Chapter 224: Choices

Huo En rarely wakes up at this time; in fact, the Ark rarely enters this state either.

Most of the time on the Sea of Sin, people don't reach the stage of collective hallucination before someone is arranged to land on the island.

Of course, there are occasional lapses, such as this time.

It’s just that Huo En clearly felt the people around him were still in the illusion.

Everyone was motionless, staring at the walls.

The cabin where Huo En was located was considered a relatively decent one, with a population density far lower than the cabins below, but it still held a dozen or so people.

At this moment, these people all had their backs to Huo En, staring blankly at the walls.

Huo En realized something was wrong.

"I don't have any abilities, so how could I have woken up early?"

Just as Huo En realized this, he heard a voice.

"Huo En, I come from the future. In the future, I once fought alongside you, attempting to break the Captain's rule over the Ark."

These words came out of nowhere.

Huo En thought:

"Oh, so I didn't wake up early; I'm still in the hallucination. This hallucination is interesting... Is it a projection of my subconscious? I yearn for someone to fight side-by-side with me."

Just as Huo En was thinking this, that voice spoke again:

"I know you might not believe it, but the future you even gave me a message. As long as you hear this message, you will believe me. Of course, I can't rule out that you think this is a hallucination, so everything heard in the hallucination is reasonable."

"But next, everyone will wake up. If you insist it's a hallucination, then you might as well try to start a riot within the hallucination, and then follow the scene you see... keep escaping."

"We need a particularly large riot, preferably one that can attract the Captain's attention."

The one conversing with Huo En was naturally Wen Xishu, though it was Sirius relaying the message.

Wen Xishu also revealed that secret of Huo En's; in these extraordinary times, he couldn't worry about Sirius knowing this.

That secret didn't actually mean much to Sirius, but for Huo En and Wen Xishu, it held great significance. It was a common point in their experiences, something both of them had done in their childhood.

It’s just that what Huo En did wasn't as outrageous as what Wen Xishu did, but Huo En did it nonetheless.

In fact, Wen Xishu knew that being able to tell him such a thing—in the Strange Tower, that is, the future version of Huo En—truly considered him a friend.

And upon hearing this secret, Huo En immediately realized the severity of the situation.

"What do I need to do?"

Even if this were a hallucination, even if this were a subconscious projection, mentioning this matter meant his own brain was hinting that this was a very important "hallucination."

Wen Xishu began to speak of Huo En's plan.

Huo En was quite rational and not surprised that the other party knew these things. After all, even more critical information was already known.

"No problem. If I can get everyone to wake up, I can make that riot happen within fifteen minutes."

"Then I'll leave it to you," Wen Xishu said sincerely.

Although Huo En was not a powerful ability user on the Ark, he was a deep strategist.

Wen Xishu always felt that if Huo En could go to the bunker, then by having Huo En climb the Strange Tower a few times and obtain a few sequences... even without the Inverted Dice, Huo En could become a helper in the Strange Tower second only to himself.

Sirius also hadn't expected... that there were ordinary people on the Ark who dared to scheme against the Captain.

"He is just a non-ability user with disabled legs; how could he have such great ambition?" Sirius said to Wen Xishu in surprise.

Wen Xishu said:

"His mind is sharp. He can endure, has vision, and possesses a sense of justice in his heart, yet he knows how to sacrifice pawns. To be honest... I admire him very much."

This escape along the way had already made Sirius realize what an important existence Wen Xishu was.

Wen Xishu might not be aware of it himself, but Sirius keenly sensed that Wen Xishu was like an unpredictable variable.

And he could gather many powerful people around him in the future.

Since such a person would admire someone with disabled legs, then this incomplete person must have extraordinary qualities.

He said:

"Begin."

Wen Xishu nodded.

In the distance, Huo En also let out a breath.

Huo En could actually feel that this was not a hallucination... because a large number of people were beginning to wake up, and everyone's reactions were very real.

This was something happening for real. If this were a scam—

Then all his plans would be exposed.

But he chose to gamble big.

He quickly began to use the Ark's equipment to contact everyone; an unprecedented riot was about to begin.

Sirius had completely taken control of the body by now. The so-called hallucination was released by the Sea of Sin Beast, but the Sea of Sin Beast was Sirius's pet.

It was a creature in the sea area created by Sirius, and he could fully command it.

When the Sea of Sin Beast lifted the illusion, the first reaction of the Captain and others was to think they had entered the next stage, because the people arranged to land on the island had just entered it.

This meant that a certain concept in Sirius's heart had been invaded.

And it was also at this time that Huo En began to organize the riot.

Sirius was initially a bit worried: could a guy in a wheelchair really make the Captain and others divert their attention through organization?

