Chapter 441 376: The Fate of Lin Xin Bamboo and The Good Brother's Mars Story

"Nevermind." Chu Bamboo shook his head after a moment's thought. "Knowing the inside story makes this much easier to handle."

'All I have to do is not publicly acknowledge it, and we can get past this!'

'In other words, even if we only form a consensus that neither side can acknowledge... it's still workable!'

Chu Bamboo narrowed his eyes and resumed his scan.

He only glanced at most of the diary entries, as they primarily documented the process of industrialization. 'It wasn't that this information was unimportant, but... it wasn't the *most* important thing for him right now!'

Wandering aimlessly, Chu Bamboo suddenly froze. He stared intently at the paper in front of him, even rubbing his eyes instinctively. After confirming he wasn't seeing things, he drew a sharp breath. "There's an explanation like this?!"

"The essence of Extraordinary Power has never actually broken the law of conservation of energy... The original Extraordinary path was to draw upon nuclear power!"

"So, the question is, what Energy is drawn upon when breaking through from the Third Realm to the Fourth Realm?"

Chu Bamboo instinctively held his breath. "That's right! It's Antimatter Energy... When the first wisp of Antimatter Power is born inside the body, the person capable of containing it will undergo a bizarre transformation!"

"They gain an ability that touches upon the Quantum Domain!"

"It's actually very difficult to explain this with science! You could say... the knowledge involved is both too advanced and too incomplete. And the more I researched, the more it felt like I was wading into the realm of metaphysics..."

"No wonder Newton and his ilk turned to God in their later years!"

"But I think I understand now why the later chapters of the *Star Sea Detailed Explanation* my good brother wrote... went so deep into research on topics like quantum theory and Antimatter!"

"I theorize that if one's internal Energy were completely converted into Antimatter... it might be possible to transcend the limits of life itself!"

"That form might still be a far cry from a Divine Being, but it would definitely be a step on the path to godhood!"

"Of course, aside from that wisp of Antimatter Power, there are other qualitative differences between the Fourth Realm and the Third Realm! If the Third Realm is nuclear fission, then the Fourth Realm could be called nuclear fusion."

"That's right. You've probably guessed it. I have already broken through to the Fourth Realm! My Fourth Realm Divine Technique is called—Memory Keeper!"

"I can transform myself into a pure torrent of memory, becoming immune to all physical attacks."

"I can slip into the memories of others... and interfere with them to a certain degree."

"I can perform hypnosis, use psychological suggestion, influence their senses, and make them subconsciously ignore me... I can lurk like a parasite in their memories! I can follow them, spy on their life, and obtain their past memories, all without them ever realizing anything is wrong..."

'Without a doubt, this so-called Memory Keeper isn't just a Divine Power... it's also the Extraordinary Form that comes with the Fourth Realm!'

'Zhang Hai's Fourth Realm Extraordinary Form is an Angel, so it's reasonable for this person to have one too...' Chu Bamboo thought silently. 'It's just...'

"Terrifyingly powerful!" Chu Bamboo laughed bitterly. 'If the Third Realm is all about the thrill of a head-on fight, then the Fourth Realm is more like something out of a horror movie.'

'It feels like an upgrade from a 'stat monster' to a 'mechanics monster'!'

"No wonder everyone says the Fourth Realm is a qualitative leap!" Chu Bamboo shook his head, his expression turning serious as he committed all the cultivation details for Memory Keeper to memory. 'Though from the looks of it, I'm still a long way from breaking through myself!'

Afterward, Chu Bamboo continued to watch, and finally, at the very end, he saw a message from Lin Xin Bamboo.

"Uncle Chu, perhaps... you've seen this record I've left for you countless times? Writing this feels rather strange and complicated."

"Anyway, let's get straight to the point. This time, Uncle Chu, you made extensive preparations. You created numerous AIs, then completely isolated them from one another. You loaded them onto drones, flew an Aerospace Carrier near Mars, and began your reconnaissance!"

"You created countless firewalls, security nets, and all sorts of preventative measures... to ensure that if the attempt to pry into Mars's secrets went out of control, it wouldn't lead to any unacceptable consequences."

"And the very last firewall... was you."

"That's right. You were the one to receive the intelligence from Mars after it had been filtered countless times... and you did this in your later years, when you were in very poor health..."

"Before you disappeared, you left behind an important message... Uncle Chu, when you told me about it, you used an analogy—"

"A fish tank is drifting in a boundless Sea... Cracks have already appeared on it. Those cracks have to be mended..."

"Otherwise, whether it's discovered by the humans, or by the marine life the humans keep, the outcome for this fish tank won't be good."

"So, ultimately, you need some fish to patch the fish tank."

"But just having fish patch the tank is useless! So, some clever fish started to wonder if they should go ashore. Life ashore would be harsh, buffeted by the elements, but it's still better than the treacherous ocean!"

"Finally, some fish with great ambition and vision succeeded in bringing the fish tank ashore!"

"But they never, ever expected... that the shore was human territory!"

"So, what are they to do now?"

"Go back into the sea, or live furtively on the shore?"

"The Sun is rising. Under its rays, the fish in the tank are running out of time."

"A very clever fish in the future might have dragged the fish tank back into the Sea... buying a great deal of crucial time."

"But the Sea is just a slow death! The fish in the tank are, after all, goldfish, and goldfish can't adapt to a marine environment."

