Chapter 684

"We name the direction we consider wrong as 'anomaly'."

"However, anything that exceeds our current 'status quo' can be called an 'anomaly,' and can be what you call 'wrong'."

"—More importantly, none of it is what the 'status quo' hopes to see."

"As for the crisis—is there any development of humanity that does not face a crisis?"

"How many times have we faced this kind of thing in our history?"

"If human society refuses to move forward just because it fears possible crises, we wouldn't even be able to enter the era we know today."

"Does the establishment of the Foundation itself not bring threats to the world?"

"In fact, not only does it bring threats, but it is often very serious."

"Crisis is not a legitimate reason for the Foundation's behavior at all; it is just an excuse concocted by the status quo to achieve its goal of immortality."

"Regardless of whether we move forward, the crisis is there."

"Even if we don't transcend the status quo, we might not be able to find a way to resolve the crisis—just like the world war that just passed."

"Perhaps without the Foundation, without anyone stubbornly maintaining that surging, self-enclosed status quo, the world would become better."

"'New status quo' is also 'status quo'." O5-1 reminds.

"Haven't we incorporated the trouble you just caused into the 'status quo'?"

"This is absolute uncertainty—and what consequences the trouble you caused will lead to is also uncertain."

"Is that really the case?" O5-7 sneers.

"—Then, is the status quo of the 'Children of the Night' a status quo? Is the status quo of the 'pre-modern' a status quo?"

"What did we do? We contained the 'Children of the Night,' destroyed their civilization, and called them Bigfoot."

"We used so-called science to shape pre-modernity, and sealed the past status quo in a cage named 'Scarlet King'."

"The Foundation is the immune system belonging to the current status quo."

"The current status quo was born stepping on the corpses of the past status quo; naturally, it will not allow a new status quo to take its place."

"The ascension problem has explained everything."

"The status quo defended by the current Foundation cannot support a new status quo shaped by an ascended humanity, even if it is the choice of all humanity."

"If the status quo has no boundaries, then there are no anomalies in the world."

"A status quo containing anomalies is just a new status quo."

"—Then, what are we, the Overseer Council, what is the existence of our entire Foundation doing?"

"The status quo does not want to be replaced by a new status quo."

"There is only one true 'SK-class dominance shift' in this world, and that is the replacement of the old status quo by the new status quo."

Their indifferent tone, like stating a fact, gives O5-2 an inexplicable anger.

At that moment, O5-2 would rather a curly-haired baboon come to attend the meeting than a physicist who might tear the Foundation apart from the inside.

But they are helpless about this, because they know clearly that the other side has absolutely made more perfect preparations than they imagined, and cannot be persuaded to change their mind just by words.

They can only put on a mocking face and see what O5-7 wants to do:

"Yo. Then according to what you say, shouldn't the Foundation dissolve immediately?"

Then, nothing happened.

O5-7 clearly has no intention of ignoring Number Two.

"Discussion is unnecessary, Number Two." O5-7 says, "I'll only ask one question—"

They take a deep breath, looking around at the other twelve people like a meeting moderator.

Taking in the anger, indifference, curiosity, and agreement in everyone's eyes.

"If it is said that humanity not being able to develop is itself part of the status quo."

"And humanity being able to continue to develop is the anomaly."

"Do you choose to be loyal to humanity?"

"Or loyal to the status quo?"

O5-1 looks up abruptly, and Professor Fermi glares at them without fear.

They stare calmly at those turbid eyes, not finding much surprise in them.

Thus, they know that the other side expected them to ask such a question, and O5-1 must have noticed the contradiction between "humanity" and "status quo" earlier and completed the choice.

And now, this old man firmly believes that everyone except O5-4 and O5-7 will firmly choose the "status quo."

However, in the next second, this old man sees a situation completely different from the result they hoped for.

Besides O5-7 and O5-4, who would naturally choose "humanity," 6, 8, 11, and 12 also stood over.

And O5-13 seems to have developed a rebellious spirit, just sitting there, peacefully acting as a piece of furniture, a silent potted plant.

Undoubtedly, such a situation completely exceeds O5-1's expectations, but also exceeds the audience's imagination.

—Shouldn't maintaining the "status quo" be, and only be, one of the means to maintain the survival of "humanity"?

Why would O5-1 be crazy enough to treat the means as the final goal???

It's like suffering is inevitable on the road to success, but some people treat suffering as the goal; for the sake of suffering, they can even put progress aside.

In the audience's imagination, the O5s who choose to be loyal to humanity should occupy an overwhelming advantage!

"Without humanity, even if the status quo is maintained, what's the use?"

"Activate 'Deus ex machina' and rebuild human civilization."

"No, it's learning from the 'Pioneers' and entrusting the future to the next civilization."

……

"You guys! What are you thinking in your heads?!" O5-1 roars hoarsely.

They have probably forgotten that they are an elderly person, completely unsuitable for this kind of occasion that requires a lot of talk and where the electrocardiogram is pulled straight.

"Do you still deserve to sit here and serve as members of the Overseer Council?!"

"Have you forgotten your own duties?! Have you all been hypnotized by Number Seven?!"

They stand up, leaning on their cane, and curse at the councilors who chose "humanity."

The originally sacred and solemn conference room is almost instantly filled with intense roars.

"Being loyal to the 'status quo' is the greatest loyalty to 'humanity'!"

"If we ignore the 'status quo,' human civilization will be destroyed by anomalies hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands of times!"

"It is precisely because we have always been based on the 'status quo,' guarding the 'status quo,' rebuilding civilization after disasters, and resisting 'anomalies' under the veil, that human civilization can obtain the basic conditions for continuation!"

"Without the current 'status quo,' where will humanity go?"

"What we have always, always focused on is the survival of humanity as a group, and human civilization as a whole!"

"The ultimate goal of our guarding the status quo must also be this!"

"Uncertainty, anomalies, these are all existences that may lead to the complete destruction of human civilization, and the only way to ensure that human civilization can continue better is to guard the status quo!"

"Narrowly focusing only on the current humanity will only increase risks for no reason!"

O5-7 points at O5-1 and questions:

"Klaus."

They no longer call the other side "Number One."

"Even if the 'human group' you speak of only has a small part of the Foundation's members left,"

"Even if there are only members of the O5 Council,"

"Even if there is only you left,"

"Is this the future you hope to see?"

"If it is necessary to exterminate all humans outside the Foundation to eliminate this anomaly,"

"Would you do it?"

That is not an inquiry, and it cannot even be considered asking a question.

It is a reproach with the premise of knowing the answer, it is tearing off each other's last bit of disguise, it is throwing away the O5 councilor halo, and exposing the most real street fight of nature.

And this question is the key that O5-7 has always wanted to ask.

"I, I, I..."

O5-1's expression is angry, but this anger does not support launching a counterattack against O5-7, and there is no rhetoric to support this anger.

Thus, they are left with only incompetent rage, stammering.

In the end, they can't even say "I," left only with silence after being subdued.

"Enough, is this question that hard to answer?" O5-4 really can't stand it anymore.

He was already full of disappointment toward the current Foundation, and he felt nothing but contempt for Number One, that idiot who clung to the Foundation and the lofty ideals of the original council members while satisfying his own personal interests.