"Who knows?" Wang Peibo's voice was barely audible, as if he was on the verge of falling asleep. "Maybe the universe we exist in is just one gigantic computer."
Mike sighed inwardly, not wanting to delve into such philosophical musings. "I don't want to discuss this stuff, man. You need to focus and get a move on."
"This month is your last chance."
Mike looked at Wang Peibo, who had seemingly drifted off on the couch. He nodded silently.
According to Wang Peibo, the talent of the "宅男之家" (Homebody House) was never meant to exist within the mechanism. Mike, possessing the Homebody talent, was essentially a bug in the system—an error in the program itself.
Thinking about it more deeply, Mike realized that Wang Peibo's analysis was spot on. From his experience over the past few months, it was clear that the Homebody talent had enormous potential.
In a sense, as long as Mike could push the limits of the mechanism, his talent allowed him to extract everything the system had to offer—almost without limit.
If the mechanism really was a computer, it must have its operational limits, and Mike's talent was the key to breaking those boundaries.
Looking at it from this angle, it made sense: they could only defeat the mechanism by pushing it to its breaking point, finding the one moment where it would overload and collapse.
Mike turned to focus on his next task. If they really had just one month left, it was an incredibly tight deadline. He still wasn't sure if his current strength was sufficient to make this reset a success, or whether this time could be considered their most promising attempt. What would happen if they failed? Another reset?
He took a few steps and suddenly stopped, glancing back at Wang Peibo, still lying on the couch with his back turned.
"What if we fail again this time?"
Mike spoke aloud, his voice laced with doubt. "Will I still exist? I mean, the me in this timeline. You've seen me die so many times—are all those versions of me the same?"
Wang Peibo didn't answer immediately. His breathing was steady, almost as if he was already asleep.
Mike shook his head, feeling the weight of his own uncertainty. He turned back around, but then, unexpectedly, Wang Peibo's voice echoed softly from behind him.
"I don't know if you're still you. I don't even know if the version of me after a reset is really still me either."
Mike stopped in his tracks and turned to look at Wang Peibo, but he hadn't moved, still facing the back of the couch.
"I only know this is an obsession. You could just think of it as a virus's obsession."
Mike frowned, processing the words. "Hmm. I get it now."
He nodded slowly. "Even if this is just another failed reset to you, for me, it's a fight for survival."
He couldn't afford to hold back now. No matter what Wang Peibo said about the future, Mike wouldn't surrender his right to survive. No entity had the right to take that away from him.
Mike took a deep breath, turned, and sat back at his desk, his focus instantly returning to the task at hand.
"Less than a month left. There's still so much to do. It should be enough time... I hope."
His eyes narrowed slightly as he reviewed the status of the four cities' zombie management and the progress on the new dungeon's development. Once done, he immediately picked up his communicator and dialed Jiang Xiao-ci's special line.
"Sir, do you have any instructions for me?"
Jiang Xiao-ci quickly answered with a smile. "I heard you've recruited another exceptionally talented individual. Should I help you assign him a position?"
"Not that, he won't be involved in anything special for now." Mike glanced at the now-sleeping Wang Peibo before speaking quietly. "How about the task you were working on for Shencheng? How's it going?"
"We've already started the military restructuring in Guangling and Dantu. Over twenty thousand people meet the requirements and have entered the new military training phase," Jiang Xiao-ci replied smoothly. "However, I don't think these two cities will be useful in the short term. Personally, I recommend a more gradual recruitment process for the two cities, focusing on urban management and disaster relief for now."
"As for Xinchang and Jinling, their military structures have undergone minimal changes. The research department has recently focused on developing and producing armed forces using intelligent technology, but no significant results yet."
"For Xinchang, I've made major adjustments, transferring half of the personnel to Guangling and Dantu to fill in their military structures. Until the military system is fully established, they will be responsible for maintaining urban security."
"Half of the remaining personnel have been reevaluated, leaving just a quarter of them with combat talents to form the new Xinchang Special Combat Unit. The number of troops is smaller, but their combat power is much stronger."
After a pause, Jiang Xiao-ci added, "If you plan to initiate military action in Shencheng soon, it will take at least two weeks to prepare."
"Two weeks? No, I don't have that kind of time."
Mike shook his head. "We'll need to act within seven days."
"Seven days?" Jiang Xiao-ci was taken aback. "After the Dantu battle, we discussed how to handle Shencheng, and you were clear about prioritizing the four cities' development and self-preservation, considering action against Shencheng only if necessary. But now... it seems like your stance has changed dramatically in a few days."
She didn't probe further, as she realized Mike's recent recruit might have had a major impact on his decisions.
"Understood. However, sir, I still suggest some communication with the higher-ups before proceeding."
Before Jiang Xiao-ci could continue her suggestion, a prompt appeared in front of Mike.
[New communication request detected, from the National End of Days Army. Do you wish to respond?]