I woke up from my sleep again, staring blankly at the familiar gray ceiling in front of me.

Perhaps due to the power of the apocalypse, since that day, my sleep time has continued to shrink at a visible rate, initially as an unexpected early morning, and finally as an inexplicable normal, and now I am used to getting out of bed to prepare for the day's work when everything is silent.

This force ...... It's never without a price, even before the supervisor pointed it out to me, I probably knew it, but I just couldn't face it myself.

But if ...... On that day, I was able to stop my sister and Angela's words......

It is true that I have long lost my passion for power, and perhaps the so-called family happiness of children and grandchildren around my knees is the life I really desire.

Even so, now is the time to let go of all mustards and just move forward, must move forward.

I stood in front of the sink, looked at my face in the mirror, took a deep breath, and slapped the water on my face.

"Dai ......"

Suddenly, just as I was getting dressed and about to leave the dormitory, the director's voice suddenly came out of my head, but before I could react more, his consciousness at the moment swelled like a water-absorbing sponge, filling my brain in an instant—and suddenly an inexplicably familiar image came to my mind: it was the director's office, the space I had visited on the 27th day.

An old man appeared in front of me, patted me on the shoulder, and said softly:

"It's been so long... The people I have loved have become corpses without temperature with broken spirits. ”

I was still conscious, but I couldn't speak. I knew very well that everything that was happening in front of me was the director's own experience, but the texture of this reality still allowed me to blend in without any obstacles, into this story that did not belong to me, as if I ...... It's the director.

"After so many twists and turns, we finally met." The man said to "us".

The supervisor himself didn't say a word, or maybe I didn't have a way to listen...... But no matter what, the old man's voice still echoed in my ears:

“…… Remember, that day, I sent you a letter. A quirky, worn-out letter with the same 'sender' as the 'recipient'. ”

"The letter said: We will meet soon." The man said, a knowing smile reflected on his face.

The Director was unmoved, as if the man in front of him was so strange, and his kind smile was so frightening and unsettling, rather than one that closely resembled his own appearance, and could even be said to be what he might look like in his old age.

"What are you waiting for?" The man asked, and then warmly offered an invitation: "Come to me with ease, I hope you like the environment here, and you will be satisfied, I have worked hard to restore our office to this appearance." ”

The man pointed to the sofa on the side: "At least, you still need a comfortable space where people can relax." The man said, taking two steps back, stabbing up his crutches, and sitting back in his chair behind his desk, a little tired.

"Still, I think there's more to this place of memories than you might think...... Calm, right? I know why you think that, there are many reasons......" He looked around and began to talk, "After all, this place is a reflection of that soft place in your heart. ”

Supple...... When these two words came out of the mouth of the man in front of me, I couldn't help but feel a touch in my heart, and I began to recall the past......

“…… We're the type who likes to be clean and tidy. But she's always going to make a mess of the tidy room...... Then we gave up on tidying up the messy room and chose to get used to the clutter......"

Along with the man's narration, perhaps at this moment, the supervisor had the same emotion. But he still didn't speak, let alone answer, just listened quietly......

"But sadly, we can't grasp these wonderful moments in our hearts."

"I think you've realized that this space changes with your heart — your heart creates this office, it's extracted from your deepest unconscious, like this massive facility."

"No one has been able to build such a large and complex facility in such a short period of time. And everything under our feet comes from countless extractions and refinements—until we can finally solidify these things that have no stable form. ”

“…… We repeat it until the diluted memories become more blurred, until the deepest sins are forgotten......"

Afterwards, the man talks about the changes in the outside world, about the nearly 10,000 years in the facility, TT2, T Company, Angela, and life, eternity, and the future...... Eventually, he was finally going to end the big topic: "...... You've made it this journey, and it's a huge achievement. ”

The man said, leaning back in his chair quite relaxedly, showing his comfortable look: "Come on, relax your body and mind, you must be exhausted." ”

And the director seemed unmoved.

"But the road ahead will be brutal, incredibly brutal." The man suddenly reminded with a solemn expression: "I am your laziness and the gatekeeper of time. Not only me in front of you, but also the 'us' that is about to be faced, is also cruel. ”

"They'll do everything in your power to get in your way, just like me."

