Why are all the people in my chat group rumored to be from the outside world?

"Why do I feel like there's something... about her tone?" Xing whispered as she moved closer to Yu Jin.

Ember: "That's normal. After all, you're in the universe, free from gravity. It's normal that you don't understand these things."

Can you two stop whispering things that everyone can hear?

The Doctor froze slightly, looking at Amiya's face with a faint smile, unsure whether she was angry.

What if I get angry and slap myself?

"What's wrong? Didn't you want to talk to me alone?" Priscilla's tone remained unchanged, as if he was unaffected by what he had said earlier.

The doctor's instincts told him that the other person had definitely been affected, but he was unsure of what kind of influence.

It's all those two scoundrels' fault!

Why can't we whisper things in a chat group?

Just as the doctor was internally ranting, two hands pushed him forward.

The doctor stumbled and almost fell to the ground, but a figure suddenly appeared in front of him and caught him.

"Thank you."

The doctor instinctively spoke, but his body quickly stiffened as he saw Amiya's face with a faint smile on her lips.

"Doctor, there's no need for thanks between us. Now, please take my hand."

Precys reached out to the doctor.

The doctor glanced at it, took a deep breath, and placed his hand on it.

Black energy began to slowly envelop the two of them. The Doctor turned around and saw Star and Ember giving him a thumbs up.

The doctor responded with a middle finger, and Priscilla calmly watched the scene unfold. The next second, the two of them vanished from the spot.

"What do you think the Doctor will do after he knows the whole truth?" Xing nudged Ember with his elbow.

“I don’t know, but I’m curious, what would you do if it were you?” Yu Jin looked at Xing.

"I want them all!"

"As expected of you!"

"And you? If it were you, what would you do?"

"I want them all."

Ignoring the Rhodes Island operators who were staring intently at them, Star and Ember laughed.

-

When the doctor opened his eyes again, he was already inside a building.

In front of him was a terminal, with numerous lines merging into it from all directions.

The screen kept displaying various pieces of information that the PhD student recognized but couldn't understand.

"Is this PRTS? The machine that controls those people?"

Just as the Doctor was thinking this, Amiya, who had been holding his hand, slowly let go. She took two steps back, and black energy enveloped her. Soon she left the spot again, leaving the Doctor standing there alone.

However, the doctor always felt that the other person seemed to have a resistant expression on their face when they left.

Is it my own illusion?

However, at that moment, the doctor seemed to sense something, turned around abruptly, and his pupils trembled when he saw the figure.

A figure emerged slowly from the machine like a ghost, her form becoming clearer with each step she took forward.

A gentle smile graced the woman's face, her geometrically patterned eyes gazing silently at the doctor.

"...Precyth."

"Long time no see, Doctor."

Precys strode toward the doctor.

"I still remember the scene when we parted last time."

"Back then, I looked forward to what our next meeting would be like. We would stroll through the ocean of Originium, chatting about our visions for the future, what we would do next, and our past."

"...It sounds like we have a good relationship."

"A very good relationship?" Precys shook his head.

"Our relationship transcends time and space."

"We are each other's one and only, and we will move forward hand in hand."

"It would hurt me a little if you described our relationship as a very good one, Doctor."

what happened?

Why is there such a strong pulling force when I stand here?

The doctor felt like he was about to lose his balance.

Looking into those seemingly expressive eyes, the doctor took a deep breath.

"I'm sorry, I seem to have forgotten that I've forgotten you too."

"I even learned your name from my friend."

"Friends...?"

"Yes, let's just say we're very good friends."

The doctor took the initiative to move closer to Precyth in front of him.

"They suggested I come here, suggested I get the truth from you, and then make my choice."

"Can Priscilla tell me the truth?"

"...I've never refused your request, have I?"

Chapter 44 Then please believe me!

From Precys, the Doctor learned about their past.

They once lived in a civilization completely different from Terra.

That civilization was so vast and magnificent.

They broke free from the constraints of planets, wandering among the stars and escaping the control of gravity.

To them, planets are like marbles they can play with at will.

