Chapter Ninety-Five: The Bigger Picture

Hearing Jiang Chaofan’s question, Lin Heng thought for a moment.

Not because he had never considered it before.

Rather, because he feared his own thoughts might lead others to draw the wrong conclusion.

“The Lord of the Evolution Temple...”

At last, he began in a low voice.

“He grants power to the world, sends divine messengers to choose the extraordinary, yet asks for nothing and demands no return. From that alone, one can see that the power He bestows should be nothing more to Him than something exceedingly slight, of almost no value at all.”

Jiang Chaofan gave a quiet murmur of assent. It seemed that what Lin Heng had just said was something he had also once considered.

Lin Heng went on.

“So... that gives rise to a question: since the Lord of the Evolution Temple has no needs and no desires, why would He cause some human beings to become extraordinary in the first place?”

“Why do you think that is?”

Jiang Chaofan looked directly into his eyes and pressed earnestly for an answer.

“The reasons I can think of are roughly these,” Lin Heng said, expressionless.

“First, because the gods will one day return to the mortal world, so He chooses spokespersons among human beings to seize the initiative and stay ahead of His own kind.”

“But that seems to conflict with the Evolution Temple’s lack of commandments and its complete absence of demands,” Jiang Chaofan objected.

Lin Heng nodded, then shook his head.

“Yes. The Evolution Temple and its Lord do not seem to expect their disciples to accomplish anything in particular. But it is also possible that the very act of choosing disciples is itself some kind of metaphysical state of completion.”

“In other words, what the extraordinary are meant to do is not the point; their existence is the point itself?”

Jiang Chaofan wrote that down in the notebook in his hand, then looked up thoughtfully and asked Lin Heng, “So what are the other possible reasons you mentioned?”

“The second reason is this: the Lord of the Evolution Temple may not be searching for the extraordinary aimlessly. Perhaps the extraordinary people now existing, whether me or Yang Luo... all follow certain patterns. Although the Evolution Elixir was released by the divine messengers, the messengers’ act of releasing it may itself follow some kind of pattern.”

At these words, Jiang Chaofan’s expression turned even more serious.

“Then what do you think that pattern might be, Officer Lin?”

Lin Heng fell silent, recalling the clues he had once pursued in Yang Luo’s case, as well as everything that had happened to himself. Only after a long while did he murmur:

“I’m not entirely sure... but if we judge by the current situation, the common pattern shared by the extraordinary... may be a fate that has suddenly come crashing down.”

Jiang Chaofan understood what he meant and let out a soft breath.

“Now that you put it that way... it really does feel that way.”

A trace of awkwardness touched the smile on his face, but Lin Heng paid it no mind and continued without pause.

“...Lastly, based on my conjecture, there is another possibility.

“The Lord of the Evolution Temple’s choice of extraordinary people among humans may not be because He wishes to rely on them to achieve some purpose. Whether it is a spokesperson or a pattern, none of that really matters. In the end, perhaps there is only one reason for it all—

“...What reason?”

Lin Heng’s gaze suddenly turned icy cold.

“...Simply because He wants to find some amusement.”

As soon as he said that, even Jiang Chaofan frowned.

“So in other words, the god may not have any grand design at all. He is merely arranging everything according to His own whims?”

“Exactly—”

Lin Heng finally laughed, though it was a bitter, weary laugh.

“—Perhaps to a god, everything in this world is just a game. Our human existence is nothing more than an anthill. He merely, out of curiosity, places a red-hot stick into it and watches the ants scatter in panic.”

Hearing this, Jiang Chaofan also fell silent.

After a long while, he gave a similarly bitter smile.

“An anthill... Isn’t that a little too nihilistic?”

“After all, we have never seen that deity, never learned His preferences, never known His character, and do not even know what He looks like. So for us, whether that deity wants to use us for experiments, use us for amusement, or forge us into some kind of ant kingdom... to human beings who cannot understand it, it all amounts to the same thing.

“...Gods are simply too far away from humanity.”

That bitter smile lingered on Jiang Chaofan’s face for a long time. At last, he gave a slight shake of his head.

“—Officer Lin, what you said is absolutely right.”

He took a deep breath, as though collecting himself, and the bitter smile on his face vanished in an instant, replaced by a bright, steady smile.

“My questions are about done... Is there anything you want to ask us, Officer Lin?”

The bitter smile also disappeared from Lin Heng’s face.

It was as if those expressions from earlier had all been nothing more than a mask.

He fixed Jiang Chaofan in his gaze.

Before long, he spoke.

“May I ask... has the country already decided to cooperate with Yang Luo?”

At those words, Jiang Chaofan showed no surprise, as though he had known that once Lin Heng opened his mouth, this would inevitably be the first question he asked.

After considering it for a long while, he finally replied, “Officer Lin, do you know? Japan has recently produced another extraordinary person.”

“The girl in that video?”

“That’s right... According to the information we received from Japan, her name is Mio Ito. She was originally just a high school girl. After she gained her abilities, she killed nearly ten thousand civilians and caused the deaths of several thousand soldiers, leaving blood to flow wherever she went. But do you know what the Japanese government ultimately did?”

Jiang Chaofan fixed his eyes on Lin Heng’s.

Lin Heng lowered his eyelids wearily. From Jiang Chaofan’s question alone, he had already understood many things.

“So... in the end, the Japanese government chose to cooperate with that girl?”

Jiang Chaofan nodded, his expression grave.

“Not just cooperate... they practically meant to elevate her to godhood. The Japanese prime minister is preparing to turn her into the god of Japan’s new era, the object of public faith, and he even wants to use her power to shake the world order and help Japan break free from American control.

“If they succeed... then although Mio Ito will have killed more than ten thousand people, the changes and progress she brings to Japan afterward will be something that even the lives of a million or tens of millions could not buy. That is the value of the extraordinary. Their power can bring about a fundamental transformation of this world!

“...And in today’s world, apart from Mio Ito, the only confirmed extraordinary people within our knowledge are two others—one is Yang Luo, and the other is you. In the face of world-shaking change, the earlier we can unite the power of the extraordinary and delve deeply into the fruits of extraordinary power, the sooner we can seize the initiative. Officer Lin, not only Yang Luo... but you as well are an opportunity for the nation. Some matters... must be weighed against the greater good.”

By the end, Jiang Chaofan’s head had lowered slightly, as though he were pleading.

Lin Heng’s face remained expressionless.

After a long silence, he finally spoke.

“I understand.

“But... could I meet Yang Luo?”

Those words caused Jiang Chaofan to look up sharply.

His mind seemed to be wrestling with a difficult choice. After a moment, he gave a slight nod that was neither an affirmation nor a refusal.

“Please wait a moment... Officer Lin, I need to ask for approval on this matter.”

This chapter was posted a little late. Two more tonight.