Dow and Carbon-Based Monkey Breeding Guidelines

Chapter 1008 Ligeia (Part )
Chadwick sat stiffly in the chair, not daring to look at that extremely unnatural face again, and could only stare at the phone on the table. He felt that his chest was rising and falling violently like a bellows being pulled violently, and the precious air was first sucked in by surprise and hope, and then pumped out by deep fear without leaving a trace. After a long time, he reluctantly put his hands back on the edge of the table.

"Li..." He stammered, still unwilling to raise his eyes, "You have changed so much..."

"Not as much as you worry, Chad. I'm only here to see an old friend, and I can assure you that you'll be safe tonight. Tomorrow, you'll be able to return to Jillian with the answers I owe you."

"tomorrow?"

"Yes, the best we can do is talk till daybreak."

This answer made Chadwick feel uneasy again, reminding him of many ghost stories. But then there was a burst of hearty laughter from across the table.

"It's not what you think. I have to leave before daybreak, and that's only because I have other things to deal with."

"Are you in a hurry?"

"Yes, it's very urgent. I have to set off before dawn to catch up, because there is no suitable place to park a helicopter near the destination. But don't worry, based on what I am going to tell you, these few hours before dawn are enough."

Her familiar conversation was like a good medicine, which gradually calmed Chadwick's overly tense spirit. He tried his best to let his mind chase the sound instead of paying attention to what his eyes saw. In this way, he was finally able to respond with a normal mentality: "You really should have said it earlier. If you are in a hurry, we can make another appointment. I can wait--"

"No, only tonight. Because I don't know how long this trip will take - let's be frank, Chad. I can't promise we'll ever meet again. It's a dangerous thing for me to do after daybreak."

"What are you going to do?"

"To prevent a tragedy."

Chadwick risked looking up and quickly glanced at the guest's face. After being mentally prepared, her pale and frozen face, like a marble statue, finally no longer frightened him, but it was still indescribably strange. Her lips opened and closed so lightly that it was impossible to tell the shape of her mouth when she spoke, let alone talk. When Chad mustered up the courage to ask what the "tragedy" was, her light and calm words flowed out from somewhere in her throat.

"I'm going to stop your business from going bankrupt - please don't stare at me like that, I wanted to congratulate you. Before coming here, I not only watched Gillian's upcoming movie, but also studied the revenue figures of your startup company over the past three years. Although the current environment is sluggish, it is thriving. Who would have thought that the program you and Anthony wrote on a whim ten years ago would be so brilliant today? At the beginning, it was just providing model calculations for a fantasy secret base, but now it can actually serve the shipping industry. Although there are not many shipping companies willing to cooperate with you at present, time will prove its value."

Chadwick tried not to look too proud. He coughed twice and said, "It still has many algorithmic problems..."

"Everything new has its problems. People are skeptical of this new technology for improving the efficiency of box transportation because of cost and safety concerns, but it has been put to the most severe test in my case. Chad, you and Anthony helped me a lot. By refining its initial data, I got a brilliant idea."

The guest waved his finger gently, making Chadwick swallow the question that was about to come out.

"I don't intend to get involved in your shipping business. I'm just using your early model to build a flexible secret base in the cave... But Chad, now that you've given up your youthful fantasy of passionate adventure and devoted yourself to a cause that is truly beneficial to the public, I have to warn you: if my trip after dawn doesn't solve the problem, your partner's maritime business will suffer a devastating blow."

Chadwick stared at her face, which was as calm as a sculpture of ice and snow. He had noticed that when she spoke, not only did her lips move very slightly, but the muscles on her face did not move at all with the tone of her voice. This scene troubled him so much that the content of her words became secondary. When he finally understood the words that came into his ears, his worries about his career prospects pulled him back. He twisted uncomfortably in his chair: "Have you also noticed the recent news?"

"I didn't know this from the news. I'm afraid no one in this world knows more about the recent abnormal phenomena at sea than I do. Some of them were caused by me."

"……plum?"

"I have good reasons to do this." The guest said calmly, and the calm tone cultivated by public speaking training made Chadwick reluctantly sit back in his chair. "Some of the false news was released by me in order to reschedule or divert unnecessary cruise ships; some of the situations are basically true, which were caused by the operating ships I dispatched. Those ships carry special equipment, mainly used to help us clean up certain things in the sea, and, as a side effect, their operation will also cause mild abnormal ocean currents. If you noticed the large-scale fish deaths on many coasts reported in the news last Wednesday, that was one of the costs of operating the equipment."

