Chapter 161 Weight

"Do you believe that yourself?" Ji Cheng sneered coldly.

"Do not jump to conclusions too quickly. Based on my observation, one of your innate traits is logical reasoning. If swayed by emotions, deviations easily occur; neither anger nor sorrow should ever taint your judgment."

She pointed to Luo Rao, who was currently climbing onto the operating table herself. "You will understand once you watch the entire process."

"I am human, neither a machine nor an intelligence; it is impossible to remain rational at all times." Having said this, Ji Cheng suddenly fell silent.

He remembered that there were still many things he needed to inquire about, and decided to let Mr. Jian live for a few more minutes.

"After watching, if you still wish to kill me, the choice is yours." Mr. Jian spoke, then also fell silent.

Crystal-like fiber optic cables flickered continuously, continuing to project the virtual scene.

Luo Rao had not been lying on the operating table for long when a massive, terrifying, humming instrument was wheeled over by figures in white lab coats.

"May I request a moment? Just a tiny moment." Luo Rao suddenly propped herself up. Against the backdrop of her pale complexion, her long hair scattered across her shoulders appeared even darker than ink. The virtual scene even reproduced the faint, lingering fragrance of her body.

"Do you regret this transaction?" The young nurse installing her respiratory equipment asked in a low voice.

"No, no, the transaction must be completed!" Luo Rao's entire body tensed up as she hurriedly looked toward the figures in white coats on the other side, appearing deeply terrified that the other party might renege.

"Then what do you need?" asked one of the figures in white.

"I want to hypnotize myself. Just in case I do not die, I hope I can still remember my younger brother." Luo Rao seemed to recall something, suddenly flashing a bright and radiant smile, her pearl-like teeth faintly visible beneath her lips.

"Go ahead then, we are not in a rush." Evidently, they had received instructions from Mr. Jian to accommodate the other party's requests as much as possible.

Luo Rao picked up a scalpel and gently tapped it against the edge of the bed.

Tap, tap, tap. Tap, tap, tap.

Very slow, very rhythmic.

The tapping echoed throughout the entire room.

Luo Rao's gaze focused intently on the rising and falling of the scalpel, gradually sinking from clarity into confusion, then breaking free again, continuously switching between the two.

She began to murmur to herself:

"If I am still alive..."

"You must, absolutely must remember A-Cheng..."

"Protect him well, and do not let anyone hurt him..."

......

Clatter.

The scalpel dropped to the floor.

Luo Rao lost consciousness, and the terrifying machine emitting a tremendous roar was pushed in front of her.

One minute, two minutes. Three minutes... Ten minutes.

The unconscious Luo Rao was awakened by pain. She whimpered a few times, yet stubbornly managed not to shed a single tear.

Ji Cheng suddenly realized that in his memories, Luo Rao had only ever shed tears twice, both times seemingly because she was worried about him.

This only fueled the fire in his heart, his eyes secretly searching the room all around, attempting to find Mr. Jian's true whereabouts.

The surgery continued.

Ji Cheng's patience had worn thin. He glanced at the time and realized that a full fifteen minutes had already passed.

At that moment, a figure in a white lab coat exclaimed, "Good heavens, look! Her 'Ether' quality is even more terrifying than imagined, simply incredible!"

"According to the leader, 'Ether' as brilliant as a starry sky is rarely recorded anywhere in the universe, right?"

"Quickly notify the leader to descend!"

......

"Is this what you wanted me to see?" Ji Cheng stared fiercely at Mr. Jian.

"I must explain to you," she said somewhat timidly. "You may not know this, but the quality of 'Ether' is also one of the criteria for judging innate talent. Your sister's talent was originally no whit inferior to yours."

"One might even say the Probability Engine manufactured two monstrously talented geniuses in total."

Ji Cheng was shaken.

Right, no wonder he and his sister, both endowed with extraordinary talents, were adopted by their foster parents at the same time and became family.

Thinking back now, it must have been due to the converging effect of ultra-heavy objects on that so-called plane of the Probability Engine.

Could it then be inferred that the difficulty for that mysterious supreme treasure to converge with him should be extremely high?

Otherwise, there would be no way to explain why the Probability Engine would arrange so many coincidences, guiding him step by step...

"Later, the surgery was very successful. She survived, and I also erased her memories regarding this matter. However, subsequent observations showed that she had forgotten many things, and her mental state also developed problems—especially when facing you, sometimes appearing overly radical."

