Li Yao vaguely guessed what the 'reason' that Long Yangjun talked about was. His breath was getting heavier and heavier.
Long Yangjun smiled and said, "Think about it. Under what kind of extreme circumstances do you think people will abandon their feelings and will willingly?
"Well, there's no need to think about it at all. Just look at what we just experienced in the Great Iron Plants and Nepenthe below the ground of the capital. The extreme shortage of resources, the extreme pain, the exploitation, and the extreme desperation, under the mutual influence of those conditions, people can voluntarily abandon everything, including their feelings, without any deception or coercion!
"Then, is extreme fear okay?"
After a brief silence, Li Yao asked, knowing the answer, "What is the 'extreme fear' for?"
"You've already guessed it," Long Yangjun said casually.
"The Flood, the 'extreme fear' for the 'Flood' that can destroy, erase, and eliminate everything.
"All this time, we have speculated that the Pangu alliance did not have the ability to cross the black wall and was blocked in the three thousand Sectors by technological means, which led to the tragedies such as the shortage of resources, the erasure of feelings, the temptation of extraterrestrial devils, and the betrayal of Nuwa.
"But let's change our perspective. Suppose that the Pangu alliance was already capable of crossing the black wall and exploring the extraterrestrial lands when it was at the peak of its development?
"Think about it. Let's assume the role of a leader in the heyday of the Pangu alliance. Your civilization is made of thirteen highly-developed carbon-based lives that boasted courage, wisdom, technology, and morals. You are already able to absorb the energy of the stars and create brand-new life forms at your will. Naturally, you are ambitious and eager to conquer the entire known and unknown universe.
"Nothing can seal your ambitions. How can a mere black wall make you abandon your feelings and your loftiest ideals? What a joke!
"With the most advanced technology of the entire civilization, you have built an expedition fleet of an enormous scale that is unbelievable. After overcoming countless difficulties and solving countless complicated and unknown problems, you have finally crossed the 'black wall' made of the desolate void and arrived at the grand universe that is ten thousand times vaster than the three thousand Sectors!
"It seems to be a very bright and beautiful ending, right?
"It is a pity that the picture of the grand universe beyond the black wall is completely beyond your imagination. This is not a prosperous land where crystals and spiritual energy are flowing. It is not even a 'dark forest' that is dangerous but at least vigorous. It is a scorched land, a wasteland, and the residue that has just been savaged and chewed by the 'Flood'. All lives and civilizations, be they kind or evil, advanced or primitive, with real bodies or in the form of waves, have been destroyed by the 'Flood'.
"Do you have enough imagination to come up with such a picture? After countless dangers and countless sacrifices, they finally crossed the black wall with the hope of the entire civilization. However, what awaited them outside the wall was such a catastrophe, such destruction, and such a raging tide!
"What is even more dreadful is that the 'Flood' that is destroying everything is probably not far away. Since you were able to cross the wall and discover the existence of the 'Flood', it is naturally very likely that the Flood can discover and destroy the three thousand Sectors where the Pangu civilization is located, too!
"Now that you mention it, the three thousand Sectors are indeed similar to the dark nebula where the Ancient Sages Sector is located, my hometown. They are both covered by a seemingly impenetrable yet extremely thick barrier that no information or materials can penetrate through.
"The barrier is a restraint, a seal, and a curse that isolates the civilization inside from the rest of the world and prevents them from communicating with the outside world. As a result, they are isolated in the grand universe. But from another perspective, isn't it also a form of protection?
"Without the cover of the dark nebula, the Ancient Sages Sector would've been involved in the bloody war of the ancient Cultivators forty thousand years ago, discovered by the demon race, involved in the collapse of the Star Ocean Imperium, or conquered by the Imperium of True Human Beings, wouldn't it?
"By the same logic, if such a seemingly desolate and hollow 'black wall' is protecting the three thousand Sectors, it is very possible that one will think that this is a vast area of dead land when observed from the outside. It is a lifeless ocean and a dry desert. Little do they know that there are islands in the middle of the ocean and oases in the middle of the desert!
"Perhaps the 'Flood' is not interested in wasting energy to explore if there is any prey behind the black wall because of the existence of the black wall. Therefore, it has let us go for now. After all, the abundant food such as the 'wizardly civilization' is enough for it to eat for a while!
"However, if the 'Flood' discovers that a fleet has dashed out of the seemingly desolate and hollow black wall, it will immediately infer that a highly-developed civilization must exist deep inside the desolation and hollow. Do you think that it will let go of us lazily?"
Li Yao was sweating hard under Long Yangjun's questioning. He was rendered speechless.
"Right. My speculation is not very precise. Perhaps the expedition fleet of the Pangu civilization did not discover the 'Flood' directly. If they had, the Flood would've discovered them, too. In that case, we would've been screwed a long time ago!"
