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Chapter 252 - 251: Ascension Project

"You’re not planning to punish her? This is a betrayal of the agency!" Wang Qianduan emphasized the word betrayal.

"If it were you and Honglian doing such things, it would naturally be betrayal because you joined the agency to uphold the belief of maintaining world stability," Xiao Canong said dismissively. "But the Dimensional Limit Mechanism is no longer the same as it was; now it resembles a company, and the newly recruited members are like its employees... You can’t expect them to be as loyal as you. Given the pay Jiang Siqi receives compared to her work, she is arguably a good employee, not to mention that she didn’t know the people she provided information to were enemies of the agency, so I think punishment is unnecessary."

"You’re the boss." Wang Qianduan gave up arguing.

Because he knew that in reasoning, he could never surpass the chief commander.

Shortly after Jiang Siqi left, Little Pigeon knocked and walked in, "Captain Xiao, the documents you requested have been delivered."

"Thank you." Xiao Canong accepted it with a smile, "Oh, and here’s your red envelope, Happy New Year!"

"Wow, thanks, Captain!" Little Pigeon beamed with joy.

Xiao Canong opened the file bag, which contained a thick stack of photos.

"What are these photos?" Wang Qianduan asked.

"Some onsite records before entering the infiltration point."

"Taken by the police department?" He raised an eyebrow, "What do you need them for?"

"Hmm... there’s something I’m quite concerned about." After casually glancing through a few, Xiao Canong said to the two, "Alright, you two go get busy with your work, I don’t need you for now."

After Wang Qianduan and Little Pigeon left the office, his expression instantly turned solemn, and his smile vanished completely.

He poured the photos onto the table, arranging and examining them one by one.

They belong to Jiang City’s police department’s classified information, taken at the site of the Erosion Zone after sealing off the Five Rings Mechanical Garden and reception building.

For example, the scaffolding built atop a melted building... or the worker who died horrifically upon careless contact with the Erosion Zone.

And those sets and sets of protective suits, helmets, and breathing tanks.

Too strange.

His fingers slowly rubbed over the photos, a massive question arose in his mind. The question stemmed from a pending expense sheet sent by the logistics team, in which the item "Chemical-Biological-Radiological Protection Equipment" caught his eye.

He remembered these things clearly.

The content of the photos was also unforgettable, with several of them taken while they were wearing protective suits.

However, he realized he couldn’t remember the subsequent part.

For instance... how did the execution team explore the new world step by step, determine it was harmless, and then take off the protective suits?

He only remembered finding himself in a golden field of rapeseed flowers, under an incredibly blue sky, the air fresh and pleasant—a world very suitable for human survival.

Simply put, it was quite similar to Jiang City.

The analysis of air, soil, and water components could confirm this—except for slightly higher heavy metals and microplastics levels. But this pollution wouldn’t lead to catastrophic consequences.

So here comes the question.

How did that worker die?

The infiltration point itself wouldn’t kill people; both capable Awakened and ordinary people could pass freely. Mental disorders, dizziness, vomiting, and other adverse reactions might occur mid-way, but these symptoms would heal themselves after rest.

In theory, agency members wouldn’t enter another world lightly.

Even if necessary, they would first use unmanned equipment for observation, ideally collecting some air and soil samples back. If the data confirmed safety, the logistics team would enter first, followed by the intelligence and execution teams. With confirmed safety, triple safety equipment seemed superfluous.

Incredibly, it was he who ordered the emergency deployment of personal protective equipment.

Xiao Canong rearranged the order of the photos.

The mutated dead worker was placed in the first position.

A new logic gradually formed in his mind—someone accidentally entered the Erosion Zone, suffered some infectious mutation, and was shot dead by onsite guards. Upon confirming this information, he believed the other world was dangerous, so he brought in protective gear. Afterwards, they successfully entered the other world, confirmed the effectiveness of the protection, and successively sent in a large batch of supplies, including air filters and tanks, while the rest of the materials yet to be transported were piled around the building.

This logic chain was undoubtedly smooth.

But it clashed with memory and reality.

According to their past image records, protective suits never appeared; the environment was quite secure, and everyone’s expressions were very relaxed. After leaving the canola field, they established a temporary base under an abandoned overpass and started exploring the surrounding area, only concluding yesterday.

Xiao Canong broke out in a cold sweat.

The more he looked, the more eerie it seemed.

His memory matched the exploration records, but it didn’t make logical sense.

The photos matched the logic, but they contradicted memory and facts.

It was as if there was a huge void in between.

How to explain this?

Xiao Canong pondered deeply for a long time but couldn’t reach a conclusion. After hesitating for a while, he decided to report the matter to headquarters.

Unexpectedly, less than half a day after sending the email, he received a call from headquarters.

"Hello, Mr. Xiao." A voice came from the other side shortly after, "This is Dr. Jiang Yiheng."

"Hello." Xiao Canong was somewhat surprised, not expecting that this issue would catch the doctor’s attention.

"The report you submitted is quite interesting. It happens to corroborate my hypothesis on the multiverse intrusion model, so it was worth calling you personally."

"I’m glad it helps with your work," Xiao Canong said sincerely. "I was worried it might be an issue with my memory."

Jiang Yiheng wasn’t exactly his direct superior.

