The past, either bright or dim, hangs in the sky like stars, shining with all kinds of brilliance under the blood moon.
It's like looking at a streetlight with tearful eyes, the light blurring in the hazy world.
Among the many memory fragments Russell had seen, this was the farthest and most completely shattered.
Maybe it's because he's dead, maybe it's because "Andrew" has been dead long ago - or maybe it's because he has embedded too many memories that don't belong to him into his thinking, so that the past that really belongs to him has been
Penetrating to the point of fragmentation and vulnerability.
And as Russell opened his hands toward the "stars" in the night sky, those radiances from the past were reflected in the mirror——
In the narrow and messy room, electric lights were on everywhere, and the air exuded the pungent smell of rubber, plastic and oil.
A man is wearing a fully enclosed helmet and holding a silicone rod in his mouth. He is the only one in the room.
Strong rubber rings fixed his hands and feet on the simple instrument seat. There was a button tied to the armrest of the seat, and it was fixed in the palm of his hand with tape.
As he slowly pressed the button with some determination, various instruments in the room sounded with the sound of turbines that gradually became sharper. He closed his eyes, and then his body suddenly began to twitch violently——
He suddenly bit down on the rubber gag in his mouth, and his exposed neck instantly turned red, and his veins were forced in and out. In just a few seconds, he couldn't help but press the button in his hand.
As the helmet rose, the man coughed violently and continuously, spitting out the silicone stick with saliva in his hand. His entire face turned red, his eyeballs obviously protruded due to the pressure, and then he began to have severe asthma.
. He injected himself into a muscle with his violently trembling hands, and then he gradually calmed down.
It was a middle-aged man with brown hair and blue eyes, with greasy and messy hair. After he calmed down, he coughed violently a few more times, and then he stretched out his still trembling hand and picked up his gold thread.
Glasses.
As soon as he put on his glasses, he started coughing more and more violently. As he coughed, he couldn't even straighten up, and he dropped the glasses he had just put on to the ground.
Then he suddenly reached out to cover his mouth, stumbled to the sink in the corner, and started to vomit, but he couldn't vomit anything, only thin gastric juice and the porridge he drank in the morning. When he ran by, he even stepped on it in a hurry.
Touch the temples of your glasses.
"Damn, shit! Shit!"
The man stretched out his hand to hold the mirror on the sink and cursed in a low voice: "I messed up again..."
He looked at himself in the mirror and saw tears in the corners of his eyes. The world in front of him was so blurry. It was not just because of coughing or vomiting, but also because of the constant failure of the experiment itself.
"Saint, if you look at me, please let me succeed." He murmured in a low voice, his voice dry and hoarse like a sob: "Even if it's only once. Just let me succeed once -
"I really can't hold on anymore.
Suddenly, he turned around and looked in Russell's direction: "What's the sound?
"--Who are you?"
Russell didn't say a word, but there was an expression of astonishment or expectation on his face, as if he was crying and laughing at the same time: "Can you say something again? I seem to have heard you! I seem to - I definitely haven't heard it.
Such a sound - this is not my memory!
"I seem to have succeeded! I may have succeeded! I have succeeded!"
Short-term memories are broken.
What appeared in front of Russell's eyes again was the dim yellow sunset.
"Your Holiness..."
"His" angle of view seemed a little skewed, so he pushed up his glasses with some discomfort. But the temples of the glasses had been bent, so he couldn't push them straight. In front of the old man with white hair and white beard, he looked
He was very nervous. His hands pinched the corners of his clothes from time to time, and his spine
His back unconsciously bent a little. He felt that his lower back and buttocks were a little itchy, maybe because he had stood for a long time, or maybe because he had not exercised for a long time, and the heat of sweat was blocked by the pores. He wanted to
He scratched his itch, but he didn't dare to do such disrespectful behavior in front of the old man.
This made him feel even more uncomfortable.
But the sum of these discomforts could not make up for the anxiety he felt inside.
He watched the old man flipping through those documents—his hard work, those taboo studies, and felt his own heartbeat beating deafeningly.
The old man was silent. He looked at it for a long time without saying a word. Then, he slowly sighed. The sigh seemed to pull his heart.
"Andrew."
The old man's voice was slow, generous and kind, giving people a strong sense of security.
"Do you understand what taboo you are touching?"
"...I understand, Your Holiness."
