18: A Better Future

Han Chengyu's "gaze" shifted away from the complex data model to the outside—Lu Jianchuan had collapsed directly onto the floor, unconscious, his face pale, his entire body soaked in sweat, looking utterly disheveled.

"Tsk tsk, he's really pushing himself..." A complex ripple stirred in Han Chengyu's consciousness, both recognition of this guy's resilience and a trace of barely perceptible sympathy.

Being dragged into such extraordinary events, losing an important Senior, and having to figure out this power that brings a huge burden all alone—it must taste bitter.

Watching Lu Jianchuan's training method that seemed to drain his very life, a thought suddenly flashed through Han Chengyu's consciousness, and he couldn't help but ask the System:

"System, I say... seeing how he can discharge electricity and melt iron so quickly, isn't this evolution speed a bit too fierce? Could this world be like those novels I used to read, undergoing some 'Spiritual Qi revival'? With Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi surging, and everyone having a chance to Awaken?"

【Incorrect analogy.】 The System's electronic voice remained steady, but the denial was firm.

【This world does not detect the presence of diffuse high-dimensional energy 'Spiritual Qi'. The root of all current anomalous phenomena lies in the inherent 'primordial evolution factor' within living organisms themselves, its essence closer to a... highly active, endogenous biotechnology.】

"Biotechnology?" Han Chengyu became interested. "You mean, like genetic mutation?"

【It can be understood as such, but at a deeper level. The evo factor is one of the underlying codes constituting all life in this world, interpretable as an innate 'evolutionary potential'. It is not external energy, but a built-in program.】

"All life? Every person... every animal has it?"

【Without exception.】 The System confirmed, 【From humans to birds, from fish to insects, all possess the evo factor within. It is the primal driving force of life's birth and evolution.】

"Hiss..." Han Chengyu found it somewhat unbelievable. "Then how come the biology materials I studied earlier had almost no detailed records about this factor? Not even a shadow in public data."

【Core data regarding the evo factor is classified as top secret in this world, sealed and researched by a very few organizations such as GUPA.】 The System explained.

【The vast majority of ordinary people in the world will never know of its existence throughout their lives; their factor concentration remains below the activation threshold, maintained in a 'latent' state, as if asleep.

Your Aptitude Holder Lu Jianchuan, before binding with us, was also completely unaware of this.】

"So that's how it is, a hidden setting." Han Chengyu understood, then pressed further. "Then has this factor always been this... active?"

【Not so. Based on residual detection from ancient life fossils and environmental energy model reverse inference, during the archean eon at the dawn of life, the evo factor concentration in single-celled organisms was extremely high, generally exceeding 90%. That was the 'Great Explosion' era of intense collision and rapid evolution of life forms.】

The System's electronic voice seemed to carry a trace of historical gravitas.

【However, as life evolved toward multicellular, complex forms, the energy required to maintain high factor concentration increased exponentially.

To balance metabolic efficiency, organisms, through processes like 'generational genetic dilution' and 'energy consumption during cell division', gradually reduced the retention ratio of the evo factor during evolution, whether actively or passively.

Over hundreds of millions of years, the factor concentration in most life has dropped to extremely low levels, evolution nearly stagnating. This world has been dormant for too long.】

"From being everywhere to almost disappearing..." Han Chengyu pondered these words, suddenly grasping the keyword the System mentioned when they first met. "Wait! You said earlier that this world is about to face a 'Great Upheaval'? Could it be..."

【Precisely.】 The System's voice suddenly turned serious. 【According to monitoring, a global 'Great Upheaval' of unknown cause is occurring. The evo factor, dormant for eons, is being massively reactivated by some force, its activity and concentration thresholds rising.】

A data-based projection unfolded in Han Chengyu's consciousness: the originally smooth evo factor concentration distribution curve had recently surged sharply, representing more individuals crossing the activation threshold.

【More and more 'manifest potential individuals' will appear, triggering evolution driven by crisis or will. However, evolution lacking guidance is prone to self-destruction from energy loss of control or distortion into deviant entities that only know plunder—like the monster in the warehouse. Civilizational order will face unprecedented impact, possibly even leading to destruction.】

Han Chengyu's "gaze" turned again to the unconscious Lu Jianchuan, but the doubts in his mind were not entirely dispelled.

"System, according to your explanation, this evo factor has existed since the dawn of life, and life has evolved from single cells to the current human civilization. 'Survival of the fittest, natural selection'—this world has operated by this Law for billions of years, and it's been fine, hasn't it? In ancient times, concentration was higher, evolution more intense; back then without us, life endured and even evolved intelligent civilization. Even if this 'Great Upheaval' makes evolution active again, isn't that part of natural Law? Why exactly do we outsiders need to intervene?"

