Chapter 9
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Determinist II
Shin Noah
4
I had visited China many times in past iterations. It was close by, and thanks to some old man obsessed with martial arts, I even had reason to go to Huashan once.
Beijing, the destination of this trip, was slightly outside my usual stomping grounds, so to speak.
But who was I? For an infinite regressor, few things were impossible.
Over the course of four iterations from the 82nd to the 85th, after thorough on-site reconnaissance, I finally completed the 'Guide to Beijing for Hitchhikers.'
"First, we secure a boat from Incheon and head to Tianjin Port."
"Um, Mr. Undertaker, I, I've never been on a boat before, so my stomach is, a little, ah, dangerous, ah-"
First, I played the crisp sound of waves from Incheon Bay as ASMR (there was some noise in between), then crossed the Yellow Sea as is.
"Next, we can't move above ground like this. There are too many anomalies. We could break through if we wanted to, but that would attract too much attention, so it's better to move underground."
"Wait a moment. Underground...?"
"Yes. The Chinese Awakened have set up a stronghold in the Beijing subway. What are you doing? Hurry up and come this way."
"Um, I, actually have slight claustrophobia, Mr. Undertaker, ah, hmm, ah, dangerous-"
The Awakened who had not yet escaped from Beijing, which had been devastated by anomalies, formed the so-called 'Beijing Liberation Strike Force.'
Among the stations they controlled, I took note of Ciqu Station.
The person serving as both station master and 17th Captain of the Strike Force was a true man of reason who communicated well.
The Ciqu Station master developed considerable fondness for a foreigner who could speak the Beijing dialect so fluently.
At this point, his address for me had already been promoted from 'this bastard' to 'you.'
When the anomaly that had been giving him headaches for a while was split into multiple pieces like a rolled omelet with a single stroke of my blade, his address leveled up once more to 'Teacher.'
Finally, when I gifted him the premium Pu-erh tea I had brought as a present, the station master finally remembered that although our nationalities might differ, we were brothers in faith who had once served the way of Confucius and Mencius together in the distant past.
"Brother Jang!"
"Brother!"
The ID issued to me by the 17th Captain of the Strike Force was essentially a free-pass passport. We immediately entered Beijing.
"...Isn't that just a bribe?"
"Tut tut."
A bribe, you say. Who would call a gift exchanged between brothers a bribe?
I merely gifted a small amount of tea leaves out of goodwill, and the recipient accepted it out of generosity.
Some complain that China's guanxi culture is their own exclusive league, but this is all because they have forgotten the fine traditions of East Asia.
Having accumulated plenty of regressor experience, I possessed many virtues beyond just the tea ceremony.
First, I couldn't leave out Go, the traditional East Asian game. The 10th Captain of the Liberation Strike Force, who preferred Go over three meals a day, played a match with me and then suddenly grabbed my hand, saying, 'I now realize that a national master has come from the East!'
Next was calligraphy. The 1st Captain, who held the philosophy that a person's character is always revealed in their handwriting, saw the characters '有朋自远方来' (Is it not delightful to have friends come from afar?) that I scrawled on huasun paper and immediately bowed with clasped hands.
"Look at this majestic yet proper regular script! Truly the reincarnation of Yan Zhenqing!"
Naturally, I was someone who knew proper conduct. Having received such high praise, how could I behave arrogantly?
At each such event, we sipped Pu-erh tea (Bingdao Laozhai, first flush) and exchanged warm compliments.
Exactly 48 hours after arriving in Beijing, I was able to freely access the Strike Force's intelligence network.
The Saintess, who had observed this entire process from the side, murmured in disbelief.
"Mr. Undertaker... you have a talent for becoming close with anyone within 10 minutes, even people you're meeting for the first time."
She was looking at me with eyes that said, 'Is this what an insider's life is like?'
"Tut tut, first time? This is the shortest route I created through exploration over a full four iterations."
"I see. Then strictly speaking, this isn't my first overseas trip either. There must have been times in previous iterations when I traveled with Mr. Undertaker."
"No? It is your first time."
"Pardon?"
"The Saintess has crossed into North Korean territory alone before, but this is your first time traveling across the sea. Why do you think I invested four whole iterations to find the shortest route? It was to make your first trip as comfortable as possible."
"......"
"Well, the world is in this state, so 'as comfortable as possible' only amounts to this much. So, Saintess. How about it? Can you see the anomaly we're looking for?"
"...Just a moment."
Phew. The Saintess steadied her breathing.
"Please wait a little."
Then she closed her eyes.
Her role here was singular. Radar.