Words from the heart, blurted out from a middle-aged man: "But I feel that even a sinful life is better than a pure death."
"Oh. That's what you think."
The old man raised his head and looked at his eyes seriously, and sighed helplessly: "Andrew, I only want to ask you one thing.
"If you import the memories and emotions of the sages into yourself - can you still die as yourself, as a human being?"
"Of course."
"Russell" replied without hesitation: "No matter what is injected into my brain, what ultimately makes me become me will only be everything I have experienced. Those are just external objects."
That’s all.”
"Remember what you say now, Andrew."
The old man sighed deeply again and flicked the documents on the table. He looked out the window with deep and sad eyes.
Under the setting sun, the mage towers floating in the sky in the distance are like slowly advancing aerial fortresses. The bombing made blood and fire the background of the sunset. "Your Holiness..."
Although Andrew was not denied, he did not get a clear answer, so he was still a little unwilling. He packed up the documents on the desktop, and still asked tentatively without giving up: "Are you more inclined to... the so-called, 'Cleaning'?"
Die?"
"Andrew, you have to remember. The reason why we oppose the mages is not because they are wrong and we are right. That is what we say to the believers, and we ourselves cannot believe it."
The old man said slowly: "There is only one real reason for this war - that is, we exist in the world at the same time. And this world is too small, it can only accommodate one of the 'Church' and the 'Mage'.
"If we win, the world will become a better place; if they win in the end, the world may not be so bad. The world can always go on, the difference is whether it leans towards us or towards them; but what about ordinary people?
Live or live anyway.
"If we control the world, their lives will indeed become better because of our system, but this does not mean that they will escape from the bottom; if the mages control the world, they will just continue the previous society. This world is a sad place
In a cycle, the upper layer is always changing, but the bottom layer is always the bottom layer.
"If we are destined to fail, it is better to accept failure. Choose a clean death and leave a clear fire. In the future, when the rule of the mages becomes corrupt and the tower is about to collapse, someone will remember that we once existed.
"The reverse is also true. If we become superior one day, they will also remember the good deeds of the mages and learn spells again. Because in their limited understanding, the mages 'died with the cleansing fire in their arms,
." The old man's voice was slow, like a tutor who would make people sleepy during lectures. Or like a lonely old man holding a pet in his arms and talking to himself.
"For us individuals with limited lives, existence and death are the most important things. But in the long run, 'cleanliness' and 'correctness' are the proof of our existence. The divine device may help us win this battle.
A war, but we will also lose our purity because of it.
"We chose the path of victory, but we became what people in the future will fight against. 'The future of the mage has not arrived yet, but I have already seen the end.
That’s why I feel so emotional.”
The middle-aged man obviously did not fully understand.
He nodded vaguely understanding, for now
Take the Pope’s words to heart.
"Then what do you mean..."
He asked stubbornly, looking for the only and clear correct answer.
"I agreed."
The old man responded.
"good!"
The middle-aged man was beaming with joy, his smile was pure and innocent, like a child who got his favorite toy: "Thank you - please don't worry, I also know that this research is full of sins and risks. But I will not expose this ugliness to you.
On my body!"
He bowed quickly, pushed up his glasses and left in a hurry.
The old man looked deeply at his back, shook his head gently. Then he looked at the sunset in the distance, and finally sighed.
The middle-aged man turned his back to the Pope and turned the handle of the Pope's room.
——Then, he pushed the door open and walked out.
The moment he pushed the door open, the memory scene suddenly switched.
Andrew came to the brightly lit hall covered with ribbons.
My back, which had always been slightly bent before the Pope, became so straight.
He was wearing the pope's unique white robe and pure gold shoulder straps. He had changed into silver-inlaid crystal glasses, his hair was neat and clean. He was smeared with fragrant ointment and had a bright smile on his face.
Seeing "Russell" push the door open and come in, the people gathered in the room cheered enthusiastically and saluted him. But "Russell" had a smile on his face and stretched out his hand to press lightly in the air to signal silence. But the cheers
But the sound could not be suppressed at all, one wave after another, one sound after another, but "Russell" did not blame it, just kept quiet while smiling and enjoying the cheers.
"My brothers and sisters!"
He shouted: "We have won, a complete victory!"
Then, screams and cheers resounded throughout the room. People's cheers and ecstasy could not be suppressed at all, which made it impossible for Andrew to continue speaking. He stretched out his hands and raised them above his head. This time, the voice fell silent instantly.
