Abyssal Wanderer.

The Glock pistol in Duan Fan's hand was handmade by a director within the Jupiter Group who was extremely skilled in 3D printing.

He not only controlled the polishing precision of each part to the molecular level, but also re-optimized the gun structure to ensure that the gun would never jam or misfire.

Moreover, the entire design of the Paradox Vault room was also fully optimized for this gun.

Temperature, humidity, air composition, indoor pressure, gravity environment, magnetic field environment, and even shielding against cosmic ray interference...

All of this is to ensure one thing—that Duan Fan can pull the trigger according to his own will without being disturbed by any external factors, making it a high-probability event that the bullet will pierce his head.

Furthermore, because this gun was connected to the sensor that controlled "Great Thunder," it also linked Duan Fan's shooting himself in the head with the operation of Great Thunder.

The prophecies of Theresias are imbued with a strong sense of fatalism.

The future that can be observed is unchangeable; the future that can be changed is unobservable.

Therefore, even if we can observe the exact answer to the "end," if we cannot use this information to change that fate, then the prophecy is nothing more than an early obituary for humanity.

Fortunately, among the existing human population, there are "exceptional" special beings.

As the seventh will, Duan Fan's very existence is a manifestation of causality.

Although he never told anyone what his wish was, according to the long-term tracking and research by many directors and professional advisors of the Jupiter Group, it seems that the entire timeline will only flow in the direction that will allow him to survive safely.

Even though he still retains the fragile physique of a native, all attempts to kill him, harm him, or imprison him will fail in the easiest way possible.

He won't even die of old age—not through life-extending surgery or bio-enhancing, but simply because his telomeres have miraculously recovered, allowing him to maintain his youthful state a hundred years from now.

Returning to the prophecy of Therias, although an accurate prophecy cannot be changed, as long as this prophecy leads to Duan Fan's death, then the possibilities of the entire universe will give way to it.

According to Duan Fan's own explanation—

"It's basically Schrödinger's cat. When you open the box, it collapses and half of the cat is alive and half is dead, but I always anchor myself to the possibility of being alive. Or it might be more intuitive to explain it with the concept of parallel universes. Whenever I die, my consciousness immediately jumps to a parallel universe where I am still alive."

"There will always be a world where I am still alive."

However, he himself does not seem to agree with the "parallel universe" explanation, only referring to it as a "possibility".

But in any case, this is the only way that the Jupiter Group has the power to change their fate.

In a sense, maintaining a cooperative relationship with the Seventh Will is also an important cornerstone for them to maintain the current world order.

The Delphi Bureau of Prophecy's observations of the future ensured that the future would always remain under the order they established.

Sibyl monitors the occurrence of threats, Cassandra estimates the source of the threats, and Theresias confirms the elimination of the threats.

Many other directors of the Olympian Order privately say that Jupiter is engaging in "tyranny of time," coupled with the absolute violence of "Great Thunder," leaving them no chance to ascend to power.

After inspecting the Glock pistol in his hand, Duan Fan turned to look at Briarous, who was busy manipulating the fixed "end" coordinates.

Compared to his past efficiency, this time His preparation time seems to be quite long.

Although he was somewhat anxious, Duan Fan did not urge or ask any questions.

After all, the other party had already said on the way here that He wanted to make the people in the Nord resettlement area do their best, and preferably make the real "second will" erupt and completely resolve this long-standing problem.

The fact that they didn't use the fast lane was all due to this hundred-armed giant stalling for time.

Of course, Duan Fan never cared about this.

He sees himself as a witness, so he doesn't care who wins or loses, whether it's between two wishes or between companies.

Anyway, he'll survive.

But if he had to say something... even disregarding the fact that Janus had saved his life multiple times back then, and the gift that allowed him to remain uninvolved now; of all the visions for the future of humanity, he was more optimistic that the First Wish could be fully realized.

As for why he was somewhat annoyed by Briareus's slow movements, it was because he had already prepared an old joke before he arrived, intending to tell it before pulling the trigger—he thought it would create a great entertainment effect and make this old man from the same era as him smile.

But now that the other party is deliberately stalling for time, he can only keep replaying that joke in his mind until he himself finds it rather boring.

During this waiting period, Duan Fan kept picking up his pistol and putting it down, rehearsing how he should deliver the joke later.

…………

When the nuclear explosion occurred, Jim and Hannell were also within the range of the shockwave.

Although flying at low altitude, the impact of the shock wave on the airborne vehicle is still deadly enough.

Jim learned of the Hellfire Fission Reactor's anomaly two seconds before the explosion through Jiang Zhou. Therefore, he immediately grabbed the steering wheel from the driver, braving attacks from numerous constructs, and made an emergency landing amidst the bewildered gazes of the onlookers.

