The sky barrier not only protected humans, but it also was more of an information cocoon where qualified individuals continued to be nurtured, and the awakened ones were obliterated right away.
If Ma Fei had not been restricted, Su Mo had not the slightest doubt that the underlying mechanism of this barrier would allow him to shoot without any hesitation.
“That’s it? Trying to confine thoughts by martial prowess?”
Looking at the barrier of “impotent rage”, Su Mo scoffed and started sizing up the new passageways.
Unlike the iron gate passage that connected the first floor to the second, the silvery-white gate that appeared finally displayed some technological elements. At the same time, the materials had undergone an extensive upgrade.
He walked up to it. After he touched the iron door, the noise behind him gradually stopped, and Ma Fei’s familiar voice sounded again.
“Hello, being from the future, I’m Ma Fei. I’m honored to meet you under these circumstances.
“Haha, you seem surprised. You didn’t expect me to be this handsome, did you?”
A mutable face appeared on the 24-inch screen.
The man’s face was dark and glowing. His soft, supple skin had turned coarse long ago from the harsh wind, but his bright, piercing eyes proved that he was a resolute man.
His hair seemed to have been shorn off by the sharp blade of life; it was short and wiry. Taken together with his short, unyielding beard, he appeared to be quite a character no matter how one looked at him!
“That’s something alright. This personification of consciousness looks quite human. Ma Fei, do you know someone by the name of Lu Benwei?”
“Oh? Lu Benwei? What the heck, I remember I had a grandpa whose last name might be Lu, but I don’t think that’s his name, though!”
The figure on the screen was no different from the actual person. It even joked with Su Mo.
The personification of consciousness had no power to hurt or maim. Su Mo started to enjoy this friendly pioneer, and the two of them began a cheerful and courteous interaction.
About a minute later, after quickly confirming that they were from different space-time parallels on Earth, they became much closer.
“I can’t believe it. I really can’t believe it. In this same place here, I’ve actually gotten to meet someone from the same country, but from a different time-space parallel.
“Huaxia sounds so much nicer than Blazeland!”
Ma Fei had a breezy, frank personality. If he had not been trapped inside that screen, the two of them would probably have already been having a drink or two while reminiscing about their past.
However, the time shown on the top right corner was almost up.
In the settings, Ma Fei had designated very little time for his personification of consciousness on the second floor—merely a few minutes.
Even if the two of them were fated to meet, once these few minutes were up, Su Mo would have to go up to the third floor if he wished to see him again.
“I’m very satisfied with your answers. You’ve already been given access to the third floor, but whether you make it up there at all will depend on your abilities.”
“If I’m not capable enough, it will be frustrating to go up there and find out all of these secrets. If I’m capable enough, you’ll gain my measure once I enter.”
“That’s right. Just a reminder, though, there’s nothing good up there that can increase your martial prowess, so don’t think of trying to loot my poor self.”
Ma Fei laughed out loud as if he knew what Su Mo had in mind. His expression was knowing, as if to say that they were both from the same race, so he had Su Mo’s measure.
“The machine on this wall on the second floor was one of my lifelong projects. Once you pry open the robot that’s in the middle, behind it, you’ll find a complete manufacturing maintenance manual that I left for you. You’ll have to learn this on your own; you can’t immediately import it into the game.
“Oh, right. In order to not have problems with the sky barrier and for energy to flow out quickly, don’t take everything away at once. Otherwise, you’ll have to come here in person to maintain it after some time.
“The vertical missile launcher in the middle is a piece of modular technology. I got it when I traveled around the cores of various ruins in my early years. Sadly, after my grand ambitions were frustrated, it’s been collecting dust like me all these years. I hope that it’ll have its moment of glory once it comes into your possession.
“You still have a final five minutes. If you ask, I can answer one question that doesn’t involve the third and fourth floor.”
It was true that anyone would become a chatterbox once they had come to a certain stage.
Even though there was not much time left, Ma Fei still utilized one precious minute to nag this “good buddy” that he had just met.
At the same time, a five-minute countdown on the top right corner of the screen lit up and slowly began ticking down to zero.
“One question?”
“Yes. Before I left, I made sure to retain all my memories except the ones that concerned my family. There are a lot of things sealed in these memories, so you can ask one question about something you really want to know. I’ll treat it as a reward for your excellent answer to the third question.”
Ma Fei spread his hands and gestured at one side. A chair suddenly came flying over so he could sit down.