Chadwick moved his lips silently. He wanted to say that this was completely nonsense, and no individual without official endorsement was capable of causing such a disaster. But as soon as he looked at that smooth and static face, his realistic spirit of insisting on common sense and logic collapsed instantly. He did not question how she could do such a thing, but took a deep breath and said, "Lee, why?"

"In order to avoid real casualties. I have spent a lot of resources to maintain the situation over the past month. I know the impact on fishing and shipping is huge, but believe me, if I don't do this, things will be worse. I am trying to postpone the real disaster."

"I do not understand what you are saying."

"You don't have to understand the details. This is not the focus of our discussion tonight. I will take care of the issues at sea."

The guest's eyes were still so empty, not only did she not blink, but she did not even show the slightest shift of her gaze. Her terrifying eyes tortured Chadwick all the time, but her voice was so kind that it reminded him of the beautiful and heartbreaking old times. She almost promised with a warm attitude: "I won't let anything happen to you. You and Gillian will be able to see the baby born safely."

Chadwick smiled weakly. He wanted to change the subject and ask if the other party wanted something to drink, but he said something completely unplanned: "You've already put Anthony in trouble."

"Anthony is fine."

"He's completely heartbroken, can you understand that?" Chadwick spoke incoherently. He tried his best to be objective, but it was difficult to erase the accusation in his words. "That day! That day was supposed to be a day of celebration, but you said such things to him... Yes, I know that feelings can't be forced. If you just suddenly get tired of him and feel that he is not someone you want to maintain a longer-term relationship with - the relationship is gone, and you haven't made a formal commitment, so of course we won't blame you. But can't you end it in a way that is a little more humane? What do you mean by 'there is no meaning between us'? Lee, this is not at all like your level of handling problems."

"What if I admit that this was intentional?"

Chadwick panted, straining his imagination as much as he could. "Did Anthony cheat on you?" he asked helplessly. "What did you find out he was doing behind your back?"

The guest let out another happy laugh. "You really have read too many crime novels with Gillian."

"Because I can't think of anything! What could have made you hate him so much?"

"Of course I don't hate our 'Tobacco Inspector', Chad! I did it out of a sense of caution at the time - and after years of trials and observations, looking back today, I think I can proudly declare that the precautions I took at the time based on my vague intuition were completely necessary. If not, Anthony might not be alive today."

"Stop scaring me."

"I don't. But some of the things I've seen in recent years have made me think so. It has nothing to do with my personal opinion of Anthony. And I always think that his condition is not as bad as you think."

"Do you really think so?" Chadwick said rashly, "Have you visited him in the past few years? You should go and see what he looks like with your own eyes."

"I've already met him."

"When?"

"When he himself doesn't know - please don't interrupt me. What I want to talk about is not a temporary emotional failure, but the attributes of a person: Anthony is a very talented person in his professional field, there is no doubt about that, but he is not a successful person in the eyes of the world; perhaps due to his physical weakness, he is too easily attracted by the stimulation of the brain, and this degree of 'attraction', Chad, we can even describe it as 'obsessed'."

"We used this term to describe his pursuit of you," Chadwick said. "No offense, we just think you are not the type he would like in the traditional impression..." "Exactly! Chad, when have I ever denied this? I know what you originally imagined: he should like a girl with a simple mind, who is enthusiastic or kind, and knows nothing about his own profession... This is an existing impression formed based on a large number of visible cases. No matter how we look at it, this phenomenon does exist. But now we are talking about a few exceptions, so I want to first talk about my explanation of this general phenomenon: people pursue things that are mysterious to themselves, so people with too similar personalities or similar advantages often have difficulty in getting married, and Anthony also conforms to this rule; people also pursue self-security, a person who is not qualified to evaluate you is safe, a person who will never betray you is safe-this is why Anthony in your eyes should pursue a cheerleader of the college football team."

"You're being too absolute, Lee. You can't generalize this kind of thing."

