Chapter 144: ICISEI Episode 144

Episode 144: "In the end... Adam, who escaped the zombie’s mouth, was still punished.『 The area was covered in ice and snow, desolate and cold. It felt as if this place had long been forgotten.

Suki walked around, not seeing any staff members, only finding a few shriveled corpses...

Though frightened, Suki bravely continued to explore.

Finally, on a platform, she discovered a pale-faced man. He introduced himself as The Editor of the 500th-floor newsroom. Full of questions, Suki was eager to know what had happened here.

The Editor, however, unhurriedly played a video of her job application.

"My name is Suki Macrae Cantrell,"

"I was born in 1999 in the Republic of Morocco."

But every time the Suki in the video finished a sentence, The Editor would follow with "Liar."

It wasn’t until the video finished playing that The Editor revealed Suki’s true identity.

The image above their heads also changed, from an ordinary girl to a woman in military uniform. 』

『 .....』

〜Dimensional livestream, Chat Room〜

[ Paimon (Genshin Impact): Wait, who is this person? ]

[ Paimon (Genshin Impact): "Isn’t she just an ordinary girl? Why is she suddenly wearing these clothes?" ]

[ Umaru Doma (Himouto): "She’s a soldier, could she be a spy?" ]

[ .....]

『 As The Editor narrated, everyone finally understood Suki’s true Identity.

It turned out that Suki was not a Moroccan girl but a member of an anarchist organization. They discovered that someone was manipulating the broadcast in the control room on the 500th floor, and every piece of news that flowed out had been deliberately processed.

Therefore, what most people believed to be the truth was actually a carefully woven lie.

And Suki, as the last survivor of the organization, had to expose and punish the hidden dark forces here.

Suki in the video pulled out a small pistol from her bag and unhesitatingly aimed it at The Editor in front of her. But then, her attention was drawn away by a roar from the ceiling.

"What in the world is that?" Suki asked, staring at the thing on the ceiling with a surprised expression.

"That’s your superior," The Editor explained calmly.

"Your superior for life."

"Since the day you were born."

As soon as he finished speaking, the creature on the ceiling began to move towards Suki.

Her gun fired "bang, bang, bang" continuously, but it seemed to barely tickle the unknown monster.

As Suki’s terrified screams echoed, the screen began to shake. 』

『 .....』

〜Dimensional livestream, Chat Room〜

[ Busujima Saeko (High School of the Dead): "This brave warrior girl of the resistance has met her demise today." ]

[ Umaru Doma (Himouto): "What a pity, though I don’t know what attacked her." ]

[ .....]

『 Meanwhile, the Doctor was still trying to gather more information about the other floors. However, even the intelligence Cathica possessed was extremely limited.

From the moment she stepped into Satellite Five, she was immediately pushed onto an operating table, and an incision was made in her forehead.

After that, her life and work were entirely confined to the 139th floor.

Gradually, Cathica also realized that the Doctor in front of her was not a high-level manager. After all, how could a true person in power ask such simple and naive questions?

Understanding this relationship, Cathica’s first thought was to avoid him. Even if she sensed that something was amiss here, Cathica didn’t want to stay for another moment.

After all, in this era, people had long been accustomed to obedience, losing the courage to say "no" and question, and were unwilling to think deeply about anything.

This made the Doctor even more certain that there was a big problem with society here.

And it all began the moment Satellite Five started broadcasting.

Logically, this place should be more advanced and open. But the current situation seemed to have regressed several beats.

As everyone was full of doubts, the scene turned to Adam, who had left alone.

It turned out that he was just a new time traveler. This was the first stop on his journey through time...

However, everything came too quickly and suddenly for him, and Adam couldn’t help but feel at a loss. So, he walked alone to the observation deck, trying to blend into the surroundings.

But once there were no people around, Adam’s deep-seated curiosity and desire began to swell, and he quietly opened the system browser.

After learning about future technology, Adam didn’t hesitate much. He pulled out the superphone Ross had left him earlier and directly called his home in the 21st century, saving all the technological information he had learned through voice messages.

But soon, the system began to refuse his access and popped up a prompt:

"Go to the sixteenth floor"

"Go to the sixteenth floor" 』

『 .....』

〜Dimensional livestream, Chat Room〜

[ Shinomiya Kaguya (Love Is War): "Taking advanced technology from the future, isn’t that wrong?" ]

[ Haibara Ai (Detective Conan): "He doesn’t seem to want to advance human technology; he just wants to make a name for himself, right?" ]

[ Ran Mouri (Detective Conan): "This kind of behavior is wrong, making a name for yourself with other people’s things." ]

[ Nakano Nino (5-toubun No Hanayome): "Kishishishi! This guy, I thought he was a good person when he helped the Doctor before, but he’s another scumbag." ]

[ Nakano Nino (5-toubun No Hanayome): "So the person who will be abandoned in the end means he will be abandoned by the Doctor, right?" ]

[ Haibara Ai (Detective Conan): "That makes a lot of sense." ]

[ .....]

