Exterminating Humanity Was to Save Humanity
At this point, three screenshots from the diary are shown again in the video.
The dates above are very consistent.
Nos. 15, 16, and 17 of 2448.
The contents of the diary were also shown to the players.
It was none other than the diary that had just been released!
Brother Banana's voice came from the video.
[As we mentioned before, a large number of the Control Bureau personnel involved in Soul Project committed suicide on the 15th.]
[On the 16th, not only did the number of suicides increase, but there were even cases of employees leaving their jobs.]
[On the 17th, the third day, the Control Bureau finally took action. They sent out the Meme via email, successfully preventing the suicides and resignations.]
[The main boss, Bigfoot, stated that before humanity's destruction, they discovered "it" through an experiment involving "Mind and Soul."]
[I think you viewers already know what this experiment is, so I won't repeat it here.]
The players in front of the screen listened intently.
The experiment of spirit and flexibility is clearly the Pneuma (Soul) project.
So the question is, how will the Control Bureau deal with the ' Divine Seal '?
Some players who have played it know this in their hearts.
No matter how they dealt with it, the Control Bureau lost this battle against the ' Divine Seal '.
Brother Banana's voice continues in the video.
[So, the situation is actually quite clear. Let me briefly outline the entire process of the Control Bureau's elimination of humanity.]
[By the way, let me emphasize again. The following plot details are all deduced from the Protagonist 2's diary, scattered document clues, and the dialogue of the BOSS ' Bigfoot '. If you have any differing opinions, please feel free to correct me. Thank you.]
The players in front of the screen immediately became excited upon seeing this.
Finally, let's get down to business!
After explaining so many details, we finally have a result.
Players now have a basic understanding of the parallel world.
Now, let's see how the overall story unfolds.
In the video, Brother Banana's voice slowly rises.
[The story begins on June 20th, 2443.]
[On this day, a geologist exposed a mining company's secret research into ' Alien Architecture,' which we previously referred to as ' Divine Seal.']
[Thus, thanks to the scientists' revelation, the true form of the ' Divine Seal ' has been revealed to the world.]
[Since it's been exposed, it's bound to be common knowledge. After all, even the Protagonist 2 knows about the ' Divine Seal,' so how could the Federal Bureau of Control not notice?]
We don't know who came up with the name ' Divine Seal,' and the game offers no clues about it.
However, with the appearance of the ' Divine Seal,' the Control Bureau took action. We don't know what methods the Control Bureau used to investigate the mining company. All we know is that on the 19th day after the ' Divine Seal's' appearance, they launched Project Pneuma (Soul) at headquarters.
[So here, we can speculate. The Control Bureau likely obtained some technology or knowledge from the ' Divine Seal ' itself, and couldn't wait to begin researching it. Or we can simply assume that this was research on the ' Divine Seal '. Let's assume the Control Bureau obtained this technology and knowledge, and subsequently conducted a four-year-long research project on the ' Divine Seal '.]
[Then, during the research, the Protagonist 2, who was at Site 19, began experiencing hallucinations and headaches, and frequently saw the dead. But was this only happening at Site 19? Our information comes from the Protagonist 2's diary; he had remained at Site 19 and had never left. So, was the outside world also experiencing the same headaches and hallucinations as Site 19?]
[Furthermore, is the Control Bureau's Soul Project truly aimed at researching the ethereal realm of spirit and consciousness? Or... is it to address the aforementioned impacts brought about by the appearance of the ' Divine Seal '?]
The players were all stunned when they saw this.
What the heck?
This Soul Project isn't about studying consciousness, but rather... curing diseases?
The Control Bureau acquired some technology and knowledge from the Divine Seal, and then... for humanity?
Is the Control Bureau really that kind?
Although I've always had some doubts, if the Control Bureau was acting in the name of humanity, then why did it later exterminate humans?
Should we believe what the Protagonist 2 says?
Brother Banana's voice interrupted the players' thoughts.
[By the way, here's a little anecdote. At this crucial juncture of the ' Divine Seal's' appearance, the old government of the parallel world established the ' Truth Cult.' So the question is, why did this religion choose to be established right after the ' Divine Seal's' appearance?]
[Isn't this a bit too much of a coincidence?]
[We previously believed that this "Truth Cult" was a tool used by the old government of a parallel world to appease the people. After all, this world was too chaotic, resource-scarce, turbulent, and had a resistance army.]
