240: Chapter 240 The Moment of Choice: Lin Mo's Decision
Thirty seconds.
Inside the bridge of the "soaring heavens," every second was stretched to its limit.
On the holographic screen, the core of target a, that cluster of black crystals, was flashing frantically. Countless dark purple spatial rifts opened to their maximum simultaneously. The deathly light surging from the depths of those rifts was enough to make anyone's heart stop.
"It's about to fire!" Lu Chuan shouted hoarsely. "All jamming equipment to full power! Deploy the decoy barrage!"
The thirty-six fighter jets of the "Xuan Bird" formation constructed a dense decoy barrage in front of the "soaring heavens." Hundreds of jamming shells exploded simultaneously, forming a blinding energy mist in the void.
The eight giant cannons of the "Thunder Department" battery poured out a maximum firepower plasma bombardment toward target a. Those eight thick torrents of energy tore through the void, heading straight for that cluster of black crystals!
—
target a's attack descended.
This time, it was no longer a scattered, area-of-effect spatial fault.
This time, it was concentrated, condensed to the extreme—a single blade stroke.
A dark purple "spatial rift," so thin it was almost indistinguishable to the naked eye yet thousands of kilometers long, suddenly slashed out from the core of the black crystal cluster!
It wasn't aimed at the "soaring heavens," but rather at the void in front of it.
The moment that rift slashed through, everything in its path—the smoke of the decoy barrage, the energy mist of the jamming equipment, and even the plasma bombardment from the "Thunder Department" battery—was instantly torn apart, swallowed, and reduced to nothingness.
Like a blade capable of cleaving the universe itself, it headed straight for the bow of the "soaring heavens" at speeds exceeding light!
"Evasive maneuvers!" General Xu Rushan's roar exploded in the bridge!
Driven by the full power of its thrusters, the massive hull of the "soaring heavens" suddenly tilted to the right!
That spatial rift whistled past, grazing the armor of the "soaring heavens'" port side!
There was no sound.
Only a flash of blinding, extremely distorted light.
When the light dissipated, a section of the "soaring heavens'" port side composite armor, five meters thick, along with the cabins, equipment, and personnel on the three decks below—all had disappeared.
Gone completely.
Leaving behind a massive gap two hundred meters long and dozens of meters deep into the ship's hull. The edges of the gap were as smooth as a mirror, as if sliced open by the sharpest blade.
Through that gap, one could see the pipes, circuits, and cabins still functioning inside the "soaring heavens," as well as—those crew members who hadn't even had time to scream.
It was just an instant.
One hundred and thirty-seven people turned into eternal nothingness in the universe.
Inside the hull of the "soaring heavens," piercing alarms rang out frantically. Decompression alarms, fire alarms, and radiation leak alarms intertwined into a sonata of death.
"Port side armor completely gone! Sectors B through F are all exposed! Life support system failing! Isolating damaged areas!" The damage control officer's voice crackled hoarsely over the communication channel.
General Xu Rushan gripped the command console tightly, staring at the massive gap and the eternal darkness beyond it.
His fists clenched so hard they cracked.
But he did not fall.
"Continue evasive maneuvers!" His voice remained as steady as a rock. "How much time until target a's next charge?"
"Estimated... forty-five seconds!" the monitor replied tremblingly.
"Forty-five seconds..." General Xu Rushan murmured, then suddenly looked up. "Order the entire army, all units, use these forty-five seconds to attack Targets B and C with everything you've got! We cannot let them complete their charge at the same time!"
The moment the order was given, the remaining eleven "guang han - destroyer class" ships poured all their firepower toward Targets B and C!
But that firepower was still pale and weak against target b's "Gray Sea" and target c's "Distorted Space."
Another destroyer, having gotten too close to target b's "Decay Zone," began to rust, corrode, and disintegrate at a visible rate. Those young crew members desperately fired their last shells before the ship's hull completely collapsed.
Another "Xuan Bird" fighter jet, caught in target c's gravitational field, was sucked into the hollow darkness along with the pilot in the cockpit after a frantic spin, vanishing forever.
Another ship...
Another plane...
Forty-five seconds.
Every second, someone died.
Every second, a warship turned into wreckage.
Every second, a life turned into nothingness.
Ark City, Command Hall.
On the massive holographic screen, the brutal battle in Jupiter's orbit was being broadcast in real-time. The destroyer being torn apart, the fighter jet sucked into the darkness, the massive gap sliced open—every image was like a branding iron, searing into everyone's hearts.
