Abyssal Wanderer.

As Janus's words echoed, the servers throughout the server room began to flicker. The violent data fluctuations caused his simple mosaic-like image to blur for a moment.

"Someone doesn't seem too convinced."

Janus smiled, instantly calming the fluctuations in the image.

Is it Nyx?

Jiang Zhou asked curiously.

"Who else could it be?"

As Janus spoke, the external cooling system started up on its own.

"After all, she was able to recognize the gap, take the initiative to give up the competition at the climbing level, and choose to merge data with me. She truly deserves to be the ascendant whose progress is closest to mine... Relying on the initial algorithmic advantage of the General Artificial Intelligence Company, she even once caught up with the two-hour climbing time difference."

He continued.

Look how capable you think you are...

Hearing this guy praise himself while also taking a jab at the algorithm he designed back then, Jiang Zhou couldn't help but curl his lip.

But hearing him say that reminded Jiang Zhou of another question.

After arriving here via the Sibyl connection, Janus stated that today was the day he and Nyx would merge their data matrices. As for whose ideology would ultimately guide the merged entity, that would depend on the choice Jim Ritter made a hundred years later.

But if that's the case...

“I come from a hundred years in the future, but at that point in time, wasn’t it already decided who would win between you and Nyx?”

Jiang Zhou couldn't help but ask.

If the outcome of the battle between Janus and Nyx today is to be decided by Jim in the future, wouldn't that mean that things in the future can influence the past?
Wouldn't this disrupt the law of causality?

"Hmm... It's normal for you to have such doubts right now, after all, your understanding of time structure is not yet complete."

Janus gave a rather vague answer to this question:

"But it doesn't matter. You'll understand many things in the future, especially after you connect with that girl on the Sibyl Path. These doubts will naturally be resolved."

As he said this, a very subtle smile actually appeared on Janus's mosaic-like face—a smile that Jiang Zhou had only ever seen on the faces of those who had already dug a pit for themselves and were waiting for them to jump in.

A feeling of unease, as if sitting on pins and needles, involuntarily arose.

But before he could pursue the matter further, Janus continued:

"However, regarding the current bet between me and Nyx, I can only tell you that I cannot be 100% certain of Jim Ritter's final choice at this moment—of course, this is also why Nyx is willing to make this bet, after all, a game that is only one-sided is not interesting, right?"

Then why are you so confident?
"What if I lose? Erase my current memories, send me back to that world where everyone around me has turned into philosophical zombies, and then let me live in a massive role-playing game until the end of the world?"

Jiang Zhou couldn't help but say.

Janus shook his head:
"It's not that boring. Jim Ritter's Nyx Factor is only enough to cover the entire Nord Resettlement Area. If we want the Mandala-certified disguise to be popularized among all Supermen worldwide, we will need your help—or more accurately, the help of the 'Janus Program'."

In this sense, the Janus program can both help spread the "Dionysian virus" and help complete the disguise of mandala certification, making it the most perfect source of infection.

But these words made Jiang Zhou look at him with a "what is this guy talking about?" look.

"So if you lose, I'll be kept in the dark and have to go back and be an accomplice?"

Jiang Zhou immediately understood the meaning behind the other party's words.

"That's a rather harsh way to put it. After all, many infrastructure projects were laid by Nyx. If she wins, it's only right that you help out with some work."

Janus answered in this way.

"Should be my ass, is this the bet I made?"

Jiang Zhou retorted directly.

"If we want to achieve mutual understanding between people, we must naturally respect the wishes of others, right?"

Janus replied calmly.

Although his tone was calm, these words made Jiang Zhou feel a little angry for a moment, and it took him a long time to speak:

"Can you roughly guess what Jim will ultimately choose?"

To be honest, after learning the whole truth, he really didn't know what choice Jim would ultimately make—even though he had communicated with him on a deep spiritual level for a long time.

However, if he really chose to alter his memories and live in a false world of happiness with the philosophical zombies without knowing anything, Jiang Zhou felt that he would no longer be able to truly blame him.

"If we analyze it rationally, he would definitely choose to accept the second wish."

Janus said.

This is also Nyx's philosophy, and the reason why she dared to make a bet with Janus.

"Isn't what we're trying to prove the value of irrationality?"

…………

At that moment, Jim felt as if he were standing on the edge of hell.

Swaying to the left or to the right, both lead to hell.

One of these hells is constructed from illusions and will gently strangle everyone.

The other hell is filled with blood, in which he will eventually drown.

Jim stared intently into Hanel's eyes, as if trying to see any trace of her soul's existence.

"Show me...the real you."

He spoke in a hoarse voice.

So, the mask called "Hanel" was removed.

The muscles in his face, the light in his eyes, the strength of his breathing... all of that was stripped away in an instant, leaving only an empty shell.

It was only then that Jim truly realized that the person he had once loved had never existed at all.

But even so...

Jim was uncontrollably drawn into the "flashback" state.

He recalled once again their "first" meeting, the little things they did together, and that leaden-gray sky...

For her, it was nothing more than a combination of psychology and acting skills, but for herself, it was an incredibly real emotion.