[But now it seems the establishment of this "Truth Cult" is inextricably linked to the "Divine Seal." Not only have a large number of people from the Control Bureau joined, but even the Protagonist 2 himself has become a member. Furthermore, given that the "Divine Seal" is related to consciousness and thought, it's hard for me not to believe that the "Divine Seal" itself might be a "Meme"! At the same time, the hallucinations and headaches might simply be a side effect residing in human consciousness!]
[Okay, I've digressed. The current Control Bureau is unaware of the existence of ' Divine Seal ' within human consciousness. They haven't discovered them yet, but in the meantime, something else has happened.]
At this moment, a new screenshot of a diary entry appeared on the screen.
[According to the diary entry of December 12, 2444, the Control Bureau's Soul Project has achieved a major breakthrough. In other words, the Control Bureau's research on the ' Divine Seal ' has yielded decisive results!]
[As I mentioned before, the Control Bureau must have gone through countless failed experiments before reviving the former director. So, does this major breakthrough mean it's laying the groundwork for the future resurrection of the director?]
[The answer is: Yes!]
[As I mentioned before, subsequent developments occurred: the Control Bureau resurrected the former director and, through him, learned of a world belonging to the dead. They also learned from the former director that the ' Divine Seal ' not only possesses a physical form beneath the deep sea, but also exists in another form within human consciousness, tormenting the deceased.]
We don't know what the Control Bureau's mindset was when they learned of this, but subsequent discoveries made them realize that things were far more complicated than they initially thought!
[Through research in Project Pneuma (Soul), the Control Bureau discovered that the ' Divine Seal ' exists not only in the consciousness of the dead, but also simultaneously in the consciousness of the living! Headaches and hallucinations are side effects of the ' Divine Seal ' residing in consciousness. Only then did the Control Bureau finally realize that the ' Divine Seal ' has been harming humanity from the very beginning! Regardless of whether humans are alive or dead! If all of humanity is bound by the ' Divine Seal ' both before and after death, then this interstellar human civilization... has truly become 'its' plaything!]
[Upon arriving here, the Control Bureau finally realized the terrifying power of the ' Divine Seal '!]
[They immediately suspended the Soul Project, namely the research on the ' Divine Seal,' and began to focus on dealing with this almost invincible anomalous entity.]
[However, even more incredible things are yet to come. The main storyline boss stated that when ancient humans were still Wild Man, it was the ' Divine Seal ' that forced them to evolve into top-tier life forms!]
Why would the ' Divine Seal ' do this? Why help uncivilized Wild Man become a superior race?
[We know that the ' Divine Seal ' is a living entity, so what is its reason for doing this?]
[Next, let alone you, we can't believe the following guesses either.]
The man in the video, nicknamed "Brother Banana," paused for a moment before speaking again.
The ' Divine Seal ' arrived on Blue Star during the Cambrian, a fact revealed by the ' Bigfoot. Then, the cosmic microbial cells and marine minerals carried on the surface of the ' Divine Seal ' combined, triggering the Cambrian explosion of life.
[So...in essence...all life on Blue Star, including humanity...was brought about by the ' Divine Seal '! Strictly speaking, the ' Divine Seal '...can also be considered our creator...]
The players were immediately stunned.
Holy crap, what kind of setting is this?
Was life on Blue Star brought about by the ' Divine Seal '?
The diversity of species is ultimately related to the ' Divine Seal '?
What exactly is that ' Divine Seal '?!
God?!
Just as the players were in surprise, Brother Banana spoke up again.
[Based on the above understanding, the purpose of the ' Divine Seal ' becomes clear. Yes, it aims to create civilization and develop life!]
[From this perspective, the ' Divine Seal's' intentions seem good, right? If you think so, you're sorely mistaken. Imagine, an inorganic life form from outer space, unable to reproduce on its own, would help other planets develop life and civilization? Are you kidding me? Viewers, do you believe that?]
[Furthermore, the ' Divine Seal ' is an inorganic life form, which means it's highly likely that the ' Divine Seal ' was manufactured. The universe is vast and boundless; what kind of transcendent being could create a ' Divine Seal '? If there are more advanced life forms behind the ' Divine Seal,' would they have nothing better to do than create civilization and life from scratch?]
Therefore, the ' Divine Seal ' had a purpose in developing life on other planets! As for what that purpose was, we don't know, so we can only speculate.
