"Why do you say that?"
The voice said, "Corrupting the soul of the test-takers is as easy as pie for us. If our purpose was so simple, we would've corrupted the test-takers millions of years ago. Why would we wait until now?"
"Is it really so 'easy'?"
Li Yao sniffed and sneered again. "Then, do you dare tell me the real purpose of the 'Solar Defense Plan'? Is the seemingly magnificent plan really meant to destroy and block the Flood as you said?
"That's impossible. Even the most common galaxy contains a hundred million, a billion, or even ten billion stars. Even the Primeval Civilization at the peak of its development couldn't have destroyed a billion stars at once, could it? You said yourself that your plan was to destroy 'millions of stars'. Hehe. Compared to the astronomical number of stars, 'millions of stars' are nothing but a drop in the ocean!
"Is it really possible to heavily wound and block the Flood by destroying millions of stars out of a billion? Or even to disrupt the stability of the entire universe, making it impossible to perform a space jump? I highly doubt it.
"The Flood Army boasted a lot of 'Void Hunters', the alien species that could travel in the four-dimensional storm. They also boasted space jump technology that was as good as yours. However large the scorched area that you created was, the Flood would've found a way to bypass it.
"Then, what was the real purpose of the 'Solar Defense Plan'? At first, I couldn't figure it out, but when you insisted on making 'necessary sacrifices' again, I suddenly understood everything.
"The so-called 'necessary sacrifices' were the real purpose of the 'Solar Defense Plan', weren't they?
"Since the very beginning, you never intended to fight the Flood to death. Brutality and cowardice are two sides of the same coin. After becoming the dominators of the universe, you had long lost the tenacity of the past and the courage of your rise. You were so scared by the overwhelming, pervasive Flood that all you could think about was running away.
"But running away required time. Also, the shortage of transportation and resources made it impossible for you to take away all the members of the Primeval Civilization. What was even worse was that, if most of the civilians were left behind, they would've been swallowed by the Flood, which would've expanded the strength of the Flood by a hundred times. Very soon, the Flood would've caught up with you.
"The so-called Sun Defense Line Plan was launched under such circumstances. It was a despicable plan to kill three birds with one stone.
"First of all, the detonation of thousands of stars will not deal heavy damage to the Flood, but it will indeed delay the Flood for a while and buy you millions of years to escape and develop.
"Secondly, most of the compatriots that you abandoned will be buried in the flames of the shattered stars. It is impossible for them to become the captives of the Flood or live on with hatred for you.
"In the end, the ripples from the explosions of millions of stars may not be able to shake the stability of the entire Universe Ocean, but they can erase all traces of your escape. In the dazzling fireworks of millions of supernova explosions, even if the escape fleet bursts out the most intense exhaust flames and leaves any traces of radiation, they will be wiped out completely.
"Therefore, the Sun Defense Line Plan is not a desperate offensive plan at all but a shameless escape plan. Your reaction is just a replica of what the magnates and magnates on Earth did when they were faced with the natural disasters of meteoroids. You are abandoning 99% of your compatriots, the innocent and weak civilians, again! But this time, you are even more shameless than last time. You are going to detonate the hope that your compatriots count on to help you delay the enemy and cover the traces of your escape!
"Say something, Bastard. Don't you like to blabber on and on? Aren't you the best at hiding your cowardice, cowardice, and cowardice with righteousness and grandiose words? Tell me, is that the truth or not? "
His voice was lost.
Squeaks were echoing inside Li Yao's head, like the preset programs stored in the primordial treasures that had run into the fundamental logic conflicts. He did not know how to respond.
"We … do not have a choice."
The voice repeated drily again, "We cannot wait to be killed. We can only let the wise men and elites of the entire civilization go first in order to preserve the tinder of the civilization. The rest of the people are destined to die. So, we might as well give them a quick relief and trade their sacrifice for the greatest benefits."
"Haha. Hahahahaha. 'The wise men and elites go first', 'quick relief', and 'trade their sacrifice for the greatest benefits'. Damn you!"
