Li Yao understood it now.
He felt like laughing.
In the era when the 'Sun Defense Line Plan' was proposed and implemented, the primeval people had been a bunch of shameless guys who had no boundaries for survival. Perhaps they had once declared that they were doing it to preserve the tinder of their civilization and the hope of the next generation. But little did they know that the descendants of the primeval civilization thirty thousand years later would abhor their practices.
The older generation did whatever they wanted under the banner of 'it was all for their own good', but the new generation did not appreciate it at all. If not, they were doing exactly the opposite. Had such things happened too many times in history?
Also, the new generation of the Primeval Tribe had been wandering in the dark sea of stars like stray dogs in panic all the time. Such a feeling that was worse than death did give them a reason to hate their ancestors.
Li Yao knew too well the feeling of a lone starship drifting in the sea of stars with no way forward and no resources behind. There was not the slightest hope at all. 'Firefly', the last flagship of the Star Ocean Republic in the past, had drifted for a thousand years and was almost completely corrupted and destroyed. It was not until it encountered the Xing Yao Federation that it was saved by luck.
Firefly had almost completed the metamorphosis from 'Cultivator' into 'Immortal Cultivator' on its own after only a thousand years of wandering. After the remnants of the primeval civilization destroyed their home, they had to flee for thirty thousand years under the pressure of the Flood, which was even longer than the journey of their ancestors after they fled from Earth.
What exactly happened on their starship in the process? What did the "cockroaches and maggots" and the "offspring of the cockroaches and maggots", who had killed their compatriots, destroyed their home, and cut off all their hopes, turn them into?
It must not feel good to be a 'cockroach and maggots', right?
"The Flood came aggressively. Our ancestors' escape was very hasty. Even though the population was reduced and the resources were refilled, it was impossible to satisfy the thirty thousand years of sailing for everybody."
"Besides, don't forget that before the Flood struck, the primeval tribes that were scattered in all the sub universes had just had a shocking civil war. The wounds of war cannot be healed so easily.
"In the environment where we lost our fighting will and all the moral boundaries, where we did not know when the pursuers would arrive, and where the resources were being drained quickly, all the sordidness, wickedness, cruelty, sordidness, filth, and darkness that you could possibly imagine burst out in the fugitive fleet. The intrigues, the backstabbing, and the internal strife were all child's play and were happening every second. Every starship was a tiny barbaric tribe, and we became each other's most ferocious enemy. Everybody on every starship was sharpening their blades and hiding their claws and teeth while they stared at everybody around them evilly and warily, including their so-called 'family'.
"In some of the starships that had particularly harsh environments, swallowing the bodies of their own kind even became a natural custom. Those starships made a living by robbing their own compatriots, and they lived through the ten thousand years that were getting darker and darker.
"As a result, as you said, our ancestors turned themselves into cockroaches in space, maggots in space, and deformed monsters!
"It's so unbearable. Such a life is too unbearable. In the almost eternal alienation and torment, some of the primeval people completely collapsed. They let out weird laughter and adjusted their course, taking a 180-degree turn and throwing themselves into the arms of the Flood. They abandoned their rationality and free will and turned into ignorant cells.
"Some other starships had a mutiny. The rebellious bottom-level sailors and crew members had nothing else to ask for. After they took control of the bridge, they would activate the 'self-detonation program' of the starship, drawing an end to the shame of themselves and their ancestors with brilliant and scorching fireworks.
"Only a few crew members and passengers on the starships could bear the shame and suffering, but they also began to reflect on what their ancestors did and the true meaning of the existence of 'civilization'.
"You may say that 'everything goes in the opposite direction', and you may say that we cannot tolerate such a humiliating, dark, and meaningless life anymore, but the bottom line is that it is time to end everything.
"At the very beginning of the test, you once saw a picture where countless primeval tribes fell into the engine furnace one after another in neat teams. Such a scene was not imaginary, but our state of mind might be different from what you imagined. We did not turn ourselves into the fuel to push the civilization forward with the sorrowful mindset of 'sacrificing for the civilization'. Instead, we were burdened with billions of tons of shame and guilt, feeling that we were too ashamed to face all our compatriots who were killed by our ancestors in the past, the past and the future of the once glorious primitive civilization, and we could not find a way to make up for and change it. It was because of such desperation that we decided to end everything."
"Ah …"
Li Yao had found it odd. According to the style of the primitive civilization at the beginning, they shouldn't have been so righteous and sacrificial.
As it turned out, it was not a sacrificial spirit but shame and guilt.