As the intense light of the nuclear explosion flashed, he had already maneuvered his flying car to a hard landing in a manner resembling a crash.

But even so, it's still not enough.

Although they weren't as close to the nuclear explosion's epicenter as Jiang Zhou, they were located in a densely built-up area.

The shockwave sent flying rocks and metal fragments that, like shrapnel from a bomb, struck the outside of the flying car.

The entire flying car was even pushed and tumbled several times by the powerful impact. The people inside felt as if they had been stuffed into a washing machine, being shaken until they were dizzy and disoriented.

When it was all over, Jim found that he had only suffered some minor scratches from the previous storm of impact.

Of the three Icarus members who were protecting them in the same vehicle, one was killed and two were injured. The one who died was protecting Jim, pushing him off the driver's seat, and a steel bar that had pierced through the bottom of the vehicle broke his spine.

As for Hanel...

She was the main reason Jim only suffered minor abrasions in the impact.

"you……"

White, artificial circulating fluid dripped continuously onto his trench coat, soaking the fabric. Jim's mind went blank for a moment.

Seven or eight falling steel bars were embedded in her back, and the flying stones and glass shards that broke through the car window tore through her bionic skin, revealing the carbon muscle fibers beneath.

The container in her abdomen used to store daffodil pollen developed a crack, and countless tiny dust particles spread throughout the car.

The moment the shockwave hit, she tackled Jim to the ground to shield him, taking away almost all the damage.

"I'm fine, don't worry."

Hanel stood up, her eyes, which shone like cat's eyes, now cracked.

"These are all minor issues. Even if Narcissus isn't a combat specialist, don't underestimate his physical strength after a transformation."

As she spoke, she activated the rapier with a disintegrating field, slicing open the deformed car door with a single strike, and then kicked the door away with a powerful kick.

After doing all that, she turned and glanced at Jim, saying:

"We're not far from the power plant now. You've been here before, so you should remember the way, right?"

Jim understood the meaning behind her words.

Aren't you coming along?

Jim, who had climbed out of the car, frowned.

This guy was lying about his injuries after all...

"Those two wounded Icarus in the car will surely die if left here unattended."

As Hanel grimaced and pulled out the steel bars from his back, he said:

"The EMP from the previous nuclear explosion has probably destroyed all the nearby constructs. Even if one or two escaped, you can handle them yourself."

At this point, she tilted her head towards Jim and said:

“I thought you would offer to help the two wounded Icarus players. This isn’t like you, Jimmy.”

Jim didn't answer, he just nodded.

"Come back alive."

He said solemnly.

"Definitely."

Hanel gave him a thumbs up.

Upon hearing this answer, Jim said nothing more and turned to run towards the geothermal power plant.

Hanel simply watched Jim's figure gradually disappear into the dust and whispered, "Goodbye."

After confirming Jim's departure, she touched the daffodil pollen leaking from her abdomen, slumped against the mangled car, and began to gasp for breath. The two Icarus wounded men still trapped inside sensed something was wrong, but before they could ask anything, Hanel said:
"It's okay, I'll just rest for a while."

The previous injuries weren't actually that serious; at least they weren't life-threatening.

But to put it mildly, it wasn't to the extent that she acted as if nothing was wrong.

As her breathing became easier, she turned to look at the two people still trapped inside the car and instructed them:

"You two remember not to make any noise in a moment, just lie there and play dead."

Without time to explain, she stood up, supporting herself on the ground, and simultaneously the rapier in her wrist sprang out.

Amidst the smoke and dust of the explosion, a tall, deformed person gradually emerged.

"I had a really disgusting dream recently, in which I was actually saving lives."

As he spoke, the man spat out a mouthful of corrosive saliva.

The newcomer was none other than the pharmacist who had already broken free from her control.

Exposure to radiation weakened Hahnel's control over daffodil pollen.

Her last reserves of daffodil pollen were also completely lost when the shockwave destroyed the container.

This may be why she chose to stay behind alone to cover the retreat.

"Tell me, how should I punish the person who gives me those nightmares?"

The pharmacist drew closer, having now activated all available combat genes, swelling to nearly three meters in height.

Having gone through all of this, the pharmacist, whose mind was now filled with rage, had no desire to play around. He only wanted to think about how to tear the woman in front of him to shreds as quickly as possible.

Hanel remained silent, but quietly activated the disintegration field on his rapier.

…………

"I remember this power plant could provide nearly half of the electricity for the entire resettlement area underground. What do you mean by no power?!"

When Jim finally arrived at the geothermal power plant, the pitch-black surroundings made him uneasy.

As he stepped over the crippled defense system and arrived at the core where the multi-printer was located, he confirmed his earlier concerns on the faces of the technical maintenance personnel.

Due to damage from the EMP, malfunctions in the power conversion equipment, and broken lines, the geothermal power plant was shut down urgently because of the previous nuclear explosion.

