Chapter 594: The Key to Breaking the Impasse

You could say that.

In the real world, environmentalism, animal protection, and benevolent thought—the essence is a way of communicating with those in higher positions.

Conveying ideology with one's body as words.

Lin An did not deny Xiong Hanzi's statement, but continued speaking:

The first Ascetic Practitioner's chosen method of communication is, for us humans, the only way we can think of to communicate with those in higher positions.

There is a very famous experiment in scientific history.

【The Spirit Outside the Pigeon Cage】

In the experiment, researchers would feed the pigeons food whenever they moved.

Over time, the pigeons that had been fed food year-round developed their own strange logic.

Some pigeons would peck the cage with their heads every five minutes, while others would spread their feathers and spin in place.

The reason is simple.

In their limited cognition, performing an action would bring food, a blessing from the 'spirits' (humans).

Because they do not understand the essence of things.

In their lowly cognition, dancing equals food, which is a natural rule.

In their lowly cognition, dancing equals food—this is a natural rule.

Even if the researchers later stopped giving the pigeons food, they would continue performing these actions until they starved to death.

Just like the shamans in ancient times who danced to pray to the gods for rain.

After these two consecutive examples were given, Zhang Tie finally understood what the first Ascetic Practitioner had actually done.

But he still didn't quite understand:

But, Captain Lin...

What he's doing is pointless too.

Didn't you say that in the end he was looking at you, wanting to speak to you?

After all this fuss, how the hell are we supposed to solve this damned mission!?

It's been over two months... are we supposed to charge into the zombie tide?

Damn it, even the first Ascetic Practitioner, who was so badass, couldn't do it—are we really going to rush in with everyone from the Secret Realm?

He knew Lin An had the idea of turning all the people in the Secret Realm into Ascetic Practitioners.

In the discussion, Xiong Hanzi couldn't help but voice his biggest worry.

He wouldn't think that much, nor would he ponder these winding, convoluted matters.

In his mind, there was only one thing.

Just do it and it's done!

Lin An smiled, gesturing to him that he already had an idea:

The second approach of the Ascetic Practitioners was indeed a failure.

The Savior System responded to him, but the Secret Realm's rules did not.

The Savior System responded to him, but the Secret Realm's rules did not.

This is also why, in the footage, after his pleas went unanswered, he chose to turn himself into a flesh-and-blood armor fused with the infection source.

In fact, his doing this was not merely a plea for pity, nor a 'dialogue' with the rules.

He also had another layer of meaning.

That is... a test!

He was testing whether the hidden mastermind behind the disaster's outbreak had feelings, could communicate, or even possessed consciousness!

If the rules responded to him, that would show the rules are a transcendent entity with thought.

If not, then it's merely a rigid, fixed procedure!

As long as it's a procedure, there will definitely be loopholes!

The reason he could think this way is also simple.

He found this loophole in the Ascetic Practitioners' power, allowing him to stubbornly drag on for a hundred years... and humanity did not perish.

Then, conversely, what's stopping us from finding another loophole to solve all of this!?

Then, conversely, why can't we find another loophole to solve all of this?!

The answer is on the tip of the tongue.

Lin An paused for a moment, his expression somewhat excited:

He is using blood corpses to replace this world's original disaster! Using a blood-corpse crisis to replace the ever-strengthening zombies.

The result is obvious—he succeeded!

Although civilization struggled painfully, it nevertheless endured for a thousand years!

As a result, the people of this Secret Realm have miraculously survived to the present!

Thus, the humans of this Secret Realm have miraculously survived until now!

Xiong Hanzi widened his eyes, finally realizing the point he had overlooked.

Blood corpses are weaker than zombies.

Constantly strengthening mutants are far stronger than blood corpses that only know how to fire off blasts.

Combining blood-corpse attacks is like being forced to do it, but they never launch a large-scale offensive.

