Legend of the Cyber Heroes
Chapter 911 - 156: Simulated

Chapter 911: Chapter 156: Simulated

In Ola Freeman’s underwater sanctuary, Xiang Shan spent a rare period of time.

Although Xiang Shan could already be considered to have "martial prowess unparalleled in the world," he had no place on Earth where he could settle. Wherever he was, he had to be on guard against satellite surveillance, ground patrols, and attackers that could appear at any moment.

But in this place undisturbed for two hundred years, he could at least relax a bit.

The underwater mineral vein that Ola Freeman found was quite close to an underwater volcano, making it easy to collect a good amount of raw materials.

The only thing the underwater base lacked was data. Ola Freeman had only downloaded technological information in bulk over a hundred years ago. Since then, he hadn’t returned to the surface. Only those Outsiders who occasionally arrived at this place brought him some updates on the technological front.

But if one did not pursue maximum efficiency, the old technology from two hundred years ago could also meet basic needs.

What this community lacked was not efficiency but certain resources, including rare earth elements, which were needed to keep this system running.

What Xiang Shan needed were some weapons that could help him better combat underwater. These pieces of equipment didn’t even need separate data processing devices and power sources; they just needed to be able to convert electrical energy into kinetic energy.

And during the time Xiang Shan was crafting equipment for himself, Panic also finally got to live the everyday life that should belong to every five-year-old girl. The little girl sat every day in the spherical escape pod, playing with dolphins, who also liked this human child very much. Everyone played very happily in the water, without any barriers.

In the depths of the cave, Xiang Shan also saw other members of this community—some dormant adult killer whales and whale brains kept in jars.

Killer whales are encouraged to fall in love and form families during adolescence. Due to the customs of the killer whales, they practice communal marriage. After completing one or two cycles, approximately twelve years of breeding, the killer whales must enter dormancy and prepare to be stored in jars.

Because the barren ocean can no longer sustain top predators.

Young killer whales live with those Toothed Baleen Whales, who are larger in size and gentler in temperament and capable of filter-feeding, until they reach adolescence. Then they would accompany their kin in the deep sea, preparing for breeding.

Then, they enter dormancy, and during this process, their body cells gradually transition from aerobic respiration to operating on Electric Field Energy.

Finally, the whales enter the jar and spend their adult and old years that are longer than those of humans.

The adult killer whale groups in their breeding period are the most terrifying. The base provides them with more synthetic starch and protein to prevent these natural hunters from confusing their breeding urge with appetite. These nutritionally simpler foods can at least slightly fill them.

The entire system operates with great difficulty.

The killer whales that enter the jars can also command some engineering robots to work through wireless signals. Occasionally, some killer whales learn human mathematics and engineering, attempting to improve existing technology.

However, perhaps due to the vast difference between the minds of whales and humans, it’s challenging for whales to cultivate a rational thinking mode similar to humans by following the set learning paths of humans.

More often, these mature big whales pretend to swim in a rich ocean through the simulation system.

A row of giant jars is the elegy of killer whales in this era.

Communicating with these whales, Xiang Shan also felt he gained a lot.

However, the time to part ways inevitably arrived.

Xiang Shan stayed here for a week and was preparing to leave.

When leaving, there was a small incident. Xiang Shan initially planned for Panic to stay here and continue living in this place. But Panic refused no matter what, clinging to Xiang Shan and crying loudly, even shouting Yuki’s name. Several attempts by Xiang Shan to separate from the little girl ended unresolved. In the end, he even considered leaving without saying goodbye to Panic, intending to leave the girl here.

Ultimately, it was Freeman who came over and said to him, "Perhaps you shouldn’t interact with the child using the mindset of our era in this era."

Xiang Shan found this statement too absurd: "You can’t love whales but not humans, can you, Doctor? Where in the world could be safer than here?"

Ola Freeman countered, "Do you think this place is safe? Is it comfortable here? Most of the residents here don’t even dare to speak loudly for fear of being discovered, and this place has just been exposed to a group of malicious terrorists. I don’t think this place is safer than by the Martial Ancestor’s side."

—The comfort you perceive is only because, as a human, you haven’t noticed the oppression on whales and dolphins.

Although Freeman did not explicitly say it, his implication was clear.

Freeman said, "Every species has an environment suitable for it. This enclosed place isn’t that suitable for humans. Do you know? We used to have facilities to welcome newborns, but humans residing here haven’t produced new offspring for decades."

Xiang Shan was silent for a moment, then sighed, "But here, she at least can play like a normal girl. Look at how happily she interacts with your dolphins."

While Xiang Shan said this, Panic was playing with the dolphins in her foam swimsuit.

"I’ve never seen her play like this."

"But a child abandoned by her caregiver in a place, not knowing any news about the most important person to her henceforth... She will need a long time to heal from this, right? Plus, her other relative, her brother, is currently missing. I don’t think leaving her here is a good idea."

Xiang Shan crossed his arms over his chest. Perhaps the phrase "a lifetime to heal" triggered some association in Xiang Shan’s mind. He was silent for a moment before saying, "Do you see me as her father? Forgive my bluntness, but I am the ’mentor’ of these kids... and, I can’t be a good father, someone like me."

"’Mentor,’ a pseudo-kinship social relationship." Ola Freeman sighed, "Pseudo-kinship can also bear the emotions directed at kinship. The operation of the human flesh and blood machine is not so precise. I still think you cannot use the values of our time to face everything today."

Xiang Shan was silent for a moment, "Alright, but even if I am her pseudo-father... she only has a father who could die unexpectedly at any time. Is that good for her?"

"Not necessarily a bad thing."