Chapter 22: a Losing Proposition?
It was nearly midnight when Marcus returned home. Earlier, after he took Kyle to see Sarah, Kyle was in low spirits, and the two went to a bar.
Kyle ended up getting drunk, as if trying to sever all ties with what could have been.
"System, I have a question. Why do we gain so many destiny points after defeating the Terminator T-800, and then when Kyle and Sarah didn't meet?" Marcus asked the Transcendence System silently, lying in bed.
The Transcendence System replied, "Because in the Terminator world, whether it's the Terminator T-800, Kyle Reese, or Sarah Connor, they are all key figures in destiny."
"If we compare the River of Destiny to a building, ordinary people are the bricks that make up the non-structural walls, while Sarah and the others are the key parts of the load-bearing structure. Even if the non-structural walls are damaged, it doesn't significantly affect the stability of the entire building," the Transcendence System explained.
Marcus responded by analogy, "If you damage the load-bearing structure, it might threaten the stability of the entire building, right?"
"Yes," the Transcendence System responded. "Therefore, when the [protagonists] are involved, it will be easier to cause fluctuations in the River of Destiny, thereby gaining more destiny points."
"Doesn't that mean I can farm destiny points?" Marcus was secretly excited.
"Please abandon your unrealistic fantasies!" the Transcendence System reminded him. "Given that the host has already gained more than one hundred destiny points, the system will tell the host the truth."
"The truth?" Marcus wondered.
"The host's arrival in the Terminator world is the result of the system's resource expenditure. The system transported the host from the host's world to the Terminator world, spending a total of 200 destiny points for the [Fortunate Selection]. The Terminator world is like a tutorial level in a video game, which is why the host was able to develop steadily," the Transcendence System explained.
"..." Marcus was speechless. He initially thought it was good luck!
The Terminator world, especially the timeline of The Terminator, is really quite manageable.
Otherwise, if he had entered a world like The Ring or a world with supernatural forces, wouldn't Marcus have been dead already?
"Turns out it wasn't good luck at all!" Marcus smiled wryly.
"In the myriad worlds, most are extremely dangerous. If the host relies on luck, both the system and the host will fall into eternal slumber," the Transcendence System warned.
Marcus was speechless again. "By the way, I now have 155 destiny points. Shouldn't I be able to open a World Gate?"
"Of course," the Transcendence System replied. "Please wait a moment. Given that your destiny points exceed one hundred, the system has one more thing to tell you."
The Transcendence System naturally wouldn't keep him in suspense. "Based on your current capabilities, you can consume 10 destiny points to increase your attributes by reversing causality."
"Hmm?" Marcus was slightly puzzled.
"Initially, your Strength was 8 points, Agility was 8 points, Constitution was 9 points, and Spirit was 22 points. After more than three months of training at the FBI, your Strength and Agility have increased by 1 point each, Constitution by 0.5 points, and Spirit by 0.1 points," the Transcendence System listed the data.
"If the host wishes to increase their attributes, they can reverse cause and effect through destiny points," the Transcendence System repeated.
Marcus didn't make a choice immediately. He asked, "If we open the World Gate, which world can we open the gate to?"
"If we use 100 points of destiny to open the World Gate, we won't be able to determine which world it leads to," the Transcendence System replied.
"So we still have to invest 200 points of destiny?" Marcus asked helplessly.
"The system recommends that the host open the World Gate between the host's current world and the Terminator world. Once the gates to both worlds are opened, the host can travel between them at any time," the Transcendence System explained.
Marcus paused, then his eyes lit up!
"Unrestricted free travel?" Marcus asked to confirm.
"Yes. Once the World Gate is opened, you can travel freely," the Transcendence System replied.
"Then why didn't we open the World Gate when we first traveled through time?" Marcus asked again.
The system responded, "Because the first time you traveled wasn't by opening the gates to other worlds, but by forcibly reversing cause and effect through destiny points, you made a 'fortunate selection' travel."
"..." Marcus was speechless. So, a 'fortunate selection' cost 200 destiny points?
Simply put, Marcus spent 200 destiny points to enter the Terminator world, and he hasn't broken even yet; he's still operating at a loss!
However, Marcus believes that in the future, he will definitely be able to earn more destiny points from the Terminator world.
At the same time, he plans to cultivate and develop the Terminator world, turning it into a logistical base so that he can provide corresponding resources when he enters other worlds.
For example, the liquid metal robot T-1000 in Terminator 2 and the advanced prototype TX in Terminator 3—these are powerful combat units.
What if he turned them into his own forces? Even if he enters other worlds next time, Marcus will have some resources and won't be as passive and helpless as when he first entered the Terminator world—it was simply too dangerous.
"Open the World Gate, I want to return to my own world," Marcus instructed in his mind.
"By the way, are the time flow rates the same in both worlds?" Marcus asked.
"Uncertain," the Transcendence System responded. "Time is a very special existence. In essence, time does not exist; it is a conceptual construct."
"Throughout the universe, time exists in a contradiction between unified equilibrium and local imbalance. For example, around a black hole, time behaves differently. The stronger the gravity, the greater the distortion of time," the Transcendence System explained in detail.
"On a macroscopic level, although time behaves differently around a black hole, time flows normally in other regions of the same space as the black hole," the Transcendence System added.
"Is there a simpler way to put it?" Marcus asked, slightly puzzled.
The Transcendence System was silent for a few seconds before explaining again, "If we compare the universe to a computer and the host's Earth to a video game, the computer's unified time keeps advancing, but time in the game can be controlled by the computer, even saved. If you are not satisfied with the result, you can directly reload the save and start over."
"Does the host understand this explanation?" the Transcendence System asked.
Marcus was somewhat amused. "I think you've just revealed something profound, but I can't prove it."
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