While he was shouting at the top of his lungs, a shining, golden path seemed to have appeared below Li Yao’s feet. The path that extended to infinity seemed to be a coldly-shining saber that slashed at the hearts of the female captain and all the ghosts of the Primeval Clan.
The female captain and the ghosts of the Primeval Clan were all awed by Li Yao’s determination. They were like smoke under the scorching sun, blurred and unsteady.
“I didn’t expect that a brand-new civilization of mankind would emerge today after billions of years, and that there would be someone like you in the civilization of mankind.
The female captain smiled in the most desolate and regretful way. She seemed to be talking to herself, as if she were talking to the ghosts of her compatriots, too. “If only people like you had existed in the beginning… in the beginning, at the end of the era of Earth. If the leader of the civilization of Earth at that time, ‘Wan Zanghai’, had someone like you by his side and achieved a balance between good and evil, light and darkness, maybe our civilization would have developed in a completely different direction. Maybe the flood would not have been born, and maybe the entire Universe Ocean would have been ten thousand times more prosperous and beautiful than today.”
“That was in the beginning. Today is coming to an end, too. But billions of possibilities are still waiting to be created in the future, including the possibility that it is ten thousand times better.
Li Yao clenched his fists and raised them high. “We will create our own future!”
“True.”
The female captain smiled and looked back at her compatriots.
All the ghosts of the Origin Clan smiled in relief. Bright gold chimneys were spreading out of their bodies, as if they could not wait to enter the eternal sleep after billions of years of suffering and waiting.
“Your performance is better than all the possibilities preset by the program.
The phantom of the female captain gradually turned thinner and thinner, like an ice block melting in warm water. But the smile on her face was getting wider and wider. “In the ‘passing requirements’ that the procedure presupposes, we mainly test three points. Firstly, whether or not the tester has absolute freedom and tenacity to persist in their beliefs until the end.
“You are right. The concepts of good and evil, light and darkness, are not things that we care about. Who says that evil and darkness in the conventional sense is definitely not the way out? The key is balance and persistence.
“If the tester is inclined to light and kindness, then we will give him dark and evil options. If the tester comes from the Asura World where the strong prey on the weak and brutal battles, then we will give him light and kindness options. It doesn’t matter how he chooses. The key is to persevere and not be influenced by us—anyone.”
“Secondly, on the basis of self-awareness, the tester must have the spirit of sacrifice, both for his compatriots, his home, and his civilization, and for his own ideology. Those who commit crimes in the name of justice cannot lead a civilization to glory. Only the real martyrs, even the evil and the dark ones, can be the leaders of a strong civilization.
“Thirdly, and most importantly, his head is absolutely clear, and he knows when to give and take and when to hold back. Even the temptation of the legacy of a god-level civilization cannot shake his belief. Only in such a way can he avoid the problems resulting from the sudden expansion of the civilization, avoid the tragedy of ‘spinning and vanishing’, and even resist the scourge of the flood.
“Originally, according to the standard of the procedure, as long as one had the courage to refuse the ‘Gold Key’ of the Primeval Civilization, one would be considered to have succeeded. However, we, who designed the ultimate test in the beginning, did not expect that there would be such a thing as ‘a hundred corpses of the Pioneer Civilization’. Our original plan was that, as long as the tester refused the ‘Gold Key’, his civilization would be preserved, and we would pass on the knowledge of the Primeval Civilization bit by bit, step by step, through the ‘Tower of Babel’. Of course, we wouldn’t do such a stupid thing as feeding them with tremendous technology and training systems.
“However, now that I think about it, we were too hasty in our settings. We only raised a weaker, less developed version of the civilization of the primordial era instead of a new future. Your ideas are still valid.
“Then, Li Yao, the tester, hopes that the new generation of human beings can absorb the essence of a hundred pioneering civilizations and carry on the legacy of your ‘brothers’ and ‘sisters’. In your own way, march forward in the boundless sea of stars without looking back!
“We’ve been waiting for billions of years. We are too tired. Finally, we can take a good rest. I hope that tomorrow will be ten thousand times better when we wake up, and you will find a solution to the flood.
“On behalf of the last will of the Primeval Civilization, I sincerely wish you success. Human beings… civilization…”
The female captain and all the ghosts of the Primeval Clan bowed to Li Yao with a smile, both as a sincere wish and as a way of thanking him for a better answer and eternal relief.
“Wait!”
Li Yao felt that there was more to the captain’s words, but he was sweating hard in the mental world. “Don’t leave just yet. There are still a lot of questions that I haven’t answered yet!
