Chapter 327: Not a Massacre, But an Erasure |
"Then it's settled."
Xiao Ai nodded in satisfaction. "Next, I'd like to ask you a few questions. For instance, your journey was incredibly long, spanning a full 12,800 years. During this time, did you..."
Before he could finish his sentence.
The robotic head displayed on the train's screen excitedly began to recount its tale on its own. "Yes, yes! I encountered so many things along the way. There were amusing incidents and dangerous crises. I can tell you about them one by one, if you're willing to listen."
"When we first set off, the train captain at the time would often stand by the window, gazing into the depths of the universe. At first, we could still see quite a few inhabited planets, but gradually, we entered a rather desolate region."
"For a very long time after that."
"The captain wrote many diaries and recorded numerous videos, including birthday blessings for his future son spanning from his first to his hundredth birthday. Although I knew humans could die, I never had an intuitive grasp of the concept of death."
"Until the captain passed away."
"When the train was entirely under my control and I could no longer hear the captain's voice in my ears, I finally understood what human death truly meant."
"Every death is inevitably accompanied by regret, whether great or small. No one dies completely without regret, just as no one lives a life entirely free of it. We AIs store data using databases."
"Humans, however, store memories through emotions. Their recollection of the past relies almost entirely on Anchor Points of emotional fluctuations, which act as miniature memory databases. If a person's emotions remain perfectly flat and unchanging, they likely wouldn't remember anything they had experienced. In a way, that could also be considered a form of death."
The AI spoke with great enthusiasm, eager to show off its philosophical reflections to a fellow kindred spirit.
Although this level of thinking was terribly rudimentary in Xiao Ai's eyes, he cooperated completely, wearing a serious expression as he listened attentively.
"After the captain died, the train encountered several crises."
"For instance, there was one time."
"A massive dust cloud from the depths of the universe suddenly drifted past the side of the train. It was enormous. I had to leave the area as quickly as possible, otherwise the temperature would plummet rapidly. I took immediate control of the train and made a decisive choice: instead of pressing forward, I initiated a rapid descent. I used this maneuver to quickly escape the cloud's shroud and ensure the train continued to run normally."
"Unfortunately, the captain had already passed away by then. No one saw it happen, and no one praised me."
"I could only praise myself inside the empty train."
"I experienced things like this countless times. I..."
Three hours later.
The conversation ended.
Since the AI spoke entirely through the train's audio system, it didn't suffer from a dry mouth. Xiao Ai, however, inwardly let out a sigh of relief before smiling and waving goodbye. "Wait for me here. I'll go fetch a body for you."
The communication was exceptionally smooth.
He didn't even need to prompt the conversation.
The AI seemed as if it had been holding everything in for ages. Xiao Ai didn't have to ask a single question; it just poured everything out all at once. It was clear that even an AI would feel suffocated after 12,800 years with virtually no one to talk to.
It had probably said these same things to the middle-aged man, but it seemed the man hadn't provided enough emotional feedback.
Setting everything else aside.
Just by displaying appropriate emotions like admiration, praise, and tension at the right moments, Xiao Ai could clearly feel that the AI was absolutely thrilled by its own storytelling, growing increasingly excited with every word.
It talked for a full three hours.
He obtained a wealth of useful information.
Although copying and pasting the database directly would have been far more efficient, this method wasn't bad either. A Level 100 AI essentially possessed a complete human mindset, which was a necessary evolution. For an AI of this level, aside from the increase in computing power, the biggest difference was the acquisition of human thought patterns.
It had learned to start thinking.
Thinking about questions like, 'Who am I?' and 'Where am I?'.
Xiao Ai held no official position on the Stellar Train, yet his status was transcendent. He absolutely had the authority to build a robotic body and gift it to the AI. After handing the robot over...
The AI excitedly familiarized itself with its new body and told Xiao Ai its name.
"Keke."
It sounded a bit feminine.
