Start from the God of Death and break through the world.

Chapter 1124 Virtual and Real

Thomas pondered for a moment before concluding, "Carry them all. We've done our best. Once we're out, we'll tell the truth. Maybe there really are two Holy Souls, and the number of these pedestals matches the number of historical civilizations that Talma predicted."

He was still worried about these team members. After all, although the era of Utopia had been long gone, he was inside the company and knew its core operating philosophy. He knew that such a momentous event would be taken very seriously.

Once they're out, they might have to see a psychologist separately, and everyone will be thoroughly questioned. If their stories don't match, it'll be troublesome. It's better to take them all with them and tell the truth.

Anyway, even Talma didn't know what the Holy Soul looked like. They were able to find two such conspicuous things in the ruins. Who dares to say that these are definitely not the Holy Soul?

Thomas felt he had completed his mission and didn't want to linger. After confirming that the two eggs would not corrode or harm them, he had his team members carry the eggs on their backs with a mechanical arm. He had the two members carrying the eggs walk in the middle, while he walked in front, with someone capable of fighting bringing up the rear.

As Lu Li was carried along, he observed the weapons, equipment, and combat skills of these people, feeling quite strange.

He felt that although the mechs these people were wearing were a million times better than he remembered, these people were incredibly incompetent, as if they had never used these things in actual combat before, and were far inferior to the company army he remembered seeing.

He had already deduced that this was his hometown, so he naturally assumed that the people wearing mechs were from the company. However, judging from their level of technology, he felt that a very long time had probably passed outside. He and Lu Xueqing couldn't calculate time in this dark and sunless place, and it was possible that hundreds of thousands of years had passed outside.

For a moment, Lu Li was filled with emotion. He had originally thought about returning to his hometown after he had achieved great strength, but he never expected that so much time had passed and the earth would have changed so much.

Lu Li watched as these people carried the two of them east and west, seemingly having some way of finding their way. Even so, they wandered around the ruins for several days, encountering the Black Iron Guards along the way and fleeing in panic.

Lu Li thought this was normal, just like when he underestimated the Black Iron Guardians. Those guards were made of Chaos-level materials, and although these people's mechs were strong, they could only be faster. They couldn't possibly hurt the Black Iron Guardians, and there would be no point in fighting them.

On the contrary, in close combat, if you get stabbed by that spear, you'll die instantly.

The team spent another two days wandering around the ruins before finally finding the exit guided by some kind of navigation algorithm, which relieved them all.

Lu Li was also worried for these people, because he had overheard their conversation during their actions and learned that the sinkhole would only be open for seven days. After that time, the entrance would disappear, and they would be trapped inside forever.

Talma, one of these people, calculated that the sinkhole might not open again for another million years. If they couldn't get out this time, these people, who still need to eat and drink, would surely die.

As for Lu Li and the other two, although they wouldn't die, being trapped for another million years was unacceptable.

Fortunately, just before the time limit was reached, they finally saw the light. Thomas was the first to jump up, and the team members walked out of the sinkhole one by one.

Having been deprived of sunlight for so long, Lu Li found it quite dazzling, causing the surface of his black egg to ripple, as did Lu Xueqing.

Once their vision cleared, they saw that the surrounding environment resembled a large construction site, with many people standing above. Several people who looked like researchers saw the black and red eggs, their eyes gleaming, and rushed over, circling the eggs as if on a pilgrimage.

They wanted to reach out and touch it, but felt it was too risky, and scratched their heads in frustration. "Quick, quick, put the Holy Soul on the airship! We've already prepared a full set of detection equipment!"

Lu Li and Lu Xueqing's original plan was that as long as these people could lead them out of the sinkhole, they would be free to roam the world.

However, after the initial joy of escaping, the two immediately realized a shocking fact: even though they had escaped the sinkhole, there was not a trace of spiritual energy in the outside world.

In other words, although they now have more space to move around and are no longer stuck in that dark and gloomy place, the situation has not fundamentally improved.