The bishops, like ministers serving a monarch, easily understood when Andrew really needed to be quiet and when he was just being reserved and polite.
"Under the guidance of God and the holy line of the angels, we defeated the evil and crazy mages. In order to thank the angels for their sacrifices and to correct the wrong paths we took before, the church changed its name today to Sai
Bo Church!
"We no longer serve God and return to God one day - because facts have proven that neither devout faith nor holy words and deeds can make us invest in gods. God is already separated from us.
With people watching in shock, confusion or calmness, Andrew's eyes slowly swept over everyone's face, taking note of everyone's attitude.
Then he spoke: "But there is still a way for us to walk with God!
"One day, we will make the whole world and all mankind realize cyber immortality!
Incorporate all our consciousness into the same 'Holy Scripture', so that human consciousness can be unified again, so that everyone can become an angel walking on the earth, and let us be happy and healthy forever.
"Create our own God! Create our own new world!"
Andrew shouted loudly: "And I will be 'Exalted!' This will engrave our belief that 'one day, we will be exalted from the earth and reach the stars!'"
His words were met with no cheers.
But Andrew had no fear. He commanded the angel army and defeated the mage. No one could make him hesitate.
He left with a calm smile and opened the door from the other side.
The next moment he pushed the door open, the scene in his memory switched again.
Andrew, without the slightest smile on his face, calmly arrived in front of the luxurious and sacred throne. In the center of the deserted sanctuary was a throne decorated with gold, silver and crystal, on which sat the throne for him.
A triple crown of light designed by myself.
It was a triple ring like the sun, with a complex halo of three colors: pure white, bright gold, and pale gold from the inside to the outside.
The power of the angel called "Savior".
But unlike other angels - in addition to receiving this memory, he
What's more, he should preserve his own personality and memory on it. This is the secret that makes it easier for him to keep himself clean and his personality not to decay.
"Three years..."
He gently stroked the halo and murmured in a low voice: "I understand some of your teachings back then. But there are still more things I don't understand."
The old pope whom he respected and admired the most finally passed away.
But his death stimulated Andrew.
Why would such a wise and kind person pass away due to the weakness of his flesh and blood? Why can those depraved and stupid people live calmly?
"If there was a way to make them die and replace you, I think I would do it without hesitation.
"I am guilty of having such thoughts. You are right, this world is cyclical. One day, I will also fall.
"I still need your guidance, so..."
As he spoke, he took out a crystal piece and placed it on the halo.
That was the personality data that was secretly copied and saved by the previous Pope when he was dying.
Then, Andrew solemnly raised the halo and put it on his head.
He chanted in a low voice, as if praying to God:
"——Please help me, Your Holiness."
The next moment, the halo opens.
The memories of eighty-nine years of life rushed into his brain like a torrential river and poured into Russell's sea of consciousness.
Andrew stood there in silence for a long time, and then slowly sighed.
Just like the old pope in the past, he had a complex expression but said nothing.
And this is just the beginning.
At the moment when the memory was inserted, Russell heard the sound of a keyhole rotating slightly in the void.
A big door burst open, revealing new memories.
"Sure enough, some people are beginning to miss the rule of the mages."
Andrew stood in front of the mirror and murmured in a low voice: "Everything is just as I expected. However, if my memory and my personality are solidified, I will also lose the experience of dealing with new events. This is not as good as those who used names.
The technology of the elves.
"But I also have my skills. Let me see what they would do if they were mages.
"——I will treat them how they plan to treat us." He said to himself, and put a new memory patch on his halo, greedily extracting the past like a sponge.
Memories of old enemies.
He closed his eyes and meditated for a long time. When he opened his eyes, his pupils were filled with a hint of indifference and wisdom.
"Okay. Then let them be forgotten by history."
He turned around and opened the door to leave.
The insertion of new memories is like the keyhole being turned again.
Another door opened, revealing the new Andrew in front of the mirror.
In other words, I have prepared a new memory plug-in for myself to "upgrade".
One key after another kept turning, and one door after another kept slamming open——
And every time "Zhang Sheng" appears in front of the mirror, his appearance is completely different.
Those are generations of popes who have been infused with the same will by the halo, and they will also become successors, providing knowledge and helping to fill the blindness.
