Chapter 5: Chapter 5: The "Reset" Ability
In the office, Samuel Young stood with his hands behind his back, gazing out the observation window and deep in thought.
From his viewpoint, the bright afternoon sky and the abandoned village surrounded by dense redwood trees were visible. The central plaza of the village featured a 14x14 meter "mercury mirror," and the houses had been simply renovated. Equipment boxes were stacked in corners, and military SUVs and pickups were parked along the streets, indicating that ATLAS had temporarily requisitioned the area.
This village served as the link between the "main universe" and the "01 universe," with the "mercury mirror" being the first space gate through which people constantly passed.
For convenience in subsequent documentation, Samuel referred to the world he had crossed into and lived in for over a century as the "main universe." The world from "Edge of Tomorrow" was designated as the "01 universe."
The computer screen on his desk displayed content that highlighted the importance of convenience:
File Name: 01 Universe.
Status: Ongoing updates.
Main Universe, Pacific Time, June 5, 1993.
13:32 - The ATLAS core team discovers an unknown civilization's ruins.
14:14 - The first space gate is opened by the ATLAS Corporation Owner through some blood ritual.
15:20 - Alpha reconnaissance team crosses the space gate.
15:30 - A wired base station is established.
15:35 - The Alpha reconnaissance team completes air and soil testing and analysis, confirming no immediate contagion threat.
16:20 - Research Director Zhao Feng suggests that the space gate has a "sanitization" function, effectively preventing biological invasion and personnel infection.
Zhao Feng still recommends exposed personnel wear Level 1 or higher respiratory filtration equipment.
16:35 - ATLAS Engineering Department crosses the space gate, officially commencing front-line base construction.
16:40 - Alpha reconnaissance team continues to explore...
...
17:42 - Drone captures combat footage...
...
Main Universe, June 7 / 01 Universe, March 15.
09:12 - ATLAS investigators ████ Cherski and ████ Johnson, posing as civilians, successfully obtain partial information about 01 Earth.
The time synchronization between 01 Earth and the main universe is consistent in hours, minutes, and seconds, but the date differs by 27 years, being March 15, 2020.
Investigations reveal that an orange-glowing meteorite landed in Hamburg, Germany, on September 1, 2015, marking the beginning of the alien species known as "Mimics" invasion.
Germany fell first, followed by France and the rest of Western Europe.
The alien invasion led humanity to temporarily cease internal conflicts and form the United Defense Force (UDF) based on the United Nations.
Within five years, UDF victories were rare, with civilian and military casualties exceeding tens of millions.
Only the significant victory at Verdun on March 13, 2020, marked the turning point where UDF and humanity shifted from defense to offense. This battle was the first large-scale deployment of "mechanical exoskeletons" by the UDF.
Moreover, the investigators learned from several drinking soldiers about Sergeant Rita Vrataski, who, using a new mechanical exoskeleton, single-handedly killed hundreds of Mimics, earning her the title "Angel of Verdun," though she was more commonly known as the "Full Metal Bitch" within the camps.
Currently, the UDF seems to be concentrating forces in London, Brussels, and Lausanne, Switzerland, preparing for a decisive blow against the Mimics.
Unable to determine the exact timing of the counterattack, according to the investigators...
...
A quiet click sounded as the mouse button pressed, closing the document and displaying a black desktop screen with a red "Λ" logo in the center.
Samuel had returned to his desk.
As a traverser, upon observing the UDF soldiers and Mimics in battle footage from drones, and recognizing the key term "Verdun Victory," he deduced that the 01 universe was indeed the world of "Edge of Tomorrow."
To be cautious, he dispatched multiple trusted investigators to regions like the UK and Belgium, and the intelligence they returned further confirmed his hypothesis.
As far as the movie "Edge of Tomorrow" was concerned, it was certainly noteworthy in Samuel's mind; he wasn't satisfied after just seeing it in theaters and would rewatch it periodically.
However, if he put himself in the shoes of the humans in the film, especially knowing the true nature of the Mimics but lacking their "reset" ability, there was only despair.
As Dr. Carter, the demoted UDF commander, said, "An enemy that can anticipate every move is almost impossible to defeat."
Mimics weren't like human armies, where each unit or soldier had individual intelligence. Instead, they were to be viewed as a "singular organism."
The seemingly endless Mimics, with orange-glowing cores, functioned like limbs, tasked with offense, construction, and "cannon fodder" roles.
These Mimics could replicate themselves using available materials, such as "consuming" soil, explaining their seemingly endless numbers.
But among every 618,000 Mimics, there was one larger, stronger individual with a blue-glowing core, known as an Alpha, functioning as a "central nervous system."
The Omega was their "brain," resembling a giant sea anemone.
When an Alpha died, it triggered the Omega's "reset" mechanism, resetting the day and retaining all memories before the reset to devise better battle plans and deployments.
Facing such an enemy, if not for Tom Cruise's character, William Cage, accidentally killing an Alpha and absorbing its blood, thus accessing the Mimics' reset mechanism, humanity stood little chance.
Effectively, he became a "bug" in their system.
The Omega sought to repair this "bug" by luring the independently intelligent William Cage into a trap, draining him of his blood.
However, in the end, William Cage, using Dr. Carter's device, successfully pinpointed the Omega's true location and, with the help of confidential information and Rita Vrataski's reputation, recruited J-Squad, ultimately killing the Omega.
After the Omega's death, all Mimics invading Earth lost activity, marking a relatively positive ending where the protagonist and unsung heroes silently sacrificed themselves to secure victory for humanity.
Yet, in the film's final moments, William Cage, in a near-death state, absorbed the Omega's blood and reset once more, effectively "resurrecting" himself, Rita Vrataski, and all J-Squad members...
...
Honestly, ATLAS could benefit greatly from the "Edge of Tomorrow" world, such as acquiring advanced modular exoskeleton technology and associated materials, high-capacity batteries, intelligent systems, and two-way data transmission technologies.
However, Samuel's top priority was to seize the Mimics' reset ability.
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