“So that’s how it is…” Shang Jianyao suddenly understood, “I always thought there was a chosen one in our team, but it turns out it was just a product of probability.”

He wasn't disappointed; instead, he seemed relieved, though it was unclear how his mind worked.

Without waiting for "Truth" to respond, he asked:

"Since most of the Year Guardians want to change the status quo, why did you want us to befriend one of 'Zhuang Sheng's' personalities?

"I understand that He should be the boss of the status quo faction, but you are many and powerful. You could solve the problem yourselves."

As he spoke, Shang Jianyao thought of a possibility and exclaimed in "horror":

"Could it be that all of you Year Guardians combined aren't 'Zhuang Sheng's' match? Uh, the part that supports Him is the minority!"

"Truth," wearing a colorful shirt and beach shorts, chuckled:

"It's not that we can't rush in, but if it gets to that point, the 'New World' will inevitably be completely torn apart, and the humans on the graylands will once again suffer a catastrophe.

"The simplest point is that 'Zhuang Sheng,' as the Year Guardian representing the entire year, is the most special and powerful one. Moreover, he has several supporters. If we really break all pretense and fight with all our might, the result will naturally be our ultimate victory. But in the process of fighting, every Year Guardian will definitely frantically absorb the consciousness of the humans attached to them to maintain their peak state.

"Most Year Guardians are benevolent and merciful. They don't want to excessively harm the human groups that depend on them and don't want to pay such a high price to change the status quo, like 'Siming.' Unless absolutely necessary, she will definitely not sacrifice the employees of 'Pangu Biology.'"

"Truth" glanced at Shang Jianyao and added:

"When we leave here and have suitable bodies, we will no longer need to control some humans to prevent hunger.

"At that time, humanity will gain ultimate liberation and freedom."

Clap, clap, clap. Shang Jianyao's applause never came late.

He sincerely asked:

"How will establishing friendship with a certain personality of 'Zhuang Sheng' help the next development?"

"Truth" nodded with a smile:

"Later, I will point you in a direction. Keep walking, and at the end, you will see a blood-red door. Behind the door hides all of 'Zhuang Sheng's' personalities.

"Once you are behind the door, repeat what I just said, and naturally, a 'Zhuang Sheng' personality that wants to change the status quo will provide support.

"As you know, 'Zhuang Sheng' has split into countless independent personalities, and each personality has its own position and judgment. This is our opportunity.

"With the cooperation of some 'Zhuang Sheng' personalities, plus the fact that we are the majority, the problem will be easily solved."

Shang Jianyao looked puzzled:

"In this process, my friendship with Xiao Chong, no, a certain personality of 'Zhuang Sheng,' didn't play any role. What's the point of the big boss sending out so many Old Task Force teams?"

"Truth" shook his head and retorted:

"It's very meaningful.

"If you hadn't established friendship with a certain personality of 'Zhuang Sheng,' you wouldn't be able to see that blood-red door at all. Even if you did see it, you wouldn't be able to open it. If you did open it, you would only become 'Zhuang Sheng's' food.

"Simply put, that 'Zhuang Sheng' personality will provide you with protection."

"I understand!" Shang Jianyao clenched his right fist and struck his left palm. "It's like I want to visit a family and seek help. If I can make friends with their child in advance and become gaming buddies, I can easily find out their address, have an excuse to visit, and the probability of them agreeing to help will be higher."

"That's right," "Truth" nodded.

Shang Jianyao then frowned:

"But won't I get beaten by the parents for playing video games with other people's kids?"

"..." "Truth" was silent for a second before saying, "This is just an analogy. Your next actions won't have such problems."

"Okay," Shang Jianyao didn't insist.

He turned to another question:

"Then why did you say you can't lie to me just now?

"Anyway, I'm already friends with a certain personality of 'Zhuang Sheng.' You can directly 'hypnotize' me, or rather, modify my memories, making me completely believe you and convey your words to the 'Zhuang Sheng' personalities verbatim."

