In a place beyond comprehension—neither its location nor its era known—there existed a strange, windowless chamber filled with bizarre devices so advanced that no ordinary person could guess their function. Near the only doorway hung a small plaque, like a room number, which read:
"Universe Destroyer Observation Room."
Inside, a man in a tight blue suit lounged comfortably in his chair, his eyes glued to a massive screen. Streams of green data cascaded endlessly down its surface, giving the entire room the eerie feel of The Matrix.
Suddenly, a woman wearing the same blue suit entered and sat down beside him.
"It's been a while since I've seen you this fascinated," she said with a teasing smile. "Something interesting happen?"
The man, still captivated by the scrolling data, lit up like a fan discussing his favorite movie.
"Hey, you won't believe it! That Marvel Cinematic Universe finally has a Destroyer who completed his first virus evolution!"
The woman's curiosity sparked immediately at the mention. "You mean that insane new universe—the one where they can travel through time and rewrite timelines? Oh wow, surviving long enough to reach that stage in that universe is no small feat."
"Hah! Yeah, this guy just became a Virus Proginitor. He's officially taken his first step toward global destruction."
"What? He didn't evolve into a Virus Proginitor right from the start using the zombie virus sample? He only managed to evolve later?" she exclaimed, her face a picture of disbelief—as if someone had just told her the sun now rose from the west. "That's incredibly rare! Every other would-be special infected I've seen barely lasts three days."
The man nodded in agreement. "Exactly. Those impatient types always rush to spread the virus too fast. The base strain, before enhancement, infects at a snail's pace—and when they panic, they expose themselves. Their death rate is practically a rite of passage for beginners."
The woman chuckled. "Even the ones lucky enough to become Virus Proginitors don't fare much better. Remember that guy who infected half of humanity? He got greedy, tried to wipe out the remaining population before neutralizing the superheroes. They united—science, magic, mutant powers, everything—and hunted him down. He made such a scene that Doctor Strange noticed and rewound time to erase him early. Such a waste. You just can't go all-in without weakening the heroes first."
The man sighed. "Yeah, and that guy was running a slow-growth strategy too."
The two of them continued to chat casually about the many Marvel World Destroyers they'd seen fail—discussing their strategies and deaths as if they were analyzing movie plots. Yet neither could come up with a truly reliable winning route. Even after witnessing countless failures, they still hadn't found the perfect path to success.
The woman rested her chin on her hand, her expression softening. "Honestly, I feel bad for these poor souls. None of them ever get the chance to live a normal life."
The man gave a wry smile. "The last one who tried living like a regular person lasted five years—before Galactus devoured the Earth along with him."
"No mercy at all!"
"That's not just a Marvel problem," the man replied with a shrug. "The system never spares anyone who refuses to play their assigned role. I bet your side's Guardians aren't much different."
The woman nodded. "True enough. But still, the Marvel universe shouldn't even be in the newcomer pool. It's a death trap! Even veterans who've destroyed two or three worlds don't make it out alive if they slip up once. I have no idea what the system was thinking when it made that decision."
The man's smile froze slightly as he shook his head. "We're just employees, remember? The lowest-tier workers in the system's bureaucracy. Understanding its logic is way above our pay grade. All we get are these fragmented data streams. I can't even request a proper visual feed, let alone answers."
The woman hesitated for a moment, then said thoughtfully, "You know, I've always had a theory… What if the system's ultimate goal is to create someone capable of destroying itself? Think about it—something that's existed for so long that even time has lost meaning. Wouldn't such an eternal entity crave a final, permanent death?"
The man blinked in surprise, then flicked her forehead lightly. "You've been reading too many novels. That's a ridiculous theory. If the Destroyer's final mission was to annihilate the system itself, then what's the point of your Guardians?"
"Hm…" She thought for a few seconds, then replied, half serious, half playful, "Maybe the Guardians are the final safeguard. After the system's destruction, they'd exist to stop—or seal away—the rogue Destroyer who went too far. You know, like creating your own final boss, then training a hero to kill him once your job's done. That'd make the system… oddly responsible, don't you think?"
The man sighed. "You've definitely gone off the deep end with that one. Anyway, shouldn't you be getting back to your own department?"
With a reluctant pout, the woman stood and left the Universe Destroyer Observation Room.
Once she was gone, the man leaned back in his chair again and turned to a smaller monitor beside the main display. On it, a table of survival rates flickered softly:
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Universe — Survival Rate
Game of Thrones: 15%
Harry Potter: 10%
Bloodborne: 5%
Command & Conquer: Red Alert: 8%
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: 7%
⋯⋯
---
As he scrolled down the list, the man muttered to himself, "To think they sent someone into the Marvel universe with nothing but a weak zombie virus sample… that's practically a death sentence. Tell me, System—are you testing their strategy, or just their luck?"
The numbers continued to flash by, most survival rates hovering around 10%. Then, at the very bottom of the list, two final entries stood out:
---
One Punch Man: 0.1%
Marvel Cinematic Universe: 0%
---
The man chuckled grimly. "Figures."
---
— Interactive Segment —
One Punch Man Destruction Mission:
Objective: Annihilate the planet.
Starting Item: The AllSpark from Transformers.
Well? Can anyone guess how the One Punch Man universe was destroyed?
Here's a hint: it wasn't through mind games or persuasion. The real answer is far simpler than you'd think.
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T/N:
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