Witch, Fireball and Steam Evil God

Chapter 382 'Angel'

The fall of Observer 009 triggered a series of chain reactions, including the transformation of the Democratic Council into a committee. When the black lotus fell to the ground of the city, the Democratic Council saw hope in continuing the experiment.

They can accept death, but they cannot bear to watch opportunity slip away before their eyes.

However, Observer 009 had already fallen, so they no longer had anyone to consult.

Thus, simulation number 53 became an unauthorized simulation initiated by a group of "puppets".

And now, this long simulation has finally come to a fruitful end.

Merlin was not bothered by Lin Jue's identity at all. The rebellion was a thing of the past. He only focused on the present. It was clear that the special citizens had not given up. In fact, they believed that they had the victory in their grasp.

He suddenly realized that if even those of them who had never been exposed to the truth could determine that Winter would not return to save the shelter, then these special citizens must have known this even earlier, likely before the committee decided to send them to the other side as a "pioneer team".

So, how will the committee react to the betrayal of the "perfect experimental subject" they created?

Overcome with anger, he swept all the items on his desk to the floor in a fit of rage.

Or perhaps they are trapped in despair, cursing their traitors?
That might be Chen Qi's reaction, but these special citizens recognized by Observer 009 would not let their emotions dictate their judgment, but would instead ensure that the experiment continued in a direction favorable to them.

So they sent out another small team, leaving them only ambiguous instructions.

They must find Winter, but what about after that?
They should also plant an idea in Ethan's mind and recruit him into their ranks, but it now appears that the committee's objectives go beyond that.

Their mission was accomplished the moment they found winter, and the next few thousand years...

It's all part of the learning process.

They embarked on different paths, received the protection of the "goddess," and acquired those divine artifacts that touched upon power.

This is the committee's true purpose!
Merlin suddenly realized.

Implanting ideas and rebuilding the destroyed surface are merely reasons to appease people. Just like during Simulation 52, they also shouldered the responsibility of maintaining the stability of the city. This program was not rewritten because of the simulation's failure. Under this common goal, the people in the shelter gained false hope.

But in reality, the committee is using their perspective to study and unravel the secrets of the occult.

“Merlin, Lin Jue, or more accurately, your number is 3791. This number has no special meaning, and from the beginning, no one expected you to get this far.”

The old man calmly recounted the truth about Merlin: “Your past actions have deeply inspired us, making us realize that perhaps she is not the only special being. The energy of the ‘Black Lotus’ has two sides. You obtained the opposite of hers—the part concerning 009, the Observer, which the people of another land have given it a different name.”

"...the God of Truth."

Zhuang Xiao blurted it out.

Looking back now, the God of Truth and the guild were inextricably linked. The dimensional teleportation module created by the guild appeared as a white sphere floating in mid-air, much like a shrunk version of the Observer.

“Correct answer, Colonel Zhuang Xiao. But unfortunately, compared to them, you are not so special.”

The old man paused briefly. "3791, now that things have come to this, do you still firmly believe in the existence of free will? Or are you simply influenced by Observer 009, which is why you are so obsessed with the truth?"

"And that's exactly what you need."

Merlin said, “You need to obtain a spell or some way to summon Ethan here, and you have obtained that. Now there is only one last step.”

The summoning ritual was created by the Old Gods, and even the Old Gods cannot violate this rule.

Ethan and Winter have both performed this ritual to summon Balzatos and Kane. In addition to the various ritual materials, the committee is missing a crucial item—a soul that can pique the interest of the Old Gods. When the Old Gods hear the caster's prayer, they will come before you.

Transcending time and space, and even the boundaries of life and death.

This is a ritual that even citizens of the highest rank cannot perform; they need to find a suitable practitioner.

"I believe you have found the corresponding spellcasting materials."

Merlin's response surprised the old man, who stared intently at him. "We deduced that your reaction would be... more intense."

After all, during the riots in the slums several years ago, Lin Jue led those "infected" second-class citizens in a fight to the very last moment.

“I can perform this spell, but you need to provide enough incentives.”

"Go ahead."

"The truth, I mean what happened before Simulation 52 began."

He observed the old man's expression, noticing the latter's surprise and the subtle gesture of him unconsciously glancing at another person.

This is a secret that even special citizens might not know. The only person who could possibly know all this is that special individual who was entrusted with the entire city by Number 009, and he is currently among these seven people.

"If this is your last wish, I can grant it."

After a long while, the elderly man, who was dressed in the same clothes as the other committee members and was also old, spoke up. His appearance was not particularly noticeable among the seven people. “Observer No. 003 is the God of Truth in your understanding. Long ago, it discovered signs of civilization on a barbaric planet. However, the humans there were still in a primitive stage, existing as toys of the gods.”

"In order to free them from their identity as puppets, No. 003 brought them enlightenment, taught them to think, and made them understand their own situation, making them realize that their situation was essentially no different from that of the livestock they had raised."

"After that, a war started by humans broke out."

This happened before the First Age, and Merlin and the others were familiar with it.

"Sowing, watering, reaping—this is the mission of every observer."

As he spoke, the old man kept staring intently at Merlin. "You originally had no right to know these things, but they believe that Observer 009 exists in your soul in some way, so this is also a truth about you."

"You mean finding the beacon of their plane and handing it over to you so that you can send a starship to their world?"

Merlin exposed the embellished narratives and revealed the true nature of the whole affair.

The Sixth Age was undoubtedly the most perfect point in time.

