Forty Millenniums of Cultivation, page 1112
"All passengers, please be prepared. The space jump will be performed in one minute."
In the launch area of the space port, the starship that accommodated the delegation from the Star Ocean Republic was gradually enshrouded in a cluster of gentle brightness. Shivering, it was about to go to the Heaven's Origin Sector.
At this point, there were thirteen hours, twenty-two minutes, and thirty-five seconds to go before the Black Wind Fleet arrived at the central space zone of the Heaven's Origin Sector.
When the cover of Li Yao's cabin was about to the closed, Long Yangjun, who was lying in the protective cabin next to him, struggled to sit up and grabbed the cover, hinting for him to sit up, too.
"I suddenly thought of a motivation for a scheme." Long Yangjun frowned. "If it can be called a motivation at all."
"Oh?" Li Yao was refreshed. Having no time to think about the space jump that would begin soon, he said, "Do tell me."
"I gave it a lot of thought just now. The more I pictured your professor being a vicious schemer, the more I believed that our conclusion was right," Long Yangjun said. "If he is really a vicious scheme whose purpose is to make the Spiriters dominate the universe, there will be absolutely no reason he should do anything right now. He should lurk for another few hundred years for the best opportunity.
"However, what if you are not wrong? Your professor is not a vicious schemer, but a good one, a noble man, a bright guy who has dedicated himself to the civilization of mankind instead of considering his selfish benefits!"
Li Yao was confused. "So what?"
"If so," Long Yangjun said, "even if he regards himself as a Spiriter, he will not consider the interests of himself and the Spiriters as the top priority; he will place the overall interests of mankind on the top that is far more important than the Spiriters!
"In other words, if something is highly beneficial for mankind, even if it jeopardizes the interests of the Spiriters and may cause the death of the Spiriters, your professor will still do it as a 'good guy', won't he?"
Li Yao blinked and replied, "Maybe. But I don't quite follow you. What do you mean by 'something highly beneficial for mankind'?"
"Absolute peace," Long Yangjun said coldly. "I thought about Professor Mo Xuan's words that you repeated to me many times and discovered a very unpleasant phrase. 'Absolute peace'! He wants all the races of mankind to support and help each other in 'absolute peace', to grow, blossom, and prosper together."
Li Yao grimaced. "What's wrong with that? I hope for the same!"
"Peace is not wrong. 'Absolute peace', on the other hand, is quite intriguing," Long Yangjun said. "Let me ask you. What kind of country or social form can realize 'absolute peace'?
"Even if the federation defeats the Black Wind Fleet this time, will it be given 'absolute peace'? Will it no longer need to fight the Imperium and the Covenant Alliance in the future?
"Even if, one day, Monster Li goes on a rampage and leads the federation to completely demolish the Imperium and the Covenant Alliance, then what? The federation will be stable and united in absolute peace, and a war will never happen again?"
"Of course not," Li Yao mumbled. "There is only unity where there is division. Peace cannot last forever. Wars large and small will break out sooner or later."
"Exactly," Long Yangjun said quickly. "As long as humans continue to exist in their current form, their infinite desires and the finite resources will always be irreconcilably contradictory to each other. Wars are eternal. 'Absolute peace' is never going to happen!
"But what if most people are 'virtualized'? Will it greatly reduce the consumption on the external resources? Even if wars cannot be ended for good, will the frequency and intensity of wars be greatly lowered than right now? Or rather, won't wars become some sort of virtual game, where one can be revived immediately after they are killed?
"Isn't this some kind of 'absolute peace'?"
Chapter 1720: Greatest Man Alive |
Li Yao was rather confused. "That's a rather… unconventional thought."
"It's very simple," Long Yangjun explained. "The civil wars within the civilization of mankind are mostly for resources, especially the planets with abundant spiritual energy, atmosphere, sunlight, and water sources. It will be even better if there are Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures and a lot of crystals mother lodes on them!
"Vulnerable and picky human beings can only live on such planets. Even if they have grown into a 'starship civilization', they still must find such planets as their bases and therefore spend their entire time searching for them!
