The occurrence of dimensional travel, space gates, and the golden flames all indicated to Samuel Young that these were orchestrated by the Emperor of Mankind. The presence of the Emperor suggested the existence of the Warp and Chaos gods, representing a significant threat of chaos and corruption that humanity needed ample time to prepare for.
In the universe of "Warhammer 40k," humanity was already "locked" in an unending cycle of war and despair, with no peace or stability to be found—death was often the best outcome. The Warp likely connected multiple universes, with countless travelers ending up in "Warhammer 40k."
In comparison, the main universe, with threats mainly from Vought and other dangers, was a relative paradise. Even if it were eventually impacted by the Warp, humanity still had potentially thousands of years to develop. Thus, Samuel believed the Emperor had placed him in the main universe, granting him longevity, self-healing, enhanced physical abilities, and the ability to open space gates to help humanity grow stronger.
The goal was likely for humanity in the main universe to eventually become a formidable, technologically advanced civilization capable of resisting the threats of the Warp and even surpassing the Necrons. The final destination of the space gates might be the "Warhammer 40k" universe.
However, Samuel was puzzled as to why he was chosen by the Emperor.
Discovering that the Emperor had engineered a situation causing the truck's accident, which led to his dimensional travel, made him feel somewhat resentful. The realization that he might be a pawn in a larger plan was unsettling.
Even the comforting thought of "since I'm here, I might as well make the best of it" couldn't fully ease his mind.
After all, he had served in the military for eight years, saved up his discharge pay, and was looking forward to enjoying life, only to find himself transported to another world. And now, he was possibly being used as a tool? It was frustrating, to say the least.
However, over a century of experience allowed him to quickly move past these feelings.
Of course, he had not been left without benefits. Moreover, deep down, he shared a belief in working for the betterment of humanity and achieving common prosperity.
Returning to the present, the cold voice in his mind had mentioned that through the first world, he could gain the abilities of **Reset** and **Descendants**.
The **Reset** ability was straightforward, achievable by killing the Omega and absorbing its blood to gain the power to reset the day.
However, **Descendants** left him confused.
"T..."
He suppressed the urge to curse, increasing his dislike for the enigmatic guidance.
Never mind.
Samuel decided not to overthink the **Descendants** aspect; his primary focus was on the **Reset** ability.
Having watched "Edge of Tomorrow" countless times, he remembered that Rita Vrataski had explained to Dr. Carter that "He's me, before Verdun," indicating she had experienced hundreds of resets before losing her ability due to a blood transfusion after being wounded.
Knowing the timeline when Rita lost her ability, the next step was to figure out how to acquire it himself.
In the movie, to lure William Cage into a trap, the Omega provided him with a false vision of its location in the German Canella Dam. Cage narrowly avoided death, reset the day, and, with the help of Dr. Carter's device, discovered the true location of the Omega—Paris, under the Louvre.
At the film's end, despite losing his reset ability, Cage and his small team managed to kill the Omega, securing a victory for humanity.
For Samuel, knowing the plot meant he didn't need to go through the same convoluted process as the protagonists. Instead, he could directly organize an assault on Paris. With France bordering Germany, the first country to fall, and five years of war, the French territory had become a wasteland.
However, this mission required Samuel's personal involvement.
It wasn't out of recklessness or a desire for glory...
Even though he was known as the "Grim Reaper on Horseback" or "The Strongman" during his youth, often taking on gangs single-handedly, that was in the 19th century.
While it was theoretically possible to extract Omega's blood and bring it back to the main universe without killing any Alphas or the Omega, this would require considerable resources and pose significant risks, including drawing UDF attention and interference.
Therefore, the best plan was for him and his trusted aides to go to Paris.
Additionally, the **Reset** mechanism only applied within a single universe and could not affect the main universe. Even in case of failure, they could bomb Paris within 24 hours, forcing the Omega to reset and rewind time to the beginning of the operation.
Personnel in the main universe could record and retain communications and video footage transmitted from the wired base station. If a **Reset** occurred, the data could be given to Samuel, allowing him to retain memories from before the reset.
While failing would increase the difficulty of locating the Omega, it was far from catastrophic.
If the mission succeeded, Samuel, ATLAS, and humanity in the main universe would gain a crucial margin of error in facing significant threats.
"Click, click..."
Finished with his thoughts, Samuel resumed typing and clicking, and the screen displayed a map of Western Europe.
In the movie, William Cage and a small team managed to kill the Omega despite losing the reset ability, largely due to plot armor. While Samuel trusted his luck, he preferred a more secure approach in planning and execution.
—
...
A cloudy night with a crescent moon.
Drip, drip—
Light rain fell, soaking the muddy ground.
There was no moonlight or streetlights to provide illumination, making it difficult to discern direction in the darkness.
Listening to the rain while lying in a warm bed could provide a sense of safety and comfort.
However...
Boom! Boom!
The roar of engines and the noise from rotor blades shattered the stillness.
A helicopter squadron composed of four black-painted UH-1H Hueys, a CH-53E Super Stallion, and an AH-1W Super Cobra gunship was flying low and fast towards the west.
Each helicopter bore the distinctive red "Λ" logo, indicating they were part of ATLAS.
As a giant enterprise involved in multiple fields, owning military vehicles was commonplace, and the 14x14 meter space gate was large enough for ATLAS engineers to transport and quickly assemble the aircraft in the 01 universe.
The squadron's destination was the Louvre in Paris, still 20 kilometers away.
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