The prophecy foretold that humanity would face destruction in the Seventh Age, while the Right God and the Middle God had already perished after losing the energy supply from the Old Gods. The starship carried Observer 009, who possessed the same energy level as the Right God. Had the starship not encountered a black hole on its journey, it would have arrived above the capital in a manner almost akin to a divine descent.

This is probably what the old man meant by "harvest"—bringing the entire empire, and even all the planes connected to it, into its own territory.

"They are not the first, nor will they be the last."

The old man said in a cold tone, “One day, you will remember your mission, and today is the first step… Haven’t you noticed? You rewrote the guards’ perceptions, allowing you to enter smoothly. This is the best proof that the energy of Observer 009 is flowing through your body.” “Don’t try to fool me with stories we already know.”

Merlin remained unmoved. "These observers, for whom do they work?"

He tried his best to hide his heart palpitations. They were talking about an existence far beyond their imagination, an observer that descended upon that world like a probe, and was regarded as a god by the locals. Judging from the numbering, there were many "probes" of the same specifications, and they might even have been mass-produced.

That was a civilization capable of mass-producing rightful gods.

"Work? This is not work, but rather expanding the territory for our shared empire. Humanity's understanding and research into the mystical will greatly promote the development of the empire, and they are in the place closest to darkness."

The old man said, "And you, 3791, what happened to you is of research value. After Experiment No. 53 ends, you will have the opportunity to be summoned by the Holy City."

Merlin noticed that Chen Qi's head drooped the moment the old man spoke, as if a power source had been cut off, along with the guards the old man had brought.

"Therefore, I should accept your invitation."

Merlin sneered, "Since that's the case, why not tell me its name?"

"You still refuse to give in."

The old man saw through Merlin's thoughts and was greatly disappointed.

In his view, this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, something everyone, including himself, considered the ultimate pursuit. But for Merlin, it was within easy reach. He only needed to complete the final work for Simulation 53, and perhaps he could take over the role of Observer 009 and gain the Holy City's approval.

Is it because of the soul?

Only the "soul" remains an unknown realm. Although all clues point to 3791 perfectly merging with the energy of Observer 009, he has become a completely opposite being, forever walking the path opposite to that of the Holy City.

This made him wonder if even if he rewrote Merlin's thoughts and memories and reorganized his body tissues, he might not get the desired result. Simulation 53 had reached its final stage. After that, the shelter would be completely erased, and they would have no more time to continue their research on this special individual.

"It seems you're not going to tell me the whole truth."

Merlin shrugged. "Then I'm afraid I won't be able to complete the final step of the summoning ritual for you."

To summon Ethan, we still need a soul that can pique his interest.

They were the only three people in the shelter who met the requirements.

The three exchanged glances, confirming each other's thoughts.

What a heavy truth, born in the Flesh and Blood Workshop, manipulated from the moment of its birth by unseen threads, who have wasted all their time on the Committee's lies.

What happened in the City of Truth and the Sanctuary was perhaps just a simple experiment for those living in the Holy City. The lab rats were of little value, and the committee had already revealed the fate of the Sanctuary—they never intended to save a single resident from the beginning.

When simulation 53 ends, all remnants who survived simulation 52 will be destroyed.

Even as puppets, they wouldn't complain about it.

There's no need to continue.

But at least in the final moments, they broke free of the threads and, for the first time ever, made a decision based on their own will.

"Simulation No. 53 has ended."

Song Xian was the first to strike. The moment he opened his mouth, he pointed the gun that Chen Qi had brought at the members of the committee. He felt that he should have done this a long time ago.

Unlike Merlin, he didn't have many truths to pursue. The reason he got on Merlin's "pirate ship" was simply because he didn't want to die as miserably as he had in the "other world".

Song Xian felt that perhaps this was the difference between an ordinary individual and a perfect individual.

He pulled the trigger, and the gunshot broke the silence of the laboratory.

"If I had to ask a question, I would like to ask one as well."

Song Xian asked loudly, "I want to know whether the blood of special-class citizens is the same as ours!"

"Yes."

The bullet that should have pierced the old man's skull was swallowed by the pure white ripples. "The raw materials used to produce us are no different from yours, except that you are destined to be unable to test them."

A white crack shielded the committee members behind them, and two hands covered by an unknown white metal opened the crack.

Faced with the creation about to burst through the cracks, the committee members' faces finally changed. They were bathed in pure white light, like several extremely devout believers.

The light cascaded down like a white river, reflecting the cold yet sacred outline of creation.

It was an expressionless face, mercilessly scrutinizing everything in the world. This reminded Merlin of an angel, but unlike the descriptions in the papal texts, it did not wear a white gown. Instead, it wore mechanically constructed armor, with flexible tubes connecting to the back of the creation, forming an extremely grotesque wing.

The creature had only half its body protruding from the crack.

This inexplicable scene sent chills down Song Xian's spine.

"Watch out, Mei—"

This became his final warning to Merlin.

When Creator opened his eyes, a pure white light enveloped Song Xian.

First his voice, then everything about him in this world.

Zhuang Xiao's pupils contracted.

She witnessed the “regression” process firsthand—in the interwoven white light, Song Xian went through the process of disassembly, and every part of his body returned to its original state, the form before it was pieced together by the “arsenal.” One by one, the vessels slowly floated to the ground under the glow.

Behind that sacredness lie human tissues such as eyeballs, brain, and internal organs.

"3791, you've missed your last chance."

The old man's voice rang out from behind the creation, and the pure white light had already spread to Zhuang Xiao.

"Now, prepare for your second failure."

(End of this chapter)