Chapter Thirty-Nine: Truth and Falsehood

The psionic ability of the Mirage allows for the adjustment of one’s presence. Mo Wen had a faint intuition that when he exhausted himself entirely, he could trade one person’s existence for another’s.

He did not know exactly what the effect would be, but he did it anyway.

With every day and night he had experienced in this world, and with every memory everyone held of him, he successfully purchased a second life for Mo Wen at his absolute prime.

The Dream-Maker’s stability returned to 100%, his prosthetic body was restored to wholeness, and his spiritual roots grew wild within. With the Dragon Blade at his side, Mo Wen’s combat power immediately soared back to its peak and even surpassed it.

Yet, to be saved by someone unexpected at such a heavy price...

Mo Wen slowly clenched his fists.

He felt no grief; he simply swallowed this death that belonged to another.

Move forward. He must move forward. Only forward.

Amidst a calm born of fury, Mo Wen re-evaluated the status quo.

The entity capable of erasing planets had returned to the orbital fortress. It had only been deployed at the very end, and it retreated immediately after; clearly, its existence was still unstable. He still had a chance to kill it.

Moreover, he had forced "The Group" to unleash such a desperate, mutually destructive trump card. The other corporations must have lost their trust in The Group by now, unable to follow them even for the sake of profit; at most, they would remain motionless out of fear until they found an opening to resist.

No one wants to share a room with something that can destroy everything just by existing, especially when you cannot guarantee it won't decide to kill you.

Mo Wen was still alive, and The Group had stopped at nothing to kill him. These two facts were enough to make him the banner of the resistance.

All he needed now was the opportunity to break free from gravity and ascend to the orbital fortress.

Having determined his next step, Mo Wen activated the Mirage’s psionic ability and began to infiltrate the branch of Dream Entertainment.

Psionic abilities are not impossible to learn; it is just that to master the abilities of others, one must sometimes understand a great deal—enough to comprise the entirety of a person’s being.

...

In the conference room representing the highest authority on the planet, the projections of representatives from major corporations waited anxiously for the appearance of Qi Shiming.

They demanded an explanation for why so many innocents had died and what exactly that thing was.

"Qi Shiming" did not keep them waiting long.

The projection of the man who once carried the weight of humanity and now pioneered its future appeared.

Before the representatives could pose their questions, he pressed his hands downward to soothe their agitation, then said calmly, "There were no casualties in this incident."

No casualties? How could that be? Not to mention the billions evaporated by psionic power, many had already died in the preceding battle for the fortress.

But "Qi Shiming" indeed had his reasons.

"For as long as we have existed, death has been the greatest problem plaguing humanity. Whether it is the end of one’s lifespan or the destruction of one’s physical vessel, life simply halts. This has always been a major hurdle that my research team and I have sought to overcome."

"In fact, we have already made significant progress."

"What appeared just now is the final result of our research into the 'Psychic Consciousness Network,' 'Psionic Popularization,' and 'Curing Death.' We have not yet decided on its name, as we have not finished perfecting it, and names possess power."

"'Prime,' 'Humanity,' 'God of Man,' 'Terminal,' 'Mainframe'... for the sake of our current conversation, let us call it 'Number Zero.'"

"As is well known, after death, a person naturally dissolves and returns to nature, leaving no trace. Even a Level 5 psionic user is merely lingering for a short while. But the existence of Number Zero has directed all human death toward itself."

"Starting three years ago, all those who have died have not truly perished; their 'souls' are stored within Number Zero."

"With the proper extraction surgery and a prepared vessel, they can be resurrected. The vessels can be crafted from New Human bodies, and the environment of extreme psionic concentration, combined with the post-death experience, can significantly increase the chances of a soul’s psionic awakening."

Even though these representatives were accustomed to major events, their breath hitched at such a sudden change involving the entire human race.

The representative from Life Pharmaceuticals immediately retorted, "That is impossible! There is no such thing as a soul in this world."

"Qi Shiming" remained unmoved by the rebuttal, simply replying, "But there exist information integration bodies based on psionic power, and they retain the entirety of the deceased’s self-awareness."

"Everyone possesses psionic power; it is just that psionic users are far more powerful than ordinary people. With Number Zero actively receiving them, ordinary people do not need to resist the world; even the weakest information integration body can be preserved in its entirety."

It sounded wonderful. If this result had truly come from Qi Shiming, they would at most sigh at another of his astonishing, secretive achievements.

But what if this man was not Qi Shiming?

The representative from Dream Entertainment spoke up suddenly: "Wang Fugui—or rather, A-874184, renamed under your arrangements—is dead."

"He died because he radiated light from the inside out. Our staff determined that this light was not an attack, but a 'natural phenomenon.'"

"Since then, we have traced numerous mysterious deaths and re-confirmed the identities and causes of death of the victims."

"As far as I know, Qi Shiming left his light within many who were forced to 'correct' themselves, ensuring that the light would kill them if they betrayed him. Some psionic effects can linger for years, even decades. But if the source of the psionic power disappears, the effects manifest as 'natural phenomena.'"

"How long has it been since Qi Shiming last acted? Is the world he expected truly this one?"

"Qi Shiming" listened calmly without interrupting. Facing the question, he countered, "Why act? And why say I am no longer changing the world?"

"Power stems from conflict, and now, no one disputes me. This world has changed much, and as New Humans replace the Old, the moral foundations have been rebuilt to satisfy my imagination even more, making it difficult for an old fossil like me to find a better direction."

"If psionic power manifests as a natural effect, it is simply because I no longer need to micromanage that power. Some people choose to die that way; perhaps they simply feel they ought to."

"I know you are dissatisfied with the assassination attempt on 'Mo Wen,' but his existence affects everything."

"He must die."

The real Qi Shiming would have exhausted every effort to give the innocent a chance. Likewise, he would never have hidden his plans.

They should have realized the anomaly of this "Qi Shiming" and recognized his death twenty years ago.

But most of them were miserable mortals who couldn't help but believe that even a saint could fall or compromise.

However, in the world that inherited his will, there were those who would not compromise.

The representative of Dream Entertainment grinned hideously: "Then, use your most practiced move and kill me!"

"I am giving you a reason to act now. If you do not kill me immediately, Dream Entertainment... no, the New World Project, the Dream-Maker faction, will uphold the will of our pioneer Qi Shiming and launch a rebellion against the misguided controller."

"At any cost."

"Qi Shiming" was silent for a long moment before slowly raising his hand: "As you wish."

The psionic energy originating from the orbital fortress locked onto the target and pressed down suddenly.

This imitated power should have caused any living thing to dissolve from the inside out, consumed by light.

Yet, the Dream-Maker faction representative only bled from his seven orifices, laughing brazenly: "Fake! This soft, powerless attack cannot kill me!"

"Now, the war begins."

The other representatives remained silent, offering no direct response. Even if the authenticity of Qi Shiming seemed to have been disproven by this strike, did they truly have the power to resist "Number Zero"? The orbital fortress was currently emitting psionic energy that even Level 5s could not withstand.

Wait—The Group’s previous attack must have utilized the power of "Number Zero." Even if it wasn't Qi Shiming, the representative of the Dream-Maker faction should have died.

Under the astonished gazes of the representatives, flocculent material with the texture of both metal and flesh sprouted from the representative’s ears and nostrils.

Even with less than two days, the best doctors in the world had successfully analyzed parts of the biological tissues of the otherworldly visitors and urgently put them into practical use.