The following day, Due arrives at the secret headquarters of Skullet, carrying two large suitcases filled with cash and gold bars. She meets Uno outside the building, handing him $1 billion in unmarked bills. She instructs him to ensure the safe delivery of the money inside, where they plan to meet later that day. She asks if he recalls their last meeting at this location, reminding him of the near-death experience he had while playing Russian roulette. She questions his continued enjoyment of gambling, reminding him of his vast wealth and the unnecessary risk of gambling it away. She doesn't expect him to emulate her, but she expresses hope that he might occasionally join her for some harmless recreation.
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Upon my arrival, I find them already engaged in conversation. Due appears calm and collected, while Uno seems relaxed, slowly sipping a cup of water. He appears to be contemplating something. As they notice me, they welcome me and invite me to join them. Once settled, we initiate our conversation with casual inquiries about each other's well-being. After exchanging pleasantries, Due asks Uno if he has devised a creative solution to their situation. It seems that Due is curious to know if he has come up with anything novel or different. Uno responds with a faint smile, turning to me and asking, "Do you want to know why you failed to convince the government to sign any form of agreement?"
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Both Due and I shake our heads in unison. Uno adjusts his tone slightly, finishing his cup of water before continuing, "You did not succeed because your methods are wrong!" His words resonate with me. The fact that I couldn't persuade them to agree to an arrangement validates his statement.
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"The reason why the US refused to agree is very simple. The US government has its own operational direction they want to uphold. We have our own goals to achieve too, and to meet our goals we will not let them stop us, as they won't stop us from trying either, so in reality both organizations are one and the same," Uno explains, taking a deep breath before continuing, "If you had done your homework well enough, you should have realized that."
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His statement rings true. I glance at Due's face and see that she comprehends everything Uno is saying. I feel a great sense of relief in my chest, as if I've found the answer I was looking for.
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"As for you, Sam, do you ever feel yourself being useless?" Uno asks me personally.
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"No way! I am never useless. Even though I don't have any special talent, but I always find myself useful when I am needed," I respond, expressing my strong feelings on the matter.
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Uno smiles and laughs, "I knew you are a good man. But the restriction you put on yourself, it has become a burden to you, wasting your entire potential to improve in general. As I remember clearly, Due told you that you can connect to everyone that's the mind-reading virus has connected since you are the host, right?"
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I nod in affirmation.
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"Well, you realize what kind of power you hold right now, right? You already know how to control people's minds. If you want, you can create a new world, a place where you can live without restraint. You don't need to worry about food, or shelter, or anything else. But you chose to let them fight over their way to live. And by doing so you effectively let others die in future wars for the sake of their freedom. That is the limit of your free will. You're afraid to use its full potential, thinking about the consequences if you give it up. But I know that you've already made many sacrifices in order to protect your family," Uno shakes his head and sighs, "But I understand why you're like that. It's because you love freedom. No matter where you go, you will always be chasing after happiness. No matter what happens to you in the future, no matter who you meet, you'll always be running towards something that you desire the most. But the thing that you must realize, is that the true meaning of life is not to chase after your dreams. It is to share those dreams with others, and live together harmoniously. A place where we all live happily, co-existing, respecting each other, and sharing the same destiny. Not just for ourselves, but also the ones we love, and the ones we care about. This is the goal that you should pursue. I believe that someday, you will realize this."
Uno are telling me their truth. They are revealing the truth about the real nature of the universe. I feel like I finally understand a lot of things. Even though I have a sense that he doesn't even belief to half of the thing he just said.
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"There's one more thing, I would like to add, our current virus only shares a linked copy of your abilities to other people, and the power is most likely about 1% of what you can do, meaning that it's just like a lie detector, with feeling detector and current thoughts sharing. So do you know what this can do if everyone has it? The most obvious people who committed heinous crimes will be exposed immediately without a second thought. Making it effectively a death sentence if anyone tries to hide a crime. Do you want to know what else this can do?" Uno asked me.
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At first, I didn't understand what he meant, but after several seconds I suddenly realize what he was getting at.
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"It can effectively expose and kill terrorists, murderers, rapists, and all the people who harm humanity!"
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"Yes. But the problem is that it can also expose people who are justifiably innocent. For example, someone killed his wife because she cheated on him, or a husband killing his wife for the same reason, or a child murdering another child. The list goes on and on. In the end, everyone is guilty of something, even the president of the United States, the pope, or the prime minister. So you see, we need to carefully choose the preferable information that it exposes with this virus. Otherwise, we will destroy everything we worked so hard to build. Even though the details will be in context," Uno says solemnly.
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Due suddenly stands up, looking at me intensely. She asks me in a whisper, "Sam? Are you scared?"
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I look at her, shaking my head.
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"You're the bravest person I've ever met, Sam. I know that you can handle it. Besides, if you really think that the human race must be wiped out, then there is nothing you can do anyway. We have a responsibility to the rest of the universe, and we can't let that responsibility go to waste.”