"Wars only happen when we are fighting over such planets that are actually terribly rare in the sea of stars. For example, the Black Wind Fleet has marched to this place after a tremendous journey from the center of the cosmos, but isn't their purpose to raid the Sector here and loot all the resources including population?
"However, if everyone—no, that is not necessary—if half of mankind is transformed into 'virtual life' and lives in the 'Spiriters' Realm', the pressure on resources will be greatly reduced. Humans have the highest demand on their habitats. Demons are much more adaptable than humans and can live on many barren and harsh planets. The Spiriters, on the other hand, are a great deal more adaptive than demons. For them, they can establish tiny centers of super crystal processors deep below the surface of most of the solid planets as long as their underground is free of the interferences of radiation!
"Everything can be created in the virtual world. Money, women, land, Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures… All the reasons from ancient times to today that ever caused a war will no longer be a problem in the virtual world!
"As a result, after the living space of human beings is expanded a hundred times over, their internal conflict will be greatly soothed. Wars may not be entirely wiped out, but the odds of wars that are caused by the competition of resources will be greatly reduced. Maybe that is what your professor believes.
"Even if the Spiriters really have conflicts and a war is inevitable, the wars will not be as cruel as what we are having right now. I have come up with two new modes when I just give it a thought.
"Firstly, just like a war DLC of 'Civilization', they can establish a virtual battlefield in the virtual world. It doesn't matter at all even if they burn everything on the battlefield down or kill everybody they see.
"Secondly, didn't your professor mention shells? If the Spiriters must fight a war in the material world, all the warriors can crawl into a certain 'shell' to remote control the army, like the drones or the war puppets that we have today. Even if the shell is utterly damaged, the soul may still be unharmed.
"Think about it. What an advanced, clean, and peaceful form of war. Nobody will really be killed in such a war. Even if some of them may accidentally crash their soul, the odds of the potential victims will still be significantly lowered than in a war right now!
"Then, the universe will embrace eternal peace. War will be a solution to resolve disagreement peacefully. It can even be a game of entertainment!"
"War… can be a game?" Li Yao shuddered coldly.
"Why are you wearing such an expression of disbelief, like human beings are just a bunch of innocent children?" Long Yangjun sniffed. "Humans are war machines created by the Pangu Clan and the Nuwa Clan in the first place. War and violence are an ineffaceable part embedded in the deepest part of everyone's genes. Human children like to play with toy guns and military action figures. Adolescents like action movies and war games. Even at the twilight of their life, aren't old people still fond of power struggles and strategies? And you personally, Vulture Li Yao, do you dare to say that you do not like the feeling of fighting?"
Li Yao was rendered speechless for a moment. He could only say, "No, it's impossible. I don't think that my professor is as crazy as you think…"
"It all depends on whether Professor Mo Xuan is a good guy or a bad guy," Long Yangjun said. "If Professor Mo Xuan is truly a vicious villain, and his ambitions are to make the Spiriters rule the world, he will certainly not concoct any scheme at this point because the timing is too inappropriate, and the odds of success are too low.
"Besides, the potential of the Spiriters are obvious. He can totally draw a magnificent blueprint and spend hundreds of years in hibernation while manipulating everything in secret, like Jin Tuyi did. Thousands of years later, when mankind is even more deeply associated with the Spiritual Nexus, it will be the best opportunity for him, and he will activate all his plans!
"If he is not a vicious villain but only a selfish one who considers the interests of the Spiriters as the top priority and does not care about the conditions of other people at all, he still won't jump out at this point. He can totally dedicate his life and resources to the 'Tinder Plan' and flee with his 'Spiriters' to the distant future far, far away, leaving the 'old human beings' and the Star Glory Federation behind.
"After all, the Spiriters represent the future. All he needs to do is grasp the future. As for those people in the Star Glory Federation who don't believe him, he can simply leave them at their own mercy. Would he be bothered by their fate at all?
