socalfunplaces Chapter 322 Mountains of Madness, Cognitive Pollution
Chapter 322 Mountains of Madness, Cognitive Pollution
Chapter 322 Mountains of Madness, Cognitive Pollution
Antarctica, a land rarely visited by humans throughout history, welcomed its first permanent inhabitants several years ago.
A man named Yuri, leading his loyal followers, crossed the sea and landed on this snow-covered land amidst the undercurrents of the world.
They mobilized resources from all over the world and, with the help of advanced technology, built power plants, military factories, and air defense facilities here... all to protect the giant tower standing in the center.
After many years of construction, the giant tower is nearing completion. Meanwhile, an unprecedented war breaks out outside Antarctica.
After a series of frictions and probing, two camps with diametrically opposed ideologies finally broke the Cold War deadlock and staged the third All-Out War.
Yuri watched all this unfold, occasionally sending his disciples into the fray to interfere in the course of the battle, stirring up trouble to gain sufficient benefits.
He was waiting for an opportunity, an opportunity when all forces were weakened, and only then would he truly make his move, using the Mind Ender Device, the giant tower behind him, to take control of the entire world in one fell swoop.
In this way, they will usher in a new era of unified thought and no disputes.
However, Yuri didn't get that opportunity; instead, he was first bound by the frigid Antarctic.
As the giant tower neared completion, he used his powerful telepathic abilities to detect an anomaly deep within Antarctica.
In that untouched land, amidst the endless mountain ranges, lies an ancient malice that is gradually awakening.
Yuri didn't know what was behind this malice, but it wasn't hard to understand that it was absolutely harmful to humanity.
In order to find out what it was, he specially dispatched a task force to go deep into the mountains to investigate the existence behind the malice.
In the end, all he got was a heavily tampered video and a dying task force member.
This member of the task force who struggled to return was a disciple he had chosen, who had received his teachings and awakened psychic abilities, and who shared the same ideals as him.
He possessed exceptional mental abilities, which is why Yuri entrusted him with this important task.
The disciple did complete the mission, but at a heavy price—his entire army was wiped out, and he himself was tainted by some terrible corruption, about to become a vessel controlled by the corruption.
He used his life to show Yuri the madness and terror lurking in the mountains, and pleaded with his mentor to keep this madness outside of human comprehension.
Only his mentor, the world's most profound scholar of the mind, could possibly intercept these monsters in Antarctica.
"And I did agree to his request, and from then on I imprisoned myself in Antarctica, even putting aside my original plans for this purpose."
The bald man poured hot tea for the visitor in front of him and gestured for him to enter.
"This is a tea gift from that great Eastern country when I was a psychological counselor. Although I don't particularly like the taste, you all look to be from the East, so I imagine you'll prefer it to vodka."
Opposite him, one person sat upright, while the other five people were either sitting or standing, in various postures.
In Yuri's perception, the first five of these six people posed varying degrees of threat, with the tall man leading them being the most threatening. Sitting on the sofa, he resembled a volcano about to erupt.
However, he didn't speak much; the negotiations were mainly handled by a man wearing glasses.
But what Yuri feared most was the young man in red robes sitting alone in a corner, looking around.
Unlike the other five, he could not glean any information from this young man.
Even others might reveal a little bit of their inner thoughts while they are thinking, but this young man was like a calm sea, with no trace of his thoughts leaking out.
In other words, this young man is the most dangerous and terrifying of the six.
Xu Hui, the bespectacled man, picked up the cup of hot tea and said politely, "Thank you for your kindness."
Following Modi's instructions, they arrived at the perimeter of the complex and successfully met the owner of the giant tower, Yuri.
Previously, they had thought about how to attract the attention of the tower's owner, but unexpectedly, Modi only said one sentence.
"Do nothing."
Doing nothing but standing on the periphery of the complex, they naturally attracted the attention of a powerful psychic.
Compared to ordinary soldiers, they are like the ocean compared to a lake; they are not even in the same league, making it difficult for them to go unnoticed.
After several rounds of pleasantries, Yuri still wore a smile on his face, showing no sign of impatience.
