CH 125

After wasting a bunch of dog food, Cheng Que still did not catch the point. Gu Langu felt that maybe it was best to limit future interactions with Cheng Que. After all, it didn’t seem to serve any purpose. Why bother studying psychology when you couldn’t even grasp the most basic emotions? Gu Langu thought he might as well be his own semi-mechanical self.

Cheng Que had no idea that Gu Langu looked down at him. As one of the geniuses who had once participated in the transformation of Gu Langu, Cheng Que probably never imagined that one day he would be criticized in the field of psychology simply because he didn’t actively indulge in affection.

Cheng Que had never doubted his professional abilities. Even when his secret involvement in the modification of Gu Langu’s psyche was exposed, there was never any intention from higher-ups to exile him. It was Cheng Que’s proactive and resourceful actions that landed him on the Cang Zhan Star. Clearly, Cheng Que’s value in the eyes of the Galactic Alliance was still highly regarded.

If someone as talented as Cheng Que were to be rejected simply because he didn’t indulge in affection, the losses would be significant. Fortunately, Shu Shuishui was a fair and impartial dormouse, completely unaware of his own affectionate gestures, and naturally, he didn’t pay attention to whether others were reciprocating.

After a satisfying meal, the tolerant dormouse extended a friendly invitation to Cheng Que to continue the conversation in his dorm.

Cheng Que, who rarely had such opportunities to relax, gladly accepted, ignoring the cold gaze from Gu Langu. This might be one of Cheng Que’s advantages, having been involved in the transformation of Gu Langu. He didn’t fear him like others did, and in Cheng Que’s eyes, Gu Langu was not unbeatable.

Amid Gu Langu’s somewhat displeased emotions, Cheng Que followed the two of them to the dorm.

Shu Shuishui even thoughtfully prepared a cup of tea for Cheng Que, indicating that this was going to be a lengthy discussion, and casually closed the door.

In an instant, Cheng Que realized the seriousness of the situation and his expression became more earnest.

Shu Shuishui, not accustomed to formal communication with others, scratched his head and decided to start with a topic. So, he thought for a moment and asked, “Been busy with work lately?”

Cheng Que pondered this question for a few moments. “Well, I’ve been researching mutant creatures going berserk.”

Shu Shuishui had initially asked casually but was suddenly intrigued by the importance of Cheng Que’s research. “Any discoveries?”

Cheng Que wasn’t quite sure which aspect Shu Shuishui was interested in, so he asked, “Such as?”

After all, the topic of mutant creatures going berserk was a complex enigma. Even in the previous generation, it had taken the combined efforts of the entire Galactic Alliance and a long time to make any progress. The research direction was too broad to pinpoint easily.

Shu Shuishui’s eyes sparkled with anticipation as he responded seriously, “Have you found any giant grasshoppers or something similar, preferably as big as pigs, or if not, at least as big as chickens?”

Cheng Que paused for a moment and then said, “Not yet.”

“Oh,” Shu Shuishui, in his humanoid form, would have raised his eyebrows if he could. But he quickly adjusted his attitude. “Any other discoveries? Like other insects?”

Cheng Que, more talkative now that he was discussing his research, replied, “There has been some progress. For example, the mutant rats in the Shui Jing Gong show no signs of going berserk, seemingly breaking the law that all mutant creatures must go berserk. I’ve extracted some fur and saliva from these rats and studied their past living environments, dietary habits, and so on, hoping to find key factors. Of course, it would be even better if we could have one or two of these gray rats cooperate in the research.”

As Cheng Que shared his insights into his research, the conversation continued.

Shu Shuishui was slightly wary. As a rodent, he had heard of a type of rat called a white rat, which seemed to be one of the most unfortunate rodents, living in cages from birth to death, with the only chance to leave the cage being death. “Experiment research? The gray rats are quite gray and not suitable for experiments.”

Cheng Que felt there might be a slight generation gap between him and Shu Shuishui because he often couldn’t grasp the causal logic in his words. What did being gray and unsuitable for experiments have to do with anything?

“Moreover, if you harm the rats, they will be very sad because now the gray rats consider us as friends,” Shu Shuishui added when he saw Cheng Que’s lack of response.

Cheng Que understood now and quickly explained, “Don’t worry, I won’t harm the gray rats. My expertise is in the field of the mind, which happens to be related to mutant creatures going berserk. Living organisms only have neural activity while they are alive. I’ve created some tools for monitoring and recording mental activity. The so-called experiments are quite simple; all they require is wearing these monitoring tools while living as usual. Other experiments are safe as well and only require some simple cooperation. If it’s something like collecting blood samples, I will gather the opinions of the gray rats in advance…”

When it came to his grand experiment plan, Cheng Que turned into quite the talker, explaining it all in a flurry of words. Shu Shuishui wondered if Cheng Que had been infected by Yu Jin’s verbosity1refers to the use of more words than necessary to express an idea.

Since the experiments wouldn’t pose a threat to the gray rats and could potentially impact future biological evolution, Shu Shuishui thought it was worth a try, with the condition that the gray rats volunteered. “Here’s the deal: You write up a contract, including compensation for participating in the experiments and a guarantee of safety for the gray rats. I’ll discuss it with the gray rats, and if there are volunteers, Xiao Cheng Cheng can provide the compensation. The gray rats will fulfill the contract, how about that?”

