Chapter 548 Oh my God, dear Dr. Tesla

[The picture slowly unfolds, and a tombstone engraved with Kallen Kaslana's name appears on the screen.

Otto stood alone in front of the monument, silent for a long time, his eyes full of the vicissitudes of life.

At this moment, outside the screen, the voice of Xukong Wanzang sounded:

"Oh, she died. That was indeed the end of you."

"Five hundred years have passed in a flash... Now, you finally have the chance to change everything."

"Ah. Or does time never pass for you?"

After a long time, Otto sighed and said:

"Yeah...she's dead."

Feeling ignored, Xukong Wanzang said with a hint of dissatisfaction:

"...Hmm? Hey, are you listening to me properly?"

Otto did not respond, but immersed in his own thoughts, and said slowly:

"In many languages, people avoid mentioning the word 'death' itself."

"Death. The permanent dissipation of subjective will. The concept of making 'existence' itself become 'non-existence'..."]

Fu Ming paused and said with interest:

"Speaking of death, it brought back a memory. There was a very interesting passage."

Then, Fu Ming's expression became serious, and he slowly said:

“A person dies three times.

The first is biological death. When the heart stops beating, breathing ceases, and all bodily functions cease, this is the onset of biological death.

The second is the dissolution of social identity. After a solemn farewell ceremony like a funeral, the role an individual played in society gradually fades from memory. This means that their social existence ceases to exist.

The third kind of death is the complete loss of memory. When the last person who remembers you passes away, or all records of you are lost, you will be completely erased from human memory, as if you never existed in this world. This is the ultimate spiritual extinction.

[Madam Green Lily] Otto: "Life may pass, but the spirit lives on. Mr. Fu Ming is absolutely right. Therefore, Kallen must not die as a sinner!"

Kallen: "So that's how it is..."

[Magical Girl] Theresa seemed to understand, but since her grandfather had confirmed it, it must make sense, so she nodded and said, "Hmm, I didn't expect you, Fu Ming, to be able to say such philosophical things."

Xiaozhi: "Then I think Walter has been in the first and second death."

[Yang Sit-ups] Walter: "This involves me?"

Himeko: "Since Mr. Walter has been constantly sacrificing his life, he must have feelings about death that others cannot understand."

[Yang Sit-ups] Walter: 〈......〉

"We subconsciously believe that the people we love are immortal and eternal. Even though our minds understand that they are just flesh and blood, our emotions are unwilling to accept this."

Xukong Wanzang said thoughtfully:

"...You're trying to say that humans will always be frightened by death in some form."

Otto: "Exactly. We are so afraid of death that the panic caused by this fear... creates more unnecessary deaths."

"Discrimination, abuse, murder, war... Who among us is not dominated by the fear of death, bringing this shadow down on others in advance?"

Xukong Wanzang said pointedly:

"...But can you really escape this? You're more trapped in this quagmire than anyone else—it's just that what you fear isn't your own death."

Otto smiled bitterly, with a hint of self-mockery in his voice:

"Yes. That's why, while I'm only a 'bishop' at best... Kallen is considered a 'saint' in people's eyes."

Tesla complained with displeasure: "Humph! This Otto has done so many bad things, but when he speaks, he only speaks high-sounding principles. How annoying!"

[Madame Green Lily] Otto: "Oh my God, dear Dr. Tesla, your ban has been lifted?"

Tesla replied unhappily: "Huh, yeah, I just got unbanned, but I don't want to be banned again, so please don't show up in front of me, OK?"

And, get rid of your damn cockney accent. >

Otto suddenly turned his head, looked calmly at Xukong Wanzang, and spoke slowly:

"Do you remember the letter I once wrote to 'Walter'?"

He paused, as if lost in thoughts of the past, and slowly read:

“We are so fragile that we can only exchange temporary peace for mutual threats,” “and use high-sounding words like ‘order’ and ‘ethics’ to cover up those despicable motives.”

After saying this, a scornful smile appeared on Otto's face, and he continued:

"That statement still rings true today. After all, humans tend to repeat the same mistakes all the time—even to the point of being blind to the fact that they're making the same mistakes."

Void and Myriad Treasures:

"...I think I must remind you that these statements can also be used to criticize yourself."

Otto admitted frankly:

"That's right, Void Ten Thousand Treasures."]

[Madam Green Lily] Otto had a solemn expression and a deep gaze as he slowly spoke: “When we look back at the long history of mankind, we will clearly find that mankind’s greatest enemy has never been the so-called collapse, but mankind itself.

This is a beautiful world, but also a terrible world. I think the pioneers of previous civilizations must have had a profound understanding of this.

Kevin: 〈......〉

Kevin felt an urge to refute, but when he thought about the destruction of the previous civilization era, he had to admit that what Otto said was true.

The pre-civilization era had the ability to eliminate the collapse, but people (high-level officials) missed the best opportunity to eliminate the collapse due to fighting and disagreements.

By the time everyone came to their senses and tried to unite, the final disaster had already arrived and all efforts were in vain.

【Magical Girl】Theresa: "Grandpa, why are you suddenly saying this?"

[Mrs. Green Lily] Otto: 〈Just like Mr. Fu Ming, I just had a sudden feeling of emotion watching myself in the video.〉

[Mrs. Green Lily] Otto: "Honkai Impact is like a ruthless test. It tests the conscience and soul of mankind."

When the wave of destruction hits, some people choose to support each other in the ruins and survive together; while others, for their own selfish interests, take advantage of the chaos to grab resources, even at the cost of harming their own compatriots.

[Madam Green Lily] Otto continued: "We are the same. We raise armies and invade in the name of protection. We make laws, but some people commit crimes under the shadow of the laws."

Kallen looked worried and asked softly, "So there's really no way we can change this, Otto?"

[Madame Green Lily] Otto: "This is the baseness of human nature. Even if we defeat the Honkai, we can usher in peace and tranquility. But in reality, the conflicts and disputes within humanity will not be resolved."

Tesla: "Otto, is that all you have in your head? You have an endless supply of great truths, don't you?"