"Think about it. Does it make sense? If Professor Mo Xuan is a vicious guy or a selfish guy, there is no reason he should jump out at this point, is there?"
Li Yao pondered for a moment and nodded. "Correct. He shouldn't jump out to cause trouble if he is selfish or evil."
"However, as I said just now and what you have always believed, what if Professor Mo Xuan is neither a bad guy nor a selfish guy, but a good guy who places the interests of mankind above the interests of himself and the Spiriters?" Long Yangjun asked. "When such a 'good guy' has discovered a solution that can bring absolute peace to human beings and avoid wars forever, will he be patient enough to wait hundreds or thousands more years? Is it possible for him to carry out an 'escape plan', abandon his compatriots and motherland, and run to the future, while leaving other people to struggle in the turbulence of war?
"At this very second, putting the 'minor conflict' that is about to break out between the Star Glory Federation and the Black Wind Fleet aside, a super war that is a hundred times more gory that the war here is taking place between the Imperium of True Human Beings and the Alliance of the Holy Covenant, two human superpowers at the center of the cosmos!
"In such a super war, countless people die every second. They are blown into smithereens, their broken limbs flying everywhere. A lot of old people, women, and children are trembling in fear, screaming, and struggling painfully to live or die!
"As the Star Glory Federation embarks on the journey to seek universal hegemony, it is inevitable that you will be involved in the war, too. Whether you win or you lose in the end, billions of people are destined to be killed!
"Can Professor Mo Xuan, as a good guy, idle about when such a future approaches and simply care about the petty interests of his Spiriters?
"Can he ignore the deaths of billions of people and abandon his dearest compatriots, but only dwell in his small circle of the 'Spiriters'?
"No. It's impossible. If Professor Mo Xuan is truly a good guy, he will definitely try his best to save all of them and free everybody from war!
"Therefore, when we were just considering from the perspective of the interests of the Spiriters and himself, we certainly couldn't find an answer, but if we think for the interests of all mankind, everything will make sense!"
Bulging his eyes, Li Yao mumbled, "My professor is indeed… someone who is willing to sacrifice everything for his motherland and compatriots. Also, as a refiner, he is also a resolute and determined one. When he has a plan, he will certainly not just write it on paper or talk about it but will put it into practice step by step!
"To carry out the Heavenly Road Plan a hundred years ago, if I hadn't volunteered to look for the Ancient Sages Sector deep inside the dark nebula, Professor Mo Xuan would have abandoned everything and marched into the dark nebula at the risk of his life!
"It's understandable that he does such things now, but—but the odds of success are astoundingly low!"
"You don't save someone because you are sure that they can be saved," Long Yangjun said. "For example, if you see a poor, innocent little girl on a crystal rail, and a high-speed crystal train is running toward her and will soon crash into her, just because you calculate that the odds that you can save the little girl are only one percent, will you simply watch her be killed by the train while doing nothing about it?"
Li Yao thought for a moment and replied, "No, I don't think so. I believe that most people will not calculate the odds at all. There may be too little time for them to understand the situation, but if they realize what is going on, they will certainly jump forward to save her without considering anything. It is a natural instinct, a conditional reflex. Why bother calculating the odds?"
"Exactly," Long Yangjun said. "You need only calculate the odds of success when you are carrying out a 'scheme', and you will only activate it if the odds of success are high enough. However, 'salvation' is a natural instinct; one does not require consideration or calculation. People will do it whether it succeeds or fails and whether it is beneficial for themselves or harmful!
"As long as war is completely destroyed, trillions of people and even everybody in the entire universe will be saved. Nobody will ever be caught in the pain and destruction caused by war. There will be no more conflicts, no more contradictions, and no more bloody wars! Is such a 'motive' not enough to make 'good guy Professor Mo Xuan' pay everything?"
Li Yao was lost for words, completely defeated by such a new way of thinking.
"Of course, this is just my random thought. It might not necessarily be the truth," Long Yangjun said casually. "It was you who insisted that Professor Mo Xuan was weird and asked me to find a 'motive' for his scheme. Then, after I examined and ruled out all the possibilities with my wisdom, this is the last motive that I found.
