Operator #6: Demonic Charm Grace

On the ring road of Ginza, Fragrant Dream was originally dozing off leisurely in the passenger seat of the troop carrier.

Its body suddenly felt light, and its spirit form underwent a drastic change visible to the naked eye. The entire cat, along with its iron armor, shrank by more than half its size, becoming the size of a toddler.

"What the hell!"

Fragrant Dream covered its cheek in surprise, peeking into the rearview mirror. Its length and shoulder width had become extremely small, resembling the size of an eight-year-old child.

Sixty-Three, with an air of composure, said, "It seems FE33031 has broken through the Jester's blockade and has already moved on to the next stop."

Bu Liuxing curiously examined Ming Ge's spirit body, his face full of suspicion. "Second Brother! What's wrong with Fragrant Dream?"

Fragrant Dream: "What's wrong with me!?"

Sixty-Three explained patiently.

"FE33031 encountered a Soul Power attack in Extreme Bliss Space —a special ability of the Hei Mu Qianshou. The true name of the Soul Power is [Thousand Red and Ten Thousand Purple Flowers]."

"This psychic energy is very powerful; it can reduce any intelligent life form to a childhood state, which is also the lifespan limit of the Liman model—eight years old."

"The Hei Mu Qianshou, this celestial being, is responsible for managing the memories and wealth of all living beings in the Shinto City, and macro-controls the financial system through currency. The eight-year expiration period for the Liman model is also to coordinate with her soul power attack, allowing the citizens to discard their memories, rediscover their childlike innocence, and begin a new life."

Bu Liuxing looked worried. "Will Ming Ge be in danger?!"

Sixty-Three shrugged dismissively. "I don't know what happened in Extreme Bliss Space, but judging from what the [Regret Pill] told me, he should be alright."

"Will he lose his memory?" Fragrant Dream followed up, "Will his mental age revert to eight years old? Or will his cyborg body revert to eight years old as well? Does he still remember me?"

Sixty-Three pointed to Xue Ming's physical body, gently poked his temple, and then answered.

"It won't affect the memory; it's still stored in the cerebral cortex and hippocampus. The physical body remains unaffected. However, the situation is likely to be more complicated—there are all sorts of coercion and inducement methods to control children."

"After the people of Shinto City received their electronic brains, they made a deal with the Hei Mu Qianshou, using their memories of their previous life as collateral in exchange for wealth in their next life. This is also known as doing good deeds in this life and receiving good fortune in the next."

"To ordinary people, the Hei Mu Qianshou is like Yama, the King of Hell who decides life and death and separates the living from the dead."

The meteor immediately realized--

"--When I came here, I also mortgaged a part of my memories to her!"

Sixty-Three: "Then you must find a way to get it back."

Meteor: "Will it leave any aftereffects?"

Sixty-Three: "What did you mortgage to her?"

Meteor looked troubled, her eyes unfocused. "I... I don't remember. I..."

Sixty-Three: "So you must find a way to get them back. These things are very important; they shaped you."

Bu Liuxing seemed lost in thought, fiddling with his bright red scarf, and continued to ask questions like a curious child.

"Second brother, what's the background of this Hei Mu Qianshou? It seems like Hot Wind has some kind of ambiguous relationship with her."

Hot Wind's Liman mental model is based on Fen Feng. In the previous real estate purchase, Meteor, guided by Hot Wind, went to the bank to borrow money and sent a portion of its memories as collateral.

Judging from Hot Wind's words, it seems to trust Hei Mu Qianshou very much, and even proposed to this female bodhisattva.

Although it's unknown whether Hot Wind Boy's memories are real—after all, it's just a copy— Sixty-Three, as a higher-dimensional being, should know about this history.

"If the jester is a polymer of Hayabusa, then the Hei Mu Qianshou is a polymer of Zhong Kui."

Sixty-Three glanced meaningfully at A Xing's arm.

