1936

1936 Awakening

He saw the Ancients training in the crystal seams buried deep underground after the earthquake. They guided their surging spirit energy into their cells and changed the nature of intelligent beings. They also opened their minds and connected everybody’s thoughts through the vibration of the planet’s magnetic field.

He saw the wisdom of several billion Ancient people integrating, which allowed the entire civilization to develop at a tremendous speed. In just a few hundred years, they had completed the leap from the Bronze Age to the Information Age. They had also developed extremely sophisticated and enormous spacecraft that left their home planet like wandering fireworks. These spacecraft took firm steps toward the boundless, colorful, and unpredictable universe.

To be more precise, he did not “see” this. Instead, information was gushing out from the shining head before him, like a volcanic eruption. All this information crashed into the depths of Meng Chao’s soul in a violent manner.

Meng Chao realized that he had finally gained something after going through thousands of reincarnations.

He had passed the glorious will’s test. The ten thousand suns that destroyed everything would no longer appear above Dragon City and the entire civilization.

However, Meng Chao did not feel overjoyed or relieved even though he had finally changed everything.

After he experienced so many reincarnations and played the role of a commander or even a god to control the entire civilization, Meng Chao had long since lost all emotion.

At this moment, he only felt a sense of exhaustion and tranquility that told him, “It’s finally over.”

The glowing head that was formed by several billion light spots contained all of the ancient civilization’s mysteries. It opened its eyes slightly and stared at Meng Chao.

Then, countless transparent, cable-like tentacles from its mouth, nose, eyes, and ears, extended toward Meng Chao.

Meng Chao understood what it meant.

It wanted to transmit more information about the ancient civilization to him.

At the same time, it would absorb all the data that Meng Chao had accumulated over his reincarnations.

Meng Chao did not resist.

Understanding the ancient civilization, following the ancient civilization, and becoming part of the ancient civilization—was that not his original intention of coming here after going through so much hardship?

A series of faintly flashing data lines gently wrapped around his body.

As the torrent of information poured into him and he absorbed it, Meng Chao was overwhelmed by a feeling of mystery and vastness.

It was comparable to a drop of water, flowing through a trickle, a tranquil lake, a surging river, and finally flowing into the boundless, unfathomable ocean.

He felt like a tattered book that could fall apart at any moment. However, he was finally placed in the most suitable position on the library’s bookshelf.

As more and more tentacles enveloped him and stabbed into his body, he felt a chill run down his spine.

His skin, muscles, bones, blood vessels, nerves, and internal organs also became transparent. They shone and glowed, like jade that burned eternally from within.

In the end, the thickest tentacle reached out of the glowing head’s mouth and stopped in front of him after bypassing the debris of several hundred spaceships and monsters.

Meng Chao extended his right index finger toward the front of the tentacle that spread open slightly.

In the unseen world, a voice came from beyond the heavens or from the depths of his soul. It told him that as long as he completed the final connection, he would be able to obtain all the information about the ancient civilization and return to the real world. He would be able to apply the “perfect future” that he had deduced countless times to every second and every individual. From there, he would be able to turn the deduction into reality and unlock the most perfect ending.

But…

Buzz, buzz, buzz.

But…

Buzz, buzz, buzz. “Yesterday…” Buzz, buzz, buzz. “Today…” Buzz, buzz, buzz. “Tomorrow…”

But…

Buzz, buzz, buzz. “Tomorrow without today is meaningless.”

Buzz, buzz, buzz. “Life without destruction is meaningless.”

Buzz, buzz, buzz. “Victory without a choice is meaningless.”

This information was like a strange spark that shot out from the depths of Meng Chao’s soul at the last moment.

These sparks seemed to have a life of their own. They bounced around in every corridor in Meng Chao’s soul and easily invaded every secret chamber. They evoked his emotions and will, which he had sealed for a long time.

Meng Chao’s mind was like a cracked frozen lake, and a faint ripple spread out.

The finger that he extended toward the ancient civilization’s robust, vast, and unstoppable glorious will became a little stiff.

It was as if smooth, harmonious, and flawless music had been interrupted by a harsh noise.

No, something was wrong. It should not be like this…

Meng Chao tilted his head and thought hard for a long time before he finally discovered what made him uncomfortable.

If the ancient civilization was truly that omniscient and omnipotent, if it could scan the past, predict the future, and manipulate everything, why did it need a small human like him to go through thousands of reincarnations and extract valuable data for them?

Should the omniscient and omnipotent will not know the perfect ending from the beginning as well as the path to the perfect ending?

It could have told him the perfect path and ending from the start.

Of course, in any religion, there would always be a supreme being testing its believers.

No god could easily give his believers the ultimate answer.

However, Meng Chao still felt that it was too simplistic to just regard everything that had happened in his past reincarnations as a test.

Even if all that had really been a test, the other party would have definitely wanted him to pass this test and obtain something from the depths of his brain.

In that case, could this “supreme existence” that needed something from the barren and weak brain of an ordinary creature be a real, omniscient, and god-like existence?

If the ruins of the ancient civilization before him were not a true supreme existence, did the will really guide him to deduce a “perfect ending” that could prolong the civilization and save everyone?

This question was like a crack in a dam. It spread, split, and expanded in the depths of Meng Chao’s brain at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Meng Chao retracted the finger he had extended by a few centimeters.

He felt that he had come to his senses a little too late.

The head seemed to cover half of the sea of stars, and it was even larger than a red giant. Before it, all his struggles and resistance were meaningless.

The thousands of glittering tentacles that were waving crazily and enveloping his body could squeeze out his soul and swallow him as long as they tightened their grip slightly.