"Truth" smiled and said:

"We can't treat 'Zhuang Sheng' as a fool. Can't he tell if you are being controlled and if your words are from the heart?

"It's like when I ask your friend to help you, whether I persuade him with reason and sentiment or point a gun at his head and force him to agree, it will have completely different effects on the result."

"Yes," Shang Jianyao imagined the scene. "For the latter, I would only try to rescue my friend and use the same gun to blow up the threatener's dog head."

"Truth" was briefly silent, and after a few seconds, he said:

"That still depends on whether you have that ability."

His voice then became a little heavier:

"Go, take our sincerity and friendliness to persuade that part of 'Zhuang Sheng's' personality."

Shang Jianyao didn't move.

He still had questions that hadn't been answered:

"Is it really a good thing to let the Year Guardians enter the graylands?"

"Truth" couldn't help but ask in return:

"You're asking me?

"I will definitely answer that it's a good thing."

"Why is it a good thing?" Shang Jianyao, who valued emotions, said seriously, "I'm not someone who will believe you just because you say so. You have to convince me."

"Truth" on the sofa changed his posture:

"Didn't I just say it? When we leave here and have suitable bodies, we will no longer need to feed on humans. We can be self-sufficient. At the same time, we don't want to live in a barren world where resources are scarce and humans are living on the edge of survival. We will definitely suppress the Awakeners and let them truly integrate into human society and exert their talents."

"But ultimately, humans still have to obey you, right?" Shang Jianyao frowned.

"Truth" laughed:

"In the Old World, humans once had emperors, presidents, and actual controllers of consortia. Didn't they also have corresponding order, live and work in peace, and promote the development of civilization?

"Now, you can't accept it just because you're replacing the emperor, president, and governor with Year Guardians?

"Moreover, the Year Guardians don't share the same mind. Each has their own ideas. After a period of game playing, a balance similar to the separation of powers and mutual checks and balances will inevitably form. No one will go too far."

"That seems to make some sense," Shang Jianyao first agreed, then muttered, "But it feels weird when a dozen jackals say to a group of lambs, 'Don't be afraid. We will have a separation of powers and mutual checks and balances to ensure your safety and freedom. Let's work together to build a beautiful new world.'"

"Truth" slowly exhaled:

"You can't compare it that way. Most of the Year Guardians are benevolent and merciful. After having corresponding bodies, they will no longer crave human consciousness. Instead, they will prefer the civilization created by humans and will not be harmful to you."

Shang Jianyao nodded:

"Then what about the other Awakeners? Can you really control them?

"They will definitely climb the ladder and try to enter the 'Forbidden Zone of the Gods' to become new Year Guardians.

"And the birth of a Year Guardian will inevitably be accompanied by great chaos, and great chaos will bring terrible disasters."

"Truth" laughed:

"You can rest assured about this. Year Guardians are gods. There are only these thirteen positions. Even someone like me can only call myself a quasi-Year Guardian. I must wait until the order of the 'New World' has undergone fundamental changes, and I must strive to gain the support of enough Year Guardians before I have the opportunity to replace that softie 'Mo Ren.'

"In the future, there will be no new Year Guardians, and with our rank, we are enough to suppress the Awakeners in the 'New World' and below."

Shang Jianyao breathed a sigh of relief:

"Then I can rest assured."

"Truth," sitting on the sofa, returned a smile. He pointed to the door and said:

"Since the questions have been clarified, you can turn around now, then walk to the right and all the way to the end. You will see that blood-red door.

"Go, go there and talk to 'Zhuang Sheng' about how to make the haze that envelops the graylands dissipate peacefully.

"Hopefully, we won't get to the point where the Year Guardians absorb a large amount of human consciousness and fight desperately."

Shang Jianyao nodded solemnly:

"Okay."

He immediately turned around and took a step towards the path on his right.

Just as his left foot lifted, Shang Jianyao suddenly stopped and looked back at "Truth" sitting on the sofa.

He steadied himself and raised his hand:

"I still have a question."

