126: Chapter 126: The Giant Black Hand on Earth!!!

In the lounge of Huaqing University.

Professor Guan Jingming was the first to recover from the inconceivable shock. He took a deep breath and looked at the stunned Li Mo beside him. "If, if the first soul truly came from Earth, then that actually aligns with Jiang Zhe's core theory!"

Dr. Li Mo shook his head, coming back to his senses. "Professor, what core theory?"

Guan Jingming's expression grew heavy. "He first argued that consciousness doesn't just exist in the mind, using global transplant cases to prove that consciousness can be stored throughout the body. Earth's consciousness doesn't just exist in its internal core either; it can be stored in the crust, the mantle, or even in the spiritual organisms beneath the surface and on the ground."

"Next, he deduced the conclusion that the soul can be split—and those transplant cases are his ironclad evidence."

"After that, he hinted that consciousness can exist independently of the physical body. Though shocking, when combined with the phenomenon of the soul being able to split, it forms a logical closed loop—consciousness indeed possesses [characteristics] that are independent of the physical body!"

He paused for a moment and let out a long breath. "Finally, he threw out [counter-intuitive] cases, especially the [Demon in the Brain]. This directly presents a question: where do these sources of interference come from?"

"If consciousness can exist independently, split, and be stored outside the body, then a consciousness that existed before all human individuals, one that can cover the globe and silently influence everyone—a [Super Consciousness]—must be [Earth itself]!"

With a solemn face, he pointed at Jiang Zhe on the large screen. "Earth itself becomes the most logical, direct, and even most terrifying answer!"

"It created the first batch of human soul templates, then scattered them like dandelion seeds into brains with promising intelligence. The 'I' that we humans have always believed in isn't actually 'me'; it's just a [singular individual manifestation] of the massive conscious entity that is Earth."

As he finished speaking, the other eight graduate students listened with faces full of horror.

Although it felt like a tall tale, it inexplicably made their spines tingle. The goosebumps spreading over their bodies told them that even if they didn't believe it, their bodies had betrayed them.

Li Mo gasped. "But, Professor, if Earth is the matrix and it created humans, according to what Jiang Zhe said before, it was to protect and to wait for an intelligent civilization that could look up at the stars. But now it's secretly regulating and even guiding some humans to actively seek death in extreme danger; this is completely contradictory!"

"This doesn't seem like a guardian at all; instead, it's more like a cruel experimenter, or even a prison incarcerating us humans!"

Guan Jingming shook his head. "This is precisely the confusing and frightening turning point. The first half of his theory pointed to a gentle Earth—a gentle Earth that nurtured human civilization and arranged a series of resources for humanity, just waiting for today!"

"But then he directly revealed that [Earth is microscopically controlling human life and death]."

"What is the purpose of this? It's completely incomprehensible!"

It wasn't just Professor Guan; the same doubt was present in the eyes of Zhou Ming, Zheng Ming, Celestial Master Zhang, Professor Chen Runzhi, and the others.

Earth's image shifted instantly from the original Creator to the mastermind behind the scenes.

This shift in image was so drastic that it felt as if a massive rift had appeared in their hearts, as if they had lost all strength to resist in an instant.

...

Meanwhile, in the living room.

Xiaoyu shook her head vigorously. The chill on her body hadn't dissipated yet, but she was the first to snap out of it.

Her expression gradually became serious. "The idea that the first soul without a physical body came from Earth does make sense logically. All your previous hints pointed toward Earth, Brother. But why?"

Xiaoyu's brows furrowed tightly, her tone filled with confusion. "Why would Earth create humans and grant them souls, only to manipulate them like chess pieces, not only hard-controlling the progress of human civilization but even micro-managing human freedom and thoughts to dominate the life and death of human individuals?"

"You clearly mentioned the Chronicles of Earth before—that it intentionally arranged for humans to appear today, intentionally waiting for a civilization that could look up at the vast universe and the starry sky."

"I thought we humans were its children, its long-awaited guardians!"

"As it turns out..."

"Looking at it now, that's not it at all!"

"How is it like a guardian? It's clearly a manipulator hiding behind the scenes, controlling all living beings!"

"With just a slight adjustment to the magnetic field fluctuations in a certain area, it can influence every human action. It gives humans free thoughts that don't belong to us when we face choices, intentionally guiding individuals toward different outcomes. It could even lose its temper at will—causing electromagnetic chaos in an area, leading to mass deaths from illness!"

