Hunter of Mysterious Creature

Chapter 686 - 7: The Land Beyond_2

"Which possibility do you think is higher?" Sun Hang asked in return.

"I tend to think it's synthetic because Mr. Pei couldn't foresee future events. I'm inclined to believe that other high-ranking officials of Dubhe Tower borrowed Mr. Pei's prestige to make his holograph one of the central symbols of Dubhe Tower... You and I are different; perhaps you can't understand what Mr. Pei represents to us..."

Candle Dragon paused and continued, "What you just said to me felt like saying the sky had fallen; it made no difference."

"Are you calm now?" Sun Hang asked again.

"No, it's hard for me to accept this fact, but I have to accept it." Candle Dragon sighed, "I'll try my best to stay calm... Can you tell me more about Mr. Pei now?"

"Actually, what I just said is only half true." Sun Hang replied.

Candle Dragon's eyes instantly brightened.

"Pei Zongjun indeed died a long time ago, but only his physical body died." Sun Hang said, "He transplanted his brain into the mainframe, surviving as a brain-in-a-vat. The holographic projection of Pei Zongjun that you see indeed comes from his own consciousness."

"So, Mr. Pei's consciousness is still alive?" Candle Dragon's tone couldn't hide his excitement.

"No, his consciousness perished, just recently." Sun Hang shook his head, "That's why I told you Pei Zongjun was dead."

As soon as the words were spoken, Candle Dragon's figure suddenly became extremely despondent, as if all his strength had been drained, and his body slumped down, with his two long arms hanging limply between his legs.

"Was it due to technical reasons, or did some accident happen?" Candle Dragon asked, "Is there anyone else who knows about this other than you?"

"The mainframe told me it would notify everyone qualified to know about this, but I'm not sure who those people are." Sun Hang said, "Additionally, before Pei Zongjun's consciousness vanished, he issued one last command to the mainframe, transferring control to me."

"The mainframe's control... transferred to you?" Candle Dragon's breathing quickened slightly, "Do you know what this means?"

"I understand." Sun Hang nodded.

"What do you plan to do next?" Candle Dragon lifted his head again, staring intently at Sun Hang.

"Pei Zongjun told me in his final instructions that the mainframe would handle everything; I just need to proceed as usual... If any issues arise with the mainframe, only then should I intervene." Sun Hang said, "As for the cause of Pei Zongjun's death... Do you know the essence of Dubhe Tower's core mainframe?"

"I haven't seen the core mainframe with my own eyes; I only know it's an unprecedented supercomputer... It's not just an electronic device; it seems to incorporate leading-edge biochemical technology... Combined with what you just said about Mr. Pei transplanting his brain into the mainframe, this suggests that the core mainframe might be a bio-computer that integrates electronic and biological technology... It's alive."

"You guessed most of it correctly." Sun Hang nodded, then explained the origin of the mainframe to Candle Dragon.

"Half of Sphinx's brain possesses the ability to foresee the future, but using this ability comes with unimaginable costs... And Pei Zongjun's consciousness was wiped out as the cost of peeking into the future." Sun Hang said.

He didn't reveal the contents of the prophecy to Candle Dragon, as Sun Hang was unsure if after knowing the prophecy's contents, Candle Dragon might also be erased by the Three Apes like Pei Zongjun.

Sometimes, the less you know, the safer you are.

"So, Mr. Pei foresaw what would happen in the future and decided to transfer control of the mainframe to you?" Candle Dragon stared at Sun Hang with burning eyes. "This means, in the future, you will..."

"Don't, don't say it so definitively." Sun Hang quickly interjected, "I just feel Pei Zongjun's behavior was a gamble; because of some so-called prophecy, he placed all bets on me. Doing this is too risky; it could end up an utter failure."

"But he saw the prophecy! He even sacrificed his life for it!" Candle Dragon's tone became agitated again, "This indicates he believed..."

"There's nothing to believe in a prophecy. Proving a prophecy is a joke is simple. If I shoot myself right now, wouldn't the Sphinx's prophecy just be nonsense?" Sun Hang retorted.

"No, Mr. Pei believes not in the prophecy... but in you, who appears within it." Candle Dragon shook his head repeatedly, "Even if he is gambling, you are the option he sees with the greatest likelihood of winning."

"I feel you've been infected by Pei Zongjun." Sun Hang felt a bit helpless, "This isn't some hero worship-loving United States blockbuster."

"Getting back to the point, what's your next plan? Do you really intend to go to Egypt and search for the other half of Sphinx's brain?" Candle Dragon asked.

"Hmm... I'm not sure if this counts as Pei Zongjun's last wish. But I think a complete brain is better than half. If we can also put the other half of Sphinx's brain into the glass vat, the mainframe's performance should more than double, right? Maybe the prophecy content can become more precise."

In reality, Sun Hang wanted to say that if Sphinx's two halves of the brain are pieced together, maybe they can try to challenge the Three Apes - even if they can't beat them, at least with the ability of prophecy, Sun Hang might retrieve some past memories.

Just like the memory scene where he was shot by the Sheriff.

Pei Zongjun presented this scene to Sun Hang, and in doing so suffered backlash and was erased by the Three Apes. But if this prophecy is interpreted by Sun Hang himself, the Three Apes shouldn't be able to erase Sun Hang too, right?

Even if the Three Apes want to erase Sun Hang's memories, at least before the memory is erased, Sun Hang has a chance to glimpse a corner of the truth... Maybe, through this, he can find a way to counteract the Three Apes.

"If you plan to go to Egypt, take me with you." Candle Dragon suggested, "To be honest, excluding the time I went to find you, I've carried out four missions to explore the Surrendered Areas... These were supposed to be strictly confidential..."

Candle Dragon smiled grimly, "But now there's no need for confidentiality, moreover, you could easily trace these records on the mainframe with your authority."

"Which Surrendered Areas have you visited? Did you find anything valuable?" Sun Hang immediately showed interest and asked.

"Twice to areas west of Lake Baikal in the Old Siberian Federation region; once to Jeju Island in Old Goryeo; and once to the Taklamakan Region." Candle Dragon said, "The Taklamakan Region has completely turned into a desert, its environment similar to Egypt, my experience might prove useful to you. Besides, there's something very important."

"Let's hear it."

"During that mission, the exploration team consisted of six top Hunters and one psychic, but the only ones who returned alive to Xiazhou Federation were me and another Hunter... In the desert region, we encountered a worm-like bizarre creature later named 'Sand Burrower'; based on the memetic samples we collected, this bizarre creature's kin species appeared before Egypt fell, in the desert areas of Egypt, interacting with local armed forces and Hunters in combat."