Hunter of Mysterious Creature

Chapter 857 - 96: Desireless_2

In just twenty seconds, the towering shadows, over ten meters high, were all absorbed into Xue Yue’s body. The little girl even touched her belly and abstractly let out a satisfied burp.

"Did you see anything?" Sun Hang pointed at the empty rock cavity.

Although Xue Yue’s emotions weren’t controlled by "desire," Sun Hang noticed that after entering this rock cavity, her eyes clearly revealed a joyful emotion.

"I saw a comfortable bed, air conditioning and heating, clean clothes, and delicious food," Xue Yue said, "I also saw... you."

"Me?" Sun Hang was slightly stunned.

"Yes, you seem to really have become my brother... What I saw seemed to be a home that belonged solely to me," Xue Yue said.

"What you want the most... is a home?" Sun Hang’s gaze on Xue Yue was slightly surprised.

This result was somewhat unexpected, but upon careful reflection, it made perfect sense.

"Yes, a home, a home that shelters from the wind and rain, where sustenance is not a worry, with relatives who treat me well," Xue Yue said, "That is what I want the most."

"And you?" Sun Hang patted Candle Dragon, who had just come to his senses, asking, "What did you see?"

"Sphinx’s... half of the brain." Candle Dragon’s voice was slightly hoarse, "It looks very much like the biological part of the main brain, almost identical... At the moment I saw it, a thought sprang into my mind: as long as I can acquire it, I can gain the power to control the world."

"Didn’t see it coming, you’re quite ambitious." Sun Hang said, "I always thought you lived like a carefree wanderer."

"After seeing so much tragedy, naturally one develops a desire for strength and power." Candle Dragon shook his head, "Only by gaining strength and power can the world be changed... Perhaps due to this thought, that notion just emerged."

"At least the starting point is good." Sun Hang nodded.

"But I believe that what I saw was not Sphinx’s ’other half’ brain." Candle Dragon hesitated for a moment and said.

"Not ’other half’?"

"Yes... It resembles the biological part of the main brain too much, almost a replica of the main brain..." After Pei Zongjun’s death, Sun Hang granted Candle Dragon extremely high authority; he had been to the deepest part of the Primordial Palace’s main brain room and witnessed both the main brain submerged in the large glass tank and Pei Zongjun’s corpse.

"I suspect maybe it’s because I’ve only seen the main brain, thus imagining Sphinx’s other half brain, subconsciously using the main brain as a template, resulting in seeing only a replica of the main brain’s biological part..."

"I have read the archive left by Mr. Pei," Candle Dragon continued, "Mr. Pei once considered cloning the biological part of the main brain, then integrating the clone with the original body, thereby obtaining a complete Sphinx brain... To test whether this idea was feasible, he utilized the main brain’s predictive ability..."

"I have seen that archive too; the main brain clearly informed him that there is a huge difference between Sphinx’s two halves of the brain, relying solely on cloning the existing half brain, it is impossible to obtain a complete version." Sun Hang pointed to his head, "It’s like the human brain, although structurally similar, the functions they are responsible for differ greatly. Different areas of the brain get damaged, having very different impacts on the body..."

"So, Sun Hang... what did you see?" Candle Dragon sighed and then fixed his hopeful gaze on Sun Hang.

"That’s the most frustrating part..." Sun Hang tilted his head in some frustration, "You both saw the things you want the most, yet I saw nothing at all."

"Saw nothing?" Candle Dragon was taken aback, "Is it because... you have no desires in your heart? That’s impossible, right?"

"I certainly have desires; I am sure of that." Sun Hang subconsciously thought of Mr. Wang and the Yang family sisters... If he had no desires at all, he wouldn’t have even touched them, let alone engaged in such intimate acts.

Furthermore, Sun Hang also has cravings for food — though he can manage to maintain vital signs without eating due to his capabilities, he still longs for good food... Especially after getting used to Zhong Ling’s cooking, he has become more picky about food taste and texture...

If he were someone without desires, $eating sizzling steak and swallowing soap-flavored nutrition bars would make no difference — oh wait, if he had literally no desire, he wouldn’t even eat the soap-flavored nutrition bars.

It’s impossible for a person to have no desires; even a serene and enlightened monk is no exception.

The longing for "leaving suffering and finding happiness," or the pursuit of "extinguishing all troubles," fundamentally demonstrates desire in one form.

"Desireless," in itself, is also a form of desire.

"Damn it, that’s freaky..." Sun Hang stared at the empty ground and turned to confirm with Candle Dragon and Xue Yue, "Are you sure that thing is right here?"

"It’s right here, within a hundred meters of us," Candle Dragon said.

Xue Yue also nodded.

"Damn it, but I can’t sense even a trace of eerie aura." Sun Hang took a deep breath, glaring at the empty space, imagining...

First, he imagined Zhong Ling’s cooked dishes, then envisioned the sophisticated "Slaughter" armor worn by Ye Jiu, then he imagined scenes of frenzied slaughter among hordes of creepy creatures, thought of the most beautiful woman’s body in the world, envisioned eternal life and eternally healthy flesh, imagined endless knowledge and transformation...

Yet nothing appeared within the rock cavity.

"Damn it, even the four peddlers from subspace abandoned me?" An overwhelming sense of helplessness rose in Sun Hang’s heart.

Sun Hang squatted down, like suffering from constipation, holding his breath and exerting himself, as if trying to force out the deepest desires in his mind.

If desires were likened to feces, this time, he was indeed constipated.

"Sphinx’s other half brain... Sphinx’s complete brain... A supercomputer with infinite prophetic abilities..." Sun Hang continually changed his target...

Just then, a familiar voice suddenly came from not far away: "None of these things is what you truly want... They are merely tools or pathways to achieve your ultimate desire."

Sun Hang abruptly looked up, not knowing when, a person suddenly appeared in the clearing.

A person identical to himself.

Another Sun Hang.

"Wow." Sun Hang’s expression slightly changed.

"As you see, this is your most genuine desire." The other Sun Hang pointed to Sun Hang, then himself, "It’s you yourself."

"Bullshit, I’m not a narcissist." Sun Hang couldn’t help but curse.

"This desire isn’t about self-love; it’s about self-understanding or, in other words, based on your perception of the world." The other Sun Hang calmly replied, "You don’t understand yourself; you really want to know what you are, you want to know your past and future... Since you woke up, everything you’ve done is driven by this most primitive motive."

"Can you help me do it?" Sun Hang asked.

"I’m sorry, no." The other Sun Hang shrugged, "I’m merely a manifested form of your desire, and to generate this form, I’ve paid unimaginable costs."

"Since you can’t achieve my goal, what use are you?" Sun Hang looked at the other himself and said, "You’re utterly useless."

"In your eyes I’m useless, but to me, you’re equivalent to my creator." The other Sun Hang smiled and said, "I’m grateful you created me... among all intelligent lives you’ve encountered, you’re the most exceptional one."

"Can you speak more plainly?"

"You have given me complete life; from now on, I’m another version of you in this world... I’m no longer any ’desire,’ but..."

At this moment, a low exclamation came from Candle Dragon behind: "Odd! The half brain of the Sphinx in my vision has vanished! Sun Hang, did you notice anything unusual?"