Chapter 301 Zero Playthrough (8)
Morofushi Kagemitsu signed a contract with the system.
The contract stipulated that the system would take him on a journey through time and space with Furuya Rei, while Morofushi Kagemitsu would need to help them travel to other worlds to collect energy in return.
The system immediately turned hostile after the contract was signed.
"You cannot go see Furuya Rei yet." The system rejected Morofushi Kagemitsu's request.
Zhu Fujingguang's face turned cold: "What? So this contract isn't binding on you? You can disregard its terms?"
Rest assured, the contract is governed by rules, and even we cannot violate them.
Of course, they didn't want to needlessly anger their contractor, so they explained: "Our contract states that you and Rei Furuya will travel through time to other worlds to carry out missions we assign you. However, the problem is, Rei Furuya hasn't agreed to do those missions yet."
The system didn't hide this fact, it just didn't say where Riku Zero was.
"You mean—ten years have passed, and Zero still hasn't started his mission?" Morofushi Kagemitsu paused for a moment, then immediately asked sharply, "Where did he go? For over ten years…where has he been all these years???"
His anger escalated rapidly following a certain speculation.
"Could it be that Zero is still in this world and hasn't left? We just can't see him? Is he in a spirit state now? You mean—Zero has been a lonely ghost for over ten years?!"
He spoke at lightning speed, his emotional energy exploding outwards, leaving the system unable to get a word in edgewise.
"Why did it take you ten years to think of contacting me? Was something wrong with Zero? Is he extremely weak now? Has he lost consciousness? So he couldn't even stop you from coming to find me? You—"
"No, he's doing fine now, he can even mock us." The system had to reassure him immediately.
Morobuchi Kagemitsu paused for a moment, then said, "I don't believe you unless you let us meet."
"Not right now," the system said. "I can only tell you that his situation is better than yours."
"He hasn't carried out any missions in ten years. Who knows what you've done to Zero?" Morofushi Kagemitsu said coldly. "He can't be alright. What are you hiding? If Zero really hasn't been willing to carry out any missions even now, if he's really alright, then after you made a contract with me, you should have been eager to use me to coerce and entice Zero to carry out missions."
"Indeed," the system said. "If he still hasn't agreed by midnight, I'll arrange for you to meet."
Morifu no Kagemitsu frowned in thought, his unconscious force nearly crushing his phone.
The system read his thoughts from his mind, including his attempt to find Rei Furuya's soul, and even some crazy ideas.
[You won't find him.] The system didn't want to complicate things further. [I can tell you definitively that he and you are not in the same time and space.]
Zhu Fujingguang stopped in his tracks.
The system read the information in his mind again.
Even so, the system is unwilling to take me to see Zero right now. Since Zero might be alright, then the problem lies with the system. Does this vigilance mean that Zero can also significantly influence the system? Could my choice actually be a hindrance? No, the system is unreliable. How long can Zero maintain this state? How long can the system let things continue? Is Zero really in a different timeline from me? But the system can also disregard the contract; could it really be that Zero hasn't executed its mission yet and is exploiting a bug? Or is Zero's current timeline special? Could it be that the system has taken it to a world similar to the system's? The system space? So, could it be that Zero has no concept of time? Ten years have passed here, but not much time has passed for Zero? Otherwise, if ten years haven't been spent executing missions, neither Zero nor the system can maintain normal operation…
The system is really reluctant to read the thoughts of these people with complicated minds.
Some people have data that is equivalent to that of hundreds of people.
While analyzing data is easy for them, understanding different thoughts of the same person is difficult.
"It's not that complicated. You just need to wait a bit for Zero's reaction. It's very likely you won't have to wait until after midnight." The system interrupted his brainstorming. "Isn't this actually a good thing for you? You still have things you want to do before you travel to other worlds."
Although Morofushi Kagemitsu had made all the preparations to say goodbye to the world before waiting for the system to arrive.
Just like Rei Furuya's suicide note, he actually started writing it back when he was in police academy.
Rei Furuya kept revising and editing those suicide notes until the day the organization was destroyed, and then set them to be sent to them automatically after his death.
The suicide notes are getting longer and longer, and the number of people they need to be sent to is also increasing.
The last letter that Morofushi Kagemitsu received was the longest one.
Zhu Fujing clearly disliked it and was in great pain when he received the suicide note, but in the end he still did the same thing.
Some things truly leave you with no other choice.
Morofushi Kagemitsu's will was written ten years ago and has been revised ever since, with nothing to add.
