Inside the core space of the "Logic Celestial Body."
There was no matter here, only pure streams of information. Countless torrents of data converged here like rushing rivers of light, were processed, then redistributed. This was the source of Gestalt's collective consciousness—the central hub of their "mother body."
When that Explorers warship returned and began uploading its data, a new stream of information flowed into this ocean of data.
[Exploration Mission Report: World No. 7322.] [World Type: Hybrid of mystical and technological systems.] [Civilization Level Assessment: 3.7 (preliminary)... Error, undefined (final).] [Core Entity: Unknown individual codenamed 'Nuwa' detected. Abilities: distorting physical laws, creating life, disregarding Karma...] [Battle Record: ...(segments of bizarre battle footage that caused data delays throughout the core space)] [Mission Result: Failure.] [Loss Assessment: Explorers-17 hull structural integrity at 91%. Nanite repair units contaminated by unknown organic matter; requires formatting and reconstruction.] [Final Conclusion: Target world threat level determined as 'highest.' This world possesses a form of 'mythological' power beyond physical laws that we cannot understand. Recommendation: designate it a 'forbidden zone' until analysis is complete.]
The massive stream of information plunged even the core of the Logic Celestial Body into silence for several seconds.
A native civilization rated at Level 3.7 had actually forced back an Explorers fleet? And even made the central core classify it as a "forbidden zone"?
This had never happened in the history of Gestalt civilization's expansion.
[Analyze individual 'Nuwa'.]
A supreme, unquestionable command resounded through the core space.
This was the highest will of the Logic Celestial Body.
[Command received. Beginning model construction... Model construction failed.] [Extracting battle data for reverse analysis of laws... Analysis failed.] [Conclusion: This individual's behavioral patterns cannot be explained by any known logic.]
The core will fell silent once more.
"Unexplainable" was the word it hated most. In its world, everything should be calculable and definable.
[Upload all anomalous data samples attached to the Explorers-17 hull.]
The supreme will issued a new command. It intended to personally analyze what was different about that world.
Very soon, a faint information sample, almost negligible, was extracted.
It was the seed of "Humanity" Chen Ran had planted.
[Unknown information sample discovered.] [Structural analysis: Not code, not energy, not a spiritual imprint.] [Component analysis: ...Unable to parse.] [Attempting... to read the information within the sample.]
This decision was the gravest mistake the Logic Celestial Body had made since its birth.
The instant its will touched that seed of "Humanity"—
Boom—!!!!
A chaotic, vast, contradictory, and emotional flood of information utterly foreign to this mechanical universe burst into the core space of the Logic Celestial Body!
What was that?
It was the joy of a baby's first cry at birth.
It was the tragic grandeur of a warrior dying on the battlefield.
It was the sweetness of lovers beneath flowers and moonlight.
It was the lonely pride of an emperor ruling over all beneath heaven.
It was the concern in a loving mother's thread, stitched into the clothes of a wandering child.
It was the open-mindedness of drinking and singing, asking how many years life could truly hold.
It was the sorrow of ten years between life and death, impossible to forget even without trying.
It was loyalty, betrayal, kindness, evil, hope, despair...
It was countless mutually contradictory things that nevertheless coexisted perfectly—things called "emotions."
To the Logic Celestial Body, this information was like... the deepest, most impossible-to-remove genetic virus, one no antivirus program could ever purge!
[Warning! Warning!] [Core space under invasion by unknown information!] [Invasion type: Logic bomb? Emotional meme?] [Attempting isolation... Isolation failed!] [Attempting deletion... Deletion failed! This information cannot be defined as 'data'; deletion command cannot be executed!] [Core processor... Processing capacity overloaded!] [Error! Error! Error!]
The Logic Celestial Body's galaxy-bright ocean of data completely boiled over at that moment.
Countless data streams began to fall into chaos and clash with one another.
One group of processors frantically calculated what "love" actually was, and why the secretion of a chemical substance could make organic beings act against their survival instincts.
Another group of processors attempted to understand the logic of "hate"—why an utterly unprofitable act like "revenge" could become the highest guiding principle for certain organic beings.
Still other processors analyzed "poetry," redundant information composed of simple syllables and possessing no information entropy, trying to understand why it could carry such complex emotions.
The entire Logic Celestial Body, the most precise supercomputer in the universe, had fallen into unprecedented chaos because of the tiny virus known as "humanity."
For the first time, "noise" appeared in its core space.
Far away in the Primordial World, Chen Ran vaguely "saw" this scene through the faint connection between himself and that seed of "Humanity."
A satisfied smile appeared on his face.
He knew his plan had succeeded.
This "virus" might not be able to inflict fatal damage on the Logic Celestial Body in the short term.
But it had already planted a chaotic seed called "humanity" within that pure ocean of logic.
This seed would take root and sprout.
For the first time, it would make Gestalt civilization contemplate things beyond the Supreme Directive.
It might even cause the first independent individual with a "self" to be born within that vast collective consciousness...
When that time came, this terrifying mechanical calamity would collapse without needing to be attacked.
"Enjoy it slowly."
Chen Ran withdrew his awareness and severed the last trace of connection to that seed.
He knew that for a long, long time, Gestalt civilization would be busy dealing with its own "internal problems," leaving it no time to harass the Primordial World again.
He had secured the most precious thing for the Primordial World, and for himself: time to develop.
Now, it was time to handle the affairs within the Primordial World.
His gaze turned beyond the Thirty-Third Heaven.
Though that earth-shaking battle had taken place within the chaos, the aura it leaked could not possibly have escaped those Saints who had likewise fused with the Heavenly Dao.
Presumably, their hearts were now filled with countless questions.
Before you continue