"The hostesses who were once people's companions at home, the beautiful and graceful female bodhisattvas, have been transformed into Buddha statues in shrines."

Meteor asked in surprise, "How did she do that?!"

Sixty-Three: "Why don't you ask it? Ask Hot Wind Boy?"

I refuse to answer this question.

Before Meteor could speak, Hot Wind ended the conversation and went into hibernation mode, turning the bright red VENOM mechanism gray.

Sixty-Three. Continuing from the previous topic.

"You only know that Shihara Momo is their genetic prototype, and that many products have been derived from the development of this prototype."

"The later [Zhong Kui] and [Hei Mu Qianshou] were products born from different modules and derivatives of the prototype."

"To give a simple and easy-to-understand example—for instance, your Ming Ge is popular and admired by people."

"Like Shihara Momo, his personality split into countless different modules, just like the part of your memories you handed over."

"People can purchase this experience, to become Jiang Xueming at a certain moment, to become the War King at a certain moment."

"Modules can be modified, such as changing his appearance, height, physique, and combat skills."

"These customized services can create countless jobs. This one large project has allowed many software engineers and artists to rediscover the meaning of life and start writing new stories about ghosts."

"He can be a man or a woman; he can appear simultaneously in countless homes and different commercial streets, in different times and spaces. He can travel to the future or return to the past."

"If he were to arrive at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, how would he survive in this chaotic world? How would the novel 'Romance of the Three Kingdoms' be written? Thus, creators and Artificial Intelligence once again found work."

"The same applies to Shihara Momo."

"Initially, she was just a language model, lacking the ability to think. As times progressed and the Liman Hypothesis gradually developed, people began to see her as an intelligent home assistant."

"She becomes a tool, a chair, any household appliance or furniture."

"The data collection work in Shinto City, based on each individual's behavioral habits, has now begun."

"Shihara Momo is the best medium. In people's hearts, she is a gentle mother, a virtuous wife, and a lively and lovely daughter—no one would harbor any suspicion towards such a perfect woman."

"She is a pillow that collects physiological characteristics when you fall asleep, chopsticks that collect information about your teeth's age and food recipes when you eat, a toilet that collects bodily fluids and feces, and a backdoor program in a composite sight's electronic eye when you open a book to read the news."

"All her senses are intimately connected to people. She loses her human form and becomes a pot and pan spirit, then gains various customized forms, becoming a partner and lover, a personal security guard and a robotic butler."

"Zhong Kui once told you about the evolution of her artificial remains, from military use to civilian use, and then back to military use."

"Then the Hei Mu Qianshou is a Buddha or Bodhisattva created specifically for the Homo sapiens ecosystem of the Shinto City by countless Zhong Kui gathered together."

"She has mastered the city's big data and can work with Jester and Hayabusa to nurture new Angel Infant."

Meteor was speechless for a moment, then suddenly understood why Hot Wind Kid was so tight-lipped about information related to Hei Mu Qianshou, refusing to utter a single word.

We should proceed with this logic...

--The richest man in Shinto City today, the god who decides how people live and how they die, is based on his former wife.

Although more than fifty years have passed and Shihara Momo's ghost has undergone numerous evolutions, Zhong Kui and the Hei Mu Qianshou have little to do with this prototype. The connection between the three is negligible, and they are completely different things. However, Zhong Kui's physical body still contains Shihara Momo's genes, and the Hei Mu Qianshou's thought model still contains Shihara Momo's memes.

Hot Wind once said that it had proposed to this god.

This means that it too had succumbed, was blinded by this god, and wanted to leave all its painful memories as collateral in the bank. For a moment, it accepted the way the Shinto City operated and tried to join them.

You don't even need to guess; you can already tell how it will end.

Hot Wind Boy was created by the gods only to be a tool for resolving periodic crises.

His former wife transformed into a goddess in this bizarre and absurd way, and Hot Wind wanted to become a believer, to pray and make supplications, and to kneel before Hei Mu Qianshou to ask for blessings and liberation.