But his recognition and patience for Dr. Jiang were even more than for his superiors... because a superior could possibly be a fool, but the doctor definitely was not. The outstanding achievements of the Dimensional Limit Mechanism over the last decade have been inseparable from Jiang Yiheng.

"Indeed, it’s hard to prove this point, but I’m willing to believe what you said," the doctor replied. "To cut a long story short, the anomaly you encountered is what I call a historical reset, which generally occurs more easily in terminal branch worlds."

"Terminal... worlds?" It was the first time Xiao Canong had heard this term.

"Yes, just like the ends of branches and twigs. Can you think of anything?" Without waiting for him to answer, the other continued, "Divergent, short, and intertwined. It’s very fragile, hence highly malleable, but at the same time, as the end of a branch, it always starts to wither first."

It was a bit hard to understand, but Xiao Canong managed to keep up.

"Does the doctor mean that such worlds are nearing their end?"

"You could think of it that way."

"What about reset then?"

"To put it simply, it’s like the branch has taken a different fork. A change in a certain node generates massive gravitational waves, causing the branch to be reshaped. If you’re in it, your body and memory would also be reshaped," the doctor carefully explained.

Xiao Canong frowned, "It sounds like the future has changed."

"No, no, no, that’s why I prefer not to use the term ’change’ but ’reset.’ Listen, the future and the past do not exist in isolation. The past can influence the future, and the future can shape the past. They are the two ends of a wave-like oscillation, where any change in one part can ripple through the wave forwards and backwards."

He was momentarily speechless, not knowing what to say.

The doctor smiled slightly, seemingly having anticipated his reaction, "This is the result of my recent research, so it’s normal for you to feel unfamiliar. Although your report cannot be used as evidence, it coincidentally aligns with my research. You don’t need to fully understand what it means; just know this... in a historical reset, there’s no such thing as a time paradox. A single branch can encompass all causes and effects, interlinked and coexisting, mutually influencing each other."

"Then after being reshaped... am I still me?" Xiao Canong asked curiously.

"Haha... you’re indeed very sharp," the doctor’s tone carried a touch of admiration. "It’s like the teleportation gate hypothesis — decomposing a traveler at point A, then replicating an identical traveler at point B. Are they considered the same person? My answer is, interpretations vary."

Xiao Canong thought for a moment, realizing that dwelling on this matter was pointless, so he chose not to bother with it any longer. "It’s too unbelievable. How does a historical reset happen? Do we have any means to resist it?"

He didn’t like this feeling of being completely out of control.

"I believe there are many nodes in history. When these nodes are pried open, they create waves. Once the energy accumulated by these waves becomes large enough, it can create new forks," Jiang Yiheng said enthusiastically. "Unfortunately, due to the reshaping, most people won’t be aware of the changes happening, as they themselves are part of history. As individuals, you and I currently have no way to counter this force. Fortunately, it only affects the main world and doesn’t spread to other worlds through intrusion points."

He paused, "I know what you’re thinking, that finding the person or event that pries open the nodes and eliminating it can prevent the reset at its source. Theoretically correct, but since we cannot foresee the future, we can’t predict an event before it happens. So rather than worrying about this, it’s better to think about how to make good use of the world after the reset."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Canong couldn’t help but feel enlightened—indeed, wasn’t the original world full of crises? Although he couldn’t remember what kind of world it was, ordinary people would turn into monsters just by taking a walk in it, which was awful to think about.

And now the world is almost like the future; as long as it’s properly developed, the Dimensional Limit Mechanism can benefit greatly. For example, thanks to the advancement in electronic technology, the intelligence group’s information collection and defense capabilities have been improved by several levels.

"I understand now. Thank you for your explanation."

"You’re welcome. You’ve also provided me with a rare reset experience," the other laughed, "I must say, examples like yours are extremely rare."

Indeed, it wasn’t easy, he thought. If the doctor’s research conclusion is correct, it means that even if the world undergoes a reset, the vast majority of people wouldn’t even notice. Only those who happen to be at the critical time node around the reset, traveling between multiple worlds, might be able to detect anomalies afterward.

"I’d rather not know about this," admitted Xiao Canong, "it’s like fate is not in my hands... If our world resets with the resulting fork leading to catastrophic destruction, wouldn’t that be the end of us all?"

"Absolutely right, and I can assure you, such things will definitely happen because history is always marching toward an end."

This conclusion was something Xiao Canong already knew.

According to extensive observations by the Dimensional Limit Mechanism, there’s a significant proportion of near-collapsed places within the eroded worlds.

This indicates that in the course of civilization’s evolution, destruction is the norm.

The fundamental purpose of the Dimensional Limit Mechanism is to prevent it from arriving too quickly.

"This observational fact also aligns well with my theory. The closer a world is to destruction, the easier it is to be pried open. Conversely, one could assume that the more easily pried open a world is, the more it resembles the end of a branch."

"To avoid this conclusion... there’s only one path, right?" Xiao Canong murmured.

"Correct, it is also the ultimate goal pursued by the agency," the doctor affirmed.

Whether this path exists, and whether it can be traversed, remains unknown for now.

It’s merely a conceptual direction; how it will be realized is still a question mark.

Precisely for this reason, its level of secrecy is not that high. Even while at headquarters, Xiao Canong had heard of this plan’s name.

Within the agency, it’s called the "Ascension Plan."