Li Yao was faced with the most daunting challenge.
If the reenactment of the primeval civilization's conquest of the universe ocean was a game where he could not fail no matter what he did, and he only needed to gather ten times the number of soldiers to crush the enemy when he ran into them, the battle against the Flood right now was no different from raising the difficulty of the game to 'hell level'.
Even if he maximized his poor abilities in operation and command, exploited every drop of resources under his control, and inspired the courage of every member of the primeval civilization, even if he finally united more than ten alarmed sub-universes with his silver tongue and regained the glorious flag of the primeval civilization, even if he made every choice right and allowed the primeval civilization to evolve again when it was faced with the pressure of the Flood, resulting in a mythical technology and training system in only a few hundred years, he would not be able to change the final outcome.
A typical battle between the primeval civilization and the Flood often began with the arrival of countless bizarre monsters that would not even appear in nightmares at the periphery of the galaxy under the control of the primeval civilization.
Those nightmarish monsters were based on the enormous bodies of the alien species in the past and the cutting-edge technology of the primeval civilization. They were a perfect combination of flesh and metal and could wield power that was even more terrifying than the warships in space.
They were often followed by countless servants from the low-level civilizations. After the transformation of the Flood and the help of the traitors, those low-level civilizations also had a strong reproductive ability and a social system in the industrial age. They were highly organized and were strong soldiers with strict rules.
Even if the warriors of the primeval civilization resisted and crushed the enemy after heavy sacrifices, it would not help at all because they would soon be 'infected' or 'brainwashed' and lose their self-awareness. They would be connected to the network of the Flood and transformed into the Flood army — a tiny cell of the Flood!
Just like that, one planet after another fell into the abyss, and one galaxy after another was drowned by the Flood. From one sub-universe to the next, the glamorous brilliance of the primeval civilization was eclipsed by the shadow of the Flood.
The Flood was like an infinitely expanding sponge that was about to occupy and swallow the entire universe ocean!
Li Yao was both mentally and physically exhausted after the operation.
Everything he chose was wrong.
All his hopes had been cut off.
Nothing could stop the march of the Flood. The people in the sub-universes who were unwilling to become 'Flood cells' did not even have the time to escape. They could only watch the outcome that was even more unacceptable than destruction coming to them.
In the end, almost all of the options were crushed.
In front of Li Yao's eyes, the "only option" popped up for the third time, "the choice that has no other choice."
That was the Solar Defense Line plan.
After the flood engulfed almost half of the Universe Ocean, the Primitive Race scattered in all the sub-universes finally woke up and united again. Just like the Earthlings who faced the meteorite disaster in the past, they let go of their old grudges and worked together to fight for their common survival.
Whether it was human beings or the Primeval Tribe, perhaps only when faced with an irresistible threat could they truly unite and trigger the wisdom and courage in the deepest part of their humanity. It was like a curse or a cruel joke.
After studying the features of the Flood and deducing countless battle plans, the Primitive Tribe proposed the plan of 'Sun Defense Line'.
A star, a blazing ball of light, the origin of life, the existence that contained the most violent energy in Universe Ocean, and also the most powerful weapon!
With the range of the Flood as the boundary, thousands of stars nearby would be detonated, and thousands of torrents of destruction would be launched at the Flood!
Even if such a blast was not enough to cause fatal damage to the Flood, if all the stars nearby were destroyed, a large area of 'uninhabited land' where the spiritual energy and resources were scarce would be created!
Although there was no telling what the Flood was made of, the Flood Army was out-and-out carbon-based intelligent life. Even if they were reduced to a cell of the Flood, they still needed to absorb tremendous energy and a complete and complicated ecological system to survive. Without stars, it was impossible to establish a large-scale ecological system. The artificial ecological system on a few starships was far from enough to meet the needs of such an enormous Flood Army. In the end, most of the Flood Army would starve to death.
Of course, with the help of the traitors, the Flood Army had grasped the advanced space jump technology, too. However, the premise of the space jump technology was the stability of the three-dimensional universe and the precise coordinates. The energy ripples spreading out from the destruction of thousands of stars would be enough to shake the entire Universe Ocean. It would be impossible to perform a precise and safe space jump for a long time. At the very least, a large-scale space jump would be suicidal!
