Chapter 666: Ideas

Jie Ming fell into thoughtful contemplation as he read this.

He had previously attended one of Professor Victor’s lectures, where the professor promoted the theory that the birth of the Strange was related to spiritual intelligence.

But now it seemed that was only a relatively superficial cause.

……I have observed countless cases of the Strange attacking humans.

The elderly, children, men, women, ordinary people, spirit mediums, and even those in vegetative states.

I discovered one consistent pattern: as long as it is a human, the Strange will attack.

Regardless of whether you have consciousness, regardless of whether you exhibit behavior—as long as you are human, the Strange will treat you as a target.】

【But animals are not attacked.】

【No animal is ever attacked by the Strange. The possibility of animals being attacked by the Strange is not “very low,” but “never.” No records exist of any cat, dog, rat, or bird being killed by the Strange.

They can move freely in areas overrun by the Strange without suffering any harm.

Plants are not attacked either.

Even primates that have undergone special training and possess intelligence levels close to humans are not attacked by the Strange.】

【What does this indicate?

It indicates that the Strange’s “target-locking” mechanism does not depend on physiological form, does not depend on behavioral patterns, and does not even depend on conscious activity.

A person in a vegetative state has no consciousness, yet is still killed by the Strange.

An ape has consciousness and even a degree of intelligence, yet is not attacked by the Strange.】

This was also a question Jie Ming had thought about at the time, but without samples, he had been unable to determine the specifics.

It appeared Professor Victor had already conducted a thorough study.

【Therefore, the only commonality in the Strange’s targeting is “humanity” itself.】

【I spent a long time pondering this question. Then I reached a conclusion—one that probably won’t be accepted by anyone: the Strange are not an external threat.

The Strange are the product of the relationship between humans and this world.

It is the very existence of humans that leads to the birth of the Strange.

Just as light produces shadows, just as flowing water produces ripples.

Humans are the “discordant note” in this world, and the Strange are the “echo” produced by the world to eliminate that discord.】【Therefore, the Strange will never disappear.】

【As long as humans exist, the Strange will be born endlessly. This is a fundamental rule of how this world operates.】

【The battle between humans and the Strange will never stop.】

Jie Ming’s finger paused on the page.

He raised his head, his gaze passing through the bookstore window to the sky outside.

The cloud hole was almost completely filled by the mist again, leaving only a small, irregular blue patch—like a pupil slowly closing. Was the professor right?

Not necessarily.

But it was a valid hypothesis, and one that could explain many phenomena.

Jie Ming roughly understood Professor Victor’s thinking.

【Since the battle will never stop, what humans must do is not “eliminate the Strange”—that is impossible.

What humans must do is “change their own nature.”

If the Strange attack humans because humans are “human,” then make humans no longer “human.”】

【The Strange do not attack each other. If humans can acquire the characteristics of the Strange—even the most basic and weakest ones—the Strange will no longer attack humans.】

Jie Ming nodded. This was precisely Professor Victor’s idea.

The true goal was not to obtain greater combat power, but to gain the “identity authentication” of the Strange while preserving human essence. It was like dressing an ordinary person in the “outer garment” of the Strange, allowing the world to recognize him as “Strange” rather than “human.” In this way, he could walk freely in the world of the Strange without being attacked.

Of course, this was only the first step.

From the later content in the notebook, the professor’s ultimate goal was the complete fusion of humans and the Strange.

Humans would gain the characteristics of the Strange, while the Strange would gain human will.

Both sides would lose part of themselves in the fusion, and each would gain a portion of a new self.

The resulting existence would be neither human nor Strange, but a brand-new life form that had never appeared in this world before.【This is what I call “human liberation.”】

Jie Ming’s hand paused while turning the page.

He reread the last line: “human liberation.”

Liberating humanity from the shadow of the Strange, from endless fear, from the fate that “being born human means having to face the Strange.”

“This… could probably be considered an alternative Human Instrumentality Project…”

He was silent for a few seconds before continuing.

【Of course, this goal is too distant.

With current technology, with my abilities, and with the resources of this era, I cannot achieve it.

So I settled for the next best thing.

I wanted to find a plan for the perfect fusion of humans and the Strange.

It doesn’t need to work for everyone—only for a portion of people.

It doesn’t need to permanently resolve the conflict between humans and the Strange—only to ensure that, in the coming centuries, humans are no longer forced to passively take hits when facing the Strange.

If, in the process, the fused humans can gain powerful combat strength, that would naturally be a good thing.