But soon, listening to the alarms on the ship and feeling the large-scale footsteps on the Ark...

Sirius was stunned.

This was subtle; how long had he been preparing in secret? No... this wasn't something that could be done just by time. After all, how long had the Ark even existed?

Although he couldn't see the whole picture, Sirius knew very well that to create a riot of this scale and to persuade so many ordinary people to risk their lives...

This required strong leadership and charisma, as well as the observational power to see through the essence of others. Of course, it also required the Captain to be sufficiently cruel and heartless.

Sirius sighed:

"Truly impressive..."

Wen Xishu once complained about himself, saying that whenever he gave a speech, it would be the kind of speech criticizing bread prices exceeding 500,000 marks—

Thinking about it now, Huo En really was another version of himself. Although the two also had many differences.

The massive riot attracted everyone's attention. Due to its excessive scale, even Feng Nuoyiman received orders.

At this very moment, the Sea of Sin Beast calmed down, and with everyone released from the illusion...

To everyone, it looked like the landing was successful, and everything was proceeding according to the process.

At this time, Sirius didn't need to worry. And such a large riot also forced the high-level officials on the ship to pay attention.

Wen Xishu also asked a key question at this time:

"What exactly is the Captain's ability? Why can he control you? Why does the world you create lose certain concepts?"

Sirius didn't hide it:

"That is an extremely advanced sequence called the Weakness Path. The path is the ritual, and the terrifying thing about this sequence is that it can create weaknesses for anyone."

"This weakness can be decided by the owner of the sequence: it can be a weakness that kills the other party, or a weakness that controls the other party."

"Simply put, the Captain relied on this sequence to create a weakness that could control me. After I possessed this weakness—the world I created would lose certain concepts."

"And the Captain must build the path, that is, the ritual and the price, to ensure this weakness always exists."

"This price is to let eight or more people enter the world I created... and lose these concepts together."

"Of course, the gap between my ability and the Captain's... no, to be precise, the gap in our status, leads to the instability of the weakness created by the Captain, so it is also possible for someone to awaken the concepts I lost within the world I created."

"You did it."

After hearing this, Wen Xishu couldn't help but be horrified. This ability was indeed terrifying. In a sense, as long as the Captain had enough sacrifices...

He could truly enslave even gods.

……

……

On the other side, while Sirius and Wen Xishu were talking, Sirius's rotting flesh also began to guide Huo En. After Huo En started the biggest riot in history—

Sirius helped Huo En clear the way the whole time.

Under Sirius's guidance, Huo En began to climb along the Ark's pipes.

Because rotting flesh grew on the pipe walls, although Huo En was a bit unaccustomed to it, he made almost no noise during the climbing process.

The rotting flesh cleared the way, and finally successfully guided Huo En to the utility room where Wen Xishu had been before.

"Huo En, stay right here, don't move."

The riot was still spreading, and Feng Nuoyiman had already received orders.

Once Feng Nuoyiman's aura completely disappeared, Wen Xishu and Sirius also began their prison break.

They had to go back along the time turbulence once more.

It’s just that this time, after being familiar with all the scenes, Wen Xishu and Sirius were both very confident.

For example, when experiencing certain rule-based scenes, they both knew very well what the rules were.

And when they returned to the underground passage far from the Wind City, the two didn't say much and decisively chose to head straight for the escape point.

Appearing again on the chessboard battlefield of Leo and Scorpio, the chess player—the future Wen Xishu—had long known all this and had arranged for someone to bring Wen Xishu back from the church to the prison.

Yes, when they went, it was from the prison back to the church, so when they came, they had to go from the church back to the prison.

Wen Xishu and Sirius were both in tacit agreement.

The two quickly returned to the first time node, the city that ate human children. But now, Wen Xishu had no heart to study which city this was.

He and Sirius ran wildly all the way, not caring about the gazes of the monsters around them.

It can be said that compared to the first time, Wen Xishu almost speed-ran it.

If Scorpio saw this, he would surely exclaim—

How is it that he didn't use his save-loading ability again?

In fact, this is not the first time Wen Xishu has obtained the ability to load a save, but Wen Xishu truly is able to achieve zero errors every time he encounters such a moment...

Even Sirius is surprised; it is hard to imagine that escaping the time prison of Pisces would be done in such a speedrun fashion.

Wen Xishu’s intuition has become as strong as the experience of a veteran facing a familiar level.

The final and also initial node was finally broken through.

When Wen Xishu and Sirius opened their eyes, Huo En had already appeared in their line of sight.

Wen Xishu could not help but break into a cold sweat:

"From the future to the present... we have finally gathered together again."

