Simulation of Destruction, Why Am I Always the Arbiter

To be honest, it was freezing, the temperature had dropped below zero.

But the audience didn't seem to mind at all; most of them were even dressed lightly.

This was because their physical condition had been enhanced, constantly growing stronger since the records began to spread.

After all, they were gradually adapting to the Destruction, their physiques improved by the Destruction energy.

So, they braved the cold and heat, eagerly anticipating, and finally, after night fell, saw the lights illuminate the suspended stage.

"Ooh oh~ Chang'an, Chang'an..."

"Chang'an, I love you..."

The audience cheered and urged him on, waving their glow sticks, painting a brilliant ribbon of light across the land shrouded in darkness.

Ye Chang'an, wearing an outfit designed by Eden, descended from the sky, released the safety tether, and landed on the stage.

A massive holographic projection rendered his every move, showcasing his handsome face and unique aura to nearly a million viewers.

Even capital residents who couldn't make it to the venue could see him from their homes.

"Ohhhh~ It's Chang'an, it's Chang'an."

The audience shouted with even greater excitement until Ye Chang'an made a shushing gesture, which finally quieted the roar of sound.

These loyal fans were just too cooperative.

Ye Chang'an smiled, removed his fingers, and spoke softly without a microphone to greet them.

"Good evening, I am Chang'an."

His voice wasn't loud, but it miraculously reached everyone's ears.

This wasn't the power of technology, but the power of Destruction.

Ye Chang'an had turned the Destruction energy into a loudspeaker.

And it was surprisingly effective.

The audience loved this feeling, which was why they traveled so far to attend in person; otherwise, they could have just stayed home and watched the live broadcast.

This performance was being broadcast globally; Ye Chang'an had specifically requested it.

K had granted his wish, and thus, people worldwide witnessed this scene through the internet.

"(＃^.^＃)~My husband is so handsome." Eden, slacking off from work, watched the live broadcast and sent a comment with a playful smile.

It didn't cause a stir, as all the comments were similar, like "My husband is so handsome."

She was the woman with the most rivals in love in the world.

Of course, Ye Chang'an was also the man with the most rivals in love.

"This guy is still as brilliant as ever." Mobius was also slacking off, watching the live broadcast.

Ever since the records were released, her research had slowed down because the combined effect of the Chang'an Melody and Destruction energy had led humanity to evolve.

It felt as if her life's goal had been achieved, and she had become somewhat complacent, occasionally watching Ye Chang'an's performances.

As for Eden's performances... she rarely watched them.

"Wow, Chang'an really looks amazing~" Blanca exclaimed like an adoring fan from her room plastered with posters.

Many, many others were watching this live broadcast.

Hua, Kevin, Mei, Su, Aponia, Vill-V, Pardofelis, Cosmo, Sakura, and Ling... and of course, the old leader K.

Under the global spotlight, Ye Chang'an began the opening with a smile and then took out the flute from his waist to play.

The audience present needed the Chang'an Melody to alleviate their erosion symptoms, as they had absorbed some Destruction energy by coming here.

The thousands of experimental victims, arranged in a separate area, also needed the Chang'an Melody to alleviate their erosion.

They were the ones who needed it most.

Every time Ye Chang'an played the Chang'an Melody, the audience would display expressions of peace and serenity.

No one made a sound; they just wanted to listen quietly.

But this time, a disturbance occurred, originating from those thousands of experimental victims.

"Ah... cough..."

Screams and retching sounds didn't affect the other ordinary audience members immersed in the music, but they caught Ye Chang'an's attention.

He continued playing while glancing over, noticing that all of them were experiencing varying degrees of convulsions and vomiting, with some clutching their heads and screaming in agony.

The Erosion Markings exposed on their skin not only hadn't receded but showed signs of increasing.

—What's going on? There isn't much Destruction energy around them.

Ye Chang'an was perplexed. He transferred the Destruction energy near them to other areas for people to absorb, yet the increase in Erosion Markings didn't stop.

If he kept playing, these people would turn into berserkers.

He stopped playing, maintaining a calm smile as much as possible, but his heart was anything but calm.

Mobius, watching the live broadcast, was unaware of the situation on stage, but she knew Ye Chang'an wouldn't interrupt his performance without reason. Recalling the reason for the performance she had heard about earlier, she picked up her phone and made a call.

The call was answered instantly, and she couldn't wait to speak.

"Chang'an, have the test subjects started showing abnormal reactions?"

"Mhm."

"Tell me the details," Mobius asked urgently, afraid the experimental victims would mutate en masse and lead to a tragedy.

"Mobius, people's joys and sorrows are not interconnected~"

Ye Chang'an sighed softly. The moment he answered Mobius's call, he had already figured out the reason.

PS: The next chapter will be three thousand characters long. That's right, I've already written it and will post it later. Saving up for some forum posts ^_^

Chapter of Creation: Journey to a New World: 31. What is the End of "Evolution"?

"People's joys and sorrows are not interconnected." This was a sentence Mobius had said during a report on Chang'an Melody's research results.

It meant that things you like might not be liked by others.

