At the center of what appears to be an "artificial intelligence control terminal" facility is a biological brain that has not yet died.

It was kept in a dilapidated nutrition pod, and was kept alive by a nearly useless vital cycle device.

The lighting around it glows faintly due to the brain's reactivity, and it's hard to imagine how it can still be alive in this vacuum.

Discovering life here was something Li Wenyuan didn't expect, not only that, but this brain still seemed to be able to perceive the external situation to a certain extent, and it was actually able to find that outsiders had come here under such circumstances.

But the "Ascended" civilization certainly didn't think that anyone else would come here when it built this place, or that they didn't delve into "artificial intelligence" technology that much, and there was no means of communication with this brain.

“…… Is this a 'brain in a jar' in a sense? How can you ...... in such a place?"

Seeing this brain that was being kept, Li Wenyuan immediately had this thought.

"Brain in a vat" is a theoretical experiment that exists in an imaginary situation, and the original meaning is "will a brain immersed in a vat, receiving artificial directional stimuli, and instilling false memories realize that it is in a vat?" ”

It deals with the philosophical question of "what is real", and there has been a wide range of conjectures in the galaxy.

There are many crazy scientists who try to stage "brain-in-a-jar" experiments in the real universe, and the former "observer" Lost Empire has used a large number of indigenous civilizations to experiment.

But the "brain in a vat" in front of Li Wenyuan's eyes is not a "brain in a vat" in this sense, because it obviously knows what its state is.

It's really just a literal "brain in a vat".

There is no doubt that this must be left by the "Ascendant" civilization, combined with the appearance of the "artificial intelligence control terminal" here, a certain answer is about to come out in Li Wenyuan's heart:

“…… It's really straightforward 'artificial intelligence'...... What artificial intelligence could be smarter than they are? ”

A faint psionic signal wandered around the space, as if he wanted to talk to Li Wenyuan.

It's hard to imagine that a "life" with only a brain can still borrow psionic energy, but it just does.

It's a pity that perhaps the consciousness in this brain is already in the moment of life and death, and the psionic signals it emits are so weak that it is difficult to read the contents.

And Li Wenyuan is also sure that the brain in this vat is already extremely fragile, and even refilling it with protective solution cannot be done, and a slight physical stimulation may directly lead to the death of the brain.

But witnessing that it could still resonate with spiritual energy, Li Wenyuan slowly released the spiritual energy extracted from this universe into this space, gradually increasing the concentration of spiritual energy here.

The effect of this was extraordinary, and I saw that the psionic energy signal generated by the brain in the tank was visibly increased to the naked eye, and soon formed a fluctuation that was clear enough to distinguish.

And after reading it, the first sentence is a huge string of numbers:

【280361925153782】

At first, Li Wenyuan thought that this was some kind of key, but he saw that the number at the end changed to 3, and then quickly changed to 4, 5......, and then he understood that this was counting.

In terms of frequency, the numbers are roughly kept changing at one time per second, which is equivalent to about nine million years in terms of time.

The loneliness of the soul rushed from the brain in the vat in an instant, and this number changed from zero to nearly three hundred trillion now, and the time spanned in between would even feel suffocating.

Li Wenyuan knew that this was probably the method used by this tank brain to stabilize "consciousness", so that it would not be lost in the long loneliness through a fixed frequency of memory.

However, in a world where there is no entertainment, no excitement, no rest, and no way to even move around, it is terrifying to think about.

Claustrophobic in a space where nothing can drive a person crazy in less than a week, let alone for such a long time?

Even if he pays attention to the spiritual world, he is no different from ordinary people on a scale of nearly 10 million years.

Li Wenyuan even doubted whether this mid-brain in the vat could still maintain the most basic communication ability?

The psionic fluctuations may just be the remnants of its spontaneous behavior, and the current brain in the jar has long been driven crazy for a long time, reduced to a machine that can only count.

However, after thinking about it for a while, he also began to try to induce psionic fluctuations, trying to communicate with the brain in the vaat with the same frequency.

In order to reawaken the stagnant consciousness in this brain, Li Wenyuan began to use words related to "ascension" as a stimulus, and finally changed the brain in the jar after repeatedly mentioning "ascension".

The numbers, which were still changing, suddenly stopped, as if the consciousness began to gradually revival.

A long silence followed.

After countless days and nights of alternating stars, the brain in the jar finally broke away from the long silence, and the psionic signal was no longer a string of large numbers, but words with meaning:

【…… You...... Good? 】

[Hello. 】

It seemed that it had been a long time since he had spoken to other beings, and after Li Wenyuan responded with psionic signals, it took a long time for the brain in the vat to organize the next language.

【…… Yes...... A little bit higher...... Is there a concentration of psionic energy here? 】

Li Wenyuan did not hesitate to respond to this request of the brain in the vat, allowing more spiritual energy to fill this space.

Bathed in the psionic environment, the brain in the jar seems to be more energetic, and the fluctuations of psionic signals are no longer so intermittent.

【…… Failed. 】

The brain in the vat seemed to be both a question and an affirmation, as if it had realized what was happening in this galaxy. But I heard him go on to say:

【…… My name, my history, has long been forgotten by the long river of time, and the only thing I remember now is my duty.]

[I am the initiator of the last program of this "Ascension Engine", and I am the "person who fell behind" who is responsible for pressing the "Ascension" switch]

[This plan to make the entire galaxy soar cannot be flawed, and a trusted "psionic master" must be used to carry out the final step]

[And I have already come to my senses, and for this reason I have even embarked on this path that is hovering on the edge of taboo - I will use my brain to completely control this "Ascension Engine"]

[Now...... Can you please tell me how the world is out there? 】

There was no trace of emotional fluctuations felt in the psychic fluctuations of the brain in the vat, and this long time had already made him forget what emotions were like.

And Li Wenyuan also found that the brain in the jar was shrinking, and it seemed that he was planning to pass on their story with the help of this time when the light returned.

He can try to replicate the thinking pattern of the brain in the vat, so that it can continue to live with a "data-based" consciousness.

But would it really be a good thing for such a "straggler" who has endured a long period of loneliness, but still insists on staying here and witnessing the end of their civilization?

(End of chapter)