"I am aware of your purpose in coming. May I ask why you, distinguished guests, have chosen us?"
Xu Hui remained silent, then turned to look at Mo Di. Seeing Mo Di nod slightly, he said, "By choosing your side, we have the greatest chance of defeating our own kind. This is the result the prophecy tells us. Moreover..."
'
He paused, then gave a meaningful smile. "Your side must have noticed the unusual situation in some countries. I can tell you that there are our kind among them as well."
Yuri looked slightly surprised; it was hard to tell whether he was faking it or genuinely feeling it.
"No wonder the Federation and several other countries have suddenly made great progress in technology, especially in the fields of materials and energy. It turns out they have received help from your kind."
"That's right. Perhaps our technology isn't as comprehensive as yours, but in some aspects, we are definitely top-notch," Xu Hui said with a smile.
"By the way, about the prophecy you mentioned... could you elaborate?" Yuri suddenly became interested in the first part of his sentence. "Is it the kind of prophecy linked to magic?"
"Actually, this is the gift we have prepared for you."
Xu Hui smiled.
"Prophecy is not some mystical or obscure metaphysics, but rather a product of the combination of probability and other disciplines."
As a reincarnator specializing in intelligence, prophecy is naturally a required course for him, and explaining it to Yuri is a piece of cake.
"I never knew such technology existed. Indeed, there are still many things in this world that I don't understand."
Yuri's eyes gleamed with excitement, and he muttered to himself in a low voice.
"To unravel all the mysteries, we need a peaceful and stable environment, as well as the wisdom of everyone... But I'm sorry, I don't think I'm currently capable of intervening in disputes outside Antarctica."
He changed the subject abruptly, shaking his head apologetically at everyone.
He then walked to the window and, taking advantage of the tower's height, gazed at the mountains stretching across the white land.
"Is it because of the malice deep within the mountains?" Xu Hui got up, walked to the window, and looked at the mountains as well.
The mountain range rises abruptly from the ground, stretching endlessly like the spine of a giant beast, making one curious about what secrets are hidden deep within.
"Do you know what else is deep within the mountains besides the source of malice?" Yuri suddenly asked.
Seeing that everyone was shaking their heads, he smiled and opened a video file.
"This is the video that the task force risked their lives to bring back. I have already processed it to prevent any contamination from spreading through the video."
"He said."
Huo Wen frowned, glanced at Miao Guang, who immediately understood and put a mental protective barrier on everyone.
One should always be wary of others. Although Yuri claimed that he had already taken precautions, he was not comfortable entrusting the safety of the entire team to someone else.
Yuri didn't have much to say about this, but he was curious about the methods used by Mu Guang.
This was not any technology he knew; it was closer to the Taoist practices of that Eastern country's legends.
—
On the screen, the figures of the task force trekking forward appeared, and the intermittent words of the recorder could be heard.
"This is our second day on the road. We rested at the outpost yesterday and resupplyed. We'll continue on once the weather gets a little better."
"Antarctica is so cold. If it weren't for the strange magnetic field above the mountains that makes it difficult for aircraft to maintain their balance, we would have wanted to fly over here in the Ilicara Air Fortress."
The task force continued deeper into Antarctica, occasionally uttering a few complaints, mostly about the harsh climate.
Fortunately, the members of the task force were not ordinary people; they were either elite soldiers or psychic beings, and were able to endure the extreme local climate.
Then, the video was fast-forwarded for a while.
The scene also broke away from the monotonous white, and ancient ruins appeared in everyone's eyes like a mirage.
It was a vast expanse of creation built from massive, pitch-black stones, with asymmetrical geometric structures everywhere, as if the builders of the ruins preferred this type of structure.
The entire task force remained silent until the psychic among them finally broke the silence with a trembling voice.
"...What is this? Why didn't our satellites capture any images of it?"
"It's unclear. It could be related to the unusual magnetic field in this area, or it could be due to the obstruction caused by ice crystal clouds in the sky."
After some discussion, the task force unanimously decided to continue exploring the ruins.