As if the alarm didn't work, the man couldn't help but laugh and shook his head: "Well, anyway, anyway, if you feel that you are not ready to face 'us', then you can choose to reverse time and go back to the beginning of the cycle." ”

"Since you've finally arrived here after all this time...... Then you will definitely come back again, no matter how long it will take. The man gradually froze his smile: "We already have all the time in the world, all the time in the literal sense, so there is no need to rush about it." ”

"You just have to remember ......," the man sighed, "and if you decide to embark on this cruel final journey, everything will be dramatically different: judgment will come, and you will have to face questions that you cannot answer." ”

The man said, staring into "our" eyes: "Finally, you must have made it clear to you......"

"Even though you can turn back time, you can never reverse those sad stories......"

As soon as the words fell, I felt a sudden dizziness in front of my eyes, and when I opened my eyes again, my consciousness had returned from the small office to my familiar dormitory...... But the dream-like illusory scene, the emotions are incomparably real reflected in my mind, and I can't help but stand in place in vain, obsessively reminiscing about everything I have just experienced.

"Really...... Some are not used to ......."

I staggered towards the pool, turned on the faucet, cooled the water again, and finally came to my senses.

"Hiss......" There was another murmur in his ears at this time, and it seemed that the communication with the director was still smooth: "Miss Devna." The director really had a plan, "You probably understand the situation just now." He said to me in a solemn tone.

"Uh...... Uh-huh. I nodded slightly: "The cruel test he said, there are even more cruel ...... future"

"That's right, in fact, today is just a trial." "That being said, this doesn't mean that today's trials will be uneventful – it's far more dangerous and difficult than we thought," the director said. ”

"I'm sure everybody is aware." I patted my chest hard and said, "I'm going to do my best to protect them, as always." ”

After hearing this, the director suddenly fell silent for a moment, and said, "If she could have been like you now, maybe that tragedy could have been avoided......"

"What......" I frowned, and I wanted to ask, but the sound of the call in my ear stopped at this point, and I didn't respond anymore.

She ...... What kind of person is ......?" I muttered, unconsciously curious about the woman who really made it all possible.

However, this is not something to focus on right now. Prompted by the brutal work that was already imminent today, I quickly dressed and put on makeup, pushed open the door, and hurried to the preparation room.

Today's energy indicators are surprisingly low, but in a short list of tasks, a short line of entry is really sweaty: all department employees need to deal with today's test to midnight. (See the next page for the attached materials)

And when I opened the appendix, there was only a thin introduction—like the end bird of the past...... At this moment, I instantly understood the weight of the supervisor's words, and the two eye-catching words on the material made me unable to calm down for a long time:

"Minions"

So when Camille and Hana trembled at the corners of my clothes and took the trouble to ask me about the details of the work, the trembling look was no longer surprising - after all, they were minions, in the ears and eyes of all urbanites: super killing machines built with the mysterious Singularity technology of the mysterious Company C, they were unconditionally executing the will of the Chief, brutally slaughtering anyone who dared to break the Chief's precepts—no matter how ingenious the workshop, or the Finisher of the Shocking Party, Even if it is given a color, it will be afraid of its terrifying strength...... That is the representative of the authority of the head, the representative of the power of the city.

"It's okay, even the Apocalypse Bird has survived, even the minions will definitely be able to defeat it!" I comforted my colleagues and repeatedly explained to them, "Don't worry! This is not a real minion sent by the Leader, but a test of the Entity as always - just of similar strength, and our work here does not anger the Leader. ”

With their personal prestige and the organization's deepening influence in recent days, their colleagues have finally stabilized their doubts, at least not to mess up before the battle, which is the minimum guarantee for victory.

But having said that, the moment I actually led my colleagues into the work area, I couldn't help but get nervous.

"Listen, follow the plan." I looked around and said, "Maybe the content of today's test will also change, after the alarm is sounded, try to avoid fighting alone, do you understand?" ”

"Yes!" Parker and Yue nodded fiercely: "They all listen to their predecessors." ”

"Okay." I faded the smile from my face. Raise your head and immediately order:

"The battle begins!"