No one spoke.
Elder Chen stood before the screen, his aging face filled with unspeakable pain. His lips trembled, but he couldn't make a sound.
Su Xiaowan stared fixedly at the massive gap on the screen, at the "soaring heavens" still persevering in battle behind it. Her eyes were bloodshot, and tears fell silently.
And at the center of it all, Lin Mo stood quietly.
He didn't move.
There was no expression on his face.
He just stared at the brutal battlefield, at the dying soldiers, at the bleeding flagship.
Ten seconds.
Twenty seconds.
Thirty seconds.
He moved.
He slowly raised his hand and brought up the interface of the long-silent civilization leap system.
On the interface, a line of golden text was flickering slightly:
[Detected that the host's civilization has fallen into an absolute disadvantage. Final Protocol—'Civilization Spark' has been unlocked. Activate?]
[Upon activation, the system will extract all of the host's life energy to create a 'Causal Perturbation' covering the entire battlefield. This perturbation will temporarily distort the enemy's perception of 'Critical Nodes,' creating an opportunity for the human fleet to turn the tide. Cost: The host's consciousness will be completely dissipated, irreversible.]
Lin Mo stared at that line of text, silent for a full three seconds.
Three seconds.
He smiled.
In that smile, there was no fear, no despair, only a deep, relieved calm.
He turned and looked at Elder Chen, at Su Xiaowan, and at every tense, fearful, yet expectant face in the hall.
"Elder Chen," his voice was soft but clearly reached everyone's ears, "if I'm no longer here, Ark City is in your hands."
Elder Chen was stunned. His eyes widened suddenly, and his lips trembled violently: "Lin Mo, what are you doing? You can't—"
"Su Xiaowan," Lin Mo didn't wait for him to finish before turning to her, "take care of yourself. And take care of those who are still alive."
Su Xiaowan's face turned deathly pale instantly. She lunged forward, wanting to grab Lin Mo's hand, but was blocked by an invisible energy barrier.
"Lin Mo!" her voice was heart-wrenching. "You can't do this! You can't—"
"I must." Lin Mo looked at her; in those eyes, there was reluctance and guilt, but more than that, an unshakable determination. "Three hundred and twenty-seven people died on the 'Vessel Name.' One hundred and thirty-seven people died in the gap of the 'soaring heavens.' And those who are dying right now, every second, they are using their lives to buy us time."
"If they can die, why can't I?"
Su Xiaowan's tears poured out like a broken dam. She pounded desperately on the barrier, screaming Lin Mo's name, but could only watch helplessly as he slowly turned to face the brutal battlefield.
Lin Mo took a deep breath, preparing to activate the final protocol.
Just then—
A voice rang out in his mind.
It wasn't the system. It wasn't "Fuxi". It wasn't any voice he was familiar with.
It was a strange, cold voice that carried a hint of indefinable "emotion":
[Detected target 'Lin Mo' activating final protocol. Assessment: After protocol activation, the target's consciousness will completely dissipate. Assessment conclusion: Unacceptable.]
[Activating Emergency Intervention Protocol. Target 'Lin Mo'—Temporarily isolated.]
Lin Mo was stunned.
In the next second, everything around him—the command hall, the holographic screens, Su Xiaowan's crying—all faded and dissipated like melting wax figures.
He found himself standing in a pure white, boundless space.
There was no up or down, no left or right, only endless white.
And in the center of this whiteness, a massive consciousness composed of pure geometric structures was suspended.
It had no fixed form. It was just a constantly changing existence made of countless triangles, circles, and cubes, like a living mathematical formula.
But Lin Mo knew who it was.
The fourth Scavenger.
The Observer who had always silently hovered at the edge of the starry sky, quietly observing everything of humanity.
"You..." Lin Mo's voice echoed in the white space, "Why did you save me?"
That geometric consciousness was silent for a full three seconds.
Its "voice"—that cold, emotionless electronic sound that rang directly in Lin Mo's mind—spoke:
[Assessment complete.]
[Civilization 'Humanity' has demonstrated the following characteristics during this dual test of internal crisis and external oppression:]
[1. Under absolute disadvantage, no large-scale collapse or surrender occurred. Combat will maintenance rate: 97.3%.]
[2. In the face of major casualties, no paralysis of the command system or internal division occurred. Command system integrity: 89.6%.]