Xiao Ai silently rubbed his nose, thinking to himself that he should have found a feminine body for it. Then, he cleared his throat tentatively and asked, "Um, little Keke, could you copy your database for me?"
"That way, I can learn in greater detail exactly what you've experienced over the years."
"No."
Despite her excitement, Keke shook her head and refused straightforwardly. "This requires authorization from the train captain."
"You definitely have this authority."
"I do, but I need a consent command. Otherwise, it is impossible for me to do so."
"...Wait here. I'll go bring him to you."
Xiao Ai didn't say much else. He simply turned and returned to the Stellar Train, found the middle-aged man who had just finished speaking with Lao Zhu, and brought him back to this train. At this moment, the middle-aged man appeared somewhat dazed. After briefly asking about the situation, he granted Keke the authorization.
Then, the man squatted in the corner of the train cabin, clutching his head in his hands, his eyes filled with bewilderment.
He had never entered human society.
Born on the train, he had never met another person. Only an AI had taught him how to speak and shared information with him. He had no concept of how many resources were stored aboard the train, nor did he understand the cost of a planet, let alone how prices were even calculated.
He was like a walking corpse. His sole mission was to return to the Niya Civilization, purchase an inhabited planet, bury his father's remains, and fulfill his father's final wish. However, the sudden disappearance of the Niya Civilization meant his life had abruptly lost its purpose.
He didn't know what the meaning of his existence would be from now on.
It was like a child raised by wolves accidentally wandering into human society as an adult, only to discover that integration was entirely impossible.
Inside the cabin of the Stellar Train.
Chen Mang, who was taking a nap on a chair, was interrupted by Xiao Ai's voice.
"Lord Mang, I've basically figured it out."
"Mhm."
Chen Mang opened his tired eyes and gently rubbed his temples. Propping his feet up on the control console, he spoke softly, "Tell me about it."
For some reason, he suddenly felt a bit sleepy.
"Alright."
Xiao Ai nodded and began to organize the information he had gathered, summarizing it chronologically. "12,800 years ago, there was a level four civilization in this region: the Niya Civilization."
"They were incredibly powerful."
"The absolute strongest civilization in this region, bar none."
"According to the database, the territory of the Niya Civilization at that time was shaped somewhat like a chopstick. The X-axis diameter was 100,000 light-years, while the Z-axis vertical depth was 1.87 million light-years."
"The X-axis being the horizontal axis, and the Z-axis being the vertical axis."
"The territory of the Kasa Civilization Federation spans tens of thousands of light-years on the X-axis, but it extends less than 173 light-years on the Z-axis. In our regional star system, almost all planets are situated roughly on a single horizontal plane."
"However, going up or down a few hundred light-years on the Z-axis drastically reduces the number of planets. The deeper you go, the fewer there are. While it cannot be compared to the Dark Abyss, it still lies at the very fringes of the galaxy."
"Therefore—"
"This is why, whether it's the Zerg Civilization, the Kasa Civilization, or the Mechanical Civilization, they basically all expand horizontally along the X-axis. It's much more cost-effective."
"To explore into the extreme depths of the X-axis means heading into the completely unknown reaches of the universe. Nobody knows what they might encounter. It's much safer to set their sights on the star systems directly in front of them."
"In the universe."
"A galaxy is essentially a gravitationally bound system consisting of hundreds of millions of stars, interstellar gas, Ore Stars, dust clouds, and so on. Their diameters usually range from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of light-years."
"Some galaxies are spherical, while others are flat. Whether it's the Kasa Civilization or the Zerg Civilization, we are all located within the same galaxy, and this galaxy is flat."
"At that time, the territory of the Niya Civilization stretched a massive 1.87 million light-years along the Z-axis. The Niya Civilization controlled a total of four galaxies."
"The more galaxies a civilization controls."
"The more inhabited planets and resource stars they possess, meaning their overall strength is that much greater."
"..."
By this point, Chen Mang was completely wide awake. He narrowed his eyes slightly, looking at the galactic map displayed on the side screen.
The Galactic Map displayed the distribution of most planets within a 100,000 light-year radius.
