At this moment, apart from those three, similar events were occurring in many other places around the world. Among them, several important individuals were preparing to take action.
For now, let's return to the present. Alex was still on his way to find his future wife, his future comrade.
However, there was an incredibly strange feeling in his heart that he couldn't quite understand.
"What on earth is happening? Why do I keep having this feeling that something is not right?"
As he walked, he pondered, trying to figure out if he had overlooked something important. After walking for a while, he sighed:
"Haiz, why do I suddenly feel this way?"
Suddenly, a familiar voice echoed from the sky.
"This is my first time meeting humanity, so I have a small gift for you. For the next three decades, I guarantee that no invaders will attack you. You can rest assured and develop during this period."
The arrival was swift, and the departure was just as quick - God's mysterious and enigmatic style was unmistakable.
At that moment, a thought flashed through Alex's mind like a lightning bolt. He widened his eyes in astonishment and cursed:
"Goddammit!"
It had been years since Alex had lost his composure like this. Even when facing God, he only felt anger on behalf of humanity, not like the current moment.
"Hahaha… hahaha… so that's how it is, so that's how it is. I finally understand."
He now felt as if he had been deceived, deceived from the very beginning. Yet, his expression was not one of sadness, but rather of joy.
"So that's how it is. God… Anti-god, both are necessary existences for the universe, but I felt something was off about them. In the end, it's not two but one, from the very beginning there was only God."
"What was that about sending memories back to the past? What curse? It was all just the current God transmitting that memory to me. There's no such thing as traveling back to the past, only foreseeing the future. With God's power, seeing through the future of all things isn't difficult."
Suddenly, Alex's consciousness was pulled into a special space. A very familiar figure appeared before him. This being was none other than the one Alex had just faced not long ago - God.
"Well, it seems I was right after all, wasn't I?"
Alex spoke in a casual tone. This wasn't a question, as he knew that if God had appeared, it meant his deduction was correct.
"Well well, I thought it would take you at least a few more years to figure it out, but it seems I underestimated you."
Hearing this, Alex frowned and asked:
"Why underestimate me? I would think that with your abilities, there shouldn't be anything in the universe you can't understand, right?"
God chuckled and replied:
"You're right, but I don't like it. I've lived for countless years, since before matter even existed, so I don't know how to measure time accurately. If I knew the outcome of everything before even doing it, what fun would there be? The feeling that everything goes according to plan is rather dull."
Alex wasn't in the mood to sympathize with God's feelings, but there were some important things he still needed to ask.
"Why destroy humanity?"
"Destroy? What have I done?"
God wasn't lying - what Alex was referring to was something God planned to do in the future, but as of now, he hadn't done anything yet.
"That… that's not wrong. But what's the purpose of your future actions?"
"Your question is a bit broad, but if you limit it to the context of humanity on this planet, it's quite simple. It's a test."
After hearing the answer, Alex was puzzled, but he knew God wasn't joking with him. Thinking for a moment and still not understanding, he decided to ask:
"What do you mean by 'test'?"
"Humanity here has developed for quite a long time, so they need to be tested."
"What do you mean by a long time? Over 3.7 billion years ago, life already existed on Earth. There were many species on Earth, so why test humanity?"
"Alex, you're a saint of humanity, so why are you suddenly so muddle-headed? Perhaps it's because this body isn't as strong as before, so you're a bit slow? Do you think humanity is the same as those other life forms? Has any other species on this planet ever built a civilization capable of dominating the entire world?
Why would I bother testing those foolish species? They might not even have a concept of what a test is. Humanity, on the other hand, has the full potential to conquer this universe. So I need to give them a test with the risk of complete extinction."
Alex finally understood God's purpose but felt it was unfair to humanity, so he said:
"But if you don't test them, humanity would still live well, wouldn't they? Why is it necessary to test them?"
God burst into laughter at this:
"Ha ha ha, you should know that your existence is thanks to me, yet you've never given me anything in return. Of course, I don't need money - such things are as worthless as scrap paper to me—but I need something else.
You could see this universe as my masterpiece, and if humanity isn't worthy, it would be a stain on the masterpiece that took me billions of years to create. That's why I need to test whether humanity deserves to continue existing. If they pass the test, they can exist freely from then on, and I won't ever do this again."
Alex didn't know what to say because God wasn't wrong. Not just humanity, but even Alex himself had biologically lived for over twenty years without giving God anything. He asked:
"Aren't there many people who believe in you? That should count as giving you something, right?"
God nodded but then shook his head:
"True, that could be seen as giving me respect, but it's not enough. Do you think I need respect? If I wanted, I could alter the memories of all living beings in the universe to make them absolutely worship me. But I don't do that because I enjoy diversity - I want my masterpiece to be more than just monotonous."
Seeing an opportunity, Alex quickly said:
"If you want it to be less monotonous, shouldn't you include some unworthy species?"