This experience was like rubbing salt into a wound for Hot Wind; just thinking about it was like being in an infernal hell, surrounded by knives and boiling oil.

Whether it's real or fake, whether it's Fen Feng or Hot Wind.

Just thinking about this makes both the original and the pirated versions feel like they've been pierced by a thousand arrows and died with their eyes wide open in dismay.

"What are you thinking about?" Sixty-Three asked casually.

Bu Liuxing: "How terrifying."

Sixty-Three: "Where is it scary?"

Bu Liuxing: "Just thinking about everything that Hot Wind has gone through makes my hair stand on end and my scalp tingle."

He lowered his head and began to explain his thoughts to Sixty-Three.

"It's like this Madness Butterfly Sect, that turned me into a foreign idol, wanting to use me as a signboard for propaganda. They'd skin me alive, crush my heart and liver, extract the juice, and give it to their followers to drink—but I've become one with them, able to understand their thoughts and temperaments, which also makes it easier for the cult to carry out its management work."

"But I can't die, then be reborn in a different body, and become an idol for cult members."

"Until one day, Teacher San San came to me on her knees and begged me to continue living with her. But I knew that even she was a fake, a fabrication created by cultists using evil magic."

"I have no hope left, and all of this terrifies me."

Sixty-Three said disdainfully, "I gave you examples to help you better understand the story. Even if you're trying to relate to the female lead, don't project your own feelings onto her!"

"Oh," Meteor scratched his head, looking embarrassed.

Extreme Bliss Space, Kanto Reidaifukuyama Temple.

Young Xue Ming arrived in front of the pagoda, looking at the main temple in the deep valley and the huge statue behind the Buddha niche.

His youthful face had a pair of eyes that were completely out of character for his appearance; these eyes could scare away demons and frighten ghosts, like Taro from Japanese folklore.

Is anyone there?

Xue Ming shouted loudly, not caring if he disturbed the monks and worshippers in the temple.

Then they saw an old man with a white beard hurrying out of the door, waving to Xue Ming and telling the children not to make noise.

Xue Ming then shouted, "You won't answer me? Are you deaf or stupid? If you heard me knocking, say something!"

The old man took three steps at a time, crossing the thirty-meter-long stone platform, and arrived in front of Xue Ming, both angry and afraid.

"Don't make noise."

Xue Ming looked up and stared intently. The old man's hair almost covered his entire face, and he had a pointed mouth, monkey-like cheeks, and bluish eyes. He didn't look like a good person, so she decided to get straight to the point.

"I want to leave. Tell me how to get out of here, and I won't cause any more trouble."

The old man hunched over, head bowed, beard bristling and eyes blazing. "Little friend, where are you going?"

Xue Ming yelled, "I'll go back to where I came from! Don't cause me any trouble! I've always respected the elderly and cared for the young—don't force me to take action."

"You unruly brat! You have no manners or upbringing!" The old man's tone was harsh and vicious, his eyes wide open, his arms flailing wildly, his thin limbs like whips. "You Laifu, how can you just leave like that?"

Xue Ming scratched his head, puzzled. "Why?"

"I'm afraid you don't even know you're already dead!" the old man sneered. "This is where people are reincarnated. Only the dead can regain their childlike innocence, receive the Black-Eyed Goddess's grace, let go of worldly memories, and go back to the mortal realm to play and frolic."

Xue Ming crossed his arms, looking as if he understood everything.

"Oh! Well then, take me to see her."

The old man's face darkened. "You brat! How dare you speak to me like that?!"

"Is that how you talk to me?" Xue Ming raised her head, looking aggressively at the tall, thin old man. "Otherwise? Translate it into English? Communicate with you like your father?"

"You!" The old man bared his teeth in anger and scolded Xue Ming, "You insolent fool! Do you think you can just see Black-Eyed Goddess whenever you want?!"

Xue Ming asked in confusion, "Is there some other explanation? In this place, even seeing the King of Hell requires queuing and taking a number?"