"That's pretty much the story."

"I have a few small theories... but I won't say them out loud. After all, you should be able to guess the surface-level meaning."

"..." Chu Bamboo's pupils contracted.

'The fish tank is the Solar System? And the cracks... are they Mars? Or the edge of the Solar System?'

'What about the humans... Did humans make the fish tank? Does that mean the Solar System was created by some entity?'

'Are the marine creatures alien civilizations? Then the humans who command them... are they the leaders of those alien civilizations? Or does it mean there are many civilizations out there, as numerous as the creatures in the sea?'

'And what are the shore and the Sea? Are they terms for spaces in different dimensions? So, the 'humans' in the analogy are higher-dimensional beings?'

'Are they Divine Beings? No... according to this framework, even Divine Beings are just goldfish! Albeit, goldfish with great ambition and vision... Hmm, that probably doesn't just refer to the two Gods, does it? Perhaps it also includes the ancient sages of the Divine Continent and other regions! If so... does that mean that in the Ancient Era, the number of beings who reached the level of a Divine Being wasn't as unimaginably rare as I thought?'

'Then why are the higher-dimensional beings so fixated on the fish tank? A human would just throw away a cracked fish tank... Or is it that the 'humans' aren't paying attention to the fish tank at all, and it's just their hunting dogs and pets causing all this trouble?'

'So, the two Gods and the ancient sages from various regions actually went to patch the fish tank? My good brother said he had to go to Mars... Does that mean he had to go patch the tank?'

'Then what's this about running away with the fish tank? Can the strongest experts take Earth, or the entire Solar System, and make it ascend to a higher dimension? So the Celestial Court God actually dragged Earth... no, the fish tank, back into the Sea?'

'According to this theory... was Earth two-dimensional before, and now it's three-dimensional? Is that even possible?'

'So does that mean this Dream World I'm in is actually a de-dimensioned space... because of the Celestial Court God? That's too ridiculous...'

'If the Dream World is a lower dimension, then why could I still enter it in the timelines where it was confirmed no God existed? Or does it represent something else entirely...'

Chu Bamboo rubbed his temples, a headache brewing from overthinking. He had a keen sense that he was probably wrong about many things. In fact, it was possible his good brother had deliberately planted these misleading ideas—

'After all, if I really thought it all through too clearly...'

'...the contamination might just cross dimensions to find me.'

"But all things considered..." Chu Bamboo took a deep breath. Even though Nuwa had repeatedly stressed that going to Mars was useless right now, he felt he wouldn't be satisfied until he went. He silently gazed at the distant, crimson planet...

A moment later, Chu Bamboo pulled his gaze back and continued reading the rest of Lin Xin Bamboo's recording.

"I talked a lot with Z. And, um, Uncle Chu, before you disappeared, you were rambling... saying you couldn't even get into your own home."

"Z... said they might have a little surprise for you. Oh... and Hive Base... they've prepared a little something as a contingency! I don't know if you'll be able to use it, though..."

"Also, why is it that whenever you mention Hive Base, you always get this strange look on your face when you look at me... I get the feeling you're making fun of me. That's not just my imagination, is it...?"

Chu Bamboo was silent for a long, long time. He suddenly started to laugh, but it was a strained sound. His thoughts raced. 'This so-called 'home' must be the C Company headquarters, right?'

'I wonder, this time... Hmm!'

Chu Bamboo took a deep breath. "Nuwa... Lin Xin Bamboo is your creator, isn't she?"

Nuwa said nothing.

Chu Bamboo turned to look deeply at Nuwa, his gaze lingering on the face of Lin Xin Bamboo she currently wore. His tone was unreadable. "And you have the nerve to lecture me... I'm afraid you have some special feelings for Lin Xin Bamboo yourself, don't you?"

After a long silence, Nuwa sighed softly. "Miss Lin is to me... perhaps as Z is to you?"

Chu Bamboo froze for a moment, then closed his eyes. "I see..."

'That explains everything!'

"Is she... still alive?"

"If she were still alive..." Nuwa was unnaturally calm as she shrugged. "You probably wouldn't be seeing me."

"?" Chu Bamboo's mind reeled. 'What does she mean? Does that mean... Nuwa's creation... no, to be more precise, the process of her becoming an AI, was actually...'

He took a long look at Nuwa but didn't press the issue. After all, asking more would be like rubbing salt in a wound... Besides, the answer was already plain to see.

The scene fell quiet for a while.

"Next!" After a moment's thought, Chu Bamboo made his decision. "Nuwa... please reveal the intelligence regarding the various technologies to me!"

Hearing this, Nuwa seemed to let out a sigh of relief. With a quick wave of her hand, the surrounding starry sky was instantly filled with a dense tapestry of documents... and countless minimized videos, all floating in mid-air...

A brief glance was enough to give Chu Bamboo a headache. "No, no, no... I'm not asking for the technical specifications! I want to know how these technology projects were actually implemented... For example, who to contact, what problems need solving, which region's industry to leverage... or, to put it another way, what industries are we lacking to achieve these goals, and what do I need to do to build them..."

After Chu Bamboo laid out his detailed request, a look of understanding dawned in Nuwa's eyes. She projected another light screen.

Chu Bamboo glanced at it and confirmed that it was what he wanted. He let out a sigh of relief and began to seriously commit it to memory.