124: Chapter 124: Who is controlling humanity?

Xiaoyu peeked at the viewers' comments on the screen, then quickly snapped back to continue listening.

"For example: while doing something, a person's movements might suddenly pause for a few seconds, their mind going blank, with no thoughts and no sense of 'self'."

"Immediately after, a thought that completely contradicts their own thinking habits pops up, guiding them to perform a tiny action—like scratching the back of their neck, looking left, squatting down, or taking a deep breath. After finishing this small action, their consciousness returns to normal, but the person will feel an inexplicable sense of palpitations and unease."

"Then there's the extreme sadness at the height of joy. When you are very happy doing something, or in a moment of delight, a sudden wave of overwhelming sadness and fear washes over your entire body. Physically, it's accompanied by palpitations, chills, and regret; yet logically, you can't find any trigger. This emotion comes and goes quickly, as if deliberately suppressed, as if saying: [I don't allow you to be this happy]!"

As soon as these words were spoken, Xiaoyu and countless viewers felt a sudden sense of bewilderment.

These two cases were far too relatable, especially the shift from extreme joy to extreme sadness—particularly at parties, where everyone might be singing happily when suddenly, everyone falls silent in unison, and the atmosphere abruptly cools down.

But soon, the happy mood is completely swept away, only to return to the starting point and restart the behavior that makes one [happy].

It was as if there were an underlying illusion that humans aren't quite free, unable to do many things they want to do, as if the human brain is not entirely under one's own control.

"Also, there's the global phenomenon of false memories, also known as the Mandela Effect."

"After a certain point in time, thousands of people suddenly recall a detail that is completely inconsistent with the facts: like a brand's logo, a classic line of dialogue, a movie scene, the geographical location of a historical event, or even that a deceased person is actually still alive."

"Moreover, many people are convinced that this is how they've always remembered it—it's as if a unified piece of [erroneous data] was pushed in bulk over a specific period and then implanted into the memories of people worldwide."

"These people don't know each other, yet they share the same [false history/false lyrics/false perception]."

Hearing this, Xiaoyu shook her head. "Collective false memories? Isn't it normal for everyone to remember things wrong?"

Jiang Zhe nodded slightly. "It would be understandable if it were just a few people; but on a global Scale?"

"Thousands of people, without any communication between them, suddenly collectively misremember a detail, and the error is exactly the same?"

"When they discover that things don't match their memories, that feeling of confusion won't lie to you!"

At this moment, Lao Wang, Principal Fu, Professor Chen Runzhi, Lao Qian, and Professor Guan all fell into deep thought.

They weren't unfamiliar with these things; after all, they could be explained as errors in information dissemination.

But!

That instant of confusion, surprise, and astonishment upon learning the truth is something that won't lie to you.

It's as if certain past events were collectively erased, yet many people still remember those historical events that don't align with current reality!

At this time, more viewers were sharing what they had seen and heard, and every single one was in agreement because they had experienced it too many times!

"Xiaoyu, there are just too many instances of this!"

Jiang Zhe took a deep breath and couldn't help but remark:

"Like event pre-loading: before you perform an action, such as opening a door—a flash of the scene after the door is opened appears before your eyes; only then do you actually start executing the [action of opening the door]."

"Like causal reversal: you'll hear the sound of a glass shattering first, and only then see the slow-motion process of the glass sliding off the table, as if your perception is telling you [I received the result first, and only then filled in the cause]."

"And then there's the manipulation of objects. When your intent is strong and you stare intently at a pen or a crumpled piece of paper, it suddenly moves—this happens only once in a lifetime and will never happen again!"

Having reached this point, Jiang Zhe shook his head. "There are too many cases to list them all!"

"Brother, don't stop, just one more, the last one!"

Xiaoyu pleaded intensely, and the viewers' comments followed suit with strong demands.

Although they knew about these things, hearing them in a public setting for the first time was quite eerie!

Jiang Zhe looked speechless. "Alright then!"

"I'll mention one last one: [Time-Space Jump]."

"You go from Point A to Point B—and there's no memory in between. This isn't zoning out; but it feels like one second you're at A, and the next you're already standing at B. The process in between, the time spent, the scenery along the way—these processes seem to have been [folded] or [deleted]. You know very well you didn't teleport, but you're just missing the time experience of A→B."

