Chapter 675

"It wouldn't be normal if they didn't do this. O5-7 is questioning one of the foundations of the Foundation. If they don't defeat O5-7 head-on, other O5 councilors will, to a greater or lesser extent, suspect if there is something wrong with the Foundation."

"They are all O5 councilors after all; in terms of position, they are equal. Accountability and punishment must at least go through the motions, go through the process, although I feel the result has already been determined."

"That old saying is really true—'Small meetings for small matters, small meetings for big matters'."

"By the way, haven't you all noticed that there is no seat for the Administrator here? Does that confirm that the Administrator has not appeared in this universe?"

"Ah, you're only realizing this now?"

……

"Herta" Space Station.

"The company's high command seems to make decisions in the same way."

Asta looks at the increasingly tense O5 Council, as if seeing another form of the company's board of directors.

If the Foundation of this universe had not reappeared in the world, the company's board of directors could be approximately equated to the O5 Council.

"Well, in the end, it's because there are no rules that can constrain the rule-makers, whether it's conflicts between O5 councilors or conflicts between company directors."

"Existing handling rules will fail. What can resolve the conflict is either deeper interest exchange, abandonment of interests, or one side admitting defeat... or being expelled or eliminated."

"And to achieve this, the method that can be used on the surface is only for people of equal status, one person one vote, to decide the result by voting."

She is also very curious, how will O5-7 break the situation? How will the "Chaos Insurgency" be born? And who will achieve the final victory between the Foundation and the "Chaos Insurgency"?

……

O5-1 looks up at this rebellious colleague, smiling leisurely, with a tone of teasing:

"In any case, we should proceed with the first two agenda items first, so please, O5-7, speak first."

"If you have anything to defend yourself with, you can say it all at once."

"Should I thank you for mercifully giving me the opportunity to speak?" O5-7 says with a sneer.

Their gaze sweeps over everyone present in turn, looking more like the person sitting on the judge's bench.

O5-1 just smiles faintly, seemingly confident in controlling everything, letting O5-7 perform here, as the result will not change in the slightest.

O5-2 shows disdain, seemingly having nothing to say to this traitor.

O5-3's expression is relatively calm, but the occasionally slightly furrowed brows and twitching corners of the mouth reveal their doubt and confusion.

O5-4 has nothing to say; that is O5-7's ally and accomplice.

O5-5 is somewhat angry.

O5-6 raises their eyebrows, seemingly asking O5-7 with their eyes—"What is the reason for you doing this"?

O5-8's expression is gentle, with no obvious opposition.

O5-9 holds their head high, almost pointing their nostrils at O5-7.

O5-10 shakes their head slightly, sighing inaudibly.

O5-11 and O5-12 have already communicated with them and O5-4 in secret, and can already be considered the leadership of the "Chaos Insurgency."

As for O5-13, as the only councilor among the thirteen who can be considered a filler, what they think about this matter is not important at all.

After taking in everyone's attitudes, O5-7 puts away their previous expression:

"Alright, in short, let us fulfill our obligations first."

Clearly, the result of this trial is already doomed; the only thing that can be done is to seek out some potential allies.

They pick up the document in front of them:

"I believe everyone has already read the report of the 'Emergence Project.' If not, I will state it simply here—"

"The conclusion is very clear: 'SCP-Laplace' does not exist."

"Although there are less than two months left until the scheduled transmission date—at least until now, the war has passed, and it will not break out again in the short term."

"Everyone has seen it—nothing happened."

"The root of all this is just that something hopes we will use the world war to intervene and control human development."

"We have been moving forward step by step in its trap all along."

O5-1 taps the floor with their cane, somewhat impatient:

"I don't want to hear your old tune again. Just say it directly, what thing?"

"A term you and I are both very familiar with—'status quo'."

"I've read it, Professor." O5-3 spreads their hands, "But I think your research conclusion doesn't even have the value of discussion."

Clearly, this councilor does not recognize the report of the "Emergence Project" team.

"As everyone knows, the Foundation has always defined its work according to the 'Status Quo Document'."

"The 'Status Quo Document' has been constantly revised, and the most recent time—Professor, that was the trouble you caused."

"We put the entire field of nuclear physics into the 'Status Quo Document,' and now, as long as they want, any small country on Earth can destroy all of humanity."

"We acknowledge that your actions may have promoted the end of the world war, and we also acknowledge that the containment breach of 'SCP-8260-EX' may be an important prerequisite for us to receive the 18th 'Paradox Insurance'."

"However, can the status quo still return to the past?"

"We have already been merciful to this extent—Number Seven, take a good look."

"If the 'status quo' is really some self-locking thing, wouldn't it be indifferent to the great damage we have done to it?"

O5-3 becomes more excited as they speak.

If it were another place, they would probably already be standing on the table, pointing at O5-7 and denouncing them.

O5-7 sits in their seat, listening silently to this questioning.

Other O5s clearly have misunderstandings about them, misinterpreting their work as something else, thinking they are just simply destroying and annihilating the status quo.

But they don't care.

"Don't be so arrogant, Number Three."

"Something is blocking the development brought by uncertainty, and it is drawing boundaries for the status quo. Undoubtedly, this thing is not the Foundation."

O5-3 furrows their brows, thoughtful while listening.

O5-7 gazes into the other's eyes, their expression solemn:

"I will only ask one question."

"If—I'm just saying if—in our timeline, all of humanity ascended to godhood, what would the Foundation do?"

"Contain them."

"Why don't we revise the 'Status Quo Document'?"

O5-3 becomes increasingly confused, feeling that O5-7 is telling a joke, and cannot help but ask in return:

"Is ascending to godhood something that can be regarded as a status quo event?"

O5-7 nods, understanding where they take things for granted, but where most O5s find it difficult to understand.

They look at O5-3 first, and then scan the crowd again:

"After all of humanity has ascended to godhood, can ascending to godhood still be counted as an anomaly?"

"Each of us sitting here evolved from single-celled organisms..."

"Until the 'Mesozoic Era,' our ancestors were only as big as mice."

"To them, we can move mountains and fill seas, we can change the climate, we can break out of the shackles of the earth."

"Aren't all the abilities we possess now exactly like gods?"

"If after all of humanity ascends to godhood, all of humanity can be counted as anomalies, why are we not anomalies now?"

O5-7 stops, signaling that O5-3 can ask questions and refute.

"You should be clear that ascending to godhood requires the use of 'High-Heaven Parasites,' right?"

O5-3 feels like they are communicating with a fool.

"How can this kind of thing, which even carries divinity, be part of the status quo?"

"If using anomalous means to ascend to godhood counts as an anomaly," O5-7 responds immediately without hesitation, "then why doesn't using 'colchicine' to cause biological mutation count as an anomaly?"

"Why doesn't gene editing count as an anomaly?"

"What is a god? A god is just a higher form of life, possessing abilities that other organisms do not have."

"Using 'High-Heaven Parasites' to ascend to godhood and using 'colchicine' to create polyploids are essentially no different, right?"

"Don't be like this, Number Seven." O5-1 raises a hand to interrupt the wave after wave of O5-7.

They pause, spinning the fountain pen in their hand.

"Ascending to godhood is something beyond our scientific laws, but evolution is not, and gene editing is not."

"Arguing about this is meaningless." ===== CHAPTER 677 =====