Their consciousness travels through any light-year in the universe, and even any time, to experience the rise and fall of civilizations on those planets.

Seeing the doctor's blank expression, Precys smiled.

"I still remember how you used to secretly upload your thoughts to civilizations at the ends of certain cantilevered arms. You would guide those civilizations forward, help them defeat evil, and lead them to a better tomorrow."

The professor swallowed hard, his finger trembling as he pointed at himself. "Did I used to do this all the time?"

Precys nodded.

"Okay, okay." The doctor covered his forehead, trying to process the information.

Suddenly, he thought of something, and he lowered his hand and looked at Precyth.

"So what exactly caused our civilization to become the way it is today?"

In the doctor's view, this civilization had reached a terrifying level of advancement. However, according to the Ember, this civilization had already faded away and become the past, thus giving birth to the present civilization. So what exactly happened in between?

The doctor's question caused Precys' smile to slowly fade.

“...Observer.” Precyth uttered the three words softly.

“Observer.” The doctor repeated the three words, as if savoring their meaning.

"Doctor, perhaps even now you still can't understand why I would do such a thing in this civilization."

The doctor nodded.

Precys talked a lot about civilization and about himself, but the other party didn't say a word about what he was doing now. It's time for the truth to be revealed.

Precys closed his eyes and opened his arms, as if sensing something: "Doctor, now please imagine an imperfect forest, where each tree has a different experience and has grown into a different tree."

"Sometimes, some thriving trees cast a malicious shadow, causing their neighbors to wither in the shadow. But these are not such terrible things, after all, they are just trees."

"But in this forest lived a lumberjack who diligently wielded his axe, and tree after tree fell before him. No tree could stop the lumberjack from swinging his axe; even the most tangled branches were split open, for example..."

"Our once lush tree."

If things were still somewhat unclear before, when Precyth uttered those final words, everything was unveiled, revealing the truth behind everything.

Trees represent civilization.

The forest is the universe.

In this universe, there is a logging civilization.

The doctor fell silent.

If even the great civilization described by Precys could not escape being cut down, then what could possibly stop the loggers?

"...It will come to this civilization, right?"

"Even if it is small, it is still a tree that is to be cut down."

The doctor took a deep breath, covered his head with his hands, and looked like he had a headache.

The information he received today was a bit too much, wasn't it?

First of all, the previous civilization I came from was absolutely amazing!

But then something even more outrageous happened!

Lumberjacks!

What the hell is this thing? Why is it harvesting civilizations?

Their own absurd civilization, which they couldn't even stop, was easily destroyed!

What should I do?

The doctor felt his brain trembling!

So, his world is also going to be destroyed, right?

Ember, how about we run away together? Go to Kevin's world or Star's world, let's get away from these worlds that are about to be destroyed for no reason!

Countless thoughts and pessimistic information echoed in the doctor's mind, but in the end... he simply exhaled, lowered his hands, and looked at Priscilla again.

"There's only one question left."

Precys nodded.

"Why...why would you do such a thing in this civilization?"

"For the continuation of civilization."

The doctor didn't speak; he just stared at Priscilla, waiting for her explanation.

Precys once again opened her hand to the Doctor, and an Originium slowly emerged from her palm.

"This is a plan that you and I made together."

"We named it Project Originium."

"Let Originium fill every corner of this world, assimilate all matter and non-matter, devour their existence at the information level, and preserve them in Originium, thereby evolving and creating another universe within Originium, thus escaping the so-called final fate."

"...So you want the Originium to devour those lives."

"...You still love life so much, Doctor." Precyth smiled, but her expression quickly turned serious.

"We don't know when the lumberjacks will arrive, but the progress of Project Originium has been altered by our slight oversight. Civilization has emerged on this planet, and they have hindered the expansion of Originium."

"So you try to start a war, to throw the world into chaos, and then you want to kill them all."

"They will not die, they will just exist in another form, and the Originium will record everything about them."

"Doctor, we cannot fight the lumberjacks, and the Originium Project is the only way to ensure the continuation of civilization."

Precys extended his hand to the doctor.