Chapter 76: The Tower of Babel (Part ½)

A man’s emotions and thoughts were abundant and colorful.

One would only take these words to be a sort of description under normal circumstances. But right now Jack was the embodiment of these words.

Energy spurred the flow of information signals back and forth atop the fine thread structure manifested by the Dynamo Core. Through this special structure, the signals endlessly assembled and converged, collided and transformed. The final products were intent, emotions, and thoughts.

During this process, the energy emitted a multi colored luster while it was doing work. Some sort of unique pattern and tempo were hidden and stored within, flashing and flickering.

The pattern was consistent from beginning to end, but the tempo was random. Two core elements, one of stillness and one of movement, assembled together to form a structure that made one face the tempo of life head on. It was no longer a stiff template; it was undeniably and undoubtedly the pulsation of the soul.

Perhaps it was just as Jack had said; his life had entered a completely new form because of the existence of this structure.

Luo Nan felt that he was watching precisely an educational film about the nature of the soul.

When looking from a physical point of view, man’s consciousness could be simply understood as a series of nerves and neurotransmitters, the transmission of electrical signals. This was the motor that was formed through the long survival of the human race, through evolution. This was the joint effect of a loopback mechanism.

But several top researchers were convinced that the marvelous activity of the human consciousness had a deeper origin to its operation. There should be an even more essential model that would take all these signals, these mechanisms, and use special structures to integrate them…… An efficient system, a synergetic system, that was greater than the sum of its parts.

The soul stemmed from this.

Luo Nan approved these views as someone who possessed a “superpower”, as a believer in Formatting Theory. Frankly speaking, the words “Soul Configuration” that Jack had spoken was truly a marvelous term. Its hidden meaning was linked with Formatting Theory; the link was solid and vivid.

But realistically speaking, it was easier said than done trying to find such a system that integrated all information, especially when using direct observation to look at the exquisite geometry of the structure to reverse engineer the system. To a very large degree, this was only a sort of delusion that was above reasonable meaning.

But then Luo Nan actually discovered something similar right at this time.

Not bad. It was what formed the core of Jack’s demon eye. It was the fine thread structure of the Dynamo Core supported by the energy of two exoskeleton armors.

Though it was crude, though it was just a piece, Luo Nan could see, with his unique viewpoint up in the air looking downwards, something astonishing. He could see a grand construction that took his breath away.

Energy and information that could be physically observed and felt on the material plane were traveling within this construction. From the bottom to the top, they converged and collided endlessly. They climbed step by step. They transformed from simple thoughts and basic feelings to advanced intentions and emotions to enter once again into the purely mental temple.

Yes. This was a building constructed upon the material plane of reality. This was the Tower of Babel that led from reality to the mental plane of the void.

Even though this building belonged to Jack, nothing was stopping Luo Nan from enjoying its marvels; it made Luo Nan applaud in admiration.

This was because his understanding and appreciation of this marvel had already touched upon the essential level. From the perspective of reality, all of Jack’s activity within this Tower of Babel, including intent, emotion, and thought, were practically not a mystery at all under Luo Nan’s observations.

And so, Jack’s recent probings and threats were extremely laughable from Luo Nan’s perspective. Luo Nan would find out a step sooner than Jack about Jack discovering him.

Though Luo Nan found it funny, he was vigilant: “Energy and information can be simultaneously received on the mental plane and the material plane. Perhaps one is more efficient than the other. But if the energy and information are too pure, breaking away from neurotransmitters and chemical carriers, then the inherent encryption by the human body is lost. Everything is then completely exposed on a higher plane of observation, dispersing the darkness like a bonfire within the night. Yet this bonfire can also attract unknown dangers……”

For instance, right now Jack didn’t know that there was such a person, with a view like a god’s, who was completely observing all of his thoughts and behaviors.

Jack’s feelings had rapidly changed due to his state of life. He wasn’t used to it yet; his feelings were clearly too intense. But his logic was not affected.

He was fully aware that enemies were on all sides of him within this city. After breaking through the first obstacle, he planned his next route and had the vehicle descend on its journey. He was preparing to return to the recycling stratum that he was most familiar with.

Then he began to make preparations for the fierce coming battle to break out of the encirclement. He rapidly dismantled another exoskeleton armor as well as his original corpse.

Jack’s train of thought was very clear. He had been an Altered Human. His previous body was equipped with several precision instruments of great effectiveness, some of which wouldn’t even be found in the possession of the Deep Blue Platform. He needed to do his utmost to integrate these instruments together and have them exhibit greater utility.

This was very easy for him. All he needed to do was to have the Dynamo Core split off a fine thread and link with these instruments and components. It was life-like as it linked the information of each of these together closely. All he had to do was a bit of architectural design work.

Luo Nan shook his head within his mind as he watched the pace of Jack’s work.

From his perspective, Jack’s approach was completely wrong.

The true purpose of the Tower of Babel was to build a bridge leading from the material to the mental, breaking apart the barrier between the physical and the spiritual.

Even though the alteration that Jack pieced together increased his combat strength by a very large degree, at most this was the equivalent of building a new structure at the base of this grand Tower of Babel, a military fort made from piling brick and stone.

Compared to the body of the Tower of Babel, which pierced the heavens, what was the point of the short fort? Even if the fort was built more firmly.

All of Jack’s emotions and thoughts continued to be exposed to the full light of day. His soul had been reborn, but he had yet to be completely pure and calm. He was still being affected by the ripples of intense emotions.

The truly fatal problem was that Jack did not resolve anything at all.

It looked like what Jack said to Yan Yongbo about his Dynamo Core technology being incomplete was certainly expressed quite honestly.

Luo Nan’s mind stirred as his thoughts arrive at this point. His soul body descended slowly from a position far from the material plane to extend out with a probing hand.

Perhaps, all he needed was a light grip…….

The fingers of his soul body touched lightly the membrane to the material plane. Like lightly tapping the surface of an undisturbed deep lake, fine unobservable waves were roused within.

Jack’s demon eye suddenly flared. His sitting body suddenly sprung up, bringing with him a few broken, un-integrated components to fall to the ground with a jangle.

When the clamor passed, the inside of the vehicle was covered by a nearly solid sheet of silence.

Jack maintained his stance for a full minute, but Luo Nan had already returned fully to the deepest depths accessible on the mental plane. He didn’t give Jack a chance to discover him at all.

Jack sat back down after confirming that he wasn’t able to lock onto the suspicious signal. He muttered to himself for a moment before picking up the multifaceted helmet that he had always disregarded. At the same time, the Dynamo Core split off a fine thread to pull over the robotic eye system from the side.

After about two minutes of alteration, the helmet was reattached to the torso of the armor. The robotic eye lit up with a dark red glow after being integrated with the diamond-shaped visor.

Luo Nan started laughing when he saw this scene.