On second thought, it did make sense. If he were a member of the fugitive fleet who had such … evil and sordid ancestors and lived a life that was worse than death every day, he probably would've had no choice but to die.
"However, before we decided to be liberated together, the discovery of the 'Pangu universe' brought us a glimmer of hope.
The ghost of the female captain said with a smile, "Our civilization is completely hopeless. The fixed mindset, the heavy historical burden, and the pursuit and swallowing of the Flood … We've been stray dogs for thirty thousand years. It's too tiring. We're too tired. Death is the best relief for us.
"However, what if our civilization could 'start from scratch'?
"If we could restart our civilization and make it start again with a brand-new, entirely different appearance, would we have a chance to find a new way out and make some minor but critical changes to purge all the sins that we and our ancestors committed from the source? Or even to free the entire Cosmic Ocean from the wounds that we and the Flood caused together?
"Therefore, there was the 'black wall' that you saw, the 'primeval relic', and the 'ultimate test'.
"Hehe. The right answer to the ultimate test is actually very simple, which is that there is no right answer at all.
"Because everything we did was wrong, and we did not know what the right choice was at all. Then, what qualifications do we have to judge or even manipulate your choice?
"So, to the testers, it doesn't matter how you choose. Whatever you do is right. No matter how reckless and reckless you are, you will pass as long as you don't make the same choice as us at the most critical juncture."
"Ah …"
Li Yao was dumbfounded at first, but then he was enlightened. "That explains a lot!"
"Also, we have given you three chances. Even if there is only one choice out of the three, you will pass the test if you completely violate our will and make the opposite choice."
The ghost of the female captain smiled and said, "It seems simple, doesn't it? But for billions of years and a hundred generations of testers, none of them passed the test. In order to keep the test on the surface going, they all listened to our suggestions without exception and obeyed our will. As a result, they became our puppets, slaves, lackeys, and duplicates. How hilarious. Even we are no match for the Flood. Why do we need a bunch of puppets, slaves, lackeys, and duplicates?"
"Come to think of it, it does make sense. The test may seem simple, but if you really want to pass, not only do you need to have an indestructible will, you also need to have a fearless spirit of sacrifice, and you also need to have absolute trust in your comrades and fellow countrymen. These three things are what we lack, and they are also things that a whole hundred generations of testers do not have. Today, you have gathered them all."
"Is that so?"
If souls had teeth, Li Yao would've laughed so hard that his teeth were falling off.
"Yes. So, you are the one that we have been waiting for for billions of years. You are destined to inherit all the heritages of the primitive civilization."
The ghost of the female captain looked at Li Yao with the most scorching eyes. All the bright gold ghosts around cheered for Li Yao. All kinds of dazzling, glamorous sounds and visual effects were flying everywhere. Then, the catalogues and detailed files of countless "primeval treasures" appeared in Li Yao's head, turning into glittering torrents.
"This is our invincible fleet docked inside the 'black wall'. Its performance is at least tens of thousands of years more advanced than your active starships. This is our strengthened external skeleton and the enormous humanoid war machines, each of which is enough to deal with a hundred of your Colossi. This is our fully-automatic war factory, which can complete the entire process from resource collection to war puppet production. It can even occupy or destroy a planet with a remote command."
The female captain said with a smile, "Of course, the technology tree, all the techniques, and the training system from the civilization on Earth to the primitive civilization have been used for tens of thousands of years. With those, your civilization will be equipped with a pair of wings that can surpass the speed of light. It will be easy for you to save at least a hundred thousand years of time!
"Come on. Everything is yours now. Take it away and become the dominator of the universe. Make up for our mistakes, build new glory for the primitive civilization, and create a brilliant future for the civilization of mankind that belongs to you!"
All the sound and visual effects behind the female captain — the splendid technology tree, the glamorous techniques and training system, the awe-inspiring war machines, countless secret treasures, legacies, and destructive forces — were all turned into thousands of streaks of light and gathered in her palm, turning into a translucent, bright golden key.
The ghost of the female captain handed the gold key to Li Yao, with eagerness beaming out of her eyes.
Li Yao's soul was deeply awed by the thousands of techniques, technology tree, and war machines that the female captain presented. He extended his hand subconsciously to grab them.
However, just as his fingertips were about to touch the golden key, his heart suddenly skipped a beat. He felt an extremely uncomfortable sensation, as if a needle had lightly pricked his fingertips.
"Wait!"
Li Yao's soul constricted abruptly, and his fingers stopped one millimeter away from the gold key.
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