Even though the Strike Force members had hidden underground in Beijing, personnel monitoring the surface were stationed everywhere.
The 17th Captain was on brotherly terms with the 1st and 10th Captains, and the 10th Captain was close with the 6th, 8th, and 9th Captains, while the 1st Captain had deep friendships with the 2nd, 4th, and 5th Captains.
Their 'generosity' and my 'goodwill' combined, and at this very moment, the surface observation duty that the Strike Force members had usually neglected was being executed with high importance.
And the Saintess's ability was [Clairvoyance].
For exactly 10 minutes from now, the Saintess would gain an omniscient observational perspective that could survey all of Beijing without missing anything.
"......"
One minute.
"......"
Two minutes.
"......"
Three minutes.
"I found it."
The Saintess opened her eyes.
She didn't even need 10 minutes. The remaining 7 minutes of margin was a numerical value expressing our combo's competence in the measure of time.
"Where is it?"
"Temple of Heaven Park."
Our luck was good. It was close.
"Understood. Then Saintess, please wait here underground and keep sending me messages. I'll finish this quickly and re-"
"Take me with you."
Squeeze. The Saintess grabbed my forearm.
"I want to see Mr. Undertaker fighting with my own eyes, not through Clairvoyance."
"...Hmm. It will be dangerous."
"You said it was the most comfortable and safest shortest route. I'll trust you. And."
The Saintess exhaled faintly. That was her way of smiling.
"If I came all this way on my first overseas trip in my life and all I saw with my own eyes was seawater and underground, I think not just current me but also myself in future iterations would feel a bit resentful. Don't you think?"
It was an unrefusable justification.
5
As I ran up the stairs of Tiantandongmen Station, a thunderstorm was raging above ground.
Noise struck my ears.
The thunderstorm spared no location. Whirlwinds blew throughout Beijing.
"Quite an intense welcome greeting. Saintess, hold on tight."
[Yes.]
Perhaps because of the stormy noise all around, the Saintess spoke not with her voice but through telepathy.
I ran toward the Temple of Heaven Park with the Saintess in my arms. Strength entered the Saintess's arms as she hung from my neck like a swing.
The world was covered in dark clouds.
The central boulevard of the park, once neatly maintained, was now encroached upon by green pine and cypress trees, scholar trees, and ginkgo trees from the forests on either side. As if rust had formed on an old iron sword.
I sprinted down the exact center of the blade.
-Krr͏r? ̡T̕h͘at͘? ̡
-Ga͜g͞gle̡ ̨r̛r?
As many things as there were trees were anomalies.
Lightning struck. The forest cast shadows.
Now on Earth, they were the lords of all creation.
They looked down at the old-era species that fearlessly jumped into the territory of the surface they had conquered, standing on tree roots, hanging from branches, coiling in the canopy.
That angle of gaze didn't last long.
"It will shake a little."
[Yes.]
One flash. I cut away the cumbersome trees in a single stroke.
The ink-black aura that symbolized me swept like a tsunami along the boulevard. The anomalies parasitizing the trees descended to the ground at once.
As expected of anomalies occupying one of humanity's greatest cities, they didn't lose balance upon landing, but that wasn't particularly important.
One strike. I simultaneously slashed the necks of the anomalies whose eye levels had roughly aligned.
Two sword strokes were enough for humanity's boulevard to become a road again.
[...Amazing.]
The Saintess murmured softly.
[It's completely different from watching through Clairvoyance. You're truly incredible.]
"You flatter me. I've actually been told many times that I have no talent for martial arts."
[That makes no sense. Mr. Undertaker? You must be joking.]
I smiled faintly.
"I'm serious."
In truth, I had no martial talent.
That wasn't the only talent I lacked. I couldn't tell how Pu-erh tea and green tea differed apart from color, I didn't know Go strategy, and I didn't know the techniques of grinding ink and wielding a brush.
And still many things were lacking. I had no talent for borrowing others' perspectives, nor would I ever.
That was why I always needed comrades.
My comrade whispered to me.
[Ah, over there to the left-]
[Right. Yes, further right.]
[Yes. Just keep going straight.]
Following the Saintess's guidance, cutting through forest paths and anomalies, we arrived at the tower standing tall north of the Temple of Heaven - Qiniandian, the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests.
Lightning poured down and the building was already mostly destroyed. Yet the pillars alone stood precariously, pointing toward the sky like hands offering prayer.
At its very center, a tornado was rising like a waterspout.
[That's the place, Mr. Undertaker. All the other tornadoes covering the city right now originate from that tornado.]
