"Are you really going to do that, ma'am?"
In a sealed room at the military base, Sasha stood opposite an elderly woman. This woman was one of the leaders of the Supreme Council. She was also the one who had given the test to see if anyone could be compatible with a mysterious cube. Unfortunately, like everyone before her, Sasha had failed.
"Yes, you were the last one, and the best. If you failed, then no one in humanity can use this thing."
She was talking about the cube from before, a creation of the "gods" of the third civilization. This thing was now locked inside a briefcase made of the same alloy that created the first-generation armored suits, so tough that it could withstand the direct destructive force of an atomic bomb. And that briefcase was in the woman's hand.
"The cost to make this briefcase was 10% of one armored suit. We took such good care of it, but it didn't react or do anything useful. Hope turned into disappointment. What's so great about a creation of the gods? It couldn't help humanity kill a single doom."
She shook her head, self-mocking.
"Instead of hoping for these vague, illusory things, humanity should focus on what we're already doing."
Sasha couldn't say anything more. The elderly woman hadn't finished the conversation.
"By the way, Rorgh city is about to approve the plan to restore Karj, right?"
Sasha nodded. With all the dooms having withdrawn from Karj city, the plan to restore it was a given.
"Could it be... that you're going there?"
"Yes, it's probably time to give the thing in this briefcase a proper ending."
"But isn't... this thing too important? Aren't you afraid of being criticized by the other council members if you do that?"
Sasha still found this decision hard to understand. Even though the woman in front of her kept saying the cube was useless, the price they had paid to protect and research it was by no means small. And now... she wanted to throw it away like a useless item?
The woman replied, her voice filled with a sense of weariness.
"They've also run out of hope. Besides, someone also told me that if humanity can't use this thing, then we should throw it away."
...
Early in the morning, at Noid's coffee shop.
Today was more bustling than usual; everyone was chatting lively. It was all because the plan to rebuild Karj city had officially been launched. In three days, a convoy of vehicles would come to pick up the refugees from Karj city. The number was limited to 100 randomly selected people.
These people would go with workers and be protected by the military to return and rebuild their hometowns. Of course, this would be under the supervision of the military to prevent any bad situations from happening.
It was estimated that within a year, Karj city would be restored to its former state, and the population would have completely moved back. This wasn't mandatory for everyone. Anyone who wanted to stay in Rorgh city could, and anyone who wanted to return could also do so.
Although the refugees from Karj city had gotten used to life here, they always felt like they were living off others' goodwill. Because of this, most of the refugees would agree to return.
Noid was different. Although his records stated he was from Karj city, that was just the first place he set foot in after entering this world. The place he truly felt attached to was this Sector 20, this coffee shop.
"If you all leave, my shop will lose a lot of customers."
Noid brought out a tray of coffee. The customers took a sip of coffee and laughed loudly.
"Haha, we'll miss the owner's coffee too."
He looked at his customers while carefully wiping a cup. Although he would stay in Rorgh city, returning to Karj city for a little while was no big deal. He would only go for one day, just to go with his acquaintances. Then he would return on his flying carpet.
Incidentally, he also wanted to ask for the address of Jack's old family home to return the boy's last mementos.
As for the Doom Cult, it wasn't a concern. Aside from the ones still hiding in the shadows, all the other followers had been scared off by him. They were just cowering and fleeing, fearfully praying to their doom lord that the man in black wouldn't find them.
This was because his effectiveness after returning was simply astonishing. In just one week, he had captured over 600 followers and completely dismantled the Doom Cult in two sectors.
His morning shift ended. He prepared some supplies for the next three-day trip and then began his training routine.
Noid didn't need to register. Sasha had already said that if he wanted to go, she had arranged a spot for him. They said 100 people, but one more wouldn't make a difference.
And these three days were the most peaceful he'd had so far.
Three days passed, and a convoy of thirty-five vehicles of three different types appeared. Ten vehicles were for the military. Fifteen vehicles were for the workers, and five were for the refugees. The remaining five vehicles transported supplies.
Noid got into one of the vehicles. It was like an old bus but had been renovated to be sturdier and heavier, and its speed was also superior. The workers' vehicles were the same. The supply vehicles were armored trucks, complete with weapons systems and soldiers inside.
The journey began, and Noid was in the mood to enjoy the scenery. After all, the last time he was in Karj city, he had been knocked unconscious and woke up in Sasha's room.
This time, returning, he was no longer the weak, cowardly person he used to be.
It was a shame that when things seemed to be taking a turn for the better, something always came along to ruin it. It was like walking and enjoying the fresh air and then tripping on a rock and falling onto the road.
After traveling for more than half a day, a loud explosion rang out. A beam of light descended from the sky. Although it didn't hit any of the vehicles, it caused them to tumble chaotically. The explosions continued, and Noid's vision was spinning.
The woman from the Supreme Council held the alloy briefcase in her hand. She vigilantly looked outside the vehicle. Standing there was a person, or rather, a humanoid creature. It was over two meters tall, its entire body covered in a carapace and vicious bone spikes. Its fingertips were sharp claws.
She was indeed participating in the trip to Karj city, but she was still protected by twenty elite soldiers equipped with armored suits. Even so, standing before this person, her instincts were constantly warning her.
The soldiers also vigilantly raised their guns and aimed them directly at the mutated creature. The creature showed no fear at all; on the contrary, it was completely at ease.
"Oh, madam from the Supreme Council. To be honest, I'm a little disappointed with your security."
"Modified fanatic, is that your name? What gives you the confidence that you can kill me?"
Even though her instincts were constantly warning her of the danger in front of her, she was not allowed to show fear or panic. She even reacted in the opposite way.
She had known about the existence of the modified fanatics for a long time. It was just that lately, it seemed this disgusting thing had made great progress. According to Sasha, they must have been perfected, and their power was much stronger than before.
However, Sasha also said that even for a modified human, they only added a little more power. They weren't a huge threat.
But she didn't know that the person in front of her was not a normal modified fanatic. They were far beyond what she could even imagine.