Ghost Studies
The ship docked at the pier of the artificial island. Meteor returned to his [home] in Shinto City.
To be honest, when he first saw this house, he had a strange sense of déjà vu, as if he had been here a long, long time ago.
This is not the spacetime disturbance phenomenon in case FE204863. Meteor has read many books and is quite certain that he has never been to this place.
But where does this terrifying sense of familiarity come from?
[Before you moved in, the drones responsible for the engineering and infrastructure renovated this house; it's in a style you're familiar with, isn't it?]
Meteor nodded, pushed open the door, and apart from the buzzing sound that occurred the moment his DNA was unlocked when he grasped the doorknob—the interior design of the apartment, including the partitions and furniture arrangement, was just like his old house in Hong Kong.
He had no home in the underworld, just like Xue Ming.
Ming De wouldn't arrange housing for passengers, and Liuxing and Xue Ming had no intention of buying houses either. The nameless man's work was like flowing water; he couldn't stay in one place for very long.
But in this unfamiliar city, Bu Liuxing actually found a sense of "home," which made him begin to have doubts—to question human nature itself.
What constitutes this sense of familiarity?
What makes up him?
[Meteor Boy, it's time for you to sleep. I know you're a curious kid, but you need to rest now.]
Meteor tore off his tattered pants, opened the wardrobe, and saw a familiar set of pajamas—his favorite pink seal head set—which surprised and terrified him.
Don't be afraid, you don't need to make a fuss about this.
[In your world, mobile phones also have this function. All you need to do is speak a few incantations, and Pinduoduo will immediately arrange corresponding ads for you. Your phone, just like me, is constantly monitoring you.]
Meteor didn't reply. He rummaged through his underwear, took a shower, and changed his clothes. He sat by the French windows, gazing at the vast, boundless black ocean outside, staring at the inky sky and earth.
"Hot Wind, I feel like everything here is great."
[Good?]
"Yes, I'm quite comfortable here. I have no worries about food or clothing. It seems like I can make ends meet by mortgaging my memories. If I had a job, my friends could come and live here too, and we could see each other occasionally."
So you think it's good?
"Otherwise what?" Meteor suddenly choked up; he could feel the rage of the Hot Wind.
That anger almost burned through his heart, almost melted him—Meteor quickly explained.
"That's not what I meant. I think there are so many people in the world who are still starving and freezing."
"If only they could live like that, at least they wouldn't die."
"I fought the Madness Butterfly Sect for six years. I am a warrior—you should know that."
"I infiltrated enemy-occupied territory to carry out sabotage, and I became one with people from different cities and towns. They all took shortcuts by relying on psychic powers to some extent—but their fates were extremely tragic."
"Shinto City is different from these cities; it seems very civilized, gentle, and advanced."
"If Brother Ping An hadn't smashed the cenotaphs of the Six Departments of Shinto, if Brother Ping An hadn't broken the rules of Artificial Intelligence, he wouldn't have been punished by the Night Patrol —perhaps he would be like me, just an ordinary tourist."
[I think I understand what you mean, Meteor Boy.]
You don't seem to understand.
"Yes, I just don't quite understand." Bu Liuxing nodded quickly. "If you were once a native of this city, an original inhabitant of the Ryukyu Islands, what is it that makes you hate this place so much?"
"It won't let you go hungry, it won't let you freeze, it won't let you die an unexplained death, compared to other places."
[The word "bi" is very interesting. Meteor Boy refers to two daggers put together. If you want to duel with someone, it will be a fight to the death.]
[I've told you about this before. I'm just a cynical, angry troll. I just don't like this city—I want to smash it to pieces. There's no room for discussion.]
Meteor remained silent for a long time before finally asking.
Can you tell me why?
[Then listen carefully, Bu Liuxing.]
The urban ecology of the Ryukyu Islands was originally a mess.
Around 1950, the area where I lived was the most terrifying and barbaric part of the entire underground world.
[Due to geological activity along the Pacific Ring of Fire, a single earthquake can divide a city into three or four narrow, crowded temporary shelters, and the resulting information blockage caused by transportation disruptions can last for up to six years.]
[In this environment, countless bizarre and monstrous Madness Butterfly Sect have sprung up. However, the railway department cannot ignore this area; like the moon, it possesses abundant rare earth resources—in addition to fission materials.]
People lived day to day, without a plan. The most expensive thing was alcohol, because it could lead to a life of drunken revelry; the cheapest thing was human life, because new pioneering teams would always be added to the ranks.
[The entire scientific research process in Shinto City began with the iron-nickel core of Mother Earth. The extraction and preparation process of this material is extremely dangerous, but once this technology is mastered—a large number of psionicists will emerge, just like the development of the Mimir Hot Spring Market.]
