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Chapter 252 The Ascension Plan
"You're not going to punish her? That's a betrayal of the organization!" Wang Qianduan emphasized the word "betrayal."

“If you and Honglian did something like that, then it would naturally be betrayal, because you joined the organization out of the belief of maintaining world stability,” Xiao Kanong said dismissively. “But the Vision Agency is different now than it used to be. It’s more like a company, and the newly recruited members are company employees… You can’t expect them to be as loyal as you are. Compared to the work she does, Miss Jiang Siqi’s salary is already quite good, and besides, she didn’t know that the people she provided intelligence to were enemies of the Vision Agency, so I don’t think punishment is necessary.”

"It's up to you," Wang Qianduan said, giving up the argument.

Because he knew that he was no match for the captain in reasoning.

Not long after Jiang Siqi left, Xiao Jiu knocked on the door and came in. "Captain Xiao, the documents you requested have been delivered."

"Thank you," Xiao Kanong said with a smile after taking it. "Oh, and here's your red envelope. Happy New Year!"

"Wow, thank you, Captain!" Kobato immediately beamed with joy.

Xiao Canon opened the file bag, which contained a thick stack of photos.

"What kind of photo is this?" Wang Qianduan asked.

"Some on-site records before entering the intrusion point."

"Taken by the police?" He raised an eyebrow. "What do you need them for?"

"Hmm... there's something on my mind." After casually flipping through a few pages, Xiao Kanong said to the two of them, "Alright, you two can go back to work. There's nothing for you to do for now."

After Wang Qianduan and Xiaojiu left the office, his expression immediately darkened, and his smile completely disappeared.

He poured all the photos onto the table, laid them out one by one, and examined their contents one by one.

It is a top-secret document from the Jiangcheng Police Bureau, and it consists of photos taken on-site in the eroded area after they sealed off the Wuhuan Machinery Park and the reception building.

For example, scaffolding erected on top of a melted building... or a worker who accidentally came into contact with an eroded area and died tragically.

There were also complete sets of protective suits, helmets, and breathing tubes that were transported in.

too weird.

He slowly traced the photograph with his fingers, a huge question forming in his mind. The question arose from an expense bill sent to him by the logistics team, pending approval, in which the item "biological, chemical, and nuclear protection equipment" caught his attention.

He remembered all of these things very clearly.

He also remembered the contents of the photos, such as the middle ones, which were taken when they were wearing protective suits.

However, he discovered that he did not have the memory of the next part.

For example... how did the task force explore the new world step by step, understand that it was harmless, and then take off their protective suits?
He only remembered that after he arrived, he was in a golden rapeseed field, the sky was incredibly blue, and the air was fresh and pleasant—a wonderful world that was extremely suitable for human habitation.

Simply put, it's similar to Jiangcheng World.

Air, soil, and water composition tests also confirm this—except for slightly elevated levels of heavy metals and microplastics. However, this level of pollution is far from causing any catastrophic consequences.

Then the problem is coming.

How did that worker die?

The entry point itself is not deadly; anyone, whether a capable Awakened or an ordinary person, can pass through freely. Adverse reactions such as mental confusion, dizziness, and vomiting may occur along the way, but these symptoms will resolve on their own after rest.

Theoretically speaking, members of the organization would not easily enter another world.

Even if they were to enter, they would first use unmanned equipment to observe the area, ideally collecting air and soil samples. If the data was confirmed to be safe, a logistics team would be sent in first, followed by the intelligence and execution teams. Once safety was assured, the NBC (nuclear, biological, chemical) protection equipment became redundant.

Incredibly, however, it was he who issued the order to urgently mobilize personal protective equipment.

Xiao Canon rearranged the order of the photos.

The workers who died from mutations were placed in the first priority.

A new logic gradually formed in his mind—someone had strayed into the eroded area, been infected and mutated, and was killed by the on-site guards. After confirming this information, he believed that there was danger in that other world, which was why protective equipment was brought in. Afterwards, they successfully entered the other world, confirmed that the protection was effective, and gradually sent in a large number of supplies, including air filters and gas cylinders, etc. The remaining supplies that had not yet been transported were piled up around the building.

This logic is undoubtedly sound.

But it doesn't match either memory or facts.

Judging from the footage they left and were later captured, there were no protective suits at all; the environment was quite safe, and everyone looked very relaxed. After leaving the rapeseed field, they set up a temporary base under an abandoned overpass and then began to explore the surrounding area, a task that only concluded yesterday.

Xiao Kanon felt a cold sweat break out on his back.

The more he looked, the more eerie it seemed.

My own memories match the exploration records, but they don't make sense.

The photos outside can match the logic, but they clearly conflict with memory and facts.

There seemed to be a huge gap between the two.

How to explain this?

Xiao Kanong pondered for a long time but could not come to a conclusion. After hesitating for a while, he decided to report the matter to headquarters.

Unexpectedly, less than half a day after sending the email, he received a call from headquarters. "Hello, Mr. Xiao." A moment later, a voice came from the other end, "This is Dr. Jiang Yiheng."

"Hello." Xiao Kanong was somewhat surprised, not expecting that this question would attract the doctor's attention.

“Your report is very interesting and it confirms my hypothesis about the multi-world intrusion model, so it was worth it for me to call you personally.”

