Chapter Forty-Eight: Qi Shiming

On the solemn divine throne, the vessel currently being infused with consciousness looked toward the stairway to divinity.

Boundless pain, and an awakening that transcended that pain, forged together that formidable psionic energy.

He remembered that psionic energy.

Qi Shiming remembered the person who had died and returned to life faster than he did.

His name was stored within the vessel.

"Mo Wen."

A monster from another world, the formidable enemy that the [Syndicate] had tried everything to kill, the source of interference that hindered the smooth progress of resurrection...

A kind, steadfast, yet suffering man.

Even though he was still far from a complete resurrection, and only a tiny fraction of Qi Shiming had just entered the vessel, he could not help but make a move.

Before the new ruler of the mortal divine kingdom, distance was distorted, and Mo Wen arrived directly at the divine throne.

No, it was no longer a divine throne.

When Qi Shiming's will descended into the vessel known as Number Zero, even though only a small fraction of him had returned, that divinity was still heavily diluted by strong humanity.

On an ordinary chair, a man stood up and greeted Mo Wen.

There was no blinding divine radiance about him, no supreme goodness and beauty that one could recognize at a glance, only a plain and simple goodwill, as unpretentious as a good neighbor willing to lend a hand just by saying hello.

He said with a hint of regret, "My consciousness was a bit unclear just now, so I didn't notice you immediately."

"I am already aware of the conflicts between the [Syndicate] and you. I cannot represent the Syndicate; I can only represent myself, offer you my apologies, and do my best to make amends for all of this."

"Come, sit."

With a casual wave of his hand, an identical chair appeared beside Mo Wen.

When Mo Wen sat down, he could feel a warm light permeating him, striving to suppress his out-of-control psionic energy. Although it could not completely erase the negative effects, it made him feel much better.

Then, Mo Wen heard the man in front of him begin to ramble.

"I also know that people couldn't really accept my death at the time, but there was truly no other way. In the end, I was the only one who could carry that burden."

"However, I have returned after all."

"What's in the past must remain in the past, since things have turned out this way anyway. What can be done? We'll just slowly fix it."

"To die thirty billion people in one breath, and with all of it exposed, even if the intensity of the subsequent wars is kept within a reasonable range, the impact on the entire civilization is still immensely huge."

"The power to heal death and resurrect the living is not a perfect fit for modern human civilization. If we do not resurrect them, it means a vast number of high-quality populations would be senselessly consumed. If we resurrect them rashly, it will lead to extreme personality cults and deliver a severe blow to the concept of death. This requires careful planning."

"I don't mind reshaping the world with my own strength, but I hate the dictatorship of the divine, especially after having witnessed how crazy some fellows became just to resurrect me."

"My thoughts are not always correct, civilization also needs more people who can think, and every era should have its own navigators."

"The wisdom of the elders can be drawn upon, but eternal rulers imply the ossification of ideology, and besides, long-term high-intensity work is bad for me."

"I am a part of civilization and willing to contribute, but I shouldn't have every job dumped on me, making me work twenty-four hours a day with no life of my own, and even dragging me up to work overtime after I'm dead."

"And then there's a bunch of ideological line issues... The [Syndicate] created Number Zero, hoping to run a consciousness network where the masses are one, connecting everyone to form an unprecedented super psionic entity, and then distributing power from that psionic entity. It's indeed a good idea, but it also has a bunch of loopholes. For instance, I can't cut people off the network right now, so I still have a bunch of messy noises buzzing in my ears."

"Based on your 'spiritual root', humanity can also develop a new technological system. It doesn't perfectly match psionic energy, but it can continuously adapt and evolve with excellent potential."

Before Mo Wen, the man who had been passionate in the script CG, regarded as a human pioneer by major corporations, whose corpse replaced the sun to shine upon all living beings, the greatest and most powerful man on this planet was pouring out his grievances.

He talked about the distress of dealing with the current situation, the difficulties of choosing the future, regretted the deaths of the people, acknowledged the achievements of all parties, and criticized the mistakes and omissions of the [Syndicate] and the major corporations.

"Sigh, I merely shouted about dealing a disguised fatal blow to the capitalist system. Since the devil can wear monk robes, naturally the Buddha can wear devil skin."

"As a result, it really got distorted into this current appearance. But to be honest, some things can indeed only be resolved by new technologies. The progress of civilization does not care about the tears of the eliminated, and sympathy cannot change the most basic laws."

"Yet likewise, technology cannot simply change human hearts; the two must be combined to go far and well. Even the new humans need a good environment to grow into what they are now."

"Ah, speaking of those good kids. They proved humanity's determination to resist, and their resistance will become an example for future generations."

"We must never let an irresistible behemoth run wild just because of a verbally pleasant outcome."

Mo Wen listened attentively, and his understanding of Qi Shiming became increasingly clear.

Qi Shiming was indeed a man with a firm will, striving to make everything better.

He had his own persistence and unshakable bottom lines, but he also knew how to listen to others and never considered himself absolutely correct. Of course, he could not stand pure idiots devoid of logic, nor would he abandon his own equally correct path just because someone else sounded very right.

He possessed both a great love for humanity as a whole and a small love for each specific individual. He was enthusiastic about grand transformations, yet he would not turn a blind eye to the minor problems amidst drastic changes, nor would he lose sight of the big picture for small gains, nor would he feel that he had to take everything upon himself and carry all the problems alone.

He would not brutally abandon those who were eliminated, nor would he suppress those who were more outstanding. He did not think sacrifice was something absolutely necessary, nor was he blindly opposed to sacrifice.

There was a place for himself in his heart—not too far ahead, not too far behind, not so far that it exceeded his responsibility, but not so far that the responsibility drowned him out.

Was he a flawless person? Certainly not.

Yet he was a leader with responsibility and capability, a considerate friend, and a friendly stranger.

Those problems caused by the design flaws of the [Syndicate] did not disturb Qi Shiming at all. He remained open-minded, willing to listen, willing to seek help and opinions from others, and did not plunge into extremes like the others who borrowed the power of Number Zero.

Mo Wen had to admit that even though Qi Shiming himself acknowledged that resistance was a good thing, there was really no need to resist.

The [Syndicate] successfully resurrected Qi Shiming, bringing about a result that could be called perfect.

Only...

"What will become of me?"

Qi Shiming looked at this moving skeleton, this rejector of death driven by obsession, and chose not to lie.

"I'm sorry, I cannot save you."

"Out-of-control psionic energy remains a terminal illness, and the existing resurrection system cannot carry you."

"Besides... unfortunately, my intuition tells me that the entire world is rejecting you."