Great! I'm surrounded by villains!
Chapter 348 - 267: As If It Were Yesterday

Chapter 348: Chapter 267: As If It Were Yesterday

Eisenberg believed that the identity of the Mage did not match Duan Mingyuan, as the abilities demonstrated were more akin to those of an Alchemist or a con artist, which made him involuntarily believe that with Duan Mingyuan’s help, they might truly be able to advance the Digitalized World one step further, constructing a bridge that truly connected the virtual and the real.

He conducted many experiments and arrived at a startling conclusion.

—All Duan Mingyuan needed was a theory.

Whether the theory was correct or not, even if he altered the details and intentionally incorporated errors for misdirection, Duan Mingyuan still perfectly replicated the outcomes of the theories.

Eisenberg, who gradually understood everything, suddenly laughed in relief.

Because, he sensed the true secret of the other party.

The topic of teamwork was merely to maintain the dignity of both parties, and in reality, Duan Mingyuan did not need a top scientist; what he needed was a storyteller, whose stories, even if they were false, as long as they sounded true, would inevitably come true.

Eisenberg did not know if this was the mystery of Life Energy, but when he asked the Judge to retrieve the other party’s files, he found that the assessments were far from the reality.

Duan Mingyuan’s initial Ability was deemed by the Company to be matter transmutation. After a trip to the Imperial Court, he inexplicably acquired the swordsmanship of the Prime Monarch, and after arriving at Mechanical Star, he self-taught the use of Mechanical Energy.

And now, even the Judge’s methods of manipulating souls had been stealthily learned by him.

Duan Mingyuan was able to learn every day, and he always ensured that he learned something new and could put it to use. When he meticulously researched the spaceship developed independently by the Blue Star People provided in Fortress Number, this feeling reached its peak.

The spaceship of the Blue Star People looked from top to bottom like a toy haphazardly piled together by amateurs, yet it completed Interstellar Travel smoothly—from Blue Star to Mechanical Star, across the span of three Star Zones.

Eisenberg had no idea about the limits of this ability, but he was certain that with the corresponding knowledge, Duan Mingyuan could conceivably initiate and control nuclear fusion, turning the adjective "Human-Shaped Nuclear Bomb" into reality.

He was thankful for Blue Star’s relatively backward educational system and the lack of a scientific spirit in its social environment; otherwise, he found it hard to imagine the abyssal impact Duan Mingyuan would bring to this Universe if he embarked on the path of science.

Having understood Duan Mingyuan’s past, it became difficult for him to consider him a human anymore.

No wonder the Company termed such individuals Transcenders—they only share their appearance with humans, but in reality, they are some kind of beings that transcend normal human cognition.

Perhaps aside from the "Cocoon," there exist other life forms in this Universe with equivalent Strength.

Thus, Eisenberg found himself sleepless tonight.

He had never thought that one day he would transition from a scientist to a storyteller. It took him a very long time to completely clear his mind, casting aside his elitist arrogance.

Next, he had to tell a story.

A story that was indistinguishable between the false and the real, involving many theories about "wormholes" and "multi-dimensional space," and that could make Duan Mingyuan believe.

Eisenberg turned on his computer, and he laughed.

He could not remember the last time he had laughed so genuinely and heartily.

Ever since foreseen the day of destruction, every day had been a race against time, fighting alone, even his dreams filled with refining theories.

One of the few benefits of Prison Planet was that it truly allowed him to be free from disturbances by others, wholeheartedly engaged in his research.

Now, however, he could pause, and imagine, hundreds of years later, the expressions of puzzlement on the faces of scientists living in the Digitalized World who studied these theories he proposed.

Eisenberg knew they would never understand his current mental state, because even he had no idea how these unrelated theories would eventually become the benchmark for a world.

He was going to leave behind some eternally incomprehensible mound of garbage code for future generations, and this brought him joy.

Some might feel overwhelmed, or even might give up on their profession.

Indeed, when Eisenberg witnessed Duan Mingyuan transform an erroneous theory into something "correct," he too harbored such thoughts.

To a steadfast scientist, the miracles brought forth by Duan Mingyuan were akin to a harsh slap across their face, silently telling them, "All of your past research is crap."

Magic alone is the key to the future.

Eisenberg felt as though he had returned to his student days, finding joy in knowledge and pranks. Few knew that before his mentor recommended him for a position at Universe Company, he was the renowned troublemaker of the academy, infamous for countless absurdities. Had it not been for his mentor’s protection, he would have been expelled before even completing his university studies.

Suddenly, the hand hovering over the keyboard hesitated.

Eisenberg remembered his mentor, who held high hopes for him until his dying breath. It was because his mentor unconditionally passed on all his knowledge that he was able to complete his research on the Prison Planet.

After a long silence, he finally typed the first line into the document.

"The Shelby Formula."

Shelby was the name of his mentor, and this world was created based on his mentor’s theory; it was fitting to name it in honor of his mentor.

The Judge didn’t disturb Eisenberg, silently observing from an unseen vantage.

It was still unable to grasp the burden of heavy emotions, but when it saw "The Shelby Formula," a strong sentiment surged within it.

This feeling overwhelmed it, yet seemed to place it in a void.

But it was different from Eisenberg.

Even a genius’s brain couldn’t match artificial intelligence. In moments like this, it could immediately retrieve everything about Shelby from its data bank, recalling every detail of Shelby’s time in prison.

It would not forget anything; in human terms, it was all as if it were just yesterday.

Poets often liked such phrases.

"Are you alright?"

Jiuyue asked with concern.

She paused her chewing and asked attentively, "Mr. Mingyuan likes a forceful taste, so I added some more Sichuan pepper oil."

She was not only concerned about her newly acquainted artificial friend, but she also cared about how others perceived her Sichuan chicken.

"I’m fine, it’s delicious," the Mechanical Maid replied, her tone quickly returning to neutral.

By human standards, the food Jiuyue brought was undoubtedly a work of artistry; the wardens had long been captivated by her skill.

The data bank indicated that only close friends would invite each other to taste their cooking.

So, they must now be considered good friends.

Or, in Duan Mingyuan’s words, a team.

A team formed to confront the impending day of destruction.