Apocalypse Forecast-Chapter 660 - 547 Black Box_1

"It’s probably a reflection of events."

After learning about what had happened to Huai Shi, the Great Grandmaster remained as calm and indifferent as ever, not even bothering to move his eyes. "There’s no need for alarm."

He said, "It’s a minor matter."

Huai Shi’s expression twitched.

Although the Great Grandmaster was depressingly somber when in low spirits, making him somewhat difficult to deal with, his demeanor in a normal state was another extreme—making him seem even less human than when he was abnormal.

The former made one feel helpless, while the latter invoked awe and fear.

It was as if he had truly transformed into an inhuman steel entity, looking down upon everything with a cold gaze; nothing in this world could surprise him. Even if the Iron Crystal Throne exploded in front of him, he wouldn’t frown.

Every time he stood beside him, Huai Shi felt as though he was confronting a humanoid alchemy furnace.

He could feel countless Alchemy Matrices changing within that massive metallic husk. Miracles occurred every moment, yet he could seldom sense any fluctuation in his emotions.

Comparing the two, he couldn’t figure out which state was more normal.

Frankly, he’d rather the Great Grandmaster be more laid-back. At least that seemed... healthier.

Thinking this way, it wasn’t surprising that he, whom Luo Su had pushed into this difficult spot, was so popular. The Director of Affairs and the Captain certainly understood the Great Grandmaster’s state better than he did. So, in that case, wasn’t he just a backup?

He suddenly felt miserable.

However, since the Great Grandmaster had said it was a minor matter, Huai Shi could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

He continued to ask, "’Reflection of events’—what does that mean? Are you saying this kind of situation is common?"

Recalling the nightmare he had, he instinctively felt a bit uneasy.

It was clearly foolish to fret alone in such times. One should report any abnormalities immediately, then collectively devise a strategy to tackle the issue.

Only it seemed that Huai Shi alone was overly concerned about this.

"It’s quite common."

The Great Grandmaster casually replied, "Under many circumstances, Source Substance can imprint on matter in some way. Ultimately, the events recorded in the Source Substance can be extracted again. It’s nothing special. It’s like finding a stone tablet in a coffin during an archaeological dig; you just happened to understand it, that’s all."

"Then why me?"

Huai Shi was puzzled. "There must be a reason, right?"

"Good luck, high inspiration, keen perception, or exposure to related things—there are too many possible reasons."

The Great Grandmaster flipped through the report and looked up to say, "As far as I know, in the decoding trials, six individuals have experienced hallucinations on the Iron Crystal Throne, not just you. In addition to August and the Communications Director whom you know, one of them is your student."

Huai Shi was dumbstruck, incredulous.

The Great Grandmaster casually pointed to his side.

In the direction of the medical room, Yuan Yuan emerged, bidding farewell to the medical staff.

Her expression was calm, as if unaffected by anything. Seeing Huai Shi in conversation with the Great Grandmaster from a distance, she did not come forward to interrupt but gave a polite nod from where she stood. Afterward, she grabbed Lin Nineteen by the collar and left.

Lin Nineteen was holding a vomit bag, vomiting uncontrollably, his face pale, relying entirely on Yuan Yuan to drag him along.

He looked incredibly weak, as if on his last breath.

It was unclear what sort of nightmare he had endured. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

But after the initial shock, Huai Shi quickly realized what was happening. As a Sublimator on the Path of Karma, Lin Nineteen himself was tens of times more sensitive to the negative Source Substance associated with anomalies. He had probably been severely tormented by the visions from the event reflection.

That’s rough...

Huai Shi looked sympathetically at his unfortunate student. I’ll give him a few more days off.

Just as he was preparing to continue reporting to the Great Grandmaster, he saw the Steel Giant wave his hand disinterestedly, "As for what you saw, there’s no need to say more. It might not be real."

"Hm?" Huai Shi was puzzled.

"Because it’s not very useful, and it will only be a waste of energy."

The Great Grandmaster said, "An individual’s perspective is narrow and unstable; the collective’s perspective is chaotic and blind. Neither can catch a glimpse of the bigger picture. They only lead to misdirection."

He paused for a moment, then added meaningfully, "If you get obsessed with it, in the worst-case scenario, it’s not impossible for your entire being to be replaced by the thing that left that engraving."

Huai Shi was startled.

Replaced? Was that really possible? To be resurrected from records in the Source Substance, across millions of years, into oneself?

"It’s not impossible, but whoever is resurrected might not be the same person anymore."

The Great Grandmaster scoffed dismissively, "Some people can be brainwashed just by seeing minors smoke, let alone by experiencing something so vicariously."

"Turn around now."

Huai Shi turned, looking behind him. Through the thick glass, he saw the huge cube in the laboratory. It had undergone a dramatic transformation and was opening slowly, as if a precise mechanism was being unveiled. With the progress of the decoding trials, the previously tightly sealed outermost layer had unfolded entirely. It branched out like tree limbs in all directions, forming a gigantic structure several times its original volume.

It was expanding.

Steel grew and extended from the operation of its core mechanisms.

The original vast cube was merely a seed; it had not yet fully grown...