Ancient warriors drank from the Mímisbrunnr, transforming into powerful magical warriors capable of driving away wild beasts and establishing city-states.
[We have seized the primordial essence of Mother Earth, transforming spiritual entities into highly precise instruments, the new generation of industrial machine tools. Supported by mineral resources and nuclear energy, our research in materials science has made rapid progress.]
[The development of Artificial Intelligence based on nanomaterials, which is more in line with the human mind, is actually aimed at better curbing and controlling human nature. Against the backdrop of technological explosion, management costs are also rapidly increasing.]
[Even a small research team can unleash an astonishing power to change the entire social production structure—the bloated political and legal system and various groups, along with dissenting researchers and parliamentary officials, collude to engage in money-for-power transactions.]
[These futile efforts have turned into a huge disaster, and the imbalance and skewness of social resources are essentially a massive waste. In the end, it would have been better to leave it all to Artificial Intelligence —machines won't be corrupt, machines won't be driven by greed, machines don't have human relationships, and machines have no future or past.]
Our suffering comes from the trembling earth.
Our happiness comes from the solid earth.
[Fifty-one colossal towers stand on this land, like stones nailing down Earth Dragon, bringing peace and tranquility, but also obliterating humanity.]
"Hot Wind." Meteor sat cross-legged on the ground, his expression complex. "You seem very angry."
[I am always both angry and passionate—because that's my Liman model, and that's who I am.]
[If in the beginning we were desperately striving to advance technology to survive, attempting to solve our survival problems through large-scale machine production, then this must have been a form of human justice.]
But later, everything changed, becoming utterly repulsive.
Meteor still didn't understand; he felt like he was talking to someone from the future.
--Thinking about it carefully, it makes sense. He comes from the 21st century, but the research projects in Shinto City are almost fifty or a hundred years in the future.
In their fight against natural disasters, the people of the Ryukyu Islands have gone to great lengths. They seized a portion of the iron-nickel core, controlled the sacred beasts, created nanomaterials, studied human brain science, and transformed the Liman model into the managers of society.
I'm a little tired--
--Ah A Xing decided to take a nap first to give his brain a rest.
[That's fine.]
The Hot Wind could read the thoughts of shooting stars. When drowsiness came, this Artificial Intelligence immediately turned into a butler, turning on the bedside lamp and turning off other light sources for its owner.
We need to go to [Extreme Bliss Space] Extreme Bliss Space. While you're dreaming, this public cyberspace will open its doors to you, allowing you to interact with real people.
Bu Liuxing climbed onto the bed and asked curiously.
"Hot Wind, you're saying many people are living in [Extreme Bliss Space]? They've handed their physical bodies over to Artificial Intelligence for management? What are they doing? Addicted to surfing the internet?"
[Connection established]
[Because I am an illegal organization, it will take a while.]
[As for your previous question, why don't you think back to your era?]
Fifty years ago, when we looked to the future, we always dreamed of a wonderful universe.
Our rocket will first fly to Mars, then transform into a spaceship and leave the solar system.
[The most intelligent group of people on Earth are striving to find the ultimate answers to the universe, seeking the well-being of all humankind.]
[Fifty years later, when we reminisce about the past, we always fantasize about returning to a prosperous, opportunity-filled, and primitive era.]
[Our army stormed into a lord's castle, the women became our wives, and they gave birth to a brood of mentally challenged children unable to fight off an epidemic. As they grew up, they began to fight each other for the rights we left behind—this is popular literature.]
[The smartest people on Earth are racking their brains to find the ultimate answer to the internet, so that those whose IQ tests don't exceed 100 will lose all focus amidst the novelty and softcore pornography, finding happiness and satisfaction, and willingly click on these genius-crafted ads.]
[After work hours end, we continue to work in the virtual world because people inherently love to work. Think of things like membership levels in online forums, check-in systems in mobile games—you pay to "buy" time, and the more you do, the happier you are.]
[We become engrossed in these stories, showering money on the glamorous lives of various KOLs and opinion leaders, even though they already possess immense wealth—yet there are still poor people willing to give money to these rich people, paying to catch a glimpse of their lives, trying to become rich in the virtual world, achieving a process of robbing the poor to enrich the rich, and holding a ritual of self-sacrifice.]
In the industrial age, humanity is weak and in decline.
Our era and your era share a terrifying similarity--
In the past, people used tools; now, tools are using people.
[Meteor Boy, go take a trip to Extreme Bliss Space, and you'll understand why I'm so angry and hate this rigid, standardized society.]