1936 Awakening

He saw the Ancients training in the crystal seams buried deep underground after the earthquake. They guided their surging spirit energy into their cells and changed the nature of intelligent beings. They also opened their minds and connected everybody’s thoughts through the vibration of the planet’s magnetic field.

He saw the wisdom of several billion Ancient people integrating, which allowed the entire civilization to develop at a tremendous speed. In just a few hundred years, they had completed the leap from the Bronze Age to the Information Age. They had also developed extremely sophisticated and enormous spacecraft that left their home planet like wandering fireworks. These spacecraft took firm steps toward the boundless, colorful, and unpredictable universe.

To be more precise, he did not “see” this. Instead, information was gushing out from the shining head before him, like a volcanic eruption. All this information crashed into the depths of Meng Chao’s soul in a violent manner.

Meng Chao realized that he had finally gained something after going through thousands of reincarnations.

He had passed the glorious will’s test. The ten thousand suns that destroyed everything would no longer appear above Dragon City and the entire civilization.

However, Meng Chao did not feel overjoyed or relieved even though he had finally changed everything.

After he experienced so many reincarnations and played the role of a commander or even a god to control the entire civilization, Meng Chao had long since lost all emotion.

At this moment, he only felt a sense of exhaustion and tranquility that told him, “It’s finally over.”

The glowing head that was formed by several billion light spots contained all of the ancient civilization’s mysteries. It opened its eyes slightly and stared at Meng Chao.

Then, countless transparent, cable-like tentacles from its mouth, nose, eyes, and ears, extended toward Meng Chao.

Meng Chao understood what it meant.

It wanted to transmit more information about the ancient civilization to him.

At the same time, it would absorb all the data that Meng Chao had accumulated over his reincarnations.

Meng Chao did not resist.

Understanding the ancient civilization, following the ancient civilization, and becoming part of the ancient civilization—was that not his original intention of coming here after going through so much hardship?

A series of faintly flashing data lines gently wrapped around his body.

As the torrent of information poured into him and he absorbed it, Meng Chao was overwhelmed by a feeling of mystery and vastness.

It was comparable to a drop of water, flowing through a trickle, a tranquil lake, a surging river, and finally flowing into the boundless, unfathomable ocean.

He felt like a tattered book that could fall apart at any moment. However, he was finally placed in the most suitable position on the library’s bookshelf.

As more and more tentacles enveloped him and stabbed into his body, he felt a chill run down his spine.

His skin, muscles, bones, blood vessels, nerves, and internal organs also became transparent. They shone and glowed, like jade that burned eternally from within.

In the end, the thickest tentacle reached out of the glowing head’s mouth and stopped in front of him after bypassing the debris of several hundred spaceships and monsters.

Meng Chao extended his right index finger toward the front of the tentacle that spread open slightly.

In the unseen world, a voice came from beyond the heavens or from the depths of his soul. It told him that as long as he completed the final connection, he would be able to obtain all the information about the ancient civilization and return to the real world. He would be able to apply the “perfect future” that he had deduced countless times to every second and every individual. From there, he would be able to turn the deduction into reality and unlock the most perfect ending.

But…

Buzz, buzz, buzz.

But…

Buzz, buzz, buzz. “Yesterday…” Buzz, buzz, buzz. “Today…” Buzz, buzz, buzz. “Tomorrow…”

But…

Buzz, buzz, buzz. “Tomorrow without today is meaningless.”

Buzz, buzz, buzz. “Life without destruction is meaningless.”

Buzz, buzz, buzz. “Victory without a choice is meaningless.”

This information was like a strange spark that shot out from the depths of Meng Chao’s soul at the last moment.

These sparks seemed to have a life of their own. They bounced around in every corridor in Meng Chao’s soul and easily invaded every secret chamber. They evoked his emotions and will, which he had sealed for a long time.

Meng Chao’s mind was like a cracked frozen lake, and a faint ripple spread out.

The finger that he extended toward the ancient civilization’s robust, vast, and unstoppable glorious will became a little stiff.

It was as if smooth, harmonious, and flawless music had been interrupted by a harsh noise.

No, something was wrong. It should not be like this…

Meng Chao tilted his head and thought hard for a long time before he finally discovered what made him uncomfortable.

If the ancient civilization was truly that omniscient and omnipotent, if it could scan the past, predict the future, and manipulate everything, why did it need a small human like him to go through thousands of reincarnations and extract valuable data for them?

Should the omniscient and omnipotent will not know the perfect ending from the beginning as well as the path to the perfect ending?

It could have told him the perfect path and ending from the start.

Of course, in any religion, there would always be a supreme being testing its believers.

No god could easily give his believers the ultimate answer.

However, Meng Chao still felt that it was too simplistic to just regard everything that had happened in his past reincarnations as a test.

Even if all that had really been a test, the other party would have definitely wanted him to pass this test and obtain something from the depths of his brain.

In that case, could this “supreme existence” that needed something from the barren and weak brain of an ordinary creature be a real, omniscient, and god-like existence?

If the ruins of the ancient civilization before him were not a true supreme existence, did the will really guide him to deduce a “perfect ending” that could prolong the civilization and save everyone?

This question was like a crack in a dam. It spread, split, and expanded in the depths of Meng Chao’s brain at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Meng Chao retracted the finger he had extended by a few centimeters.

He felt that he had come to his senses a little too late.

The head seemed to cover half of the sea of stars, and it was even larger than a red giant. Before it, all his struggles and resistance were meaningless.

The thousands of glittering tentacles that were waving crazily and enveloping his body could squeeze out his soul and swallow him as long as they tightened their grip slightly.