Rhodes Island does not exist.

In his view, what is a locked circuit?

There is no answer.

Before the answer could be found, a new problem arose in front of him.

-

That was probably just an illusion.

Even the PhD himself couldn't be sure.

All he knew was that the Reaper swung its blade at the Locked Circuit, and the light emanating from the Locked Circuit simultaneously ceased at that moment.

The result of the convergence was a hazy human figure.

No, it's not just that.

Because the doctor realized that, apart from the suddenly appearing, phantom-like humanoid figure, everything around him had also vanished.

He felt as if he had been dragged into a separate world, a world in which only he and the illusion existed.

"..."

The doctor remained silent, turning his gaze to the illusion of the woman in the film.

He was at a delicate distance from the woman in the film, a distance just enough to see each other clearly, but not enough to reach out and touch.

He could see her emerald green hair, her serene and composed face, and her deep and profound gaze.

Her intuition told her that he knew this woman.

So the woman spoke first.

"PhD."

Her voice was just as he had imagined; although her tone was cold, the doctor sensed a touch of warmth in it.

"We've met again, just like I promised you."

The sound traveled across the river of time and flowed into the doctor's cochlea.

"You are……?"

Subconsciously, the doctor asked the question that had been on his mind the most.

He wanted to find the answer from this woman.

“You know who I am,” the woman said, looking at him. “Even now, you still know who I am, but you’re still refusing to acknowledge it.”

"Refuse...? I don't understand. I don't remember anything from the past." The doctor found the woman's words somewhat incomprehensible.

“You remember.” But the woman denied his denial. “If you don’t believe me, listen to this.”

Before she could finish speaking, the woman with the film spoke again, reciting her words as if reading a passage.

"Moral dilemmas actually exist in most parts of Rhode Island, but people are often unable or obligated to do anything about them."

"A guerrilla force of infected individuals is fighting and hunting for the rights of other infected people on the Ursus tundra. Will they encounter infected people they want to rescue but cannot along the way?"

……

The words flowed like a spring, and whenever the voice of the woman from the film rang out, the doctor felt the chaotic memories in his mind being smoothed out a little.

It's as if a seed buried deep in a garbage dump is trying its best to sprout branches and leaves.

"Abandon the elderly who can no longer fight, and take the children with a promising future."

"Execute bandits with impure motives and recruit warriors with firm beliefs."

"The choice between taking and giving up is a necessary one in all moral dilemmas, a choice that Rhodes Island has always been making, and a choice that I have always been making."

Her speaking speed remained unchanged, and her tone was completely flat.

The illusory nature of the situation was becoming increasingly clear in the doctor's eyes as his words unfolded.

Elegant uniforms began to appear, sophisticated wristbands began to appear, and every detail began to be constructed on her body as if created from scratch; her image was constantly being perfected.

Even so, the doctor still couldn't remember her name.

The statement continues to extend.

Would you agree with me or disagree?

"I know you won't answer."

"But it's okay, I know how you'll answer, so I've already thought about how to answer you."

"If you want to refuse, it's best not to agree in the first place, otherwise regretting it later will be considered a betrayal."

The last sentence came from the doctor.

The woman in the film fell silent.

"See, you really do remember, don't you?"

After a brief silence, she spoke again to the doctor.

"I... I just felt that this is how it should be, so I said it subconsciously." The doctor was also surprised at how fluently he had spoken just now.

“That’s because you remember,” the woman said. “Memories that have already formed will not be forgotten; they will only be buried.”

"As for me, I've simply unearthed what you buried." She looked at the doctor, her thin lips slightly parted.

"Who are you?" the doctor asked again, the same question he had already asked.

"You know who I am." And she gave the same answer she had given before.

"only--"

But this time, she made a different follow-up to her answer.

"You've probably forgotten who she is."

Accompanied by the voice of the female filmmaker, the image of the Reaper emerges in a hazy light.

Chapter 228, Part 226: You'll Have to Make a Choice

"You've probably forgotten who she is."

That's what the woman in the film said.

This also corresponds to the doctor's own thoughts.

He didn't know the Reaper, but she seemed very familiar to him.

Forgetting means that you once remembered.

Then the doctor spoke up.

"Do you know who she is?"

“I know.” The woman nodded. “She knew then; she knows now.”

“She was once a ghost living in the shadow of revenge, and everything she did was just to achieve her ultimate goal.” She looked at the image of the Reaper and spoke slowly. “And now she is also a ghost living in the shadow of revenge, and she will even lose her mind in order to achieve her goal.”

"It sounds like there's no difference," the doctor said.

“Yes, and the difference between the two is fundamental,” the woman said.

