The answer was on the tip of Harrison Clark's tongue; he had failed this time.
Humanity had perished prematurely, unable to await his Advent.
Clark had once imagined that he might someday face such a situation.
However, perhaps because of his many successes, he had lost his vigilance for crises and had almost forgotten this possibility.
Unbeknownst to him, after eight successful timelines, he would meet with a thorough failure on the Ninth.
He was somewhat perplexed.
He had constantly revised and honed his methods, strengthening his control over the era, allocating resources more effectively across industries, and improving in various aspects. Everything was moving in a positive direction.
He even had a feeling that this time might have been the closest he had ever been to victory.
Yet, the outcome was a bitter one.
It was a total defeat.
And it was utterly unexpected.