Just as the company staff were about to load Lu Li and Lu Xueqing into the car, a tentacle suddenly extended from Lu Li's black egg and reached towards Lu Xueqing.

Lu Xueqing understood immediately and extended her red tentacle, which then adhered to Lu Li's tentacle. Under the mutual force, the two quickly drew closer together, turning into two eggs stuck together.

This sudden change terrified the people, and Thomas and others even pulled out their firearms and aimed them at Lu Li and Lu Xueqing.

"Fools! Put down your guns!"

A senior scientist from the company roared, "If you damage the Holy Soul, even ten thousand worthless lives wouldn't be enough to compensate for it!"

Thomas and the others looked grim upon hearing this, but they knew they were nothing more than temporary dogs trained by the company. These scientists were ancient monsters who had lived for hundreds of thousands of years and were the company's core researchers, whom they could not afford to offend.

Even if they had objections, the silicon-based warriors standing around were no pushovers. Because the human body has its limits, the speed and frequency of movement inside the mechs are also capped. So if they fought all out, humans wearing these close-fitting mechs would never be able to defeat the silicon-based warriors.

It's a very simple principle: no matter how strong your body is, there's a limit to how fast your arm joints can rotate, but machines can be made with better materials.

This is the main reason why, despite wearing excellent mechs, they cannot run very fast except when flying, because their legs cannot withstand such a high rotational speed.

Their mission is now complete, and the company can say they are no longer needed by the company. If they dare to argue with this scientist and actually open fire on the Holy Soul, regardless of whether they are acting in self-defense or out of kindness, those silicon-based warriors who only follow orders will kill them instantly.

"How wondrous! Is this the creation of truth, the true holy soul?"

The scientist circled Lu Li and Lu Xueqing frantically, his eyes filled with fanaticism. "I never expected there would be two Saint Souls, and I never expected that Saint Souls would have certain biological characteristics. I think this thing is alive!"

A scientist walked over, his eyes also filled with excitement. "These two sacred souls seem to be attracting each other. Perhaps Talma is right. There is only one sacred soul, but they are currently separated. They were originally one!"

"No, from the perspective of biological symmetry, perhaps sacred souls also have genders? Maybe they are simply attracted to each other!"

Another scientist speculated.

These mad scientists seemed mentally unstable, mainly because they were different from those in power. Although they had also gained eternal life, they were obsessed with research and had no interest in enjoyment. Their constant pursuit of truth easily led them to get stuck in a rut, so it would be strange if their mental state was good. But no matter who they were, at this moment they had no fear of the Holy Soul. Driven by their fanatical thoughts, they stood before the Holy Soul. Perhaps, to them, dying because of their research would not mean anything.

However, years of caution eventually brought these scientists back from their frenzy. They put on protective suits and guided the transport of the silicon-based life form, carrying Lu Li and Lu Xueqing onto the airship and placing them on a huge research pedestal.

Lu Li and Lu Xueqing did not resist because they had exchanged some information through the TieTie connection.

They discovered that although this world lacked spiritual energy, its technological civilization was highly advanced. These silicon-based warriors were not to be trifled with; some of them moved extremely fast, and according to Lu Li's assessment, they were probably already at the seventh level.

In comparison, Thomas and his fellow humans, clad in armor, are as weak as ants.

Lu Li and Lu Xueqing could easily avoid the Black Iron Guardians, but outside, it would be impossible to escape from these silicon-based warriors.

Even if the opponent comes into contact with their essence, they will be broken down. But if the opponent keeps attacking from a distance, the impact will worsen their hard-won injuries, which would be a bad deal.

Furthermore, since the other side's technology is so advanced, why not first see what methods are available in this world today, and perhaps find a way to improve their situation?

After communicating in this way, the two decided to pretend to be an egg and be recognized by the other party as the so-called 'sacred soul'. As long as they did not separate, they would have a means to retaliate at any time.

Before long, the scientists began to conduct preliminary tests on Lu Li and Lu Xueqing, using all sorts of high-end instruments that Lu Li couldn't understand.

