Crime Prison Island-Chapter 1326 - 650: Cage of Fantasies

A day passed.

On Earth, approximately two billion Elemental Spirits awoke one after another.

Then, the number began to dwindle sharply, eventually coming to a complete halt. No matter how many controlled elements were produced, no more souls were manipulating them.

"What's going on? Why are there no more people?"

"There should be a population of five billion, so why only two billion?"

Humanity Cang Yue felt puzzled; what about the remaining three billion people? Are they not on Earth?

Wan Kai murmured, "Could they have given up?"

"Given up?" Everyone was taken aback.

Wan Kai spoke straightforwardly, "Although we have created the Elemental Bodies, to control them, these Free Spirits must act on their own. We can't think for them."

"They must desperately want a body, a desire to see the light of day again that is so urgent, causing intense mental fluctuations, for them to feel the Elemental Body."

"In other words, if at this moment they've already given up, started daydreaming, or diverting their time through lonely fantasies..."

"In short, without a strong enough desire for a body, they can't connect any Heart Power with the Elemental Body."

Everyone frowned; they had already created the Elemental Bodies.

There was no need for the Free Spirits to exert themselves in arranging them; just a touch of Heart Power, and they could feel their bodies.

It's like a vegetative person, whose neurological control system had been repaired; all the brain needs to do is spark to take over the body.

This is equivalent to placing the cake of resurrection right in front of their mouths.

All they have to do is desperately think: No, I can't be trapped in this darkness forever! No, I don't want this, body, body, I want a body! Anything, don't let there be nothing.

As long as they continue to focus on this matter, over time, the Heart Power will eventually connect, activating the Elemental Body.

Yet, even so, there's still a staggering three billion people who haven't completed this initiation.

This indicates they simply don't have a strong desire to awaken, their minds are elsewhere, and their Heart Power hasn't been moved in this direction.

"That kind of dark, void experience is extremely despairing; how could there be no strong desire to awaken?"

"Even a small child would instinctively want to control their body."

"We've already awoken many children; why is it a bunch of adults who are giving up?"

Luo Yan was perplexed, looking at Kerry.

He saw Kerry and Shi Chou's pair of children, who had awoken.

Although the Elemental Bodies they controlled were quite small, just a bit of rudimentary movement like a formless cloud.

But at least they have succeeded.

If even such small children can do it, why can't the adults?

The only explanation is what Wan Kai said: it's not that they can't, but that they didn't try, they gave up, and their minds are on something else.

"You know, at first, it's not particularly painful being in a Free Spirit state; the thinking ability is very strong."

"Memory is sharper, with all memories etched clearly in the mind like a massive database that can be flipped through at will."

"And the memories created by imagination are the same, overall they are unforgettable and require no energy expenditure."

The Seahorse described the feeling of Free Spirits in the void.

Ah Lan also added, "Moreover, in the soul state, although all senses are void, without sensation."

"However, one can savor the feeling, reliving past experiences once again."

"Therefore, in that void and lonely tormenting darkness, immersing oneself in past memories, or revised memories of the past, is the only way to dispel loneliness and relieve the torment."

Luo Yan and the others shuddered; this is a grave concern.

For most people, is the state of dark, dead silence and unawareness better, or is it more comfortable to quietly reminisce about the good old times?

Undoubtedly, many would choose the latter.

Aside from the initial panic upon dying, possibly trying to awaken, they later gradually realize they've died, thinking they will always be like this, then transitioning from fear and anxiety to acceptance, and finally beginning to immerse themselves in memories to kill time.

"Damn, if they get lost in memories, they may never come back and forget all about the present."

"Especially with what you've said, creating memories through imagination? And the memories are incredibly clear?"

"This is tantamount to having a mental world where anything pleasant can be fantasized at will; they become addicted and wouldn't wake up."

Luo Yan frowned, realizing those who can't wake up now are even less likely to wake up later.

Because fundamentally, this is escapism, leading them to sink deeper and deeper.

However, the Seahorse said, "Actually, it's not that exaggerated; while imaginary memories can be created, it's just in the form of wish fulfillment, and real experiences are based on real memories."

"After all, in the state of the Soul Coffin, there's no body, no dopamine release, no material stimulation to create beyond-imagination new experiences."

"Everything relies on the data of what you have experienced; in other words, your ability to create happiness reaches the cap of what you've truly experienced in life."

"For instance, my happiest moment in the past was celebrating a major victory against the Navy with my brothers. Afterward, countless people flocked to join us, and we held a grand party on the beach… then my big brother made me drink a barrel of strong acid cola, and that tangy exhilaration lingered in my mind."

"That's the peak of my life experience; in the Soul Coffin state, it's incredibly vivid and unforgettable, allowing me to easily recall every detail.

"But that's it. Even if I fantasize about our victory this time, Tai Sui's return, our travels across the Universe, and everyone living freely and happily, the experience I get at most is akin to the experience at the beach party then."

"It can't go higher, because people can't imagine feelings they've never truly experienced, the soul lacks corresponding material."

