Chapter 136: Chapter 136: Traversing Worlds
Shin trudged through the wasteland, reflecting on the whirlwind of experiences he'd faced recently.
He had traveled through four worlds in a row, now landing in the fifth, and his task of locating a supercomputer was only halfway complete.
Out of those four worlds, two were completely unhelpful. One world seemed set in an ancient kingdom with its inhabitants sporting elaborate braids, likely the world of a TV drama.
However, Shin had no interest in lingering there. After being harassed a few times over his hairstyle, he made a quick exit. Using Kamui, he headed straight to the largest city and cast a genjutsu to influence the officials and emperors alike, ensuring they'd act as genuine public servants for their people.
After this, he raided their private vaults, gathered gold, filled his pockets, and left that world without looking back.
The next world was a modern society. After a lengthy search online, he couldn't determine which world it was. Restless, Shin decided to gather as much information as he could about this modern society and then moved on.
The world was vast, after all, and if it was set in one of those obscure dramas, even a lifetime of searching might not lead him to where the actual storyline unfolded.
On his third jump, Shin found himself in the world of A Certain Magical Index in the Academy City—the realm of killers and railgun-unleashing characters.
The power system here was bizarre and incomprehensible. Whether it was superpowers or magic, there was no discernable path to advancement, completely incompatible with Shin's own skill set.
As for the level of danger, according to the original author's descriptions, this world held entities that could obliterate galaxies with a mere touch or restart the universe at whim—though this was rarely evident in the source material.
Despite its obscurity, Academy City's technological prowess was remarkable. Just as Shin arrived, a strange
satellite object fell from the sky. He managed to snag a piece and hastily exited the world—it was too overwhelming. Who knew how powerful the background characters truly were? Even disregarding them, there were plenty of individuals there who could easily bring him to his knees.
And as a world traveler, he could easily find himself on a laboratory dissection table.
After all, Shin was aware of the pervasive surveillance in Academy City, rumored to be controlled by a mysterious observer. He decided it was wise to leave quickly and quietly.
Then, he ended up in the world of The Lord of the Rings—but unfortunately, he neither met the Fellowship nor stumbled upon the Hobbits. Instead, he encountered a celestial being!
To be precise, upon entering the world, he was directly intercepted by the world's creator god.
The God, smiling, informed Shin that his strength was slightly out of balance; he was too powerful to be a mere "note" but too weak to join the ranks of the "composers."
[A/N: The Lord of the Rings world was said to be created by the music of divine beings.]
The God suggested that if Shin truly wished to stay, he could take a human form and join the ranks, much like Gandalf and the other Maiar.
Shin quickly shook his head. "I appreciate the offer, but I'll take my leave."
Truthfully, if circumstances were different, Shin wouldn't have minded exploring The Lord of the Rings world. Even in a form like Gandalf's, his life would be relatively safe. Primordial spirits like the Maiar couldn't die permanently; if their physical forms were destroyed, their spirits would simply return to God's domain.
However, Shin felt uncomfortable around the deity. The idea of being close to a creator god who could end his existence with a single breath was unsettling. Besides, he still had objectives to pursue.
In simple terms, Shin was nervous. Although the deity was amiable, Shin couldn't shake the feeling that he was trespassing in the home of an amiable serial killer. Even if the champion invited him with a smile, would he truly feel at ease staying?
Terrified, he departed from Middle-earth hastily. Fortunately, the deity didn't take offense to Shin's quick exit and let him go unharmed.
Finally, Shin arrived in a wasteland teeming with zombies.
He glanced up, assessing the sun's position. "Why is Raccoon City so difficult to locate..."
Yes, he had entered the world of Resident Evil! Upon seeing the infamous red-and-white Umbrella Corporation logo and hordes of grotesque zombies, he sighed with relief. At last, he'd found a world where he might acquire a supercomputer.
Still, this world was horrid. Shin refrained from using his fruit-based abilities or taijutsu when dealing with zombies, preferring to simply incinerate them and turn them to ash.
Suddenly, he heard the distant roar of a motorcycle. "Could there be survivors here?"
A blonde American woman with a confident expression rode toward him on the motorcycle.
"Alice?" Shin muttered, unsure. "Or is she a replica?"
Resident Evil was filled with clones, and Shin couldn't be sure if this Alice was the real deal. Technically, even the original Alice was a clone, so distinguishing between them seemed futile.
"Judging by the timeline, it should be the first year after Raccoon City's fall. I recall that Alice was captured for research around this time in the story. Is she working for the Umbrella Corporation?" He shrugged. "Well, it doesn't matter."
He raised his gaze, locking eyes with Alice as she dismounted her bike and placed her under a genjutsu.
"Take me to Raccoon City."
Alice's expression shifted, and the Rinnegan patterns appeared in her eyes. "Understood, sir."
Ignoring the scientists in an underground lab, who helplessly observed Alice's manipulated form, Shin had no intention of engaging in a prolonged fight with Umbrella Corporation. He was here to go straight to the source.
As far as he knows, the T-virus outbreak hadn't yet reached global devastation. Only the Americas had fallen, while other regions had just started noticing infected individuals.
Once he reached Umbrella Corporation's base, he intended to capture the Red Queen AI and spread the antidote. At that point, Umbrella Corporation would inevitably be torn apart by the enraged international community. This was why he hadn't bothered to negotiate with Alice—he didn't need her assistance.
And there was no telling what other safeguards the Umbrella Corporation might have implanted in her mind.
Shin doubted their meeting was coincidental. The Umbrella Corporation's satellites most likely detected his presence when he warped into the area.
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