"I haven't finished yet. The two needs I mentioned above, Chad, are essentially conflicting, which is why things always become disappointing in the end. Our general concept is that mature people know how to compromise. They know that nothing can be mysterious forever and never get boring, so they will eventually choose the latter need in the conflict, because this is a long-term survival need - however, Anthony's need is very weak. You have worked with him for a long time, and it is not difficult to find that his habits are completely opposite to yours when he encounters difficulties: you will choose to rest first, let your energy recover to the best state, and then reconsider; but he must solve it on the spot, and he can even go without sleep for several days, because he must prove that he has the ability to solve problems. This extreme anxiety when facing difficult problems, even if ordinary people occasionally do it when they are young, will eventually become disgusted with this experience, but Anthony happens to be a minority. He still maintains this habit today, and he even has to create difficult problems himself. This is a very dangerous personality temperament, which can easily slide into the abyss of addiction, such as drugs, gambling, games... In the pursuit of mystery, his survival instinct has always been ineffective."

The guest leaned back slightly and leaned his back against the chair. She said in the tone of a doctor making a diagnosis: "Mr. Anthony Kent is the kind of person who actively seeks the state of 'obsession'. He seems to desire the success brought by intelligence like you, but in fact he is pursuing the pain that proves the existence of intelligence. In this brain game with me, what he wants is frustration; frustration that ordinary people cannot understand makes his life meaningful."

"He's frustrated because he's competing against you," Chadwick groaned. "Do I need to say that? Most people would be frustrated competing against you!"

"He could have quit at any time. I made it clear, and he knew we were over. Yet he persisted in trying to figure out my true intentions. I warned him in every way I could, making him realize that such a pursuit was dangerous and pointless, but he still wouldn't give up. Anthony no longer saw me as an opponent or an object, but as a problem in itself—especially when he thought I was dead. If it were you, Chad, you would have stopped there. You would have spent your time mourning and healing, and then slowly returned to your life, but he just kept trying to find an explanation."

"He really deserves an explanation."

"There is no explanation in the world that can truly satisfy him. I can answer him with the more common reasons in worldly experience, but he will continue to search for the truth in his mind. This cannot be said to be a very healthy way of life, but compared to other hobbies that can make people 'obsessed', I think the question I provide him is not too bad."

Chadwick kept sighing and shaking his head. He grabbed the glass on the table and drank the remaining half of the beer in one gulp. "You are not normal." He said with a wry smile, "Both of you are not normal, but I always feel that the real problem is you. Everything becomes scary when it comes to you."

"I'm not denying it, but I'm going to try to fix it."

“I don’t even know what you’re trying to solve.”

6◇9◇Book◇Bar

"It can be divided into two parts: the problems we face now, and the problems caused by my disappearance all these years - the latter is the focus of tonight."

"What about the problem at hand?" Chadwick couldn't help but ask, "Aren't you going to tell me this?"

"I will tell you, but I can hardly give you a particularly accurate account of that part. It concerns a man you have never known, and even if I were to tell you his life in detail, I'm afraid you would not be able to grasp it, because you are so different from him. This man is more like Anthony."

"You mean the 'possessed' part?"

"'Obsessed' isn't a good word for him. Not everyone is into puzzles and competitions, Chad. Anthony's anxiety is the result of his heavy reliance on intelligence to maintain his self-confidence. However, intellectual anxiety and emotional trauma aren't the only reasons why survival instincts fail... The word that comes to mind is 'allergic'."

Chadwick almost smiled when he heard the word. Although the guest had a wooden sculpture-like face, his tone revealed a tacit understanding.

"Yes, Anthony is the worst allergy sufferer we know, our strictest 'tobacco inspector'. The smallest amount of nicotine in the air can torture him to death, but nicotine allergy is by no means the worst type of allergy. Anthony can stay away from smokers all his life because he has enough ability to make a living and the dividends he gets from you, but some types of allergies are difficult to deal with by spending money or changing lifestyles. You may have heard that some people are allergic to cold air or water, or even to all foods that can be bought in daily life - let's take water allergy as an example. The most serious water allergy sufferers cannot go out on rainy or foggy days, cannot take a shower, shed tears or sweat, and they even have to strictly control their drinking water. I ask you to try to imagine how much conflict such a person will experience in daily life."

"Conflict?"