【Your logic is based on 'past experience', but overlooks a decisive variable in this event: a mature 'civilization' with planetary-level destructive capability already exists.】

【In the ancient era, the rule of the evolution race was 'ecological niche competition'. Failed individuals or species perished, their occupied niches and material energy inherited and recycled by the victors.

The entire process was like successive 'internal stress tests' of the planetary life System, survival of the fittest, but the System's total entropy remained within controllable limits.

Even during mass extinctions, the root cause was drastic environmental changes (like asteroid impacts, ice ages) leading to large-scale disappearance of 'ecological niches', where evolution couldn't keep pace with environmental shifts—a System 'rebooted by external forces'.】

The System's tone shifted abruptly, carrying a macro-scale coldness.

【This 'Great Upheaval', however, directly 'injects excessive energy and variables' into all life within the System. It is not terrifying in itself; the real danger lies in the fact that within this System, a variable that has grasped the 'trigger' has emerged—human civilization.】

【In an unguided evolution race, civilization's reaction is predictable:】

【Phase One: Panic and internal purge. Treating evolved individuals as threats, using military force to eliminate them. Social order collapses amid suspicion.】

【Phase Two: Weaponization race. Once realizing evolutionary power can be harnessed, major forces will spare no effort to capture, research, even artificially create evolved individuals, turning them into ultimate weapons.】

【Phase Three: Ecological chain collapse and planetary-level regression. This is the most likely endgame. The war between civilization and evolved beings will no longer be confined to cities.

To eliminate an evolved entity capable of activity deep in the Earth's crust, civilization might use bunker-busting nuclear weapons, triggering chain geological disasters; to eradicate a plant-based evolved entity capable of altering atmospheric composition, civilization might release targeted gene weapons, accidentally killing global oxygen producers.】

A chilling macro-projection unfolded in Han Chengyu's consciousness: continental plates torn by weapons, oceans dead from leaked weapon-grade pollutants, the atmosphere thinning and toxic... Life wasn't advancing toward higher evolution but, in the mutual destruction between civilization and uncontrolled evolutionary power, dragging the entire planet's ecological environment into an irreversible abyss of great regression.

【By then, the planetary ecosystem will no longer be a stage but a battlefield and final burial ground. Civilization's weapons and the abilities of uncontrolled evolved entities are enough to set this planet's life support System back hundreds of millions of years. This is no longer natural selection, but 'systemic suicide'.】

The System delivered its final verdict.

【Our intervention is not out of favoritism for human civilization. Our core mission is 'to sustain life forms, stabilize civilizational continuity'. The underlying logic is: a relatively stable civilizational framework is the 'best container' to constrain the destructive force of this hyper-speed evolution race.

We guide Aptitude Holders to establish a 'firewall', preventing direct collision between evolutionary power and civilizational power, thus avoiding staking the entire planet's ecological chain on a losing gamble.】

【From the planet's perspective, we are installing a 'safety valve' for this life System.】

A shiver ran through Han Chengyu's consciousness core. What he saw was no longer the struggle of individual fate but a grand and dangerous tableau of planetary destiny. What he and Lu Jianchuan had to do was actually prevent the entire ecosystem from collapsing due to the collision of its two most powerful internal variables.

"So..." he digested this terrifying information, confirming with the System, "everything we do is to prevent this worst-case scenario of 'civilization and evolution perishing together, dragging the planet into regression' from happening, right?"

【Yes. This is one of the catastrophic endgames with the highest probability that we must strive to avoid.】

"Then if... without us," Han Chengyu pressed, "would this worst outcome inevitably occur?"

【Not necessarily.】 The System's reply displayed absolute rationality.

【According to my projections, without external guidance, the future holds multiple possibility branches. Among them, there also exist low-probability paths where civilization, after immense turmoil and sacrifice in collision with evolutionary power, eventually achieves some fragile balance or Fusion. The possibility of civilization overcoming the crisis on its own is not zero.】

This answer somewhat surprised Han Chengyu.

"Then why are we still..."

【However,】 the System interrupted him, its tone resolute, 【in probability terms, as long as the possibility of the worst outcome is not zero, and its cost is the collapse of the entire civilization and even the planetary ecology, then any rational intervention that can increase the probability of a 'better outcome' is necessary and must be executed.】

【Our existence is not to stifle other possibilities, but to guide civilization as much as possible toward the path with lesser sacrifice and greater hope of survival. We are here precisely to increase the weight of that 'better future'.】