Chapter 593: Confidence
However, their confidence was not purely blind; it stemmed from humanity's advantage in intelligence.
More than twenty years ago, when humanity first discovered that the Moon harbored "Moon Dust Ghouls," native monsters entirely spurred by Spirit Qi, they began to consider the possibility of life existing on other planets as well.
From that year onward, over a hundred small probes were launched from Earth annually, aiming for planets humanity might one day reach.
Currently, the farthest of these probes have already entered the Oort Cloud, beyond the Solar system's eight major planets.
However, facing this layer, a light-year thick, the outermost region where the Sun's gravity could still exert its influence, the previous generation of probes, launched more than twenty years ago, were unlikely to complete their traversal before losing contact.
Therefore, what the Human Federation could truly grasp at present was actually only the situation on the major planets within the Solar system.
...
"According to the information returned by Pioneer One, Mars' current level of civilization is roughly at the nascent stage of slavery, with a rudimentary concept of cities."
"Data from Soaring Sky Three, on the other hand, indicated that there were approximately fifty distinct Martian life settlements across the entire planet, comprising a total of one hundred and thirty-two 'cities'."
Because the truth observed in space was simply too terrifying: the inexplicable emergence of Spirit Qi had caused life to appear on almost every planet. For humanity to break through the encirclement and become the final victor in the galactic death arena, they could only choose to band together for warmth.
After all, putting themselves in others' shoes, humans could still accept other humans surrendering and enjoying the same treatment as their kin. However, alien races were very likely to not even accept collaborators, with those of different species only having three choices: food, pets, or experimental subjects.
...
"Spirit Eye Fifteen's statistical data showed that there were a total of four life forms with Six Tiers Spirit Energy reactions on Mars, thirty-seven Five Tiers life forms, and one thousand nine hundred and ninety-two Four Tiers life forms..."
"..."
As the Human Federation's first predetermined prey from many years ago, Mars had been practically riddled with all sorts of probes, permeated like a sieve, its secrets laid bare.
Of course, the Federation's great "scouts" had also paid a certain price for this.
Spirit Eye One to Spirit Eye Four had gloriously sacrificed themselves when they each discovered a Six Tiers life form in four different locations on Mars.
...
Visual perception was essentially standard for Six Tiers life forms. The instant the scouting robots discovered them, these powerful beings, virtually invincible on the surface, had already pinpointed the location of the Spirit Eye robots, and in the next second, used their brutal strength to tear apart the "little bugs" that dared to spy on them.
As for Five Tiers life forms, although a portion of them could sense the presence of the prying gaze, only a small, stronger fraction of them were capable of retaining the robots, despite their multiple special escape designs.
...
"Those four Six Tiers, should we kill them or make them surrender?"
"Hehehe, we have an overwhelming advantage; we can easily capture them alive. My Prison God Statue City is quite eager for them." Edward Teach, shrouded in black smoke, maintained his eerie smile.
The Prison God Statue City, which he had developed from biological reactors and life alchemy array technology, was a special subspace capable of sealing life forms weaker than himself within it, continuously siphoning their life force for his own consumption.
"That disgusting power, I'd rather turn them into Six Tiers puppets."
"The strength of the main body is the true strength."
"...Are you two done yet?"
"The Moon God is projected to take five hundred and forty-six days to reach Mars' orbit. As it approaches Mars, the increased gravitational pull between the celestial bodies will temporarily cause discomfort for ordinary people on the Moon God. These are all matters that require attention."
"Furthermore, at that time, the Sunflame Planet-Melting Cannon will fire upon Phobos and Deimos, slicing them into multiple fragments. The space vessels responsible for retrieving the associated materials must be prepared..."
To interrupt the two individuals' argument, some topics were abruptly inserted into the meeting.
After the Moon enters Mars' effective gravitational range, it will begin to orbit Mars on a calculated trajectory. As Phobos and Deimos could potentially interfere with the Moon's orbital path, they could only be destroyed in advance.
...
"You have over a year's time. Prepare your people. Don't let the natives hit you with a 'turning spear' counterattack when the time comes."
"Meeting adjourned."
...
"Finally, it has left my palm." Bai Mo, who had returned to Earth from space, stood upon the dome of White Month, gazing at the Moon, now no larger than an ordinary star, and murmured to himself.
He allowed humanity on the Moon to depart. On one hand, it was indeed to let them serve as a control group for Earth's social experiments.
But more importantly, he worried that one day he might lose control of himself, and with a single thought, 'Daoize' all of humanity clean. If he didn't leave a spark of humanity outside his palm, his lonely end might not be much better than his parallel-world self.
Every minute, every second, Bai Mo's thoughts and power expanded, but his humanity continuously receded. Calculating purely by combat power, he had already fully entered the Eighth Stage range he himself defined, though his cultivation level remained at Myriad Forms.
Back when he established the combat power standards, he had intentionally separated it from the concept of 'life stages', thus avoiding the so-called 'cross-stage combat' that would make the system's creator 'lose face'.
For instance, among those at the peak of the Unmelting Realm, some might have a combat power rating of only 4-8 in the Four Tiers, while heaven-defying individuals could reach 5-1 in the Five Tiers, engaging in an evenly matched fight with the weakest Five Tiers practitioner.
Combat power grades were separate from cultivation levels. The two did not interfere with each other. It was fine to 'cross levels' in cultivation stages, but combat power grades were insurmountable. This was his thinking.
...
"Should we, after all, learn transfiguration spells?" As part of the Land of White, the high-tier demonic beasts of non-human origin were largely contemplating this profound and contradictory question.
Due to the barrier of their appearance, the countless demonic beasts remaining on Earth, though accepting the System's management, still largely lived within their own circles. Humans formed their own faction, and they formed their own as well.
Furthermore, compared to the elites who had left Earth, leaving behind only humans below Four Tiers, the land and sea demonic beasts who had all remained in the Land of White possessed an overwhelming combat power advantage.
If the System's constraints were lost, the Four Holy Beasts alone, with an average combat power of 6-8, would be enough to easily sweep aside everything, not to mention the double-digit Six Tiers Leviathan beasts beneath the ocean.
"The System hasn't imposed any mandates; it has only reminded us of the existence of transfiguration spells."
PS: A little cross-promotion: "Retired Main God Old Wang", a book written by a comrade from the reader group.
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