"Young Master! Are you out of your mind?! How could you even think that?!"
Alfred couldn't help but shout when he heard Bruce Wayne's words. The idea was so outrageous, so extreme—it stunned him.
"Ah...!"
Bruce gasped after hearing Alfred's scolding. Only then did he realize just how horrifying his thoughts had been. Sweat drenched his back.
"Master Bruce, no matter what the circumstances, we are not qualified to decide the fate of another's life."
Alfred's voice was heavy with emotion.
"I know… but you understand how much they're suffering. Current medicine can't treat them. This isn't some physical or mental illness—it's a living nightmare. They can't sleep. They're in constant agony. Isn't it better to just…"
Bruce trailed off, unable to finish.
The more he spoke, the paler his face became.
Even he couldn't comprehend why he'd said something so heartless, so dismissive of human life. He was terrified by his own thoughts—gasping for air.
"Sigh… Master Bruce, you're carrying too much weight on your shoulders."
Alfred sighed, exasperated.
"I know it sounds selfish to say… but you've already done everything you could. This wasn't your fault. There's no need to burden yourself with what's beyond your control."
"If you act impulsively, you'll only end up hurting yourself."
Alfred added gently but firmly.
"If Master Clark heard you say that, he'd definitely argue with you."
He threw in a pointed jab.
Bruce chuckled bitterly. He knew full well that Clark would.
Marvel Universe — S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters
Steve Rogers stared at the screen, unable to react for a long moment.
"Uncurable… So just kill them instead of letting them suffer... Is that really the answer?"
He whispered to himself, his thoughts drifting to the victims haunted by "All-Seeing Eyes."
He'd just read their reports.
These victims were trapped in a horrifying state—wherever they looked, even with their eyes closed, they still saw countless eyes watching them.
It was maddening. The feeling of being constantly surveilled, having every move scrutinized, was enough to drive anyone insane.
And worst of all, it was untreatable.
No medical science could erase the influence of those eyes.
Even the Ancient One had examined them and found no solution.
What disturbed Rogers the most was the screen's claim that those affected by the Torment Sloth would ultimately be executed. That alone made his blood run cold.
Unable to hold back his unease, he went straight to Nick Fury.
"What? You want to know how they plan to deal with the people haunted by the eyes?"
Fury was caught off guard by the question. A chill ran down his spine.
"What—don't tell me you can't say?" Steve pressed, instantly sensing something was off.
"It's not that I can't," Fury said with a heavy sigh, "It's just that… they haven't decided yet."
He looked grim.
"From what I've heard, they're leaning toward locking them up in psychiatric hospitals and just letting them waste away."
"What? That's insane! That's not a solution! They're not mentally ill!"
Steve snapped angrily.
"Right! It's more like a curse!" Fury cut him off, louder this time.
"You think I didn't say all this already? You think they don't know? They do. But this isn't contagious. It won't spread. And to them, these people have no value. So why bother spending resources?"
Fury spoke with brutal honesty.
"To them, it's cheaper and easier to allocate funds elsewhere. These people? They'll just rot in an institution."
Turning away, Fury ended the conversation with a sigh.
"That's the reality. If they go through with it, there's nothing you or I can do. Those people… will be forgotten."
Steve clenched his fists, devastated.
He couldn't accept this fate for the victims.
Yes, they couldn't be cured—but letting them suffer alone, abandoned?
These were citizens the country was supposed to protect.
Even if there was no cure, did that mean they should be discarded like trash?
Steve was furious. But he didn't know what else to do.
"Sigh… Cap, some things are beyond us."
Fury offered one last piece of bitter truth.
Steve said nothing. He just kept his head down in silence.
Back on the screen, the Torment Sloth was still being discussed.
Chopper: This is too cruel! Kill them just because they can't be cured?! That's heartless! Can't we at least take care of them?
Tony Stark: You're too naïve. They're in constant agony. Do you really think they want to keep living like that? If it were me, I'd rather end it.
Zoro: Agreed. I don't care what kind of SCP it is—I'd rather die than live in that kind of torment.
Chopper: Zoro! Shut up!!
Mordo: Ancient One, is there really nothing that can be done?
Ancient One: I honestly don't know. This thing—like the Nightmare Ventilator or the All-Seeing Eyes—its existence defies all logic. It's not just a curse. It's something... beyond. I can't even say for sure if it's a projection from some extradimensional being.
Ancient One: They exist like... laws of nature—like gravity or air.
Tony Stark: It's memetic. The screen said so. Torment Sloth is a meme. These things are malevolent information structures—streams of data that can't be contained.
Doctor Strange: That's what's most unsettling. If it's just information... who created it? Who had the time or twisted mind to make something like this?
Odin: Perhaps it was some cruel, joke-loving evil god. That SCP universe is truly terrifying.
Daigo: So if this thing really appears, there's no way to contain it?
Ancient One: Possibly. It doesn't exist physically. It lives within the network. Unless we shut down the internet worldwide, we can't stop it.
Tony Stark: That's not happening. The world runs on the internet.
Naruto: We don't have internet in our world… or those TV programs you guys are talking about. So would it even show up in ours?
(End of Chapter)
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