"Yes, it is a conflict. I don't use the word 'suffering' because it is too broad. Everyone suffers from something, but what I want to point out to you now is a very specific situation: there is such a person, he or she is allergic to the environment on which he or she depends for survival. Think about it, Chad, in the days when allergies were not yet known, how could a person with water allergies survive? They still have to drink water, but they suffer from contact with water, while at the same time, the people around them are fine, washing and playing in the pools they avoid. All the knowledge in the world also tells them that water is the source of life, but they hate this source; in the process, they see that others do not suffer at all, so they have to admit that the problem lies with themselves. They have to admit that they are the outliers in the group, that they have an imbalance of body fluids or are possessed by the devil - medieval people used this to explain allergies. With this understanding, they have to convince themselves to accept the environment so as not to be considered too weak or weird; but once they force themselves to accept the environment, it is against their own survival instinct."

Chadwick held the wine glass in a daze. He was about to ask what this topic had to do with the present, but the guest suddenly turned her head and moved her eyes, which never flickered, to the top of the cabinet. Chadwick also looked sideways, and the majestic antlers were still hanging on the wall like strange claws.

The guest admired her childhood trophies. "Chad, I know you don't like hunting," she said, "but killing and plundering are necessary conditions for the survival of our species. From the extinction of Homo erectus to the present, you can't say that there has been any real fundamental change in our mode of survival; just like we drink water, from rivers and lakes on the surface to well water, even pure water - but no one can really not drink water. You can package it in some indirect form, like soup, milk or cola, but you can't change this essential fact. For this fact, most people with a middle attitude, such as you, would think that it is a matter of degree and method; on both sides of you are a minority of extreme factions: those who are proud of this and claim that it is natural power or eternal truth, and those who hate it and are determined to abandon it. We will not discuss the former for the time being, and the latter is the type we are talking about now."

"Ascetic?" Chadwick said. "Or vegetarian?"

"I call them visionaries of a higher standard."

Chadwick smiled in surprise. "Lee," he said implicitly, "you know my family history, and my position on this topic is very different from my parents'..."

"I know. But Chad, for tonight only I ask you to put aside your tender compassion. I added 'higher standards' for a reason."

"I thought higher standards were meant to bring about higher well-being."

"It also brings more failures. Although those cases in our history have not achieved real achievements, there is at least room for trying to put them into practice. But if we imagine higher welfare, for example, to prevent all children from dying, all mothers from suffering from childbirth, and all labor from being safe... anyone with common sense of the times understands that such ideas cannot be successful in practice, so most people will not be deeply distressed by this, just like they will not be distressed about having to drink water - however, as I said, allergic patients, their requirements for a 'pure environment' have exceeded the limit that our objective conditions can achieve, so they will continue to feel pain. This dissatisfaction with one's own living environment, Chad, can be contemptuously denounced as 'squeamishness' or 'sensitivity' by the indifferent, but it will never be erased, and it is almost unsolvable in our world."

"So what do you think should be done with people like this, Li? Can they all not survive?"

"I think they turn to their own little private world. Chad, they're no different than you in that respect. When you're frustrated in your career, don't you turn to your family? They'll also try to complete another more private practice, becoming a solitary lunatic or a cynic, carving out a pure land in their own little private world, trying to live a life that meets their own moral needs - some people can do it, and some people fail."

"What about the losers? What do they do next?"

"I can't say for sure."

"After you have made so many conclusions?"

"These are just my personal opinions." The guest said modestly. "We try to give a theoretical explanation based on the existing facts. Most of our economic models are built in this way. But when it comes to using theory to predict the future... real life is always more complicated than theory. It's not just about concepts, but also about personality, experience, and ability... I can't say for sure what will happen next."

"But I know," Chadwick said, looking deeply at his old friend, with a sad smile on his face, "They will want to commit suicide, just like my uncle..."

"But your uncle is a very kind man. In this sad tragedy, I always think that his personality factors are more important than his ideas. But Chad, if there is such a person, he and your uncle have similar ideas that are not in line with the objective conditions of the times, and at the same time have a more intense personality, more special experiences, and more dangerous abilities..."

"How dangerous can he be?" Chadwick asked. "If a person can't even make his own life satisfying, who can he threaten? If he is really such an allergic person who can't bear to see the tragedies that have already happened in the world, would he walk into an elementary school with a gun?"

"You are trying to defend your uncle now, Chad, and I understand your feelings. But we are talking about a very special case now. He has a more terrible choice than your uncle."

"What choice?"

The guest was still staring at the antlers. Her white, strange, smooth face with no visible pores seemed to be a footnote to her words. "Great power." She said simply, "Infinite power."

(End of this chapter)