"Hum—"

Yesterday, this morning, at this moment. I got out of bed early, got dressed and washed, sat on the edge of the bed, took a deep breath, and waited.

As expected, it was still that time, and with a sudden dizziness in my head, my mind shifted to the director's consciousness again.

In front of me, however, the office was still warmly decorated – but the furnishings were now bent and twisted compared to yesterday's orderliness: vases, computers, desks, picture frames, sofa shelves...... They all show a shape similar to melted butter, which looks unusually weird and absurd. And in the center of everything, there was still the man who was not shocked and senile, and when he saw us, he was the first to speak:

"It seems...... You've decided to move on. The man stared at us with a solemn expression and said straight to the point.

The Director didn't answer, and seemed to just give the same look.

"But your body and mind have long been destroyed and weathered by that ruthless reality, do you really have the confidence to continue?" The man sighed, and after knowing that he could not get the answer he hoped for, he said with a slight trembling: "Well, in any case, you must have many questions about everything that happened here. ”

"It's like, 'Who is this old man in front of me?' Why does he have the same voice and face as me? The man said, "One cannot see oneself without the help of external forces." As he spoke, his eyes closed slightly: "Just use me as a mirror that reflects yourself...... A broken mirror, to be exact, and this old man is one of the broken mirrors, named Abel. ”

"Overwhelmed by anger and stubbornness, waiting to be forgotten by the world." After speaking, Abel's brow gradually tightened: "I, just like you, decided to move on, but I didn't see any turnaround. Every night I tossed and turned, and even had nightmares......"

"But we ......," Abel said with a slight smugness, "...... He was one of the first people to be able to enter the 'Well of Humanity'. We've been around for a long time, but over time our existence has been forgotten and denied – and now, only a few people can feel our presence ......"

"There are only a handful of people." Abel shook her head and sat back down at her desk, "[DATA EXPUNGED] is one of them, she is aware of it, and convinced of our existence. She also tries to convince us that if our existence can be proven, then she too will have a chance to enter the 'well of humanity'. And she firmly believes that only through the 'well' can we find the way to the stubborn disease that is rooted in the world. Abel looked up to the sky, as if caught up in some kind of memory: "So, we carried out the unfinished research on [DATA EXPUNGED] and it was successful." He held out his finger tremblingly: "We have found a way, a method of the primordial ocean that contains all the possibilities of humanity's past, present and future." If everyone could have a 'bucket', then they could draw their own 'water' from their own 'well'. ”

…… Everybody can ...... Draw your own "water" from your own "well". As soon as I said that, I fell silent - is this the gift that the so-called seed of light will bring to the whole city? Is this what we are fighting for? Unfortunately, my shallow knowledge does not allow me to fully comprehend these esoteric words that wander between philosophy and natural science, but at least for the time being, I still have plenty of patience to wait......

"Poof......" Abel couldn't help but smile, "That's a fascinating thing. ”

But the smile soon turned into a wry smile: "But what we didn't realize was that this discovery allowed arrogance to take root in our subconscious." We think we can light the fire of life, but the path we take to do so is the same as Prometheus who stole the fire. He said, staring at us with a blank but serious look: "So in the end, what did we accomplish?" And what did you get? —He seems to be interrogating not only Director Ayin, but also myself, is there really any way we can redeem the sacrifice we have made so far? Even if you are close to the end of the line, if you are not careful, you will fall back into the abyss of the cycle......

"We have lost far more than we have gained." "You don't see how our friend Benjamin came to his end......," he said. He is one of the few people who can tolerate your temper, but you completely ignore his last wishes. When the TT2 protocol was activated, that brief moment became an eternity, and in an instant it drowned Benjamin who was hiding there. Abel continued: "I'll assume he tried to escape from us, but as you know, he failed. ”

"But maybe you don't feel guilty?" Abel suddenly said rather playfully, "Because you gave him another form of eternal life?" But whether you want it or not, think about it. If you can't find a little solace in your heart, then you won't be able to endure this cruel place. ”

At this moment, I can feel the mood of the director - he has no intention of arguing, or he is very aware of how cruel he used to be, but if what he has done in the past has brought everything to where it is today, then if he wants to move on, then some things must be abandoned.

"The brain is one of the most important organs of the human body, and hundreds of millions of nerve cells stretch like branches, forming a dense forest that can be replaced countless times as long as the original documents remain, and those who have long since died will awaken in the mechanical body."

