MCDWTBS Chapter 49
by VolareSerra’s half-closed eyes flashed with a gleam of light, clearly intrigued by the amount of information the system revealed in its anger.
He had always speculated about his system mission. After all, the nonsensical “punishment mission,” while seemingly simple, wasn’t an easy thing to control.
As a philosophy teacher, Serra knew the complexity and horror of human nature better than most. He also knew that the slide in morality didn’t require earth-shattering changes. Perhaps just a gentle push, or subtle guidance, and most people would commit acts that violated humanity and ethics.
On Earth, an American scholar once conducted a psychological experiment at Stanford University. The experiment involved appointing some participating students as “guards” and others as “prisoners,” granting the “guards” the power to manage and control the “prisoners.” In just half a month, the experiment went off the rails. The power granted to the “guards” led them to commit acts beyond moral limits against the “prisoners,” and one of the scholar’s female students had to confront him and terminate the inhumane experiment.
Since being reborn in the insectoid race, Serra had been placed in the position of “guard” by the system. His status as a male insectoid brought him powers that were unimaginable for an ordinary human. In fact, Serra believed that the system’s missions were superfluous. Under the layout and guidance of the insectoid society for thousands of years, any life form that became a male insectoid would quickly become accustomed to and indulge in the joy of being above other groups, losing themselves in false authority.
But from beginning to end, the system had only given Serra an overly simple task: punish Edwin and prompt him to awaken. During this time, the system showed ignorance and naivety towards human emotions. It also didn’t use any coercive means to ensure Serra completed the mission. On the contrary, the system’s control over him was quite lax. Even when Serra took actions that went against the system’s mission, the system prioritized Serra’s will. Judging from its interactions with the host and the personality generated from the data, Serra was quite certain that its expressed goals and goodwill were genuine.
But this didn’t mean the system would disclose all information to the host.
Manipulating time and space and tampering with the development of the world was an extremely dangerous thing. The occurrence and divergence of universe-level events could cause parallel worlds to merge and be born. Playing with the power of time and space wasn’t a small matter, and Serra finally understood the key point, realizing the purpose the system had never revealed to him.
Feeling Edwin’s heartbeat, the corners of his lips curved into a tired but understanding smile:
“Take it easy, System. I haven’t crossed any lines. I’m at least a passing host, right?”
His brazen words clearly made the system’s data even more chaotic. The unlucky system emitted a ten-second burst of static before buzzing:
“What nonsense are humans talking about? Buzz–liar! I thought you were the most reliable host, but your mission progress is extremely slow, and you don’t want to complete the mission at all!”
“My mission isn’t that important. You and I both know that Edwin will eventually awaken. He is resilient, strong, and kind by nature. He will become an important banner in the revolution. He doesn’t need any external interference,” Serra said calmly.
“But his ending isn’t good, and neither is this world’s ending. The decline of civilization and the extinction of life have attracted the attention of higher energy bodies—like the Life Tribunal you mentioned. The Life Tribunal wants to change the ending of this world. They want to make changes, but the power needed to reverse time and space is too enormous, and the chain reaction it would produce is unpredictable. So, they entrusted the mission to you. You’re looking for suitable hosts, letting us occupy some insignificant but indispensable identities, to subtly change the direction of this world.”
“This is your mission, System. We are your safety card. I think your calculations might be effective, but the behavior of the host you chose—humans—is too easy to go out of control. I’m really sorry about that, System.”
Serra’s voice was gentle, with a special magnetism and unwavering belief, unconsciously weakening the system’s static:
“You… you know all this and you’re still not completing the mission! My calculations are the most accurate. You clearly only need to complete the mission—”
“Because I also have emotions, System. Perhaps it’s hard for you to understand…” Serra took a deep breath, his nostrils filled with Edwin’s scent, which made him feel incredibly satisfied and at peace:
“Besides, as I said, I haven’t touched the real bottom line. I’m still a passing host, so I haven’t been abandoned, have I? I sincerely hope that my fellow hosts have at least achieved this, because if I’m not mistaken, a poor mission completion rate won’t get us into trouble, because the Life Tribunal respects the right to life, but—”
“—What the Life Tribunal cannot tolerate is us becoming one of the sources of the civilization’s destruction. If any host, in the process of completing the mission, indulges in power and actively assumes the role of ‘guard,’ losing themselves in power, then their fate will probably be judged by you personally, according to the Life Tribunal’s regulations, right? This should be easy for you because none of us are under the protection of this universe’s rules. We were originally outsiders.”
The system didn’t speak. Its static was very steady, but it revealed a kind of overly controlled mechanical feeling. Serra became even more certain of his guess and said softly:
“I’m saying this not to cause you trouble, System. You also know that I have some petty cleverness that you find troublesome, but I haven’t crossed that line. I’m just a not-so-qualified host. You believe me. I will try to complete the mission. I’m still on the right path.”
“My influence on Edwin is greater than you expected, which has allowed you to see the possibility of him deviating from his fate in a bad direction. I am really, really sorry.”
Serra murmured softly, his heart aching, wanting to place small kisses on Edwin’s chest, but he suppressed the impulse:
“But System, change cannot be deduced solely by system calculations. Your results may be safe and conservative, but they are still full of uncertainty, aren’t they? Sometimes change isn’t necessarily dangerous. Changing the timeline is a gamble after all. We still have a chance of winning… and the infinite possibilities that lie in our future.”
