togophonebook Chapter 274 Do I look like a human being?
Chapter 274 Do I look like a human being?
Chapter 274 Do I look like a human being?
The torrent of time rain swept across the entire wasteland, and wherever it passed, new shoots withered, and solid rocks melted into mud. The world seemed to have been put on fast forward, changing its appearance at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Modi and Skran, who were caught in the storm, also noticed the effects of the rain of time. The former's expression changed slightly, while the latter looked worried.
"We were too careless. We shouldn't have stayed here so rashly. Now, if we want to get out of here, we'll be in serious trouble."
Skran consumed the light within his head to erect a light barrier, doing his utmost to resist the onslaught of the rain.
Turning his head, he found that Modi remained unmoved, letting the protective shield gradually dim under the erosion of time, as if he had given up all resistance.
He exclaimed in horror, "Lord Styx, what are you doing?"
As soon as he finished speaking, he hurriedly stretched out his light shield, trying to include Modi inside it as well.
Modi waved his hand and gently pushed the light shield back.
"Don't worry about me, this little drizzle won't affect me at all."
As he spoke, his protective shield completely dissipated, and the omnipresent rain finally touched his skin, threatening to cause his flesh to decay and turn him into bones.
Skran's heart was pounding in his chest. He knew that without unleashing his power, he had no chance of survival in this rain of time.
But Modi's performance surprised him greatly.
This seemingly defenseless fellow, bathed in the rain of time, showed no abnormalities whatsoever; even his clothes remained completely uncorrupted.
The Time Rain had no effect on him, just as he had just said.
"No, there is still some impact, but it's more positive..."
'
Skran stared intently into his eyes, muttering to himself.
As time passed, the glimmer of light in Modi's eyes grew purer and brighter, even to the point of being blinding.
Even Skran, later on, dared not look him in the eye, fearing that the light in his mind would be attracted and stolen away by him, and he would become mentally impaired.
"This is... a sign of awakening the light of the soul." Skran suddenly recalled that he had seen a similar description in an ancient book. Shocked, he quickly memorized the scene before him with the light in his mind.
Once this dungeon mission is completed, he will definitely make tens of millions of copies of this scene so that the believers of the God of Light can admire it!
Meanwhile, Modi, oblivious to his nonsensical thoughts, was completely absorbed in understanding and mastering his new power.
Rain contains the power of time and can accelerate the passage of time for things. In other words, if used in the right amount, it can be used to ripen things.
Just as with crops, so too with the sprouts of the soul.
Relying solely on the sea of blood to nurture the sprout of the soul is too slow, but the rain of time makes up for this deficiency. Every drop of rain that falls allows the sprout of the soul to grow a little.
For the sprouts of the soul, the rain of time is merely a source of nourishment.
Modi was no longer satisfied with the current efficiency; the amount of work being done on him was still too little.
To give the sprout of his soul more nourishment, he simply opened his mouth wide and absorbed all the time rain from most of the wasteland.
The rain intensified, but the light in his eyes became even purer.
"The light of the soul?"
Before entering the dungeon, he spent a long time in the Darklight Council's database and gained some insights, so he naturally knew what was going on with his current situation.
Under the nourishment of the rain of time, the sprout of the soul gradually grew into a towering tree, and Modi's "Death Point Strike" ability was thus sublimated.
Now he can not only see the dead ends of things now, but also their past and future. He can even launch deadly attacks on their past across time and space, thereby indirectly achieving the effect of manipulating other people's fate.
Modi raised his head and gazed at the dark clouds that blotted out the sky, automatically grasping the cause and effect of their birth.
Initially, it was just a strange mass of matter. As time went on, this mass of matter gathered in the clouds, accumulating more and more, eventually leading to the eruption of this time rain.
Following the thread of events, Mordy continued to observe.
He saw the wasteland shrouded in dark clouds, and a bald, bearded man in a cloak suddenly appeared. Soon after, the bearded man leaped across the wasteland and escaped the Rain of Time in time.
"The power of the mind... This person must be a high-ranking member of the Beacon Legion."
Then he saw his own reflection, and they made eye contact before looking away from each other.