"what?"

“The object of her revenge,” she replied. “She once sought revenge for a woman, but now she seeks revenge for you.”

"For... me?"

The doctor was surprised by what the woman in the film said.

But upon closer reflection, this statement does indeed correspond to her behavior and explains why she suddenly gave up hunting him and even avoided contact with him at every turn.

"Unfortunately, as I just said, she has lost her reason and her true self, becoming a monster who exists only for revenge." The woman shook her head. "If you let her continue like this, your future will likely be blinded by her madness."

"Then what should I do?" the doctor asked, looking into the woman's eyes.

“Seeking my advice means you trust me.” The woman responded to the doctor’s gaze. “Do you think it’s right to place your trust in someone you’ve just met?”

“I think it’s fine,” the Doctor said firmly. “Because the number of people I can interact with on Rhodes Island is quite limited. If I were to treat people with suspicion in such an environment, it would be too much of a stretch—”

"What about the ghost shark?" the woman suddenly asked.

"...What did you just say?" the doctor asked in surprise.

“I asked, ‘Then why don’t you trust Ghost Shark?’” the woman repeated.

“No, that’s not what I’m asking.” The doctor shook his head, his eyes still showing the same surprise. “How were you able to say those three words?”

“Because I don’t belong to Rhodes Island,” the woman said. “Similarly, you don’t belong either, so it doesn’t matter if you say it.”

“And you are just like me,” the doctor murmured. “Your identity truly intrigues me.”

“No need to be curious, because you already know.” The woman shook her head. “You just haven’t remembered yet.”

“Alright, since you put it that way, let’s go back to the question we were discussing. What do you think I should do?” the doctor asked, “regarding the Reapers.”

“You already know the answer in your heart,” the Philin woman said. “For a monster who has lost its mind and conscience, who stands in your way, and who is threatening those around you, there is only one thing you can do, isn’t there?”

"But you said her revenge was for me," the doctor still had a question.

“For your sake, it doesn’t mean it’s for your own good.” The woman slowly shook her head. “Many times, forced and unnecessary interference will only make things go in the opposite direction.”

"So, not only for your sake and the people around you, but also for her own sake, you should make a decision."

With that, the woman handed the final choice to the doctor, and her figure became ethereal again, just as it had when she first appeared.

The doctor realized that this might be a sign that she was about to leave.

"Is she a weirdo?" So, before making a decision, the doctor asked the woman in what was probably his last question.

“There are no oddities on Rhodes Island.” The woman, Felin, shook her head. “If you think she is, then she is.”

"But the gap between us is just too vast. How can I possibly kill her?" the doctor pressed.

“This is Rhodes Island, and you are the Doctor of Rhodes Island, so you must have a way,” the Philin woman said. “Because on Rhodes Island, you are the only absolute one.”

"Then... will we ever see each other again?"

Finally, this is the last question.

The doctor's gaze was fixed on the woman, Felin. He realized that he might soon be separated from her, and that he seemed to have begun to feel a sense of attachment to her.

Although he had never met her before, and it was just a chance encounter.

And this is what the woman said to him.

"Of course we will. Since we were able to meet in this completely different Rhodes Island, we will surely meet again no matter where we are."

"At the same time, I also look forward to meeting you again, Doctor."

Having said that, she reached out her hand to the doctor, her figure already fading into insignificance.

For a moment, the doctor also wanted to reach out and grasp her hand, but just before their fingertips were about to touch, he realized in a daze that it was all just an illusion, and there was no real form.

Then, the figure of the Filin woman blended into the hazy light, gradually fading away along with the image of the Reaper, dissipating into the gradually clearing world.

Everything returned to its original state.

The brilliant light that had flowed from the necklace returned to where it belonged. The bleeding girl lay flat on the ground, the Reaper wielding two blades stood frozen in place, and Skadi remained in her tragic posture, covered in wounds, standing like a statue.

Everything that just happened here was just an illusion. Now that the illusion has faded, the Doctor has to face the cruel reality again and the choice he just made.

So, what should the PhD student do now?

The answer is simple.

He was determined to carry out his earlier decision and kill the monster before him, which was now blinded by madness.

"despair."

The doctor stood beside the locked circuit as the rain poured down from the ceiling, his heels stomping through the rain.

The Reaper, wielding its sharp blade, had recovered from the earlier flash of light and refocused its attention on the locked circuit.

The doctor standing in front of her posed no threat whatsoever.

After all, she had bypassed the doctor to achieve her goals more than once, so this time would be no exception.

But the doctor didn't think so.

"Maybe I can't keep up with your speed, but at least I can see the trajectory of your movements."