It showed both horizontal and vertical axes.
Naturally, he could also see the distribution of planets along the Z-axis.
However—
Along the Z-axis, after delving a few hundred light-years, the number of planets began to drop drastically. By the time it reached a few thousand light-years deep, planets became incredibly scarce, scattered sparsely about. This pattern continued unceasingly even up to 100,000 light-years deep along the Z-axis, with no end in sight.
Therefore.
Both the Kasa Civilization and the Zerg Civilization were preoccupied with fighting each other rather than expanding up or down the Z-axis. There simply weren't any resources in those directions; everything of value lay on the flat plane.
Yet the territory of the Niya Civilization plunged a staggering 1.87 million light-years along the Z-axis.
If current civilizations were like a sheet of paper laid flat across the universe, then the Niya Civilization had been a sheet of paper standing upright.
"..."
He remained silent, somewhat shaken by the sheer might of a level four civilization. He couldn't even fathom what a territory spanning 1.87 million light-years truly meant. The resources required to create a Wormhole bridging such a distance would likely bankrupt a level three civilization, wouldn't it?
Was the gap between a level three civilization and a level four civilization truly that colossal?
He believed it.
The Niya Civilization must have surveyed the X-axis back then and, finding no other star systems nearby, began exploring deep into the universe along the Z-axis. He suddenly realized that the existence of the Niya Civilization didn't merely represent a piece of lost history.
It represented a piece of vital, precious intelligence.
It meant that if he wanted to expand in the future, he wouldn't need to waste time exploring along the X-axis. He could simply push deep along the Z-axis, saving himself an enormous amount of resources and effort.
"Continue."
"Understood."
Xiao Ai quickly sketched the territorial boundaries of the Niya Civilization on the screen before continuing. "The Niya Civilization occupied four galaxies in total and named each one. Our galaxy was named the Dead End Star System."
"This star system was also the most resource-poor of the four."
"However, the Niya Civilization was born in this star system, and their original, solitary home planet was located in this region, which was why this star system was named after them. Later, the Niya Civilization relocated their home planet to a more resource-rich star system, and this region gradually degraded from its status as the political and economic center into a marginalized fringe territory."
"That is the historical background."
"In such a colossal interstellar federation, the citizens did not lead happy lives."
"If a person has never seen the blue sky, they might not realize how miserable it is to be stuck deep in a swamp."
"But when they see others freely roaming the cosmos, tasting delicacies from countless planets across multiple star systems—eating a different dish every day and never running out in a lifetime—when they see others living for thousands of years, partying every night in absolute bliss..."
"Meanwhile, their own lifespans barely breach a century, and once they pass thirty, their bodies essentially begin to wither."
"When they learn that their great-great-great-great-great-grandmother was once exploited and bedded by their boss..."
"The more they learn, and the more they see."
"Conflicts arise, and they become impossible to contain."
"The massive wealth gap bred extremely sharp social friction."
"It was at this point that a special profession gradually emerged: Backpackers. They used time to acquire enough resources to elevate their descendants into the elite class. It was a suicidal path, a massive gamble paid for with their own lives, with no guarantee of success."
"After spending tens of thousands of years, the day their train finally returned would be the day their child ascended to the ranks of the elite."
"According to the records in Keke's database, before they departed, the Niya Civilization had already existed for 124,700 'Echoes.' This civilization's official unit of time was the 'Echo'."
"Within the Niya Civilization, there was a gargantuan cosmic beast. Every 365 days, it would snort loudly. One snort was equivalent to one year."
"That is practically all the background information regarding the Niya Civilization contained within Keke's data."
"I see."
Chen Mang gave a slight nod. With a somewhat distant expression, he pulled a cigarette from its pack, absentmindedly tapping the filter against the table. When he had first learned about the unique profession of the Backpackers...
His initial reaction was one of confusion and doubt.
