Chapter 149: An Unexpected Incident?

Once the system is corrupted by these human traitors, all of humanity will suffer alongside it...

At this moment, the "Arrivals" have become the common enemy of mankind.

But now...

Everything that needed to be said has been said, yet the information cluster before Colin’s eyes showed no sign of disappearing...

Is this the free question-and-answer session?

Well, given the perilous mission of rooting out the "Arrivals," some perks are only fair.

After some thought, Colin decided to ask a question.

"Was it you who captured us and brought us here?"

[Sorry, the relevant data has been lost; this question cannot be answered.]

"Who exactly are you? What is your purpose? Who sent you?"

[Sorry, the relevant data has been lost; this question cannot be answered.]

Colin tried a different approach: "What do you want us to do?"

[Sorry, the relevant data has been lost; this question cannot be answered.]

Colin realized that he had asked a series of questions, yet none received a reply...

"Is it that you don’t know or that you’re pretending not to?"

Frowning, Colin was frustrated—none of the information he sought was forthcoming. He wondered if the data had truly been destroyed or if some secrets were simply off-limits.

"So, was it you who repelled the 'Night' this time?"

Colin recalled that the entity known as Night had almost manifested, but after he severed the link between the two sides, some force suddenly isolated it.

Previously, he had assumed it was the system’s doing...

But seeing the system in such a pitiful state now...

If it really had that power, Colin felt his group would not have suffered so badly.

[Currently, only the "Unknown" can resist the "Unknown"...]

"Only the 'Unknown' can resist the 'Unknown.' Was there a high-ranking existence involved then?"

When Colin emerged, the gray mist had ceased boiling, so he had no idea what had transpired...

He then attempted to trigger a hint.

[Hint: Only the "Unknown" can resist the "Unknown"...]

Feels like a broken record... Colin muttered, then asked, "Is it on our side?"

[Sorry, that information cannot be answered.]

He understood the system knew but couldn't reveal it; perhaps it was neutral. Pondering further, Colin asked several more questions—about the current total number of people, where the elderly, weak, and sick who were not deployed had gone, and whether they could return to Earth.

Unfortunately, none of these questions yielded clear answers.

"It seems everything that can be revealed has already been shown... Asking is pointless."

Colin ceased further questioning and quietly awaited the system’s help to get through the worst of his "withered" state.

A surge of power, like a "recovery card," continuously flooded his body, easing much of his discomfort...

[Hint: You estimate that in three hours, you will regain your normal state...]

Three hours...

Colin reflected and began reviewing the system’s recent words...

What was clear now was...

The system had not betrayed humanity.

But its condition was dire, with a high damage rate causing many functions to malfunction.

Moreover, a large group of "Unknown" entities had taken refuge within it, making it particularly dangerous...

Considering all this, Colin decided to conceal the truth about the system, maintaining humanity’s vigilance rather than sympathy toward it...

For a long time to come...

The system would play the role of the "enemy."

Of course, Colin knew the system probably didn’t care.

That said...

Colin suddenly thought of something—something neither clearly good nor bad.

"If on the first day, you hadn’t withheld the method to ignite the lantern, I wouldn’t have gained such great prestige, nor would I have been able to use the 'hints' to help people make so many correct preparations..."

Colin sighed, "In a sense, your plan was quite clever..."

For this generation of survivors, what had the greatest and most lasting impact?

Without a doubt, it was the method of lighting the lantern...

That very method had earned Colin tremendous renown and made it possible for him to lead all humanity in experiencing this "cheat."

Otherwise, he would have been endlessly questioned and wasted much time...

But...

It was precisely the concealment of the lantern’s ignition method that caused many to perish when he announced the timing—with only an hour left until Night, many who were out and hadn’t returned in time died...

In hindsight, this was a necessary sacrifice by the system. Without it, humanity would have been scattered and disorganized, with no leader to guide them toward the right choices...

Things would have become extremely complicated and troublesome...

Of course, this also caused a steep drop in survivor mortality on the first day due to this event.

"But this also means one thing: the system understands the 'anomaly' inside me, and relatively positively at that—though to what extent remains unknown..."

"But I can’t ask, and if I guess wrong, I’ll probably be treated as one of the 'Arrival faction' and dealt with..."

Colin shook his head and sighed. If what he suspected was true, it was a case of the camel being thinner yet still bigger than the horse.

With powerful data computing, a small incident predicted the future trend.

During those days...

Everything bore the marks of orchestration.

Now, looking back, it was all the system’s deliberate arrangement...

At the time, he had pushed himself into a desperate situation to gain the resolve needed to convey the message and win the hearts of many.

In a way, this small concealment determined the brutal victory now instead of extinction.

However, when Colin casually mentioned this, the system suddenly fell silent...

After a while, he saw the system stir again, sending new information that made Colin’s eyes flicker.

[The system never attempted to conceal the method of lighting the lantern; such behavior violates its fundamental logic and is impossible to execute...]

[The system made no detailed plans; for the "Unknown," all system arrangements are meaningless and subject to distortion and alteration...]

[The system can only provide limited assistance and protection; it cannot participate in any planning...]

[This incident... was an accident.]

The system completely denied Colin’s words.

An accident...

For a moment, the place fell silent, and Colin felt as if he had fallen into an ice cellar...

An accident? Who would believe that?

Colin knew there were mysteries surrounding him.

But...

His intuition told him...

This matter...

Had nothing directly to do with him.

And this was not a mere case of "lost information"...

At that moment, Colin suddenly recalled something—a deeply chilling thought...

.

.

.

P.S.: Thanks to "Rational Thought," "Distant Silence," "East Wind Brings Light Sorrow," and another brother whose QQ name is unpronounceable—thanks to all of you, and for your subscriptions, recommendations, and monthly votes...

Tomorrow marks the end of Volume One...