Gu Langu’s eyes lit up. “Experimenting sounds like a high-risk profession. The compensation should be substantial, and the rats undergoing experiments must enjoy absolute freedom.”

Cheng Que nodded vigorously. He knew that the Shui Jing Gong now had a strong liking for mutant rats, and most people had a taboo against experiments. But Cheng Que didn’t need to do any dissections or slicing; he had already mastered the basics and theory in his previous life. As for high compensation, he thought it was fine because he didn’t have any concept of savings anyway.

“Let’s talk about something else next, like the information you gave me,” Shu Shuishui said, taking out the documents he had already reviewed several times. “Have you shown these to anyone else?”

Cheng Que shook his head. Before the migration to the Huanxing Continent, there was no way he could have compiled such a set of information. But after witnessing the revival of a galaxy in the dungeon, Cheng Que had to believe that it was Shu Shuishui who had changed the apocalypse ending of the Cang Zhan Star, a person who changed the world by planting trees, in his past life.

Because he trusted his judgment, and also because of his gratitude for the book Shu Shuishui had given him, Cheng Que decided to incorporate his predictions about the apocalypse into the materials.

Because Cheng Que agreed to offer a high reward, Gu Langu suddenly found Cheng Que slightly more agreeable, just a tiny bit less cold. “What is the accuracy of your predictions, in your opinion?”

Cheng Que raised his head and looked directly at Gu Langu, responding with great determination, “Over ninety percent.”

This high percentage was somewhat intimidating and left Shu Shuishui and Gu Langu silent for a moment. Although they had long known that the end times were coming to the Cang Zhan Star, Cheng Que’s predictions extended beyond just the Cang Zhan Star; they encompassed the entire Canghai Galaxy and even the Xian Ge Galaxy.

“Why are you giving this information to me specifically?” Shu Shuishui wondered, as their relationship hadn’t yet reached the point where secrets could be entrusted.

“Because in my estimation, you are one of the means of self-preservation for the Canghai Galaxy,” Cheng Que’s words left Shu Shuishui somewhat puzzled.

Cheng Que continued to explain, “The Xian Ge Galaxy alerts its citizens of impending danger through cosmic sound, telling them to escape quickly. This is Xian Ge Galaxy’s self-preservation mechanism. The Canghai Galaxy, with similar technological levels and development, cannot possibly remain completely unresponsive…”

Cheng Que then systematically elaborated on his viewpoint, and his arguments were so perfect that no one could refute them. The information about the cosmic sound of the Xian Ge Galaxy was shared with Zone B before the Great Migration. This line of thought, how should we put it, displayed a maturity and perfection that transcended the limits of time and space.

Shu Shuishui and Gu Langu had no idea that Cheng Que had been grappling with this issue for countless years. With just a gentle nudge, he could grasp the entire concept.

According to Cheng Que’s estimation, both the Xian Ge and Canghai Galaxies had their own consciousness. Where this consciousness came from was another matter. Both galaxies had predicted impending danger, but they used different self-preservation strategies. Xian Ge communicated through cosmic sound, while the Canghai Galaxy’s warning came in the form of temporal anomalies, such as people inexplicably returning to their past selves. Of course, Cheng Que didn’t mention this last part. Examples included Shu Shuishui, who had traveled through time and space, and the somewhat peculiar Shi An’an.

Why did the Canghai Galaxy adopt such a self-preservation method? Because once Pandora’s Box was opened, it was challenging to close. The Canghai Galaxy had accidentally torn open the fabric of space during the war and had captured information from a higher-dimensional civilization. By decoding this information, they had achieved a technological explosion, entering the Galaxy Age.

Countless people marveled at this great and wonderful stroke of luck. Little did they know that when two civilizations were so far apart, it was theoretically impossible to detect any traces of the higher-dimensional civilization unless… it was deliberately baited.

The Canghai Galaxy had arrogantly bitten on that bait, reveling in the technological explosion. Little did they know that when a fish took the bait, the angler would become aware of it. All they needed to do was follow the fishing line, and they would locate the fish. If the fish was fat and juicy, it would be caught, if it was too skinny, it would be kept for a while, or simply thrown away.

The torn space resembled a ruptured black hole, impossible to seal. With no other options, the Canghai Galaxy devised a plan to continuously absorb creatures from other dimensions through these temporal anomalies. It was like buying a lottery ticket, hoping for a big win to turn their fortunes around.

The grand prize for the Canghai Galaxy was Shu Shuishui, and perhaps even Cheng Que himself, or other undiscovered individuals. But Shu Shuishui was definitely the jackpot.

These questions that had troubled Cheng Que for two lifetimes were finally unraveled. Was the Seventh-Dimensional Civilization merely passing by in the previous life? In an infinite universe, was it just a fortunate coincidence? It seemed unlikely. Looking at it now, the space-folding technology developed by the Cang Zhan Star was remarkably similar in principle to the button that the Seventh-Dimensional Civilization had thrown out. The only difference was that one was a newborn baby, and the other was an all-powerful ruler.

Shu Shuishui and Gu Langu listened in astonishment, finding themselves unexpectedly receiving so much information from Cheng Que today, and it sounded very reasonable. Both of them couldn’t help but form a new understanding of Cheng Que. Was he really just a genius in the field of psychology? Why did he have this eerie god-like perspective?

Translator’s corner:

Shui Shui really is a lucky star, the jackpot Canghai Galaxy won. \(^o^)/

He is also the jackpot in Gu Gu’s heart hehe…