Chapter 370: Chapter 370: Destiny Wedge
The scene was silent.
Except for Ma Kang’s intermittent recollections, no one else uttered a word.
Everyone finally understood why Chen Xuan asked that question. These mysterious words were not the crazy delusions of the Evangelicals, but conclusions drawn by the Evangelical Association after a series of experiments.
The nano-living body can accommodate human souls.
The larger the living body, the more it can accommodate, correspondingly receiving more souls.
Will confirmed this to Ma Kang.
He dedicated himself to "Pure White," and then communicated with Ma Kang through a brainwave machine. Through the wave translation, Ma Kang saw thoughts output by the nano-living body for the first time.
Then he fled.
The mingling of mystery and horror made him feel like he was dreaming for a long time.
Now, that emotion also permeated the tent.
Even in broad daylight, everyone still felt a chill.
After a long silence, Chen Xuan was the first to ask, "...Are you sure the person you were speaking with was him?"
"He made me think of a temporary code. A code only he and I know." Ma Kang said faintly, "I would ask him if the new world is bright or dark, warm or cold? If he were still conscious, he would respond according to his feelings. Then the wave translated to three sentences: Bright. Warm. Come quickly."
That is indeed...compelling evidence.
Because everyone knows that the nano-living body does not converse with humans, much less produce any brainwaves.
And Ma Kang saw Will die with his own eyes—after he prayed to "Pure White," a thin thread stretched out from the nano-living body and strangled him, then pulled him into the body. Unless Will faked his death, or there is a cavity inside Pure White allowing people to survive, such phenomena cannot be explained.
"My, my family...could they really still be alive?" Uncle Li’s voice suddenly trembled, "Are all the people killed by the nano-living bodies alive?"
"Sorry, what I said earlier is that they can avoid death, not that they will live." Ma Kang did not mind that Uncle Li wanted to bake him with fire tongs earlier but instead expressed regret, "The prerequisite for being accepted by the nano-living bodies is to worship them devoutly. Pretending to be pious is meaningless, because they recognize not thoughts, but souls. However, most people show fear, anger, and hostility when facing nano-living bodies."
"What kind of joke is this!" Huang Gou shouted in disbelief, "What the hell is a human soul? Once we die, do we turn into ghosts?"
Chen Xuan was silent.
Liu Shuyue also mentioned souls...or rather, the cultivator world acknowledges the soul concept. Once absorbed spiritual Qi solidifies, it affects oneself, accumulating over time to cause an Inner Demon, which they say is a backlash from the body’s strength exceeding the soul’s control. Only by overcoming it can one perfect their self and enter the next cycle of cultivation.
In Elorie’s world, there’s no need to mention, the subject of demonic contracts is precisely the soul. To them, a soul is currency, energy, and a precious resource to enhance oneself.
This world is the only exception.
But is it because people have studied too little, or have they lacked reliable means to verify it?
"We will not turn into ghosts." Ma Kang answered quite firmly, "A soul can’t exist without substance, so turning into a ghost is merely a comforting thought. Once a person dies, nothing remains."
"As for what a soul is...until I fled the Evangelical Association, I still didn’t get a definitive answer."
"The Mechanism also researched this project thoroughly, but unfortunately, I wasn’t high enough to have access to this information. However, there is consensus on one thing, the soul does exist."
The crowd gasped in amazement.
"This is truly enlightening." Jiang Siqi exclaimed.
"Could brainwaves be considered soul signals?"
"What about our memories, do they reside in the soul?"
"No, no...you’re overthinking this." Ma Kang wanted to wave his hands but found they were bound to the iron chair, "Could you untie me? I’m actually not an enemy to you all—"
"Don’t count on it." Lin Qing interrupted.
"Alright," he sighed, "Anyway, the soul doesn’t affect any medical practices of the past, brainwaves are still electrical signals, and memories are stored in the hippocampus. It’s fine even if you assume they don’t exist."
"I get it." Wang Baihu tapped his head, "It’s actually a concept used to explain the coexistence with nano-living bodies, calling it soul is just for comprehension!"
Honglian frowned, "Do you mean...we must die at the hands of nano-living bodies to retain our souls?"
"According to the experiment results, yes." Ma Kang nodded, "This condition, along with a devout heart and the nano-living body’s own willingness, are indispensable. When a person’s body is consumed by the nano-living body, their soul finds a host."
"Absurd...utterly absurd..." Huang Gou muttered.
Despite saying this, everyone began to believe him.
Many inexplicable phenomena of the past now have a logically consistent explanation.
Why do the Evangelicals seem crazy? Why are they not afraid of being killed by nano-living bodies at all? Why can they spontaneously form settlements without unified command from the Evangelical Association?
In this world of scarce resources and pervasive deadly dangers, if there exists a utopia to escape disasters, its allure is self-evident.
"For someone who can reveal such intelligence, you don’t seem very devout." Liu Yi questioned, "Besides, didn’t you escape from the Evangelical Association? How come you turned into an Evangelical again?"
"It’s a long story." Ma Kang chuckled bitterly, "Shortly after I reported this to headquarters, the war between the Evangelical Association and the Dimensional Limit Mechanism moved into the open. It was around eight or nine years ago, I received new orders to imitate Will Naki’s approach and devote my soul to the nano-living body."
By then, the Mechanism had suffered heavy losses, coupled with the emergence of numerous nano-living bodies, they had to resort to this method as a last-ditch effort.
If human souls can continue inside the nano-living body, is there a chance to influence it...or say, reverse control the host?
To solve faith issues, the Mechanism developed a device called the "Destiny Wedge," which works similarly to a wedge, embedding into the target’s head to replicate their soul. Using this device, even those who scoff at the "coexistence theory" with nano-living bodies could possess a devout soul.
Ma Kang came to Jiang City, infiltrated the evangelical group posing as an Evangelical ability user; after a year’s investigation, he chose a settlement leader deeply believing in coexistence theory and embedded the Destiny Wedge into his head.
"From that moment on, I truly felt the weight of a soul." Ma Kang’s tone suddenly softened, "The Mechanism’s plans fell through; they never expected that stealing a soul would also reshape a person. I experienced the leader’s thoughts, hopes, and memories. Until the very last moment, he harbored no hatred towards me, only hoping I would throw myself into the nano-living body’s embrace for him."
"Thus, I was no longer a Mechanical Officer; the conflicts of ability users, career advancement, and missions entrusted upon me...these lost their meaning. Especially when the settlement finally welcomed its own nano-living body...Master of Thunder, then I found the sole aim of my life."
His voice was nearly a whisper, "Although the Master of Thunder can’t communicate with us, I can sense its will. Even among countless nano-living bodies, it’s an exceptionally unique existence. The Master of Thunder is not in a hurry to devour us; it seems to prefer us living, embellishing its domain, and human joy and enjoyment also bring it pleasure."
"It’s as if it found its favored toy, looking down, observing us from above."
With that, Ma Kang turned to Chen Xuan, his bewildered eyes indicating a hint of hate, "But you ruined everything. You didn’t just kill the Master of Thunder, but hundreds of souls coexisting with it! Given the chance, I would kill you to avenge everyone—not..."
He painfully pressed his forehead, "No...I don’t know, is this my thought, or his! I just want...peace..."
After speaking, Ma Kang suddenly convulsed, spitting out blood foam.
"Not good! His condition is off!" Lin Qing exclaimed.
"Bring the sedative fast!" Uncle Li shouted.
The scene instantly erupted into chaos.
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