304: Lofty ideals.

The two men endured their discomfort and followed the silently writhing masses of flesh and blood, continuing deeper into the cavern. The sights along the way grew increasingly bizarre.

Above the rough rock walls, pipes or crude mechanical devices would occasionally open, pouring out viscous nutrient paste or roughly cut chunks of meat.

The still-active flesh-and-blood creatures immediately pounced, greedily devouring them with their temporarily formed mouths or absorption organs. Then, replenished with energy, they continued to stagger forward, as if pulled by invisible threads, merging into the "flesh-and-blood stream" flowing deeper.

Shen Mingyuan and Lu Jianchuan exchanged a glance, careful not to disturb this eerie assembly line. Avoiding unnecessary combat was wise—who knew what chain reaction might be triggered by provoking these seemingly harmless things?

Finally, this procession of malformed flesh and blood reached the end of the cavern.

It was even darker here than before, with only a faint, pulsating crimson glow from deep within providing limited illumination.

A gaunt figure in a stained white lab coat stood with his back to them, quietly positioned at the edge of the glow, as if inspecting or admiring the endless stream of flesh-and-blood creations walking into the profound darkness ahead.

That darkness seemed to have substance, devouring all light and sound, with only a low, rhythmic "thump... thump..." pulsating from within, growing stronger.

When Shen Mingyuan and Lu Jianchuan approached within a certain distance, the figure slowly turned around.

It was a middle-aged man with a haggard face and sunken eyes, yet his gaze was unusually bright, even fanatical. His eyes swept over the silver-white and matte-black armors, and his lips curled into a strange smile.

"Ah... So it's you two distinguished guests who set off those discordant alarms in this little hideaway?"

His voice was hoarse but carried a peculiar excitement. "I know you... though only from vague reports and urban rumors. The silver 'Hero' and the black 'Shadow,' correct?"

Lu Jianchuan took half a step forward, his voice cold and hard from beneath his armor: "Just who are you? Another madman from 'Prometheus'? Is this... production line your doing?"

"Madman? Production line? Don't be so harsh, and don't lump us in with those radicals."

The Researcher shook his head, his white lab coat swaying with the motion. "I'm doing this for a loftier, greater ideal. Don't you think this world... is too terrifying?"

Shen Mingyuan scoffed: "Terrifying? Because people like you are creating this kind of thing?"

"No, no, you misunderstand." The Researcher raised a finger, his eyes widening slightly. "I mean communication, understanding—that's the most terrifying abyss. Let me ask you a question, young Detective: Do you know how many languages there are in the world?"

Shen Mingyuan frowned but answered based on knowledge: "About seven thousand one hundred, with major language families..."

"Wrong! Completely wrong!" The Researcher interrupted him excitedly, waving his arms. "There are as many languages as there are people! Every individual thinks, feels, and expresses themselves in their own unique 'language'!"

"That's why people argue, misunderstand, and feel lonely! Even in a simple argument, there are four 'people': me, you, the you I think you are, and the me you think I am! See how absurd, how despairingly divided we are!"

He spread his arms, gesturing toward the writhing flesh around them and the all-consuming darkness ahead, his voice trembling with excitement:

"So I created all this! This is the truly lofty ideal—to fuse everyone's consciousness, will, and emotions into one!"

"When individual boundaries vanish, and consciousnesses interweave and resonate, there will be no more 'I think' or 'you think.' Everyone will understand each other in the same ocean of consciousness, coexisting completely!"

"Just like... just like that grand concept, the 'Human Instrumentality Project'! Don't you think this is the ultimate harmony and salvation?!"

Lu Jianchuan listened with a furrowed brow, the information too shocking: "What nonsense... Wait, are you saying those missing people, those in pain and despair, they're..."

"They volunteered!" The Researcher immediately interjected, his face showing a mix of pity and satisfaction.

"They aren't 'missing'; they've found their home. They despaired of this world, suffocated by the pain of being misunderstood. All they craved was true 'connection' and 'understanding.'"

"And I gave them this opportunity, to join this sacred experiment, to become part of this great Fusion!" He gazed eagerly into the dark depths. "They're right there, transcending individual limitations, advancing toward a higher form of existence!"

Lu Jianchuan's brow tightened beneath his faceplate, his voice, transmitted through the armor, filled with undisguised disgust and resolve: "Hmph, a higher existence? I don't sense it at all. All I sense is nauseating distortion and desecration. I'll deal with you first, then completely destroy this disgusting mess."

"How can you do that?!" The Researcher's fanaticism instantly turned to panic and anger. He spread his arms as if to block the way. "This is the ladder to a higher civilization! The only path for humanity's collective ascension! You're strangling the future!"

"No, I can. And I absolutely will." Lu Jianchuan's reply was resolute. "What makes life free and precious is that each individual can think, feel, choose, and realize their own will. Forcing everyone's consciousness into a disgusting flesh-and-blood body isn't ascension—it's imprisonment! The most thorough murder of the 'self'! I reject your hypocritical 'salvation'!"

Then, Shen Mingyuan spoke coldly, his voice like an ice pick piercing the Researcher's fervor: "Even if it were as you say, what would happen when everyone's consciousness is forcibly crammed together? The pain, hatred, and fear that drove them to despair wouldn't vanish; they'd just infect and amplify each other in this sealed flesh-and-blood cage! They'd still feel the panic of their 'self' being eroded, loathing this ugly, proliferating body they can't escape! What you offer isn't heaven—it's a Hell where you can't wake up and share all nightmares!"

The Researcher shook his head vehemently, his eyes flashing with stubborn light. He pointed toward the pulsating darkness, speaking faster, as if reciting a creed he firmly believed:

"No! You don't understand! Once integrated, they enter an absolutely beautiful imagined world constructed by the collective consciousness! Do you know? The human brain is nature's most complex, most powerful 'biological computer'!"

"When countless such brains are connected, fused, and operate in synergy through my method... it will no longer be mere flesh and blood but evolve into the Universe's largest, most precise 'Biological Computing Array'!"

"It can simulate everything, create everything! For them, that place is a heaven of Do whatever you want, where all unfulfilled dreams and lost beauty can be perfectly recreated and sustained forever!"

"This is the ultimate form of evolution—shedding the Restraint of fragile flesh, attaining eternal happiness in a realm of pure consciousness!"