Rhodes Island does not exist.

“It seems that what happened outside of Rhodes Island was quite complicated.” Skadi shook her head. “And Rhodes Island has obviously brought in all our old friends.”

“But we don’t know who our old friends are.” The doctor looked up at the high ceiling. “We only know who our enemies are.”

“No, we don’t even know who our enemies are.” Skadi shook her head again. “Don’t believe anything you’ve been through, even if it cost you your life.”

“After all, life is only precious to oneself. In the eyes of others, your life is something that can be trampled and ravaged at will,” Skadi sighed. “Don’t forget, for the outside world, what prevents people from destroying other lives is merely the binding of law. If that cloak of law and justice is stripped away, then everyone will have the right to become a beast.”

"And you, here you, your life is a level lower than all other lives."

Skadi addressed the Doctor by name, as if she were insulting him.

“Because you possess a privilege—resurrection.” Skadi’s tone was serious. “So far, apart from the locked circuit, I have never encountered another being like you.”

"Can I take this as a compliment?" A closed loop that had been listening in suddenly chimed in.

"Sure," the professor said with a smile.

"Yay!" The interlocking circuit cheered like a child.

"That long lecture you just gave was so unlike you." Looking at the closed loop, who seemed perfectly happy despite being practically brainless, the Doctor turned his gaze back to Skadi and sighed softly. "I thought you would be someone who wouldn't bother with these kinds of grand principles."

“I really don’t want to,” Skadi nodded. “I hate talking too much, and I hate expressing my feelings… but I’m worried about you.”

"So what I just said was only meant for you." Skadi used her virtue of honesty to speak her innermost thoughts and let them flow into the Doctor's ears.

"Is that so?" Hearing Skadi's words, the Doctor couldn't help but smile. "Then I am truly flattered."

“But you can rest assured,” the doctor said, looking at Skadi, “because I don’t easily believe anything, especially now that I have my own memories of the past.”

“Yes, you’re so lucky,” Skadi sighed again. “You can tell what’s real and what’s fake just by looking at yourself, while I still have to keep searching for everything I’ve lost.”

"So, about that oddity called Bozocasti," Skadi continued, picking up where they left off, "what happened between you and him on Rhodes Island in the past?"

“Something has indeed happened.” The doctor nodded.

"what?"

"We had a fight."

Chapter 254, Part 252: The Philosophy of Life

Let bygones be bygones. Cut ties with the old world and never want to hear anything about it again. Go to a new world, a new place, and never look back!

—Fyodor Dostoevsky, The Brothers Karamazov

-

"Also, do you remember those slug-like weirdos on the eighth floor?"

The doctor's words reminded Skadi of the horrified glimpse of him she had caught when the elevator doors opened.

At that moment, the Doctor was covered in blood as he lunged toward Skadi, with slug monsters surging behind him like waves.

To be honest, at the time, that scene did have a significant psychological impact on Skadi, to the point that she chose to retreat rather than fight.

However, if Skadi had actually chosen to fight back then, then the Doctor might have taken many detours later on.

And Skadi... unfortunately, she might die in the bizarre inundation of those slugs.

That's why she didn't choose to venture deep into enemy territory alone.

After all, for a warrior or a hunter, before having a strong body, the first thing one should have is a clear mind.

“Ah, of course, although you seem to have asked me this question before.” Skadi glanced at the Doctor.

“I also saw things about them during that flashback just now,” the doctor said.

“They…?” Skadi pondered for a moment. “I remember you also told me that they were not malicious and were even quite friendly to you.”

“That’s right,” the doctor nodded, “but this isn’t about getting closer to me.”

"It's about getting closer to the you of the past, right?" Following the Doctor's words, Skadi had probably already guessed what was going to happen next, so she interrupted him before he could even speak.

"Ah."

Clearly, she was right.

“I once got a packet of seeds from who-knows-where and buried them all under the blankets.” The doctor recounted what he had witnessed. “I can assure you that before he planted them, all the beds on the eighth floor were spotless white, but as he sowed the seeds from that bag onto the sheets, they quickly turned into a liquid-like substance and then directly stained everything around them red.”

"Wait, you mean there were no anomalies on the eighth floor before you planted them?" Skadi's expression changed abruptly after hearing the key part of the doctor's words.

"Yes." The doctor nodded.

"So, that massive spectacle, that chaotic scene that would drive a normal person insane just by looking at it, was all created by you alone?" Skadi recalled the fragments of memory she had seen before, and was momentarily stunned.

"……Correct."

The doctor could only continue nodding.

Because this is a fact, a fact that he recorded entirely using all five senses.

"But why?" Skadi frowned slightly. "These anomalies aren't the aggressive type, and they can't even move freely. Why did you create them?"

“Furthermore, may I venture a guess that if you were capable of creating this many anomalies in the past, then creating other types of anomalies wouldn’t be difficult either?” Skadi’s divergent thinking began to unfold. “Could it even be possible that the anomalies in Rhodes Island are your creation?”

"Oh, I have a problem with that!"

Upon hearing this, the locked circuit, which had been observing from the sidelines, finally stepped in and voiced its protest.

"What's wrong, girl?" Skadi showed no emotional reaction to the addition of the closed circuit; she was simply curious about the reason behind it.

"What do you mean, 'what's wrong'? It's because what you just said is completely wrong, so I have to come out and refute you." The Closed Circuit pointed at Skadi, swaying the head that had lost its eyes from side to side. "Because all the anomalies on our sixth floor were created by me alone."