“Ah, I’ll make myself comfortable then…”
When he saw Ma Fei sitting down, Su Mo ditched the formalities and seated himself on the floor in a frank, unceremonious manner. He then asked a question that had been on his mind ever since he first stepped into the ruins.
“Speaking of which, why does Blazeland want to develop technology into some sort of esoteric art? Why not go down the esoteric path right away and physically become a god?
“At the very least, mankind will know how to cast fire balls, gales, and thunder spells—why wouldn’t you want that?”
Huaxian writing and language was extremely elegant. The same sentence spoken in a different tone would change the meaning entirely.
The moment Su Mo uttered those words, the microphone on the screen received all the information and rapidly transcoded them into text before further translating them into a string of binary signals that flowed across the screen.
After Ma Fei understood the meaning of this sentence, one could clearly see his forehead beading with some sweat.
“Erm… Su Mo, why would you think this way? Do you think that Blazeland is developing mystical powers?”
“Isn’t that what’s happening? Whether it’s these mass-produced appliances or what I’ve seen, aren’t they using magical abilities to improve the levels of technology?”
A combative air-conditioner, an old television that could detect anything within a range of 1km, an LCD tv that could rectify proficiency levels, and an old phone that could scan within a range of 50km.
Items that were brought back from the ruins were like opening a blind box. They possessed all kinds of unusual abilities that could surprise one from time to time.
In Su Mo’s view, these magical abilities were more prominent and powerful in the early technological stages when compared to modular technology.
“What does ‘magical’ mean in your vocabulary? Is it an illusory inner force in a martial arts novel or the magical curses found in Western novels, or perhaps even the powers of gods and demons we have here in the East?
“Never forget what technology really is, Su Mo!”
“Technology—isn’t it…”
Ma Fei’s question was very acute. In comparison with Zhong Qingshu’s roundabout way of speaking, communication between the two men was very clear.
Su Mo was on the verge of involuntarily answering Ma Fei’s question, but he froze when he was about to blurt out his reply.
At the moment when Ma Fei asked that question in his stentorian voice, an absurd notion suddenly surged into Su Mo’s head—one that had never occurred to him before.
Society was accustomed to linking science and technology together by collectively referring to them as science and technology, or just plain tech for short. In fact, the two were closely related, but there were also important differences between them.
Science solved theoretical problems while technology solved practical problems.
Problem-solving in science was by discovering the connection between a certain phenomenon and the scientific laws behind it, then establishing a theory to link the two.
The mission of technology was to apply the concrete results of scientific research in solving practical problems.
“Why do you feel that things like inner force and magical abilities have correct paths or wrong paths?
“If you unleash a fire ball technique, doesn’t it mean that you’ve developed a theory for unleashing it, translated the theory into an outcome, and turned it into a technique you can use repeatedly?
“What’s the difference between this process and when we release the safety catch of a gun, pick the gun up, pull the trigger, and shoot?”
As he spoke, Ma Fei was so afraid that Su Mo would not be able to comprehend his explanation that he stood up from the stool anxiously. He gestured liberally with his hands, and the screen changed slightly.
“You feel that those powers are magical only because you haven’t studied the principles behind them. It’s like how you think deities are powerful, but you don’t have enough examples to resolve the matter.
“Mankind’s advantage lies in the fact that our technological path is a broad, established one. The breakdown of individual molecules, the attraction between atoms, and collisions between particles…
“In your eyes, these marvelous theories are so ordinary they don’t bear mentioning, but have you thought of how they look like to foreign races? What are our powers, our artillery, and our sky barriers to them?”
As Ma Fei’s voice subsided, a memory in his mind began to emerge on the screen.
In this scene, Su Mo saw how the sky barrier looked as it ascended for the first time in Liangfang Town. He also saw the shock of the neighboring foreign races when they came to observe the ceremony.
From guns and artillery to long-range ballistic missiles later, every time a human weapon was dispatched, the foreign races began to tremble.
In their eyes, humans had magical powers as well. Even an ordinary person could possess the power to destroy the world.
“Wait, I think I’ve got it!”
As he watched the constantly-changing scenes, Su Mo suddenly had a hint of enlightenment when three minutes remained on the countdown.
However, Ma Fei did not stop talking; instead, he continued with his interrogative questions.
“Do you know how many of those foreign races died at my hands?
“34,000 of them! A whopping 34,000!
“But do you know what they told me when I first captured them and interrogated them on how they unleashed their magic?”
Rather than answer Su Mo, Ma Fei chose to use questions in place of a reply.
