Chapter 997: What Is Batch Production

What is batch production? The absurdity of this world far exceeds your imagination.

To put it simply, the inner thoughts of clowns aren’t hard to guess.

The more Cheng Shi understands them, the more he can think as they think.

Whether Zhen Xin wants to become a god probably has little to do with herself, but everything to do with An Mingyu, An Jing, and perhaps even Zhen Yi...

If one day she must become a god to protect these people, Zhen Xin’s nature would make her agree—no, she may have already been preparing, because she must ensure that when the moment comes for her to become a god, she can smoothly take the divine throne.

That is Zhen Xin, the leader of the historical school who plans one move and anticipates three.

Long Wang’s stance is clearer: whether he wants to become a god is another matter, but if anyone seeks to become a god to do something for this world, he will be the greatest ally.

Old Zhang, who has no taboos, must have some desire to become a god—don’t forget, the tombstones in the graveyard still bear witness to his ambition to bury the gods; how could a mere mortal bury them?

So on the question of “surviving,” he is likely the one who resonates most with Cheng Shi.

As for Long Jing... Cheng Shi’s understanding of this acrobat comes from Zhang Zui’s revelations and the Long Jing of another world—he seems like a resilient good person, and his resistance to flattery suggests he once had drive; yet now that drive seems to have leaked away.

The most probable reason for this change relates to his counterpart in another world; by putting himself in the other’s shoes, he can guess some shift in mindset, but merely from the fact that this acrobat learned the truth and kept it secret, it’s clear he’s trustworthy—if he can recover his drive, perhaps the performance-obsessed artist might develop a desire to become a god.

Cheng Shi thought deeply, but no one responded; in a gathering full of liars, no one would rip open their chest to show their beating red heart to other liars—but Cheng Shi didn’t care; he continued speaking according to his planned rhythm.

But before that, the sharp-eyed Long Wang raised a question:

“Cheng Shi, as you said, the relationship between eras and epochs involves progression, yet since ancient times, the gods have only ever been created once. If they can stand atop the tide without being swallowed by the tide of time, then what do you mean by ‘batch’ just now?”

“Batch” lies in scale—something that can tie the birth of gods to quantity... could it be that each simulation is not merely a simulation, but a real-existing world?

“Could the power of 【Time】 activate the ultimate production line, allowing the gods born in each simulation to manifest?”

“?”

Bold speculation, but human cognition is limited by what is right before one's eyes, lacking imagination.

Cheng Shi shook his head and laughed, his expression complex as he explained:

“Good question—but the answer is wrong.

Batch does lie in scale; the principle is simple: if a god in one world can be likened to one production unit, then scaling up to produce countless gods across countless worlds becomes a production line.”

“Parallel worlds.” Zhen Xin had waited long for this truth—her gaze sharpened, and she said solemnly, “So how is your countless worlds different from the parallel ones generated by 【Time】?”

“The difference is immense.

Let me use the present as an example: now that 【Prosperity】 has fallen, in the parallel world you understand, is He still alive?”

“Naturally not—the gods’ existence is not bound by time; they transcend time and remain unchanged...”

Before she finished speaking, Zhen Xin’s face changed.

“So beyond parallel worlds, there is another universe entirely different from ours—where the same gods exist, the same parallel simulations occur, yet it is completely unaffected by our present!”

Cheng Shi nodded solemnly: “Correct. Your answer comes from there.”

“...” Zhen Xin froze, then lowered her head, her expression inexplicably somber. “It seems all my preparations were wasted. Ha—I even thought of gathering 【Time】’s power to pry open the parallel worlds and investigate... but she was already so far from me.”

Who?

Few people could make Zhen Xin this despondent. Li Jing’s eyes flickered slightly, and he quietly filed away a hazy memory.

At that moment, Cheng Shi burst into laughter:

“Not wasted—because 【Time】 is still the key to unlocking this barrier between spacetimes!”

This time, Cheng Shi leapt straight down from the 【Fate】 tombstone—he could no longer sit still. Revealing his long-held greatest secret in public was exhilarating; at least now, those who fear aren’t just me.

“Do you remember what I just said?

Above the gods stands a supreme being. That being is indeed lofty—but the way 【*He】 is lofty may be entirely different from what you imagine.

Perhaps a better way to put it is this: 【*He】 is not merely a creator, but more like the host of a grand experiment. Yes, you heard right—an experiment!

This experiment concerning the entire universe is extremely similar to the 【Truth】 slice experiment, except the content being sliced is utterly different: 【*He】 is not slicing Himself, but the universe!

In 【*He】’s experiment, there are countless sliced universes, each an independent entity; our own universe is merely one insignificant slice among them!

That means what we once understood as the past, future, and even parallel universes shaped by 【Time】 are merely parts of this sliced universe—contained within it, not parallel to it.

True parallelism is not the parallelism generated by 【Time】’s simulations, but the countless new ‘petri dishes’ opened by that being in the experiment!”

Cheng Shi walked calmly, yet radiated a mad, frenzied energy.

He sneered, mocked, ridiculed, and scorned—but all these emotions weren’t directed outward; they seemed aimed entirely at himself.

This was meant to be a sharing and revelation, yet to the others, it looked like Cheng Shi’s bitter self-ridicule.

But if this weaver of fate, who knows the truth of the universe, is a pitiful man...

What are we then?

Not even worthy of pity?

Cheng Shi’s long-suppressed madness continued.

“Why call them ‘petri dishes’? Think back to what I said about the era’s official naming—what comes to mind?

Perhaps I’m overimagining, but a voice keeps echoing in my head: that so-called ‘naming’ is nothing but that supreme being labeling the specimens in the petri dishes!

This is true batch production—the absurdity of this world far exceeds mortal imagination.

No one knows the purpose of this experiment involving countless sliced universes, but I’m certain: not just you and I, even the gods are merely insignificant variables in this grand experiment.

They merely influence parameters far beyond mortals; as for us players... only those here might barely qualify as minor node parameters.”

“...”

“...”

As Cheng Shi uttered his final word, the scene fell utterly silent.

As Cheng Shi finished speaking, silence fell over the gathering.

The clowns’ expressions froze on their faces; long moments passed before color slowly returned to their eyes—but that hue was neither shock nor fear, precisely; they looked at each other, dumbfounded, utterly speechless.

When you expect 1 but the truth is 2, you feel surprised; when you expect 2 and the truth is 4, you’re stunned but can still accept it; but when you expect 4 and the truth is 10,000...

Ha, this world is insane.

[61] I’m certain.