Mysterious Side? The "Outer Garment" of Class Barriers!

The Sky Dome Barrier not only protects humanity, but also acts like an information cocoon, nurturing the qualified while directly eliminating the awakened.

If it weren't for Ma Fei's suppression, Su Mo would have no doubt that the underlying mechanism of this barrier would have made him act without hesitation.

"That's it? You think you can suppress people's minds with force?"

Looking at the barrier of "impotent rage," Su Mo chuckled and began to examine the newly appeared passage.

Unlike the iron gate passageway that connects the first and second floors, this time the lowered Silver White Door finally has a touch of technology, and the material has also been significantly improved.

As he stepped forward and touched the iron gate, the noise behind him gradually stopped, and Ma Fei's familiar voice rang out again.

"Hello, future traveler, I am Ma Fei. It is an honor to meet you in this environment."

"Haha, you seem surprised. Didn't expect me to be so handsome?"

A weathered face appeared on the 24-inch screen.

His face was dark and shiny, and his tender skin had long been roughened by the wind, but his bright eyes proved to people that he was a strong man.

His hair, as if shaved off by the sharp blade of life, was short and stiff, paired with his unyielding short beard—he looked like a character! "Interesting. This consciousness is quite human-like. Ma Fei, do you know someone named Lu Benwei?"

"Oh? Lu Benwei? What the heck? I remember I had a grandfather whose surname was Lu, but I don't think that was his name!"

Compared to real people, the figures on the screen are no different in ideology, and even joke with Su Mo.

Since the consciousness entity was harmless, Su Mo became interested in such a friendly pioneer, and the two exchanged pleasantries.

After about a minute of quick confirmation that the two were from Earth in different parallel universes, their relationship grew even closer.

"I never expected this, I really never expected to meet someone from the same country but from a different time and place in the same place."

"Huaxia sounds much better than our Yan Country!"

Ma Fei has a cheerful personality. If they weren't stuck on screen, the two of them could have come out and had a good drink together and catch up.

But the time in the upper right corner is running out.

During the setup, Ma Fei allocated very little of the ideology to the second layer, only a few minutes.

Even if the two are destined to meet, these few minutes have passed, and if they want to see each other again, Su Mo will have to go up to the third floor.

"I am very satisfied with your answer. I have given you the door to the third floor. As for whether you can go up, that depends on your strength."

"If you're not strong enough, going up there to learn these secrets will only cause you more trouble. If you're strong enough, you'll understand my deeper meaning once you go in."

"By the way, just a heads-up, there's nothing good to improve your fighting ability on the top two floors, so don't even think about robbing a poor guy like me."

As if knowing what Su Mo was thinking, Ma Fei chuckled, giving him an expression that said, "We're all the same kind of people, I understand."

"On the second floor, the machinery on this wall is part of my life's research. Later, you'll need to pry open the robot in the very center. Behind it, I've left you a complete manufacturing and maintenance manual. You'll have to learn this yourself; you can't just import it into the game."

"By the way, to prevent the Sky Dome Barrier from malfunctioning and rapidly losing energy, don't take it all at once. Otherwise, you'll have to come in and maintain it yourself after a while."

"The Vertical Missile Launcher in the middle is Module Technology, which I obtained when I was exploring the cores of other ruins in my early years. It's a pity that after so many years of setbacks and losing my ambition, it has been gathering dust with me. I hope that it can shine in your hands."

"You have five minutes left to ask me a question, and I can answer one that doesn't involve the third or fourth level!"

It's true that people become talkative at a certain stage.

Even though time was limited, Ma Fei still made the most of that precious minute to ramble on and on to his newly acquainted "good brother".

Meanwhile, a five-minute countdown timer lit up in the upper right corner of the screen and slowly began to reset to zero.

"A question?"

"Yes, before I left, I preserved all my memories except those of my family. These memories contain a lot of information, so you can ask me the question you most want to ask. I will consider it a reward for your excellent answer to your third question."

With a shrug, Ma Fei to the side, and suddenly a chair flew over, allowing him to sit down.

"Oh, then I won't be polite."