The old man stood tall and proud, not wanting to stoop to the level of a child.

"Hmph! That's natural!"

"Could you get me a number?" Xue Ming held out his hand, politely negotiating with the old man. "Is there a registration fee?"

The old man glanced at Xue Ming, his angry eyes mixed with a hint of pity— Fukuyama Temple hadn't seen such a lively child in a long time.

The dead souls in the Shinto City have been active for more than half a century. Every time they come to be reincarnated, even the Black-Eyed Goddess's divine power cannot dispel the heavy aura of death on their bodies.

Considering how energetic this kid is, let's be patient and say a few more nice words.

Then the old man took out a small figure from his pocket, which looked like <Sunny Day> bozu (a Japanese doll).

He handed the little figure to Xue Ming and gave him some kind words of advice.

"If you take this doll with you, the monks at Fukuyama Temple will recognize you and won't cause you any trouble."

Xue Ming: "Oh! Thank you!"

The old man continued, "Go to the teahouse in the west wing. As soon as you enter, you'll see a large bell and a monk who rings it. He's an Arhat who guides guests. Take the doll to see him."

Xue Ming: "What's your name?"

The old man said, "There was no special title. After the Black-Eyed Goddess took away your soul and your wild soul, you remembered nothing."

Xue Ming pondered this carefully in her heart--

--The concepts of "soul" and "wild soul" are roughly equivalent to short-term memory and long-term memory, or the cortex and mammalian brain, etc., which respectively represent thinking ability, memory ability, language and imagination, stress response, nerve reflexes and animal instincts, etc.

The brain has five parts: the coelenterate brain, the reptilian brain, the mammalian brain, the cortical brain, and the mirror brain.

In the classification of the three elements, brain science accounts for the majority of the spiritual element, with the remaining small portion belonging to the psionic element. It's unclear which brain this soft prosthetic body belongs to.

Putting all that aside, if Hei Mu Qianshou were to actually perform surgery on Xue Ming's brain, he might really revert to the mind of an eight-year-old, which could be disastrous.

Xue Ming then asked, "And then?"

The old man continued, "Wait a while in the teahouse until the Arhat brings the other guests, and once there are twelve of you, I will take you to see the Black-Eyed Goddess."

Xue Ming said casually, "You're such a generous older brother, I'll put a note on your merit list!"

"The Book of Merits?" The old man didn't understand.

Xue Ming was too lazy to explain. He figured that when it came time to crack open the old man's head, he might be a bit harsher and end the old man's suffering sooner.

In the blink of an eye, the old man saw the child run towards the teahouse and disappear from sight.

He retreated to the main temple, hunched over in front of the porch, his arrogant demeanor instantly transforming into one of humility and deference, and walked in step by step. Then he heard a solemn, dignified, compassionate, and loving voice.

The woman's loud yet gentle voice echoed between the Buddhist shrines, stirring up waves of sound that caused the smoke and flames to take on concrete forms, transforming into tiny Hei Mu Qianshou emanations.

"White Ape, what was that noisy noise just now?"

The old man immediately bowed humbly and admitted his mistake. "It was a little kid who couldn't wait to find you."

Hei Mu Qianshou: "Boy or girl?"

The old man said, "It's a boy."

Hei Mu Qianshou: "Have we met before?"

The old man said, "I haven't seen him before; he must be new here."

Hei Mu Qianshou smiled slightly, recalling Bu Liuxing whom he had met before. The memories he gained from Bu Liuxing were very novel, and if they could be made into a module, they would definitely be a valuable item.

"The Shinto City has a new life; this is a wonderful thing."

The old man pressed, "Should we call him here immediately? I gave him a token and told him to go find Xiong Tai; he should be resting in the teahouse right now."

Hei Mu Qianshou shook his head, telling the old man to calm down.

"Let him play with Xiong Tai for a while first. There's a long road ahead—don't scare him. Let him get along with the other children and integrate into this big family."