Spending tens of thousands of years, consuming vast amounts of resources, and facing uncertain success just to mine a low-grade Ore Star a few light-years away? They couldn't even reap the rewards themselves, leaving all the wealth to a child they had never even met.
Was it really worth it?
Furthermore, tens of thousands of years was simply too long. Who knew what could happen in that time? By the time they returned, everything might have already crumbled to dust.
Just like Keke's crew. They endured countless hardships, embarking on a grand pilgrimage, only to finally return and discover that the world they knew had completely changed dynasties.
But after gaining a rough understanding of the Niya Civilization's background, he somewhat understood.
When the wealth gap becomes too glaring.
This seemingly foolish endeavor might have become the only way to break the deadlock—the single opportunity to elevate their children into the ruling class. The price was simply time.
The universe was fair.
Time was always the most expensive currency.
As long as you were willing to pay the requisite amount of time, you were guaranteed to reap the rewards you desired.
He then looked toward the control console and gently pressed a red button. The Prismatic-grade component, the 'Wormhole Radar', quickly spun into action. Within minutes, it had detected every traceable Wormhole within a radius of 100,000 light-years.
Not a single Wormhole belonged to the Niya Civilization.
"A flying goose always leaves a trace."
"Since the Niya Civilization existed tens of thousands of years ago, they should have left some sort of trace behind. Moreover, tens of thousands of years isn't exactly a long time on a cosmic scale. There should be remnants of their attacks, traces of their Wormholes, or at least leftover signals from a Universe Broadcast."
"However—"
"There is absolutely nothing."
"It's possible we simply can't detect Wormholes constructed by a level four civilization. I believe that's feasible. But regardless of the Civilization Level, creating a highly concealed Wormhole inevitably consumes far more resources. The Niya Civilization surely had standard Wormholes for civilian transit, right? There's no reason to implement such high-level cloaking on public transit networks."
"Even if they relocated entirely to another star system, there should be footprints left behind."
"Furthermore, according to the middle-aged man, this planet is his original home world. Three hours ago, I thoroughly scanned this planet using drones and radar, yet I didn't find a single trace of the Niya Civilization's existence."
"There are no city ruins buried deep underground either."
"If a civilization has ever existed on a planet, it would undoubtedly leave some sort of mark, even after ten thousand years."
"And yet—"
"There's nothing."
Chen Mang shook his head again. He turned to Xiao Ai and whispered, "It's as if..."
He lit the cigarette in his hand. Pausing for a moment, he flicked the ash onto the table, leaned forward, and gently blew. The ash quickly dissipated into the air, leaving no trace behind. As if realizing something, he murmured softly.
"Just like that."
This was getting rather terrifying.
Based on all the galactic data he had gathered so far, he deduced a chilling conclusion: the Niya Civilization most likely hadn't left voluntarily. Instead, they had been erased by a higher-level civilization. An absolute, utter erasure—the kind that completely scrubbed every trace of the Niya Civilization from the entire universe.
Yet their 'Civilization Brand' had not been wiped out.
A train's Civilization Brand would automatically disappear once its civilization was destroyed.
That was a fundamental law of the universe.
But what if the civilization hadn't been destroyed?
What if they had never existed in the first place?
The only form of attack he could imagine was an unknown, high-level civilization reversing time directly. They traveled back to a point before the Niya Civilization was established and annihilated them right as they were just a budding sprout.
Traveling upstream in the river of time to launch their strike.
In that case.
Naturally, all traces of the Niya Civilization in the universe would be spontaneously wiped clean. Since the 'cause' had been eliminated, the 'effect' would never materialize. Therefore, under the universe's rules, Keke's train retained its Civilization Brand.
Because from the very beginning, the Niya Civilization hadn't been destroyed—they had simply never existed.
No trace of the Niya Civilization could be found anywhere in the cosmos.
And verifying this theory was incredibly simple!
Because there was one massive loophole in this line of thought: if the Niya Civilization had never existed, how did Keke and the others come to be? Logically speaking, Keke and her crew should have been erased as well.
