Great! I'm surrounded by villains!
Chapter 220 - 140: The Spark of Thought

Chapter 220: Chapter 140: The Spark of Thought

years ago, a baby named Duan Mingyuan was born in a hospital in Blue Star Cloud Cage City.

Until his middle school days, there wasn’t much notable about his life. Just like many others in Yunlong City, after his parents left him an apartment, they went to work in the universe.

The turning point in Duan Mingyuan’s life came one evening after school, when, as usual, he returned to his neighborhood and, while watching the elderly men play chess, he noticed an evil spirit attached to one of their backs. From that point on, he began several years of research into evil spirits, and during that time, he completed virtually all his understanding of the Life Energy system.

Latter, triggered by the "human trafficking" of the Universe Company’s Life Science Department and after causing a sensational planetary car accident, Duan Mingyuan’s life entered a long period of waste.

He went through the motions of attending college, and upon graduation found a decent job, where he worked for four years.

It wasn’t until one late night, when working overtime, that he encountered the Fox Demon Jiuyue in an alley on his way home.

These were the clues that the Shanqi Commerce Association could find, never subjected to secrecy measures, leaving corresponding records at his residence, school, and workplace, undoubtedly a fairly complete life.

Yet this still couldn’t resolve the puzzlement in He Ya’s heart.

She now posed the question to the other person, "Do you still remember when the life of ’Duan Mingyuan’ actually began?"

Was it 29 years ago during the stormy night he was born,

or over ten years ago on a certain evening after school when he first encountered Life Energy,

or perhaps it was the very night he met the Fox Demon Jiuyue?

If she were facing a human, the answer would be obvious, but for a Transcender or a "Cocoon," memories and even traces in this world hold no reference value.

"You must have noticed, right? This planet always responds to your expectations."

While attached to Xing, He Ya happened to hear Duan Mingyuan’s opinion.

He believed this was memory modification caused by the Barrier, but the results it achieved went far beyond just that.

He Ya opened the projector in the room and showed Duan Mingyuan the client’s information right in front of him, "When you decided to go to the sixth underground level as a VIP client, it wasn’t just the employees’ memories that were tampered with, but reality itself."

On the VIP client information of the Shanqi Commerce Association, the registration details of Duan Mingyuan, Zheng Liu, and Xing prominently appeared.

Their identities were legitimate and compliant; even if the Chamber of Commerce conducted a thorough investigation, they met all the standards of a VIP client.

And this, this was the reason He Ya posed her question to Duan Mingyuan.

The stormy night 29 years ago might not be the starting point of Duan Mingyuan’s life, and even the number 29 might not have any substantial significance.

"Let’s propose an interesting hypothesis, assuming ’Duan Mingyuan’s life began on the night of his encounter with the Fox Demon, would your memories of the past change in any way?"

The answer is, of course, no.

Whether it is Life Energy or the Barrier, this planet always responds to his expectations.

If he realized that there was a void in his past, memory and reality would fill in that void, generating a past with traces to follow, just like prehistory in a film, whether it truly existed or not. When needed, it will emerge, thus proving that Duan Mingyuan is a real human being.

"Since you think this is an idealist question, it will never have a definitive answer."

Duan Mingyuan said after a moment of thought.

He was indeed initially caught in He Ya’s question, beginning to meticulously ponder whether his past 29 years of experiences actually existed, but he soon realized that pursuing the truth in a haze was pointless.

Only the future can be endowed with meaning.

"But this at least clarifies one thing."

He Ya seemed to have anticipated that Duan Mingyuan would say that, and didn’t press any further, "It means that, subconsciously, you consider yourself a human."

And his subsequent actions were also undertaken as a "human."

Thus, Duan Mingyuan’s position became clear.

He Ya thought that this might be the biggest difference between Transcenders and them, they would never think about problems using the thought processes of humans or any creatures from their planets, much less immerse themselves in such matters.

"Perhaps you’re overthinking it; in the end, I might just be a human who is a little stronger than most,"

Duan Mingyuan said.

"If that were true, we wouldn’t be meeting, and the Imperial Court would have already been destroyed under the Orbital Cannon of the company’s flagship."

He Ya had never planned to solve the questions in her heart with just one meeting. As long as their conversation had gotten this far, her purpose had been achieved, "All the literature about planetary consciousness is in the hands of Universe Company, and most research on ’Cocoon’ has been destroyed. However, there are still people in the universe who have touched these secrets."

"Are you referring to Eisenberg-Adler?"

This was a name that Duan Mingyuan had read about in a magazine during high school. Despite reading many issues, this particular name remained vivid in his memory, as if...

He vaguely sensed the purpose of He Ya’s visit and naturally thought of this name.

In a seemingly logical way.

"He is detained in a prison known as the most secure in the universe. The drawback of ’Cocoon’ is that, once you leave the planet, the strength you can exert diminishes drastically. For example, right now, if you were to strike at me, I definitely wouldn’t be able to continue to exist on this planet,"

He Ya indicated her harmlessness, "I guess you might want to know the exact location of that planet. According to the intelligence I gathered, it’s very close to the next Sixteen Star Summit. It should take less than three days by flagship... Just in case you’re interested in Transcenders, you might find the answers on that planet. If you can bring Eisenberg-Adler out of there, I would be very glad to buy him from you."

"I will seriously consider it."

Duan Mingyuan was noncommittal.

’Cocoon’ was unable to contend with the company once it left its native soil, which was likely why He Ya couldn’t rescue the person by herself.

However, his energy was not restricted in that way. After boarding the baptism flagship, his Life Energy showed no signs of decline whatsoever.

This might also indirectly prove that he and He Ya were not of the same kind.

Or at least not entirely the same kind.

"Well then, all the important matters have been discussed."

Humanizing the moment, He Ya stretched languidly, prolonging the sound of her voice like a corporate office worker after a late night at work, "Next, I have a gift for you, I simulated what this planet might look like after ’Cocoon’ transformation during my free time."

While speaking, the electronic screen shifted its view to the star attraction at the auction.

A "good" chained from head to toe, blindfolded and collared, displayed inside a cage.

"A member of Wangxu Organization, with a bounty of 79 million Bei."

In this place, it was not the substantial bounty of 79 million Bei that aroused the customers’ desire to buy, but the abilities of a cosmic fugitive worth that bounty.

This was a proven powerful ability certified by the company, with no risks of gambling involved.

And this could very well be the only opportunity of its kind they would encounter in their lives.

"He was captured by the Interstellar Mercenaries employed by the Shanqi Commerce Association, who once came close to having the chance to join the Long Branch."

He Ya paused, her tone becoming playful and seductive. She leaned forward, resting her elbows on the table and supporting her chin with her hands, speaking in a voice reminiscent of a croupier, "Would you like to place a bet? In this show, who will be the final winner—the Chamber of Commerce or Wangxu?"