Chapter 1609: No Time to Die (Part 8)

Schiller's psychology office is located on the top floor of the new S. H. I. E. L. D. base. It has a full-length floor-to-ceiling window with excellent lighting. If one were to look from outside the building, one could just see the doctor standing before the window. If one were to cast their gaze further down, three floors below in the Spider-Army base, the atmosphere was much more heated.

"Oh God, they've published another new article on the Weekly General Knowledge Network!"

Miles, who was typing at his computer, shouted: "They actually claim that the critical philosophy developed in Europe was inspired by the God of Nihilism? It's complete nonsense!"

"Where? Let me see." Gwen Spider-Man immediately ran over. She frowned as she scanned the lines of text Miles pointed to with his mouse. She snorted through her nose and said: "Move aside, let me reply to them. I must let them know how ridiculously wrong they are."

"They replied to me again, God." Another Spider-Man shouted: "How can they be so detached from reality in their criticism of every single word I say? I really can't take it anymore!"

"Come over and look at this, this sentence is even crazier. They actually call us 'New NAZIs' full of extremist theories! I really can't help but want to curse at them."

"I'm being besieged! I'm being besieged!" Another scream came from a workstation: "There are four or five of them taking turns replying to me, I can't keep up! Someone come help!"

"The comment section under the New York Times Twitter is already lost. Can someone write a script or something to bury them? This is truly insane."

Shouts echoed throughout the Spider-Army base. After a while, middle-aged Peter Parker, whose wrists were sore from typing, stood up. He shook his hands and said: "I'm really sorry, friends, my time is up. Who can swap shifts with me? I have to go to a parent-teacher meeting for Mayday."

"No can do, I have to go too. Mr. Stark wants me to go over tonight to test the new suit." Another, younger Spider-Man stood up and said.

Soon, two others took over their shifts. Middle-aged Peter teleported back to his own universe via the Spider-Totem and hurriedly drove to the kindergarten where Mayday was, only to find Mary Jane was already there.

"Oh, you're here. Didn't you say you couldn't take time off today?"

"Don't joke around, this is our daughter's first parent-teacher meeting since starting kindergarten."

"I thought you'd be busy in that universe and might not be able to make it..."

The two talked in low voices as they walked toward the classroom. Thinking of his work, middle-aged Peter couldn't help but complain: "The work isn't exactly busy, it's just... it's just too ridiculous. It's hard for me to describe it to you, but anyway..."

"Tell me specifically. You don't think I won't understand, do you?"

"No, I just think you'll definitely get angry. It's like this: that universe is undergoing its third industrial revolution, and ideas are changing along with it. We are involved in public opinion control, conveying positive ideas to the ordinary people of that world."

"But there just happens to be this annoying, bizarre sect called the Nihilism Sect. They preach nihilism. You know nihilism, right? It's actually just..."

In the Stark Tower of another universe, Stark looked strangely at Peter Parker, who was zoning out. He put down the suit parts in his hands and couldn't help but ask: "What's wrong? Peter, you've been distracted since you got here. Did something happen? Is someone bullying you in that universe?"

"Calling it bullying isn't quite accurate." Peter shook his head, his expression complex. He took a deep breath and said: "I feel like I've been logically raped, Mr. Stark. You have no idea what kind of weirdos I've encountered..."

Once a Spider-Man's chatterbox is opened, no one can stop it. He poured out everything he wanted to say. Every Peter Parker was infuriated by this group of contrarians, and they were the type who couldn't express themselves well unless they were in front of someone close to them. But once they found an outlet, they would ramble on about something non-stop.

Almost every Peter Parker who had to return to their own universe during this period couldn't help but vent to their loved ones about the bizarre work they were doing in that universe. The things mentioned most often were the Nihilism Sect and nihilism.

Most of Peter Parker's friends didn't know much about philosophy, so whenever such topics came up, Peter had to popularize the knowledge for them. To popularize it, he had to repeatedly mention certain terms and definitions. And Spider-Man was particularly long-winded; even when recounting the process of an event, he would bring up the previously mentioned definitions and repeat them all over again.

As everyone knows, human faith and prayer have special significance. This is a basic setting in comics. The vast majority of gods who seem high and mighty will come out to fight for power for the sake of the faith of these insignificant earthlings.

And this leads to rule-based gods like Death or Oblivion also perceiving human prayers.

Schiller led Hydra to spread a large number of articles about nihilism, mixed with some content similar to prayers. Of course, it was useless for just these few Hydra members to pray, but if the Spider-Men wanted to refute their viewpoints, they inevitably had to quote these words.

To refute them, the Spider-Men had to study how nihilism, existentialism, or things like oblivion developed in the course of human history, and then compile them into their own language for output. In a sense, this was a form of prayer.

