The Technician took a long time to process what Nick had just said.
Nick didn't say anything further and just let everything sink in.
This was a lot to say in a couple of minutes.
The Technician looked away from Nick and walked to a random wall, just staring into space, his eyes unfocused.
"Is this true?" the Technician asked, his voice shaky. "Is there really a way?"
"Hypothetically speaking, there is a chance," Nick said. "Everything is stacked against the animals. It's almost impossible to win. However, it is not completely impossible."
The Technician became quiet again.
And then, tears ran down his face as he grimaced.
Nick could even hear a couple of sobs.
No, he was genuinely crying.
When Nick saw that, he was glad that there were still humans like the Technician.
Humans that were willing to dedicate their life to bettering humanity.
Humans that could shed tears for a collective group of people they didn't even personally know.
From the outside, Aegis seemed stable and unified.
They seemed like they were on their way to dealing with the Specters.
Technology was advancing, and more powerful Extractors appeared.
And yet, behind the scenes, it was nothing like that.
The true danger was not the Sun but the beings that created the Sun.
Dealing with them was so much harder than dealing with the Sun.
Most likely, the Shields mostly knew about as much as Nick about the aliens.
They knew that they had a base on the moon, and it was not difficult to infer what the aliens had stationed there.
However, they didn't have a plan of attack.
How could they possibly keep anything secret with the Champion of Light being a double agent and no one being able to stay in darkness?
While light created by Specters wasn't light of the Sun, the Specters belonged to the Sun,and it was very possible that any dangerous pieces of intel could be transmitted to the Sun by the light-giving Specters as proxies.
It was hopeless.
It was well and truly hopeless.
But now, Nick had come up with a plan.
If Nick could deal with the aliens, humanity would have a chance at dealing with the Sun.
After all, the Enlightened Ones had most likely succeeded in severely damaging the Sun.
Maybe they had even destroyed it, and the aliens had to create a new one.
But the aliens had been unkillable.
They had been unassailable.
"Why would the animals fight for so long without any hope?" Nick asked.
The Technician understood what Nick meant.
He dried his tears and regained control almost immediately.
"What else is there to do?" the Technician asked. "Even if things seem impossible, you have to keep trying. You have to keep fighting against the tide, even if nothing changes."
"But it's difficult," the Technician said with a deep sigh. "Fighting something you know you can't win against for your entire life is so very difficult."
"You keep trying again and again, and you see some minor success, but in the grand scheme of things, you know it doesn't make a difference."
"And yet, you keep fighting and fighting and fighting. You keep going on and on forever."
"Just for that small glimmer of hope."
"You don't hope that you can win."
"No, you only hope that it stops looking impossible."
"You fight for just the tiniest hope."
The Technician took a deep breath.
"And that hope has arrived," the Technician said.
Finally, the Technician turned around and looked at Nick.
A peaceful smile was on the Technician's face.
"You brought us that hope, and that might be the biggest gift humanity has ever received."
"Thank you."
"Thank you, Nick."
The Technician was fighting against tears again.
"Thank you so much," he said with a shaky voice.
Nick never regretted helping humanity, and right now,he knew that it was the right thing to do.
Despite his dulled emotions, Nick still felt the Technician's pain and gratitude in full force.
The Technician had always been so easy-going and casual, but deep down, he was burdened by an impossibly heavy mountain of responsibility and stress.
Just like Nick, he felt guilty.
Guilty that he wasn't powerful enough to contribute more to humanity.
'Would I have continued fighting?' Nick thought. 'If I had actually known the true extent of humanity's crisis, would I have kept fighting?'
'Overcoming the Sun seems almost impossible, but the Sun's threat pales in comparison to the aliens.'
'It must have felt so oppressive and hopeless to keep fighting against something this inevitable.'
"I will forward your information to the relevant parties," the Technician said as his old demeanor returned. However, Nick could hear more life in the Technician's words than before.