"I have already tried my best. You can take your time to think about it. After all, whether it is true or false, we will reach the Heaven's Origin Sector very soon. After we get to the turf of your wife and your disciple, there will be nothing to be scared of!"
After saying that, Long Yangjun was ready to crawl back into the protective gel.
Right then, a sweet voice of reminder echoed from the ceiling of the cabin.
"Last five seconds to the space jump. All passengers, please immerse yourselves into the protective gel and close the covers of the cocoon cabins, in case the storms in four-dimensional space scourge your body and soul."
"Five… Four… Three…"
Storms in four-dimensional space… Scourge the body and the soul…
Li Yao was deep in thought. The last few words of the reminder, however, forced him to bulge his bloodshot eyes wider and wider. His face grew more and more awful, too. A moment later, he shrieked at the top of his voice, "No. We cannot start a space jump. There is a trap in the four-dimensional space!"
Chapter 1721: Fatal Trap! |
The moment before the space jump was implemented, Li Yao triggered his soul power to the maximum. His telepathic thoughts blossomed deep inside his brain like an octopus and flooded toward Long Yangjun incessantly with tremendous information!
It was extremely dangerous when they were to be teleported in the next second. It might cause Li Yao's soul to be lost in the turbulence of four-dimensional space and ripped into shreds!
But there was no time. Li Yao could only tell Long Yangjun his deduction in such a risky way!
Shua! Shua! Shua! Shua!
For a moment, Li Yao's mind and Long Yangjun's mind were deeply interweaved with each other. Infinite information was exchanged in the most mysterious way!
"Something is wrong," Li Yao said. "Something is greatly wrong with the 'double test' that Professor Mo Xuan did on me. Now that I think about it, even if the Secret Sword Bureau wanted to ensure safety, they shouldn't have done it in such a reckless way. Even if they were really so reckless, one of their leaders should've shown up and apologized to me. After all, I was representing the Star Ocean Republic and Speaker Cui Lingfeng!
"However, they merely offered a simple apology through Ling Xiaole, and Ling Xiaole only received the instruction from her portable crystal processor!
"I assume that it was truly a test, not performed by the Secret Sword Bureau but by Professor Mo Xuan. He somehow manipulated the Secret Sword Bureau!
"Professor Mo Xuan grew suspicious of me and my real purpose behind visiting the Tinder Base. I don't think that I revealed any openings in the 'second Spiriters' Realm'. But who knows? Perhaps Professor Mo Xuan noticed something abnormal in it!
"Moreover… moreover, we are supposed to take off this afternoon, but we have cut in line and left the Hundred Flowers Space Zone three hours early. If Professor Mo Xuan knows it, he can certainly guess that we've already grown suspicious of him, too!
"The conclusion is that Professor Mo Xuan is suspicious of me, and he also knows that I'm suspicious of him! Think about it. If Professor Mo Xuan is really planning a big operation, will he simply let us go to the Heaven's Origin Sector?"
"In that case," Long Yangjun said, "all the more reason we should leave the Hundred Flowers Space Zone as quickly as possible and jump to the Heaven's Origin Sector. This place is Professor Mo Xuan's home field!"
"The critical problem right now is, who can guarantee that we are jumping to the Heaven's Origin Sector?" Li Yao's telepathic thoughts were bouncing like fire rapidly. "Did we 'see' the Heaven's Origin Sector? No. The mainframe crystal processor of our starship received the coordinates of the star beacons that were claimed to be from the Heaven's Origin Sector. Then, the control tower in the spaceport planned a sailing route for us. We are simply launching the space jump based on the coordinates and the sailing route that they offered!
"Who can guarantee that their information is absolutely correct? Who can guarantee that Professor Mo Xuan cannot hack this place? If he is really concocting some big operation, he must've hacked most of the crystal processors in the Hundred Flowers Space Zone, or at least controlled the port, the most important place in the space zone!
