"Bored?" Morpheus heard Morin's words, his expression darkening. "This is not a game."
"Yes. For you, it certainly isn't." Morin nodded. "Let's go. We need to speed things up."
"No matter what you're planning, Mr. Morin," Morpheus frowned deeply, "Neo must not be put in danger. The [Matrix] is far more terrifying than you imagine."
"If the Savior never faces danger," Morin replied calmly, "how does he become a true Savior?"
For some reason, Neo felt a chill run down his spine.
Why did it feel like...
Morin was planning something strange?
"It's time for an open and honest conversation," Morpheus said. When it came to Neo, he had zero tolerance. He firmly believed Neo was the Savior-the one who would lead humanity's counterattack against the Matrix and bring victory. "Whatever you intend to do, if it involves Neo, you should at least tell us. We're all human. We fight for the same ideal. We can help each other."
"You're right," Morin said simply. "My plan is to expose the Matrix to the entire world."
Morpheus: "!!!"
I think Morpheus is about to be scared to death by you, Neo thought inside the elevator.
Sure enough, Morin's voice echoed directly in his mind.
Don't doubt it. He's being scared to death.
Actually, so am I, Neo replied calmly. Even though you told me before. That's an enormous number of people. If they all learn the truth... those who don't believe it are one thing, but if they do-how do we handle that?
"The times won't wait for those unwilling to change," Morin said slowly. "Of course, I'll give them the power of choice. Those who want to remain in the Matrix, and those who want to return to reality to rebuild the real world. Everyone chooses. Everyone pays the price they should pay."
"...I can already see countless people dying because of this," Neo said after a long pause.
"People always die," Morin replied lightly. "Some deaths are worth caring about. Others... heh."
Ding.
The elevator arrived.
"The [Oracle] is on the eighth floor," Morpheus said, unaware of the silent exchange.
"...What kind of person is the [Oracle], exactly?" Neo asked.
Even though Morin had already told him plenty, Neo still wanted more information. No one could guarantee Morin was always right-Morin himself had never claimed that, even if everything so far had proven accurate.
"She's very old," Morpheus said. "She's been with us since the beginning. She told me many things. Including that you are the Savior."
"The beginning?" Neo frowned. "What beginning?"
Neo disliked the word "Savior." After learning from Morin what that role truly meant to the Matrix, it was hard to feel any reverence for it. Being used as a tool didn't sound noble.
Still.
Trinity existed.
One should eat the sugar-coated pill.
"The beginning of the resistance."
"That Oracle," Neo asked again, "is she truly all-knowing?"
"She knows what she needs to know."
"Has she ever been wrong?"
"...Don't judge things by right or wrong," Morpheus said after a pause. "The same thing can mean different things to different people. She is a guide, Neo. She leads us to the right path."
"Did she guide you?"
"Of course."
"What did she say?"
"That I would find the Savior."
"Have you ever considered," Morin interjected casually, "that what she points you toward is what you believe is right-and also exactly what she wants?"
"And if it is?" Morpheus turned around. "We still have to walk a path."
"Heh." Morin smiled faintly. "You're not as simple as you look. You've always been the one with the most schemes."
He continued calmly.
"Now, there's a new path ahead of you. A new choice."
"Unless absolutely necessary," Morpheus shook his head, "I will never choose that. Very few people can endure it. That path... is destined to become a river of blood."
"Someone once said something," Morin mused. "Let me recall it. It went like this: I always knew what the right path was. Without a doubt. But I never took it. Why? Because it was too damn hard."
He shrugged.
"That saying isn't always correct. But sometimes... it isn't wrong either."
"For example-right now."
"Perhaps only that river of blood truly solves the problem at its root."
Ding.
The elevator doors opened.
"...Then we'll wait and see," Morpheus said after staring at Morin for a moment.
He stepped out.
Morin looked at Neo, and the two followed him toward the apartment where the Oracle lived.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
"The Oracle invites Mr. Neo inside," the maid said softly as she opened the door. "Mr. Morpheus and Mr. Morin, please wait here."
"I can only take you this far," Morpheus said to Neo.
"I'm going in too," Morin nodded.
"You-" Morpheus frowned.
"She predicted this, didn't she?" Morin raised a hand, cutting him off, and looked at the maid.
"...Of course," the maid replied after an almost imperceptible flicker of hesitation. "The Oracle said that if Mr. Morin asked to enter, then all of you should come in together."
"..."
So the three of them entered.
In the living room, several children were playing.
In strange ways.