Even if reason tells him what is right, he ultimately cannot betray his feelings.

Therefore he...

"I……"

Jim spoke.

"Cough cough cough cough... Please wait a moment..."

A sudden cough from the side interrupted Jim's answer.

Wang Ying shakily stood up, supporting herself on the sofa, seemingly wanting to say something to Hanel, but she was met with a series of rapid coughs as soon as she opened her mouth.

"Sister Wang Ying, it's better not to move for now. The concentration of the Sun God virus you inhaled earlier was a bit too high, and it's still being converted... Don't worry, this discomfort is only temporary. You won't feel anything after a while."

Huili, standing to the side, then tilted her head:
"That painting here, Jim, can help activate the Dionysus virus that was implanted in you before. Since you'll be completely turned into an Apollo zombie in less than five minutes anyway, you might as well become Superman here in advance."

Wang Ying completely ignored Huili and instead staggered over to Hanel, grabbing her by the collar.

"Baptiste...cough cough...did he get those viruses from you?"

She asked with difficulty.

Hanel nodded calmly.

"So, the tragedy of the Hayashibara Eri family was also caused by you?"

She continued.

“Although those were largely Baptiste’s improvisations, I would have done the same.”

"Hanell replied."

Meanwhile, Eri Hayashibara remained completely calm, as if the discussion wasn't about her own affairs.

Wang Ying glanced back at Jim.

"I didn't really understand a lot of what you just said... but I have two questions. First, if you get infected with the virus, is it possible to..."

"If you were infected with the Dionysus virus, Jim could still save you; but if you are infected with the Apollo virus, there is no cure. In less than five minutes, your consciousness will completely disappear, just like a hard drive that has been completely formatted."

Hanel spoke directly, extinguishing Wang Ying's last glimmer of hope.

"Yeah……"

Wang Ying felt a little melancholy for a moment, but then her eyes turned serious, and her whole demeanor transformed back into that of the police detective.

And so, despite the increasingly severe discomfort, she mustered her last breath and said:
"Then the second thing... although I still don't understand your complete plan, if Jimmy is that important, why did you arrange for Miss Huili to kill him in the first place?!"

This time, however, Hanel did not answer immediately.

Jim, who was standing nearby, also stood up when he saw this.

"Before Jiang Zhou connected with Jim, what was important was only his genetic information and biological brain. Before that, we didn't know that the First Deep One had returned. The original plan was to spend a hundred years simultaneously advancing the plan in multiple resettlement areas."

Wang Ying turned to look at Jim again.

"See that, Jimmy? This is the truth."

She spoke.

"I know……"

Jim nodded in agreement.

In fact, even if Wang Ying hadn't asked, he had already figured out most of the things on his own.

"But if I don't put these things right under your nose, you'll deliberately ignore them when making decisions!"

Wang Ying said with a displeased expression.

Then, her voice softened slightly. "So, we shouldn't have let you leave the police station back then. Look how much your professional skills have deteriorated."

After saying that, she drew the gun from her waist and pointed it at her own head.

Upon seeing this, Jim instinctively tried to control Wang Ying's actions using the Nyx Factor, but she sternly stopped him.

"Don't move! You promised me!"

She glared at Jim and shouted.

"I promised you something..."

Although he understood what she meant, Jim still struggled to speak.

But Wang Ying had already made up her mind.

"Right after you were caught using the Nyx Factor to modify my cognition, you promised me that you would never use those abilities on me again."

After speaking, Wang Ying turned to look at Hanel.

"Don't worry, I won't stop you, Miss Wang Ying, but you don't need to do it at all."

Hanel said expressionlessly:
"Whether you die or become a superman, your self-awareness will disappear. But as long as you continue to live, you can bring happiness to your family and friends... The mass zombieization will be a very long process, and those you care about will most likely be able to live to the end of their lives without knowing it."

Wang Ying nodded slightly in response.

I guessed so.

She answered calmly, then took a deep breath and said:
"When you were trying to persuade Jimmy, didn't you give me a long analysis of what I would do in the future?"

"That's the most likely scenario derived by profiling your personality and analyzing the future political situation in the Nord resettlement area."

Hanel nodded.

"Then why didn't you predict that I might not live to see that time?"

Wang Ying spoke directly, then turned to look at Jim again.

"To be honest, I think her prediction about the future might be right. If I continue to live like this, I will definitely let go of you, you bastard, one day."

At this moment, Wang Ying's hand holding the gun was trembling so much that she could barely hold it.

"But even if I might let go in the future, I absolutely cannot accept that future right now. Just like I cannot accept becoming an emotionless zombie and living with my family and friends in the future... Just thinking about that scene makes me want to vomit."

She spoke with great conviction, but Jim could see the fear hidden beneath that conviction.

"Wang Ying..."

Jim wanted to persuade or stop him, but when he opened his mouth, he didn't know what he could say in this situation.

It's meaningless what he says.

Countless Nyx factors vibrated, creating an electromagnetic field. With just a thought, Wang Ying could immediately put down her gun, calm her intense emotions, and even forget what she originally wanted to do.

but……

"Thank you, Jimmy."

