Chapter 150: Speculation

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[You attempt to recall some key details from the first day...]
[You remember the eight system advisories received that day...]
[With the information at hand, you meticulously analyze them layer by layer, uncovering some glaring contradictions and obvious errors...]
[The missing information significantly increases the difficulty of survival.]
That was the third system advisory...
Colin’s eyes narrowed slightly. There was one subtle detail easily overlooked—on that day, this particular piece of information...
Its punctuation was incorrect...
“If I recall correctly, what we saw then was something like ‘The lantern can disperse the gray mist,’...”
“It’s a comma, not a period. The message feels abruptly cut off... If the system intended to withhold information, it could have phrased it differently; it wouldn’t just say half of it...”
“Based on what we now know, the original sentence should have been ‘The lantern can disperse the gray mist, and using blood can ignite it.’”
Colin hadn’t considered this before because he didn’t fully understand the system’s nature—one could interpret it as the system deliberately increasing the difficulty...
But now, noticing this subtlety...
He was suddenly overcome by an indescribable fear.
Something...
By this small alteration, had changed the entire course of humanity’s fate...
Making everything unfold exactly as it intended...
At that moment...
[System self-check in progress. Detection report: Partial information in the eight advisories has been ‘tampered’ with...]
“Tampered,” not “stolen” or “erased” as one might expect...
Colin shook off his tangled emotions and realized this must be from an old log, not the present. Viewed this way, the party hiding the lantern’s ignition method was likely not the “Big Eye”...
But to be sure, Colin asked, “Does the ‘Unknown’ entity that stripped the ‘Sanction’ function possess ‘tampering’ ability...?”
He was referring to the “Big Eye.”
[This ‘Unknown’ entity does not possess such power.]
“...Then it’s safe to conclude the alteration was not made by the ‘Big Eye’...”
Colin pondered deeply, his mind racing, faintly grasping something...

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“During this deployment, the system was infiltrated. At the time, it did not detect the problem, but soon after, the ‘Night’ was drawn in...”
“Moreover...”
“The ‘Sanction’ system suddenly activated. Though it was a different version, it still seemed capable of punishing system operators...”
“Originally, Ms. Bluebell should have been safe, but she was forced to leave the underground bunker and find a place to await death. This explains why, after escaping for so long unharmed, she was suddenly sanctioned...”
Pausing, Colin continued his reflection, “Currently, the ‘Big Eye’—the holder of the ‘Sanction’ ability—is hunting those with high inspiration. Previously, I thought it was simply targeting people with elevated inspiration...”
“But now, looking at it from another angle...”
“What kind of thing would certainly have very high inspiration?”
He shuddered involuntarily.
Though he couldn’t be certain, he realized something had successfully infiltrated the survivors...
And then...
To find that thing,
The “Big Eye” began to act...
The logic behind activating “Sanction” and hunting the “high inspiration” group is that this infiltrator’s inspiration must surpass that of ordinary people...
Anyone with inspiration above 3 could be its target.
Could it be me? Colin thought about his own high inspiration, yet there was no certainty...
“No, it’s unlikely to be me. Compared to that, I’m more like a...”
Colin’s gaze lowered slightly, “...a puppet, a target, a scapegoat...”
As he delved deeper into his thoughts, more and more anomalies surfaced...
For example, given his personality, whenever something felt off and there was no urgent danger, he would likely stop and observe rather than take risks.
But after encountering that woman’s corpse, though his situation wasn’t urgent, he unusually chose to enter the “church” immediately...
He had been too rash at that moment.
“...From the ensuing outcomes, there are two possibilities...”
“First, because my inspiration is very high—like with the lantern—I realized that unless I forced myself into a desperate situation and summoned that all-or-nothing resolve, I wouldn’t have been able to endure the ‘Sanction.’ If I couldn’t withstand it and send a message, none of the subsequent events would have happened...”
“The reason I survived ‘Sanction’ isn’t because I’m particularly powerful, but because my inspiration is high enough, granting me qualities I wasn’t even aware of...”
“Second, everything was orchestrated. I was pushed forward as bait to attract the ‘Big Eye’ and the ‘Night.’ For this, whoever is behind the scenes must have helped me improve my strength—otherwise, I wouldn’t have drawn the attention of the ‘Night’...”

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Suppressing the absurdity stirring inside, Colin’s thoughts scattered, “Right now, there are two primary suspects... One is the ‘advisory,’ and the other is the owner of the two eyeballs obtained from the ‘Fallen Aristocrat’ mission...”
He sensed that these two were fundamentally distinct, as different as water and fire—impossible to equate.
“No, the difference between them is even greater than that of water and fire...”
Colin struggled to articulate this feeling. All he could be sure of was that these two were not of the same kind.
[You feel a primal fear of your own special intuition—perhaps born from distrust of yourself...]
How could I trust it? Colin shook his head. But at this moment, what he most suspected was not the advisory but...
Those eyeballs obtained from the “Fallen Aristocrat” mission...
During the “Night” incident, they appeared three times in total. The first time, they directly dispatched the “Hound.”
The second time, when the “Night” appeared, they briefly manifested and stirred him on the spot...
They even interfered to some extent with the “Night’s” assault, allowing Colin to regain his composure and unleash an outburst...
The third time was after the ordeal ended, when Colin’s brain developed a horrific swelling. After manual “purification,” it turned into “black water”...
That seemed to be the pollution left behind by them.
Thinking about how everything he had gained was rooted in their conspiracy, and the unimaginable cost he had to bear, Colin’s mood darkened instantly...
Most crucially, was he still under their control?
The mere thought that no matter what he thought or did, even every breath he took was arranged by an invisible hand stretching out from the shadows...
Colin felt a genuine chill run down his spine...
But soon, he relaxed a little. He glanced at the “system” assisting him. Given the antagonistic relationship between the “system” and that entity, the system’s presence here meant...
The influence of the eyeballs should have vanished...
Yet... it was still terrifying as hell.
Colin vaguely sensed that something was attempting a grand escape—like shedding a cicada’s shell—and then placing that shell on him...
He couldn’t tell if the feeling was right, but he had this strange sensation...
And besides that, there was something else...