Three blocks floated slowly in front of a little girl. A bald boy held a spoon, and just as Neo wondered what he planned to scoop, the spoon bent on its own.
"Please wait a moment. I'll inform the Oracle," the maid said, turning toward the inner room.
She was stopped by Morin.
"If she truly is an Oracle, then she should have already predicted that I'd say this-and told you to let us in directly."
Morin smiled.
A handsome smile.
An irritating one.
Wasn't this just shameless?
"Yes," the maid nodded stiffly. "The Oracle said if Mr. Morin said that, I should let you in directly."
She stepped aside.
"..."
Morpheus looked at Morin.
His eyes said: See? I told you. The Oracle is truly the Oracle.
Morin: "..."
How could such a sharp man be so stupid in the face of such an obvious routine?
If you say it before it happens, that's prediction.
If you say it after someone does it, anyone can be an Oracle. You just keep playing along.
Neo, still immersed in the shock of the supernatural, noticed none of this.
The three followed the maid into the kitchen.
"Quite a few guests today," a Black woman in colorful clothes-the [Oracle]-sat by the oven, checking her watch without turning around. "Gentlemen, can you wait a moment? The bread is almost done."
"Is that so?" Morin spoke calmly. "I think it'll be hard for it to turn out well."
"You are..." The Oracle turned, a trace of confusion flashing through her eyes. "Morin. Your fate has changed drastically. Interesting."
"I hear you're an Oracle," Morin said as he approached the oven. "Do you know what I'll do next to make the bread fail?"
"You'll turn off the oven," the Oracle said, putting on her glasses and raising an eyebrow.
"No," Morin replied, stepping away and sitting down. "I'll just find a place to rest."
Ding.
The oven timer rang.
"As I said, the bread is ready," the Oracle smiled.
"Is it?" Morin raised an eyebrow. "Why not open it and see?"
"...."
The Oracle's expression shifted subtly.
She stood, put on oven mitts, and opened the oven.
Inside were perfectly shaped, fragrant loaves.
"Bam!"
"Isn't it fine?" Morpheus couldn't help saying.
Neo stayed silent.
If Morin had done this, then there had to be a reason.
And a method.
"No," the Oracle said softly, tearing a loaf open. "It's not fine."
The exterior was golden.
The interior was a horrifying mass of black and green mold.
One bite and you'd meet your maker.
"Clearly, Mr. Morin has mastered some... tricks," the Oracle smiled at Neo and Morpheus. "My apologies. I won't ask you to sit. You won't sit anyway."
Neo immediately grabbed a chair beside Morin and sat down.
The Oracle froze.
Then smiled at Morpheus.
"Don't worry about the vase."
"What?" Morpheus turned. His coat brushed a nearby vase-
It didn't move.
"This one?" Morpheus asked, looking back for confirmation.
Oracle: "..."
You're cheating.
This was cheating.
Bullying an old program with special privileges.
"It seems you enjoy breaking rules," the Oracle said, fixing her gaze on Morin.
From the moldy bread, to Neo sitting down, to the unmoving vase-
Morin had done it all.
But Morin wasn't supposed to be a program.
So when did this bug appear?
Her database described Morin Smith as ordinary. Always had been.
The deviation began after his contact with Neo.
Was Neo the cause?
She wanted to confirm it.
She couldn't.
Anything involving Neo or Smith required extreme caution, especially now.
After being slapped in the face repeatedly-including the maid incident she had tried to control-the Oracle gave up.
She could predict through data manipulation and analysis.
But Morin's file read:
Unremarkable. Helpful. Sunny. Cheerful. Follows rules. Prioritizes professional requirements. A diligent worker.
From the moment Morin reached the door, everything diverged.
This was not the life Morin Smith was supposed to have.
None of his behavior.
None of his abilities.
All outside prediction.
The Oracle didn't know Morin had written that profile himself.
And that every word was true.
At least, true to him.
"I imagine you have questions for me," the Oracle said, deciding to move on. "Morpheus, why don't you start?"
Morpheus was delighted.
He even gave Morin a grateful look.
This disruption had granted him another chance-an unexpected gift.
So things returned to familiar territory.
Morpheus asked the usual questions.
Was Neo the Savior?
Could the Savior truly save humanity?
Did humanity still have hope?
The Oracle answered smoothly.
Not skill.
Routine.
Say something mystical. Dodge specifics. Wrap it in philosophy.
Morpheus left deeply thankful.
Then it was Neo's turn.
Neo exchanged a glance with Morin.
"Is the Savior the only way to save humanity?"
The Oracle's heart sank.
She glanced at Morin.
What on earth did you tell him?
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