[The main storyline boss, ' Bigfoot, ' stated that the first thing ancient humans did after evolving was to slaughter other advanced civilizations.]
Therefore, we speculate that the second purpose of the ' Divine Seal ' should be ' Cricket Fighting '.
Cricket fighting?
The players were slightly taken aback.
What does that mean?
Do you like cricket fighting?
But this is related to civilization...
Suddenly, some players seemed to realize what it meant.
Then, they looked horrified.
Brother Banana cleared his throat and slowly began to speak.
[Let's imagine we compare crickets to civilization, ' Divine Seal ' to animal feed, cricket fighting pots to the Blue Star, and Cricket Fighting to transcendent beings. Does this all seem familiar?]
[Yes, it's a game!]
[It chose ancient humans, who lacked intelligence and were still uncivilized. It forced them to evolve and then, through mind control, instigated war between these ancient humans and other civilizations.]
[In this way, the ancient Blue Star was left with only the advanced human race controlled by the ' Divine Seal '.]
[Therefore, the purpose of the ' Divine Seal ' is to foster the development of civilizations. Then, to incite these civilizations to slaughter each other. Finally, the civilization that emerges from this bloody battle is the race the ' Divine Seal ' needs...!]
The players were completely bewildered.
They never imagined that the existence of the ' Divine Seal ' was even more terrifying than they had imagined.
If Brother Banana's guess is correct, then the ' Divine Seal '... could it be a weapon?
A weapon designed to target civilization...
Players felt a lump in their throats, and couldn't help but feel a sense of sorrow for the parallel world.
The production team added such an invincible anomaly to the parallel world, so what's the point of playing around?!
Oh wait, the Control Bureau ultimately wiped out humanity.
From this perspective, it seems like they've essentially flipped the table and quit.
but...
The ' Divine Seal ' can even continue to torment the dead.
What's the point of the Control Bureau wiping out humanity?
Isn't this behavior pushing humanity into hell prematurely?
The players were somewhat puzzled, but continued watching the video.
Brother Banana also spoke up again.
[Alright, now that we know the ' Divine Seal ' is most likely selecting powerful civilizations, its act of bringing cellular microorganisms to Blue Star can also be explained.]
[So, another question arises. What does the ' Divine Seal ' need a powerful civilization for? Unfortunately, we don't know either; there are no clues in the game. But we suspect it's definitely not something good! This is evident from the fact that ancient humans were willing to return to Wild Man lifestyle to choose to forget the ' Divine Seal ' in order to avoid it... Being chosen by the ' Divine Seal ' is never a good thing!]
[So the question comes full circle: how does the Control Bureau deal with ' the Divine Seal,' such a powerful yet elusive entity?]
[It's important to understand that humanity in the interstellar era is less advanced than even the ancients. If they chose to avoid the ' Divine Seal Divine Seal ' through oblivion, can modern humanity truly overcome it?]
[The game doesn't explain how the Control Bureau dealt with the connection between the ' Divine Seal Divine Seal ' itself and its consciousness beneath the deep sea. But I guess they definitely tried, only to no avail.]
[Since the real world can't deal with the ' Divine Seal,' what about the ' World of the Dead '? After all, they have Meme. Since humans in the World of the Dead are spiritual entities, and Meme are things that forcibly alter thought, could it be understood that Meme can spread to the World of the Dead through human thought?]
[If people in the real world use Meme to sever their connection with the ' Divine Seal,' is it possible for the Meme to spread after death? If successful, humanity would exist in a new life form that can exist eternally without needing to consume energy!]
[Therefore, we speculate that the Control Bureau began its research on the former director because it wanted to know if ' Meme ' could spread in the World of the Dead. However, this led to conflict between the two sides, ultimately resulting in the former director's death.]
Is it over? No!
[Subsequently, suicides and resignations occurred within the Control Bureau. They then successfully used Meme to prevent those attempting suicide due to the influence of the ' Divine Seal.' This confirmed that Meme can resolve the connection between the ' Divine Seal ' and humanity.]
[However, this is merely a temporary solution. The true form of the ' Divine Seal ' still influences humanity from beneath the deep sea, and the Control Bureau's technology, inferior to that of ancient humans, is utterly powerless against such an ancient entity.]
[With such a ticking time bomb existing, and everyone helpless, the Control Bureau had no choice but to delve deeper into the World of the Dead.]