Every time they turned around and left, when they opened the door again, they saw another pope standing in front of the mirror. Each generation of popes stood in front of the mirror, but their expressions and demeanor changed subtly every time. And they also
Everyone will open the door and leave, and then see the next "promotion".
"Angels are a bit annoying to me. They are completely disobedient to the management of human priests. In this way, no teachings can be carried out."
"Resist the company with all your strength? This is not the time to be willful. The church needs the support of the elves. We don't have the strength to fight another war. The believers need to rest, not to mention that if we start a war, we will become
The people are on opposite sides. People long for peace, but angels always want war. Hmm"
"It is not realistic to execute the angels, and it will make the church lose its deterrence. We still need their help. Maybe freezing them is a good way, but I have not been exposed to this field, and I still need some new knowledge
To verify the feasibility..."
"Simple missionary rights are not enough. In this busy life, people don't care about faith at all. The dragon is too biased and cunning. If this continues, the company will be nothing more than a mage tower in the new era, and we will lose people's hearts.
.How can we get enough voice? Maybe we can try church schools and orphanages."
"We can't continue to expand just by relying on the donations from the company. We have to spend money everywhere. If this continues, we will have to sell the shares of the company's church. All channels for making money have been blocked. How can I
Only then can you conjure something that can be sold out of thin air..."
"Mages and psykers can also use the Holy Source... What is the principle of this? But it is a good business. With such a high price, do you want me to disintegrate the deterrent power of the Angel Legion on my own? There is no need to refuse.
Why not recruit some new angels?"
"Tower of Babel? You lost lambs. There is no point in exploring the historical truth. Forget it, let's just pretend not to know. Maybe I can help them, who are already obsessed with pursuing history."
"Stole the anti-electron? It doesn't matter, it's just a failure. Hmm, just in case, let's turn off the permission. Having said that, I hope he can succeed. How can we use pure biotechnology to inject holy
As for the power of rank, in that case, it shouldn’t be called a mechanical angel.”
"New mage? This is a good opportunity. They won't think that I sold all the angels, right? The technology of artificial angels is almost completed. Let's unfreeze a batch of mechanical angels at this time and let them get used to it.
"After a hundred years of forbearance, it's finally time for us to seize power." Door after door opened faster and faster.
The different images of the popes standing in front of the mirror talking to themselves, and their voices gradually overlapped, but inexplicably gave people the feeling that "this is the same person". Finally, Russell heard the sound of a key that could not be turned.
The sound of locking.
It was like turning the doorknob a few times, but the door was already locked. It made a rattling sound.
Russell's hand was on the doorknob.
He looked down, only to find that his hand was no longer the old and skinny hand of the twelfth generation. It was his own hand as "Russell".
"What's the meaning?"
Russell paused and suddenly couldn't help but sneer: "Am I the 'promotion' in the thirteenth life?
"It's not that I can't say that. After all, I have accepted all his memories. Although it is only a short period of more than a hundred years, it has merged with so many people and accepted the memories of so many people throughout their lives. No wonder he is so eager to
With cyber immortality, mind fusion..."
"He is just too lonely. There are so many people in the world, but no one is like him."
"But you understand, he and I are different.
"A mask is just a mask. No matter how long you wear it, it will never grow on your face. After dreaming about so many lives, I will never forget who I am.
"——Fantasy."
As Russell's voice fell.
Everything around him suddenly melted and faded. Only the door in front of him remained.
The doorknob that couldn't be turned, the dark keyhole.
It turned out that Russell had fallen asleep and entered the dream world just now.
Perhaps it was when he was touching the stars, or perhaps when he was watching the memory of the Pope. When Russell was most focused on experiencing the lives of others, he had been dragged into the dream world.
——And within the dream world, no matter where it is, you can definitely see the dark Tower of the End.
The next moment, the door and the door handle also melted.
Only the tiny keyhole remains.
Everything else turned into a vast expanse of white light, leaving only this small keyhole——
At first glance, it looks like a dark tower
.
That is the Tower of the End. The end of the dream world, a place that can never be reached.
Under Russell's gaze, the tower slowly capsized.
When it completely falls down and turns into "one".
It suddenly started to get bigger—keep getting bigger. Then Russell could see clearly that it was not getting bigger, but "getting closer."
There is the cage where "Dream" is imprisoned, and it is the place where "God" lives.
The prisoner inside had already woken up.
Russell opened his arms, calmly greeted the rushing ray of darkness, and disappeared into the pure darkness.