Chapter 823: The Theory of Evolution
"Sounds dangerous, but the ones who can stand out here are hardly normal people either," Qi Xia said.
"Yes. The ones who reach the top are either madmen or monsters. As for the second flaw of 'Wish Fulfillment'—the so-called 'Immortal Arts' are split into tens of thousands of pieces," Earth Snake continued. "This doesn't seem like true 'Wish Fulfillment' at all. Those who want wind can only have wind; those who want rain can only have rain. So my teacher spent a long time specifically researching two topics: first, how to firmly establish a person's conviction? Second, how to enable a person to obtain multiple 'Immortal Arts'?"
"And then?"
"And then... he achieved some extremely significant 'research results.'"
Before Earth Snake could say what his so-called "research results" were, Qi Xia interrupted him and said, "So what you have on your back is the 'research process.'"
"Of course..." Earth Snake smiled bitterly. "It's not just me; I have many colleagues. We are all 'research processes.' In order to contribute the best 'research results' to the 'Dragon' and 'Divine Beasts,' we endured pain that normal people could never bear. Now we are even more monstrous than monsters."
Chen Junnan listened on the side, growing angrier by the second. He cursed under his breath, "That bastard 'Sky Snake' already looked twisted enough, but I never thought his deeds would be this twisted too."
"No, the teacher is great," Earth Snake said. "Our sacrifices are necessary... And it's because I wanted to become a 'test subject' that I ended up like this in the end..."
"Why the hell do you keep lying to yourself?!" Chen Junnan was about to step forward and argue with Earth Snake, but Qi Xia reached out and stopped him.
"Don't bother trying to persuade him on this matter," Qi Xia said in a low voice. "This is probably the only thought he uses to hypnotize himself. Once his conviction collapses, he'll become nothing but a completely mad snake."
"This..." Chen Junnan looked at Earth Snake with difficulty, then finally turned his head away in defiance.
"My teacher... he always took a different path..." Earth Snake smiled grimly. "Perhaps there's only a thin line between genius and madness... He was the epitome of a madman genius."
"How so?" Qi Xia asked.
"Initially, his research topic was 'how to give a person a powerful conviction.' But after numerous experiments, he learned that the stronger the conviction, the crazier the person becomes," Earth Snake explained. "There seems to be a delicate critical point. If a person goes completely mad, they no longer know what 'Echo' is. But if they're only on the verge of madness, they can't unleash the full power of their 'Echo.' The book I gave you once mentioned this theorem..."
Upon hearing this, Qi Xia slowly furrowed his brow. He glanced at the books scattered in the corner, as if retrieving fragments of memory.
"Catch-22 Theory," Qi Xia blurted out.
"Exactly." Earth Snake smiled bitterly. "On the surface, according to Catch-22, only a madman among pilots can be exempted from flying, but they must submit a request themselves. However, once you submit the request, it proves that you are a perfectly sane person, and you're still doomed. But Qi Xia, you know this, don't you? This despair-inducing theory has a second rule."
"Yes." Qi Xia nodded. "The theory also states that a pilot can return home after flying twenty-five missions. But it also emphasizes that pilots must obey orders absolutely, or they can never return home. So the superiors can keep increasing the number of missions, and you cannot refuse. And so it goes, endlessly repeating."
"Doesn't this sound just like the 'Participants' and the 'Zodiacs'?" Earth Snake let out a miserable chuckle.
"Yes, we are all trapped by the rules," Qi Xia said.
"And so my great teacher had a sudden inspiration... Since those with strong convictions will inevitably go mad no matter what, why not start with madmen directly?" Earth Snake said.
"You mean the 'Natives'?" Qi Xia asked.
"Yes... There are madmen everywhere here, easy to come by," Earth Snake laughed. "The number of madmen even exceeds that of 'Participants.' In many cities, the 'Natives' combined could form an army of lunatics... If we could grant these madmen 'Immortal Arts'... wouldn't that be the most powerful 'Immortal Art Army'? They have no thoughts of their own, are easier to control than any 'Participant,' and besides, their deaths don't matter. Even if they perish from the backlash of the 'Immortal Arts,' it's just the loss of a walking corpse."
Hearing this, Qin Dingdong's expression gradually turned grim. "I find it hard to agree that your teacher is a 'genius'... He seems crazier than anyone."
"No, he's not as crazy as the 'Natives,'" Earth Snake said. "For a long time, his research focused on how to make the 'Natives' obtain 'Immortal Arts.'"
Qi Xia thought for a moment and asked, "So how did he do it?"
"The teacher tried many methods," Earth Snake explained. "First, emotional stimulation. Then he tried to make them break down. Eventually, it escalated to physical beatings. But none of these methods worked. The 'Natives,' who had lost all reason, could not only feel no emotional changes, but also ignored physical pain. Although beating them made them afraid, it couldn't awaken their inner 'Echo.' The teacher told me... they were like a group of unenlightened beasts."
"Beasts...?" Qi Xia felt this description was rather tragic. These people didn't have to become beasts in the first place.
"I told you, my teacher was a true genius..." Earth Snake said with a hint of mockery. "Since they were 'beasts,' we needed to find a way to make them 'evolve'..."
A terrifying grin slowly spread across Earth Snake's face.
"Do you know what an indispensable step in human evolution is...?" Earth Snake turned his head to look at Qi Xia, his expression filled with an unforgivable sorrow.
"I feel every step is indispensable," Qi Xia said. "Which step does your mad teacher believe it is?"
"It's 'cannibalism'..." Earth Snake said. "Although human DNA is now etched with the prohibition of 'prion disease,' fossil evidence from tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of years ago shows bite marks of cannibalism. From this, my teacher speculated... that the most direct and fastest way for early humans to grow stronger was to eat their own kind."
"Then he really is insane," Qi Xia said.
"Crazy as he was, he truly succeeded," Earth Snake laughed. "I also witnessed the most shocking scene of my life... A group of people who had lost their minds were eating each other... and one of them actually managed to activate an 'Echo.'"