Otherwise, there would be no need for Booker to activate the self-destruct device, as the lava from the secondary explosion at the power plant would have engulfed the seventh basement level and below.

"We have concentrated the energy storage as much as possible, and by utilizing the energy inside, we can at least push you to depth 5."

It was Winston, an old acquaintance of Jiang Zhou, who spoke. Seeing that Jim did not reply, he gritted his teeth and said:
"Using some risky methods, we might be able to scrape together the energy needed to barely advance to Depth 6, though I can't guarantee it. But Depth 7 is truly impossible..."

According to the printing permission notes, the energy required for the Orpheus path to ascend to depth 7 is an extremely large amount, and it also specifically requires a certain instantaneous intensity of energy.

Advancement to Depth 7, also known as the second transformation, essentially involves replacing the medium that carries the mental model from the biological brain with something else.

The Orpheus path, however, is used as a medium to carry mental models, and its scale is far too large.

To complete this transfer, the entire geothermal power plant needs to be continuously pressurized and supplied with full power instantaneously.

Jim took a deep breath upon hearing this.

"Let's start with depth 4 then, no need to waste time. Also, what's that method that can barely reach depth 6? Is it very risky?"

After all, the materials needed for upgrading to level 7 haven't been delivered yet. The emcee was blocked by the Avatar of Fear for a while when passing through the tenth floor, and it's unknown when they will arrive.

Just as Winston was about to explain, a voice came from outside the door.

"It's impossible. The energy released by the transformer overload explosion cannot be fully guided into the multi-function printer by your restraint devices alone."

In the blink of an eye, the emcee, with a silver box floating behind him, rushed into the power plant.

Without any pleasantries, he went straight to the point and pointed out the flaws in Winston and the others' prepared plan.

Jim's gaze immediately fell on the silver box.

Inside is the key material needed to advance Orpheus to Depth 7—the self-replicating nano-grey worm.

Apocalyptic-level high-risk material, and also Deep 6 dark web technology.

Something that is almost impossible to obtain in the general public.

If the emcee were to open the restraint box here, the self-consuming and multiplying nanomaterials would devour and assimilate the entire Nord settlement.

"I never expected the illustrator to be so stubborn. I miscalculated."

The emcee carefully placed the box down, then sighed.

At this moment, his sigh even contained a hint of pity, which set off alarm bells in Jim's mind.

Now that the power plant is shut down, the plan to upgrade Jim to Depth 7 has also failed.

While it's not impossible to try repairing the EMP-damaged equipment first, then restarting the power station before upgrading, or even taking a multi-purpose printer to another floor to find a power source for the upgrade, but...

There's not enough time.

Before the question could even be asked, Jim had already found the answer in the topology of the emcee's representation.

The most devastating aspect of the previous nuclear explosion wasn't even the paralysis of the power plant, but rather the EMP it generated that crippled the electromagnetic environment and network infrastructure of the entire seventh basement level. This prevented Icarus's Dionysus virus-infected individuals from maintaining the strength of the memetic entity Icarus, which in turn allowed the Incarnation of Terror to free up its hands to suppress Number One and break through the network blockade.

Unless Jim can immediately upgrade the status here, any delay caused by any remedial measures will lead to the complete fall of the Nord settlement.

Of course, a complete fall might be impossible.

After all, before the land falls, the great thunder will descend first.

Having figured this out, Jim, as a last resort, quickly said:

"No matter what, let's proceed with the adjustments up to Depth 5 first. As for Depth 6, even if it's risky, we have to..."

"So..."

The emcee interrupted Jim.

"It's too late now."

He looked up at the sky—not at the strange ceiling of the geothermal power plant, but at the sky above the entire Nord resettlement area.

"I have already reported the current situation to Lord Briareus."

…………

Olympus Space City, Paradoxical Insurance Room.

Briarous finally sighed – not out of emotion based on the simulation algorithm, which was rare for a Deep 9 tuner.

Duan Fan instantly understood what had happened.

"Still not working, right?"

Perhaps influenced by the other person's aura, he also said with some regret.

"In the end, it still fell short by a little bit. Neptune really went too far this time."

He sighed.

Immediately, the "end" time anchor, which He had previously struggled to adjust for a long time, was finally set in place.

Seeing this, Duan Fan skillfully tilted the Glock pistol and pressed it against his chin. This angle would allow the bullet to accurately hit his brainstem—the most painless way to commit suicide. Although he wouldn't die, he always paid attention to similar details.

After all, what if?

"It's alright, at least you can still hear an old joke."

Although Duan Fan didn't intend to offer comfort, he still managed to attract Briarous's attention by speaking up.

I call this American Roulette.

Before pulling the trigger of the Glock pistol, Duan Fan said this. (End of Chapter)