readease Chapter 172: Humanity’s Fate
Chapter 172: Humanity’s Fate
Adam frowned.
"Is it related to Celestia and the other two S-rankers?"
O-3 tilted his head.
"Hmm... they’re certainly part of the reason, but not all of it."
A mischievous smile spread across his face.
"Well, since you’re my [Second Angel Candidate], I suppose I can favor you a little..."
The boy snapped his fingers.
Instantly, Adam’s vision blurred as the endless white space disappeared.
A horrifying scene unfolded before his eyes.
He saw himself... No. He saw a future version of himself.
The sky was broken and strange cracks stretched across reality itself, revealing an endless darkness beyond.
Countless creatures swarmed from those cracks.
They did not resemble monsters from the Tower... in fact, they did not resemble beasts from any floor Adam had ever seen even in his last life!
Some possessed hundreds of eyes but no faces, and others were masses of flesh covered in moving mouths.
A few looked almost human, yet every instinct within Adam screamed that they were not.
The creatures descended upon him.
Adam watched as they tore through his flesh.
They devoured him alive while blood painted the battlefield red.
The vision lasted only a few seconds...
Yet when it ended, Adam found cold sweat running down his back.
His breathing had become slightly heavier.
Those creatures... He had never seen them before!
If they were merely powerful enemies, then death itself would not be a major problem.
He still possessed [Crimson Rebirth].
As long as his soul remained intact, he could return.
But the feeling those creatures gave him was vastly different from just the word "dangerous".
Adam narrowed his eyes.
"Are those... outsiders?"
O-3 grinned.
"Yup."
The casual answer made Adam’s expression darken.
O-3 continued as if discussing the weather.
"It’s actually a huge part of the Government’s plan and the S-rankers’ preparations. They intend to use outsiders to keep me occupied during the process of [Possession]."
The boy crossed his arms.
"Once I’m distracted, the user of [Omnipotence] will activate a spell they’ve been preparing for a very long time. Then they’ll use [Possession] to take control of my consciousness."
"They’ll stop me from unlocking the Eleventh Floor, along with preventing me from connecting to the main consciousness and other universes."
Adam remained silent for several moments.
The plan sounded insane... Yet at the same time, it sounded strangely possible.
"What happens if they succeed?"
O-3 blinked.
"Hm?"
Adam asked again.
"What consequences will there be?"
Adam’s expression became serious.
This plan had clearly failed in his previous life.
Otherwise, he would have remembered something this important. Which meant it was not directly responsible for humanity’s destruction.
But if it succeeded this time... Would it create an even worse future?
Would it push humanity closer to extinction?
O-3 simply shrugged.
"Nothing."
Adam stared at him.
"...What?"
The boy yawned lazily.
"I mean exactly what I said. Nothing."
"If they succeed, they’ll simply prevent me from connecting to other universes and other versions of myself."
Adam frowned.
"That’s all?"
O-3 nodded.
"Yep! Honestly, their plan is actually pretty smart."
"Once they take control of my body and consciousness, they’ll basically gain control over this universe’s Tower."
"They won’t need to connect to other universes anymore or participate in inter-universal competition."
"In fact they can just stay isolated and rule everything here along with enjoying the endless resources that the tower can bring!"
Adam was caught completely off guard.
This was not the answer he had expected...
"Wouldn’t the main consciousness interfere?"
O-3 looked confused.
"Why would it? The main consciousness doesn’t care about things like that you know!"
Seeing Adam’s disbelief, he continued.
"Do you know how many universes exist?"
Adam stayed silent.
"Neither do I."
O-3 laughed.
"There are too many!
"Among those countless possibilities, there have already been universes where people successfully prevented their Tower from connecting to others."
"Some destroyed the connection, some sealed it, and some even took control of their local Tower entirely just like what this universe plans to do!"
The boy shrugged.
"The main consciousness allows it since it does not really care much."
Adam slowly processed the information.
Then another question appeared.
"I don’t understand... Are you trying to tell me that the Government and the S-rankers are right? That their plan is actually better for humanity?"
O-3’s playful expression faded as his mood changed once again.
He looked at Adam quietly, then he nodded.
"From a purely logical perspective? Yes, their plan is safe."
"The main consciousness won’t care, other universes won’t be able to interfere, and humanity would gain control over its own Tower."
Adam’s eyes narrowed.
"Then why..."
The words stopped in his throat.
A thought had suddenly appeared in his mind.
If that plan truly benefited humanity...
If it could prevent dangerous connections with countless other universes...
If it could create a stable future...
Then why had the Government and the three S-rankers failed in his previous life?
More importantly...
Did that mean Adam himself was in the wrong?
After all, he had returned to the past for one reason.
To save humanity.
If the path chosen by the Government truly led to humanity’s survival, then wasn’t he supposed to support them instead of opposing them?
The thought left an uncomfortable feeling in his chest.
The more he thought about O-3’s answer, the more Adam questioned his purpose.
Everything he had done since returning... Was he truly walking toward humanity’s salvation?
Or was he unknowingly moving away from it?
A strange sense of emptiness began to fill his thoughts.
Just as that feeling threatened to consume him, several notifications suddenly appeared before his eyes.
[Ding.]
[nonexnihilio42069 has donated 2 Soul Cores.]
[nonexnihilio42069 wants to provide an extremely long and detailed explanation regarding why the Streamer’s actions are not meaningless.]
[Ding.]
[Jurik_Joriksson has donated 3 Soul Cores.]
[Jurik_Joriksson thinks this is not the correct way to save humanity.]
[Ding.]
[Nawh has donated 8 Soul Cores.]
[Nawh says he enjoys the Streamer’s story and does not want him to stop here.]
[Ding.]
[CrispyDeath has donated 4 Soul Cores.]
[CrispyDeath is quietly looking at the Streamer.]