『 With this question, everyone followed Adam to the sixteenth floor. It was there that they discovered that the sixteenth floor was a place where brain chips could be installed.

Adam was able to come here because the system had previously detected that he hadn’t yet installed such a chip.

Although Adam was initially a bit hesitant, as soon as he heard that installing this chip would allow him to connect to all computers, his mind immediately swayed.

With this thing installed, if he could ever return to Earth, he would be the first person to foresee the future, a leader in scientific innovation.

Thinking of this, Adam excitedly pulled out the points card given by the Doctor and said,

"Install it, this thing must be installed for me."

The surgery was performed quickly, and Adam also completed the interface installation.

Now, like Cathica, he could open his forehead with a snap of his fingers. 』

『 .....』

〜Dimensional livestream, Chat Room〜

[ Chika Fujiwara (Love Is War): "That looks so disgusting." ]

[ The Herta (Honkai: Star Rail): "If it were someone from that era, it would be understandable, but this person, coming from an ordinary era, can actually accept this situation." ]

[ Paimon (Genshin Impact): "I don’t understand, I really don’t understand." ]

[ .....]

『 Meanwhile, after dealing with Suki’s The Editor using special methods, he looked at the opponent who had already lost vital signs, yet his body was still involuntarily serving The Editor under the manipulation of the brain chip.

It was at this moment that The Editor suddenly realized the Doctor and Ross’s little tricks. These two had not been identified by his sophisticated system.

But judging from the surveillance footage, they were definitely not ordinary.

Since these two were so persistent in seeking the truth, he might as well send them to the 500th floor, just like Suki.

The Doctor, who was meticulously inspecting something somewhere, now noticed a large amount of hot air being discharged downwards from the top floor.

Therefore, he also had the idea of going to the so-called 500th floor to investigate.

Immediately, the Doctor led Ross into the elevator and invited Cathica to accompany them to the 500th floor to uncover the mystery.

However, this invitation was met with a serious and firm refusal from Cathica. And in that mysterious 500th floor, The Editor was quietly waiting for the arrival of the two...

The scene shifts.

The Doctor led Ross out of the elevator. Like Suki before them, both had confused expressions, staring at everything happening around them, their eyes filled with bewilderment.

It wasn’t until they reached a control panel that they encountered The Editor, who had been waiting for a long time.

Later, they found The Editor near an operating table. And directly asked The Doctor,

"Who are you people? And why isn’t your information in my system?"

The Doctor sensed that something was wrong and quickly tried to slip away.

But at this critical moment, the cold-faced staff around them suddenly stood up and grabbed the Doctor, who was trying to escape.

Even Ross, who was standing next to Suk, was not spared and had his arm seized.

At this point, The Editor said calmly, "This is not the Fourth Human Empire you spoke of."

"Above us, there is a supreme ruler."

With that, The Editor raised a finger upwards, making a gesturing motion.

Everyone looked in that direction, and to their astonishment, they discovered that a colossal beast was dwelling at the very top of Satellite Five! 』

『 .....』

〜Dimensional livestream, Chat Room〜

[ Oyama Mahiro (Onimai): "Ah! What is that thing? It’s so disgusting." ]

[ Yukinoshita Yukino (Oregairu): "Forget it, I’m not eating today." ]

[ Shizuka Hiratsuka (Oregairu): "No appetite + 1." ]

[ Nakano Itsuki (5-toubun No Hanayome): "My delicious buns, I’ve lost my appetite, woo, woo, woo!" ]

[ Zhongli (Genshin Impact): "....." ]

[ .....]

『 In the screen, a colossal creature controlled Satellite Five, which emitted news waves. Or, more precisely, it used the power of "public opinion" to manipulate people all over the world.

So far, humanity had been shaped and guided by this creature for about a hundred years. A vast amount of news could change perceptions, thus allowing a powerful civilization to be controlled without resorting to force.

The method was to reshape humanity through a large amount of news, weakening socio-economics and technology, and making all people content in a state of ignorant obedience.

The brain chips that directly provided information greatly reduced people’s thinking, making them no longer question anything.

People were even completely unaware that they were already bound by shackles. If anyone began to doubt reality, those The Editors, meaning them, would immediately detect the anomaly from the chips in their brains.

Then, through promotion, these "awakened ones" would be brought to the 500th floor, becoming puppets, just like Suki before.

Hearing this, The Doctor finally understood why it was so cold here: the slug-like creature on the roof required a lot of metabolism, so it had to discharge a lot of cold air to maintain its life.

In other words, the entire Satellite Five was nothing more than a life support system for this giant worm.

Although the Doctor’s doubts had been resolved, The Editor was still searching for the answers he wanted. However, the Doctor was not too worried because he was confident that the other party would never discover his true identity.

But soon, The Editor came to the Doctor and said calmly, "You are a Time Lord!"

The Doctor asked in surprise, "What did you say?"