"That's your plan." Abel suddenly stared at us again, "But you can't do this on your own...... However, I have seen the world ahead of you, and the future you can't see: nothing will change, Benjamin, your friends, and your employees...... Their sacrifice makes no sense. Abel said, speaking faster and faster, "You've seen the end of all of them, and you've realized that those talented young souls are innocently imprisoned in machines, that we have failed them, that the world has completely forgotten us. ”

At this moment, Abel has completely fallen into the tension of emotions: "But after all that has happened, who will bear their innocent sacrifices? Do you know what we've all forgotten? Emotional thoughts are not beneficial at all, but false reason will break me, you, and everyone. When people I never see again whisper in my ear, they want to believe it, and I am speechless, will you make any difference? After the death of [DATA EXPUNGED], you have lost the meaning of life, so why struggle in the quagmire of reality? Why don't you wait quietly for death like me? ”

After a moment, Abel breathed a sigh of relief, "I hope you've found the answer to your question." I've been thinking about this for a long time, and whenever we find our way to what we think is the right solution, the harsh reality always tells me that it's not. Abel sighed and concluded his remarks: "But now that you've made your choice, there's no reason for me to stand in your way." ”

"Without a name, it is the supreme blessing to be a being without a name, and a name is a disgrace that will always remind you that you are on the wrong path."

"After leaving this place, the gate you will face is called 'Trial' – and of course, it is also called 'Trial' or 'Suffering'. And you seem to have the power to overcome them—the power to choose a completely different path, a completely different future, a completely different answer. ”

The old man breathed a long sigh of relief, "I will witness your power." He said, "I hope you can prove your strength to this distrustful old man." ”

As soon as the words were finished, the spiritual sharing stopped. My vision returned to my room, turned on the communicator, and waited for the Director's reply:

“…… You may wonder what kind of answers I have found to answer the questions he asked me. ”

“…… Abel is my inner demon, my own doubts and boredom from tens of thousands of years. He made me slack off, kept me content with the status quo, and gave me a chance to introspect. Perhaps he had brought composure and reflection, but now he had accomplished his mission...... It's time to get over it. ”

"Is this something you extracted from your own 'heart'?" I asked suddenly.

"As promised." The director agreed: "When I set up the 'script', I set up many tests at the same time—after the script officially began, in those countless cycles, countless memory resets, waiting for the same countless possibilities, the existence of the supreme reason and goodness that can break through the many tests—the ultimate inducement for the seed of light to take root in everyone's heart. ”

"I see...... I lowered my head slightly, "You really reset your memory...... That's why you're able to keep your mind at peace in such a short period of time......"

"Looks like you've done a lot of homework?" The director said with a slight quip. "But no matter what, we are now burdened with the same heavy suffering, and we are also more aware than ever." The director said, breathing a sigh of relief: "Fortunately, neither you nor I have to face all this alone. Faith, reason, kindness, courage, these golden shining spirits from our peers are the strongest help to keep us moving forward. ”

“…… Hmmmm. I couldn't help but snoop my nose: "Yes, that's right." I chimed in.

"So...... Come on. The director spoke, his tone softening, "Our test is not over yet. ”

"That's right...... It's not over yet. I thought to myself, and my heart was so determined.

For the next two hours, I raised my pipe and prepared for the planned action—in the anxiety of the day before, I confided to Marx what I had heard and known in the authorities. Unexpectedly, they calmly accepted the fact, but instead of sitting idly by, they quickly arranged a backup plan: if something unexpected happened that day, they would immediately initiate a violent evacuation plan. And when I saw the thick stack of plans, I almost dropped my jaw - almost all of this is due to the foresight of Marx and others, and the core staff officers of the training department have made a lot of preparations and plans in advance. Even if the situation is not as ideal as once thought, it still does not extinguish the fire of life that burns in the hearts of everyone here.

What we're going to do now is make quite a difference - with the unsubsidised enthusiasm of yesterday's defeat of the minions, we plan to reveal more of the truth to the wider group membership. Even if the truth is cruel, it is also a cruelty that we must face.

Soon, when the containment team returned to the work area again, and faced with today's indicators, everyone was filled with more confidence - from intelligence, from the results of the battle, and more importantly, from the strength of everyone's hearts.

Today's metrics are as simple as completing the energy harvesting task and triggering the Reverse Kabbalah Meltdown Level 5 alarm – meaning we can end the day without having to face minions again, or even the Emerald Blue Shadow. This can't help but put many people at ease.

However, when we actually got to work, we suddenly realized the gravity of the problem: the distorted phantom of the collapse of the core of the four senior department ministers took over the main break room of their respective departments, and its impact was not limited to the permeable perception, but also to the actual work - the virtual image of Minister Marcus seriously interfered with the operation of the operating system, and the orders of the supervisor were no longer as clear and intelligible as they once were - but became a rigid symbol that made people suspicious.

But for now, at least, the work can continue. Even after a brief burst of the Level 2 Meltdown Alarm, we were not ordered to be suppressed by any of the Supervisors, presumably by the lower authorities, but even so, things did not go as smoothly as we thought: just as the Reverse Kabbalah Level 3 Meltdown Alarm was about to be triggered, the deadly fog from the dying white finishers suddenly drifted out of the headquarters, almost killing several lone civilians who could not evacuate, but fortunately, the containment team around them dealt with them in time to save their lives.

When the alarm sounded at the third level, the virtual image of the Minister of Hod suddenly began to threaten: an unprecedented violent fatigue and pain instantly invaded everyone's body - even I was not spared, my body was weak and sore, it was difficult to concentrate, and the efficiency of the work of the anomaly was also significantly reduced, and I couldn't help but sweat when I thought about the brutal battle yesterday.