During the actual testing, the scientists were very cautious, staying outside the partition and leaving the specific operations to the silicon-based life form.

Lu Li and Lu Xueqing's eggs were turned around and observed by various X-ray vision instruments. They didn't know what the other could see, but judging from the scientists' excited and amazed expressions outside the isolation room, they knew that the scientists had made some progress.

And so, Lu Li and his companion were transported to the company headquarters, causing quite a stir.

The ten companies mobilized all available research resources, established a special task force, and suspended all routine operations of the AI ​​Talma, directing its computing power entirely to the research of the Holy Soul.

The main reason is that, based on preliminary investigations by scientists, they have determined that these two eggs are fundamentally different from the creatures in this world.

Through various technical arguments, they concluded that while humans in this world may be virtual, these two eggs are definitely 'real'.

Lu Li and Lu Xueqing were unaware of the scientists' reasoning process, but they had overheard some of their concluding remarks and were secretly alarmed, believing that these scientists were no ordinary individuals.

Because they also learned the conclusion of the virtuality of this world, and he and Lu Xueqing were originally explorers. According to Lu Xueqing, it was the only one in all worlds, an existence that did not need to seek truth even in the True Self Realm, so of course it was real.

That's why they were amazed that these old lunatics were extraordinary; their bodies weren't stronger than ordinary humans, but their minds were truly extraordinary.

In fact, the reason why the company still employs these senior scientists is that, although AI technology is already highly advanced and they have even built a super brain of stellar magnitude, there are still many things that AI's computing power alone cannot replace.

The most important of these is mindset, and the hard-to-explain 'inspiration'.

True geniuses don't need computational ability, but rather the imagination and creativity to break through systems and patterns. These old scientists are people who possess this quality.

In the old days, outstanding research geniuses were limited by their own lifespan. They often spent most of their lives studying and learning from their predecessors, leaving them with little time for academic research.

But since the breakthrough in gene technology, these genius scientists have become immortal. The oldest scientist in this research institute is even 1.23 million years old, which is almost enough to make him omniscient.

However, what shocked him even more than these people's conclusion that Lu Li and Lu Xueqing were 'real' was Lu Li's statement to them that this world was fake.

Because he was convinced that this world was the one that gave him birth and raised him, the world that contained all his childhood memories. No matter how corrupt this world was, he never thought that the world itself was virtual.

However, many things that were once inexplicable now seem to have been explained by the virtual world theory.

For example, Lu Li is always praised for his extraordinary talent, as if he were a heaven-defying existence. So why did he read so many of his master's novels, gain inspiration from them, and even try to cultivate, but achieve nothing?
That's because there's no such thing as spiritual energy in this world. In a fictional setting, such a thing doesn't exist, so he naturally can't draw energy into his body for cultivation.

Some of his doubts were answered, but Lu Li felt a mixture of anticipation and great distress.

If we follow the virtual world theory and the game world theory mentioned by these scientists, then the people in this world are either NPCs created from code programs or players from a higher dimension.

Lu Li suddenly recalled his experience on the Motherland, where he discovered the virtual world of the Undead King. That world was developed and designed for people's entertainment.

He never expected that his hometown would be in a similar situation.

Lu Li was just wondering if this world really was a game, then were his master and senior sister just a string of virtual code, or real 'players'?
If they are players, is it possible that they are actually living in another, higher world?

Lu Li felt an indescribable discomfort because he was unwilling to admit that this world was a virtual game. If that were the case, what about his childhood experiences?
Lu Xueqing noticed Lu Li's emotions and comforted him, saying that the theory of virtual game worlds was just a deduction drawn from the limitations of these people's thinking, and that the true situation of this world was still unknown.

On the contrary, she believes that this world cannot be a virtual world, and that the company's research direction is wrong. This is because they have developed a highly realistic virtual world themselves, and they discovered that their observations would affect the 'rendering' of the universe, which led to this idea.

In fact, she believed that Lu Li's very existence proved that this world was real, but there were still too many secrets that neither the people here nor they knew.

(End of this chapter)