He saw that the time rain would end in ten minutes, but he felt that was too long, and that Skran next to him probably wouldn't be able to get wet for that long, so he slightly exerted force with his fingers and shattered some of the strange substances from the past time period.
The rain that was falling at the current time gradually weakened, and the rain stopped about ten minutes earlier than originally scheduled.
The rain stopped, and Skran looked surprised. He slowly dispelled the light barrier, looked down at the drastically changed wasteland below, and then looked at Modi, who had not changed at all. His awe was even greater than before.
"Your Excellency, you have just awakened the Light of the Soul?" he said in a complicated tone.
Anyone would find it hard to accept that an achievement they spent half their life trying to accomplish has been easily achieved by someone who came after them.
Modi glanced at him, and he immediately shuddered, feeling as if his deeply hidden secret had been exposed.
Indeed, this was the case; his past experiences, and even his possible future, were reflected in Modi's eyes.
In the blink of an eye, Modi saw right through him.
Seventeen ways to die, four planned successes for the future, and three uncertainties.
Besides the world lines he has already seen through, there are still three world lines that he cannot see through for the time being. These three world lines continue to extend, and perhaps they represent the future of Skran becoming an immortal.
No, you can't think of it that way. Before I ascend to immortality, the results I see aren't very meaningful. My Light of the Mind cannot determine the unique timeline; it's merely an observational tool to assist me in launching my attacks.
Modi subtly averted his gaze and nodded in response.
The sprout of his soul has grown into a towering tree, its roots penetrating deep into the sea of blood. The glimmer of light on its crown is the light of his awakened soul.
"I noticed something interesting in that rain just now."
The sound remains ethereal and unlike a human voice, but it no longer causes things to fade.
"What did you see just now?" Skran asked quickly.
"A mudflat that once connected reality and death, it should have been, but now the situation is very different... It has long been severed."
Modi recalled the scenes he had just witnessed, including the mudflats where the Time Rain had attempted to guide them, and the countless dead people standing on them.
"That place was supposed to be a transit point, but now both roads are blocked. The dead are trapped on the mudflats, unable to reach true death or return to reality, like stranded whales."
Modi didn't know who had cut off the transit station, nor did he know the purpose of doing so, but he could imagine the consequences of such an action.
Those who have died cannot reach true death; they can only remain on the mudflats. And those who die now cannot reach the mudflats; they can only remain in the mortal world.
The world's population growth may also be affected by the paralysis of the death system, but this requires further investigation to determine.
"Mudflats?" Skran chewed on the word. He could see much less than Modi and could only barely decipher his words.
"What you saw has nothing to do with the rain just now?"
"Perhaps it did; the rain tried to bring that mudflat back, but clearly, it failed."
This has little to do with Modi; even if he hadn't interrupted the Time Rain beforehand, it still wouldn't have succeeded.
There is an invisible dam separating reality from the mudflats, preventing the two from connecting.
After a moment's thought, Skran reviewed the dungeon quest again.
"The mission requirement is to connect to the dead; could this mission mean we need to repair that relay station?"
"It's not impossible."
Modi suddenly turned his head and looked at the other side of the wasteland.
A black dot appeared in the distance and continued to approach, heading straight for them.
"What is that?" Skran followed a step behind him, but also noticed the anomaly, and couldn't help but frown.
They had just passed through the torrent of time when uninvited guests arrived from afar. It was hard to say whether they were coming for them or for the rain of time.
"It's a land-based warship."
Modi raised an eyebrow; he had become interested.
The dark, rugged steel, the awe-inspiring muzzle of the massive cannon, and the earth-shaking noise when it moved—all these signs indicated that the newcomer was no ordinary person.
"A nice design. It would be even better with some brass, scarlet decorations, and a few biological elements," Mordy praised generously.
He has always been very interested in these kinds of things, and the mechanical style of the Blood God Cult is largely inherited from him.
"A land-based ship?!" Skran was startled by his words, and upon closer inspection, his pupils suddenly dilated.
He wasn't familiar with the relevant technology, but having traveled the world and seen many things, he naturally knew that such a behemoth required a profound technological foundation.