"We have our own way of communicating."
A moment later, the Technician fell silent.
'He's probably talking to the Left Arm,' Nick thought.
And sure enough, a couple minutes later…
"The Left Arm wants to hear the report from you directly," the Technician said. "Please, go to her."
Nick nodded and left the room without saying anything.
After Nick left, the Technician just stared into space.
He was so relieved.
And yet, as the Technician felt the warm rays of hope shining on his heart, the strangling claw of anxiety and fear grabbed it.
The hope was so precious.
But what if they lost it?
Now that the Technician had tasted hope for the first time in his life, he couldn't imagine living without it.
They couldn't lose it!
No matter what!
Meanwhile, Nick traveled to the Halls of Remembrance and knocked on the Left Arm's door.
"Enter," the Left Arm spoke coldly.
Nick opened the door and entered the dim room of the Left Arm.
As always, the Left Arm sat in the middle of the room, seemingly focused on something random.
"Tell me about the ruins and the Specter," she ordered evenly.
Nick nodded and talked about the Specter's power and what he had found in the ruins.
"Do you believe there is a way to make the implants work?" she asked.
"Most likely, but we have to advance a lot in terms of technology," Nick answered.
The Champion of Light was less than a hundred meters away from them in the next room.
Because of that, Nick knew that he had to talk very carefully, which was why he was only giving the shortest answers to her questions.
"I see," she said. "You have made a significant contribution. If you wish for a reward, you may contact the Technician. He will assist you."
"Thank you, Left Arm," Nick said respectfully.
"One more thing," she said.
"Yes?" Nick asked.
"You have put yourself in some danger during your mission, and I have to clarify that this is unacceptable. You are our only Specter, and you give us several unique opportunities that are irreplaceable."
"Your survival is absolutely paramount."
"If you ever need assistance, don't hesitate to contact the Technician or me. Did I make myself clear?" she said with a very serious tone.
"Yes, Left Arm. I will be more careful in the future," Nick said.
The Left Arm nodded. "Thank you," she said politely.
"No problem," Nick answered casually before walking out of the room.
The Left Arm had been very subtle with her message, but Nick got it.
As Nick walked back to the research and development department, he felt pressure piling onto him.
His standing had changed significantly.
His importance had changed significantly.
'She says that my survival is more important than Aegis' survival and that, if it comes down to it, I should sacrifice a Shield if it ensures my survival,' Nick thought.
Nick was the only one who could assault the alien's base.
There was literally no other option.
If he died, the little glimmer of hope would be snuffed out, and humanity might not get a second chance.
Nick's survival was even more important than the existence of the current era.
As long as Nick was alive, the sixth era would have hope.
However, this thought also put a lot of pressure on Nick.
He wasn't just somebody who wanted to contribute to humanity anymore.
No, his existence was the sole pin keeping humanity from falling back into the abyss.
Nick had to keep surviving, no matter the cost!
As he entered the Technician's office again, Nick saw something rapidly approaching him.
BANG!
Nick exploded into light, but he couldn't evade!
In an instant, Nick felt two strong but small arms surrounding his abdomen.
At that moment, he realized what was happening.
The Knife was tightly hugging him and lifting him up with her tiny body.
The Technician just smiled.
"Thank you!" the Knife shouted with excitement.
Plop!
Then, she dropped Nick immediately and took several steps away.
"Don't get used to it. This is the only one you will ever get," she said with an exaggerated frown.
Nick looked at her for a bit.
At that point, a thought appeared in his head.
'I did it,' Nick thought in shock.
'I actually did it.'
'I think with this contribution, I have actually redeemed myself.'
'I redeemed myself!'
Then, Nick's eyes narrowed with conviction.
'But this is not where my story ends!'
'I will continue fighting for humanity!'
'With or without guilt.'
'Monster or savior.'
'It doesn't matter!'
'I will keep fighting for humanity!'
'No matter what happens!'
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