Hope

As a leader, Adril understood the necessity of prioritizing practicality over indulging in fantasies. While the story held intrigue, it wasn't enough to sway his emotions or train of thought.

Adril was keenly aware of what was useful and what was not. Even though the time travel theory sounded enticing, if it wasn't feasible, it held no relevance for them. Regardless of the reality of time travel, if they didn't address the current situation, they faced certain extinction—that was a fact.

However, they had no choice but to take the risk and give Professor Aizel a chance. If he presented them with a practical plan, even if the odds were slim, they would have to pursue it. In the past, Adril might have disregarded such proposals, but now they had no other options but to explore every possibility.

The weight of humanity's fate rested heavily on his shoulders, burdened with immense responsibilities. Any missteps could cost billions of lives, and now, even in the absence of errors, extinction loomed ominously.

"Lord!" Aizel called out, feeling a pang of pity as he observed Adril's hollow expression.

"I would like to know the current situation first. The time travel project is too extreme, even for me. I don't want to recommend something like that. As I mentioned before, we already discontinued the project due to the potential harm it could cause if we fail. I won't restart the project unless we have no other options," Professor Aizel reminded everyone.

"I know... I wouldn't have agreed to this proposal in the past, even if you begged. But now it's different; we don't have any other option," Adril replied.

"Nolan!"

"Provide him with all the information we have," Adril instructed, as he reclined back in his chair, feeling exhausted.

"Yes, Lord!"

"Professor... Here!" Nolan pulled out a small device and handed it to Professor Aizel.

"You can browse all the files in here. The whole situation is explained in detail within the files. It will be faster if you read it and ask me questions when you don't understand," Nolan calmly explained.

Aizel took his time reading through the information. His expression shifted from horror to despair as he absorbed the gravity of the situation.

He lifted his head and looked at everyone's faces, silently questioning the veracity of the information. The somber responses he received severely disappointed him.

"Huuu..."

He took a deep breath.

The situation was far more serious than he had initially thought. The estimated number of Entomons was around 600 trillion, with suggestions that there might even be more. People had no concept of the magnitude of that number, and those figures were just from a few clusters.

Even though the number of Entomons seemed exaggeratingly large, it was realistic considering the vastness of the galaxy. A big planet like Jupiter could easily house trillions of those bugs, and the galaxy itself was supermassive. Comparing a galaxy to individual planets or solar systems was like comparing grains of sand to the entire beach.

The Milky Way galaxy alone had around 250 billion small and large planets. Aizel didn't believe that was the end of the Entomons. The possibilities of larger colonies existing on the other side of the galaxy, across the Galactic bulge, were even higher.

"With our current technology, it's an impossible task. Not to mention the sheer size of their numbers," Aizel mused, delving into deep thought.

"Lord Adril!"

"If the information you gave me is true, our chances of winning are zero," Professor Aizel stated solemnly, locking eyes with Adril. Lord Adril and everyone else had already anticipated this grim assessment.

"Lord Adril!"

"I have a very short story for you. I hope you can give me some feedback," Aizel said.

Adril knew this moment was coming. This was the point where he would be presented with options, and he must choose one—a decision that would determine the fate of humanity. He took a long breath.

"Alright! Let us hear your story," Adril said, looking directly at Aizel. He was determined to make changes if needed.

"Professor Aizel gazes at Adril for a moment, then continues.

"Imagine we draw a single point, which we'll call Point A, and then another point, Point B, slightly distant from Point A. Connect these points with a straight line. Now, consider this: Point A represents the origin of everything, such as the emergence of humanity 6 million years ago. Point B, on the other hand, symbolizes the endpoint of our future, like the year 2650, when humanity faces extinction. Beyond that point, there is no going forward; it's a full stop in our journey.

The line we've drawn represents our human journey. Without us, no other lines can extend beyond Point A or Point B. Before Point A, there were no humans, and after Point B, there won't be, as we cease to exist.

So, we inhabit this single, unidirectional line, stretching from Point A to Point B. The universe will continue its course without us once 2650 arrives, leaving us the only beings trapped in this timeline, forever. Are you guys still following me" Professor Aizel inquires.

"Yes, we understand, Professor. We're confined to this linear path forever, unable to move forward or backward, ultimately facing extinction like the Dodo birds or Dinosaurs," Jayden replies.

"Yes, and the only way to change this is to cut the line somewhere in between and change the path or the direction. It can be a curve or zigzag line. If we cut the line, we can draw the line in a different direction away from point B and continue to draw the line into the future without stopping. The longer the line is, the stronger we become because we will either evolve or advance more in science and technologies," Prof Aizel explained calmly.

"Most people have a narrow perspective, focusing only on what is in front of them. They forget to look beyond with their minds. Our minds serve as our eyes to the past and future, helping us envision and shape our destiny," Professor Aizel concludes, imparting with words of wisdom.

"So, your suggestion is sending information back to the past?" questioned Adril.

"Lord Adril is sharp. Yes, the only way for us humans to survive is to transfer someone's memory and consciousness to the past. We cannot rely on past humans to make the changes, and they won't believe in the information either. They might think it's a prank, and not to mention there are Blue Bloods who colluded with the Entomons. So, the best solution for us is to send someone's memory to the past. We don't have many options, and this is the best thing I could come up with. If we don't change the timeline, we will be stuck in this time loop forever."

"We might all vanish like sands when we change the past timeline, but we will still be alive on a different timeline. The situation might be different, but that's the best outcome I can predict," Professor Aizel gave his final thoughts.

Now it all depended on Adril to make the decision.

"How long will it take for you to complete the practical data in papers, and when are you going to publish it?" questioned Adril.

"Minimum 2 weeks, maximum 30 days. I have to go through the papers many times, looking for mistakes. I don't want to ruin my credibility. Once my credibility is ruined, nobody is going to believe in what I say anymore."

Sigh…

"Keeping your reputation in the scientific community is not an easy job," Professor Aizel complained as he gave his answer.

"Alright, I will summon you to the Union in 35 days. You will give a briefing to all of the members about the plan. I hope you prepare well. I will have to at least inform them before making any decision. Now go and take some rest. We shall head out then. Goodbye, Professor!" Adril expressed his gratitude and left the room, followed by Nolan.

Everybody said their goodbyes and followed Lord Adril.

"Old man, take care of your health. I will be sending you some maids and cooks to take care of you," Jayden said, giving Aizel a bear hug.

"I don't need it. They will just be a distraction, and I have my Luna," Professor Aizel said proudly while patting Luna.

"Alright, goodbye then," Jayden said before taking his leave.

"Nolan, install a private security system for Aizel. We don't want anything happening to him and set the priority to the highest. We cannot take any risks with his safety," ordered Adril.

"Yes, Lord," Nolan answered.

"Three commanders, you guys should go back and take a rest. Give me military updates every 24 hours, and I want a full sweep of spies and traitors in the military within 20 days," Adril strictly gave out his orders.

"Yes, Lord Adril," the three of them replied confidently.

"Nolan, I want you to find out more about Blue Bloods. I have a feeling that they will be an important factor in the future war," Adril instructed as he headed to his flying vehicles.

"Yes, Lord!" Nolan replied and followed him to the vehicle. The vehicle rose from the ground and vanished into the clouds in an instant.

The three military leaders departed in different directions with their flying vehicles.