Chapter 1640: Chapter 1640: Angel’s Eye
First, Xu Huo pushed the container holding the J13 Genetic Serum ashore before turning back to find the item at the bottom of the pool.
The pool water was very deep, and it took him some time to swim down. Following the direction of the wave patterns, he found a milky white round stone under an overturned concave rock.
At first glance, based on its appearance and the ray patterns, it should be closer to a natural ore, but upon picking it up, he realized the stone’s other side was set with a black circular ring. It seemed to be this ring that allowed the stone’s energy to radiate over a larger area.
Xu Huo suddenly had a feeling and immediately added the stone to his personal panel.
[Angel’s Eye: A component of a super prop, since it is composed of a whole primeval stone, it can be used as a standalone prop. It has the ability to capture a part of time, which those unfamiliar with time force often mistake as an illusion.]
Angel’s Eye… The first thing Xu Huo thought of was the legendary Feld’s Battle Angel. He certainly shared a special connection with this super prop.
Initially, he accidentally received a Tooth of a Battle Angel in Brick Tale Town, although it couldn’t be used as a regular prop, it had helped him several times. Because the material’s level was so high, ordinary props couldn’t leave any marks on it.
Later, during the super prop incident in Zone 014, the Feld Family’s public Battle Site eased the situation. In Clown City, he coincidentally met a Paper Servant Master, and due to their talk of the super prop’s “fate,” they formed a friendship. Now, in Dr. Wu’s modified instance, he obtained parts of the Battle Angel yet again.
He wasn’t sure whether this component had been modified by Dr. Wu, but it was indeed a highly valuable primeval stone. Primeval stones can penetrate and alter the surrounding mineral structures, causing qualitative changes. Among them, evolving into a Secondary Stone has become one of the key raw materials for props and weapons in today’s games. However, only primeval stones known as “Time Origin” can endow minerals with special attributes like space-time.
Xu Huo had never seen the “Time Origin,” and couldn’t tell if the stone in his hand was the legendary primeval stone capable of altering zones. But given its special state of radiating rays and the instance’s characteristics, it unquestionably possessed time force.
Moreover, this was the “Eye of Feld’s Battle Angel.”
Despite hearing and seeing stories about Feld’s Battle Angel, it was only at this moment that Xu Huo truly understood why this super prop could make so many super players go mad for it.
Even a single component might exhibit the effects of a super prop, leaving anyone moved.
Of course, Dr. Wu wouldn’t casually leave it at the bottom of the pool for players to easily take away. The “Midsummer Night’s River of Stars” instance primarily tests endurance; the dungeon venue affects every player entering the same way. An individual’s mentality directly affects the progression of their dream journey and how much mental interference they experience. The entire process is a screening one, allowing those who meet Dr. Wu’s criteria to enter the river’s space. How far one can go depends on the player’s quality.
The true test is finally seeing the J13 Genetic Serum. Certainly, some will ignore the potion’s significance to the People of Zone 013, smashing the container to take the Perfect Potion—of course, whether one can take it remains to be seen. They might want to have both, but the Genetic Serum is untouchable, and what is seen and heard at the pool’s bottom may not be real due to time force.
Only by realizing the Genetic Serum’s importance and giving up the Perfect Potion can they trigger the image left by Dr. Wu.
Through teaching, imparting knowledge about evolution and the uncontrollable aspects of the game was surely Dr. Wu’s ultimate goal; much like his widespread dispersal of Perfect Potions, Dr. Wu wasn’t like the Holy Sword Society, which loathed games, nor was he similar to some players who were fanatical about and reliant on games. He wanted to utilize games, so his views were naturally inclined towards coexisting with them.
In a way, he was advocating his philosophy and seeking kindred spirits.
Xu Huo couldn’t guess Dr. Wu’s ultimate goal, but it was clear Dr. Wu had created more than just a contingency in this instance, with “time force” evidently being another trigger point, thus Dr. Wu’s image had fluctuated, directly handing over the primeval stone with time force and the J13 Genetic Serum.
Naturally, the primeval stone placed here wasn’t solely for use in the instance; its presence was filled with suggestiveness.
Dr. Wu first mentioned that humans couldn’t control genes and couldn’t totally command evolution. Then he brought up games, clearly stating that games weren’t just human creations—they were also natural ones.
These two seemingly ordinary sentences actually revealed two highly important pieces of information.
Back during the Guile Sound Knights’ attack in Zone 011, Bai Kou mentioned that the “Time Origin” was a multidimensional product, serving as the foundation of games. This primeval stone “Time Origin” hasn’t been fully researched, and it cannot be manufactured. If the operation of the game relies on it, it corroborates Dr. Wu’s assertion that humans cannot entirely control games, even its developers.
This lack of control may not just mean it’s impossible to fully exploit the game itself, but more likely resembles genetic modification, where unforeseen, uncontrollable changes occur through certain relational stacks… Does this mean the game itself has acquired some autonomy?
“Machine gaining self-awareness,” “intelligence self-evolution,” and other speculations flashed in Xu Huo’s mind, but eventually settled down, becoming another question:
If those who create the Dimensional Rift can’t fully govern the game itself, can it still be destroyed?
Undoubtedly, the game is surely constantly improving and evolving, yet this unpredictable, unimaginable future is like the vast and desolate universe, leaving any thought cast into it with nothing but emptiness—because before the universe, individual thinking is insignificant.
At this point, Xu Huo focused his mind again, redirecting his attention back to Dr. Wu. If even the parts composing a super prop can be casually given away, perhaps Dr. Wu was no longer seeking fellow minds but rather cultivating such people.
As he speculated earlier, players’ reliance on games far exceeds their self-perception. If the game closed all players’ personal panels, what would they have left?
Only themselves.
Whether it’s evolution or super evolution, it’s clear this part is uncontrollable by humans themselves, and neither can games control it.
Not to mention, space-time power itself is the cornerstone of the game.