"Truth's" expression didn't change, but it took several seconds before he slowly opened his mouth:

"What question?"

"I want to know which Year Guardians are change factions and which ones want to maintain the status quo," Shang Jianyao said sincerely. "If I encounter the latter ones later, I have to run away quickly without saying hello."

Without waiting for "Truth" to respond, he added a few sentences:

"Can you talk about which areas each Year Guardian controls? It would be even better if you could point out the price or weaknesses!

"Don't you want me to reach 'Zhuang Sheng's' door smoothly? Those who want to maintain the status quo may come to intercept me. Although you are many and powerful, each Year Guardian has their own special characteristics. Perhaps someone will bypass the defenses you have built."

Shang Jianyao's request was very reasonable.

"Truth" was silent for a while and said:

"Currently, the ones who have clearly expressed their desire to change the current situation and have made efforts for this are: the December Year Guardian 'Siming,' the September Year Guardian 'Mandala,' the June Year Guardian 'Golden Scale,' the February Year Guardian 'Dawn,' the October Year Guardian 'Yougu,' the July Year Guardian 'Double Sun,' and me."

Shang Jianyao began to count carefully:

"One, two, three, four, five, six, seven… only half, where is the majority?"

There were a total of fourteen Year Guardians plus "Truth."

"Truth" laughed:

"Among the seven who want to maintain the status quo, several have secretly changed their positions this time, but I can't specifically say which ones."

"Oh…" Shang Jianyao suddenly understood, "No wonder Jiang Xiaoyue didn't stop me!"

That was the May Year Guardian "The Overseer."

In a flash, Shang Jianyao had a new question:

"Why didn't you name them in order of the months? Even if there is no ranking, it's too irregular this way, right?"

"Truth" chuckled:

"I say whichever one I think of. For example, the first one I thought of was 'Siming,' and the reason is that you are standing in front of me.

"Do you expect that things have progressed to this point, and I still need to rely on counting the months to remember which ones are allies?"

"Yes, that would be too unreliable!" Shang Jianyao agreed.

"Truth" didn't want to continue this topic and began to introduce the Year Guardians who maintained the status quo:

"The Year Guardian of the entire year, 'Zhuang Sheng,' is the 'Lord of Thoughts' and the 'Natural Enemy of Will,' existing in the form of multiple split personalities…

"The March Year Guardian 'Mo Ren' is the 'Master of Memory' and can also cause obstacles to the human body. The price is weakness…

"The November Year Guardian 'Shattered Mirror' is the 'God of Illusions' and manages the abilities of cognition and stimulation. Her price is very hidden. I have only noticed one phenomenon: she has never appeared in her true form…

"The August Year Guardian 'Scorching Gate' dominates muscles and also has the ability to influence thoughts and spirits in some areas. Her problem is fear of cold…

"The January Year Guardian 'Bodhi' is the 'Source of Consciousness.' I'm not very clear about his price…

"The April Year Guardian 'Twisted Shadow' is the 'Balancer' and the 'King of War,' mastering balance, judgment, and other sports-related abilities. His price is the distortion of creatures' fear…"

"Truth" didn't mention the May Year Guardian, "The Overseer".

Shang Jianyao listened and nodded frequently. In the end, he took the initiative to say:

"Thank you, thank you. I will set off now to open that blood-red door!"

He left the door with high spirits and excitement, heading towards the end of the path that "Truth" had mentioned.

…

Inside the vortex-shaped building, Jiang Baimian arrived at the end of the conference area.

She felt lucky about this because after walking one road, she saw a sign ahead written in both Ashlands and Red River languages:

"Ordinary Research Area"

Below "Ordinary Research Area," there were warnings in both languages:

"Those without permission are prohibited from entering without authorization. There are intelligent robots in the area that will automatically identify and attack those without data."

After so many years, I wonder if the intelligent robots here can still move… Jiang Baimian became more vigilant and carefully entered the "Ordinary Research Area" through the open partition door.

She saw two robots standing at the corner of the corridor at a glance. Not daring to neglect them, she lightly rolled into the nearest room.

