He is the leader of the Tantric sect in Chagdu.

Chapter 96 "He" Must Be Perfect

The sky was just beginning to lighten, and scattered rays of light slowly rose from the dark background, tinging the outer walls of the nest with a layer of amber gold.

The air circulation device, in energy-saving mode, is like a giant beast that has just awakened from its slumber, starting a new day's activities. The originally light breathing gradually becomes heavy, accompanied by a faint rumbling sound. A thin mist composed of water vapor hangs down like a veil from the gaps in the dome.

The glow is the first rays of dawn.

Mana, the floating city; the Lower City Foundation.

Countermeasures Bureau.

The meeting room, which had been lit all night, was filled with soft applause. Everyone present silently left their seats, and the impromptu meeting finally came to an end. Soon, only a few people remained.

Even the head of the monitoring department could no longer tolerate the suffocating atmosphere. He stood up, bowed to the host who was seated in the chairman's seat, and then hurriedly left.

The huge conference hall was completely empty. At that moment, a gaunt figure stood up in the direction that all the seats were facing, and slowly walked to the huge floor-to-ceiling window on the other side. He quietly looked down at the dimly lit ground below, and even below that, the still pitch-black, bloated city.

"How embarrassing."

He exhaled a deep, stale breath from his sunken chest. The cool morning breeze before dawn eased the old man's fatigue somewhat, but it was still a drop in the ocean.

On his chest was the familiar Foundation emblem and the name "Olivia." Below that were seven ten-pointed stars, representing his authority level of 7.

"Permission 7: Governor"

This seemingly ordinary old man is, apart from the "Sustainability Committee," which is independent of the "Three Pillars," the highest authority within the foundation's administrative system. His presence here makes him the nominal "manager" of the entire downtown area.

"Tsk—"

Olivia sighed as she recalled the meeting from half an hour earlier, "It's getting more and more outrageous."

—From a small commission at the beginning to a situation that is now almost out of control—Although objective factors accounted for the majority, the foundation's response still has significant problems.

Faced with Olivia's questioning, the head of the monitoring department confidently explained to the governor: "It's not a snake, it's a snake."

Their mastery of concealment and stealth is the most enigmatic power even in the entire realm of mystery—by crawling, they can even hide from the pursuit of the "supreme divinity" and escape successfully.

In addition, their spread through "meme contamination," their incredibly powerful life force that is almost impossible to eradicate, and their parasitic skills that can be perfectly replaced by worms—these disgusting creatures are the "kings of survival" that even the supreme gods acknowledge.

They may be defeated, but they are difficult to eliminate.

Moreover, even with the Foundation's monitoring of the Red Pool, it is still impossible to completely eliminate their influence. The moment the passage appeared, the mysterious environment of the entire area was concealed by the worms, and it was out of the Foundation's control.

The think tank's signal was blocked, and Hume Tree was unable to complete the precise positioning, which prevented even "correction support" from arriving at the scene in time.

As a result, the situation spiraled out of control.

Even Olivia felt helpless.

—Lolanda's Holy Nest has also experienced their invasions, but since the "hearth" was ignited, the worms have become much more restrained, at least they dare not cross that dome at will.

But this time, the "creeping tunnel" was opened in a bizarre way—and even came to a temporary end in a way that no one expected.

"Grey—." The old man murmured the name softly, completely unconcerned about the so-called meme contamination, his murky dark green eyes revealing no emotion.

"It's been a long time since I've met someone this interesting ————"

He sighed softly, switching from holding the short cane with one hand to gripping it with both, his deep gaze shifting to the distance, his vision filled with the magnificent scene before him—

Mana, the miraculous city suspended in the air, is not only a fixed territory but also the Foundation's central hub, situated between the lower and upper cities, to control the entire hive. Directly beneath Mana lies a terrifying array of "Secret Engines" and "Grand Mystic Machines," capable of operating at a power level sufficient to reach the fourth energy level for short periods.

If the singularity of the "hearth" is further activated, it can even withstand real grandeur.

Recently, several consecutive space-based strikes, including an extermination order, have all targeted the same entity: the taboo known as "Gray," who resides in the remote suburbs.

—Why are you always involved in **?

