Legend of the Cyber Heroes

"We are all real, and then the 'seed' of Inner Strength has indeed appeared... I have grasped it."

Xiang Shan seemed very happy.

Of course, it would be an underestimate of human technological progress to think that just a single shutdown command could penetrate all of virtual reality.

If he really was a brain soaking in a vat right now, then the computer connected to his brain could certainly eliminate any simulation machine that might consume massive resources, relying on memory management.

If this were represented visually, it would look like the "Turing Machine disappeared."

Of course, such a sudden disappearance would also be too abrupt.

If this "virtual reality connected to the brain" were designed to be a bit more intelligent, it would be "suddenly a missile/meteorite/thug destroys the Turing Machine." Every time you try to construct a Turing Machine, it would fail due to some accident.

Of course, playing the Death Note trick on the Turing Machine every time, even the dullest of people would sense something was off.

And the more intelligent approach would be for the virtual reality to directly give you an illusion, leading you to believe "the verification has been successful, so I dismantled the Turing Machine myself."

If the enemy's computing resources have an overwhelming advantage, then directly confronting it wouldn't be impossible.

All of these are possibilities.

Moreover, the Turing Machine that Xiang Shan created did not have such capabilities—it was merely a prototype, not a mature form.

Therefore, on top of understanding the Turing Machine, Heroes have an important skill—the Contemplation Technique for envisioning the Turing Machine.

By reshaping the ancient Contemplation Technique and harnessing the inner consciousness, the shutdown command is constructed directly within the Biological Brain.

The mathematical structure of the Biological Brain may be beyond that of a Turing Machine, so the Turing Machine cannot directly hack into the Biological Brain, but can only deceive the Biological Brain through the existing "input ends"—that is, the nerves related to stimulus perception.

For Xiang Shan, who had lost his memories, this was a necessary ritual.

Xiang Shan built the machine with his bare hands, drawing on memories from the past to recreate the object of Contemplation in his subconscious.

And the final result was the fruit of Contemplation—that was the seed of Inner Strength.

Or rather, the real "shutdown command" that shattered the illusion was not the pile of scrap metal before Xiang Shan, but the "seed of Inner Strength" that he had constructed through the mechanical structure of the Turing Machine.

It reignited within Xiang Shan's mind at the instant the mechanical Turing Machine "jammed." If this was virtual reality, then in that moment, the world in Xiang Shan's eyes would surely have glitched.

Just need one more highly efficient integrated chip to serve as the Cinnabar Field, where intent merges with the machine, the machine with the divine, code generates spontaneously, and Divine Skills form on their own.

A virtual reality that doesn't exceed human civilization can't deceive a Hero who has achieved Inner Strength.

Xiang Shan reopened his hearing and vision.

The world was still there.

"I've almost finished what needs to be done in the wilderness; let's head back," said Xiang Shan.

"Oh..." Yuki nodded and then suddenly paused: "That's it?"

"Yes, that's right," nodded Xiang Shan, ready to leave.

Yuki quickly caught hold of Xiang Shan: "Wait a moment, Xiang Shan, can't we talk a little more about the matters of a Hero?"

"That's what we've just been doing," Xiang Shan said.

Yuki, out of urgency, started hopping: "No, not that... me! Aren't you going to teach me something?"

Xiang Shan turned around, looking amusedly at Yuki: "What I've just taught you is enough for you to benefit from it for a lifetime, child. The world still has networks, if you digest this, in a few years, you'll have a chance to become a Martial Artist on your own—what else do you want?"

Yuki gritted his teeth: "I also want to be a Hero."

Xiang Shan asked with interest: "Why?"

"Because..." Yuki clenched his teeth: "Because Heroes are cool! They're amazing."

"Oh," Xiang Shan nodded. Clearly, this answer did not impress him.

This only showed that one coveted the Hero's prowess without seeing the hardships they endure.

From what the Tax Officer said, the conflict between the government and Heroes in this era was anything but small. And in most cases, Heroes were weaker than the government.

Yuki pondered again: "Becoming a Hero might enable my mom and me to live better!"

Xiang Shan laughed: "Then I'd advise you to dispel that thought, kid. Becoming a Hero doesn't necessarily make the lives of those around you better."

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People driven to desperation rarely possess much in the way of gentleness or frugality. Among heroes, unfaithfulness, unfilial conduct, and lack of humanity are commonplace—even Xiang Shan wasn't sure what kind of person he had been in the past.

That was an unavoidable matter.

Yuki wore a mournful expression, "I just want to become one!"

Xiang Shan crossed his arms over his chest, "No reason? How can this be acceptable? Becoming a hero is a lifelong commitment. Once you're tainted with the 'hero' hue, in the eyes of the government, it's a stain that can't be washed away in a lifetime."

