazy. ”

"Do you know what you're talking about?" Catwoman's eyes widened. She really couldn't feel that Chang Huaien was like a "madman" somewhere. Oh, and of course, to rule out his insane diving. Everyone was still chatting before, but now the atmosphere seems to be a little wrong. There is a smell floating in the air, indescribable, however, it cannot escape the sensitivity of the mysterious expert. Catwoman wants to stop this change in atmosphere, and subconsciously a sense of uneasiness grows in her heart.

"Yes, I'm calm, I know what I'm talking about, and my thinking logic is complete." Chang Huaien replied with a strange calmness: "Because of this, I can draw the conclusion that I have gone crazy from reason and emotion. My sense of personality has been distorted, although it is difficult to see it on the surface......" he smiled sadly and bitterly, "this distortion is something that only I can feel. ”

Dorothy, who had always been calm, spoke at this time: "Actually, to say so conclusively that I have gone crazy is already a manifestation of distortion. Normal people would never take it so seriously and admit that they are crazy. Even the mentally ill will not feel it, and admit that he is a mentally ill person, and Chang Huaien's distortion is already very strict. ”

"You said you could save him!" Catwoman shouted with some excitement.

"Isn't he standing before you?" Dorothy said calmly, "Although it is impossible to change the essence of the distortion, it is embodied in the form of a philosophical ghost. But he can still say what he wants to say, and tell you in all seriousness that he has become a madman. Isn't he saved? You're too greedy, Catwoman. Think about the wheelchair man, and then look at the current Chang Huaien, you should feel more deeply that he is actually very lucky. ”

Dorothy was right. No matter what kind of form Chang Huaien has become now, he is much better than a wheelchair person. Lady Mayne looked at Catwoman gently, "As long as we have zài, we may be able to do something about it in the future." ”

Catwoman's lips squirmed a few times, and when she looked at Chang Huaien, she couldn't help but feel a little sad, but what could she do? She slammed the sofa hard, she knew that what she had just questioned was nothing more than vexatiousness. It's true that things are better than the worst, but she's just greedy and wants better, and it's no one's fault.

"Don't be sad, Catwoman." Chang Huaien's expression became more and more peaceful, "Although my personality has been distorted, my will has not been affected. I know my state very well, you know, I am a consciousness walker, and I have several hands to prepare for the change of consciousness. ”

"Is there really no impact? Chang Huai'en, or our good comrade-in-arms? Crazy asked.

"Yes, good comrade-in-arms." Chang Huaien looked at Dorothy and Omi, and the statements of those two would become the best evidence.

"Trust the power of the repeater, go off fire." Dorothy said, "Chang Huaien is already in control of the repeater...... Or, in the case of the occult of the East, a 'machine spirit'? He's too weak relative to the repeater, so he won't have any problems. ”

"I believe in my technology." Omi pushed his glasses and said, "The whole adjustment process is flawless. ”

"Actually, I don't quite understand, if Mr. Chang Huaien is the 'machine spirit' of the repeater, then what is Marceau?" Prosthetic Takakawa, who had not spoken, asked. Marceau himself was not in the slightest interest in the subject.

"Marceau is the core of the repeater, a key intelligent component that constitutes a controllable repeater, and in short, it is an internal organ with an independent will." Omi explained, "However, Chang Huaien will be the soul of this controllable repeater. Marceau ensures the normal operation and controllability of the repeater, while Chang Huaien determines the direction of the repeater's operation. There is no conflict between the two. Previously, our use of repeaters required authorization from Marceau. But from now on, our permissions are no longer valid for repeaters. What to let the repeater do will be up to Chang Huaien to decide. (To be continued......)