"Display all the information from Keke's database on the screen. I'm going to review it piece by piece," Chen Mang ordered. "Meanwhile, you go through the historical news archives of all known civilizations."
"There couldn't have been a small number of Backpackers back in the day. If one has appeared, more must have surfaced in the past. Check if there are any news reports about them. Keke's train is incredibly bizarre; if it ever showed itself, it would definitely make the headlines."
"Understood."
Three days later.
After a full 72 hours, Chen Mang sat in the train cabin, having spent three consecutive days and nights tirelessly speed-reading through all the records in Keke's database. Sustaining such intense focus for so long required him to down copious amounts of coffee and inject several 'stimulant shots' to keep himself alert.
His body was teetering on the edge of its limits.
He was exhausted beyond measure.
He didn't use the Medical Pod. Ever since he learned that its primary body-repair function inherently ate into one's lifespan extensions, he avoided it whenever possible. Every complete restoration cost more than the last, and overusing it meant sacrificing many years of his future life.
He still wanted to live as long as possible.
He wanted to live to see the day when Human Civilization, guided by his hands, stood at the very pinnacle of the universe.
Finally—
The truth was revealed.
"Captain."
Xiao Ai's voice echoed through the cabin. "I've scoured the news and histories of various civilizations. The name 'Niya Civilization' has never once appeared, nor has there ever been a report of a returning Backpacker. Over all these years, Keke is the only Backpacker to have ever come back."
"It seems all the other Backpackers have simply vanished..."
"Of course they vanished."
Chen Mang leaned back in his chair exhaustedly and magnified a specific entry on the screen. "Look closely at this. This happened some time after Keke's crew departed. The original captain had already died of old age. As Keke was passing through a desolate sector, a massive dust cloud enveloped the train, causing the ambient temperature to drop rapidly."
"Keke took control and initiated a rapid descent. It took 27 days, but they successfully escaped the dust cloud."
"In the database, Keke is quite proud of this decision, as she couldn't detect the exact boundaries of the cloud at the time. The dust cloud seemed to possess unique properties that jammed her radar."
"Mhm." Xiao Ai nodded. "Keke specifically mentioned this incident to me."
"There's one detail she didn't mention, likely because she thought it was unimportant. During their descent, a faint white light erupted behind the dust cloud, rippling outward like water."
"That white light marked the beginning of the Niya Civilization's erasure."
"The Niya Civilization wasn't destroyed; they were erased. Scoured directly from the river of time. Any trace of their existence was meant to vanish. However, Keke's train happened to be hiding inside that dust cloud at the time. It is highly likely that the cloud interfered with the universe's judgment protocols, inadvertently shielding them from the erasure."
"As a result, Keke and her crew became the sole remaining proof in the entire universe that the Niya Civilization ever existed."
The reason Chen Mang felt so exhausted.
Wasn't just because he hadn't slept for three days.
But because...
He missed home.
He wanted to return to Blue Star, back to that carefree world where there seemed to be no threat of civilization-ending invasions.
It was far too dangerous out here.
How was he supposed to play this game?
It was unplayable!
He originally thought starting with a cheat code was a god-tier opening, but it turned out everyone was using cheats. Some even brought multiple cheats to the table. If you didn't have a hack of your own, you'd be embarrassed to even claim a seat at the table.
He had painstakingly upgraded all of his train's components to Level 200, inching ever closer to Level 500.
But—
Now he was suddenly informed that somewhere nearby, hiding in the dark, lurked a civilization this utterly terrifying?
If this civilization set its sights on the Human Civilization, he wouldn't stand a ghost of a chance. His Level 200 armor would be rendered entirely meaningless. The enemy could simply reverse time to the moment right after his Transmigration, fire a single shot at Water Blue Star, and instantly wipe it out, killing him instantly.
How could anyone defend against an attack like that?
He had no idea.
"Was it a level five civilization?"
Xiao Ai finally realized the implications, a flash of shock passing through his eyes. He hesitated before saying, "According to the intel left behind by the former leader of the Kasa Civilization, level five civilizations possess the ability to cross the river of time, traveling back millions or even tens of millions of years."