[Through the experiments I mentioned before, such as hypnosis, asphyxiation, and feigned death, which can induce a state of near-death, the Control Bureau may have made progress, confirming that humans can carry Meme and spread them in the World of the Dead. So...]
[They have officially declared war on all of humanity!]
Brother Banana paused at this point.
Then, a screenshot was released.
That was the diary entry for April 6th, 2448.
The above content describes how the Federal Bureau of Control publicly disclosed its existence and activities to the world.
Then, they indicated that an anomalous entity had appeared in the world that was beyond their control.
In order to deal with this entity, and for the sake of humanity's afterlife, they decided to exterminate all of humanity!
Seeing this, the players finally understood.
The Control Bureau's extermination of humanity was not, as the Protagonist 2 claimed, a result of insane madness.
It's not to save humanity!
It has to be said, this is utterly shocking.
There exists an anomaly in the world that plunges humanity into pain and torment.
To fight it... the answer is to escape it...!
The only way to save humanity... is to eliminate humanity...!
No one would believe it if they heard that.
But such outrageous things really do happen.
In this parallel world, resources are scarce, everyone is struggling to survive, and both the old and new governments are working hard to explore resources.
Now they're suddenly being told to die...
I'm afraid all that hard work I've put in the first half of my life has been for nothing!
All of it became meaningless effort!
At this moment, Brother Banana spoke up again.
[Actually, I think the Control Bureau made this decision out of necessity. After all, they have no way to deal with the ' Divine Seal.' They are helpless even with its physical form, let alone its manifestation within human consciousness.]
Even if the ' Divine Seal ' in consciousness is temporarily resolved using Meme, the true body remains in the deep sea, meaning it could reappear at any time. The Control Bureau simply lacks the capability to resolve 'it' once and for all!
[Imagine spending your life constantly plagued by headaches and hallucinations of dead people? Nobody would, right? The game doesn't even mention whether this condition will worsen. What if it develops into something that happens every day? Who could stand it? Human society would probably collapse from the stress long ago.]
[Since the world of the living is powerless, we can only place our hopes on the world of the dead. And it seems the Control Bureau, through research, is absolutely confident in curing this mental connection in the World of the Dead; otherwise, why would they be slaughtering humanity?]
[Therefore, the mystery is solved.]
[The true reason the Control Bureau is eliminating humanity is to save humanity! It's for humanity's afterlife! It's to ensure that humanity doesn't suffer after death, and it's also to liberate the countless ancestors who have already perished!]
This is an act that humanity should remember!
[Perhaps the elimination process was indeed somewhat outrageous, but the ultimate goal was the well-being of humanity. Therefore, the Protagonist 2 misunderstood the Control Bureau from beginning to end, thinking they were insane.]
[Furthermore, it should be emphasized again that the above plot details are all speculative analyses and do not represent the official final plot. Since many clues not found in the game are based on our deductions, please forgive any discrepancies between our interpretation and the actual story.]
[After all, Site 19 in the parallel world is merely a copy within the main storyline, so the incomplete information is unavoidable.]
[However, I'd like to give you all a heads-up. Producer Shuo Guang has explicitly stated that the next game will be a space science fiction game. And the parallel world happens to be an interstellar civilization. Think about it carefully; I'm just saying this casually, so feel free to take it with a grain of salt.]
[Now that we know the background of the parallel world and the truth behind the Control Bureau's purge of humanity, let's see how the Protagonist 2 of this parallel world becomes a monster and manipulates the Control Failure event!]
ps:
The parallel worlds have finally been explained. It's inevitable that there will be differences from the original settings, since combining them into a single worldview definitely requires careful revision.
While writing these chapters, I had already scrapped over 20,000 words, even though the outline was quite smooth with only about 6,000 words. But in order to write it in a semi-correct, semi-incorrect form, I revised it several times.
For example, everyone knows that the monsters in a certain game are Necromorph, but I didn't mention Necromorph in the whole article, so Brother Banana didn't know either.
Therefore, a replacement for the Necromorph is needed to provide a plausible explanation for the story's development.
Therefore, the interstellar era worldview explained by "Brother Banana" is not entirely accurate; there are many things he is unaware of.
(After all, Brother Banana didn't have enough clues)
The purpose of writing it this way is to catch players off guard by the appearance of the Necromorph, creating a contrast.
Then, there will be another chapter later.