Long Yangjun said, "What they discovered was the debris, remains, or tombs of the civilizations that had been swallowed and savaged by the Flood. For example, the exile fleets of the wizardly civilization. Through the debris, remains, and tombs of the alien civilizations, they learned everything and the existence of the Flood.
"But the conclusion is the same. The leader of the Pangu civilization alliance and even every citizen has learned of the existence of something named 'Flood'.
"Is the Flood a force that can destroy the entire three-dimensional universe, a ferocious beast from the four-dimensional space or even higher dimensions, or a law that boasts self-awareness? That is not important. What matters is that the people hiding behind the black wall must never, ever, ever be discovered by the Flood. Should they be discovered, everything would've been doomed.
"However they summoned their courage, wisdom, and willpower, the Pangu civilization alliance at that time had absolutely no chance of competing with the Flood. Should they have been discovered, destruction would've been their only outcome.
"It is not pessimistic but a fact. An objective, indisputable fact. Do you agree?"
"… Yes."
Li Yao struggled to say.
"Very good. Then, as the leader of the Pangu civilization, what will you make of the decision now that the fact has been clarified?"
"Especially the expedition fleet that has crossed the black wall and explored the extraterrestrial domain."
"I'm afraid that I can only summon them back."
Li Yao sighed and smiled bitterly. "The longer they stay outside of the wall, the more likely it is that they will be discovered by the Flood. The consequence of being discovered will be the destruction of the entire civilization. The best that can happen is that some of the survivors will flee from their home like the fugitive fleets of the wizardly civilization. They will struggle for their last breath, but it is still impossible for them to escape death.
"Summoning them back is the only decision."
"It's the only decision, but it is not the only decision."
Long Yangjun said, "If you think about it carefully, it will be highly unnecessary and unwise to keep the fleet alive after it is summoned back. The fleet was born to cross the black wall, but crossing the black wall has become a dangerous behavior that threatens the existence of the entire civilization. Even if only one starship crosses the black wall and escapes, it is possible that the Flood will discover it, leading to the destruction of the entire civilization.
"However, as long as there is a starship that can sail to the extraterrestrial domain, who can guarantee that no ambitious, bold, and reckless guy will steal the starship and do something stupid?
"Therefore, for the survival of the Pangu civilization, we have to block or even destroy our ability to sail. The Pangu civilization does not need the technology to cross the black wall, even if not forever, until the Flood is confirmed to be gone!"
Li Yao couldn't help but clench his fists.
The civilization of mankind had been pursuing the technology to cross the black wall and sail to the extraterrestrial domain after a hundred thousand years of development. Did the Pangu civilization really grasp the technology but … had to destroy and obliterate the technology?
It was too pitiful, too pathetic, and too regrettable!
However, if the Flood was indeed patrolling outside of the black wall and looking for the next prey covetously, the Pangu civilization's self-sealing seemed reasonable and inevitable.
"After realizing that, another conundrum that once bothered me has been resolved," Long Yangjun said solemnly.
"The conundrum is exactly what I discussed with you before. The Pangu civilization destroyed their crystal processor technology on a large scale and suppressed the level of the crystal processors and the Spiritual Nexus to a level not much higher than that of mankind right now.
"At first, we all thought that the Pangu civilization was scared of the birth of 'artificial intelligence' and did not spare any effort to suppress the level of their crystal processors and the Spiritual Nexus in order to prevent the birth of 'artificial intelligence' or 'virtual life'.
"But now, it seems that I may have been wrong again. Even the civilization of mankind has a lot of insightful people who are not scared of the arrival of the era of artificial intelligence and are even willing to live in peace with the information lives to improve their civilization with the help of the information lives. Did the Pangu civilization not have such insightful and far-sighted leaders?
"No. Perhaps what the Pangu civilization is scared of is not artificial intelligence but the rapid development of artificial intelligence, which is bound to lead to an explosion in space sailing technology. Once something similar to 'GHOST' is generated, countless starships will be able to cross the black wall. The authorities of the Pangu civilization will not be able to stop them at all.
"Just like I said before, as long as one starship with artificial intelligence escapes from the black wall and is sensed by the Flood, the entire civilization will be destroyed.
"Therefore, in order to prevent a single starship from sailing, they simply locked or even suppressed the development of their crystal processors and the Spiritual Nexus so that the artificial intelligence that can assist the navigation of the starship will never be born. Then, all the loopholes will be blocked from the source. That way, they will not be scared that the Flood will find them.
"You should understand everything now after hearing this, Li Yao. Perhaps it is not the infinite black wall that blocked the development of the Pangu civilization, but fear. It is their extreme fear of the extraterrestrial domain and the Flood that made them seal, limit, and erase themselves!"
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Roar, roar, roar, roar, roar, Old Niu is going crazy!
I feel sorry that I haven't updated three hundred thousand words for months. If I have a chance to make a breakthrough this month, I will try it!
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