"disaster?"
Jiang Zhou asked.
In this regard, the other party patiently explained:
"This is a virtual world, newcomer. Here, the cost of satisfying various physical desires is so low that it can be ignored. And it is not like on the World Wide Web, because of the existence of the Intelligent Ethics Supervisory Committee, the substitute program's perception Pain and pleasure are required to be synchronized to at most 30% of normal perception. Here, everything is a one-to-one reproduction of real feelings, and because we can not abide by the constraints of physical laws, we use it to satisfy our own desires There may be so many methods that you can hardly imagine..."
Having said this, he paused and then continued slowly:
"We can easily satisfy our desires, and then continuously raise the threshold, and then pursue deeper and deeper stimulations. This cycle repeats and spirals upward. Eventually, we become as numb as a walking zombie, or as crazy as a demon."
As he spoke, the guard captain casually gave Jiang Zhou a few examples.
Some people are keen to collect creative ways to die, and experience and evaluate each one one by one. He believes that only the moment between life and death is where the self is. So after committing suicide more than 300 times, the man finally completely depersonalized.
Some gourmets wanted to find out what they tasted like, so they designed a fully automatic feeding machine to eat themselves. In the end, all that was left was the brain, mouth and body, which were supported by stents and connected by nerve fibers. digestive system.
There is also a mother who is extremely controlling and has been studying how to let her children integrate with themselves again without distinguishing each other while retaining their self-awareness. In the end, when trying to sew their consciousness together, they both died because of the destruction of their respective mandala codes.
…
The list could go on much longer, and some people's behavior could be even more deranged. But in the final analysis, these behaviors of constantly breaking through the lower limit are like a carnival before the end of the world.
"The original City of Sages was such a fallen city. People who felt empty came here, looking for stronger stimulation. All the cruelty you can think of is just commonplace here. The Colosseum in the center of the city is a never-ending massacre of flesh and blood. And the Slaughter Art Museum contains creative ideas that you might spit out just by imagining it...
"And many of them who participated in the doomsday carnival and who once carved the art of flesh and blood were probably in the parade you saw earlier. Even I was one of those who indulged in that kind of depraved excitement in the past. Members... don’t be surprised, we have never thought of hiding these things, and every citizen of the City of Sages needs to understand that period of history.”
Jiang Zhou didn't know what to say for a moment. After being silent for a long time, he asked:
"Then what kind of opportunity did it take to change your previous lifestyle of unlimited enjoyment into what it is now?"
Regarding this question, the guard captain's tone suddenly became solemn, and he replied:
"One day many years ago, a man came to our city. That man claimed that in three days he would completely save us from the quagmire of depravity and chaos, and at the same time turn this city into a A utopia that can only exist in ideals.”
"So, he did it?"
Jiang Zhou asked curiously about this statement that sounded extremely nonsense.
"Because the goal proposed by that person was just a provocation in our opinion, so on the first day, that person's substitute was torn into pieces by us more than five hundred times."
the guard captain replied.
Hearing this answer, Jiang Zhou's mouth twitched unconsciously.
"Don't be surprised, this is exactly what he asked for. The man claimed that pain is just an illusion of the physical body. Since we are now living in cyberspace, the first thing that needs to be abandoned is the perception of physical pain. And To prove it, on day one, he was willing to do whatever we wanted.
"And we used various cruel methods to kill him more than five hundred times. According to the mental toughness of a normal person, it would take anywhere from dozens to hundreds of times to around three hundred before he would completely collapse. Yes. And after dying five hundred times in a short period of time, his mental state is as normal as it was at the beginning."
The captain of the guard said in awe.
Hearing this, Jiang Zhou asked curiously:
"So, you were impressed by this man and decided to believe his proposal?"
"No, we didn't let him go back. Instead, we killed him again on the second and third days, a total of more than 1,500 times... until we felt numb and frightened, we finally stopped. I just plan to listen to that person’s specific suggestions.”
In three days, I was killed more than 2,000 times, just to show my sincerity and get a chance to have a normal conversation...
Jiang Zhou felt horrified.
He doesn't think this is a problem that can be solved by willpower - even if he is a saint with a mind as strong as steel, his mental index will fall into the mental uncanny valley...
According to the guard captain, that man claimed that he had the ability to contact the basic reality. And it has great power and financial resources outside. Therefore, he can ensure that everyone in this city will not have to worry about damage to deep diving equipment or being extubated in the future - everyone can live until the end of their lives.
But the premise is that people here must abide by the three principles he established.
First, you are not allowed to destroy the substitute program of yourself and others in any way.
Second, you must not reveal your true identity to anyone.
Third, no one is allowed to force anyone to do anything in any form except themselves.
In addition to the above three rules, every citizen of Sage City can do whatever he wants in this city.
There is no network like high-voltage wires woven by strict laws, and there is no self-discipline brought about by secular moral precepts. There is no restraint of private wealth, no fanaticism of idolatry.
While breaking all shackles and liberating everyone's nature, people have only one purpose of living here - to freely pursue the career they love.
"That person believes that all human sufferings originate from 'identity' - from the supreme ruler to the traffickers and pawns. Different identities constrain everyone and prevent human beings from achieving true freedom."
The captain of the guard said so.
"So, is this how the founders of this city solved the problem? Make the different identities that may exist into masks with distinctive characteristics that can be taken on and off at will. And people change their careers just like changing masks?"
Jiang Zhou asked thoughtfully.
Abstract identity is no longer bound to a specific person, and personal achievements will not bring any worldly rewards to oneself except satisfaction - all achievements in the City of Sages are the common wealth of everyone ,.
Therefore, everyone here works purely for self-realization.
Regarding Jiang Zhou's question, the guard captain nodded first, then shook his head and said:
"Although that is indeed what it means, I think you still misunderstood something - wearing a mask is an inevitable normality in life, and the founder just made all the 'identities' into masks in advance. In this way, when everyone is talking about When you act in a certain identity, you will clearly realize that you are just playing a certain role."
Only by knowing that you are acting can you not get lost in your identity, gain true freedom, and understand who you really are.
Citizens here have no private identity, only public identity. Therefore, everyone can let go of the burdens of the past and choose their favorite lifestyle in this city.
It's not easy for Jiang Zhou to judge whether this system is good or bad - it sounds good at first glance, but after thinking about it carefully, he always feels that something is wrong.
For example, there are always jobs that are needed but no one is willing to do them. For another example, some work that requires collaboration requires a team anyway, which will inevitably lead to orders and coercion... similar problems, and I don't know how people here solve them.
However, Jiang Zhou changed to a question that he was more concerned about:
"So, who is the person you are talking about?"
After all, I came here mainly to find someone. As Charon's "horse", the current appearance of the City of the Sages may be that guy's masterpiece.
Regarding Jiang Zhou's question, the guard captain smiled softly and said:
"Did you forget the second rule so quickly? Here, no one can reveal his true identity to anyone, including the Remodeler of Sage City. He may still be alive, or he may have become a wandering soul. If he were still alive, he could be anyone you passed along the way.
"But... yes, in fact, when the other party first came here, he mentioned his identity - he claimed to be a follower of the Holy Trinity, seeking the ultimate solution for all mankind to understand each other."
"Holy Trinity?"
Jiang Zhou was stunned by such a religious term that suddenly popped up.
What the hell is that?
The captain of the guard looked left and right, and then said:
"A church that prospered on the streets is said to have been inspired by the super artificial intelligence Janus a hundred years ago - they believe in the Holy Trinity of the Holy Father Janus, the Holy Son Jiang Zhou and the Holy Spirit, the First Deep Diver .”
(End of chapter)