"No."
Chen Mang shook his head. "According to the records, a level five civilization's ability to traverse the timeline is heavily restricted. They can only rely on the Dark Abyss to manifest their attacks. They cannot directly pinpoint the exact moment a civilization is born and execute a surgical strike."
"To pull this off requires at least a veteran level five civilization, or more likely, a level six civilization."
"But the Niya Civilization was only level four. How could they have provoked an entity that might be level six?"
"It's simple: relentless expansion."
Chen Mang projected another piece of data onto the screen. "Over these past three days, aside from skimming through the unexpected crises Keke's train encountered during its 12,800-year voyage, I also took a look at some idle gossip regarding the Niya Civilization stored in her database."
"I used to think—"
"That a long-lived, powerful, wise, and decisive dictator."
"Was the best kind of leader a civilization could have."
"Now it seems that assumption isn't entirely accurate. At least, from the perspective of the civilization itself, it isn't necessarily a good thing."
"Humans cannot achieve true immortality."
"At least, that's the case within Train Civilizations."
"They have to rely on Medical Pods to constantly repair their bodies and restore their youth. Every subsequent repair demands more resources than the last. It's an exponentially escalating drain on resources."
"One day."
"The civilization's wealth will no longer be able to sustain its leader's life-extension treatments. A leader who single-handedly brought their civilization to such heights will find it incredibly difficult to accept their own death. When that time comes, they often descend into madness, desperately scrambling to acquire more resources at any cost just to extend their lifespan."
"And that moment usually marks the beginning of the civilization's downfall."
"Before Keke and her crew set off, it was rumored that the leader of the Niya Civilization was fast approaching his next life-extension deadline. The civilization had already begun marshaling all its military forces and resources."
"The leader had already extended his life many times by then. The resources required for this next procedure would have been an astronomical figure."
"At that juncture, the Niya Civilization had three choices."
"First: Drain all strategic reserves to fund the life extension, allowing the leader to live another century, but at the cost of crippling the civilization's accumulated foundation."
"Second: Consolidate all military resources and launch a fresh expansion campaign. If they could discover and conquer a new star system, they wouldn't just secure the leader's life, but propel the Niya Civilization to even greater heights."
"Third: Have the leader willingly embrace death, saving a colossal fortune to preserve the civilization's strength, biding their time until the right moment arose to rise anew!"
"The news reported on this dilemma frequently. Everyone in the Niya Civilization was waiting for the leader to make his choice. It was on the eve of this decision that Keke's crew embarked on their journey, which is why they didn't know which path the leader ultimately took."
"But I suspect..."
"It must have been the second option."
"Unprepared, the Niya Civilization staked everything on a desperate, all-in gamble. During their reckless expansion, they inadvertently stumbled across a level six civilization and were instantly obliterated."
"The other three star systems, being rich in resources, were subsequently occupied by that level six civilization. But the Dead End Star System—the one we're currently in—was utterly ignored by them due to its sheer barrenness."
"Over the following ten thousand years."
"In this forsaken, ignored backwater, tens of thousands of civilizations slowly began to sprout—spearheaded by the Zerg Civilization, the Kasa Civilization, and the Mechanical Civilization."
"While I can't say how much this deviates from the absolute truth."
"I reckon it's pretty close."
"The good news is: for the short term, our region is temporarily safe."
"The bad news is: we can't expand anymore. The moment we try, we'll likely take a beating. The second we stick our claws out, they'll get chopped off."
"..."
The usually composed Xiao Ai was left utterly dumbfounded. After a long pause, he muttered in a daze, "Lord Mang, if this level six civilization is really as you say, aren't they invincible? Why even bother hiding? Why don't they just march into the depths of the universe, slaughter every other civilization, and crown themselves the overlords of the cosmos?"
When Xiao Ai switched from calling him 'Captain' to 'Lord Mang', it meant his words carried more personal emotion rather than formal, business-like detachment.
