Faced with the captain's insistence, the crew fell silent.
But crimson brilliance was flashing around them quickly, indicating that their silence was definitely not an acknowledgment of the captain.
"So what?"
Finally, First Mate Quaker spoke softly on behalf of most of the members of the bridge team.
The captain was slightly dazed.
"So what?"
The captain looked at the first mate in disbelief. "Quaker, what do you mean exactly? Explain the problem!"
"Yes, captain. Then, I'll tell you what's on everybody's mind."
First Mate Quaker threw caution to the wind. He faced Captain Gao Zunlong and said expressionlessly, "Even if we really drain this small, fertile world in front of us, repair or even upgrade Emerald, and continue our journey like stray dogs, and find dozens or even hundreds of similar fertile worlds with unbelievable luck, gather all the resources, and rebuild a mighty fleet, so what? By then, will we have the ability to resist the Flood?
"Don't forget that before the Flood, the Primeval Civilization controlled the entire universe! We built billions of starships, we conquered countless prosperous planets, and we annihilated thousands of powerful civilizations of intelligent lives. We were the kings of kings and the dominators of all the universes!
"And then? Did it work?
"Faced with the assault of the Flood, billions of starships were obliterated instantly, or even more miserably. We were reduced to the Flood's puppets. Planets were transformed one after another, and batches of the Primeval Civilization were bewitched and joined the arms of the Flood willingly. Even the 'solar defense line' that we established by igniting billions of stars was broken through easily. In the end, even a tiny spray of the Flood was enough to force us to flee!
"Captain, please think about it carefully. With the strength of the last starship that we have left, even if it is a hundred times stronger, is it comparable to the Primeval Civilization in its heyday? I'm afraid that it is not even a drop in the ocean, is it?
"Even the Primeval Civilization in its heyday was crushed by the Flood. How can we compete with the Flood even if we are a hundred times stronger?"
After First Mate Quake finished speaking in rapid succession, he heaved a sigh of relief.
The words had been stuck in his heart for too long. Now that he said it out loud, the atmosphere on the bridge immediately changed.
Captain Gao Zunlong was stunned.
Mystic light flashed around his body like raging flames.
He didn't expect that his crew would become so weak after the torment of the long voyage.
"So?"
The captain narrowed his eyes and said coldly, "What's your plan? Are you going to stop here? Don't you want to move forward?"
"Advance?"
First Mate Quake laughed bitterly. "Moving towards a certain goal and taking large strides forward under the guidance of hope is called 'moving forward.' There's no goal at all, no hope in sight. Wandering in the dark night is just a headless fly struggling at death's door.
"Since we're both struggling at death's door, why don't we choose a better way for ourselves?
"Captain, let's be frank. We're all tired and can't go on anymore.
"We've been lost in the cruel sea of stars for too long. We've been wandering since our ancestors. We've never experienced the so-called glory of the Primeval Civilization, and we don't know what it feels like to rule the world. For as long as our fathers and fathers can remember, we've been living a precarious, anxious life.
"We've endured the filthy air, the stinky recycled water, and the synthetic food that tastes like wax every day. We've been killed by the malfunctions of the hibernation cabins, the explosions of the power furnaces, and we've been sucked into the vacuum of space after a meteorite pierced through the shell of the starship. It's said that when the Primeval Civilization was at its peak, our ancestors had already trained themselves to the level where they could transform matter and energy freely. They were not scared of the coldness and ruthlessness of the universe at all. It's a pity that after so many years of being hunted by the Flood, our civilization has deteriorated to such a pathetic level. Most of the advanced technologies and training methods have been lost. We can't even survive in the vacuum of space anymore!
"Can we still shamelessly brag that it is a 'journey' after such sufferings? Are we truly alive, or are we just pitiful walking corpses?
"We're tired, captain. We're too tired.
"If we hadn't discovered the prosperous world in front of us, perhaps we would've been able to continue walking on numbly.
"But the world in front of us is too peaceful, too beautiful, and too dreamy. It is so beautiful that it can shatter all our beliefs, leaving only one thought in our head, which is to stay here forever and live a carefree, satisfied life!"
"A carefree and contented life?"
Captain Gao Zunlong repeated it twice. Suddenly, he raised his eyebrows and roared in a thunderous voice, "Are you all crazy? Have your brains been blocked by interstellar dust, or have you been scorched by the stars to the point that you can't think? The Flood is still following us and will find us at any moment! "
"No, captain. The Flood hasn't appeared for three thousand years. We've gotten rid of it for now," Captain Kuike said expressionlessly.
Chief Mate Kuik said expressionlessly, "A centipede dies but never falls down. The primeval civilization was once prosperous after all. Even though it has fallen apart, thousands of fleets of fugitive fleets are scattered in the sea of stars. The Flood will reap them one by one.
"In other words, we don't need to escape from the Flood. We only need to be more stealthy than our brother fleets.
"From that point of view, the collection of resources, repair, and upgrade of the starships that you proposed is actually a suicidal approach, because it will certainly release all kinds of special energy waves and signals, which will be easily detected by the Flood.
"On the other hand, if we hide in this prosperous world and try our best to seal all the technology and training arts without leaking the slightest signal, the Flood won't be able to find us so easily until all our brother fleets are harvested."
"Brother fleets? Kuike, are you shameless enough to mention 'brother'?"
Captain Gao Zunlong laughed in fury. "Your solution is to be a coward and use your brothers as shields in exchange for the illusory sense of security?"
"It does sound sordid, but they are not real 'brothers'," Captain Kuike said casually.
Chief Mate Quake said casually, "Long before the Flood, the Primitive Civilization had already split up. The Primitive Race, who had conquered different universes, had long mutated into the local people, taking advantage of their neighbors and killing each other. Didn't we have many civil wars? I won't feel the slightest bit of guilt for watching these people die. "
"Fine. Even if the so-called 'brother fleets' have nothing to do with us, how long can we hide here? Ten thousand years? A hundred thousand years? A million years? "
Captain Gao Zunlong bellowed. "In the end, we will still be found by the Flood!"
"Is a million years not enough? My captain, don't be too greedy. "
There was a helpless smile on Captain Kuike's face. "Birth, aging, illness, and death are the laws of nature. Every civilization will rise and fall. If our civilization can live comfortably in this prosperous world for another million years, no, as long as it can live for a hundred thousand years, or even ten thousand years, I will be satisfied.
"After all, with our lives, we can't live for ten thousand years at all. Even if we count our children and grandchildren, it will be enough for them to live a happy life without any worries. After we all die, who will care whether or not the Flood will be overflowing?"
"…"
Captain Gao Zunlong stared at First Mate Quaker, as if he had never known this "loyal" deputy of his.
"There are not enough resources."
Captain Gao Zunlong gnashed his teeth and said, one word after another, "Even if we hide in this place like a coward as you said, the resources in this prosperous world are still not enough for all the crew on Jade to live a comfortable and carefree life.
"Yes, it is not enough, but who said that we should let all the crew members enjoy it?"
Captain Kuike's smile suddenly became extremely weird. "Ninety-nine percent of the crew members are still hibernating. Then, let them hibernate forever. The resources of this prosperous world only need to provide 1% of our awakened people. That should be enough, right?"
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