Marx's actions remained precise and swift: he decisively tightened the minimum number of people to patrol the floors, and sent more containment teams involved in organizing security to deal with the multiplier threats that might follow.

"Tut-tut-tut-" to level 4 meltdown alarm, while level 2 alarm slowly sounded. This time, we finally received a crackdown order from the supervisor, and I immediately led the entire control department and the intelligence department to the mid-level welfare department. Passing through the staircase of the Communication, past the main lounge of the head of the first section of the headquarters - the colleagues of the containment team of the headquarters do not seem to be here, and are probably heading to the corrections department or the lower departments to support. And when we came to the Ministry of Welfare non-stop, we were already quite surprised to find that the battle was nearing the end - as the black finisher of the enemy service, he was quite powerless in the face of the siege of the Ministry of Welfare and the seven colleagues sent by the upper echelons to support, slashing, shelling, hammering, and stabbing. Among them, Maxi is particularly active, even if the corrosive liquid of the smile can't erode the black birdman's body in the slightest, he still actively participates in and organizes the battle, and still tries to use pure brute force to interfere with the actions of the black finisher.

They cooperated so well that for a moment, we almost felt helpless to intervene, so we had to surround them and wait for an opportunity.

"The last shot!" With a strange cry from the Ministry of Welfare's amoeba, a cannonball loaded with acid-soluble cannonballs flew out of the barrel of the peeling skin (ego weapon, original owner: Naked Nest, designation: O-02-74), and hit the black finisher who was dizzy from Maxi's hammer blow, and the green dissolved liquid that spread in an instant penetrated into his body through the shattered outer armor of the explosion, and he soon collapsed to the ground, crying for his life.

"Victory, long live!" Nicholas of the Ministry of Welfare held up a wasp and cheered happily; Amoeba on the side wiped his nose proudly and waved the rocket launcher; Helena frowned worriedly, she took the green branch in her hand, returned to the place where the body of the black finisher fell, poked and probed, and after repeatedly confirming that it was safe, she sighed reassuringly and returned to the crowd.

"Come on, get to work." Seeing this, Loki turned around and called his colleagues to prepare to gather information: "This time the body is still intact, you need to pay more attention." ”

The control department also stayed behind to cooperate with the perimeter guard, and Maxi also took advantage of this rare opportunity to jump up to me and talk to me, "Brother Devna! I can beat the finishers with my colleagues, just like you. He said, with a liveliness that was not commensurate with his burly stature.

"Poof......" I couldn't help but laugh for a while, but quickly adjusted my state and said, "yes, that's right." I nodded affirmatively: "I didn't expect you to be able to take charge on your own now so soon." ”

When Maxi heard this, he sneered like a child who had been praised, "This is all inseparable from Brother Devna's encouragement." ”

"At first, I was scared, I didn't know how to deal with my past memories, I didn't know how to deal with the important task given to me by Minister Chesed." Maxi continued: "This feeling of powerlessness scares me very much. ”

I felt sad for a while—how could I not be my former self? A strong sense of guilt, a superposition of despair in countless cycles of uselessness, it seems that everything is as the old man Abel said, meaningless and empty. But at the same time, as a lone person, everyone desires to give meaning to what they are doing at the moment...... Fear, fear, as a certain philosopher in the book said: Nothingness brings fear, and emptiness breeds confusion.

"yes, I understand." I said.

"But...... It was Brother Devona who gave me the confidence to face life again. Maxi said with emotion: "It was Brother Devna who made me take the first step. You're so close to your colleagues in Control, so brave in battle, and so good at handling the tasks that Minister Marcus and Brother Marx have prepared. Your every move is my example. ”

I blushed and said, "Yes...... Is it. I waved my hand a little shyly and said, "No...... It's just like that...... usual."

"Why! It's just great! Maxi insisted, "I have now formed a deep bond with Helena and them, and I am more skilled in fighting than I once was. I'm no longer afraid, I just want to go out with them with the hope of living, get out of here, and live the life I want! ”

“…… Hmmmm. Maxi's emotions are still so sincere and contagious, I can't help but have a sour nose.

"That's the medicine you can do to overcome your fears...... I mused, "It's hope, it's hope that you can keep yourself even in the face of great difficulties." ”

"You should be more thankful to yourself, and so should I." I smiled with relief, patted Maxi on the shoulder and said, "You helped me honestly as well." ”

Maxi smiled when she saw this, "I'm glad I can help Brother Devna!" He said.

The intelligence department's sampling work proceeded quickly, and when we returned to the upper divisions, Maxi came with the Welfare Department's containment team and all the civilian staff to see us off. With the smooth suppression of the test, the day's work was quickly and successfully concluded with the efforts of all colleagues in the facility.

When we look back on the past, we will be pleasantly surprised to find that what we have gained in it may be more precious and abundant than we once thought.