Chapter 1723 – Past Affairs (Part 1)
If possible, the Old Commander wanted to avoid any connection with this mysterious man for the rest of his life.
According to the Old Commander’s investigation, this man had a direct link to the calamity of the Heavenly Brain two thousand years ago and was even a direct participant in that upheaval. He didn’t want to delve into how this old geezer managed to live for two thousand years, but one thing was certain:
This self-proclaimed ancestor of the Jiang Family possessed power that was truly fearsome.
If it weren’t for that, how could Jiang Pengji, the last remnant of the Jiang bloodline, be allowed by the Federation to ascend to high ranks?
The destruction of the main Jiang line and the family’s decline could partly be attributed to conspiracies by opposing forces, but that was only a major factor. There were also minor factors, like the Federation’s high ranks watching coldly while various noble families took advantage of the Jiang’s misfortune, seizing the accumulated wealth of thousands of years.
The man who claimed to be the ancestor of the Jiang family caused a stir among the entire Federation’s upper echelons upon his appearance.
The Old Commander wasn’t particularly interested in the ancestors’ history, but he did know that this man participated in the Federation’s post-disaster reconstruction after the Heavenly Brain rebellion, assisting in creating a brand-new Heavenly Brain network to replace the rebel one. If it weren’t for that, the human civilization, heavily reliant on the Heavenly Brain for all walks of life, would have regressed for countless years and been swallowed up by surrounding alien coalitions.
After the reconstruction ended, this man vanished without a trace, leaving the Jiang family, which he was meant to inherit, in the hands of his cousin. The Federation’s records on him were few and far between, but as a former high-ranking member of the Federation, the Old Commander had the authority to review this man’s dossier.
No one expected this man to be so cunning, as he actually issued permission commands to the new Heavenly Brain during the reconstruction.
In the entire human Federation, even a Marshal’s authority was one level below his!
The Old Commander still remembered what the man’s first words were upon appearing.
“You’ve targeted the Jiang family’s actions; I won’t hold past grievances against you. But from now on, if anyone dares to act, don’t blame me for being impolite.”
Back then, the Old Commander was still a Legion Commander, holding significant influence as the leader of a frontline battle corps.
Thus, when she heard such an arrogant warning, she coldly retorted.
“Why should I accept that?”
The man didn’t respond, but the atmosphere became utterly silent.
Because beside the man appeared a virtual projection of a figure that the high-ranking officials were not unfamiliar with.
When the calamity of the Heavenly Brain broke out, this figure replaced the original Heavenly Brain, supporting the entire domain network and ensuring the normal operation of the human Federation’s economy and society. This great contributor was codenamed “Wang.” For over two thousand years, the domain network had been operating smoothly under his oversight.
However, given the former Heavenly Brain’s past failures, the Federation’s upper echelon had always remained distrustful of this new Heavenly Brain, which possessed its own consciousness. As a presence spread throughout the Federation, its power, in some sense, surpassed that of the entire Federation.
Should it grow too arrogant and develop ulterior motives like its predecessor, human Federation would become quite passive.
The best outcome would merely be a repeat of the disaster caused by the previous Heavenly Brain, which had once brought human civilization to a standstill.
To escape such a predicament, the Federation had not ceased research on the new Heavenly Brain over the years.
Unfortunately, artificially produced spiritual intelligence seemed to have a chasm-like gap from the two previous Heavenly Brains and could not take their place.
Now, that was very awkward.
Generally speaking, to avoid such awkwardness, the Federation’s high ranks wouldn’t disturb this Heavenly Brain except for necessary matters.
The Heavenly Brain codenamed “Wang” didn’t seem to favor humans either.
Each day, aside from maintaining the operation of the domain network, it would run off into the virtual network, disguising itself with various identities—it was like a shut-in who only showed up for significant events. The Old Commander had seen the anthropomorphized form of the Heavenly Brain less times than she could count on one hand during her many years as a Legion Commander.
Now, this shut-in Heavenly Brain actually appeared beside the Jiang ancestor, clearly maintaining an attitude of protection over him, which left all the high-ranking officials with darkened expressions.
You want to use the entire Federation to threaten us?
The man’s eyes were indifferent as he replied, “The Jiang family has fallen to this state, and you have your own faults. You’re merely taking advantage of their troubles and aren’t the main culprits. I’m not unreasonable; if the descendants of the Jiang family are unambitious and fail, then let them fall. But remember to leave some leeway. If you push them too hard, then you’re not to blame for what happens next.”
The Old Commander couldn’t help but sneer.
“The descendants of the Jiang family squandered their family fortune, and now you, the old ancestor, don’t come out to restrain them, but instead pop up to flaunt your power to us?”
The Jiang family had long focused on business; with the main power slipping into the hands of the side branches, the entire family’s business was steadily declining. The Federation had thought about lending a hand; if the Jiang family perished, it would impact countless people’s employment and cause immeasurable economic losses to the entire Federation. Though the Federation had the intention to help, the Jiang family still couldn’t withstand the attacks from rival peers.
If the Jiang ancestor were truly as imposing as he claimed, he should have appeared hundreds of years ago when the Jiang family was still flourishing.
At the very least, he could have salvaged the desperately unfortunate Jiang lineage.
Now, to show up only after the fact to protect his descendants was so off-target it was laughable.
The man, having been retorted, wasn’t angry; he merely remarked with indifference, “The Jiang family’s direct descendants are the only ones capable of extinguishing the former Heavenly Brain.”
All the high-ranking officials were left speechless.
They all knew the defeat of the Jiang family was related to the resurgence of the former Heavenly Brain; this had been giving them headaches to the point of nearly going bald.
However, the identity of the former Heavenly Brain was so unique that they couldn’t even find its whereabouts, let alone eliminate it.
The downfall of the Jiang family was just a warning from the former Heavenly Brain to the Federation’s upper echelons—it was back.
Just when everyone was at a loss, the Jiang ancestor told them that the bloodline of the Jiang family’s direct descendants was the only one capable of killing the Heavenly Brain.
Why?
The man replied, “Because that power can only be controlled by the awakened genes of the Jiang family.”
The current power system of the Federation was centered around unlocking the limits of the human body, and the key rested within genes.
Under normal circumstances, an ordinary person’s genes would evolve through generations, but some geniuses could condense hundreds or even thousands of years’ worth of evolution into just a few years; this was due to gene unlocking which fully unleashed the potential of the human body. However, no one has been able to answer how many levels of gene locks exist, and perhaps the endgoal is the coveted immortality.
The man before them truly existed for over two thousand years, perhaps he held the secret to immortality here.
The so-called “awakening” mentioned by the man was indeed similar to gene unlocking but also different.
Essentially, it involved developing the existing potential of the body, while the former traced back to the ancestral legacy.
The Old Commander had indeed heard that the lineage of the Jiang family had existed since ancient times.
These ancient families always possessed foundations that outsiders could hardly imagine.
The man continued, “If the direct descendants of the Jiang family were truly to be extinguished, do you know what the result would be?”
