1947 Controlling Fate
“I understand.”

Meng Chao’s gaze gradually became clear and sharp. “Ultimately, what you need are human brains. You need to burn the brains of millions of humans to the ground and squeeze every last bit of power from the depths of their souls… All to repair the damage you suffered billions of years ago!”

“In a sense, you’re right.”

Zero did not refute him but continued to casually explain, “However, I don’t necessarily need to burn everyone’s brains. The more human brains are connected to me, the less consumption each human brain has to bear. Theoretically, if the tens of millions of human brains in Dragon City could be connected to me to form an unprecedented ‘futuristic virtual network,’ each person’s consumption would not be too high. The probability of brain exhaustion or even spontaneous combustion would be minimized.”

“Connecting the brains of every single person in Dragon City to you?”

Meng Chao took a deep breath. “Even so, some people’s brains still run the risk of drying up and bursting into flames.”

“It can’t be helped. After all, predicting the future accurately requires too much information and computing power. Unlike the Ancients from billions of years ago, your brains are too weak.”

“However, a civilization’s path is paved with the sacrifices of countless individuals. When the Dragon City civilization fought against the monster civilization, weren’t thousands of people determined to die for it?

“Believe me, the probability of your brains spontaneously combusting from predicting the future is definitely much lower than sacrificing yourselves on the tragic battlefield against the monster civilization.

“If you can accept the latter, why can’t you accept the former?
“Besides, not only do we have to predict the future of the entire civilization but also the future of every individual culture. We have to find the ‘best’ future in the almost infinite deductions and inject it into the people’s brains so that their thoughts and actions will be correct every year, month, day, and moment from now on. It’s the only way for us to arrive at the ‘optimal solution’ for the entire civilization.

“How can we ensure this if we don’t loop everyone in?”

“W-What?

“What do you mean?” Meng Chao became more clear-headed and incredulous. “Are you saying that the tens of millions of Dragon City people will have to follow your ‘correct’ instructions at all times from now on?”

“No, that’s not ‘my intent.’ It’s the cruelest but irrefutable conclusion that you’ve come up with through countless future deductions,” Zero said.

“In countless future simulations, you tried numerous ways to save your civilization. Whether it was a gentle, extreme, simple, complicated, merciful, or cruel approach, the results were the same.

“Even if you were lucky enough to lead the Chaos faction to victory over the Holy Light faction and unify the entire Other World in a few future deductions, Chaos faction’s internal conflicts meant that a new storm would soon descend. Even if you went through all kinds of hardships to deal with ambitious opponents in the Chaos faction, you would never be able to bridge the deep-rooted and even innate conflict between the ordinary people and the superhumans in Dragon City within your limited lifespan.

“It doesn’t matter how beautiful and prosperous you are at your most glorious time or how happy your life is.

“In the end, the Dragon City civilization will be annihilated in the endless flames.

“These flames don’t come from beyond the heavens.

“Rather, they come from the heart of every Dragon City citizen, or more accurately, every intelligent humanoid being living on this planet.

“If you want to completely resolve all that conflict, it’s far from enough to rely on a few wise and mighty commanders. The commander could be you, but it still won’t be enough even though you’ve received my blessing.

“We must spread the Kindling to the hearts of more people so that everyone can see the apocalypse that you’ve seen before. That way, everyone can hear their shrill screams, as well as the screams of their families and compatriots in the infinite flames, and everyone can get rid of Chaos before they see and follow their best destiny.”

Meng Chao’s heart was pounding.

He had indeed done so during the last few future deductions.

Through a technology similar to “telekinesis,” he would share what he saw, heard, and felt with several Dragon City elites and directly send instructions to their brains.

Therefore, he knew better than anyone else the true meaning of “seeing and following one’s destiny.”

“You mean, all the citizens of Dragon City must become your puppets, and they must follow the future you’ve planned for them. They can’t relax for a moment, and they can’t take a wrong step? They have to follow the rules and move forward step by step?

“It’s to the extent that because there can be butterfly effects, everybody has to pay attention to the smallest details, including what courses they are taking, what occupation they are engaged in, who they are talking to, who they are dating, who they are marrying, and who they are having children with? All of this has to be carried out according to the ‘optimal solution’ that has been deduced countless times in the future?”

The three sentences that “mummified” Lei Zongchao left behind appeared before Meng Chao’s eyes.

Earlier on, he did not understand what Lei Zongchao meant.

He did not understand why “mummified” Lei Zongchao was so resistant to “predicting the future” when it seemed to be the most promising way to save his home.

But now, he gradually understood.

“In short, you want to control everyone’s fate?” Meng Chao mumbled.

“If you call forcefully pulling an ignorant person who is stepping into the abyss away from his death, ‘controlling the fate of others,’ then yes, this is my mission, my inborn mission,” Zero said emotionlessly.

Her tone made Meng Chao lose interest in arguing with her.

This was because Meng Chao realized that Zero was not a person, or rather, she was not a living being with emotions, desires, and ideals.

She was a program that had been set billions of years ago. No matter what happened, she could change even if she was completely destroyed.

There was no point in arguing with a program.

He had to find its loophole…

Shut it down or even destroy it.

“What if you can’t do it?”

“What if we can’t pull everyone into the network, or some people just don’t want to follow the fate you’ve presented, or everyone obeys you? What if the entire civilization gradually collapses?”

“It doesn’t matter. That’s a very common thing,” Zero said.

“I’ll purify the current civilization and return it to zero.”