After nearly a month of silence, the taboo of that newborn brought the Foundation an unprecedented piece of big news: a meeting took place on the political fringes of Kane Street—after which, as the spreading gray matter sealed off the entire area, both parties disappeared from the Foundation's sight and were never heard from again.

Upon receiving this result, most people didn't know whether to be happy or sad.

At this moment, the strategic secret energy reserves flowing in Mana's lower body had only recently cooled down—because the Foundation had just fired a space-based cannon at that gray curtain, but the secret energy output was maintained at a very ambiguous level—it was less of an "attack" and more of an attitude of maintaining the status quo.

—Or rather, it's a tacit acceptance and compromise.

Olivia raised her hand, displaying hundreds of "to-read" messages piled up on the think tank page —

I swiped the little red dot in the upper right corner lightly, and then cleared everything.

The old man squinted his eyes—now it's all quiet.

"What's the point of reporting all this to me now?"

He turned around slowly, looked at the only figure still sitting upright in the seats, and then slowly walked over. Olivia's voice was not loud, but it was just enough for the person sitting at a distance to hear.

"Wei, what do you think?"

Sitting in his seat, having been lost in thought the whole time, Virtue raised his eyes slightly, then nodded gently, his tone as calm as still water.

"Um--

She said absentmindedly in a low voice, "So, in the end, we're still planning to abandon the rescue—to compromise with that devil?"

Veltin looked up, her amber eyes shrouded in confusion. She was bewildered. "Even if that guy has already started testing our limits, encroaching on our territory, slaughtering our employees, and challenging our authority?"

"It's not over yet."

Olivia waved her hand, sat down on the other side of Wilting, leaned her cane against the side, and looked thoughtful. After a moment, she started the conversation from another angle.

"Wei, do you know? Among all the people in this conference hall today, you are the youngest, a seventeen-year-old deputy director of the executive department, a rising star of the new generation—as bright and dazzling as the rising sun. Very good, truly excellent."

""

He sighed.

"And the others, each one of them is a seasoned veteran who has worked for the foundation for over a decade, even several decades—"

Some of these decision-makers were even at the helm since the Hearth Council era, and the first skill they learned in the new policy bureau was balance and compromise.

Olivia said softly, "We spent almost a hundred years reforming, choosing to abandon the principles of dictatorship and the supremacy of force, and disbanding the Hearth Council. The younger generation thinks we've gone mad, but it's not a step backward—maybe not."

"Having come all the way from that era, I understand the power of ideals better than anyone else. The original council—everyone was an extreme idealist. I may have been an outlier among them who wasn't so steadfast, but I was the only one who made it here."

He chuckled self-deprecatingly and added.

"An old guy whose only thought is how to maintain the status quo."

'

'

Wilting couldn't deny that the governor's words answered almost none of her questions, but they did express an attitude—and the old man's attitude, at times, represented the foundation's attitude—

"Even if it's taboo?" she asked unwillingly.

“Taboos come in different kinds.” Olivia narrowed her eyes. “If it’s something that isn’t a snake, we wouldn’t be holding this big meeting here now. People would clean everything up once it’s over. If it’s still out of control, we might even activate the extermination order again—or even call upon the power of the supreme divinity.”

"Because a monster is a monster. Those things are the natural enemies of wisdom and order. Any communication or dialogue is meaningless to them. Everyone understands that extinction is the only outcome for them."

He then changed the subject: "But that one is different."

"You said gray—" Virtue murmured.

"That's right, the most special taboo in history."

Olivia laid her short cane flat on her knees. "Forbidden beings with reason and the ability to communicate are actually thinking every day about how to extract more value from these things. They have indeed achieved some results, but most of them have failed."

"Mystery originates from the realm of the mind and spirit, while taboo is a form of power that transcends the 'human Hume threshold' in the 'mass pan-mind model,' an element that the human mind cannot control or comprehend, and that, if left unchecked, could have devastating consequences for the nest, or even the entire world."

"Therefore, under the banner of 'survival,' one of the foundation's fundamental obligations is to prevent taboos from spiraling out of control as much as possible. To eliminate the chain of suspicion in between, elimination is a means—while communication and cooperation are also means, although most people don't quite accept this approach."

