Abyssal Wanderer

About fifteen minutes later, Jim returned to the fifth-floor security station.

He was received by a very elegant silver-haired old woman. She looked to be about sixty or seventy years old, but considering the various life-extending and youth-preserving technologies available today, if she didn't deliberately use this appearance, Jim would even suspect that she was born in the AD era.

In short, the identity of the person in front of him is definitely not simple.

"Wang Ying has returned to the ninth floor. Don't worry, she won't be punished for what happened to you."

Seeing that Jim was a little absent-minded after sitting down, as if he was looking for something, the elegant silver-haired old man said this.

Obviously, this answer did not fully explain Jim's question.

"She doesn't want to see you right now. I guess that's probably why you can't contact her right now."

Seeing through Jim's thoughts, the old man continued to explain:

"Not long ago, Miss Wang Ying learned that you used your ability to distort her cognition... I think it will take her some time to understand that this is actually a protection for her."

Although it sounded like comfort, Jim heard it more like a mockery. He took a deep breath to calm himself, then said:

"So, you are the person in charge sent by the committee?"

He spoke in a condescending manner and knew the secret of his ascension path. I think the person who had talked to him through Landa's body before was the person in front of me.

The silver-haired old man nodded simply:

"Yes, my name is Bai Rao, you can also call me Commissioner Bai."

Member...

Hearing this title, Jim couldn't help but be a little surprised at how much importance the committee attached to the Nord resettlement area.

Generally speaking, the committee's protection is provided in the form of economic and material assistance, or by helping to train local security forces. The committee's special envoys often come from other human settlement alliances that have accepted their protection, and they only play the role of supervision and consultation, and there is no need for the committee members who are in charge to be dispatched.

You know, as long as she has the title of "Commissioner", her adjustment depth will not be weaker than depth 3.

The need to dispatch core members of the committee to a special resettlement area is either because the committee intends to develop the area as its own sphere of influence, or...something major may have happened in this place.

Comparing the two situations, Jiang Zhou even hoped that the reason for the other party to come here was the former. After all, according to the information Jim knew, there was a global risk warning system within the Human Intelligence Ethics Supervision Committee that could reach the level of prediction.

Things that can arouse the committee's vigilance are usually not trivial matters...

As an authoritative organization that defines the concept of "humanity" in the current era, the Human Intelligence Ethics Supervision Committee is not a small force. On the contrary, they can be said to be the most influential and powerful human force besides Olympus Enterprises.

Although the World Wide Web is full of jokes and memes mocking the committee's incompetence and bureaucracy, they are only comparing them with the various Olympus companies. Even the committee's bad reputation among the public mostly comes from this.

If the Olympus Order is like a god, whose absolute power eliminates the will of most people to resist; then the Anthroposophical Ethics Supervisory Committee is more like a secular regime. The boundaries of its power are clear enough to be understood by most people, but it encounters more criticism in daily life.

As an organization that has drawn up a "Dangerous Adjustment and Transformation List", actually sent armed forces to seize high-risk technology blueprints and materials on the market, and has the power to expel you from "humanity", it can be said that it is difficult for any civilian adjuster who embarks on the path of advancement to maintain a good impression of them.

Not to mention that their standards often turn a blind eye when it comes to the illegal regulators of Olympus Enterprises.

"So, you came to the Nord resettlement area not only because of Ikaros' invitation... Did you detect that someone crossed the border here?"

Jim frowned as he spoke.

The difference between coming here and discovering the problems in the Nord Resettlement Area, or discovering the problems in the Nord Resettlement Area after coming here is horrifyingly huge.

Commissioner Bai smiled and said:

"You're very perceptive. You're worthy of being a good kid who has received high-risk path risk training in the company. Before the original special envoy team set off, the committee's Nesibil Path consultant sent back a message that the Nord resettlement area will face a second type of risk in the future, and I came here just to confirm the level of risk."

Determine the level of risk...

Another statement that sounded unsettling to Jim.

It's a confirmation, not a solution.

But risks always need to be addressed.

So if the risk gets out of control, how will they deal with it?

Jim couldn't help but think of some answers that smelled of ashes and fire.

“So what are the specific risks? Can you tell me?”

Jim asked in a deep voice.

The other party did not reply immediately, but just stared at him quietly, which made Jim suddenly realize.

"So you suspected me at first?"

He asked, sitting up straight.

"Of course, we have eliminated the risk to you now."

It was difficult for Jim to see anything from the topological structure of the other person's representation - he couldn't see it when she spoke to him through Landa's body before. But even so, Jim still broke out in a cold sweat because of the other person's nonchalant tone.

She considered killing herself.

Even now, this idea may not be completely dispelled.

"So what are you going to do next?"

Resisting the urge to strike first, Jim continued to ask.

"Since we have very little information at the moment, we can only expand the scope of the early warning search for the time being, but this will make us a little short of manpower. We have currently locked on 276 possible sources of threats - including the Thracian Club you investigated earlier - and we don't have enough manpower and time to screen them one by one, so..."

"So you want me to help you investigate?"

Jim asked, wondering in his heart whether he should ask her for compensation.

"No, we plan to eliminate those 276 possible threat sources directly."

Commissioner Bai gave an answer he had not expected.

"ha?"

Jim felt his brain freeze.

276 possibilities, kill them all?

Is this a bit too extreme?

"…if doing so can prevent disaster."

After carefully observing the expression on Jim's face which gradually changed from shock to horror, Commissioner Bai slowly took another sip of tea and then sighed:

"Unfortunately, the problem cannot be solved so easily. Putting aside other things, the Perseus Depth 7 Adjuster hidden underground in the resettlement area is one of the possible sources of the crisis. Let me get rid of him..."

As he spoke, Commissioner Bai seemed to be amused by his own statement.

Jim realized that the other party was just teasing him and curled his lips and said:

"What about the consultant who issued the warning, the adjuster of Sibyl's path you mentioned, didn't he give more information?"

In response to this question, Commissioner Bai hesitated for a moment and replied:

"Unfortunately, he did not provide any additional information other than the crisis itself. The thoughts of high-level Sibyl Path Adjusters are in the form of wave functions that permeate time... People like us who understand the world with linear causal thinking can only deduce some limited information from his fragmented words - just like interpreting a prophecy.

"The only information we have obtained from him so far is that the second type of crisis will inevitably occur in the Nord resettlement area in the near future. Now that this information has been confirmed, no matter whether we try our best to stop it or maintain the status quo, no matter which choice we make, it will only lead to this crisis in the end - just like the self-fulfilling prophecies in ancient Greek mythology."

At this point, Commissioner Bai spread out his hands:

"But fortunately, the consultant's prediction only reached the point where the crisis broke out in the Nord resettlement area. As for whether it would spread and lead to the second type of human intelligence collapse scenario, no one knows. So my mission is just to come here to assess the extent of the crisis after it breaks out, and then determine what method and intensity is needed to prevent the human intelligence collapse scenario from happening."

"In that case..."

Jim raised his hand to interrupt Commissioner Bai.

"Since the disaster in the Nord resettlement area is bound to happen no matter what we do or nothing we do...then why are you still telling me these things?"

If things are really unstoppable as Commissioner Bai said, then what she said to me before was completely unnecessary.

Commissioner Bai smiled when he heard Jim's question.

"May I ask, after hearing all this, are you going to do nothing?"

She asked with a smile.

Jim shook his head.

"Then we are the same kind of people." (End of this chapter)