76 Cambrian Consciousness
Part 1
Zhuang Yao grabbed Abu’s tail and jumped onto its back. He said, “Cong Xia, fix Abu’s claws, then stay with Cheng Tianbi to guard the car. Tang Yanqiu, Liu Fengyu, and I will go after them.”
Abu’s front paws were not seriously injured, but since it relied on all fours, any injury would affect its running ability. Cong Xia used a small amount of energy to heal Abu’s wounds.
Tang Yanqiu and Liu Fengyu also jumped onto Abu’s back. Following Zhuang Yao’s command, they traced the bloodstains and chased deeper into the forest.
Cheng Tianbi and Cong Xia stayed on the car roof, sorting out the mess of food that the monkeys had grabbed. Some of the vacuum-sealed packaging was torn by the monkeys, losing its freshness immediately. These items had to be consumed today, or they would go to waste.
Cong Xia felt a pang of distress. He moved the perishable food to the ground, intending to cook and eat it right away. He helplessly said, “These monkeys are so cunning. They don’t attack people. They come straight for the food without any defenses.”
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Ubldt Mkydck alrzkle, “Mblu esd’v pllx zkjl okze xsdjlup. Mblu yal vss ekpnkrzkdle, yp kq vblka ynvksdp yal rzyddle. Rdkvkyzzu, vblu olald’v osavb nbypkdt, cwv R vbkdj Hbwydt Zys byp y ekqqlaldv kely.”
“R vbkdj ps vss. Gzvbswtb xsdjlup yal dyvwayzzu kdvlzzktldv, vblu yal lypkzu rashsjle. Ebld Mydt Zydikw pbsv sdl sq vblx okvb yd yaaso, vblu eked’v qktbv cynj cwv nsdvkdwle vs qzll.”
Ubldt Mkydck rsdelale, “Uswze vblu cl esxlpvknyvle cu bwxydp?”
“Rv’p wdzkjlzu, aktbv? Mblal olal yv zlypv plhld sa lktbv xsdjlup fwpv dso, yde xspv sq vblx olal xwvydvp, yzvbswtb vblu hyakle kd eltall. Mblpl xsdjlup yal xwnb pvasdtla vbyd bwxydp. Ysdjlup yal dsv yp lypkzu vyxle yp estp.”
“Nlv’p oykv yde pll. El’zz jdso obld vblu nsxl cynj.”
Ubldt Mkydck blzrle Usdt Dky plv wr y qkal yde pvyavle nssjkdt. Mblu wpwyzzu eked’v lyv zwdnb vs pyhl vkxl yde qsse, cwv dsv lyvkdt eked’v xlyd vblu olald’v bwdtau. Usdt Dky pyzkhyvle yp bl nssjle vbl xlyv pzknlp.
Fkvvkdt clpkel bkx, Ubldt Mkydck ypjle, “Ebyv es usw vbkdj ycswv Hbwydt Zys’p rasrsple nwzvkhyvksd xlvbse?”
Usdt Dky pxkzle ckvvlazu yde pyke, “Tsdlpvzu, R nyd’v alqwvl bkx. Ebld kv nsxlp vs vbl qlypkckzkvu sq vbl nwzvkhyvksd xlvbse, R esd’v jdso xwnb xsal vbyd bkx. Mbl kdqsaxyvksd kd vbl ydnkldv fyel kp vss rasqswde yde lmvldpkhl. Ebyv R jdso dso kp rascyczu fwpv vbl vkr sq vbl knlclat. Fkdnl bl elrknvle pwnb y rasxkpkdt qwvwal sq ldbydnle ldlatu, R’hl clld bszekdt sdvs y qzwjl xldvyzkvu, vbkdjkdt kv pbswze cl pyql. Ekvb vbkp ralnsdnlkhle dsvksd, kv yqqlnvp xu shlayzz fwetxldv.”
Cheng Tianbi nodded, “The reason I have concerns, besides feeling that this ‘shortcut’ method is not reliable enough, is another reason that worries me a lot.”
“What’s the reason?”
“Ever since Zhuang Yao mentioned the Cambrian consciousness, there has been a concept lingering in my mind.”
“A concept?”
Cheng Tianbi’s eyes were as deep as the sea, seemingly containing endless thoughts. He calmly said, “Balance.”