A large number of powerful combatants would at least allow humans to live more easily.

Unfortunately, due to the limitations of the era and technology, even this goal, I failed to achieve.】

【My plan is imperfect.

The risks of fusion are too high, and the success rate is too low.

Even if successful, the host’s will would be devoured by the Strange in a short time.

This is a failed technology, an unfinished work.

But the direction is correct.

I have this confidence.】

Jie Ming closed the notebook.

He leaned back in the rocking chair, closed his eyes, and lightly tapped his fingers on the armrest.

The professor’s theory was incomplete, and some parts were even untenable.

But his direction was right.

At least on the point that “humans need to change their own nature to escape the Strange,” Jie Ming agreed with him.

Moreover, the professor’s experimental data was extremely solid. Those failed experiences were incredibly valuable materials.

These materials could advance his research progress by at least half a year.

Jie Ming opened his eyes, reopened the notebook, and began carefully verifying one set of experimental data…

At that moment, the wooden door was suddenly pushed open with force.

The creak of the hinges was several times louder than usual, accompanied by a chaotic flurry of hurried footsteps.

Eric burst in, panting heavily, his face covered in sweat, his clothes smeared with dust, and his hair as messy as a bird’s nest.

His eyes were wide open, his pupils carrying a mixture of shock, excitement, and fear.

“Boss!” His voice cracked slightly. “Did you see it?! Outside… that… the sky! And that…” He pointed out the door, his finger waving wildly in the air, unable to find the right words to describe what he had seen.

Jie Ming raised his head, glanced at him, his expression as calm as if watching a falling leaf.

“I saw it,” he said.

Eric was stunned.

Only then did he carefully observe the scene before him.

Jie Ming was sitting in the rocking chair as usual, reading, his tone calm, as if this were just an ordinary day.

“You… you saw it?” Eric’s voice lowered.

Jie Ming’s calm demeanor also caused Eric to unconsciously drop out of his agitated state. “Then what do you think… that thing was?”

Jie Ming did not answer the question. He calmly changed the subject instead:

“Why are you back so early? What about work?”

Eric’s attention was diverted by the question.

He immediately showed a frustrated expression of having held back for a long time with nowhere to vent.

“That fat pig! That damn fat pig!” He plopped down on the stool opposite Jie Ming, hands on his knees, body leaning forward, his face flushed red.

“Something this big happened. Normally, public spaces and factories should gather personnel and wait for notifications from the Spirit Medium Association to prevent problems.”

“But that fat pig was worried that if someone died in the factory, he’d have to pay compensation, so he drove everyone home! Drove them home! Have you ever seen someone like that? Huh?”

The more he spoke, the more agitated he became, waving his hands in the air.

“I told him, what if there’s danger outside? He said whether there’s danger outside is the Association’s business, but if someone dies in the factory, it’s his business. How did he put it… ‘My factory is not a shelter!’ Ptooey!”

Jie Ming did not interrupt him, nor did he echo him.

He simply leaned back in the rocking chair with a neutral expression, his gaze resting on the black notebook in his hand.

Eric rambled on and on.

His mouth was dry from talking, but he couldn’t stop, like a balloon that had been held in for too long finally finding a place to release the air.

By the end, his voice gradually lowered and his speaking speed slowed.

His gaze was unconsciously drawn to the black notebook in Jie Ming’s hand.

He really hadn’t seen his boss read anything other than newspapers much. The book without a cover immediately piqued his interest. “Boss, what book are you reading?” Eric reached out, wanting to flip to the cover.

Jie Ming calmly swatted his hand away, his eyes still on the notebook.

“It’s nothing. With your current level, you wouldn’t understand it anyway.”

“Ah… haha…” Eric laughed awkwardly.

He truly didn’t dare refute this boss’s evaluation.

Jie Ming, however, closed the notebook, raised his head, and looked at Eric, appraising him with interest.

“Eric.”

Only when Eric started to feel uncomfortable under his stare did Jie Ming speak.

“Hmm?”

“Do you want to become a spirit medium?”

The air inside the old bookstore seemed to freeze.

The flame of the oil lamp flickered gently in the breeze. The spines of the old books on the shelves cast long, narrow shadows in the orange-yellow light. Outside, the sound of hurried footsteps on the stone pavement could be heard, and the low whistle of a distant factory echoed dully through the mist.

Eric’s mouth hung open, his eyes even wider than when he had rushed in. In his pupils was reflected Jie Ming’s calm face, which showed no discernible emotion.

……Huh?”