"All of them?" This time it was the PhD student's turn to ask.

Of course, he wasn't excited at all.

After all, for the girl in front of him, who was one of the administrators, creating anomalies was probably not difficult. The so-called "friends" she mentioned were probably not some soap bubble that could be blown out of imagination by simply borrowing a name. And the drones flying above the doctor's head and the anomalies that appeared in the video proved that it was neither a fake story nor a case of something going on out of nowhere.

Moreover, she probably started planning this from the moment the first drone flew over her head, and the eventual success of this long-term commitment proved it to be a success.

But success is not everything, it is not all.

Because those monsters she created were ultimately destroyed by the Reaper who descended from the seventh floor.

She was almost wiped out along with them.

"Of course it is all of them! Don't underestimate me in this kind of place... no, you can't underestimate me anywhere, you absolutely can't!" The closed circuit deliberately acted like it was being difficult, raising the corners of its mouth and letting out a light hum. "After all, this entire sixth floor is basically my creation. If you deny it so easily, I will be very sad."

“No… no one would deny it now.” Skadi shook her head with a hint of surprise. “In fact, your and the Doctor’s testimonies made me realize something.”

"What? What? You've discovered something interesting? Tell me about it." The locked circuit was very interested.

“You are able to create anomalies because you are the controller and manager of these six levels.” Skadi pondered the known clues she had gathered along the way, looking at the closed circuit, and said, “Although the reason why the necklace revived you is still unclear, the other things I just mentioned should be basically correct.”

"If that's the case, where does the Doctor's ability to create anomalies come from?" Skadi asked, somewhat to herself. "He's neither the manager nor the controller here, so how does he possess such power?"

“No, Skadi,” the doctor said, looking at her. “I think you’ve got something wrong. All I did was plant the seeds in the bag. That doesn’t count as any power.”

"Maybe so. Maybe it's not your power, but it could be the power you once had."

Skadi's tone was serious.

"I think you should keep watching and see what you do next."

-

Thank you segment.

Thank you for the blade and monthly pass from "It is precisely the law of sotis's mean".

Chapter 255, Section 253: The Value of Weakness

Skadi's thirst for knowledge was ignited.

Although she didn't have high expectations for the Doctor's act of watching the old recordings, as she began to establish a connection with the Doctor and the past, she gradually abandoned her almost habitual indifference.

So now she actually hopes that the doctor can continue to search for his past memories.

Even so, even with this wish, she was unwilling to see the doctor put the cart before the horse and thus harm himself.

Every time the doctor enters this state, he falls into a coma, and every time he emerges from the coma, he enters a brief period of weakness.

She actually knew that the doctor would be fine.

However, although she put on this act on the surface, she still had some worries in her heart.

Perhaps... I really did know him before.

Skadi thought to herself.

May our future be peaceful and tranquil.

She said it to herself, she said it to the doctor.

But what she didn't know was that many years ago, on a windless and moonless night, the Doctor had said the same thing to Skadi.

-

The scene returns to the past.

"So, does that mean we've reached a consensus?"

Standing before the crouching Patriot, the Doctor put away his pickaxe and extended his right hand to him.

Although Patriot was already enormous in life, he has been mutated on Rhodes Island, increasing his size several times over. As a result, if the Doctor wanted to shake hands with Patriot now, he could only grasp one of his little fingers at most.

Therefore, the doctor's gesture of extending his hand was actually just a symbol.

If the Patriots respond, then the two will have reached an agreement.

"call……"

With a deep breath, Patriot slowly raised his right hand.

His hand clenched into a fist, facing the doctor's palm.

“Thank you, Bozokasty.” The Doctor placed his palm against Patriot’s knuckles, looking directly into his eyes. The coldness of the metal armor plates traveled through the Doctor’s skin, causing him to shiver slightly.

"Boom..."

After exchanging opinions, his mountain-like body slowly rose and returned to his throne, which was made of scrap metal.

Perhaps he was meant to have a throne.

It belongs to the father or the leader.

However, his beliefs and convictions did not allow him to receive such glory, so most of his followers simply placed him on the throne in their hearts.

But that's fine too.

It's much better than those emperors who spent their entire lives issuing commands from the throne but never won the hearts of the people.

"If you agree with the issues I just raised, then the ninth floor is once again yours." The doctor looked at the giant in the mountain of scrap metal, his tone perfectly measured.

"..."

Patriot remained silent, only nodding slowly and extinguishing the two bright red dots in the twisted skull.

That's probably his standby mode.

The Doctor couldn't help but recall that he had once seen a robot movie with a similar setting at an operator social event.

It seems that Kroos actually made one after that, just like in the movie, but it was ordered to be dragged away and dismantled by Kal'tsit two days later, leaving Kroos looking dejected.

Although the doctor himself thought the robot was quite interesting.

But since it was Kal'tsit's order, there was nothing that could be done.

"what……"

The thought of Kal'tsit filled the Doctor with a sense of loneliness and guilt.

Although he rarely felt lonely, he felt guilty just as much.

But after experiencing what happened in Chernobog, his mind gradually began to change, or rather... he became weak.

He used to never hesitate to do favors for his companions, nor was he stingy with his own kindness.

But now, he adds a thought process before doing anything.

And it was precisely these processes of reflection that added many other emotions to his heart.

For example, loneliness, guilt, and sorrow.

Therefore, rather than saying that the doctor has become weak, it is more accurate to say that the doctor has become more like a human being.

He's become more like... an ordinary person.