The Editor replied, "That’s right, you are the last Time Lord, and the time machine he brought." 』

『 .....』

〜Dimensional livestream, Chat Room〜

[ Chika Fujiwara (Love Is War): "??? What’s going on? How does he know the Doctor’s true identity?" ]

[ Conan Edogawa (Detective Conan): "Could it be that he is also one of the Doctor’s arch-enemies?" ]

[ Haibara Ai (Detective Conan): "Not necessarily. The Editor didn’t know him before, but he recognized him instantly, so he must have obtained relevant information from somewhere." ]

[ The Herta (Honkai: Star Rail): "Relevant information, then there’s only one person." ]

[ Paimon (Genshin Impact): "You mean?" ]

[ The Herta (Honkai: Star Rail): "Adam, who had the interface surgery before. The information here must be monitored. As soon as he connected to this system, all information about the Doctor in Adam’s memory was revealed." ]

[ Busujima Saeko (High School of the Dead): "So that’s how it is. Then Adam is truly a heinous person." ]

[ .....]

『 Soon, everyone suddenly realized why the other party knew the Doctor’s identity.

It turned out to be Adam, who had just had surgery. At this moment, he had sneaked into the information processing room on the 139th floor, intending to absorb the widest range of knowledge.

He still remembered leaving a message for the future, specifically calling to record this information.

As Adam received all of this, The Editor also clearly saw all the information in his mind. (Naturally, this also included the imprisoned Doctor and Ross.) They watched as Adam on the screen was continuously drained of knowledge.

Therefore, The Editor not only knew about time travel but also understood the existence of the TARDIS, which allowed them to rewrite history and even hinder human progress. 』

『 .....』

〜Dimensional livestream, Chat Room〜

[ Umaru Doma (Himouto): "Oh no, the human civilizations in other times are also in danger now." ]

[ Qingque (Honkai: Star Rail) "I couldn’t tell before, that guy is actually such a person." ]

[ .....]

『 However, the extremely excited Editor did not notice another figure quietly approaching. Everyone looked and saw that it was Cathica, who had silently stood not far away at some point.

She was not, as she claimed, completely uninterested in the affairs here. She had followed the Doctor and Ross here and had silently observed everything.

Witnessing this scene, Cathica finally understood that it was time for her to act.

She entered the information processing room, accessed the system, quickly severed Adam’s connection to the system, and then reversed the environmental control system, causing the 500th floor to begin heating up.

Immediately, this triggered a chain reaction, and the entire space station began to tremble.

The slug on top could not withstand the high temperature and was about to explode.

The loyal employee, The Editor, sensed that something was wrong and was about to escape, but unexpectedly, the already deceased Suki, at this moment, burst forth with a residual will, tightly grasping The Editor, who was trying to get away.

As a result, The Editor ultimately failed to escape the "clutches" of the zombie (just kidding). In the end, The Editor died in the slug’s explosion. 』

『 .....』

〜Dimensional livestream, Chat Room〜

[ Chika Fujiwara (Love Is War): "Serves him right, this hateful guy deserves this." ]

[ Shinomiya Kaguya (Love Is War): "Alright, alright, calm down." ]

[ Haibara Ai (Detective Conan): "Even after death, she still wanted to take this Editor with her." ]

[ .....]

『 After resolving the slug crisis, the Doctor walked towards Cathica, snapped his fingers, and disconnected the device on her forehead. Cathica woke up, saw the Doctor, and smiled.

The Doctor also smiled back, grateful to this brave woman for helping them through the ordeal. 』

『 .....』

〜Dimensional livestream, Chat Room〜

[ Busujima Saeko (High School of the Dead): "This is truly a brave woman." ]

[ Shizuka Hiratsuka (Oregairu): "Very good, I admire her greatly." ]

[ .....]

『 The scene shifts. With the problem resolved, the Doctor and Ross were ready to leave this place.

But they didn’t forget Adam, who had almost gotten them into serious trouble. The Doctor grabbed Adam by the collar and stepped into the TARDIS.

After taking him back to his own time, when the Doctor asked Adam if he had anything else to confess, Adam still stubbornly denied his wrongdoing and responded nonchalantly:

"Hasn’t everything been resolved already?"

"What else do you want me to say?"

Seeing Adam’s refusal to admit anything, the Doctor didn’t waste any more words.

He walked straight up, took out his sonic screwdriver, and destroyed Adam’s home phone. He then said in a deep voice,

"Just because I don’t say it doesn’t mean I don’t know."

Seeing the Doctor turn to leave, Adam quickly called out to him.

He confessed, "The chip in my head hasn’t been removed yet."

The Doctor snorted, and with a snap of his fingers, he activated the chip interface on Adam’s forehead.

"No." Adam also snapped his fingers, closing his forehead.

The Doctor sneered, "No, what?"

Adam panicked, "Stop!"

Just as the two were continuously opening and closing Adam’s forehead with finger snaps, Ross finally couldn’t bear to watch and intervened, "Alright, it’s over now, Doctor, that’s enough, stop."

Adam gave Ross a grateful look. However, Ross was also clearly very curious.

To his surprise, Ross also raised his hand and snapped his fingers.

Adam: "????" 』

『 .....』