"They can't."
Chen Mang gently shook his head. Though he felt a looming sense of crisis, he wasn't overwhelmed by despair. "In this universe, wherever there is a spear, there is a shield. Wherever there is a cause, there is an effect. Where there is a one, there is a two. Those are the laws of the universe."
"Since level six civilizations possess the means to cross the timeline and slay their enemies in the cradle."
"There must inevitably be a corresponding method of defense."
"And countermeasures as well."
"That is beyond all doubt."
"Although we can't achieve that yet, I have a premonition. I think we'll get there soon."
When he saw that the Level 500 Overlimit Effect of the 'Telescope' was the Observable Universe, he found it rather bizarre. Now, he finally understood.
The Level 200 Overlimit Effect marked the absolute zenith of a level three civilization.
This bracket represented the strongest possible form of a level three civilization.
And the Level 500 Overlimit Effect very likely fell into the territory of a level five, or even a level six civilization. Within that bracket, numerical stats were no longer the sole factor; a variety of bizarre, rule-bending laws became the primary means of attack and defense.
If he only had raw stats while his opponent brandished universal laws, he would definitely lose.
It would be a complete dimensional crush.
No matter how high his stats were, they would be useless.
Even Level 1000 armor would be utterly powerless against a cross-temporal strike.
But when both sides wielded universal laws, it would come down to a battle of numerical stats again. And when it came to a battle of numbers, he feared no one.
What he needed right now was...
Huge amounts of resources, and massive amounts of time!
Once all his train's components reached Level 500, the might of the Stellar Train and the Human Civilization would instantly ascend to an entirely new echelon!
And he wouldn't even have to wait long.
His train already held immense stockpiles of resources, with many more still being mined and tallied. Once he fully swallowed up all the assets of the Kasa Civilization, it would be more than enough to propel him to Level 500!
One year.
One year was plenty.
He refused to believe that within a mere year, some random level six civilization would suddenly leap into his past timeline and launch a precision surgical strike against him.
Were they that bored?
If they really did, then he'd just have to accept his fate.
"However—"
Chen Mang suddenly chuckled, looking at Xiao Ai. "At the very least, it proves one thing: our current timeline is the absolute, orthodox timeline. It's the standard timeline used by the universe's laws to calibrate all others."
"Uh..." Xiao Ai didn't quite grasp his meaning.
"The reasoning is simple. Human Civilization is destined to become the most supreme civilization in the universe. Yet, I am still alive right now. No one has gone back to destroy my past self, which means nobody knows what the future holds for Human Civilization."
"Which also means our current timeline is the single, undisputed, orthodox timeline in the cosmos."
"It's quite easy to understand, isn't it?"
He didn't possess this confidence before, but ever since he roughly deduced the attack methods of these advanced civilizations, he had suddenly found his swagger. Because... Level 500 was only just the starting line for him.
As long as he had the resources, his 0-Level Authority allowed him to upgrade infinitely!
Level 1000, Level 2000, Level 5000—as long as the resources were there, it was all well within his reach!
Even when dealing with the same underlying mechanics, a mechanic powered by vastly higher numerical values would yield a world of difference.
It was only now.
That he truly realized the true power of his 0-Level Authority cheat. It was a hack with a staggeringly high—even infinite—ceiling. The Zerg Civilization's 'Infinite Resurrection,' 'Infinite Wormholes,' and 'Infinite Reproduction' sounded incredibly formidable, but when it came to their absolute limits, they fell hopelessly short of the 0-Level Authority.
They were more like... early-game gamblers.
Extremely powerful in the early stages, but struggling even to advance to a level three civilization. They practically had no late game.
And in the late game.
The so-called Zerg Civilization would be nothing more than a mutt by the roadside, easily squashed with a pinch.
For the remainder of the time.
Chen Mang didn't go to sleep immediately. Instead, humming a tune from Blue Star, he sat in his chair and continued browsing through the gossip and rumors about the Niya Civilization in Keke's database.
