“So, this is… a punishment?”
Zhang Daniu’s voice was shaking. “But what did we do wrong to deserve such punishment? We—all the earthlings didn’t do anything at all!”
“Just because we didn’t do anything wrong right now doesn’t mean we didn’t do anything wrong a long, long time ago.
The hunter continued coldly, “A long time ago, perhaps tens of thousands of times ago, before everything began, we—all the earthlings—made unforgivable mistakes. We were all unpardonable cold-blooded animals, bloody and brutal invaders, the captives of our own ambitions and greed. Driven by our endless desires, we caused irreparable damage to the entire universe and almost destroyed the world and ourselves.
“Therefore, like Sisyphus in the legends, we are locked in this cage of time forever. On this endlessly looping Earth, we push the giant stone in our heart over and over again to punish our sins in such a way, even though it is simply not enough to punish even a tiny fraction of our sins.
“Well…”
Zhang Daniu was clearly not convinced.
Li Yao’s lips twitched, too.
The argument that ‘we are born with original sins’ might be popular in the west, but for the Easterners who believed that ‘my life is up to me and not the heavens’, they were naturally against it.
“Besides, it is not just punishment.
The hunter continued, “Or redemption.”
“Redemption?”
Zhang Daniu said, “I don’t understand.”
“Think about the novels and movies you’ve read about the ‘time loop’. Do you find any similarities between their exposition of the theme and their depiction of the protagonist’s escape from trouble?”
The hunter continued, “Before we enter the time loop, the protagonist is often someone who has serious psychological defects and suffered setbacks and misfortunes. He may blame the universe, complain about his life, and feel frustrated about everything about himself. He may even hate everyone around him and cannot get away from the swirl and abyss.
“One day, he fell into the cycle of time and encountered the infinitely repetitive ‘April 1st’. Time and time again, his head was bleeding in front of the wall of time. No matter how much he cried and shouted to end everything, he could not.
“As a result, the protagonist slowly learns to examine himself in what seems to be a boring and repetitive life. He discovers the flaws in his personality, finds a way to cleanse his soul, learns to get along with others in harmony, and finally discovers the true meaning of life. Only in this way can the time cycle end, and only then can the protagonist jump out of ‘April 1st’.
“Master Niu, think about it carefully. Do most of the time-reversal works follow the same pattern?”
Zhang Daniu thought for a moment and said, “Sounds about right.”
“Of course it is, because it is the purpose of the reincarnation world. Not only is it a punishment for us, it is also the ultimate salvation for us.
The hunter continued, “In the past, our hands were stained with blood, and our souls were corrupted by darkness and evil. Our crimes were unforgivable. Regular methods were not enough to help us correct our mistakes and restore us to normal. That’s why we were thrown into this special ‘World of Reincarnation’ and Time Prison. After every cycle in this place, the sins on our bodies will be washed away. After ten or a hundred cycles, some people will be cleansed of their evilness and greed. After ten thousand cycles, even the most stubborn criminals will be cleansed of their evilness and march toward a brighter future.
“In the end, when all the earthlings wash away the sins of the past, forget the evilness of the past, and be completely redeemed, the endless cycle of the World of Reincarnation will come to an end. We will jump out of the ‘April 1st’ like the protagonists in the science fiction novels and welcome a brilliant new life!
“Wow, it sounds quite… incredible. I need time to think about it carefully. The shock is too great.”
Zhang Dapao said, “I’m sorry. I—I didn’t know anything about it last night. This morning, I learned that human beings can eat hundreds of buns in one meal. Then, you told me that I used to be an unpardonable invader who harmed the universe and was being modified in a time prison of infinite reincarnation? Wow. This is too thrilling. My head is a mess right now. I need to digest it and sort out my thoughts.”
The eavesdropper was silent for a long time. Li Yao could imagine the dumbfounded look on Zhang Daniu’s face.
Because that was what he looked like right now.
After waiting for three minutes, Zhang Daniu continued, “However, I have a question. How did the Heaven’s Origin Sector learn of such a confidential and mysterious thing? Let’s say, let’s say, that the Earth we live on is really an infinite prison. Who is the one who locked us here and controlled… the functioning of the reincarnation world?”