"So the idea of creating happiness at will is possible to some extent, but the upper limit is locked."

"After experiencing it for a while, I gave up and still want to return to reality, waiting for Tai Sui to come back and create a new future that's real and not illusory."

Luo Yan listened and was suddenly enlightened. The upper limit of the fantasy experience had been locked.

If a person's greatest experience in life is drinking cola, then even in a fantasy world where they have everything, the best experience they can achieve is the thrill of drinking cola.

It's like the emperor's golden shovel; such a person, in an endlessly lucid dream, no matter what they experience, is just repeating the sensation of drinking cola, or something worse...

"So that's how it is; no wonder it's the adults who are addicted, while the children have come out."

"The happier one's past life was, the longer one will be trapped in the addiction, unable to escape."

"On the contrary, if there weren't much satisfaction or good experiences before, one wouldn't be so deeply addicted and there's still hope of waking up."

"Especially for ascetics like you, Seahorse… your dreams would only consist of partying with brothers and drinking cola..."

Seahorse's elemental hand scratched his head. Luo Yan wasn't wrong in calling him an ascetic.

Aside from the early days when he was happy being with his brothers, the next decade of his life could be described as torment.

He had to worry about every little and big thing at Sea King Port. He never fell in love and spent every day either dealing with affairs or training to become stronger.

He even rarely tasted good food and as for clothes, he barely wore any.

"Uh... it wasn't just drinking cola; spending four years with you guys was also very joyous." Seahorse said defensively.

Everyone murmured in agreement, not contradicting him.

At this moment, Caesar frowned and said, "Speaking of which, a few of my brothers haven't come back. Could it be because of that Fulu Particle?"

After Luo Yan did some calculations, it turned out that indeed, everyone who tasted Fulu Particle, or even Brain Flash, and all such chemically induced pleasures, hadn't woken up.

The only exception was Caesar, because he forgot that experience…

"If you look deeper into the statistics, you'll see, none of the elites have come back..." Feng Wuji said.

Everyone nodded, seeing that those who returned were mostly those who had tough lives in the past.

Or those who were extremely disciplined, intrinsically uninterested in hedonism, who had transcended lower desires, and had noble pursuits, but never actually experienced those pursuits.

"Considering all that, being able to bring back twenty billion people feels like quite the blessing."

"Most people, although at the bottom of society, had access to vast electronic and chemical pleasures and were inherently indulged in base gratifications."

"You could say it's a generation raised into decadence."

As everyone chatted enthusiastically, after figuring out the reason, they instead felt that being able to bring back twenty billion people was already quite something.

"What about the ones who haven't come back?"

"There's nothing we can do; the path is laid out, but the soul's thinking is free. We can't make people think."

Everyone felt helpless about this, and there was no solution; they couldn't be saved.

Moreover, people were actually happy now, not at all wanting to come out of that secluded experience.

However, everyone knew that this immersion was temporary.

Because nothing is ever-lasting enough to combat 'eternity.'

When they eventually despair and intensely desire to live again, who knows how many eons will have passed…

"Let's stop worrying about others and focus on the present," Humanity Cang Yue said solemnly.

"A day has passed, Themis could attack at any time, and we no longer have time to grow stronger."

Seahorse said, "We have twenty billion Titan Super Gods now; although most of them have weak consciousness, so many people could drown Themis in the War Domain."

Everyone was confident that humanity's military power was now terrifyingly strong.

Gao Xin liberated everyone's souls and directly opened up a new field of technological development for them.

Although most people couldn't reach the White Star Realm, Titan Super Gods were enough.

It's a tier that can amass in strength, and the Elemental Bodies could theoretically develop into Planet Super God, Constant Star Super God, Star System Super God…

Of course, that's still far off, and Themis wouldn't give them that much time.

But with so many Titan Level beings, combined with several White Star Level and Blazing Heaven Level sharp blades, defeating a Quasi-Emperor shouldn't be a problem.

What's the difference between a Quasi-Emperor and a true Emperor Level? In terms of body strength, there's actually no difference, and they might even be stronger in terms of power.

But the strength of an Emperor Level lies in that you shouldn't even think of winning across levels, not even within the same level."

It's a strength as if it's some kind of concept… Take Emperor Gaoxin, just the name starts at a five-order economic difference, and then the realm jumps three levels.

After that, there's an endless array of unimaginable ways to lose to him.

Don't ask, it's unfathomable.

You simply can't predict what kind of surprise they'll come up with next... or even suddenly develop something beyond imagination that shatters the old worldview.

Consequently, all pre-conceived, speculated winning theories are nonsense! They're just for keyboard warriors!

If it were a real battle, it would be utter nonsense; even your worldview might be overturned.

That's the level of Emperor Gaoxin.

The only one who might be comparable would be Emperor Ran, though they've never truly fought.

Besides that, others who've also reached the pinnacle, or even have stronger stats, can only be called Quasi-Emperors at most.

So a Quasi-Emperor, even being at the so-called dimensional pinnacle, can theoretically be defeated.

...