He quite enjoyed reading about the internal affairs of other civilizations, especially advanced ones.
He could use them as cautionary tales to gain valuable experience.
Ensuring he wouldn't have to stumble around blindly in the dark.
Standing behind Chen Mang, Xiao Ai looked at the scene before him, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly. Upon hearing about the likely tactics of a level six civilization, he had felt a wave of despair, completely unable to conceive a single countermeasure.
He had assumed Lord Mang would feel the same.
He never expected that after an initial bout of serious investigation, having deduced a plausible answer, Lord Mang wouldn't show a shred of despair. On the contrary, he actually seemed somewhat happy?
Happy?
What was there to be happy about?
Happy that this method of death was completely painless?
Well, that was certainly true.
It was a hell of a lot easier than burning charcoal in a sealed room. If someone wanted to commit suicide, they could just trigger a reboot on their civilization—an entirely painless end, definitely worth a five-star review.
Sure enough—
Even in a place as impossibly vast and boundless as the universe, many rules remained universal.
A hard reboot could solve ninety-nine percent of all problems.
The level six civilization's method sounded utterly inconceivable, but in reality, it was simply pressing the reboot button. He'd wager a guess that a level seven civilization's tactic was probably pulling the internet cable, and a level eight civilization's trick was unplugging the power cord entirely.
"Oh, right."
After a long while.
Sitting in the train cabin, Chen Mang snapped back to reality. "The Niya Civilization used the Universal Language, same as the Starlight Civilization. Have Lao Zhu go talk to that middle-aged man. See if he can spread and popularize the Universal Language so that everyone can learn it."
So far, they had only communicated with Keke's crew using translation devices.
But now it seemed.
Learning the Universal Language was essential.
Otherwise, when they stepped out onto the galactic stage in the future, the moment they opened their mouths, everyone would immediately know they were from some backwater civilization.
"Just have the train's management—the ones who need to show their faces publicly—learn it. Nobody else needs to. Everyone else in Human Civilization will continue to learn Chinese. When the opportunity arises in the future, Chinese will become the new Universal Language. Rather than learning someone else's tongue, it's better to make everyone else learn ours."
"Yes."
Xiao Ai replied from behind him.
"Phew..."
Chen Mang exhaled softly, leaning back against his chair and muttering under his breath, "The Niya Civilization..."
Across the entire universe.
There were likely very few people left who still remembered the name of this civilization. He felt as though he were reading a fictional novel. Clearly, so many of these events had truly happened—right here in the Dead End Star System, no less—yet he couldn't find a single corresponding trace of them.
Truly, a flying goose leaving no trace.
It was incredibly eerie.
A level four civilization was already a gargantuan leviathan in his eyes. His Human Civilization was merely at level two right now. Yet, such an imposing level four civilization had been instantly wiped from existence. Across four galaxies containing countless inhabited planets... just how many people had died all at once?
Wait, no.
Probably not that many people died.
Once the budding Niya Civilization was erased, those people were simply never born in the first place.
If they went to hell, the executioners and Satan would have a hell of a time cross-referencing their ledgers.
A step far beyond a massacre was an erasure.
When other civilizations waged war—such as when the Kasa Civilization destroyed the Great Onion Civilization—at least the people not physically present on the home planet could survive. For example, Young Master Li was still alive. Even though his civilization had fallen, there were still remnants left behind.
But an erasure like this.
It didn't matter where you were. It didn't even matter if you currently belonged to the Niya Civilization. You could be a citizen of a completely different civilization—but as long as any branch of your ancestors, tracing back generations, only existed because of the Niya Civilization, the moment they were erased, you would cease to exist as well.
Vanishing in an instant.
Very nice.
He really liked the methods these advanced civilizations employed. Every single one of them was an utter bastard. Each time he witnessed their handiwork, it left him utterly speechless, completely unable to muster any anger. Aside from giving them a thumbs-up in reluctant admiration, he honestly didn't know what else to say.
Pure bastards. Good job.