"As for the cause of her mental issues, my analysis is that it is most likely because she subjected herself to an excessively powerful self-hypnosis."

Mr. Jian continued, "It was through her that I followed the vine to unearth your terrifying talent."

"When she said she was doing it to get money to buy you a genetic primordial, I realized that you were very likely the true monster created by the Probability Engine."

"Your sister lost half of her 'Ether,' and you obtained the genetic primordial she traded for."

Mr. Jian slowly approached Ji Cheng. "As I understand it, this is equivalent to her transferring a large portion of 'weight' to you. Only at this stage could you truly match that supreme treasure. Everything was arranged entirely by the Probability Engine; I am merely one of its chess pieces."

"You already know what happened afterward. The Probability Engine has constantly been paving the way for you, guiding you to various locations—including bringing you here. Our meeting was likewise a coincidence orchestrated by it... I have also been trying to find ways to help you. Actually, I've done quite a few things behind your back for your benefit..."

Mr. Jian trailed off, leaving the sentence unfinished, ultimately ending with a long sigh.

"Its ultimate goal is undoubtedly to make you encounter that supreme treasure. As for why it arranged our meeting... there should still be some key condition that needs to be met."

"Where is the Probability Engine? I'm going to smash it to pieces," Ji Cheng spat.

He was somewhat mercenary, but he certainly wasn't base enough to let Luo Rao endure such immense suffering just for the sake of some treasure.

Although the event had occurred before he transmigrated, he still wanted to exact some revenge; otherwise, his chest felt stuffily blocked.

"Come with me. It was originally intended to be handed over to you anyway." Mr. Jian's figure drifted upward, stepping into a door that had suddenly appeared on the wall. "However, it is impossible to destroy. No known means can accomplish it. The ancient civilization that manufactured this machine possessed a technological level far surpassing the present."

They soon arrived at a nondescript laboratory nearby. Its furnishings were exceptionally plain, and it did not even have any windows. In the center stood a huge pneumatic suspension platform, with a ceaseless stream of airflow gushing out from various small holes.

Mr. Jian pointed toward the upper section of the pneumatic support, where a deep brown machine floated in a highly conspicuous manner.

Its fine structural details resembled an engine, but its overall shape and size were more akin to a metallic heart.

"Just this?" Ji Cheng stepped forward and plucked the Probability Engine directly out of the continuously spraying supporting airflow.

It felt slightly heavy in his hand; an object no larger than a fist weighed well over a hundred pounds.

Clang, clang, clang!

Ji Cheng violently smashed it a few times, yet the Probability Engine remained completely unmoving, showing no signs of deformation or damage.

The terrifying aspect of the Probability Engine lay in the coincidences it manufactured; its physical body itself held no inherent danger.

"I've always wanted to ask, can the severed 'Ether' be restored?" Ji Cheng turned around and asked.

"Of course it can. Very simply."

Mr. Jian twisted and twirled like a dancer, issuing some unknown command. A transparent hourglass, dazzling as starlight, emerged from the ceiling of the laboratory and slowly descended.

"Your sister only needs to touch the starlight inside to resto—"

"Give it to me." Ji Cheng said in an unquestionable tone.

"I can give it to you. Since you are asking me for it, it is undoubtedly the arrangement of the Probability Engine; I will not refuse." She gave a bitter smile. "But after giving it to you, I will lose a great deal, so please wait until I finish my final few words."

"Please be sure to remember: the Probability Engine never makes mistakes. Every single arrangement it makes has meaning, though it may not necessarily manifest in the present—it could just as well be in the distant future."

"Done?"

"Done."

"Hand it over then." Ji Cheng snatched the hourglass straight from Mr. Jian's hand.

The light in Mr. Jian's eyes turned dull, no longer brimming with rich emotion. "You must be preparing to kill me now?"

"Yes, I can give you a quick end."

"It seems the Probability Engine requires me to die." Mr. Jian pointed without joy or sorrow toward a certain spot. "My core is over there."

Whoosh!

A whistle-arrow shrieked through the air.

......

A few minutes later, Ji Cheng returned to the room where he had previously encountered Mr. Jian.

He woke up the unconscious power-wielders, called for others to evacuate via his headset, and carried away the drop-shaped glass containers of tyrant serum, taking the entire tray without leaving a single drop.

Drip-drop—

The very moment Ji Cheng picked up the tyrant serum, the Probability Engine in the pocket of his combat uniform emitted an imperceptible click.

No one heard it.