Xiaoyu frowned deeply, trying to recall. "This... I seem to have a vague impression of it, but I can't think of an example."

Meanwhile, in the livestream room, many people felt a sense of resonance.

"I've had that. Going from the bedroom to the kitchen, I felt like it was just one step, with no memory in between."

"On the way home from work, there's a period where my memory is blank, but the car is already downstairs, or I've even walked upstairs, with no memory in between."

"Like a game suddenly lagging while loading and then jumping straight to the scene? Holy crap, I've had that!"

"..."

In the living room.

After Jiang Zhe finished listing them one by one, he finally picked up his water glass and took a slow sip.

He looked at Xiaoyu, who was leaning back on the sofa, thinking hard, clearly digesting everything she had just heard. Only a gentle breeze blew through the living room.

"Xiaoyu, having heard so much, through these counter-intuitive cases: phone premonitions, collective false memories, process jumping... what do you think now?"

He paused for a moment to build the atmosphere before continuing:

"Is there really a mysterious force in our world influencing us—influencing our every move, our every choice, our every minute and second, even our life and death?"

Xiaoyu slowly looked up, a complex look in her beautiful eyes.

"Brother, I think there definitely is. Otherwise, these things are too fragmented yet too universal; it's like an invisible set of rules around us, interfering with our normal words and actions!"

She took a deep breath, thinking back to the "Brain Demon" and the case of dying if one chose wrongly.

"If this force really exists, then... who is it?"

"Or rather, what is it? It's definitely not some Heavenly Dao, I know that!"

"Why can it let us foresee the next moment, or even things dozens of days later—allowing those who frequently have premonitions to develop in a good direction, so they get better and better?"

"But then why does it also implant the thought of [Choose A] or [Must Choose A] in so many people's minds?"

"Afterward, those who believed the voice saying [Choose A] ended up bruised and battered, either going bankrupt or dying in various accidents, while those who didn't believe the [Brain Demon's] voice survived unscathed, though they didn't necessarily live exciting lives!"

At this point, Xiaoyu's brows furrowed as a chilling thought emerged.

"I feel like something is... screening us—filtering some people out, making some die on purpose, and then keeping others. This has nothing to do with whether a person is smart or clever; it's just a very balanced and fair [Demon's Whisper], as if a [Scale] is [balancing] something."

"I feel like humans aren't free, and even everything we think we own feels like it's been arranged by fate!"

Many people felt the same way as Xiaoyu!

The comments in the livestream room almost came to a standstill as everyone held their breath, waiting for Jiang Zhe's answer.

Xiaoyu's question voiced the deepest fears in everyone's hearts—if there really is something invisible, intangible, yet omnipresent, then how much of human fate, life, and death actually belongs to the individual?

The room was very quiet now, with only the evening breeze outside blowing gently.

Xiaoyu's expression was focused and solemn.

At this moment, time seemed to stand still.

"That mysterious force..."

The corners of Jiang Zhe's mouth curled slightly as he looked at Xiaoyu's curious face. "It's far away, yet right before your eyes!"

"Far away, yet right before my eyes?" Xiaoyu looked around but didn't see anything.

"Brother, what is it that's far away yet right before our eyes?"

Jiang Zhe's gaze fell on Xiaoyu, a smile appearing on his face.

He didn't answer what it was. Instead, he slowly raised his right hand, extended his index finger, and then...

Under the highly focused gaze of millions of viewers, his index finger pointed straight down.

Then he pointed toward the night outside, his finger pressing down slightly toward the houses, the streets, the city, and what everyone was standing on...

The earth!

The curve of Jiang Zhe's lips deepened as he looked at Xiaoyu, whose pupils were shrinking rapidly, and asked softly:

"Xiaoyu, do you know what it is now?"

Xiaoyu's body trembled violently as if an electric current had passed through her. She followed Jiang Zhe's finger and looked at the ground beneath her feet.

A wave of immense shock swept through her entire body!

"It's the earth... no, it's... the Earth!!!"

"Ah? Why? Why?" Xiaoyu jumped up, her beautiful eyes filled with shock and suspicion. "Why is it the Earth? Counter-intuition, and the first soul... they're all related to the Earth? Then what exactly is the relationship?"

Her questions left countless viewers dumbfounded, their bodies trembling uncontrollably.