Before Jiang Baimian could get up, just as she finished rolling, she saw large "culture dishes" or similar devices, each containing a grayish-white human brain.

Human brains… Jiang Baimian frowned slightly and turned her gaze elsewhere.

In the depths of the room, there were glass column containers filled with liquid, each containing a human corpse with an exposed brain.

The surrounding walls and tables were covered with sticky notes of various colors, in a very messy state.

The first one Jiang Baimian noticed was the one on the side of the door.

It was written with a bunch of Ashlands words:

"Frontal lobe: responsible for thinking, calculation, and quantity concepts, related to individual needs, emotions, and will. Some patients have symptoms such as agraphia and motor aphasia…"

"Uh…" Jiang Baimian was stunned, and certain thoughts instantly appeared in her mind and grew frantically.

She busily looked at the other sticky notes, one after another:

"Occipital lobe: responsible for processing language, motor sensations, abstract concepts, and visual information, affecting the establishment of conditioned reflexes. Damage to this area can cause significant obstacles in the experimenter's learning and memory abilities. This area is prone to retrograde amnesia…"

"Temporal lobe: attached to the hippocampus, associated with human emotions, mental and memory activities. Temporal lobe lesions often cause clouded consciousness, confused speech, emotional disorders, or memory deficits…

"Memory impairment is a common basic symptom, with impairments in recent memory, remote memory, or current memory; memory defects in time and place are obvious;

"Automatism is also a common manifestation. During the onset, its activities are not controlled by consciousness and may include destruction, injury, impulse, self-harm, nudity, panic, anger, and other mental excitement;

"When the temporal lobe hippocampus is damaged, memory impairment may occur, which may be accompanied by disorientation;

"The superior temporal gyrus is also the cortical center of the vestibular system. Therefore, temporal lobe lesions can cause balance disorders and dizziness;

"Damage to the posterior part of the superior temporal gyrus on the dominant hemisphere and the shifting area of the superior parietal gyrus can cause naming aphasia;

"Damage to the temporal lobe can cause homonymous upper quadrant blindness;

"Large-scale temporal lobe lesions can cause oculomotor nerve palsy;

"The hippocampus plays a role in memory and spatial positioning. The symptoms of damage to the hippocampus are memory decline and loss of directional perception…"

"Parietal lobe: sensory center, containing many other important areas. Damage to the parietal lobe can cause cortical abnormal sensations or sensory disorders, apraxia, spatial positioning disorders, and physical atrophy, as well as the following manifestations:

"Limb agnosia: patients deny paralysis of the affected limb, believing that the paralyzed limb on the left side is not their own, which is a negative body image disorder.

"Phantom limb: phantom limb refers to the appearance of a third phantom limb, which is a positive body image disorder.

"Pain agnosia: pain agnosia refers to the failure to recognize painful stimuli. In fact, pain exists, such as no pain response to a cigarette burning the finger, and no protective reflex to discard the cigarette butt. The lesion is in the left marginal gyrus and involves part of the angular gyrus and the superior temporal gyrus, which is rare.

"Facial agnosia: facial agnosia refers to the inability to recognize acquaintances, or even one's own face in the mirror. It is often accompanied by color, object, and orientation agnosia, which is a rare symptom of damage to the parieto-occipital area…"

"Insula: accepts information about the body's physiological state and then produces subjective experiences, such as using hunger to drive people to eat, or driving people to get more cigarettes and cocaine.

"The insula receives signals from internal organs and skin receptors, including cold and heat, itching, pain, taste, hunger, thirst, muscle pain, visceral sensations, and air sensations…

"The insula is very important in processing events that have not yet occurred. When you decide to go out in cold weather, your body prepares before you come into contact with the cold weather, such as increasing blood pressure to improve metabolism. This is the function of your insula.