Seeing Ma Fei sit down, Su Mo didn't stand on ceremony either. He sat down on the ground with an air of authority and asked a question that had been buried in his heart since he first entered the ruins.

"By the way, why does Yan Country develop its technology into the mystical realm? Wouldn't it be better to just go straight down the mystical path and achieve godhood through the physical body?"

"At the very least, wouldn't it be better if all of humanity learned fireballs, gales, and lightning spells?"

Chinese characters are extremely beautiful; the same sentence can convey different meanings depending on the tone used.

As soon as the words were spoken, the Mike on the screen received the entire message and quickly converted it into text, then into binary signals, which began to flow on the screen.

It was visibly clear that after Ma Fei understood the meaning of those words, some sweat broke out on his forehead.

"Hmm, Su Mo, how could you think that way? Do you think our Yan Country is developing mystical abilities?"

"Isn't that right? Whether it's these mass-produced appliances or anything else I've seen and witnessed, aren't they all using mystical abilities to enhance technological levels?"

This combat-loving air conditioner can detect bulky CRT TVs within a kilometer radius, correct the performance of LCD TVs, and scan for Old Phone within a 50km radius.

The items brought back from the ruins are like opening a blind box; they possess all sorts of strange and wonderful abilities and can bring surprises from time to time.

Compared to modular technology, Su Mo believes that such mystical abilities are more powerful and prominent in the early stages.

"In your understanding, what is the mystical side? Is it the ethereal internal energy in martial arts novels, the forbidden spells and magic in Western novels, or even the divine and ghostly powers of our East?"

"Su Mo, don't forget what technology really is!"

"Technology, isn't it just..."

Ma Fei's questions were sharp, and compared to Zhong Qingshu's more subtle approach, the exchange between the two men was straightforward and efficient.

Subconsciously, Su Mo wanted to answer Ma Fei's question, but Su Mo froze just as he was about to speak.

An absurd idea that Su Mo had never considered before surged into his mind at this moment, amidst Ma Fei's booming question.

Society is accustomed to linking science and technology together, referring to them collectively as science and technology, or simply science and technology. In reality, the two are closely related but also have important differences.

Science solves theoretical problems, while technology solves practical problems.

The problem that science aims to solve is to discover the connection between a phenomenon and the underlying laws governing it, and to establish a theory that links the two.

The task of technology is to apply the specific results of scientific research to practical problems.

Why do you think that internal energy and magic are either the right path or the wrong path?

"When you cast a fireball, doesn't that mean you've researched the theory of casting and then turned it into a tangible result, a reusable method?"

"How is this process any different from us disengaging the safety, picking up the gun, and pulling the trigger to fire?"

As he spoke, fearing that Su Mo might not understand, Ma Fei hurriedly stood up from the stool, waving his hands, and the screen changed slightly.

"You think those abilities are mysterious simply because you haven't studied the principles behind them. It's like you think gods are powerful, but you don't have enough samples to analyze them!"

"Our advantage as humankind lies in the fact that our technological path is a well-founded and promising Yangguan Road, involving the decomposition of molecules, the attraction between atoms, and the collisions between particles."

"These amazing theories seem perfectly normal to you, but have you ever considered what our capabilities, our artillery, and our Sky Dome Barrier mean to other races?"

On the screen, as Ma Fei finished speaking, a scene from his memory began to appear.

In this scene, Su Mo saw the first time the Sky Dome Barrier rose over Liangfang Town, and the shock shown by the nearby alien races who came to witness the ceremony.

From guns and artillery to long-range ballistic missiles in the later stages, every deployment of human weapons has caused other races to tremble with fear.

In their eyes, humans also possess the power of the mystical realm; even an ordinary person has the power to destroy the world.

"Wait, I think I understand!"

As the screen kept changing, with three minutes left in the countdown, Su Mo suddenly had a sudden realization.

However, Ma Fei did not stop talking; instead, he continued to interrogate her.

Do you know how many alien races have died by my hand?

"Three hundred and forty thousand! A full three hundred and forty thousand!"

"But you know what they told me when I first captured them and interrogated them about how they cast the spell?"

Instead of directly answering Su Mo's question, Ma Fei chose to ask a question instead of giving an answer.

"I don't know?" Su Mo answered tentatively.