“This question is very complicated. It is difficult to explain in detail before you are awakened.
“To put it simply,” the hunter said, “we have been granted certain permissions to unlock part of our memories from countless reincarnations and even before. As a result, we have grasped tremendous superpowers and learned part of the truth.
“After you pass the test of the ‘prophecy’ and prove that there are no problems, you might be granted the corresponding permissions to unlock more memories and abilities. You will understand everything then.
“Wait—”
Zhang Daniu suddenly became smart. “You have been granted certain privileges? By whom? The master of the World of Reincarnation, the ‘Warden’ who locked us in this prison? What is that exactly?”
“A name is just a code name. The great, sacred, bright, and unique existence has countless faces, countless techniques, and countless names.
The hunter said, “You can call it ‘Will of Earth’ if you want, but it is not the ‘Warden’ of the infinite-cycle prison of time. More precisely speaking, it is the prison itself.”
“…”
Zhang Daniu and Li Yao, who were hundreds of meters away, both fell into a shocked silence.
“This—this topic is too big. ‘Will of the Earth’. I—I feel that my brain is not functioning well enough. I can’t breathe.”
Zhang Daniu said, “Let’s talk about something more specific and subtle. Even if I believe everything you said, why did you erase so many ‘observers—the creators of the fantasy world’?”
“Because they were not the real creators of the fantasy world. None of the worlds they created were groundless or imaginary.
The hunter said, “As I said just now, the observers are all talented guys. They can observe their appearance hundreds of times, thousands of times, or even thousands of times, before they are reincarnated. Their sinfulness, bloodthirst, and brutality are reflected in their works.
“Such a work is very likely to resonate with part of the earthlings, who are the ‘prisoners’. The evil that the prisoners suppressed and forgot with great difficulty will be revived, and the redemption of thousands of reincarnations will be wasted.
“Maybe, the observers are too muddle-headed to understand the immense and dangerous power contained in their works. It is unfair for them to simply erase their work. But in order to prevent the sins of the past from happening again, we cannot take any risks. After all, after they are erased in this life, they can still be resurrected in the next life. After three to five obliterations, maybe they will forget their past and stop being ‘observers’.
“It sounds like you are carrying out the command of the ‘will of the earth’ and helping it maintain the order of the ‘World of Reincarnation, Prison of Time’. If it is a ‘Warden’, you are probably the ‘prisoners’.
Zhang Daniu said, “Is my understanding correct?”
“You can think of it that way.
The hunter continued, “The ‘prophets’ will send us the command of the ‘will of the earth’, which is the sacred ‘apocalypse’. With the blessing of the ‘apocalypse’, we will be granted privileges beyond that of ordinary prisoners, and certain memories and abilities will be awakened. We can even bring the memories and abilities to the next reincarnation and become special ‘prisoners’.
“What about the ‘Ark Foundation’?”
Zhang Daniu said, “You are the ‘model prisoners’ and ‘prisoners’. What are they?”
“The most dangerous, brutal, and stubborn prisoners, of course.
The hunter sighed and said, “After countless reincarnations, most of the prisoners have forgotten the sins of the past and come to realize their mistakes. They will repent and correct their mistakes honestly. In your words, they will turn over a new leaf and believe that, as long as they persist, we will be redeemed in the end and be reaccepted by the ‘will of the earth’.
“However, there is always a small group of irredeemable fanatics in any prison. These lawless fellows have absolutely no remorse for their past sins, nor are they prepared to abide by all the rules and systems in the prison. They have never thought of accepting the modifications dutifully until the day they are ‘released from prison’. Instead, they are planning to use their own methods to break out of the prison, or even destroy the entire prison and the sacred Earth!”
Destroy the Earth!
Destroy the Earth!
Destroy the Earth!
When Li Yao heard this part, he suddenly felt that there was a “buzzing” noise in the depths of his brain. It was as if burning little bugs were crawling here and there, causing his head to have a splitting headache. He could not help but moan in the storm.
“Who am I?
“What am I doing here?
“Beyond reincarnation and destroy the earth! What—what does it mean exactly? Is this the truth of the Vulture Plan? Am I one of the prisoners, the most defiant, the most stubborn, and the craziest?”