"Our mentor said the source of that malice lies within the mountains, and I suspect it's hiding in these ruins. Gather intelligence and bring it back to headquarters; we'll definitely complete the mission."
With unwavering conviction, the task force members stepped into that ruin.
As the people watching the video gazed at the ruins, they felt a strange chill, as if something was trying to spy on them.
"Be careful, something is trying to contact us using the relics in the video." Huo Wen narrowed his eyes, his martial will as sharp as a blade, easily severing the connection.
"This is just residual contamination from the video; it poses no threat." Xu Hui casually extinguished the contamination, not taking it to heart at all.
Modi was more radical than them; instead of purifying the pollution, he sliced it up and studied it in detail.
"Cognitive pollution? My own is far superior to that."
After looking at it a few times, he lost interest in the contamination and swallowed it whole.
The video recording progress bar is still moving forward.
The footage shows the task force venturing deep into the ruins, recording everything they see and hear along the way.
Strange things happened along the way, including eerie wailing sounds that seemed to come from nowhere, and a feeling of being spied on from the shadows in the corners.
They even found some strange creature remains in the passageway.
It has a barrel-shaped body, which looks like it is composed of five ridge-like structures. It has both animal and plant characteristics, and just one glance at it can make people feel physically uncomfortable.
"This thing doesn't look like a creature that evolved naturally on Earth," one member commented.
Some people have also expressed this suspicion: "This site is exceptionally ancient, and may have existed before the emergence of humankind. I have reason to suspect that these creatures are extraterrestrial life."
Regardless of the circumstances, they had to endure the discomfort caused by the environment and continue to explore the ruins.
"I have a feeling we're only one step away from the truth."
Leaving behind those words, the task force embarked on a journey of no return.
They passed through the passageway and entered the mountainside connected to the ruins, where a vast, man-made space existed.
"I never imagined there was... such... space inside the mountain."
The audio in the video was intermittent and distorted. Yuri explained, "We're close to the heavily contaminated area, so I had to cut out the contaminated parts. That's why the following footage will be like this."
Everyone expressed their understanding and patiently watched on.
Soon, not only the sound, but also the image became blurry.
The screen was filled with noise, making it look like it had been pixelated.
However, judging from the sounds of the task force, it was easy to tell that they must have encountered something terrible.
At the end of the video, the task force paid a heavy price, sacrificing several men in order to allow one person to escape.
Yuri's disciple stumbled and dragged his badly wounded body as he escaped the ruins.
At that time, he was not only deeply polluted, but also suffered multiple fractures. If he were an ordinary person, he would have faced a perilous situation where he would be unable to move. However, he was not an ordinary person, but a person with psychic abilities.
Mental abilities are quite irrational, and their limits largely depend on a person's will.
The stronger one's will, the greater one's strength.
The disciple, driven by an unwavering determination to bring the intelligence back, forcefully used his mental energy to power his limbs, manipulating his body like a puppeteer, and finally returned to the outpost.
When he arrived at the outpost, his heart had stopped beating, and only the personality simulated by his mental energy remained, still clutching the recorder in his hand.
"This is the end of the video. When he was brought back, his body was heavily contaminated. It was the simulated personality that firmly locked the contamination and prevented it from leaking out."
"After our final conversation, that simulated personality also collapsed, causing the contamination to spill over. I was fortunate enough to witness firsthand what cognitive contamination is."
Xu Hui asked, "What specific form does that pollution take?"
Yuri shook his head. "I'm sorry, that kind of contamination has both a physical form and can affect our memories and cognition. To prevent its spread, I first completely destroyed it and then erased the memories of everyone involved, including mine."
Apart from some vague accounts, he could not recall any description of the polluted entity.
"I'd rather fight the enemy squad than face this kind of cognitively polluting enemy. It's disgusting." Miao Guang looked worried, concerned about his future.
"As you all said, this enemy is terrifying and dangerous," Yuri said in a low voice. "In order to prevent it from escaping Antarctica, I must constantly monitor the mountains with the giant tower. For this, I have even abandoned many of my original plans."
The tower, originally his tool for unifying human thought, has now become the first line of defense for protecting human reason. Even he has to lament the cruel twist of fate.