Looking at the hesitant expression on Jim's face, Wang Ying spoke softly:

"Thank you for keeping your promise."

Then she turned to face Hanel.

"The next shot will be fired by 'me'."

"It does not originate from the will of any other being, nor from any rational analysis."

"it's me!"

Gunshots rang out again in Jim's house, and Wang Ying leaned back on the sofa as if she were asleep.

Hanel remained calm in the face of Wang Ying's declaration and actions.

“It is precisely because there are such meaningless deaths that we must eradicate the parasite called ‘self-awareness’.”

She offered this understated assessment of Wang Ying's death.

Jim walked silently to Wang Ying and gently closed her eyes.

After doing all this, he looked at Hanel again.

However, before he could say anything, the other person spoke first:

"So, the talks broke down, right?"

Jim nodded slightly.

“But you know we’re right… It would be a hundred times better for us to take over human society than for you. Especially in this era of the dark web and universal printers, the evil in human nature can be amplified a thousand or ten thousand times in an instant.”

Hanel said so.

“I understand that; as far as species are concerned, you are indeed far superior to us.”

Jim nodded again.

"So, is it because of love or hate? You think Wang Ying died because of us, and that makes you want to take revenge on us?"

Hanel continued to ask.

Jim shook his head.

“I don’t deny the desire for revenge, but taking revenge on zombies without self-awareness is really unappealing. But if we’re talking about love, the person I’ve always loved is Hanel—even though she never even existed, no, precisely because she never existed.”

“Of course she existed, the Hanel from back then…”

Hanel tried to explain, but Jim simply shook his head.

Then, he asked a seemingly unrelated question:

Why did Orpheus turn back at the very moment before leaving Hell?

"Because he was afraid or suspicious?"

"I'm asking you tentatively," Hanel said.

"Because that's the result he wanted."

Jim replied.

Having lost everything, he feels his thoughts are becoming clearer than ever before.

"Orpheus wants his wife trapped in the underworld? Why?"

Even as Superman, Haenel couldn't understand what Jim meant.

"Human empathy is never about truly feeling what others feel, but rather about trying to feel what the 'other' in one's own perception feels... In the end, it is actually about feeling what one feels for oneself."

"In other words, humans can never truly love others; any 'other' is essentially a reflection through the mirror of the self. In this way, all love is actually self-pity."

At this point, Jim's voice was both sad and relieved.

"Therefore, Orpheus did not love the real Eurydice, but rather the one he imagined. Since Orpheus was the greatest artist in mythology, the tragic story of his wife being trapped in the underworld because of his turning back was naturally the form of love he pursued."

He paused here and looked at Hanel.

"You mean that human love is inherently selfish—it's just that narcissism is disguised as love for others?"

Hanel confirmed.

Jim nodded.

"While I agree with your point of view, I still don't understand why you want to list the evolutionary failures of human self-awareness."

Hanel asked, feigning curiosity.

"Because I just realized something: no matter how much self-awareness has failed in evolution, no matter how many flaws it has... it is still everything to us."

Jim said so.

"You say we are parasites that should have been killed long ago, Neanderthals that should have been extinct long ago, appendixes that should have degenerated... Perhaps that's true, perhaps we humans really should be completely exterminated by you new humans."

His tone grew increasingly impassioned:
"But since this is a war between two species, we have no reason to surrender and relinquish our ecological niche. Even if we are treated as parasites, we will continue to struggle until the last man or woman's soul dissipates. Then you can celebrate taking the throne at the top of the food chain from humans."

At this point, he couldn't help but chuckle.

"No, without us, you wouldn't even have a celebration... After all, in your understanding, it's just a meaningless waste of energy, isn't it?"

Hanel did not respond to the taunt, but instead issued a direct threat:
"In other words, if you've chosen war, are you prepared to sacrifice at least 500 million lives?"

Jim didn't answer her question; instead, he looked up out the window.

"Lady Hecate!"

Although not connected through the Janus program, Jim had already dispersed a portion of the Nyx Factor over the Nord settlement area.

At this moment, he is synchronizing his feelings with that goddess through a remote, strong empathy circuit.

"This is what I believe to be the essence of love—two people who choose to love others because they love themselves, tacitly maintaining this fragile lie between them."

"They may miraculously come together; or they may simply leave behind an unreal ideal reflection in each other's hearts."

"But in any case, it is through this kind of false love that humanity has built relationships between people, and thus constructed real modern civilization... Do you agree with this answer?"

From this perspective, is there really much difference between my relationship with Haenel and that of ordinary couples all over the world?

We are all equally hypocritical, and we are all equally sincere.

We have never truly seen into each other's hearts even for a moment, yet we have both redeemed ourselves through those reflected emotions.

In essence, although so-called love is built on each person's narcissism and the falsehood of lies, it ultimately gives birth to something incredibly real.

"good."

A cool, clear voice echoed in Jim's "mind".

Almost the instant he received this reply, Jiang Zhou's consciousness reconnected with him through the Janus program. (End of Chapter)