Chapter 58
「Synchronization symptoms are the key to our strategy. No, rather than the key, they’re the catalyst. The proof that ‘HAO’ can have an impact on reality.」
「Proof? It already seems to be influencing reality in the form of information…」
「Physical proof that it can have an impact.」
As they speak, they watch the broadcast. Due to Orange’s counterattack, seemingly predicting the sniper attack, the soldiers of the 「Reformist」 faction are defeated. Forced at gunpoint, they are now about to open the locked door. In a room of a building containing only two chairs and a tablet, left in the lingering night chill, the two members of Public Security Section 6 grimace.
「…I’m not going to get upset anymore.」
「Well, you were just banging against the wall earlier. Shouting things like ‘Are you trying to nullify the negotiations?!’」
The red-haired woman, the superior of Urairo Aika, the head of Public Security Division 6, says nothing. That conversation had already ended. The data collection of scandals involving important figures from various countries in the future holds enough power to completely change the political landscape. For instance, if a certain congressman engages in underage sexual misconduct over a five-year period starting in 2040, threatening him with this information now could easily turn him into a puppet. In fact, aiming for this, various organizations were gathering this kind of information and attempting to pass it on.
One of the few forces that succeeded in this was the 「Reformist」 faction. They had been using it to blackmail numerous individuals, but now, due to Orange’s actions unfolding before their eyes, everything has come to nothing.
「Is this what you wanted?!」
『Let’s see… President Trampia’s tax evasion started in 2036? And this one is about Firesteel Metal’s quality fraud? Couldn’t they sue you for this, ‘☆Star_Night☆’?』
『If anyone’s getting sued, it’s you!』
The hoarded data is completely disclosed to the world, one piece at a time. The implication is that the power struggle through scandals has been completely reset. Just as a power structure was about to form, separating those who had benefited from the succession and those who hadn’t, Orange scrambled everything and made it all disappear.
「…Orange’s aim is likely to prevent power struggles. What he seeks is unity, not political strife, so he probably wanted to swiftly dismantle this kind of bomb.」
「And amidst all this, his position as a prophet gathering the masses and gaining power remains unshakable. As the rest of us try to hide scandals while he reveals wrongdoings to the world, he can even claim to be standing on the side of justice. It’s the worst-case scenario.」
The woman grits her teeth, certain that any lawsuits will also be handled by Kōmitsu. On the screen, Urairo Aika being carried by the cross-dressing Reina and the others is shown. A pay cut is decided. With her combat-oriented abilities and real combat experience, the woman wished she had held out a little longer, but it’s too late. Right before their eyes, all the information they had been keeping secret is being exposed.
That’s why they had to execute their other plan.
「We’re initiating the ‘Inverse Dive Citation Information Project’.」
「…I’ve heard of the term. Could you give me the details?」
「Don’t worry, you’ll be involved in it from now on.」
Saying that, the woman shows her subordinate a diagram on the tablet. It’s about the ‘fixation’ of ‘HAO’. The diagram depicts the straight-moving present and a withered future cut off like a lizard’s tail. That withered future is the citation information.
「In the ‘HAO’ system, what’s important isn’t just passive future prediction. The crucial part is ‘fixation’.」
「If I remember correctly, it’s the power to ‘fixate’ the uncertain future based on the time up to the present, aiding in prediction. However, that world is reduced to mere citation information once the ‘fixation’ is discarded.」
Citation information is literally just information. For example, suppose the information from the future that Orange extracted changes 20 years later. In that case, if the information can’t be obtained in that changed 20-year future environment, a time paradox occurs. Orange shouldn’t be able to obtain that information from the future, yet he’s changing 20 years later.
The solution to this is the idea that multiple worlds or timelines exist, and the truth is closer to the latter. However, it’s not that multiple timelines progress simultaneously, but rather there is one world and a flock of citation information that sustains it.
The answer to the aforementioned time paradox becomes 「No time paradox occurs because it’s tied to citation information.」 A future that isn’t ‘fixated’ is fragile, and the people within it have their existence crushed, reduced to mere information for the main world. This is citation information.
And because of that, people despair.
「If they find out their future doesn’t exist in a way that ‘HAO’ doesn’t work, they’re bound to become desperate. In fact, that’s why the world is in chaos and unable to properly operate ‘HAO’. So we’ll change that situation.」
「Specifically?」
「We’ll kill off the desperate influential figures from countries around the world. Starting with the people of Japan. The targets are the current Chief Cabinet Secretary Matsumoto Toru, the current leader of the People’s Guardian Party Eda Taiji. And Orange.」
Among the data Orange made public, it was there. The next prime minister who charged into a crowd at full throttle, killing dozens of people; the leader of the People’s Guardian Party who publicly committed suicide with a crazed smile. The existence of these two, in particular, caused distrust and fear throughout Japan, triggering an escalation of the 「Scorch War.」
To those unaware of 2050, it’s simply suspicious that politicians and corporations are acting strangely, and now their leaders are causing unbelievable situations. That distrust made preparations for the war against 「UYK」 difficult and led to a deterioration of public order.
It’s hard to say that these two are to blame. They’re victims because they were ‘fixated’ by ‘HAO’. If time were a single axis, they would have likely walked their respective paths normally. The looming despair simply shattered their minds.
And that is extremely inconvenient for the 「Reformist」 faction.
「Why did you include Orange?」
「Because he’s unpredictable. Besides, in this case, it can’t be traced back to us, and we can make the excuse that he just went on a rampage in the future on his own. If we can kill him, great; if not, it’s still good if we can reveal his hand.」
「It can’t be traced back?」
The male subordinate feels doubt. No matter how dispensable they are, it can be traced back. Especially if they have the fighting power of Kōmitsu and, above all, the strength to defeat Orange. But the woman smiles as if it’s already a given that it can’t be traced, or rather, won’t be traced.
「How are we able to log into ‘HAO’ again?」
「Um, 2040 is 2060, and by using the stabilization energy from the state where people alive in 2040 are dead in 2060, reconstruction and connection are…」
「Then why do synchronization symptoms occur?」
「2040 is 2060, and in 2060, people who are dead in 2040… Wait, that’s the same theory, right?」
「Then I have something I want to ask. Suppose there are people who don’t exist in 2040 but are alive in 2060, about to become citation information. What do you think will happen?」
The man utters an 「ah」 in realization. At the same time, he recognizes the text the woman had shown him. Artificial humans manufactured in 2045 to increase the adaptation rate as modified humans. Homunculi that can be taken out of a tank with a body of around 12 years old, born from a steel womb. To distinguish them from ordinary humans, they have Japanese elements but foreign-sounding names. The first surviving example is 「Greg」.
The Reformist faction doesn’t dirty their own hands. The ones who will dirty them are their other selves, awaiting the future that will become citation information.
「Just as we are now diving into ‘HAO’ from 2040, we’ll inversely dive from inside ‘HAO’ into the real world of 2040. Then, we’ll unleash a large number of artificial humans into this peace-dulled era and have them eliminate the obstacles. This is the ‘Inverse Dive Citation Information Project’.」
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