[ Ability Mastered: Survival of the Fittest · LV1 ]
[ Survival of the Fittest · LV1: Survival is continuous self-evolution. You can quickly adapt regardless of the severity of the environment. ]
Roy tested it and found that he could evolve the ability to breathe through his skin underwater. When he ascended to space, he evolved the ability to survive in the vacuum. His adaptability was explosive. Although the process of adaptation was not comfortable and required a significant amount of time—it wasn't something that could be resolved immediately or in ten to twenty minutes.
He paid little attention to it, only recalling that he had killed an extremely fierce Zombie beast, and that it must have evolved the Survival of the Fittest ability.
Regardless of adaptation, there must be a limit and a process. Roy simply used absolute power to instantly crush it, and that Zombie beast died before it even had a chance to adapt.
A sonic boom roared in the sky. Roy was on his way to the next abandoned city. The recent telekinesis upgrade allowed his speed to easily break through Mach 8.
And precisely at such a high supersonic speed, an invisible force instantly intruded into Roy's sensory range and accurately hit him.
Boom!
Roy's expression tightened.
"Telekinesis?"
Two powerful telekinetic forces collided, erupting in a huge explosion. The impenetrable telekinetic shield blocked the attack. A figure appeared from the horizon and instantly arrived in front of Roy.
This was an elegant young man with white hair and red eyes.
Roy was surprised.
"Number One?"
He hadn't expected Number One to seek him out. This greatly contradicted the information provided by the Chairman. Number One didn't seem to have lost his reason and possessed extremely powerful telekinesis.
Roy assessed the situation. The previous attack was indeed very strong, but compared to the intensity of his own telekinesis, there was a huge gap. If they fought, he could completely overwhelm Number One.
Number One wore a warm smile: "I apologize for greeting you in such a manner. It seems a bit too conspicuous here. How about we talk downstairs?"
"Talk about what?"
"Let's talk about the truth of the apocalypse."
Number One's words made Roy abandon the idea of fighting immediately. He was very interested to hear what Number One had to say. Could the East Continent Island Board of Directors have lied to him?
Roy hadn't entirely believed the Board's account anyway. It was the perfect opportunity to hear the truth from Number One's perspective. However, what Number One said completely surprised him.
The two figures slowly descended to the ground.
Number One seemed to know everything, saying: "The East Continent Island Board of Directors didn't lie to you. From their perspective, that is the truth of the apocalypse."
Roy caught the crucial point.
"Their perspective?"
"Yes."
Number One looked up at the sky and sighed: "Compared to this vast, boundless cosmos, humanity is truly too insignificant to mention. Before presenting my perspective, you first need me to explain a few things. Do you know what the Gaia Consciousness is? And what about Alaya Consciousness?"
Roy nodded.
"I know."
The so-called Gaia Consciousness is a scientific theory, not widely accepted yet, where all living and non-living things on a planet form a single complex system.
Alaya Consciousness can be simply summarized as the collection of consciousness of all sentient beings, an abstract concept of the collective human consciousness. Neither of these is some supreme entity, merely a theoretical hypothesis and concept.
"That's roughly it."
Number One patiently explained: "If you expand the scope to the entire universe, the Gaia Consciousness is actually the operating system of the entire universe, while Alaya Consciousness is the aggregate consciousness of all conscious life forms in the universe. Alaya Consciousness belongs to the Gaia Consciousness but the two positions are not entirely consistent."
The law of nature lies in balance. When hunters kill off all the wolves, the rabbits will proliferate. To curb the rabbit population, hunters must introduce new species to prey on the rabbits.
"And this apocalypse is an introduction of a new species by the Gaia Consciousness onto this planet. Humanity destroyed the balance of this planet, and the Gaia Consciousness needed to curb them. You can understand this as the planet beneath your feet choosing to correct itself, or you can understand it as the greater universal system making adjustments for overall balance."
Hearing this, Roy roughly understood Number One's meaning.
"Then what?"
"The moment I regained my sanity, I understood. My existence is the choice of the Gaia Consciousness. The Zombies on this planet are necessary. I hope you can show mercy."
"..."
For a moment, Roy fell into contemplation.
Receiving no reply for a long time, Number One prompted: "Antagonizing the Gaia Consciousness is not a wise choice. I hope you can think carefully..."
Boom!
Before Number One could finish his sentence, Roy suddenly erupted. A torrent of violent telekinesis instantly blasted Number One dozens of kilometers away. Not finished yet, a rapidly spinning telekinetic vortex immediately forged a sphere of plasma into existence.
Roy's eyes were icy cold.
"If you are the choice of the Gaia Consciousness, then I am likely the manifestation of Alaya Consciousness. I think you might have misunderstood something. I don't care what happens to humanity, much less what happens to this planet or this universe. The fact that you actively sought me out saves me a lot of trouble."
Using Number One's terminology, the Gaia Consciousness curbs human survival. Clearly, Roy, who could provide powerful strength for human survival, was undoubtedly the manifestation of Alaya Consciousness.
When the Gaia Consciousness and Alaya Consciousness contradict each other, humans, for their own survival, should clearly choose the stance of Alaya Consciousness. Failure to understand this point would make it easy to be fooled by Number One.
However, Roy didn't care about the Gaia Consciousness or Alaya Consciousness. He came to this world only to complete his mission and gain strength. What happens to this world had nothing to do with him.
As he spoke, a dazzling blue beam shot out, accurately hitting Number One dozens of kilometers away. The moment it hit, an invisible telekinetic shield opened up, blocking the Plasma beam. The dissipated energy instantly vaporized all matter surrounding Number One.
Only now did Number One understand.
"So you're that kind of person again. That's really troublesome."
Roy completely ignored Number One's nonsense. It was clear that the initial probing attack made him realize Roy's power, so he changed his mind and tried to deceive him.
If the initial probing attack had been effective, he wouldn't have wasted so much time talking to Roy.
Roy clenched his hand. Instantly, the ground shook violently, directly lifting the land beneath Number One's feet, pulling him toward Roy.
"Your strength exceeds my expectations, but it is only beyond expectations."
Rumble!
The ground covering more than ten kilometers was lifted. Number One's telekinesis surged frantically. He tried to break free from Roy's control but was completely powerless, his expression becoming extremely serious.
"This power is unbelievable!"