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"That's why I'm not afraid to let the virus spread. If you were the person that I respect most, then you will agree with me."
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I nod in agreement. This is the best course of action. “Everyone deserves a chance to live, even terrorists and criminals. I wish that you can realize this too. After all, you are a good man. I hope that you can overcome your fear eventually. I'll leave it up to you.”
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Due says goodbye and leaves me alone in the room with Uno. I watch her until she disappears from sight before walking back to the table. Uno gives me a smile and says, "You did well, Sam. I'm proud of you."
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After we finish our conversation, Uno invites me to stay for lunch. I was just about to refuse, but Uno insists. He tells me to eat whatever I want, but I decide to say no. Uno then asks me to accept his invitation, since it's his treat. I reluctantly agree. Uno hands me a menu card, and I read the options. I pick the fish soup, along with a salad, and some bread. I also order two beers. Uno also orders a whole roasted chicken for himself, and a glass of red wine. While waiting for the food to arrive, we talk about random topics. Uno also offers me a beer, which I decline. After finishing my meal, Uno pulls out a bottle of brandy from his pocket, pours some into the glasses, and offers me one. I quickly take it. We drink together, and after that, I ask Uno to play chess with me, which he agrees to do. After several hours, I lose three games to Uno. I was trying to concentrate too much on my moves, and forgot to pay attention to Uno's opening strategy. When Uno was winning, he would smile at me gently. After losing the third game to him, I become frustrated. I wanted to win badly, but I couldn't figure out Uno's opening strategy. I become so frustrated that I throw away my last piece, making Uno the winner. Before returning home, I promise Uno that I will bring him to the beach house next time, but I never get around to it.
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***
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With Uno's advice, I finally muster the courage to use my power to connect myself to the worldwide mind network using only my mind. I decide to use the name "Samuel". The procedure is simple, I just need to close my eyes and concentrate on the network. After a few minutes, I successfully connect to the global mind network. It feels much more powerful than when I was using a computer virus.
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I scan through everyone's mind, and I feel a sense of familiarity with some of them. I try to memorize as many names and faces as I can, but there are too many of them. It's almost impossible for me to memorize all of them. I keep scanning through the minds, looking for some specific people: the president, the prime minister, the police chief, the mayor, and the governor. I search through everyone's memories to find anything related to terrorism, assassination, and murder. I get a vague idea about a couple of cases, but the details are unclear. I need to dig deeper into these people's minds, and learn more about them. Maybe I can find something useful in their memories. As I go through each of them, my head begins to ache. My brain is overloaded with data. This is too much for me.147Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH0TvRzbXEE
A few days ago, I experienced a disturbing dream. I found myself in a dark, crowded room filled with people dressed in black suits and white shirts. Some were smoking cigarettes, others drinking coffee, but their conversations were inaudible to me. A clock hung on the wall, frozen in time. The room's occupants began to transform, morphing from tall men to short women, then to young children. Their forms shifted rapidly, leaving me shocked and terrified. As I tried to escape, I found myself trapped, the doors and windows locked. The crowd turned towards me, their eyes and mouths leaking black fluid as they crawled towards me. I tried to scream, but no sound came out. I awoke in a cold sweat.
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Overwhelmed, I sat on my bed and cried. Once my tears subsided, I turned to my computer to research my dream. An article by a psychiatrist, Dr. Rumack, suggested that my nightmare was likely stress-induced. However, I've had similar dreams before and believe they're connected to my unique abilities.
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The following morning, I woke up feeling dizzy, as if nursing a hangover. I made myself a strong cup of black coffee to alleviate my headache. I pondered the possible causes of my nightmare but found no answers. It had been a while since I'd had such a dream, and I wondered if it was due to my recent use of my powers.
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After breakfast, I went to the library to research my dream. Despite scouring news articles and government reports, I found nothing useful. To distract myself, I read some manga. Most of the stories I read depicted a superhero society, a stark contrast to the real world where such societies are almost non-existent, save for some government and police forces. I wondered if there were any comics that depicted reality more accurately.
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Later, I called my friend Due. We discussed a comic called "Shy" and its main antagonist, who reminded me of Uno. Despite we's laughter and agreement, Due defended Uno, insisting he was a least nuanced person. Our conversation shifted to my plans to train myself to adapt better to the mind network. Due was excited about the idea, encouraging me to take the risk. I agreed to give it a try and promised to update her the next day.
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At work, I spent most of my time on the computer, researching victims of terrorist attacks and potential suspects. However, I found no useful information. After a few hours, a pounding headache forced me to take a break. I sat on a bench outside, observing the hustle and bustle around me. The sight of people engrossed in their phones and computers reminded me of my childhood love for action movies and comics. As I watched the world go by, my headache gradually subsided.
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