There were definitely people in the world who disliked Chang'an Melody, such as the deaf who couldn't hear.

They couldn't adapt to the Destruction by listening to Chang'an Melody because they couldn't feel the beauty of the music, thus failing to activate the human body's pursuit of beauty.

The specific process for Chang'an Melody to take effect was [Hear Chang'an Melody → Crave Chang'an Melody → Start adapting to Destruction]. The first two conditions must be met simultaneously for the third to occur.

Therefore, Chang'an Melody also had limitations, though not as outrageous as the Sword Heart Art.

Thus, Mobius understood the situation with just this sentence. After a moment of thought, she immediately refuted it.

"Chang'an, don't jump to conclusions. If those people disliked Chang'an Melody, they wouldn't have become test subjects."

People who disliked Chang'an Melody couldn't adapt to the Destruction; they were just ordinary people.

Crazy scientists weren't interested in such people because they wanted to study the changes that occurred after continuous adaptation to the Destruction.

Therefore, the chosen test subjects must have liked Chang'an Melody.

As for the abnormal reactions that had just occurred, Mobius quickly provided an explanation.

"It's probably because they've been tortured by the experiments for too long, and their bodies have developed some irrational neural responses to Chang'an Melody."

Most of the body's actions were based on commands from the brain, but some behaviors were not controlled by the brain.

For example, the patellar reflex.

Or, to put it more colloquially, male physiological responses.

You and your buddy see a beautiful woman at the same time.

You: "That's it?" (Disdainful face)

Your buddy: "I'm up."

It's that kind of meaning.

The body acts before the brain. Applying this to the experimental victims meant [the heart accepts, the body refuses].

So, even if the victims liked Chang'an Melody, it was useless; their bodies had already rejected Chang'an Melody first.

"...Mobius, there's another situation. Can you analyze it for me?" Ye Chang'an said thoughtfully, explaining the increase in the test subjects' Erosion Markings.

"What did you say? They're being eroded even without Destruction energy nearby?"

Mobius exclaimed, then immediately thought of a possibility: the subjects' bodies weren't rejecting Chang'an Melody, but the process of Chang'an Melody's effectiveness had changed.

It had changed from the original three steps to seven.

[Hear → Crave → Adapt → Be taken for experiments → Pain, endless pain → Erosion Markings increase → Experiment stops]

This process was a condensed interpretation of what the subjects experienced during the experiments. If they endured the experiments for too long, it could form a conditioned reflex in their bodies.

Hearing Chang'an Melody would instinctively trigger the belief that they were about to be taken for experiments and endure pain, and only by increasing Erosion Markings could they find relief.

Thus, the human body reflexively craved the result of [Erosion Markings increasing].

This kind of reflex was generally difficult to form, and once formed, it was also difficult to resolve.

It required a long period of recovery training to correct.

"Chang'an, stop the concert. Their condition isn't something a single performance can fix."

Mobius suggested retreating, as she felt the current state of these experimental victims was a bit dangerous.

But before she could explain the risks, Ye Chang'an thought of a solution.

"Mobius, what caused the reaction was the circulated Chang'an Melody. Should the Chang'an Melody I play, which hasn't been circulated, work?"

"Uh... you have other Chang'an Melodies?" Mobius asked, surprised.

"Yes, quite a few, but I've never performed them," Ye Chang'an replied with a nod and a smile, feeling a bit better.

This was because he knew Mobius's reaction implied that using other Chang'an Melodies would be effective.

"...Then try it. If it doesn't work, retreat quickly. Don't take risks."

"Don't worry, I know," Ye Chang'an said with a smile, ending the call. He then apologized to the audience, who had begun to whisper amongst themselves due to the interruption in the performance.

"My apologies, I just remembered that today is a special performance. It's a bit inappropriate to start with the Chang'an Melody. So, let's switch to something else, something you haven't heard before."

He put away his flute and picked up a guzheng, effortlessly launching into the Chang'an Melody: Slaughter. This wasn't something Ye Chang'an had created; he didn't have that kind of skill. The Chang'an Melody: Slaughter was still something Eden had created, and there were many other versions besides. After all, with nearly five years of conquest, even if one version was released each month, that would amount to nearly sixty different Chang'an Melodies. Moreover, this was quite simple for Eden, who had prior success with it. Therefore, he had no worries about repeating performances, happily switching instruments for each piece he played.

The audience was also happy, peacefully enjoying the heavenly music that filled their ears in the cold winter wind, feeling incredibly comfortable. The Erosion Markings on the bodies of the experimental victims also gradually faded and disappeared, causing the old leader K, who was watching the live broadcast and observational data from the other side of the Mu Continent, to heave a sigh of relief.

"Phew~ It's good that they've all recovered." Watching Ye Chang'an on the live broadcast, Old K muttered softly, his eyes full of admiration. "It's a good thing this child is here. Otherwise, I'm afraid I wouldn't have lived to see the world as it is now." Old K valued Ye Chang'an greatly, but this regard didn't solely stem from Ye Chang'an's talent. It was also because the Chang'an Melody had saved his life. Even as the leader of a continent, Old K was still human, and humans could contract the Destruction Sickness.