There can't be a Harvest Moon in the RimWorld.

I generally call this kind of near-obsessive emotion an old stubbornness.

But the benefits are also obvious. If they succeed, the ranch crisis I was worried about will be resolved. I will no longer have to worry about any terrifying things running out of the Mads Mountains, flattening my ranch, and destroying my peaceful life.

Harris and Gotz were even happier than I was to have solved this big problem.

Harris didn't come to the hospital with us after coming down the mountain. He parted ways with us at the town gate, saying he had to handle the aftermath. He didn't want the townspeople to know what had happened near the lagoon and hot springs, so he hired a professional team to clean up the mess.

I had anticipated this. Those massive tungsten-titanium alloy "Rods of God," weighing several tons of precious metal, couldn't possibly be disposable props; there must be a team to recycle and reuse them. Since Harris was able to acquire such a powerful weapon, he must have considered the entire supply chain.

Gotz just jumped out of the window to escape, to witness the disappearance of the "final calamity" firsthand, which is a good thing. With him rushing off to confirm the situation for me, I won't have to drag my sick body up the mountain for a checkup.

All I have to do right now is lie quietly in my hospital bed and let my injuries heal.

In this world, apart from Father Carter who was monitoring everything, there is probably no one else who knows the truth.

Gotz and Harris were finally freed from the curse that had bound them for years. Once they confirmed that the anchor point beneath the mine had disappeared, and the terrible shadow that had haunted the town's entire history had completely vanished, it would be the best possible outcome for them.

The memes that spread unseen and attracted disaster will also completely dissipate from them. The older generation of mining founders have all left this world, and the younger generation has been freed from this event, which is nothing short of a perfect ending.

But this is what Old Man Hook said about the special meme on me.

"Only that old bastard Yorkson knows how to create memes. I've been imitating the memes he created for a long time, but I can only modify them; I can't create them out of thin air."

"On this point, I knew that old bastard had lied to everyone again. It took me more than ten years of detours to confirm that humans simply cannot create memes! He must have used some special method to steal the prototype of a meme from that terrifying being!"

“But this time I’ve decided to mercifully forgive him.” Old Man Hook’s originally stern face twisted into a chillingly ugly smile. “Back then, all he did was hire an abnormal disaster investigator, disguise himself as a refugee, and go to the island to steal memes for him. Later, I also hired the best investigators in the entire Federation to collect all those spread memes and turn them into data for my research.”

A slightly proud voice came from behind Old Man Hook's hat: "I'm only a small step ahead of you. I've already studied the fact that spread memes cannot be deconstructed and recombined in the manuscript."

Old Man Hook, somewhat exasperated, shouted, "You really did lie to me on purpose! You were afraid I'd learn meme technology and use it against you!" Then, with a hint of schadenfreude, he added, "But I also gained something else. Do you think the return of the interstellar vampires to Mineral Town was just a coincidence?"

...Those two old men are really cunning, one more shrewd than the other. They verbally agreed to cooperate, but behind my back they're constantly sabotaging and stabbing me in the back. I'm really not comfortable with their so-called cooperation. I feel that the most likely outcome is that they'll fight amongst themselves and destroy each other, artificially triggering a cataclysmic disaster.

Seeing that the two of them were about to start arguing again, I quickly intervened and said, "Stop fighting! If you want to fight, go to the dance studio!"

Sure enough, as soon as I finished speaking, they both looked at me, completely bewildered: "What did you say?"

"Old Man Hook, what's the name of the investigator you hired?" I asked cautiously.

"That kid's name is Rod. What's up?" Old Man Hook replied casually.

It matches! It matches!

"It was you who misspoke about the Imperial Army... ptooey, ptooey, ptooey, and the Japanese devils... ptooey, ptooey, ptooey, still not right, the sentence structure goes off track from the beginning." My brainwaves went haywire again, and I struggled to correct my slip of the tongue. "It was you who brought Mrs. Lilia's husband to town!"

It turns out that it was Old Man Hook who caused Lady Lilia's family to settle on the island, and her elusive husband, Poppy's father who had been away from home for many years, was actually an unconventional disaster investigator?!

Seeing my enlightened expression, Old Man Hook was even more confused. I had no choice but to explain to him about Lady Lilia's strange illness and ask if her illness would be cured after the "final calamity" was banished.