"Yes. It appears so."
The Temple of Heaven is translated as 'Temple of Heaven' in English.
Since ancient times, humanity proved its power by who offered sacrifices and prayers to heaven. If so, the tornado currently rising toward the heavens from that place was essentially the anomalies' victory declaration.
I enhanced my vision with aura. Then, after observing the presence detected at the center of the storm, I could only chuckle.
"As expected."
[Why are you laughing?]
"No. I just thought the anomalies are truly anomaly-like."
At the center of the tornado... a small sapphire-blue 'butterfly' was fluttering its wings.
Blue wings. A morpho butterfly.
That was the true identity of the waterspout.
It was an anomaly falsely claiming to be the Son of Heaven of this era.
Perhaps on days like this when storms raged, some of the tornadoes originating from that 'butterfly' had crossed beyond Beijing and reached the other side of the Earth.
'...Literally the butterfly effect.'
I gripped my cane-sword.
It was a weapon I favored, usually used as a cane but turning into a sword by twisting the handle to draw the blade when needed.
How I came to use such a peculiar sword would be a story for another time.
For now, I'll simply speak briefly about what this sword cuts.
Perhaps sensing my presence, the butterfly tilted and fluttered its wings.
-Ca̷n ̧thi͘s ̢b̀e͟ ̧t̡h͝e ̢w̨o̡rk͞ ͘of ̨h͢u͝m̴an̕s͘?
The wind swirled.
I swung my sword.
Amidst the thunder rumbling, a single streak of ink-black sword energy silently grazed the world.
The blade tore apart a single butterfly that had appointed itself the new lord of Earth.
-Thi̧s ̨is͢ ̧u̡nf̸a͡ir̕, ̨r͢egr̨e͡sso͘r͠ ̨b̀a̵st̛a̧rd̕!
A scream rang out.
If translated into human language, it would probably be something like 'This is cheating, you regressor bastard.'
But having falsely claimed to be the Son of Heaven, tasting the bitterness of a revolution was also the natural course of history. I merely wanted to welcome it to Earth.
The storm and thunder, the waterspout roared, and then at one moment, the world's noise subsided as if by magic.
[...Ah.]
As the dark clouds cleared, the last squall poured down suddenly. Sunlight dwelled in the raindrops like transparent shadows.
[...It's beautiful.]
My senses spread in all directions still detected the presence of countless anomalies. They would likely swarm here in hordes once they realized their boss had died.
But they wouldn't be faster than sunlight.
During the brief respite granted to us, the Saintess descended from my arms and looked around.
"I'm glad we came on this trip."
The sound of water lapped beneath the Saintess's shoes. It was exactly like the sound of a small fish emerging from its bowl and flapping its fins in a stream.
The Saintess turned around and moved her lips. Then silently—with words meant only for me to hear—she spoke.
[The Saintess of National Salvation praises your great deeds.]
I stared blankly for a moment, then burst into loud laughter.
Surprisingly, that was the first joke I had heard from the Saintess in all the time up to the 86th iteration.
5
There is an afterword.
According to my philosophical belief as a determinist, the butterfly effect was an anomaly I could never tolerate.
However, I too was human. Sometimes I grew weary of a life that repeated endlessly.
At such times, the butterfly effect, which recklessly created variables by twisting the flow of cause and effect, wasn't so bad either.
After all, even anomalies are what you make of them.
In any iteration, I tried to subjugate the Beijing anomaly as quickly as possible, within six months of when the butterfly effect truly began to stretch its wings, but sometimes I deliberately left it alone.
...My complacent attitude eventually triggered an irreversible 'butterfly effect' in the 173rd iteration.
[Mr. Undertaker.]
"Yes."
[Perhaps I've been operating with preconceptions about the Constellation. Don't you think we need to renovate the Constellation's image in a friendlier and kinder direction?]
"Ah, yes. Do as you wish."
[A great idea suddenly came to me last night.]
"That sounds like an excellent idea."
It was a suggestion I'd heard for the first time in my life, but I was someone who had basic trust in the Saintess. I approved without much thought.
And the next day.
[Hello hello! Greetings to all Awakened of the Korean Peninsula! Nice to meet you-nyang!]
[From now on, I am the Constellation who will always watch over you all, the Saintess of National Salvation-nyang!]
[Meow! Please take care of me from now on-nyang!]
"........."
Oh. My God.
I ended up dropping my coffee cup.
...Indeed, anomalies and humanity cannot live under the same sky.
- Determinist. End.
An infinite regressor telling a story.