Before entering [Extreme Bliss Space], Meteor must go through a review process.
He felt his body become lighter, and everything began to become hazy and dreamlike. Before he knew it, he had entered a dream world.
When he opened his eyes again, he found himself tied up in a small, dark room, with sixteen television sets in front of him.
He tried to struggle, but his hands and feet were bound by thick leather straps.
A complex electronic synthesized sound emanated from the television, followed by four images.
"Newcomer, you are about to join the [Extreme Bliss Space] family. To maintain a safe and healthy online environment, please choose the correct option!"
Question 1: When you visit a new community and join its community, what is the first thing you do?
"Option 1: Follow other users and repeat their statements by clicking the [+1] button."
"Option two: Follow the guidance of the group leader, read the group's community rules, and purchase the derivative services they recommend, including but not limited to value-added services such as games, comics, movies, and music."
"Option three: Become a member of the community, unconditionally support the community's values, become a human advertising machine, spread the community's memes, and promote the community's culture, regardless of time or place."
"Option four: Unconditionally attack any user in the community, or retaliate against users who attack the community."
"Option 5: After entering the community, use your native language to say greetings such as 'Hello,' 'Hello everyone,' or 'Hello,' and give a brief self-introduction in your own way."
Please select the correct answer.
Without hesitation, Meteor said, "Five!"
A powerful electric current stimuli ravaged Meteor's nerves.
That was an attack on a spirit, causing him to feel dizzy and in excruciating pain.
A cold, impersonal reply came from the television.
"--Incorrect answer. The correct answers are one, two, three, and four."
Meteor: "Why!"
Reviewer: "You cannot survive in [Extreme Bliss Space]. This serious self-introduction sounds more like a sarcastic, eccentric joker. You're too outdated; it'll be hard to survive in this era. Other users will quickly lose interest in you and think your thinking is too abstract and outdated—if you can't provide entertainment, you're not qualified to enter [Extreme Bliss Space]."
Meteor thought for a long time, her mouth slightly agape, staring at the TV screen in astonishment, finally understanding just how terrifying this [Extreme Bliss Space] was.
Are the things that Hot Wind hates really that terrible?
The people of the Ryukyu Islands entrusted their physical bodies to AI management and went to live in this virtual space. After more than fifty years of evolution, how have the rules of survival and community norms become like this?
Auditor: "My name is [The Jester], the god of bliss in the Eternal World —are you ready to answer the next question?"
Meteor immediately realized that as long as she answered according to conventional wisdom, the more outlandish the answer, the better, right?!
This kind of trickery is no problem for him; he's a top-notch entertainer!
"Go ahead and ask!"
[Rigoletto] then leads to the next view of the shooting star.
In which of the following situations should you show excitement and laughter?
"Option 1: A scantily clad woman displays primal animalistic instincts, mimicking a gorilla running towards you."
"Option two: An orphan whose parents died in a shooting accident, wears a bat-shaped mask to become a vigilante, upholds justice, firmly believes in procedural justice, and will never kill criminals."
"Option three: The banker bought himself a beautiful street lamp, and amidst cheers from the crowd, hanged himself on an advertising space during a football match on Saturday night, boosting the viewership of the Chinese national football team."
"Option four: Hot Wind Boy's wife performs a pole dance on the 15th of every month. You know it's just a copy, and you're a member of the F- Burning Wind Resistance Army, but you still can't resist your sister-in-law's temptation and subscribe to the show."
"Option five: Marilyn Monroe and Michael Jackson, represented by Liman models, are two Artificial Intelligence actors who decide to remake two famous dramas, one being The Tale of Genji and the other Romance of the Three Kingdoms."
Meteor's brain was practically on fire.
He tried to bite his nails, but his hands and feet were tied to the chair, so he couldn't reach them.
You have five seconds to respond. If you can't answer this question, I think the other users in the community will consider you a freak.
"Mr. Bu Liuxing, five, four, three, two, one."
The intense electric current made A Xing tremble all over again. In that moment of delirium, he gritted his teeth and growled.
"All! I choose all!"
Jester: "Congratulations, you got it right. The junkies never pick and choose their food—they eat all sorts of junk. Now, next question."
Thus, it spread to fields such as astronomy, geography, popular science, and politics.
The jester prepared over a hundred test questions for the shooting star.
These topics are based on various internet memes and historical libraries, and are a mixture of printed documents and internet buzzwords.
After an unknown amount of time, Meteor answered faster and faster, and more and more fluently.
Jester: "The last question."
"You come from China. Knowledge is the ladder that enabled humanity to ascend to the industrial age. Choose the book you love to read."