I expected a positive answer, but to my surprise, both Old Man Hooker and Old Man Yorkson fell silent instantly.

After a long silence, old Yorkson lowered his hat again, disappearing into the shadows. Old Man Hook looked at me earnestly, his expression extremely serious, and said, "Marcus, you are a key figure in our exile plan. You must outlive everyone else! There can be no danger whatsoever!"

"I understand. I am known as the Mad Nobleman and the Runaway Kotaro. As long as I run fast enough, danger can't catch me!" I said confidently, reciting someone else's lines, indicating that even without this mission, I wouldn't die so easily.

But Old Man Hook's eyes showed even more worry: "That brat, remember this!"

"Don't ask about this strange illness anymore, and don't try to find out the reasons behind it!"

"Don't deal with Rhodes, don't look for the investigators from back then, and don't get involved with any investigators!"

Finally, after much internal struggle, Old Man Hooker blurted out, "If you're ever in a desperate situation, run like Browning... run as far as you can..."

Chapter 205 Deterrence

"Boss! What are you daydreaming about?"

It wasn't until Gray's call interrupted my reverie that I realized I had been lost in thought for a long time.

Before Old Man Hook left, he planted a seed of doubt in my heart, which slowly sprouted as I pondered.

If it were me in the past, I would have gone to Mrs. Lilia to get the details, and then consulted Father Carter to discuss countermeasures. But now, after this standard mystery incident, I have some basic manners.

That means don't listen, don't look, and don't ask.

For ordinary people, the only purpose of encountering such a natural event is to survive and return to their daily lives. And the only thing they can do is to do nothing.

The most important thing is to maintain sufficient awe for those indescribable beings, and at the same time, not to try to understand or observe transcendent beings with the shallow understanding of humanity. Not to mention ultimate beings like the "final catastrophe," even lower races like interstellar vampires and deep-dwellers have enough power to cause ordinary people to lose their minds and die physically.

In the mining town of yesteryear, those who died were mostly driven by excessive curiosity, trying to uncover the secrets of the mines. The many more mediocre souls, on the other hand, escaped death's grasp, safely returning to some rural village, where they lived out their lives in anonymity, living out their days peacefully until old age.

Therefore, the human mind cannot connect known things together, which is the most merciful thing in the world.

However, for someone like me who has been exposed to mysterious events and is a meme holder, these three laws are not so applicable.

If I also only know how to escape and ignore these mysterious beings, then the most likely outcome is that I will unknowingly become a medium for meme propagation, spreading disaster to everyone around me and sounding the horn of revelation.

Mineral Town has survived to this day not because of the mediocre new miners, but because of the daily efforts and unwavering commitment of those who knew the situation, such as Old Yorkson, Little Hook, Dolanco, and Browning.

They need a clear division of labor, yet they must remain independent. They need to be thoroughly familiar with taboo knowledge, but they cannot have excessive curiosity about it. This alone requires certain special skills and principles.

Of all the people who have achieved this, I am the only one who has truly accessed the core. I am both the holder of the meme and the backup plan for the two old men's expulsion program. Unbeknownst to me, I have replaced Harris and Gots as the hope of the old miners, continuing their unfinished mission.

From this perspective, I suddenly understood why Old Man Hook and Old Man Yorkson chose me.

Harris is a descendant of city dwellers who became connected to Mineral Town due to a romantic entanglement. Gots, on the other hand, was born carrying the blood of the Deep Ones and the unfortunate fate left by his ancestors.

They are fundamentally different from the old miners who started from scratch and carefully protected this town—that is, their attitude towards their cruel fate.

The veteran miners forged their way through hardships to build their business, never giving up their yearning for life despite enduring countless trials. Even when faced with seemingly hopeless situations in their youth and old age, they cherished the beautiful years they spent in the town, willing to protect them with their lives.

Harris, who suffered relationship troubles, and Gots, who lost his family, showed a clear tendency to die for a cause, seeing responsibility as a shackle and death as a way to escape, which is more similar to Antonio in Old Yorkson's words.

Even if such a person has sufficient ability, they lack the awareness to persist for decades.

On the contrary, I, a complete newcomer, share the same feelings as Old Man Hook and the others. I truly love this town and everything in it. In this respect, I am the spiritual heir of the town's founders!

Oh no... why am I spacing out again?

“Grey, boss, I’m thinking…” I looked at him with a deep voice, like a great man pointing out the direction of the world.