Cong Xia muttered and pondered over the two words, “Balance…”
“Yes, balance. I have been thinking, if the Cambrian consciousness truly exists, what kind of balance does the Earth seek to achieve? Would annihilating humanity be considered balanced? If that’s the case, why did humans evolve? If humans didn’t evolve, they would eventually be eliminated by other powerful creatures. But humans did evolve, and from what we can see now, although the number of evolved humans is much smaller than that of evolved animals and plants, the evolved humans are much stronger. Take Chongqing, for example, or the Tang Family. Despite the decline in living conditions, human dominance hasn’t changed. So, what purpose does the Cambrian Consciousness truly aim to achieve? Now we even have the Puppet Jade, which accelerates the evolution of nearby animals and plants, and the Ancient Jade, which helps us evolve faster than other humans. In a sense, is this also a form of imbalance? Does it make sense?”
Cong Xia weighed in heavily and stated, “You’re right. Assuming the Puppet Jade is an appendage of the Cambrian consciousness, why does it create inequality in the speed of species evolution? The very essence of the Cambrian consciousness is supposed to be about maintaining equilibrium, yet it is actively creating imbalance. The same goes for the Ancient Jade, creating an imbalance between its owners and others. If the Ancient Jade is meant to counterbalance the Cambrian consciousness, then its existence is understandable, but the Puppet Jade is truly incomprehensible. If the Cambrian consciousness truly exists, it’s like a massive conspiracy, but we can’t fathom its mysteries.”
Cheng Tianbi looked towards the mysterious depths of the forest, lost in thought.
Cong Xia stirred the fire, contemplated for a moment, and continued, “Do you think the Cambrian consciousness can think? Can it reason like humans?”
Cheng Tianbi shook his head, “I don’t know.”
“Based on what we know so far, it’s unlikely. If the Cambrian consciousness can do everything and even think like humans, then the environment required to annihilate humanity would be much harsher than it is now.”
“Not necessarily. The theory Zhuang Yao mentioned merely postulates that the Cambrian consciousness is a form of consciousness seeking balance. But no one knows what kind of balance the Earth truly desires. Perhaps the actions the Cambrian consciousness is taking right now are its way of achieving what it deems as balance.”
Cong Xia asked, “So, the fate of humanity may not be complete annihilation but rather weakening?”
Cheng Tianbi fell silent for a moment before saying, “Even if humans are weakened now, as long as their intellect remains, they will rise again in a few decades or centuries. If there are no intelligent beings on Earth to rival humans, they cannot be prevented from making a comeback.”
Cong Xia’s hand trembled slightly, “Are you suggesting that the Cambrian consciousness may create intelligent beings to counterbalance humans?”
Cheng Tianbi shook his head again. “If you want to counterbalance an imbalanced force, you either annihilate that force entirely or create a force that can counterbalance it. Other than that, there is no other way. This is just a theoretical speculation. From what we can see now, the Cambrian consciousness seems to be employing a dual approachāweakening humanity while creating beings with physical abilities stronger than humans.”
“It seems like it leaves no way out for humanity, yet it allows a small fraction of humans to evolve…” Cong Xia sighed. “I really can’t comprehend what the Cambrian consciousness is trying to accomplish.”
He sprinkled pepper and chili powder on a few pieces of crispy roasted buns and handed them to Cheng Tianbi. “Come on, Tianbi, let’s eat. Don’t think too much. Even the Cerebral Domain Evolvers can’t figure out things like this. It’s useless for us to dwell on it.”
Cheng Tianbi took the bun and began eating it alongside the boiled meat slices. With a bite of the roasted bun, Cong Xia’s mood immediately improved.
Since they couldn’t understand certain things, it was better to stop thinking about them. The most important thing was the delicious food in their mouths. Even in such a harsh environment with scarce ingredients and seasonings, Cong Xia always found ways to make various tasty dishes. He knew that he had to cherish every meal because no one knew if there would be another one.
As Cong Xia ate, he also roasted buns for the other three. After more than half an hour, Abu came running out of the forest.
Cong Xia called out, “Come and have a meal.”
The others slid down from Abu’s back, and Zhuang Yao chuckled. “Those monkeys indeed have a leader. We found a tourist area in Leshan. There used to be monkey performances there. It’s quite a gain for us. We finally found people and can determine our location.”
“That’s great. Are there many people there?”
“I’m not sure. We didn’t go in, but we remembered the way,” Zhuang Yao looked at his watch. “After we finish eating and take a break, we’ll head to that tourist area. If they can provide useful information, we can give them those things as a gift.”
The group sat down and enjoyed their meal, quickly devouring the pot of boiled meat slices. After finishing their meal, they got back in the car and headed towards the tourist area.
After driving for about two to three kilometers, the trees around them noticeably thinned out. In the distance, a corner of human architecture faintly appeared, and there were discarded railway signs along the road, indicating that a certain tourist area was ahead.
Suddenly, Cheng Tianbi said, “Wait, stop the car.”
Liu Fengyu stopped the car.
Cheng Tianbi jumped out and groped for something about five or six meters in front of the car. He observed the direction of the surrounding plants and any unusual areas.