“I’m glad it’s helpful to your work,” Xiao Kanong said sincerely. “I was worried that there was something wrong with my memory.”

Jiang Yiheng was not his direct superior.

But he showed more respect and patience for Dr. Jiang than he did for his superiors… because superiors might be fools, but the doctor was definitely not. The outstanding achievements of the Weixian Agency over the past decade are all inextricably linked to Jiang Yiheng.

“Indeed, it’s hard to prove, but I’m willing to believe what you say,” the doctor replied. “To make a long story short, I call the anomaly you’re experiencing a history reset, which is more likely to occur in peripheral worlds.”

"The end...the world?" This was the first time Xiao Canon had ever heard this term.

“Yes, like the tip of a branch. What comes to mind?” The other person said without waiting for his answer. “Forking, short, and intertwined. It is very fragile, so it is very malleable. At the same time, it is the end of the branch, and it always begins to wither first.”

It's a bit hard to understand, but Xiao Kanong can barely keep up with the other person.

"Does the doctor mean that this kind of world is nearing its end?"

"You can think so."

"What about resetting?"

"To put it simply, it's like changing the branch's fork. A change at a certain point will generate a huge gravitational fluctuation, reshaping that branch. If you are in the midst of it, you will also be reshaped—both physically and in terms of memories," the doctor explained carefully.

Xiao Kanon frowned. "It sounds like the future has been changed."

"No, no, no, that's why I don't want to use the word 'change,' but rather 'reset.' Listen carefully, the future and the past do not exist in isolation. The past can influence the future, and the future can shape the past. The two are two ends of a wave ripple. Any change at any point will spread to the front and back of the wave."

He was speechless for a moment, not knowing what to say.

The doctor smiled slightly, as if he had already guessed his reaction. "These are the results of my recent research, and it's normal that they sound unfamiliar to you. Although your report cannot be used as evidence, it coincides with my research. You don't need to figure out exactly what it means, just know one thing... In a history reset, there is no such thing as a time paradox. A single branch can contain all the causes and effects, and they are all interconnected, coexisting and influencing each other."

"Then, after being reshaped... am I still me?" Xiao Kanong asked curiously.

"Hehe...you are indeed very clever." The doctor's tone was more admiring. "It's just like the portal hypothesis—if you decompose the traveler at point A and replicate an identical traveler at point B, are they the same person? My answer is, it depends on your opinion."

Xiao Kanon thought for a moment and realized that there was no point in wasting time on this, so he simply stopped worrying about it. "This is just too unbelievable. How on earth did history reset? Don't we have any way to resist?"

He didn't like the feeling of being completely out of control.

“I believe that there are many nodes in history. When these nodes are touched, fluctuations are generated. Once the energy of these fluctuations accumulates to a large enough level, they can create new branches,” Jiang Yiheng said with great interest. “Unfortunately, because of the reshaping, most people are unaware of the changes that are happening, because they themselves are part of history. As individuals, you and I certainly cannot resist this power. Fortunately, it only affects the original world and will not spread to other worlds through the intrusion point.”

He paused for a moment, then said, "I know what you're thinking: finding the person or thing that triggered the node and eliminating it would stop the reset at its source. That's theoretically correct, but since we can't predict the future, we can't predict when an event will happen. So instead of worrying about that, we should think about how to make good use of the reset world."

Hearing this, Xiao Kanong suddenly felt enlightened—that's right, wasn't the original world full of dangers? Although he had no memory of what kind of world it was, the thought that ordinary people would turn into monsters after just one trip there was terrifying.

The world today resembles the future, and if developed properly, intelligence agencies can benefit greatly. For example, thanks to the development of electronic technology, the intelligence groups' information gathering and protection capabilities have risen several levels.

"I understand, thank you for your explanation."

"You're welcome. You've given me a rare reset experience," the other person laughed. "I must say, examples like yours are extremely rare."

It was indeed very difficult, he thought to himself. If the doctor's research conclusions were correct, it meant that even if the world were to reset, the vast majority of people would not notice it at all. Only those who happened to be caught in that delicate timeframe before and after the reset, traveling between multiple worlds, would have a chance to detect the anomaly afterward.

“I’d rather not know about this,” Xiao Kanong said helplessly. “It’s a feeling that our fate isn’t in our own hands… If our world were to be reset, and the resulting fork in the road led to catastrophic destruction, wouldn’t that mean the end?”

“Absolutely right, and I’m certain that this will happen, because history always moves toward its end.”

Shawcanon knew this conclusion.

According to extensive observations by the Dimensional Authority, a significant proportion of the world is on the verge of destruction.

This illustrates that destruction is the norm on the path of civilization's evolution.

The purpose of establishing the maintenance agency was precisely to prevent it from arriving too quickly.

"This observation is quite consistent with my theory: the closer a world is to destruction, the easier it is to be tampered with; conversely, the easier a world is to be tampered with, the more it resembles the tip of a branch."

“To avoid this outcome… there’s only one way to go, isn’t there?” Shawcanon whispered.

“That’s right, it’s also the ultimate goal pursued by the organization,” the doctor replied affirmatively.

Whether this road exists or is passable is currently unknown.

It's just a conceptual direction; how to actually implement it remains an open question.

That's why its secret level isn't that high; Xiao Kanong had heard of the plan even when he was still at headquarters.

Within the organization, it was called "Project Ascension".

(End of this chapter)