Given the level of materials science, energy science, and other technologies on Xuanxing, it would be utterly impossible to create such a behemoth.
"Just how advanced has the technology in this world become?" he couldn't help but wonder.
"Perhaps it utilizes a unique, cutting-edge technology specific to this world?"
Modi was a man who had seen a lot and knew very well that some seemingly insignificant parts of the world could actually bring endless surprises to outsiders, and he himself had experienced this firsthand.
"Sir, shall we leave now?" Skran asked.
"No rush, they, or rather it, don't seem to have any ill intentions towards us."
Mordi saw further, not only in a spatial sense, but also in a temporal sense.
Hearing him say that, Skran had no choice but to be patient and wait with him in the same spot.
The movement of the land-based ship grew louder and clearer, and the details of the steel behemoth gradually came into view.
Skran surveyed the landship and noticed that it gradually slowed down. At the same time, a large number of drones flew out of the giant ship, all carrying missiles and gun barrels.
These weapons were all aimed at the two of them, causing Skran to tense up, ready to unleash a data bombardment at any moment.
Modi wasn't as nervous as him; he was just examining the drones and mentally counting down.
He had just counted to zero when the drone suddenly lost aim, its indicator light flashing red, as if something had gone wrong.
A few seconds later, the indicator light turned from red to green, and the drones scattered, forming a specific formation in the air, collectively projecting a human image.
This is the image of a woman, with a graceful and elegant demeanor and exquisite and well-proportioned features. Even with Mo Di's discerning eye, there is nothing wrong with her.
This is probably a man-made product... definitely not a natural person.
Modi had experience creating Blood God Children and was quite familiar with this system.
He could tell at a glance that every muscle and every hair on the woman's face had been artificially adjusted, or even created later, thus conforming to most people's aesthetic standards.
Even her expression has been specially adjusted, with the range of muscle movement strictly controlled, making it difficult to feel any dislike when she smiles.
"New humans, it's been a very, very long time since we've encountered one... In any case, on behalf of Paradise, I welcome you two esteemed humans."
The woman in the projection smiled and spoke with a sincere tone that seemed genuine. At the same time, the drones around them erupted in loud cheers and fired off strings of fireworks.
Skran was completely taken aback by this turn of events, and his brows furrowed, his old face filled with confusion.
Modi stared silently at the woman in the projection, and only after the surrounding drones stopped firing fireworks did he slowly speak: "Do I look like a human being to you?"
As he spoke, his entire face split open vertically, and red tentacles emerged from his skull, making it look like a sea anemone was growing on his neck.
Even Skran was startled by him, but what surprised him even more was what the woman said next: "Of course, according to the genetic information detected by the probe, you are certainly a noble human being."
"Although your body seems to contain a large number of foreign genes, according to Article 123 of the 'Land of Humans and Non-humans Definition Law,' you still fall under the category of humans. If needed, I can provide gene correction surgery free of charge to help you remove the extra genes."
Skran had a strange expression as he watched Mordy retract his tentacles and return to human form, unsure how to evaluate the woman's definition of humanity.
If we say that Modi is human, then he clearly doesn't seem to be. If we say that he isn't, then Skran is clearly not human either.
For them, the physical body is merely a shell; they have long since ascended to a kind of spiritual life form, and can hardly be considered human.
"Your definition of humanity is quite broad."
Mordy got the result he expected, validating the future he had foreseen.
Among the possibilities he foresaw, there was a chance the woman would go insane, deny his human identity, and order the landship to bombard him with drones.
A more likely scenario is that they will accept it as it is now.
"My two noble humans, if you wish, I hope you can move to Paradise. This world is too dangerous. Only within Paradise can you be sure of your safety."
The woman maintained her polite smile and extended an invitation to the two in an expectant tone.
Modi didn't agree immediately, but Skran sensed something was wrong and asked, "You keep referring to us as humans. Can I take that to mean you're not human?"
"Of course, in reality, my identity is an Alpha-type Paradise Guardian Intelligence; you can also call me 2."
Pandora.
The woman did not hide anything but told the truth.
"My duty is to protect and serve humanity. Believe me, without my guidance, humanity is destined for chaos and destruction."