He stuck a military knife into the ground and then returned to the car, saying, “Reverse the car.”
Liu Fengyu, unaware of the situation, reversed the car while Abu followed suit.
Cheng Tianbi said, “Xiao Tang, shoot at the handle of that dagger.”
“Alright.” Tang Yanqiu didn’t question why and immediately shot the arrow.
Suddenly, a crackling sound filled the air, as if something tightly stretched had instantly snapped. Several trees in the vicinity trembled violently, and a row of bamboo spikes shot up from the ground, rushing towards the spot where they had parked the car just moments ago.
Zhuang Yao blinked his eyes. “Luckily, we didn’t move forward earlier.”
Cheng Tianbi said, “There are quite a few traps here. I’ll scout ahead, and you guys follow from behind.”
Cheng Tianbi had extensive experience in jungle warfare and often set up various traps himself. Although getting caught in these traps wasn’t difficult to avoid, once triggered, it was nearly impossible for a person to escape. Therefore, he was highly alert to all kinds of traps in the jungle. If he detected any abnormal tree patterns or the distinct scent of broken stems in the air, he could quickly sense the warning signs.
Everyone heightened their vigilance, and Liu Fengyu even climbed onto the car’s roof. With his abilities, he could at least withstand and prevent widespread attacks, avoiding damage to the car and the cat.
Fortunately, Cheng Tianbi managed to spot and disable all four or five traps set along the road. With Tang Yanqiu’s long-range attack abilities, they were able to dismantle them one by one and safely enter the tourist area.
Just as they approached the dilapidated entrance gate of the tourist area, a group of people wielding various weapons such as knives and guns rushed towards them. They were accompanied by several monkeys. The leader was a young woman who looked quite attractive but had a fierce expression. She pointed her gun at Cheng Tianbi and shouted, “Who are you people? Who let you in? Get out of here, or we won’t be polite!”
Tang Yanqiu also drew her bow, aiming at them.
Cheng Tianbi coldly said, “Your monkeys stole our food.”
The woman sneered, “You should have taken care of it. It serves you right for getting robbed. I see you’re not lacking food either. We have so many people here. What difference does it make if you leave us a bit? You still have to pay the toll when passing through.”
Cheng Tianbi retorted, “We’ve come to retrieve our belongings.”
The woman bit her lip, hesitating.
This group of people not only had such a large cat with them but also easily destroyed the traps they had carefully set up. They didn’t seem easy to deal with, and if a fight broke out, they wouldn’t come out unscathed. However, they couldn’t bear to let the food they had obtained slip away for nothing. They were reluctant to give it up.
Just as the two sides were deadlocked, Zhuang Yao spoke up, “We were passing through here and got lost. If you can provide us with some useful help, we’ll consider those things as your reward, and we won’t pursue the matter any further.”
The woman didn’t fully trust them and still held onto her gun. She questioned, “What do you want to know? Since the earthquake, we haven’t left this place and know nothing.”
“You must be more familiar with this area than us. Do you have any maps or anything that can help us determine the direction?”
The woman hesitated for a moment. “We do.”
“We need a map of the nearby scenic area and anything you have that can help us navigate. We want to go to Xi’an from here.”
The woman continued to watch them with caution. She glanced at her companions and used eye contact to discuss with them.
Cong Xia said, “Miss, if we intended to attack you, we wouldn’t waste time talking. We genuinely want to cooperate.”
After whispering among themselves for a while, they finally put down their guns. The woman said, “You’d better not play tricks. Our people and monkeys here are not to be trifled with.”
Cong Xia smiled kindly, “Miss, rest assured, we will keep our promise.”
They opened the gate of the ticket office and said, “Come in.”
The woman introduced herself, “I’m Ming Lan, I used to be a tour guide here. He is my husband, the former animal trainer of this place. Those monkeys obey him.” She pointed to a silent man next to her.
Cong Xia said, “These monkeys are well-trained, and even after mutating, they still listen so obediently.”
Ming Lan smiled as she looked at the monkeys. “We raised them from a young age. Some of them didn’t get tamed properly and ran back to the mountains after the earthquake. Only these eight remained.”
The animal trainer snorted coldly and turned his head away.
Cong Xia suddenly remembered that Tang Yanqiu had shot one of the monkeys in the butt, but considering that the group of monkeys had stolen from them first, it was understandable that they fought back.
Ming Lan said, “Most of the people here are employees of the tourist area, along with some visitors who were here that day. The majority of us are locals from Leshan. We can’t help you with your journey to Xi’an, but we can guide you to the highway leading to Hanzhong. Finding that highway shouldn’t be a problem.”
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