Chapter 437

Chapter 437: Artistic Works Always Bring Various Inspirations

"Only three remain…"

Ji Yongxing found this development somewhat unreasonable, whether viewed from the perspective of continued division or the fact that there were originally four spiritual bodies. There were inconsistencies unless…

"Excuse me, did they already have names when you destroyed that newborn consciousness?"

Arthur quickly grasped the deeper meaning in Ji Yongxing’s words. Reflecting on his communication with the will of the mycelium, he replied, "When I spoke with it, it referred to itself as ‘we,’ but it did not mention any names."

Ji Yongxing instinctively stroked his chin and said, "According to myth, the names of the three goddesses of fate correspond to the three consciousnesses. This also suggests that the mycelium does not wish to continue dividing; otherwise, this name would no longer be appropriate."

"But does the number three hold any special significance?" Wang Xiao suddenly inquired.

"Indeed, it does," Arthur responded after a moment of thought. "In any branch of civilization from the Old Era, ‘three’ carries a special meaning.

"Logically, ‘one’ represents the origin, ‘two’ represents opposition, and ‘three’ encompasses everything else.

"Beyond the three goddesses of fate, ‘three’ also signifies the foundation and the beginning of all things.

"Perhaps those consciousnesses, having combined numerous human memories, ultimately anchored their self-awareness to this number."

The two nodded and fell into deep thought. After a while, Ji Yongxing suddenly asked, "Can we eliminate one of the mycelium consciousnesses to throw the remaining two into chaos?"

Wang Xiao also nodded, showing a heightened interest in combat.

Lin Qingliu shook his head and said, "Generally, it’s unlikely. Even if we completely eradicate an area covered by mycelium, the remaining parts will re-divide.

"If the three consciousnesses represent the limit of independent thought for the will of the mycelium, then any action that disrupts this balance will provoke a strong counterattack.

"But it’s not entirely impossible… If we could locate the human brain matrix again, we could directly initiate a decapitation operation, and I could participate."

The Clinic fell silent once more. Lin Qingliu did not entirely dismiss the idea, as it was an undeniable fact that the will of the mycelium still required human brains for computation.

Meanwhile, Ji Yongxing and Wang Xiao began to consider the feasibility of the decapitation plan.

The second part of this plan actually had no issues; it could be executed by deploying Team One, composed of superpowered individuals capable of resisting erosion.

But the truly challenging part was the first step: locating the current brain matrix of the will of the mycelium.

As the two were lost in thought, Lin Qingliu was also pondering the issue.

He couldn’t comprehend why the will of the mycelium, after acquiring so many human memories, did not choose to develop technologically but instead clung to its evolutionary and mimetic abilities.

He couldn’t even imagine the scenario if extraordinary beasts, driven by the mycelium, mined mountains for steel, then charged at Hope City clad in iron armor. If they could truly achieve this, the solitary city might have already fallen.

This might be a blind spot that the will of the mycelium had yet to consider, so Lin Qingliu chose not to share his speculation with anyone.

What if this person, in future battles, unfortunately had his brain captured by the mycelium? This idea could lead to another explosive evolution for the already rapidly evolving mycelium.

In that case, humanity would be utterly doomed.

Keeping this thought buried deep within, Lin Qingliu briefed the two and then departed from the research institutes.

There were still numerous matters to attend to at the spire; having now become a true weightlifting champion, he had to approach every task with utmost caution.

In the Clinic, Ji Yongxing turned to Wang Xiao and inquired, "Have you noticed any changes in your body?"

Wang Xiao extended his hands, and under their watchful gaze, the surface of his hands gradually roughened, as if a thick layer of bark was sprouting over them.

He clenched his fists tightly and struck them together in the air, producing a dull thud akin to hard wooden sticks colliding.

A glimmer of curiosity shone in Ji Yongxing’s eyes as he looked at Wang Xiao with a smile and said, "You should take some time to recuperate here. I have a few plans that require your cooperation, particularly the exoskeleton for infantry soldier combat that Mr. Arthur mentioned earlier. Moreover, I’m quite intrigued by this…"

He glanced at Wang Xiao’s altered hands, and the latter immediately understood, replying, "Anomalies."

"Indeed, I’m very interested in this anomaly ability. Studying it might yield some unexpected insights…"

—

In the eastern outer city, the cleaner at Factory No. 16, Liu Xiaoheng, is nearly forty years old.

When he was younger, people called him Xiaoheng; as he grew older, they called him Daheng; and in recent years, familiar acquaintances have started calling him Laoheng.

Such nicknames led many to believe that his real surname was Heng, but Liu Xiaoheng himself didn’t mind. He cheerfully went about his work each day and then returned to his solitary home.

Recently, his life underwent a slight change.

This is somewhat of an understatement, as everyone living in Hope City has experienced sudden changes over the past two to three months; the only difference lies in the scale of those changes.

Some had their doors knocked on by the Clean-up Team in the middle of the night, and within days, a new family moved into their home.

Others were taken away while on their way to work during the day, and upon returning, they seemed entirely transformed, walking on eggshells.

Meanwhile, some received substantial compensation and improved benefits.

Liu Xiaoheng fell into this last category.

He had only been working as a street cleaner for about five or six years; prior to that, he was a member of the city defense army in the outer city.

Later, due to health issues, he could no longer keep up with the training, which led him to this job.

This was largely thanks to the late General Wencheng; otherwise, Liu Xiaoheng would likely still be standing guard on the city wall.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to; he dreamed of returning to the city defense army, yearning to die in a fierce battle, but unfortunately, his body no longer allowed it. Staying there would only burden the Young Man.

So now, without family, he carried out this repetitive yet steady job, and life was manageable. Additionally, someone recently returned a substantial compensation that had been withheld before, further improving his circumstances.

The only downside was that General Wencheng had passed away.

Although several months have passed, and most people in Hope City can recount the reasons and consequences with reasonable clarity, for Liu Xiaoheng, who had genuinely benefited from the general’s kindness, this event remained a source of deep sorrow.