"What are you thinking about?" Although Gray was wrapped up like a dumpling and covered in burn marks, the gauze clearly couldn't contain his curiosity.

"I'm thinking we should develop a corporate culture..."

"Corporate culture?" Gray asked me, looking completely bewildered.

"You can also interpret it as the spirit of a superhero!" I still have to use the superhero approach to explain to this immature teenager, who simply doesn't understand my good intentions as chairman.

Sure enough, upon hearing my new idea, Gray immediately perked up: "Boss, have you come up with a good idea yet?"

“After what happened last night, I’ve had some realizations. We’re not the kind of heroes who fight and kill and actively confront evil. Everything we do comes from the bottom of our hearts; it’s about upholding justice and protecting our town.”

“Hmm…you’re right. Other slogans may be lofty, but I can’t truly empathize with them. As for protecting the town and upholding my own beliefs, I absolutely agree with that,” Gray agreed.

"That's right! So what we need to do first is to widely observe and monitor the situation in the town to prevent hostile behavior from causing harm. This goes without saying."

"Secondly, once a situation is discovered, it is important to promptly determine the type of hazard in order to intervene and suppress or prevent its spread. For example, with Deep Ones and Interstellar Vampires, we need to identify and control the early signs of these hazards to prevent them from occurring."

"Thirdly, based on the goal of protecting the town, we should formulate reasonable actions for extremely dangerous situations like the monster from last night, until they are rendered ineffective or destroyed."

"Therefore, the simple word 'hero' is quite inaccurate. What we do is not based on personal likes or dislikes. What we fulfill is a crucial trinity: Scout, Casuist, and Protector!"

After listening to my insightful remarks, Gray's eyes lit up and he exclaimed, "That's a great summary! Boss, you really are a genius when it comes to naming things!" He repeated the words twice and said enthusiastically, "Then can we have code names too?"

"Scout, Casuist, Protector... well, our abbreviation is ***!"

Slow!

objection!

I don't think this name is very auspicious!

“…***, why did I choose such a name? I should change it…” I muttered to myself, wondering if this was fate.

"No, boss! I think the meaning of this name is excellent!"

"Really... I have a feeling this is some kind of 'team wipeout engine' vibe..."

Gray ignored my rambling and excitedly imagined, "Boss, isn't it a bit strange to just call it ***... How about *** Alliance? *** Team?"

If the contained objects formed alliances and teams, that would be a disaster!

This is about to cause a major upheaval!

"No, no, listen to me!" I quickly interrupted him, "It's called ******! No discussion!"

“The Foundation… but we’re not a company, so why are we called that?” Gray asked, puzzled.

"This name sounds like it's about wealth, it's so auspicious! Think about it some more..." I casually brushed him off, thinking that I might as well just settle on this name, even though it's not very auspicious, it's still in line with the will of heaven.

"From this day forward, we are the ******* Mobile Task Force Omega-7!"

"Why this number? What about the previous six?"

"Never mind that, we'll just call it that! People will definitely think it's a rich, powerful, and well-connected organization!" I decisively refuted his doubts. "It's about deterrence! What do you know! Deterrence!"

Chapter 206 O5 Secret Meeting

The Eleventh Day of the Green Elephant Season.

The O5 Council held its first secret meeting.

The exact time is unknown.

Specific participants:

O5-1: "The Wanderer"

Male, a cyborg from a technologically advanced city on a certain planet, from outer space.

It originated from an event involving an unusual incident, and as the final custodian of the remnants of that event, it holds all the information related to it.

Based on limited information, he possesses strength and physical abilities beyond the limits of human capabilities, as well as manufacturing abilities far exceeding current knowledge levels. Mentally, he has long been in a state of instability, and the strange knowledge that has appeared out of nowhere has made him immune to the poison and mental pollution of much meme information.

However, some within the organization believe that he himself is spreading spiritual pollution.

O5-2: "Shishio Makoto"

A man, whose identity is unknown and who has moved to the island for unknown reasons, is completely wrapped in bandages, making his face unrecognizable, and his voice is stiff and hoarse.

He possesses superb swordsmanship and strength beyond human limits. His current predicament is said to stem from severe burns sustained during a battle with a powerful enemy. His weakness also lies in the damage to his sweat glands caused by the previous fire; if a duel lasts more than 15 minutes, he will spontaneously combust due to overheating.

…………