At this point, Olivia suddenly chuckled twice, the old woman's gentle expression harmless and kind. "However, after this incident, the madmen—they will more or less have to consider communication methods more carefully."

—Those guys seem to be crazy to everyone else.

Virtue grumbled inwardly, but didn't show any further emotion, simply listening quietly as the governor continued.

"Grey, I've reviewed all of his existing files—most of them came from you, right?"

Ignoring the fleeting sadness on Virtue's face, Olivia spoke eloquently, with an indescribable air about her.

"Heh heh—this kind of madman, who still has a human form and cognition, operates everything in an inhuman manner. What a mad and pure thing he is. If he were not an opposing force, even I would sincerely admire him."

The governor shook his head and sighed, "Perhaps you can't understand, but what if we think about it from a different perspective?"

Since Gray appeared, the once-harmful outskirts seem to be gradually transforming from a malignant tumor into a benign one—the crime rate in North River District has noticeably decreased, and even the previously rampant clandestine societies have become much more subdued.

"If we disregard the process, he even helped us block the invasion of non-snake snakes—that's the fact. Gray is the ultimate rationality, the mortal enemy of worms. When that layer of gray matter covers the worm's passage, our losses are already minimized."

"He—" Virtin suddenly felt a lump in his throat. He instinctively wanted to retort, his lips trembled twice, but he couldn't utter another sound.

"He—" She clenched her fists tightly.

"dimension."

Olivia smiled and pointed to the girl's hand. "Perhaps you can relax a little. Most of the time, anger is a burden for you. The Inquisition may use anger or revenge as fuel for advancement—"

He said in a deep voice, "But you can't."

Veltin looked silently at his right hand. The glass that had been beside him had been crushed and shattered at some point. Sharp shards pierced his fair and delicate palm, and blood slowly flowed down his slender wrist, leaving many faint red marks.

""

"I understand your confusion, and I understand what you yearn for. I'm sorry, this may disappoint you, but this is the path the foundation has chosen. You feel that our bottom line is being pushed back step by step, and that is indeed the case. We compromise with giant corporations, we compromise with taboos. We are always trying to balance and coordinate everything, to make everything more stable and solid—this is the measure called 'survival'."

"But—" Virtue began, startled.

"That's exactly it." The old man interrupted her, then stared intently into those eyes that flowed like liquid amber. "The world frozen in this moment of overlapping light and darkness is already the fruit we have fought for—human beings are incredibly complex, and even the Foundation cannot unify all thoughts. We can only adapt, just as a gillless beast adapts to a pool of water—"

"unless----"

The old man's usually gentle face suddenly contorted with a sinister, unreal expression. "Unless, there really is such a thing as an ideal state, a heaven, or a utopia, unless there really is such a thing as Yahweh, so great that he can contain all thoughts and so powerful that he can support the operation of the world, and his principles are to wrap all living beings like a strong swaddling cloth and nurture all kinds of creatures—to achieve the so-called true perfection."

He must be perfect, understand all things, and be versed in metaphysical truth. He must possess supreme moral sublimity and complete rational explanation. He must have the insight, judgment, sense of responsibility, and sense of justice to measure all human affairs—even to the point that if he decides to destroy this world, all beings must believe in him and be grateful for it.

"Can you find a tyrant whose autocratic rule is trustworthy?"

Olivia concluded with a flippant remark, while Veltin fell into complete silence.

"I don't want you to accept it, I just want you to understand it."

The girl stared blankly at her palm, while Olivia silently stood up, held her short cane in her hand, pushed open the door and left, leaving behind only a seemingly casual whisper.

"At least for now, this is the only way the world can operate."

he left.

In the dead silence, Virtin gently summoned the think tank.

She stared at a form with her still unsettled gaze: "List of Losses in this Forbidden Disaster - List of Missing Officials: Ronan (Courtroom), Mia (Courtroom), Ellen (Countermeasures Bureau) — More information is still being compiled."

"idiot----"

She slowly tilted her head back and lay down on the seat, covering her face with one hand. Her hoarse voice sounded like crying, and her rapid breathing gradually seeped into the depths of her emotions.

When sorrow and confusion wither and decay like rotten wood in a dried-up swamp, a resolute strength slowly grows silently from the depths of the heart.

The girl squeezed out the word from deep in her throat.

"Ash."

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