Xiaoyu's expression became solemn once more, her tone tinged with anger.

"I understand now. Our freedom is all fake. Whatever it wants us to do, we have to do it obediently. Even those thoughts of resistance might have been implanted in us by Earth!"

These words resonated with the hearts of countless viewers.

"Xiaoyu spoke what was in my heart!"

"Exactly, this is too evil!"

"How is this Mother Earth? This is freaking the Final Boss!"

"Our free will is nothing but an illusion. Where is our freedom?"

"I feel so hopeless right now!"

"If Earth is like this, then what's the point of us humans living?"

Following Xiaoyu's questioning, the perception of Earth in the hearts of countless viewers plummeted. The sacred image instantly transformed into a terrifying, malicious figure full of a desire for control!

Zheng Ming stared at the large screen, clenching his teeth and furrowing his brows. "Is it really like this?"

Just then, Jiang Zhe finally spoke again.

His voice was very calm, even indifferent.

"Xiaoyu, do you think..."

"...that because Earth controls us, Earth must be evil?"

Xiaoyu was stunned, her beautiful eyes widening. "Of course it's evil! Manipulating other people's thoughts, freedom, and destiny—isn't that evil enough?"

A slight curve appeared at the corner of Jiang Zhe's mouth.

"Earth has no concept of good or evil. At the level of its Super Consciousness, at that dimension, the concepts of gain, loss, good, and evil based on individual survival and resources have no meaning at all!"

At this point, he suddenly paused for a moment and then asked back, "Xiaoyu!"

"What if Earth's original intention..."

"...was a beautiful one?"

Upon hearing this, Xiaoyu immediately snapped out of her anger, her expression becoming very strange and confused. "Huh? Beautiful? Brother, do you hear what you're saying? It's manipulating us and stripping away human freedom. How could that possibly be beautiful?"

At this moment, everyone listening—whether it was the viewers, Old Liu, Old Chen, Celestial Master Zhang, Wang Chongyang, or the others—all showed deep confusion.

A beautiful manipulation?

This has to be a joke, right?

Just as everyone felt Jiang Zhe was talking nonsense, he suddenly said with a serious expression, "Xiaoyu, what you should be asking me is: [Why did Earth arrange for the first batch of human souls to appear?], rather than trying to frame Earth in terms of [good and evil]."

Having said this, he pointed solemnly to the consciousness in his own head. "Xiaoyu, if the human soul was split from Earth's Super Consciousness, then you should consider why Earth would split off a sliver of its own soul, its own consciousness—you can call it whatever you like."

"Why would it split off a sliver of its own consciousness?"

Xiaoyu's expression froze, and the answer slipped out. "To protect Earth itself?"

"That's one aspect. What about the second?"

"The second..." Xiaoyu bit her lip in thought. After a long while, she shook her head. "Is there a second aspect? I don't know."

Jiang Zhe didn't hesitate for a second and gave the answer directly:

"To experience!"

"???"

"Huh? Experience?" Xiaoyu scratched her head, somewhat bewildered. "What kind of experience?"

Jiang Zhe said word by word, "Simply—[Experience!]"

At this, the viewers found it difficult to understand.

"Experience??"

"What kind of experience does Earth need?"

"Earth gave the first batch of souls to humans just for an experience?"

"I don't quite get it. What exactly is it?"

...

Meanwhile, inside Qingfeng Temple.

The usually taciturn Celestial Master Zhang suddenly had a glint in his eyes upon hearing the word 'experience' and stood up reflexively.

Beside him, Zheng Ming, Wang Chongyang, and Zhou Ming were startled by Celestial Master Zhang's sudden movement and looked at him in confusion.

"Little Celestial Master?" Wang Chongyang asked softly.

Celestial Master Zhang had a sudden epiphany, his gaze instantly becoming clear and transparent. "The Dao follows nature, yet the Dao is also sought. One knows that Heaven and Earth are heartless, treating all things as straw dogs; but where is the heart of Heaven and Earth? If that heart wishes to know warmth and cold, joy and sorrow, and to know the [finiteness] restricted by its own rules..."

Having reached this point in his enlightenment, Celestial Master Zhang couldn't help but shake his head, then sat down with a sigh of emotion.

"To experience!"

Celestial Master Zhang smiled, a smile of complete clarity!

Even the master of national studies, Wang Chongyang, twitched his eyebrows slightly, unable to grasp the meaning of those words for the moment.

...