Li Yao laughed crazily at first. Then, he scolded, "I've heard enough of your bulls * it. I've had enough of your corruption. I can't stand the 'choice without a choice' anymore! Let me, 'Vulture Li Yao', tell you my ultimate choice. If I were really the commander of the Primitive Civilization at that time, I would've led the strongest, bravest, and wisest adults of the entire civilization to stay. We would've faced the Flood and fought side by side. We would've built an iron wall that was even more solid than the 'solar defense line' with our own flesh and soul. We would've given the chance of survival to the weak and the children. Until they escaped safely, the Flood would never have been able to step over our dead bodies. At the last moment, perhaps we would've detonated the stars, too, but everybody who formulated the 'solar defense line plan' would've stood with me on our new home to embrace the ultimate glory! "
"Therefore, you are not a qualified commander," the voice said.
"You are just a hot-blooded boor."
"Before you become a qualified commander —"
Li Yao bellowed, "First of all, I am a qualified, real, flesh-and-blood human being with honor, pride, and boundaries!"
"Then, your plan of resistance and escape will probably fail," the voice said.
"You will destroy the entire civilization."
"Only your shameless, despicable, and inhumane approach will destroy a once great civilization!"
Li Yao roared, "The universe is vast, and time is infinite. If we observe from the scale of the grand universe, can there be an immortal civilization in the next hundred billion years? If my civilization and I are truly about to perish, I only hope that we can both unleash the most brilliant brilliance! We will either live as human beings or die as human beings. We will never turn into zombies, viruses, and cockroaches in the universe! "
"Tester, you are wasting your precious last chance."
The voice suddenly became stern. "If you continue to be so obstinate, it is very likely that you will be eliminated and your civilization will be obliterated."
Accompanied by the undisguised threat in the voice, the brilliant sea of stars inside Li Yao's brain gradually boiled and rolled, turning into a poisonous black swamp.
The black venom seemed to have condensed into overwhelming tentacles, which smashed at Li Yao from head to toe.
"So, you're resorting to the hard way now that the soft approach has failed?"
Li Yao burst into laughter. Faced with the threat of the mysterious voice, his belief that had been stained by dust and filth a moment ago became extremely clear and bright. All the hesitation, conflict, and confusion were completely burned up by the burning fighting will. "I was the one who was obstinate when I made the first two choices. Now, I'm completely awake!
"Your words are self-contradictory. If this is really a test designed to seek 'different possibilities', why do you never allow me to make my own choice at the critical juncture? You claim that 'free will' is the most important thing. Why do you set up so many obstacles to interfere with my free will? Such a test is just a replay of the real history from human beings on Earth to the primeval civilization. Even if I follow your suggestions three times and pass the entire test successfully, my belief and thinking pattern will probably be completely corrupted and assimilated by you, and I will become a replica of you. What kind of 'civilization restart' is that? "
"You are our replicas in the first place."
The voice waved the black tentacles inside Li Yao's head, raising tides thousands of meters tall. "Don't forget that our genes are 100% identical!"
"So what? Human beings, cockroaches, and maggots all share part of their genes, but real human beings will never be as filthy as cockroaches and maggots! "
Li Yao roared. "The so-called genes and fleshly bodies are just carriers that carry our minds. Minds are the most important things! Even if our genes are 100% identical to yours, we still boast wisdom, courage, morals, justice, and the determination to protect everything that you do not have! We are your descendants, but we are definitely not your replicas. We are not anybody's replicas. We don't care about the primeval civilization, the primeval deities, or any other unparalleled existences. We are just who we are. We are insignificant but always proud human beings, the new generation of human beings! "
"Therefore —"
The thousands of black tentacles of the voice seemed to have opened countless eyes that looked like suction cups at the same time. Death brilliance that looked like cosmic radiation beamed out of every eye as they stared at Li Yao's soul. "Have you made up your mind to reject our suggestion and go against us?"
"If the only choice other than becoming your enemy is to be your replicas, your lackeys, and your slaves, and live in your way as heartless, bloodless, and tearless as walking corpses and iron cockroaches, what's the point of such a life?"
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