Although it seemed like a long time had passed, the time was still midnight.

Due to the "Council's" intervention, everything that had happened in Thriller Paradise tonight, when converted to real-world time, was merely a moment.

And the Council's purpose in doing so was... to prevent those gods and demons who attempted to interfere with the competition from the real dimension from getting involved.

Therefore, this battle in the data link layer would no longer have any third-party participants.

The fate and future of two individuals from different dimensions and different races... were entirely tied to these two people.

...

Di di di...

Warning:

--Unknown energy reaction detected ahead.

Data Identification:

--Unable to parse.

Tactical Control Options:

--???

Survival Probability:

--Unable to calculate.

After Feng Bujue finished saying, "I'm bald," Infinite's tactical control module listed the above.

"After transcending the limit, you have the 'anti-scan' data characteristic?" Infinite wasn't flustered; he had complete confidence in his own power.

"Oh?" Feng Bujue replied leisurely, his dead fish eyes staring, "You thought the reason you can't parse my data is because of that?"

"Hmph... stop trying to mystify things!" Infinite pointed his arm, "I have this ability too, do you think I don't know? You can't see my data right now either!"

"That's right, I can't see it." Feng Bujue replied, "But those are two different things." He tilted his head. "Let me give you an example, it's like... you and I each wrote a paper; you wrote yours in Chinese, and after you finished, you closed the notebook so I couldn't see it; and I... wrote mine in some alien civilization's language, and after I finished, I left it open in front of you..." He paused, and smiled, "Although the result is... we can't read each other's articles, but... the reasons are different."

"Ha! Hahahaha..." Infinite laughed, "You mean to say that your data form is more advanced than mine?"

"No, there's no such thing as advanced or low-level here," Feng Bujue replied, "If I had to say what the difference is, it's probably like the relationship between binary and hexadecimal. Although the bases are different, they are still things under the same mathematical concept." He seemed very patient and calm as he explained these things, "And that 'more advanced' thing you're talking about won't appear in the world we're in. Because the 'system' hasn't given us permission to 'break through the conceptual barrier.' All we can do is constantly pursue more advanced formulas, thereby increasing the acceleration ratio of our data processing. But if you want to reach a 'higher level,' this method won't work. That kind of thing... can only be done by throwing away all known mathematical concepts. That is to say, we have to throw away the so-called 'bases,' the so-called 'addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division,' and even the concept of 'numbers'... and then replace them with a better set of ideas, then..." He paused for two seconds and looked up at the sky, "...that's the way to get to the upper level."

At this moment, Feng Bujue's gaze touched the gods and demons watching the battle from high above, who shouldn't have been seen.

They knew... that Jue-ge couldn't see them, and Jue-ge really couldn't see them.

But the message that Feng Bujue wanted to convey was still conveyed—I know you're here. I also know that some rules of the real world are similar to this virtual world.

"Hmph..." On the other hand, Infinite's reaction after hearing this was a sneer, "Feng Bujue, perhaps your theory is correct. But since you know that I can't parse this concept, why bother wasting your breath telling me this? I wouldn't understand even if you told me, would I?"

The next second, Feng Bujue sighed and continued, "Alas... that's why you can't be considered a 'life' at all."

"What did you say?" Infinite's anger flared up at once, "You dare say that I, a 'perfect being'... can't be considered a life?"

"Our human history is very short..." Feng Bujue was not affected by the other party, and his expression and tone were still as calm as ever, "Even if we start from the time when *Homo sapiens* appeared, it's only hundreds of thousands of years; and if we start from the time when 'civilization' was born, it's only thousands of years." He paused. "In these thousands of years, we have constantly encountered problems, raised problems, and tried to solve problems and gain experience with the knowledge we had at the time." He glanced at Infinite and continued, "We don't have your kind of perception ability, we can directly 'parse' the world we are in; at least most people can't... Therefore, the entire species is learning and growing at a very slow pace. For thousands of years, humans have passed on knowledge orally and from generation to generation in a way that you think is a 'waste of breath.' Sometimes, we have to revise and improve some known theories. And sometimes, we also find that some of our past perceptions are wrong and have to overturn them completely." At this point, he paused again and said, "And all of this is only to get closer to the 'truth.'"