"But suddenly, I feel like... if I can't become a hero, then... then..." Yuki clutched his head, "I can't quite express it, it's just... after listening to you..."

"And why is that?"

The boy frowned deeply, "It seemed like you were saying that not understanding inner strength has a lot of downsides, but I've never felt that... there was any problem... But when I think about it carefully, could it be a big problem? If I've never felt there was a problem..."

Xiang Shan really wanted to show a smile. But now he had no facial muscles.

Good.

This kid really did have the value of being educated.

"Then, please sit down first."

Xiang Shan looked at Yuki, wanting to say something. In that moment, so many thoughts flooded his mind that he actually didn't know what to express first.

"There's a lot I have to say," Xiang Shan placed a hand on his forehead, "I need to think about what to tell you first..."

When teaching others, one needs to first understand what it is they actually want to impart. If a person thinks they understand something, that doesn't count as "understanding." Only when they know how to use declarative language to completely convey what they know to another person do they truly "grasp" a concept.

Thus, teaching something to someone is also a form of deeper learning for the teacher themselves.

This is why so many scholars engrossed in research are willing to teach at institutions known as "higher education"—while part of it may be due to the requirements of the modern university system, on the other hand, "preaching" also helps scholars organize their own thoughts.

Xiang Shan was in such a state at the moment. Many things were awakening in his mind, many concepts were shadowy and vague. He couldn't capture these chaotic ideas.

Teaching others required him to use "language" to catch these blurry meanings and turn them into something explainable.

Imparting some skills to Yuki indeed contained elements of "repaying kindness" and "cultivation," but it was also greatly beneficial to Xiang Shan.

This was also why he wanted to "nurture an assistant." It was part of his "rehabilitation therapy."

"Yuki, what I'm about to tell you will take you into a completely different realm. I'm not familiar with this era, and I can't tell you what this means. After hearing these things, you might find it difficult to live as calmly as before—once you know certain knowledge, you can't imagine what life 'without knowing it' would be like."

This was the "curse of knowledge."

Certain knowledge indeed can drive people to do things inconceivable to the ignorant.

The great sages of classical times wanted the populace to remain ignorant partly for this reason.

Yuki showed no sign of shrinking back, "I want to know!"

"Think about it carefully, this is your last chance, child," Xiang Shan spoke, "An ignorant life in a peaceful world, not knowing one's suffering, may not be a form of 'happiness.' Pursuing a bright ideal yet always living in unattainable agony might not be good either."

"Xiang Shan, everything you said today is hard to understand," Yuki scratched his head, "but I always feel that knowing a bit more is really good. I know you, Xiang Shan, are a good person, I know that heroes aren't just thugs—these are things I didn't know before. I find this happiness. It's like... like... I can't quite say. It's like I also have a choice in the future, to live a life... a life that's different from my mother's, from Doctor Schultz's... Maybe this life could be very... very..."

"Free?"

"Right! That's the word! Free!" Yuki clapped his hands, "This word is so rare! Although the chip's built-in electronic dictionary has it, I've hardly ever used it."

"Good, since you've chosen freedom, then you might really be suited for being a 'hero'!" Xiang Shan nodded, "Heroes are born for 'freedom' for everyone."

Yuki's eyes sparkled, "Heroes do whatever they want?" But he quickly felt embarrassed, "Maybe that's not so good, right? Xiang Shan..."

"This is the first concept I'm going to explain to you, Yuki," Xiang Shan closed his eyes. Some kind of echo from the past resonated in his mind, urging him on.

—Why... is there such... glory and pride...

"Heroes don't exist to just 'do whatever they want.' Heroes exist for the freedom of all," Xiang Shan continued with his eyes closed, following his memories, "I won't deny that many among heroes do choose to become one 'for their own ideas.' But the birth of heroes was for the freedom of everyone."

"Since ancient times, there have always been the strong oppressing the weak. The flesh of the weak served as food for the powerful. Some say this is the innate nature of humanity, just as strong animals hunt weaker ones. But this is wrong. Since entering the age of civilization, humans have united their physical strengths through a community built upon shared spirits, eventually becoming a force in nature that cannot be ignored."

"One might say, humans follow the rules of civilization."

"However, the essence of the survival of the fittest tramples upon the community of human imagination, which is a mistake. Yet for a long time, people around the world have failed to notice this error, and humanity has lived in pain amidst division and chaos."

"At this time, a very, very remarkable person stood up. His name was Mozi. He said that this was wrong; we should love all people and engage with others on the premise of 'mutual benefit'—this is 'Love each other and benefit from each other.'

"Mozi?" Yuki was surprised, "So Mozi was a person?"

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