“I don’t know?” Su Mo answered tentatively.
“That’s right! You nailed it!
“Isn’t it ridiculous? What magical powers? What spells? They’re just ideological barriers created by the upper-class foreign races to conceal the secrets of the power they possess, and to establish racial classes even more securely.”
At this point, Ma Fei snorted twice and gave a more modern explanation.
“For instance, what dominates the world now is not physical chemistry or artillery and firearms, but magic. The air is full of magical powers—magic apprentices, magicians, sorcerers, mages, fighters, fighting masters, champion fighters, and fighter clans…
“Oh, Su Mo, these things aren’t called power. They have a name that you’ve heard many times before… class!”
At this point, before Ma Fei could continue, the sky barrier began continuously vibrating again.
Although this vibration could not compare with the previous one, conversely, in the eyes of the Blazelanders who wielded power, this was another rebellious statement!
After suppressing the vibrations with a wave of his hand, Ma Fei did not stop talking and continued his criticisms.
“Your entire life isn’t spent on researching the truth, but on climbing up your class ladder. Even if you become the King of Magic or the most powerful magician in the world, you’re merely standing at the peak of the exploiting class.
“Why do most humans who don’t understand the truth revere magic and spells? The reason is really very simple.
“Human beings spend their whole life climbing up the ladder of social class. They keep on making their way up from the lowest level to live a better life, to be wealthier, to get more girls. Do you need to know the truth?
“You don’t need to!
“People who have done in-depth study to such a degree will have grasped this mentality. They will strengthen it further so that you will spend your entire life thinking about your class-climbing journey. Naturally, the chances for you to research theories will decrease, resulting in fewer chances to overthrow their rule.
“Even if you’ve mastered control of the Star Destroyer, or you’ve mastered a Forbidden Curse, essentially they’re the same. In a situation where you’re not clear how you were able to unleash something, even if you know how to press a button and chant spells that channel magic, you’re going to be like a three-year-old kid in the eyes of the creator of those things. What a joke!”
An epiphany!
Listening to the words of a wise man could be superior to ten years of academic learning!
As he sat on the ground listening to all that Ma Fei had to say, Su Mo had a full epiphany at this point, even though he displayed no reaction.
“For humans, the most enticing thing about magic is not what’s known as elevation of abilities. That’s just for appearances…
“What’s really fascinating to everyone is… ascending to a higher class!”
In the real world, knowledge was at an average level. Whatever one’s appearance or physique, everybody’s outlook and learning capabilities were all similar.
The rich were still unwilling to associate with the poor. They set up various barriers to control and cull their own kind.
In a world where power resided in the hands of individuals, these phenomena would only become more brutal.
If they did not start from the truth and wanted to quickly improve their class by relying on magical powers, it would be walking down a “road to death”!
“Unlike the class barriers of other races, we humans have already opened the gate that enables us to climb even higher.”
“With the mentality that we’ve cultivated for thousands of years, using our scientific concepts, we can analyze any sort of magical power.
“In the presence of science, every mystery is nothing but a floating cloud. From the moment something is conceived, its origins can be traced!
“Blazeland did not take the wrong path; it merely progressed too slowly, or…
“Hahaha! We’ll discuss this question again when we meet on the third floor!”
At this point, Ma Fei made light of the matter, his expression indicating that Su Mo could not understand him but could not kick his *ss for it either.
Su Mo felt that Ma Fei seemed to admire him but wanted to spoof him a little. He waved helplessly, bidding Ma Fei a temporary farewell.
“Go on, you’re the winner today. These aren’t things you should be considering now!
“It’s a pity that my physical body is already dead by now. Otherwise, I’d certainly go out and get a drink together with you, and get a good look at this doomsday world as well as this wasteland!”
In the last few seconds of the countdown, Su Mo glanced at the world outside the screen, feeling moved. Onscreen, Ma Fei waved his hand and disappeared.
For the personification of consciousness that was stored on the hard disk, although Ma Fei knew that a long time had passed, any concept of time had vanished the moment he had put his consciousness in storage.
Teasing Su Mo, an outsider who had come here for the first time, might have been his only pleasure after thousands of years.
“You want to have a drink? Maybe someday we’ll really be able to go out and have a drink together!”
After brushing his hand over the pitch-black LCD monitor and watching as it retracted within the wall, Su Mo paused with a trace of an ineffable smile.
Ah, Ma Fei, it sounded good when verbalized, but how many people could escape the desire to climb up the class ladder?