He was sending important information to Noah's Ark at any time; there was no need to write it in a farewell that carried emotions.
But there are still things he wants to do.
“Indeed, let’s go all out one last time,” said Morofushi Kagemitsu.
He went alone to the Sakura Team base deep in the mountains of Nagano and said to the system, "What surprises me is that you didn't stop me? You know what I'm going to do, right?"
"You must use yourself as a spacetime singularity to truly complete that cosmic Möbius strip," the system said. "Compared to your other crazy ideas, this experiment is actually safer."
Upon hearing this, Morofushi Kagemitsu smiled and said, "I see. It seems our experiment will indeed succeed, but it won't endanger your safety."
The system is no longer willing to speak.
Both Morofushi Kagemitsu and Furuya Rei are too fond of using platitudes.
The most terrifying thing in the world is the unknown, but the system is no longer unfamiliar to them.
Seventy-three cycles, ten years of life-and-death separation, and tens of thousands of experiments and analyses have finally brought them to this point.
Morofushi Kagemitsu was almost certain that after losing the help of the world's rules, the system was like a treacherous ghost without the protection of a tiger, or a vine without the support of a big tree; it was not as powerful as it seemed.
For example, the extent of world line changes that previously restricted their actions completely disappeared after the story ended.
The system didn't want to talk, but Morofushi Kagemitsu really enjoyed chatting with them: "Don't stay silent, things have come to this point, there's no need for us to hide things from each other anymore, right?"
The system does not consider insignificant humans to be on the same level as them.
Morofushi Kagemitsu said, "I had guessed before that you were coming to see me at this time because our experiment is about to succeed, and we just need an anchor point."
“Now we have an anchor.” He took out his phone, glanced at it, and walked into the church.
It was completely dark, and the base was unusually quiet, with only the lights shining through.
Everyone else should be at Matsuda's house in Beika Town right now. The Sakura team is having a meeting there tonight to discuss the direction of the next round of experiments.
Everyone in the group was already asking him why he hadn't arrived yet, but Morofushi Kagemitsu didn't reply.
[You really did operate behind their backs.] The system felt it was worth trying to persuade him further. [Actually, it wasn't necessary. You're in more danger alone. What if something happens? Besides, you can go see Rei Furuya after midnight. There's no need to take the risk; it's a waste.]
“It’s not a risk.” Morofushi Hiromitsu changed into clean clothes. “I still want to thank you for giving me a reassuring answer. If the experiment fails, I will die, but you said it’s safer than other experiments, which means our experiment will indeed succeed.”
He tied up his long, dried hair, turned, and walked towards the laboratory: "The experiment will succeed, but you're not in a hurry. Is it because our cosmic Möbius strip still can't reach your level? But at least it should be able to change the spacetime of our world and affect our past, right?"
"No, even if you successfully create your universe's Möbius strip, you can't influence the past," the system said meaningfully. "Even if you can observe it, and even travel to the past, you might not be able to change history."
Even for them, if they want to change anything now, they can only go back to the moment they signed the contract with Furuya Rei.
The storyline of this world, from its beginning to its end, has been completely and perfectly completed. The world's rules have satisfied themselves and this storyline by protecting them within their own unaffected framework, making it a perfect circle.
Unfortunately, the Zero playthrough is the most special point, as they can indeed go to the Zero playthrough timeline and bring back Furuya Rei.
In the worldline observed by the system, the Sakura Squadron's Cosmic Möbius strip is bound to succeed, but it only establishes a four-dimensional channel to this world, allowing them to see only the past and future of this world, and their influence is very limited.
Therefore, even if they successfully found Rei Furuya in Zero Cycle and brought him back, the system can still take Rei Furuya to other worlds at any time, and they have no way to stop it.
The best outcome would be a peaceful and stable world, where Rei Furuya and Hiromitsu Morofushi would travel to other worlds to carry out missions, gaining a different kind of immortality and working for the system.
Because they had something to hold onto, they dared not act recklessly, much less perish together with the system. They could only do their best to save other worlds, allowing the system to continuously collect energy of hope and despair.
This is the future the system desires.
“We’ll only be satisfied if we try.” Morofushi Hiromitsu pushed open the laboratory door, then suddenly smiled. “No, that’s not right. We’ll probably never be willing to admit defeat. The future can definitely be changed. We’ve always believed that.”
Yes, the future can be changed.
The system also believes that their future of extinction can be changed.
They will surely find a way to survive in the infinite universe.
But they believe this is not something humans can do.
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