124 Part 2
Inside the spherical lab, there was not a single person. The all-glass and silver-metal decorations gave this place an eerie and oppressive atmosphere.
The interior of the laboratory was indeed vast, with various experimental equipment they had never seen before surrounding the lab’s perimeter. In the center of the laboratory, there was a large rectangular platform with a glass cover over it, thicker than ten centimeters. Inside the glass cover were four robotic arms, and in the center was a silver-white sphere about the size of a basketball, lying quietly.
“What is that?” Cong Xia was drawn to the sphere and felt a longing for it.
“That’s the puppet jade,” Cong Zhenzhong said.
“Puppet jade?”
Cong Zhenzhong nodded and brought over a computer. “It’s the puppet jade wrapped in tungsten metal.”
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“Mwdtpvld xlvyz? Rp kv y pkzhla-obkvl psqv xlvyz vbyv clnsxlp kdnalekczu blyhu sdnl kv’p plryayvle qasx vbl rwrrlv fyel?”
“Mbyv’p nsaalnv. Rv pllxp vbl pnkldvkqkn lmrlekvksd vlyx kdelle oayrrle vbl rwrrlv fyel kd vwdtpvld xlvyz clqsal bydekdt kv vs Dkys Ubldt. Xvblaokpl, Dkys Ubldt oswze cl qkdkpble cu dso.”
“Ebyv es usw xlyd?” Ubldt Mkydck ypjle.
Usdt Hbldgbsdt pyke, “Psd’v osaau; ol byhl xydu vbkdtp vs ekpnwpp vseyu. Nlv xl pbso usw vbkp rklnl sq rwrrlv fyel qkapv.” Tl wple bkp qkdtla vs kdvlaynv okvb vbl nsxrwvla, yde pssd, y nszsa kxytl yrrlyale sd vbl pnalld. Tl pyke, “R esd’v byhl vbl ywvbsakvu vs srld vbl vwdtpvld xlvyz cu xuplzq, cwv R nyd pbso usw vbl yrrlyaydnl sq vbl rwrrlv fyel obld kv oyp zypv alvaklhle yde rzynle kd vbl vwdtpvld xlvyz.”
Tl vyrrle zktbvzu, yde y vball-ekxldpksdyz kxytl pweeldzu rasflnvle kdvs vbl yka. Jlqsal vblx, y hkavwyz prynl yrrlyale, pbsokdt y eyxytle prblal ycswv vbl pkgl sq y rkdt rsdt cyzz. Rv oyp y eyaj, vaydpryaldv czynj fyel lxkvvkdt y qykdv czynj xkpv. Gv zlypv byzq sq vbl prblal oyp xkppkdt.
“Rp vbkp vbl rwrrlv fyel?” Usdt Dky wdnsdpnkswpzu alynble swv vs vswnb kv, cwv, sq nswapl, bl nswze sdzu qllz vbl yka.
“Zlp, vbyv’p vbl saktkdyz yrrlyaydnl sq vbl rwrrlv fyel.” Usdt Hbldgbsdt pyke, “El byhl clld nszzlnvkdt qaytxldvp sq vbl rwrrlv fyel, vaukdt vs rklnl kv vstlvbla.”
Hbwydt Zys tygle yv vbl hkavwyz kxytl pkzldvzu. “Ebyv’p vbl rwarspl sq eskdt vbkp?”
Cong Zhenzhong said, “Zhuang Yao, I don’t know the extent of your research under limited conditions, but after a year of research, no, not just one year, as early as when Zhuang Yu proposed the concept of ‘Cambrian consciousness,’ they began studying it when they detected the puppet jade as a super energy body using special instruments. Our conclusion is that the puppet jade is a ‘tool’ for realizing the ‘Cambrian consciousness’ and achieving Earth’s balance. I think maybe you have already guessed.” At this point, Cong Zhenzhong sighed, “Zhuang Yu is a once-in-a-millennium genius. He could have used his advanced understanding of ‘Cambrian consciousness’ to help humanity, delaying the arrival of the Second Cambrian period by at least a hundred years, allowing us to start preparing for the apocalypse from this generation onward. But…”
Zhuang Yao’s face darkened.
Cheng Tianbi spoke in a solemn tone, “Was it the scientific expedition team’s mission to Qinghai that triggered the premature outbreak of the Second Cambrian period?”