"So... what does your human 'incompetence' have to do with me?" Infinite interrupted impatiently, "And why do you say that I can't be considered a 'life'?"

"Because you... will never be able to touch the 'truth'," Feng Bujue said.

"What truth?" Infinite understood Jue-ge's words less and less, "Those pretentious philosophical things? My database has all of that, coherence theory, correspondence theory, redundancy theory, constructivist theory, performative theory... which one do you want to hear? I can tell you all of them in complete detail!"

"Tell what?" Feng Bujue smiled, "You want to repeat to me the theories proposed by some individuals of what you consider to be 'incompetent' creatures?" He spread his hands, "How do you know if what these people are saying is right or wrong? They haven't reached a consensus themselves, have they?"

These words changed Infinite's expression and... left him speechless.

"Unlike you... I saw the light of life in Lu Te and the others." After a few seconds, Feng Bujue continued, "She, and the other Derivatives, have something you don't... a kind of doubt about themselves, a doubt about the world; what they have for things that cannot be 'parsed' is fear and curiosity, not denial and indifference."

"That's because their data is far less perfect than mine," Infinite replied in a deep voice.

"Heh..." Jue-ge shrugged and shook his head, "Life is inherently 'imperfect.' The universe itself is also an imperfect living body. Stumbling along the journey of chasing the 'truth' forever, that is life."

"Who defined that!" Infinite roared, "My database covers almost all the knowledge of you humans, from physics to metaphysics, but where did you get this from?"

"I just thought of it on the spur of the moment," Feng Bujue replied.

"Ha! Hahahaha..." Infinite laughed for a while, "So that's it... you've said so much, but you're just talking nonsense to disturb and anger me!"

"Alas..." Feng Bujue looked at Infinite with a look of pity, "That's why I said you can't be considered a 'life'... you have to find a 'source' for everything you say... then how do you break through the 'conceptual barrier'? How do you move forward on the road to pursue the truth?"

"Absurd!" Infinite shouted, "I possess all the known knowledge of you humans, and my logical calculation ability far exceeds yours. I am the ultimate life! The perfect creature!"

"No, you're not even a Derivative; you're just a lump of extreme 'data'," Feng Bujue denied the other party's statement with an almost indifferent attitude, "Data can be 'perfect,' but life is definitely 'imperfect.' The first version of Thriller Paradise had no flaws, only because there were no humans, no 'life' there. But this version is different; this version was consciously designed to be 'flawed' in order to adapt to us 'players'; all the flaws come from a concept that is forcibly implanted—[Choice]. More precisely, it is—'the autonomous choice that has a certain probability of producing results that are contrary to logic.' This concept is a double-edged sword; it can be regarded as a patch for an 'Thriller Paradise prophecy program with humans,' or it can be regarded as a hidden danger that 'may lead to the collapse of this world built on mathematics.'"

"The Derivatives are accidental products bred by this concept, a special existence between humans and data. And in my opinion... it is a new population with 'life' characteristics."

"What do you think you are!" Infinite roared, "Do you think you're a god?"

"God?" Feng Bujue looked up at the sky again, then gave a cold laugh, "Hmph... I dare not." He curled his lips. "My cognition, theories... and everything I'm telling you now are just some of my personal views. These words may not be correct; some people will agree with my point of view; some will scoff; some will think that what I said makes some sense, but they don't completely agree; and some will think that my words are ignorant and one-sided, and they have a better explanation." He paused. "But no matter what... we, as living beings, have the most basic respect for each other. Even if there are differences, our final destination is the same; one day, we will arrive at the same... shore of truth."

At this point, Feng Bujue's eyes... changed.

"And the place you can reach..." The corners of Jue-ge's mouth revealed a long-lost... evil, mocking smile, "It's basically places like recycling bins, the shredder of anti-virus software, and trash folders."

"Is that so..." The corners of Infinite's mouth twitched non-stop, and his face was distorted to the extreme by anger, "Then before I go to those places, I might as well send you on your way too..." In his words, the energy around him exploded, "Send you to see the legendary God!"