“You are indeed not the most excellent host, but you are the smartest host,” the system said, its girlish voice regaining its composure, the anger receding, but with a hint of anthropomorphic resentment:
“Choosing humans with such poor obedience as hosts was the worst decision I’ve ever made! You all… are too hopeless! I’ve tried to induce, coax, and threaten you, wanting you to complete the mission, but you all act on your own accord! No one respects my calculation results!”
Lightly nuzzling Edwin’s chest, Serra, amidst worry and bitterness, still gave the system a tired smile for its complaint:
“But at least, we have all guarded our moral bottom lines and received your passing score, haven’t we? Believe me, System, the humanity and bottom line that we adhere to are the most precious things about humans. Perhaps you haven’t chosen the wrong hosts—only time will tell.”
Serra opened his eyes in Edwin’s arms. The female insectoid had fallen into an uneasy sleep from exhaustion. Serra finally dared to carefully extend his arms, tentatively embracing the slightly trembling back of the female insectoid.
Edwin uneasily let out a gasp, startling Serra into freezing like he had been caught red-handed, but Edwin then frowned lightly, actively leaning into Serra’s arms. His breathing rose and fell under the cleansing of pheromones, like reeds swaying in the lake breeze.
Having fallen asleep in the peace of mind of regaining his lost insectoid child, he had lost his vigilance towards the male insectoid. His newly occupied and marked body depended on the male insectoid’s touch and pheromones, and the more this made Serra feel heartache, the more it filled him with a sense of guilty satisfaction.
He finally got his wish, carefully embracing Edwin into his arms again, gently patting his back. All of the male insectoid’s energy, mental power, and pheromones, like a quiet tide under the moon, flowed towards Edwin in the gentlest way, helping him complete this transformation as quickly as possible.
Serra’s heart was full of satisfaction, almost filling his chest, but his morality was scolding him for once again transgressing against Edwin’s will. He still didn’t know if Edwin could accept the fact that the male insectoid who marked him and tainted him was his cub. He still didn’t know if Edwin, after all this happened, could still forgive him, whether he could give him even a shred of warmth.
But who was he kidding? Serra knew in his heart that Edwin would definitely forgive him. After the initial panic and shame, Serra was fearless—he had personally witnessed Edwin’s profound feelings for the “insectoid child.” He had witnessed that unreserved, unconditional love. What position did he have now to feel pain?
He devoured Edwin’s soul, not giving Edwin any chance to escape, and he was actually shameless enough to feel delighted and satisfied about it.
He quietly encircled Edwin’s waist and back, his fingers not daring to touch the bare skin, just loosely holding Edwin’s gently trembling body. He was immersed in this stolen satisfaction, listening to Edwin’s heartbeat. Serra’s nerve endings were trembling with ecstatic joy at this touch. He didn’t know what could surpass his current satisfaction. Everything he had, his world, was blooming in his arms.
“…Time may prove your choices, but please at least pretend that you are still completing the mission.”
The system’s voice sounded resentfully in Serra’s mind, revealing a faint sense of death unique to human-machines:
“Sorry, System.” Serra, who had thought the system had gone offline, was startled. Edwin squirmed uneasily in his arms, leaning against Serra’s body again, relying on his marker. His brow furrowed slightly, and Serra tried his best not to gently smooth it out for him without permission.
“Of course, I am completing the mission. You don’t have to worry at all! You see, although Edwin and my relationship is overly close, what hasn’t changed is our misplaced relationship. The cub he loves has become the male insectoid who marked him. He might not stop loving me, but…”
Serra swallowed, his eyes welling up with bitterness again: “He won’t accept it. He might still love me, but this will make him even more painful than physical punishment… because I will never be the insectoid child he wanted again. This is far more unbearable for him than physical pain.”
“He will awaken, System, even if he eventually forgives me, but the insectoid child he loves is a liar. Such trauma is difficult to heal. And I… I am not worthy of his forgiveness, not worthy of him loving me in the way I want.”
Serra’s heart trembled in this realization. This pain was not difficult for the system to detect. The system seemed to want to scold him for deviating from the mission theme and turning to emotional topics that the system couldn’t understand, but the installed host protection mechanism still prevailed, causing the system to temporarily concede:
“Host, please don’t be too stressed. Your health and safety are also important detection indicators for the system. The primary task at the moment is to avoid threats to the lives of the host and Edwin.”
“Thank you, System.”
Serra said these words sincerely, but the system was clearly no longer as trusting of him as before, just humming coldly before going offline, leaving a rustling white noise in Serra’s mind.
Edwin’s breathing became the only sound in the darkness, so soft and precious. Serra listened quietly, unconsciously falling into a tired sleep. Today had been too long for him, and Edwin’s embrace was his safest harbor.
He didn’t sleep for long. The excessive energy of a high-ranking male insectoid made him restless, and when he woke up, he met Edwin’s eyes, which held hidden fear.
In his sleep, Serra had unconsciously locked Edwin in his arms, in the posture of a hunter locking in on his prey. And Edwin in his arms, under the control of the male insectoid’s pheromones, was stiff, unable to resist his marker, but those eyes revealed real emotions.
Edwin was afraid of his existence, even if the female insectoid didn’t show it, and this fact struck Serra like a blow to the chest.