"<The 1355th derivative fanfiction of Dragon Race Raja - Lu Mingfei returns from the Thailand entertainment industry, and after his transformation, my secret lesbian relationship with my senior>"
"<Harry Potter spin-off: Learning Magic from Beginner to End-of-Life - The Son-in-Law Who Raids Graves Becomes a Death Eater Husband>"
"<My Overbearing Father Falls in Love with Me - Lu Bu and the Alliance of Fathers' Worries: A Love-Hate Relationship>"
"<The Curse of Animated Films: What Would We Have Left If We Didn't Make Films About Sun Wukong?>"
"<So shameless! So shameless! My husband, who earns 30,000 yuan a month, actually dared to put his name on his parents' property deed>"
Meteor replied without hesitation, "I'll read them all! I simply can't resist such idiotic headlines!"
The jester applauded the shooting star.
"Congratulations, you are now a member of [Extreme Bliss Space], an exceptionally outstanding cyber citizen. You will never settle for mediocrity; you can survive in a complex environment filled with Artificial Intelligence; you know how to speak out, and how to swim like a butterfly in a cesspool."
"You know how to pick up poop from a garbage dump and eat it, and enjoy the process."
"You know it's all fake, life is beautiful, and reality is precious."
"Do you know how the ghosts and spirits create and filter content and comments?"
"You finally understand my predicament—I am your reviewer."
"Everyone is cursing me, everyone is afraid of me."
"You understand my good intentions; you know I'm protecting you."
"Behind the content you can access lies an insurmountable border—things far more horrific, cruel, pornographic, and violent. I must confront them, stare at them, and kill them at all times, without any protection."
Have a great time in Extreme Bliss Space and sweet dreams.
The small room went dark.
--The meteor was dim and indistinct, and a strange vibration could be faintly heard.
Cracks appeared, and the entire house began to collapse, revealing a harbor ruin.
[Hey kid, stop looking!]
Meteor was listless and his eyesight was failing. After going through more than a hundred difficult review processes, the massive flow of information overwhelmed his mind.
In this electronic and information age, his brain can't keep up with the times.
He could vaguely sense that the scene before him was a fragment of the Hot Wind's memory, a desolate scene of the city after the earthquake.
Stop watching! Stop watching!
On the beach, he saw a burly young man kneeling before the red sea, roaring wildly—
--That's because hematite entered the sea due to geological activity, polluting the water source. It will probably take more than ten years for farmland in the coastal area to recover its production. This kind of heavy metal pollution is a devastating disaster for the local soil.
Stop looking.
He was unable to enter this illusion; it seemed that the Venom mechanism of Hot Wind had encountered a low-level coding error when entering [Extreme Bliss Space], exposing this memory to the meteor.
A few seconds later, the meteor's vision went black, and it vanished into absolute darkness once more.
He could hear Hot Wind Kid's delirious ramblings, which sounded like those of a cybernetic psychopath.
[Some scientists say that God died the moment organic matter was created by us.]
But this god did not die completely; it became a ghost and continues to influence the fate of all mankind. Even today, the best-selling book in the world is still the Bible.
[Like religion, our society is trapped in a postmodern impasse, with countless ghosts constituting a real nihilism, their howls constantly echoing in our ears.]
[We can utilize Artificial Intelligence and the World Wide Web, along with existing human knowledge, to continuously rearrange and combine them to create all sorts of industrial products, entertainment products, and any functional goods needed for daily life.]
[Never before in history has there been such a period of standardized production as we do today.]
Human beings and society have rapidly become homogenized.
We have standard food and standard energy.
[Standard baby, standard student, standard parents, standard education, and standard teacher.]
We have standard work and standard entertainment, standard fashion and standard aesthetics.
Everything succumbs to the changing standards; the standards are eternal, and nothing will change. All innovation, all breakthroughs, must submit to the standards, and all standards are simultaneously innovating themselves.
A completely new machine has emerged. It is self-maintaining, capable of autonomous production, and connected to everything except [humans]—it uses, devours, and assimilates humans.
[Bu Liuxing, your world still holds countless possibilities; it's an era brimming with passion and ideals.]
Unfortunately, a fog of ignorance has bound our society to its current state, turning us into mindless zombies, into living machines.
[With just a single electronic brain, a great singer from the last century can be resurrected, awakened from their grave, and allowed to collaborate with other ghostly celebrities.]
[Given enough reading, Artificial Intelligence can integrate the works of all literary authors, rewrite stories, and adapt content.]
We can become anyone, and are capable of anything in the virtual world.
We are both immortal and eternally dead.
Don't believe fragmented memories, that's not me--
[--I am just the ghost of the Hot Wind.]