"Inhibiting the activity of the insula must be done with caution, because after people lose the desire to smoke, drink, and take drugs, they may also lose interest in sex, eating, and work…"

"Striatum: affects muscle tone and is also related to attention, mental state, and thinking. It can lead to chorea and tremor paralysis, increased whole-body muscle tension, slow movement, delirium, mania, and erratic crying and laughing…"

"Amygdala: is a brain tissue that generates emotions, recognizes emotions, and regulates emotions.

"Childhood autism also seems to be related to enlarged amygdala. When the amygdala of a waking animal is stimulated, the animal appears confused, anxious, fearful, with withdrawal responses, or angry and aggressive responses.

"Stimulating the front end of the amygdala causes avoidance and fear, and stimulating the tail end of the amygdala causes defensive and aggressive responses. It can be seen that one of the main functions of the amygdala is to generate corresponding emotions based on various external information transmitted to the neocortex.

"Humans with damaged bilateral amygdala lack the ability to identify and respond to fearful events.

"One of the functions of the amygdala is to be responsible for processing facial muscles and expressions. When a person faces a face, the amygdala scans it to identify whether it is friendly or hostile to decide whether to face this person or avoid them.

"The amygdala is also a vegetative nerve center, which can regulate the functions of the body's respiration, cardiovascular system, gastrointestinal tract, etc., especially the vegetative nerve reactions accompanied by emotional stimuli are directly controlled by the amygdala. It also participates in regulating the body's sexual activity, feeding, regulating the function of the hypothalamus, thereby participating in the control and regulation of pituitary hormone secretion, and regulating the function of the neuroendocrine system…"

"Claustrum: suspected switch of consciousness. When the claustrum is subjected to high-frequency stimulation, it can be found that the patient loses consciousness and is in a coma. This means that he cannot respond to external instructions, his eyes are straight, and his breathing slows down. Once the high-frequency stimulation of the claustrum stops, the patient will regain consciousness and be completely unaware of everything that just happened…"

"White matter: can cause hemiplegia, hemianopsia, and hemisensory loss…"

"Thalamus: is the core organ that produces consciousness, synthesizing thalamic perception.

"Although the thalamus can synthesize and emit thalamic perception to produce consciousness, the thalamus is not the place where conscious activity takes place, and consciousness does not exist in the thalamus. Thalamic perception can enable the brain to produce awareness of things, which refers to 'knowing' and 'understanding.' In clinical cases, damage or lesions to the thalamus will lead to a lack or loss of consciousness.

"The thalamus is also responsible for sensory relay and controls movement. It is worth mentioning that among all sensory information, only olfactory information does not need to pass through the nuclei on the thalamus and is directly transmitted to the cerebral cortex…"

"Hypothalamus: maintains body homeostasis, controls the autonomic nervous system, and is related to emotions.

"In addition to having the function of sample analysis and output, the hypothalamus also has the function of secreting hormones.

"The hypothalamus analyzes and outputs sensory samples, activates the anterior nucleus of the thalamus to synthesize thalamic perception, produces feelings, and generates likes, preferences, biases, desires, aesthetic feelings, motives, and pleasure, fear, excitement, frustration, etc. for people and things…"

"Cerebellum: coordinates the movement of skeletal muscles, maintains and regulates muscle tension, and maintains the balance of the body…"

"Brainstem: there are many important nerve centers in the brainstem, including cardiovascular motor center, respiratory center, swallowing center, and reflex centers for vision, hearing, and balance…" (Note 1)

After quickly browsing the content related to various parts of the human brain on those sticky notes, the expression under Jiang Baimian's mask changed several times in a row.

She gritted her teeth and said:

"There is no descent body of the Year Guardian at all!

"That's not the way it is at all!

"What the Eighth Research Institute researched back then was not Awakening, but the mysteries of the human brain!"

Speaking of this, she was suddenly shocked:

"Not good! If we follow the previous speculation, Wei will make a judgmental error.

"I have to remind him quickly!"

Note 1: Quoted from many medical books, journals, and Baidu Encyclopedia

ps: Because this part will have a lot of quoted content, so according to everyone's previous requirements, add an extra chapter, two chapters in one