When they returned to their own universes, they inevitably complained to relatives and friends. A Spider-Man wouldn't just complain once; he would ramble on for at least half an hour. And the central universe gathered Spider-Men from thousands of multiverses.

All of a sudden, Oblivion felt as if he had received tens of thousands of harassment calls at the same time, and he woke up from his slumber with a "Zeng."

What's going on? Is it the New Year?

He didn't know until he looked, and he was shocked when he did. How come everyone in every multiverse is praying to me after waking up? To be precise, how come everyone in every multiverse is cursing me?

Oblivion, who hadn't fully woken up from his sleep, was dazed. Who did he offend? What happened?

The reason Oblivion doesn't appear often is that the existence representing nothingness itself has a certain inertia. They have little motivation to do anything, have no curiosity, and are basically always in a deep sleep.

So, after discovering the strange event, Oblivion's first reaction wasn't to check the source along the timeline like other gods. He let out a sigh of wonder and then went back to sleep.

However, Schiller has always been very good at setting an alarm clock to wake up all life. Each alarm is customized, very much in line with their characteristics, and almost 100% capable of waking up the target he wants to wake.

The suitability of the alarm Schiller set for Oblivion lies in the fact that it isn't particularly loud, but it lasts for a very long time. It can be said that as long as the contrarians led by Schiller are still making the Spider-Men angry, the Spider-Men of the multiverse cannot stop complaining, and Oblivion will always hear some strange rustling sounds in his ears.

Now, the Spider-Men are like mosquitoes in summer. Besides the buzzing sound in your ears when you're trying to sleep, you can't help but be curious about where they came from and where they are now. This kind of hazy thought in the midst of sleep is the most unsettling.

Oblivion woke up and slept, slept and woke up. He heard the sound in his half-asleep state but couldn't get up, and when he did get up, he lay back down because of sleepiness. After tossing and turning for who knows how long, Oblivion finally couldn't take it anymore.

He woke up completely and, in a fit of rage, followed the timeline to find the culprit, Schiller.

"What exactly do you want?!" Oblivion roared at Schiller.

Schiller sat behind his desk, smiled at Oblivion, and said: "Nothing much. I couldn't get through to you on the phone, so I had to use this method to invite you here to chat."

"What do you want to talk about?"

"You actually don't know? In the barren land at the end of time, you and your messengers blocked me for so long. I thought you had a lot to talk to me about."

"Uh..." Oblivion thought Schiller really had some urgent matter that required waking him up this way. He didn't expect there wasn't a shred of serious business mixed into the personal vendetta.

Oblivion sighed deeply, looked at Schiller, and said: "Very well, your goal has been achieved. This must be the most uncomfortable sleep I've had in my life!"

After saying this, he disappeared. In his view, other gods would be tricked by Schiller time and time again simply because they refused to admit defeat. Oblivion has one greatest advantage: he never thinks "Why me?"

As the saying goes, as long as I lie down fast enough, nothing in this world can be called trouble. If Schiller wants revenge, let him have it. Anyway, I can't die. I'll just go back to sleep after he's done with his revenge.

But clearly, he underestimated the extent of Schiller's pettiness and the wisdom he could exert in retaliating against others. After Oblivion left, Schiller dialed Infinity's number and, with a backhand move, filed a report.

Schiller directly reported Oblivion for illegal proselytizing on Earth, seriously affecting the lives of the superhero Spider-Men, interfering with the development of the world line, and damaging the reputation of this universe abroad.

Infinity was already busy to the point of being overwhelmed and full of resentment. Upon hearing that the lazy dog who usually lay at his workstation sleeping had actually started causing trouble, he exploded on the spot and gave Oblivion a series of life-threatening calls.

If the Spider-Men's prayers were like mosquito buzzing to Oblivion, then his colleague's phone calls were truly the final alarm clock for an eight-o'clock wake-up. After waking Oblivion up, Infinity didn't say a single extra word, only leaving a roar in the voicemail.

"Hurry up and deal with Schiller!

!"

Oblivion, feeling helpless, had no choice but to find Schiller again. This time, he truly could not afford to slack off, because he had realized that if he did not settle Schiller, this man would try every possible way to stir up all sorts of trouble, leaving him with no peace.

"Speak, what exactly do you want?" Oblivion glared at Schiller, annoyed.

"I heard that you are the strongest among the five great cosmic entities?"

"I am not, I have not, don't talk nonsense."

"I heard that mastering the power of nothingness is mastering the supreme power to devour this world?"

"That is complete nonsense."

"I heard that the other four great cosmic entities govern affairs within the universe, while Oblivion can govern the nothingness outside of every universe?"

"Partially, yes."

"Now, we are already outside the Great World. What is your opinion on the Great World and the nothingness between the Great Worlds?"

"……What are you trying to do?"