"Yes! You guessed it perfectly!"

"Isn't it ridiculous? What nonsense about mysticism and magic? These are just ideological barriers created by the upper echelons of other races to conceal the secrets of their power and to further solidify their racial hierarchy."

At this point, Ma Fei chuckled twice and gave a more modern answer.

"For example, what dominates the world now is not physics and chemistry, nor artillery and firearms, but magic. The air is filled with magic power. What are magic apprentices, magicians, archmages, grand archmages, fighters, fighter masters, fighter emperors, and fighter masters?"

"Su Mo, these things are not called power, they have a term you have heard many times: class!"

Before Ma Fei could continue speaking, the Sky Dome Barrier began to tremble again.

Although this tremor was not as strong as the last one, it still showed that, in the eyes of the rulers of Yan Country, these were words of great disobedience!

With a wave of his hand, after suppressing the trembling barrier, Ma Fei continued his barrage of words, "Throughout your life, you have not been on the path of seeking truth, but rather on climbing the social ladder. Even if you become the Demon Emperor, the most powerful magician in the world, you will still only stand at the very top of the exploiting class."

"The reason why most people who don't understand the truth admire magic and these mystical abilities is quite simple."

"A person's life is a constant climb up the social ladder, from the bottom up, to live a better life, have more money, and date more women. Do you need to know the truth?"

You don't need it!

"Those who develop this system of levels have mastered this psychology and reinforced it, making you focus all your energy on climbing the social ladder throughout your life. Naturally, the less chance you have of developing the theory, the less chance you have of overthrowing their rule."

"Even if you master the planet-destroying cannon, even if you master forbidden spells, it's all the same in essence. If you don't even understand how you release it, even if you know how to press the button, how to chant the incantation, how to draw magic power, in the eyes of the one who truly created it, you're like a three-year-old child, laughable!"

A sudden enlightenment!

Hearing your words is worth more than reading books for ten years!

Sitting on the ground, after listening to Ma Fei's entire story, even though Su Mo hadn't reacted at first, he now had a complete understanding.

"For humans, the most attractive aspect of the mystical world is not the so-called increase in strength; that's just the surface."

"What's truly fascinating is upward mobility!"

In the real world, people have average intelligence, no difference in appearance or physique, and the same level of education and ability.

Even the rich are unwilling to associate with the poor, setting up various barriers and ceilings to control and exploit their own kind.

When power resides within a world of its own, these phenomena will only become more brutal.

To try and quickly rise through the ranks using mystical abilities without starting with the truth is likely a path to certain death! "Unlike the class barriers of other races, we humans have already opened the door to upward mobility."

"Using the ideas we've cultivated over thousands of years, and our scientific principles, we can analyze any mystical force."

"All mysteries are nothing but fleeting clouds in the face of science; everything, from the moment of its birth, always has a traceable origin!"

"The Yan Country hasn't gone down the wrong path, but rather it's progressing too slowly, or perhaps..."

"Hahahaha, we'll have to wait until we meet again on the third floor to solve that problem!"

At this point, Ma Fei chuckled, making a smug look that said, "You can't stand me, but you can't hit me."

Sensing that Ma Fei seemed to appreciate him, but with a hint of mischief, Su Mo waved helplessly and said a brief goodbye.

"Go on, you're the victor today. These things aren't for you to worry about now!"

"It's a pity my original body should have kicked the bucket long ago, otherwise I would definitely come out with you to drink and have a good time, and take a good look at this apocalypse! Take a good look at this wasteland!"

With the last few seconds left in the countdown, he glanced wistfully at the world outside the screen, while Ma Fei on the screen waved and disappeared.

For the consciousness stored on the hard drive, although Ma Fei knew that a long time had passed, the concept of time had already disappeared the moment it was stored.

Teasing Su Mo, a stranger who is visiting this place for the first time, is perhaps his only pleasure over the centuries.

"Want to drink? Maybe one day we'll actually go out for a drink!"

After stroking the dark LCD monitor and watching it retract into the wall, Su Mo paused, a strange smile appearing on his face.

Ma Fei, Ma Fei, you say nice things, but how many of you can escape the desire for upward mobility?