"November 11, 1918"
"Today, I met Hughes. What a fascinating man! There's a dangerous allure about him—I couldn't help but feel drawn to him..."
The first page made Luo Shu realize this diary's value far exceeded his expectations.
If he wasn't mistaken, Marion Wheeler had fallen victim to the "Friend of the Anomalous" milestone—she just hadn't realized it.
In other words, this "Hughes" was the Revealer of Truths of that era.
Even more intriguing was the timing: the day World War I officially ended.
History books claimed WWI was a war between imperialist powers over colonial redistribution, with 65 million mobilized and over 10 million dead.
But Hughes' appearance suggested otherwise—WWI was fabricated history. A world reset by the "God."
Luo Shu theorized:
On July 28, 1914, the "God" killed the Revealer of Truths preceding Hughes (or the holder of the Anomalous Item Archive).
Anomalous Item-2000 spent four years rebooting the world, implanting false memories of the "Great War."
Once the reset completed, Hughes inherited the Archive and became the new Revealer.
Marion, then a Foundation researcher, met him and was irrevocably captivated.
With this hypothesis, Luo Shu turned the page.
"January 30, 1933"
"Fifteen years have passed. I'm 33 now—crow's feet, dull skin. Hughes gave me a New Year's gift: eternal youth and 50 extra years."
"I knew it was Anomalous Item-006 (Fountain of Youth). Yet he didn't make me drink anything—just caressed me gently. He said it was an ability he'd recorded in the Archive."
"He promised we'd reset our aging every half-century. 'If our love must have an expiration,' he joked, 'let it be ten thousand years!'"
"But something's wrong. The Administrator grows erratic. As Germany's Führer, he's now using state resources to hunt Hughes—claiming Jews are 'inferior.'"
So the Holocaust's real motive was this?
"July 7, 1937"
"The Ethics Committee can't restrain The Administrator. He's chased Hughes from Europe to North China, slaughtering civilians en route."
"O5-4 'Bandit' defected with like-minded O5s and his Red Right Hand, forming the Chaos Insurgency. Hughes arranged it—a 'spark for the future.' But his tone was grim. He doubts we'll win."
Each date in the diary sent chills down Luo Shu's spine.
Every pivotal moment in human history tied back to the Revealer of Truths.
"September 1, 1939"
"Hughes lost. Before dying, he begged me to keep investigating Anomalous Item-3125 and establish an Anti-Memetics Division."
"I convinced O5-8 using Anomalous Item-3329. Now I lead Site-41 and Site-167. When Hughes died, the Archive vanished—but not before gifting me anti-memetic properties."
"I became Anomalous Item-3211, leaving a message in Site-41 for the next Revealer. I've forgotten its contents… and will forget I'm even an anomaly."
"This diary is stored in S041-B30-000. Per Hughes' plan, I fabricated an 'Amplifier' device as cover against Item-3125."
This aligned perfectly with the message Luo Shu had heard earlier. Marion had created dual safeguards—or perhaps forgotten she'd already left clues.
Crucially, without Item-3211 as a "key," she'd never have allowed access to this diary.
"September 2, 1945"
"I almost wrote 'WWII is over!' Then I remembered: this is another world reset."
"The Administrator erased all traces of Hughes. Even my memories. This diary's fragments are all I have. Just seeing his name breaks my heart. I crave those lost memories!"
"Perhaps when my mission ends, I'll take a Class-Z Mnestic. To remember him, one last time."
So this wish had haunted her for 80 years. Her endurance was a testament to duty.
Revelations
Though the diary didn't detail Anomalous Item-3125, it redrew history's contours:
WWI/WWII: Fabricated events masking the Revealer's battles.
Chaos Insurgency: Hughes' legacy. No wonder Alpha-"Bandit" supported Luo Shu unconditionally—another victim of the Archive's "Friend" milestone.
Luo Shu sighed and turned the page.
At last, the words appeared:
"Anomalous Item-3125."