Chapter 4 Monster

Monsters, theM, were once referred to by various names when human technology was undeveloped and understanding of the natural world was limited.

For example, when a meteorite fell from the sky, it was called a Heaven-Descended Divine Weapon; when a turtle floated up in a river, it was known as Bearing the River Map.

Therefore, for ease of understanding, the term 'strange items' was used to denote those of unknown origin, believed to come from Otherworlds, parallel planes, Hyperspace, or places like the cycles of Heaven, Hell, and the Three Realms—existences or objects that current technology cannot analyze, restore, or replicate.

At present, the company believes that when these 'strange objects' appear on Earth for unknown reasons and purposes, due to certain unknown physical laws of Earth's plane, conditions don't exist to fully support the manifestation of these 'things.' As a result, most monsters can only retain their core essence and take on the form of man-made objects on Earth that have similar rules.

Or to put it more artistically, the 'existence' from a Different World is an inverted shadow upon this land.

This is the nature of monsters.

Yes, projection, just as a person's shadow can be large or small, long or short, the same monster can manifest differently on different Earths.

Some monsters possess immense energy, some pose no threat whatsoever, some can communicate between this world and the Otherworld, and some—if left unchecked—may even have the potential to destroy the world.

It's impossible to categorize or distinguish them; after all, once deciphered, replicated, and classified by human technology, an 'unknown' becomes 'known,' losing its need for management, and can no longer be called a 'monster.'

Thus, the transformation from 'monster' to 'mundane object' is also a gradual process of humans understanding, studying, and transforming nature through science.

But obviously, for the company, if it's just worthless junk with no risk and no value in proactive management and control.

Therefore, the majority of monsters currently logged in the company's warehouse often have mechanisms and rules that are temporarily beyond the grasp of scientific principles, or contain energy radiation too immense to harness.

If left to run rampant, they could cause permanent, irreparable damage to the natural environment and the ecosystem, and possibly even destabilize the structure of civilization.

Therefore, various secret societies and organizations have always existed within human civilization, hidden in the shadows of society, responsible for the collection and management of monsters for various purposes.

TheM Company.

All Heavens and Myriad Realms Monster Company, which is one of them, was established at the end of the 21st century and is the first company to focus on the collection, research, preservation, production, and leasing services of monsters as its core business—and it continues to this day.

TheM Company, a member of the Earth Zero Safety Committee, is designated as the monster distributor of the Multiverse Parallel Earth.

Li Pan looked around this 'vintage' office, so this place must really be what they call 'the starting point.'

But even the nature of 'monsters' is monopolized for sale; these companies are really going too far...

With internal explanation via the landlines and a tradition of paper-based office work—although the office area looks as chaotic as a battlefield—Li Pan was still able to sift through the scattered desks and cabinets and find a pile of documents. There were archives, reports, memos, manuals, product catalogs with various additional notes, and after studying them carefully with a coffee, he had a basic understanding of the monster company.

Humans are arrogant, cowardly, and terrifying.

Calling something not understood a monster, and if one cannot fully understand or control it, there is a subconscious attempt to destroy it.

But what is not understood now does not mean it cannot be understood in the future.

For example, ancient humans were once afraid of even fire and worshipped the sun, but now they skillfully master fusion and casually build Dyson Spheres to dominate the infinite galaxy, don't they?

Similarly, ancient people of Earth Zero treated these monsters as deities, Holy Relics, and magical treasures, fighting over them for possession, guardianship, and analysis.

Even if these monsters really were objects of Otherworldly divinities, as technology exploded and times evolved, the veil of mystery surrounding the monsters was quickly lifted, and their status plummeted. What once was enshrined in temples, even words like 'something superior to humans,' have been stripped away, and now they've become mere commodities on store shelves, available for free trade.

Yeah, so what if you have the power to destroy humanity? Which big company's warehouse doesn't hide a couple of star-annihilating antimatter bombs these days? Destroying all humanity isn't a big deal, who are you to look down on?

Of course, conversely, as human scientific research advances and exploration delves deeper into the realms of the Celestial world, the number of monsters that humans encounter that cannot be understood or controlled will naturally continue to increase. It's impossible to just eliminate them blindly or hope to hide them all; someone has to take responsibility for managing and dealing with the consequences these things bring.