Free Web NovelChapter 122: Chapter 122: The Butterfly Effect
From the very beginning, Shen Feng had never equated the Purification Society with the Whisperers.
After all, if the Purification Society truly possessed power on par with the Whisperers—where a single Hypnotist could sway the world and annihilate a civilization—then Cthulhu would have had no need to burn the Purification Society to the ground back then.
The sanatorium massacre would have been equally meaningless.
Cthulhu could have simply used Hypnosis on the powerful dignitaries who came to him for treatment. He could have had them incite a world war, or just keep hypnotizing more and more people until everyone harbored thoughts of self-destruction.
Based on Shen Feng’s current understanding, if a Whisperer could manifest physically in the world, it would very likely possess such power.
But instead, Cthulhu created the much lamer Purification Society. He even orchestrated a bizarre massacre in the so-called apocalyptic year of 1999, destroying all of Wuyou Town.
It looked no different from those doomsday cults rushing to commit suicide at the turn of the century.
It might have been trendy back then, but looking back now, staging a mass suicide like a mad dash for a limited-time supermarket sale was still pretty pathetic.
’But why did Cthulhu have a portrait of him? And how did he apparently know he would appear in Wuyou Town at this exact time?’
’And crucially, why was he considered an enemy?’
He remembered reading a theory about consciousness which proposed that the human body is merely a static vessel bound by time, while consciousness itself can travel through time using this vessel.
For example, sending one’s present consciousness back into the body of twenty years ago, or bringing a past consciousness into the present body.
Shen Feng was now beginning to suspect that the Purification Society was using a similar technique.
’Though they’re clearly still clumsy with it and can’t use it with any precision.’
"Where is Cthulhu? And the other sleeper agents of the Purification Society?" Shen Feng asked, folding the sketch and putting it away.
Chuck said, trembling:
"Cthulhu... Cthulhu is dead... I saw him douse himself in gasoline and burn to ashes with my own eyes... As for the other Purifiers, I don’t know where they are... Faulkner and I founded Snake Eye Company together. We were the only ones in contact with each other..."
His gaze had gone vacant, as if he was overwhelmed by pain, or perhaps mentioning this information triggered such a reaction.
Shen Feng rolled his eyes. He certainly wasn’t going to believe the words of someone who had been subjected to Hypnosis since childhood, especially not about Cthulhu.
He reached out, grabbed one end of Chuck’s severed spine, and pressed a finger against it.
Chuck immediately convulsed as if electrocuted, letting out a horrifying scream before yelling frantically:
"There’s one more person... Blackwater... Joanna, a senior tactical instructor at Blackwater Company! AHH—"
Shen Feng stopped, nodded, and walked behind Chuck. He pulled on a pair of gloves, grabbed his neck, and gave it a sharp twist, ending his suffering for good.
He then briefly questioned the remaining mercenaries before moving behind each of them and dispatching them in the same manner, making sure they never saw his face in their final moments.
Once that was done, Shen Feng picked through the scattered weapons, selecting more guns and ammunition, including grenades. He stuffed his bag full, chose an off-road jeep, started the engine, and drove away from Wuyou Town.
"Lift the satellite blackout over this area in five days," Shen Feng said as he drove.
"Roger that!" Jingwei replied cheerfully, then asked:
"So, how’s it going, young man? Pretty depressing, right? I told you, you shouldn’t go into the field in person. You’d be better off using a robot as a proxy. Hey, I happen to know a factory that makes especially good realistic dolls. Remember Uncle Wang who ran the snack shop below your old apartment? I think his son works on the assembly line at that inflatable doll factory in Lin City, he’s in charge of installing the..." freeweɓnovel.cøm
Shen Feng replied, both exasperated and amused:
"The current level of technology in our society is nowhere near advanced enough for androids to pass as human on the street. The drive systems alone aren’t nearly flexible enough, not to mention the realism of the silicone skin. Most of them can’t escape the uncanny valley effect."
The uncanny valley theory is a hypothesis regarding human feelings toward robots and non-human objects. It was proposed in 1970 by the Japan-based robotics expert Masahiro Mori. It states that when a robot’s resemblance to a human reaches a certain point, a person’s response can suddenly become one of extreme revulsion. Even the slightest difference from a human becomes glaringly obvious, making the entire robot seem stiff and terrifying.
To put it simply, things that look very much like humans, but are still instantly recognizable as non-human—like dolls or statues—can be particularly creepy.
It wasn’t that Shen Feng hadn’t considered using his formidable online power to create a remote-controlled mechanical substitute to protect his real body.
It was just that the current technological level of human society was far from what he required.
"Sigh, what a shame. I wanted to make a few hundred futanari beautiful girl robot substitutes to seduce those creepy old men and play out a real-life Rashomon..." Jingwei said, full of regret. Then it added:
"Oh, by the way, I picked up some information on the dark web. It seems someone is planning to assassinate a director at Lockheed Martin Company named Kadi Cohen. Wanna go check it out?"
As it spoke, it transmitted the relevant data to Shen Feng.
Shen Feng reviewed the information as he drove and immediately discovered that this Kadi Cohen was pushing for the adoption of an intelligent combat command system for the Eagle Country military.
The man himself was a prominent defense contractor with a complex web of connections in the upper echelons. Even the Secretary of State had private financial dealings with him.
Because of this, the adoption of the intelligent combat command system was basically a sure thing.
After all, both the government and the military had to give Kadi Cohen some face.
Unless he died.
And Kadi Cohen, perhaps because he had too many enemies in politics and business, had always been a recluse, surrounded by numerous bodyguards.
However, in five days, he was scheduled to attend an event at a convention in New York, where he would make a public appearance and give a speech.
A smile touched Shen Feng’s lips as he instantly thought of "SA."
The Salvation Army, formed by the players in the "True Apocalypse Game" he had created for this world. freewёbn૦νeɭ.com
’It looks like the seeds I’ve sown are about to sprout.’
Just like a butterfly flapping its wings in the Amazon Rainforest, stirring up a storm in North America...
’Five days... Perfect timing...’
A smile played on Shen Feng’s lips.
"Of course we’re going to check it out. And I’m going to pick a VIP seat... But before that, we need to find a liquid nitrogen container and get a private bank vault to store the eyes..."