In other words, the so-called plan of 'Sun Defense Line' was a replica of the 'Scorched Earth Strategy' and the 'Iron Wall Defense Line' in the war on Earth. On one hand, they would try to clear all the resources in the enemy's range of destruction, and on the other hand, they would build an impregnable defense line to completely block the enemy inside and trap them to death!
"Detonate thousands of stars in a row and form a torrent of destruction, a dark scorched earth, and an iron wall!"
Li Yao was deeply shocked by the Primitive Tribe's remarkable technology and craziness.
Although he also believed that the intelligent lives could only be called a 'civilization' if they made indelible changes to the universe, such changes were still too unbelievable and astounding.
Was this the most furious roar of a god-level civilization at the moment of life and death?
"Yes. This is the last suggestion that I can give you, and it is also the only choice," the voice said.
"Although the odds of success are not high, it is the only way that we can effectively strike the Flood. Even if the Flood cannot be destroyed, it can at least buy us some time — billions of years of precious time. During the billions of years, we will find new hope."
Li Yao was lost for words as he studied the option carefully.
Before he read the detailed explanation of the plan of 'Sun Defense Line', he was already disgusted and conflicted by the third 'correct answer' because of the previous two 'choices that we have no other choice'.
When he browsed through the overview of the thousands of stars and their affiliated planets that were about to be destroyed, Li Yao's soul was even more stirred.
"I've noticed that the thousands of stars that you want to destroy are all in the sub-universes at the center of the Universe Ocean where the spiritual energy is particularly intense. In other words, they are 'natural paradises' that are full of vitality and glamorous. Am I right?"
Li Yao asked the voice.
"Yes. Those are the main targets of the Flood. Only by destroying those places in advance can the Flood's vitality be cut off," the voice replied.
"Alright.
Let's not talk about whether or not the destruction of almost half of the natural paradises at the center of the Universe Ocean is more evil than the scourge of the Flood itself. Let's talk about the Primeval Clan that lives in those sub-universes. "
Li Yao said, "If we calculate the time of the arrival of the Flood, it must've been tens of thousands of years since the Primeval Clan colonized those sub-universes and evolved into their different civilizations, right? A lot of Primeval Clan members lived and thrived in those sub-universes and built them as their new homes. They also spread to almost every corner of the universe.
"Although the ancestors of those Primeval Clan members were all ruthless butchers, they were very likely to be helpless civilians themselves. They might've been kind-looking seniors, children who had just learned how to speak, or men and women who lived a peaceful and happy life. Their entire lives, including the civilization that billions of lives gathered, depended on the illumination of the stars.
"My question is, if you plan to destroy thousands of suns, how are you going to deal with your 'compatriots'?
"Are you going to send them all to starships and migrate them to other places?
"Let's put aside whether or not they are willing to leave the new homes that they've built for tens of thousands of years. Their number is far beyond 'billions', isn't it? Do you have a transportation ability that's powerful enough to transport everybody away and support the daily consumption of so many people or the resources that they need to hibernate? I'm very doubtful about that.
"It must be noted that the center of the Universe Ocean has been occupied by the Flood. You can only flee to the remote villages at the edge of the Universe Ocean, where spiritual energy is scarce. You don't even know where your destination is. It's impossible for you to bring so many civilians with you, right?
"What about most of the civilians? What happened to them?"
The voice fell silent again.
"You're right. The solar defense line plan will detonate a lot of natural paradises and destroy the new homes that countless people have worked hard to build for tens of thousands of years. Also … we don't have enough transportation ability and resources to take away all our compatriots," the voice said.
The voice said, "That's why I said that this is another 'choice that you have no other choice'. The Flood is approaching. If you don't make a quick decision, a lot of your compatriots will fall into the hands of the Flood. You will lose your most precious free will and end up as ignorant zombies, turning from the noble kings of the universe into tiny 'cells'. Compared to such a cruel ending, do you not feel that a brief, painless death will preserve their dignity and pride more than a cruel ending?
The answer froze Li Yao's soul instantly, like a lifeless, icy ocean.
But a moment later, the icy ocean broke apart, and undisguised laughter echoed from the bottomless gap.
"Haha. Hahahahaha!"
Li Yao laughed in the most miserable, infuriated, and ironic way.
"What are you laughing at?"
The voice asked.
"I'm laughing at my own stupidity. I really thought that this was a test at the beginning. I was wrong from the very beginning, and I made more and more mistakes, sinking deeper and deeper into the abyss. It was not until this moment that I finally realized my mistake."
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