“You said just now that, according to the different natures and moral values of the testers, the scenes presented by the ultimate test are ever-changing, too. Then, I would very much like to know what the so-called ‘Conquering History of the Primeval Civilization’ looked like to the testers who were born dark and evil, the tragedy at the end of the Earth Era, the ‘Great Extinction Order’, and the ‘Solar Defense Line Plan’… Have any of these things ever happened in real history? What was the truth of the voice’s words? What was the truth of the real history?
“Also, was the civilization of a hundred pioneers really destroyed by you, or was there something else?
“Also, how are my wife and the others? Are they alright? Now that I’ve passed the test, can you let them out now?”
“Also, what about the Vicious Beast Tide that is charging at the Heaven’s Origin Sector? I feel that the arrival of the Vicious Beast Tide is too weird. It can’t be that the tentacles of the tide have reached the Pangu Universe, can it?”
“History was created by human beings, but it has been embellished, smeared, and altered, too. Even the history of a hundred years ago is full of different opinions. There is no telling what is good and what is evil. Who can say for sure what is right and what is wrong?
The female captain had already turned into a cluster of gold brightness whose facial features could not be seen clearly. A calm voice came from the cluster of light. “Even for us billions of years ago, the Great Armageddon Order and the defense line of the sun belonged to the category of ‘ancient history’. Who knows what the truth is exactly?
“Besides, didn’t you say it yourself? The past is the past. What matters is the present and the future. Everybody is the past, and everybody is the amalgamation of the present and the future. You are exactly what you are today, and history and the future are exactly what they are. There’s no need to overthink it.
“We have already answered the question as to how the civilization of the hundred pioneers was destroyed. Of course, there are still a lot of details, a lot of twists and turns, and a lot of soul-stirring stories. Hehe. The interesting information is all recorded in their remains. If you want to know, you might as well explore it yourself.
“As for the final test…
“Now that you’ve successfully broken through the barrier, there is no need for you to continue. However, I still hope that all the human testers can persist until the moment when they fail or succeed. However, even if they fail, they will not receive any punishment. Except for the mental interrogation, I think that it will leave a deep impression on them and make them realize that ‘any power has a price’. In the end, you will have to reveal the truth to them in person. It is the best arrangement.”
“You mean…”
Li Yao thought for a long time. “For example, let’s say that one of the testers successfully passed all the previous tests and came to the ‘Gold Key’ phase. He saw so many destructive magical equipment, marvelous techniques, and unimaginable technologies. Naturally, he was overjoyed and snatched the Gold Key, only to find that he was dreaming. Then, I appeared in front of him and told him with a smile that everything was false, that there was no ancient legacy, and that I had rejected the legacy. How about this?”
“Understood.”
The female captain asked, “What do you think?”
“I think—”
Li Yao said, “I will be killed by them.”
Soft laughter came from the golden cluster.
“What about the beast tide?”
Li Yao said anxiously, “Don’t you think that the beast tide outside is too weird?”
“We are just a small program. Our last words have become mottled after billions of years.
The female captain said, “We don’t know anything about the Vicious Beast Tide. Even if it is the vanguard of the Flood Tide Legion, there is nothing we can do about it. If it is within our capability, we can destroy the Heaven’s Origin Sector and the ancient relics instantly. All the carbon-based creatures and energy-based creatures that are still here will be swept into the abyss of space and time and be obliterated forever.
“But I believe that this is not the solution you want, is it?
“It’s been billions of years. It’s not strange that Hong Chao has come to this place. We’ve done our best. The rest is up to you. Go now, Li Yao. Prove that you are not bluffing and that you are not capable enough. Fight in your own way!”
“Are you really just a program?”
Li Yao asked and gave his own answer. “I don’t believe it. How can a program be so vivid and fluent that it can even answer questions beyond its settings? Even an ordinary artificial intelligence wouldn’t be able to do that!
“If the Pangu civilization could evolve into a super artificial intelligence such as ‘Fuxi’, there’s no reason that the Primeval Civilization couldn’t have done it billions of years ago. What are you exactly? A super artificial intelligence similar to the Fuxi civilization? Or are you a literal ‘ghost of the Primeval Race’? What did you mean when you said that you would wake up again one day? Hey, don’t play tricks with me. There can’t be any other tricks. This is a game within a game. All my reactions were within your expectations. What you said right now is partly true, too. In a long, long time to come, we are going to have a second confrontation with you, aren’t we?”
Laughter was echoing inside the golden waves, as if countless men, women, and children were laughing together.
Before the golden waves completely dispersed, the laughter of countless ghosts converged into one word:
“What do you think?”