Cong Zhenzhong nodded, “Exactly. The expedition to Qinghai awakened the puppet jade.”
Cong Xia gasped.
“Cambrian consciousness, scientific expedition team, Qinghai, earthquakes, puppet jade,” this series of actions ultimately led to the current human catastrophe. In less than a year, nearly 70% of the population disappeared from this land—nearly 900 million living beings gone in less than a year. The scale of the tragedy was too massive for an ordinary person to imagine. If all this could have been delayed by a hundred years, with preparation and a century of technological advancement as a foundation, it wouldn’t be as devastating as it is now.
If they thought about it that way, Zhuang Yu was truly responsible for great sins.
Cong Zhenzhong continued, “I believe Zhuang Yu did not intentionally trigger the puppet jade. After all, the decision to send the scientific expedition team to Qinghai was not his alone. Many people in the Academy voted for it. However, now it’s meaningless to find out whose fault it was. After all, everyone here was involved in the research of the Cambrian consciousness. Now, what we need to do is to remedy and rebuild. But in terms of the approach to reconstruction, we and Zhuang Yu’s faction have irreconcilable differences. I believe Xiao Wang has also told you that Zhuang Yu advocates the survival of the fittest and vigorously developing mutant humans, while Tang Tingzhi and I advocate the revival of all humanity. Recently, their faction has faced quite a few attacks, both from outside forces who learned that mutant humans cannot reproduce and from internal attacks within the Academy due to an even more terrifying reason.”
The group listened intently.
Cong Zhenzhong’s slender fingers swiftly slid on the LCD screen, and the lenses reflected a blue light, making it difficult to discern his emotions. “I’ll show you a video.”
The virtual image before their eyes shifted from the puppet jade to a fully enclosed laboratory. The lab was quite large, almost the size of a basketball court, but within that vast space, there was only a small white mouse.
Cong Zhenzhong explained, “This is the seventh day after the birth of this white mouse. We placed it inside this laboratory to be exposed to the puppet jade’s radiation for twenty-four hours non-stop at the maximum level. And then…” He pressed a button, and the video started fast-forwarding.
Everyone stared intently at the small white mouse. In a matter of moments, the mouse began to mutate. First, it expanded in size like the mutated rats they had encountered before. The lab’s ceiling continuously dropped food as it grew larger and larger. When it reached three meters in height, its body began to develop twisted muscles, its fur fell off, and its originally snowy white fur turned into tough, brownish-black armor-like skin. Its tail became thicker than a human’s thigh. It became increasingly agitated and started relentlessly ramming into the walls, causing the image to shake continuously. The sturdy steel walls were often dented and dinged from its repeated impact. It kept growing, becoming a gigantic monster completely wrapped in hardened skin armor, armed from head to toe. At this point, there was barely any trace of a mouse left in the creature—it was nothing like the creature it was originally. The following developments became even more dramatic. Its bones started protruding through the skin, its eyes bulged out, and its cheeks sunken, making it look terrifying. When it grew to over five meters tall, it seemed as if the laboratory could no longer contain it.
The video continued, showing the monster’s continuous growth and transformation, becoming more and more menacing. Its size and strength seemed to defy the limits of nature, and it exhibited aggressive behavior, bashing its surroundings in a fit of rage.
Cong Zhenzhong paused the video and turned to face the group. “This was the result of exposing a small white mouse to the puppet jade’s radiation for just seven days. As you can see, the mutation was drastic and uncontrollable. The experiment was terminated at this point, but if we had allowed it to continue, who knows what monstrosity it could have become.”
Cheng Tianbi gulped and asked with a heavy voice, “What does this mean for humanity? Are these mutations occurring in humans as well?”
Cong Zhenzhong’s expression was grim. “Yes, we have reason to believe that similar mutations may be happening in humans. However, we have not conducted direct experiments on humans like we did with the mouse. We have witnessed some mutants exhibiting abnormal growth and heightened physical abilities, but these changes also come with serious consequences, such as infertility and aggressive behavior. We have to find a way to control and manage these mutations, or else it could lead to disastrous outcomes for humanity.”
It repeatedly collided with the walls, destroying the floor, and finally, it let out a mad roar, emitting a nightmarish sound. Then, with a loud bang, it exploded!