Huo En thought for a moment and said:

"It seems... the future me trusts you very much. But I have a question—if you successfully changed the past, then that future would no longer exist, right?"

"If that future does not exist, then will this past still exist?"

Huo En is always one for contemplation.

Wen Xishu had actually thought about this too; if the past were changed, he would no longer meet Huo En in the future.

But Wen Xishu quickly realized that this is normal time logic. However, what he experienced is not normal time logic.

Because what he experienced was the Trick Tower transferring to the Desire Tower via an invitation.

In other words, because everything about the Trick Tower is so similar to the Desire Tower, it looks like the future Desire Tower. But in reality, Wen Xishu did not come from the future to the past.

He simply transferred from the Trick Tower to the Desire Tower.

And when the Desire Tower changes, all three towers automatically simulate the timeline. This is a variable outside of Pisces, a power that even the constellation Pisces struggles to rival.

To be precise, this is something that all twelve constellations must abide by—the rules of the Three Towers game.

"No need to worry. If the source were the future, then a grandfather paradox would occur... but the game I experienced has its source in the Desire Tower. Oh, you don't know what the Desire Tower is yet, right? I'll tell you later, but Huo En, we have to go!"

Huo En said:

"In other words... your plan is to escape the Ark? You are all ability users, right?"

[He] said:

"Huo En, don't worry, my ability can take you with us; there is no hope in staying on the Ark."

Wen Xishu’s heart skipped a beat.

Oh no...

Huo En shook his head and said:

"You mean you want to escape, that is no problem. Since the future me is willing to tell you my secrets... then the future me absolutely trusts you."

"But I cannot abandon the Ark!"

If one day Albert were asked to abandon his bunker, Albert might agree, but what if he were asked to abandon everyone in the bunker?

Then the meaning of his efforts would no longer exist.

Huo En is exactly like that right now, so Wen Xishu understands perfectly.

"Huo En, we don't have much time. If the Captain and Feng Nuoyiman notice that the chaos is just a ploy to lure the snake out of its hole... all our efforts will be in vain."

Huo En shook his head:

"You have no idea how long this chaos had to be prepared for, how many people had to be sacrificed, and what kind of future they believed in when they started this chaos..."

"Now, you want me to leave... after they have made their resolve and sacrifices?"

Time is truly running out. Wen Xishu knows very well that getting Huo En to give up on saving the Ark is a very difficult task.

Wen Xishu sighed:

"Forgive me, Huo En."

As Wen Xishu said this, he prepared to raise his hand for a chop, but Huo En instantly judged Wen Xishu’s intent:

"You are destroying my dream."

This sentence made Wen Xishu stop his movement.

Huo En’s gaze at this moment looked exactly like Albert’s:

"I don't know why the future me trusts you... but I think it must be because I admire you, and you also respect me."

"I cannot abandon the people on the Ark. Perhaps your world has your own answers, but for me, the Ark is the existence I want to turn into the correct answer."

Wen Xishu suddenly wanted to knock Huo En unconscious and take him away directly.

Let Sirius take Huo En far away, or return to the Guide, send out Ding Dong’s receipt letter, and let Ding Dong find the two of them.

But if that happened, wouldn't Huo En’s heart suffer immense torment?

If Huo En truly had no emotions, as he said at the beginning—that he only simulates human emotions and is a purely rational existence—then Wen Xishu would have taken action.

But Wen Xishu knows very well that Huo En is not without emotions.

Wen Xishu also knows very well that he himself has never been the villain he claims to be.

"Damn it, Huo En! Do you know what you will face if you stay? You are just an ordinary person..."

How could you, an ordinary person, possibly defeat existences like the Captain and Feng Nuoyiman?

The words reached his lips, but Wen Xishu stopped.

Because Huo En just shook his head quietly:

"I have to stay. You should go quickly. I believe that what I am doing must be correct, and I believe that your departure will have a very good impact in the future."

"But I must save the Ark; this is the meaning of my life, and the cause I am willing to die for."

The Sin Sea Behemoth no longer lurked, and the scarlet sea mist once again shrouded the massive Ark.

The sea beast attacked again, which also made Feng Nuoyiman and the others realize something was wrong.

Time is truly running out. Sirius also began to turn the cabin walls into flesh, opening a passage that led to the interior of the Sin Sea Behemoth’s body.

The Sin Sea Behemoth would strike the Ark, and the point of impact would merge with Sirius’s flesh-transformation, which would be the exit to escape the Ark.

Wen Xishu knew he had to be decisive, yet he was facing the most difficult choice of his life.

Is it better to take a friend away for their own good, or to trust this friend and let him fight for that nearly impossible future?

(End of chapter)