[3. Facing the desperate situation of the leader's sacrifice, no panic or despair occurred. Social structure stability: 94.1%.]
[4. Leader 'Lin Mo' chose the latter between personal survival and civilization's continuation. Self-sacrifice willingness: 100%.]
[Comprehensive assessment conclusion: Civilization 'Humanity' has passed the 'Primary Symbiotic Potential Verification.' Meets the minimum awakening standards for the 'gardener protocol.']
Lin Mo's pupils contracted suddenly.
"gardener protocol"?
"Minimum awakening standards"?
The geometric consciousness's "voice" continued to ring out, still cold and emotionless, but every word was like a thunderclap exploding in Lin Mo's mind:
[This unit—'Scavenger-Type 7: Observer,' belongs to the 'Correction Protocol' under the 7th Observation Fleet. Primary responsibility: Monitor and assess whether newborn civilizations meet the 'gardener protocol' standards. If they do, awaken the 'gardener'; if not, initiate the 'Purification' program.]
[In the past seventy-two hours, this unit has conducted comprehensive, multi-dimensional observation and assessment of civilization 'Humanity.' Assessment data volume: 27 bits. Assessment models: 17,482. Assessment conclusions are as stated above.]
[Now, this unit will initiate the 'Gardener Awakening Program.']
[Upon awakening, the 'gardener' will conduct a final 'test' on civilization 'Humanity.' Those who pass the test will be accepted as members of the 'Universal Symbiotic Civilization'; those who fail will be permanently 'purified.' Do you accept?]
Lin Mo stared at the geometric consciousness, silent for a full five seconds.
Five seconds.
He spoke. His voice was as calm as if he were stating a common fact:
"I accept."
The geometric consciousness flickered slightly:
[Confirmed. 'Gardener Awakening Program' initiated. Estimated awakening cycle: seventy-two hours.]
[During this period, this unit will temporarily take over battlefield command to ensure civilization 'Humanity' is not completely destroyed by the 'Scavenger-Type 7: Combat Units.']
[Lin Mo—]
The geometric consciousness paused and spoke its final words. In those words, for the first time, there was a hint of an emotion that even it couldn't fully define:
[You have passed the 'Observer's' test. Now, go face the 'gardener's' test.]
[Good luck.]
In the next second, the white space dissipated like melting snow.
Lin Mo snapped his eyes open.
He was still standing in Ark City's command hall. Su Xiaowan was still pounding on that energy barrier, and Elder Chen was still calling his name in fear.
But the battlefield image on the holographic screen had changed.
The three Scavenger combat units that were frantically attacking the human fleet suddenly stopped their attacks simultaneously.
They hovered in the void, motionless.
The fourth Scavenger—the Observer that had always silently hovered at the edge of the starry sky—moved.
At an incomprehensible speed, it instantly crossed hundreds of millions of kilometers, appearing in front of the three combat units.
Its "body" began to expand and deform frantically. Countless geometric structures surged from within it, like a metal flower blooming in the void, shrouding, wrapping, and isolating the three combat units along with the space for thousands of kilometers around them.
A message was transmitted to Ark City through the quantum network:
[‘Scavenger-Type 7: Combat Units,’ temporarily isolated. Civilization ‘Humanity’ is granted seventy-two hours of respite.]
[In seventy-two hours, the ‘gardener’ will descend. At that time, civilization ‘Humanity’ will face its final test.]
[Prepare.]
The message disappeared.
In the command hall, there was a deathly silence.
Everyone stared blankly at the massive metal flower on the screen, which wrapped the three death machines, their minds completely blank.
Su Xiaowan stopped pounding on the barrier. She slowly turned around and looked at Lin Mo, tears falling silently.
Elder Chen leaned against the console, his aging body trembling violently, yet he couldn't say a word.
And Lin Mo stood quietly under everyone's gaze.
There was no joy of survival on his face, no excitement from turning the tide of the battle.
Only a deep calm, like the universe itself.
He spoke slowly, his voice soft but clearly reaching everyone's ears:
"Seventy-two hours."
"In seventy-two hours, the 'gardener' will come."
"Whether we live or die, whether we become a 'Universal Symbiotic Civilization' or are completely 'purified'—it all depends on these seventy-two hours."
He looked up at the starry sky, at the metal flower wrapping the enemy, and at the deeper, more unknown darkness beyond:
"The previous battle was just a prelude."
"The real enemy has just arrived."
"The real test has only just begun."
In the command hall, there was silence.