Xiong Hanzi also realized this was likely a backup plan arranged by the first Ascetic Practitioner.

After all, the blood corpses were his own 'creation,' so controlling their attack frequency is completely normal.

After all, the blood corpse was something he himself 'produced'; controlling the attack frequency is too normal.

As soon as his words fell, Lin An spoke quickly, his eyes shining with admiration:

Not only that, but I still remember our initial guess: this blood corpse attack style seems like it's oppressing humanity.

It seems to be forcing them to continually cultivate Ascetic Practitioners.

I guess this is also a contingency left by the first Ascetic Practitioner.

When a nation has no external enemy, it must have internal worries.

He must have been unable, after using blood corpses to replace the disaster, to also eliminate the blood corpses.

All that could be done... was to change the mode of attack.

So...

Rather, switch to this kind of difficulty that gives humanity a sense of oppression without wiping them out.

That way, whenever humanity faces a life-or-death crisis, Ascetic Practitioners will always appear, preventing a day when blood corpses spiral out of control and humanity has no power to resist.

After all, there are now signs of a sudden surge in blood corpse attack pressure.

I guess the blood corpse disaster is about to spiral out of control...

But a scheme that can last a thousand years is already remarkable.

Beside the throne, Xiong Hanzi listened to all this with a complex expression, and involuntarily glanced toward the huge statue faintly visible outside the hall.

'Lin Dui.'

'I think I get it now.'

'That guy, he's really impressive...'

'Even the Ascetic Practitioners of this world resent him and blame him...'

'That's pretty heartless...'

His mood was a little low.

Zhang Tie couldn't help but think of himself and his companions, wondering what Lin An had struggled so desperately for.

Yes, they couldn't be said to have saved the Huaxia war zone, nor did they have that capability.

But the survivors rescued from Long'an Base number in the millions, if not tens of millions, right?

Especially after the first wave of corpse riots began, the rescue operation Lin Dui had arranged in advance could at least save the three provinces surrounding the river.

He sighed.

Xiong Hanzi, his heart a tangled mess, grabbed the map and stopped thinking about this nonsense:

'Lin Dui, what you mean is...'

'Are we going into the corpse tide now to find the first Ascetic Practitioner's contingency?'

'The blood corpses are his creation; he expects you to find something to destroy the blood corpses?'

'But can't he do it himself? Or is he unwilling to kill his own child?'

Though it's a sigh, the first Ascetic Practitioner is pretty badass.

I don't even know which player it is.

But he always feels something is off, especially the way Lin Dui looks at him after saying all that...

He felt uneasy.

Lin An wiped the smile from his face, and under Xiong Hanzi's somewhat startled gaze, he looked at him seriously:

'No need to look for it.'

'What the first Ascetic Practitioner did isn't limited to just these two things.'

'Do you still remember what I said at the beginning, about the layout that spans a thousand years?'

'What truly shocked me...'

'It's him...'

'He left you behind!'

!!?

Zhang Tie stared in horror as Lin An pointed at him with one hand, completely failing to understand why Lin An would say that.

'Me!?!? Lin Dui! What does this have to do with me?'

Lin An gave a light laugh, then grabbed Zhang Tie's arm:

'To be precise.'

'The method left by the first Ascetic Practitioner to resolve the blood corpse issue is Indestructible Asura.'

'Or rather, Indestructible Asura is the blood corpses!!'

'Do you still remember the Indestructible Asura that suddenly appeared in the weapons testing facility?'

'Do you still remember that "scroll" 【Buddha's Conception Diagram】 inside the passage?'

He heard the sound.

His gaze turned horrified.

In an instant, Zhang Tie recalled the bizarre scenes inside the weapons testing facility, artworks made from human tissue.

【Buddha's Conception Diagram-1517】, from the pagoda painter, Indestructible Asura.

That is a statue of a woman feeding a child with 'jade nectar'.

And he, Zhang Tie, in a sense, is Indestructible Asura!