Fresh red blood and pieces of flesh scattered like a torrential rain, obscuring the camera’s view, and the silver-white space was filled with horrifying bloodstains.
All those who were focused on observing the small white mouse were startled and instinctively took a step back. The three-dimensional virtual image was too realistic, as if the splattering blood and flesh could reach their faces.
Gently, Professor Cong Zhensheng looked at them and said, “What you just saw was a recording of the 196-day experience of this small white mouse. During this half-year period, it received continuous and intense radiation from the puppet jade for 24 hours, the largest and most powerful radiation from puppet jade so far. It went through a crazy evolution during this time, almost changing its appearance every day and getting stronger day by day. However, in the end, it met destruction.”
Cong Xia recalled the terrifying scene with lingering fear and asked, “Is this the side effect of the puppet jade?”
“One of them,” Cong Zhensheng replied. He closed the gruesome footage and continued, “This was just one of our experimental subjects. We used a total of 38 subjects, involving various species. The lower the animal’s position in the hierarchy, the longer it took for destruction to occur. On the other hand, the higher the animal’s position, such as the chimpanzee, which is the closest to humans, it took only four months for it to evolve into destruction. When the chimpanzee died, it turned into a true giant, standing at eight meters tall and weighing nine tons. The cleanup of its remains took them a week.”
Zhuang Yao said solemnly, “Is this the ultimate outcome of evolution?”
Professor Cong Zhensheng looked at them calmly and said, “That’s right, this is the ultimate outcome of evolution. Of course, receiving the intense radiation from the largest puppet jade at close range for 24 hours is completely different from living in an environment with minimal radiation from the Cambrian energy. The evolution speed is at least a thousand times slower. Some mutated individuals will never come into close contact with the intense radiation of the puppet jade in their entire lifetime, and they will never evolve to such an extent. However, the faster the evolution, the closer it is to destruction. The ultimate outcome of evolution is destruction.”
Everyone fell silent, witnessing the tragic state of the small white mouse. No one could escape the worry that continuing to evolve might lead to a fate like a burst balloon, with blood and flesh splattered all around. They had been constantly practicing and strengthening themselves, hoping to evolve faster and better. But if they had known from the beginning that the ultimate outcome of evolution was a brutal death, would they still have devoted so much time to training?
“This is why we disagree with further developing mutated individuals. The functions of living organisms are determined from the moment of birth. Forcing evolution through external means has its limits. Exceeding the capacity that a living being can bear will only lead to destructive consequences. Our current mission is not to use the puppet jade to constantly create mutated individuals, accelerating their evolution, but to collect the puppet jade and find a way to seal off this wicked Cambrian energy. Only then can humanity step back from the brink of extinction. Otherwise, with infertility and accelerated evolution within one generation, humanity will ultimately be completely eliminated from this planet. No amount of advanced technology or powerful weapons can save us.”
Zhuang Yao lightly touched the glass covering the puppet jade and asked, “So, you have been collecting the puppet jade all along.”
“That’s right, we agree with Zhuang Yao’s faction on the point of collecting the puppet jade. However, we have differences in its use, so every time we use the puppet jade, we must vote on it.”
“Even if you manage to collect all the puppet jade, have you found a way to seal it? Can this type of metal alloy do the job?”
Cong Zhensheng shook his head, “The metal alloy can only isolate the radiation from the puppet jade. At first, we also wanted to use this metal to seal it, but later it proved that even if we did that, it would only buy some time for humanity. Without the triggering of the Qinghai expedition team, the metal alloy would eventually break, releasing the puppet jade. So, this is just a temporary solution, and it cannot solve the problem.”
“Neither have you found a way to seal the puppet jade, nor have you collected all the puppet jade…” Zhuang Yao turned his head, “How many fragments of the puppet jade are there exactly?”
Cong Zhensheng sighed, “The earthquake scattered the puppet jade. Most of the fragments are as small as fingernail pieces. If we assume all the fragments are that size, there are still at least thirty pieces scattered outside, and some may not even be in China—perhaps in the deep sea, maybe in foreign countries, or anywhere in the world.”
“Thirty pieces?”
“At least,” Cong Zhensheng pushed his glasses up.
A heavy stone seemed to weigh on everyone’s heart.
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Translator’s note: The chapters are really long. I’ll continue posting tomorrow for the bonus chapters. Thank you so much for the support, Crazy mama.
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