After Itjenetjer killed Selina, she stood in front of the camera.
People didn't see his face more clearly as he moved closer to the camera; instead, they felt the shadow of his cloak widened, making him appear even more sinister and terrifying.
The sinister voice came from inside the cloak:
"Freedom always comes at a price. Only by abandoning the body can true freedom be achieved. Children, await the coming of the Creator!"
Then, people saw Itjenetjer reach out her hand, and the screen went completely black.
When the screen lit up again, Itjenetjer was gone, and the room where Selina was streaming was gone too. Everyone saw the familiar TV station logo and video website homepage again. The world returned to its usual order, as if nothing had happened.
Mei Ziqing knocked on Mei Yiqiu's office door but received no response. She stood at the door for a while, then pushed it open and went in. She saw the professor sitting blankly in his chair, staring blankly at the corner between the wall and the ceiling. His numb face was expressionless, as if he were a terminally ill patient who had just been pronounced dead by the doctor.
A blue screensaver was flashing on the computer screen, and some intelligent cleaning crawlers were moving around the keyboard and screen.
These crawlers, varying in size, are a new product developed by the AI lab under Mei's Group. They can intelligently identify dirt on electronic products, release corresponding chemical elements to decompose, clean, and absorb it. Once fully charged, the crawler will crawl back to its nest, expel the dirt like defecating, and recharge its battery before returning to continue working.
"Professor, are you... feeling unwell?" Mei Ziqing walked over with concern and touched the professor's forehead.
"I'm fine," Mei Yiqiu replied weakly.
Mei Ziqing smiled and waved to shoo away the cleaning insects on the table. As if they understood her gesture, the insects quickly left the computer and returned to their nests to hibernate, as quiet as a pile of children's toys.
"Professor, did you watch the live stream? It was so bloody!"
As she spoke, she suddenly frowned, noticing a faint, almost imperceptible smell of blood. Following the scent, she picked up her laptop and sniffed it, only to find a pleasant fragrance of cleaning agents released by crawlers.
Mei Yiqiu coughed violently.
Mei Ziqing saw the pipe lying on the ground, broken in two. She bent down to pick it up and laughed, "Oh dear, it's broken! Well, that's good, it'll be better for your health if you smoke less!"
When Mei Yiqiu saw the pipe, his eyes seemed to light up again, but that light was like a shooting star in the night, disappearing in an instant, leaving only the deep, silent sky.
Qingmu didn't know how other people in the world would feel after seeing the live broadcast of Selina's death, but he was filled with rage at that moment.
His emotions hadn't fluctuated this much in a long time.
Since sealing his memories, he had become a lazy person who didn't want to think about anything and had almost no emotions. But as his memories returned, his perception of emotions was also slowly returning. Sadness, joy, confusion, pain, sorrow... were gradually returning to his heart.
When Itjenetjer killed Selina, his anger was completely ignited. This feeling was something he hadn't felt in a long time; the last time was on the battlefield, watching invaders kill his own people.
The burning rage spilled out with the fluctuations of his spirit, and the Boss Coal above him jumped up and down as if he had been burned. It Guagua at Ronald Cohen:
"Caw, you're in trouble! You've angered this piece of wood! Do you know what happens when wood gets angry? It'll burn! And me, the Crow infected by the wood's anger—caw! Oh, have you ever heard of Angry Birds? Guagua..."
Ronald was both amused and exasperated by the Crow, but he had no time to deal with the chattering Crow, because he could already sense Qingmu's anger, and the temperature in the room seemed to rise accordingly, the cold winter suddenly turning into a hot summer.
"As far as I know, you weren't close to Selina. She was just an alternative to Gaia, serving as our second leader for a long time during the years when your memories were dormant. Why are you reacting so strongly to her death?" Ronald asked.
Qingmu and Selina were indeed not related, and he had no idea that the clothes he was wearing were a gift from Selina to her lover. He said:
"I am enraged because of your indifference to life! You keep calling yourself Gaia, your master, as if you are high above, never caring about these lives. Killing a person, wiping out a race, even erasing all life on an entire planet, is like wiping dust off a table to you. You have no compassion! No, you have no heart at all! You have no heart at all!"
"There's an old China saying—'Heaven and earth are ruthless, treating all things like straw dogs; the sage is ruthless, treating the people like straw dogs.'" Ronald suddenly switched to Chinese and spoke fluently, "Emotions are a side effect of life's evolution, an obstacle to reason and wisdom. Anger blinds your eyes, bitterness blocks your ears, worry affects your appetite, sorrow stagnates your breath, joy deceives your heart... Truly higher beings have no emotions, as the saying goes, 'The highest form of life is ruthless!' So, Mr. Hua, please don't be so agitated. You are Gaia's chosen one, and you should lead us and all of humanity to welcome her arrival!"
Before Qingmu could speak, the Crow Guagua and shook its head.
"You're wrong, quack. It's not 'Supreme Being Heartless,' but 'Supreme Being Forgetful of Emotions.' A difference of just one word, quack, but a world of difference!"
Talking about China culture in front of a China Crow is like selling your axe and chisel in front of Lu Ban, showing off your sword skills in front of Lord Guan, shedding tears in front of Meng Jiangnü, or throwing darts behind Tanhua Li's back—you're far from it!
Do you know who this piece of wood's Laozi is? His Laozi is a Laozi expert! Back in the day, Laozi listened to his Laozi reading Laozi from below, and Laozi's ears got calluses from listening to him so much!
Sigh, forget it, forget it. Wait until you've passed the highest level of Chinese proficiency before you try to talk Laozi Laozi. If I lose to you, Laozi 'll call you "Laozi "...
The Crow Guagua incessantly, then suddenly remembered something, paused, looked at Ronald, and said, "Caw, it seems you've lost your chance. You've angered this blockhead, you probably won't survive. Quickly pray, caw, and see if your Gaia master will come to your rescue!"
Ronald laughed and said to the Crow, "Do you know who you are and where you come from?"
"Of course I know who I am," the Boss Coal answered instinctively, then suddenly paused, "I am..." He scratched his ears and neck for a while, then tapped Qingmu's head with his paw, "Hehe, um... where did I come from?"
Qingmu frowned and remained silent.
"You come from the Nebula M42," Ronald said. "You are the original consciousness stripped from Gaia. When your master was chosen as Children of Gaia, you were that seed of consciousness, planted in his mind and growing into his shadow. You should have never been separated, even become one, but he betrayed Gaia, even harming himself to separate you from his mind, sealing you inside the crow in their tree, making you his bird slave. Think about it, no matter where you are, no matter how far apart you are, he can easily summon you in the spiritual world, because you were originally one!"
"So, you mean I'm the real Children of Gaia?" The Boss Coal tilted his head, lost in thought.