198: Chapter 197 Lin Han's Choice

The entire Milky Way Galaxy fell into unprecedented despair.

This feeling of helplessness was even more agonizing for the surviving civilizations than when they were previously blockaded and surrounded by the Zhangyang Civilization.

Originally, they knew they were doomed, even those civilizations native to the Milky Way that had never suffered a direct attack from the Shenxing Army.

Through observations of extragalactic systems, they knew that this catastrophe spreading across the entire universe was inevitable.

They also understood that the only reason the Milky Way was temporarily spared was so that a "ticket" to the parallel universe could be obtained from the Giants of Light through a ritual.

They were like fish on a chopping block, at the mercy of others.

No civilization truly regarded the Resistance Army as the savior of this universe.

To put it bluntly, they were just a combination of fleets shattered by the Zhangyang Civilization.

It was entirely due to Lin Han's conviction and management that this Resistance Army wasn't dismissed as a mere disorganized rabble.

Thus, all civilizations in the Milky Way waited despondently for this Doomsday Judgment, waiting for the entire universe to turn into mindless flesh and blood.

However, everything changed when the gods from the parallel universe arrived—when they witnessed the Great Deity Xingyang effortlessly annihilate the Shenxing Army's vanguard, composed of nearly a hundred million warships.

When they observed from afar as the Xingyang God easily caused the Andromeda Galaxy, with a diameter of 220,000 light-years, to vanish without a trace.

These civilizations felt that victory was within their grasp, that this universe was saved.

This unprecedented Hope was like a lifebuoy accidentally caught by a drowning person flailing before death.

Naturally, they strongly believed they could survive; naturally, they felt the true Savior had descended.

But when the Xingyang Civilization announced the "Kindling" Project, the Hope in everyone's hearts instantly vanished into thin air.

Countless tears of despair pitter-pattered onto the ground.

Yet, some were still making a final struggle.

Prostrating themselves at the feet of those from the Xingyang Civilization, they pleaded bitterly, "We don't want this universe anymore. Just save the Milky Way; we'll live and work in peace there."

"The Xingyang God's divine power is so great; this should be easy to do, right?"

But what they received in return was cold reality.

"I'm sorry. If it were just Chu Zhangyang, the Deity would indeed have a way. But now, this universe has been targeted by Ji Mie, and he is far more powerful than Zhangyang."

"He can easily devour the entire universe, even the gods!"

"So you should hurry up and implement the Kindling Project. It's better for some to survive than for everyone to perish!"

Not long after, all the civilizations in the Milky Way finally recognized the reality.

Every living being knew they only had five years left to live.

While preventing potential doomsday riots, each civilization conducted a lottery akin to a sweepstake.

Two people would be chosen out of ten million.

Naturally, the elderly, the weak, or those with physical defects were excluded from the start.

Even those who were chosen showed no joy in their eyes. After all, the extinction of their civilization was imminent.

They were to go to an unfamiliar parallel universe with people they didn't know.

Furthermore, they bore the suffocatingly heavy mission of continuing their civilization.

Naturally, the most painful ones were the native civilizations of the Milky Way.

They were carrying out the "Kindling" Project while their entire social systems were intact and their civil infrastructure had suffered no losses.

The expansion of the Zhangyang Civilization had only caused many fleeing civilizations to run to the Milky Way, making their living environments crowded and resources scarce.

Other than that, there were almost no losses.

It was as if they were thriving yesterday, only for their lives to be ruined today; this world-shattering pain deeply stung the hearts of billions of beings.

In contrast, the civilizations that had fled to the Milky Way felt much less turmoil in their hearts.

Their planets had long ago become cells on Chu Zhangyang's body, and their stars had become the Zhangyang God's neural centers.

Their civilizations were already gone.

Their meager populations were merely hanging on by a thread, lingering on the brink of death.

Not to mention those civilizations with only a few hundred, a few dozen, or even just one person left.

For those with a few people left, it was like playing house. The leader would either take a bunch of plant stalks or crumple slips of paper into balls and throw them into a box.

A short while later.

The two who drew the long or short stalks, or the slips with writing on them, stood there in a daze.

The people around them gathered to hug them one by one.

With sincere blessings on their faces, they said, "Our civilization depends on you."

"When you reach that parallel universe, find our civilization there and tell them! Tell them how we are different from them!"

"Tell them the differences in our history, and what arduous yet helpless battles we fought against the Evil God!"

The two chosen people were expressionless, merely staring intently at their few remaining compatriots.

They carved each face into their minds. After all, once they boarded the ship for the "Kindling" Project, it would be a final farewell.

Of course, there were also many civilizations with only one or two individuals left; these people could go directly to the parallel universe.

Unfortunately, the storage devices most of them carried had either been lost during their flight or traded for food.

The only remaining traces of their civilizations existed only in their minds.

For them, going to the parallel universe was simply changing locations to continue their lives.

It was better than perishing along with the entire universe in five years.

Tu Kulei found Lin Han and extended an olive branch: "Although you brought many followers when you first fled, as far as I know, after years of war, the entire Shanglin Star System has only you and one subordinate left."

"Come to our Main Universe. The 'you' there is also very capable; he is the Governor of the Shanglin Star System under the jurisdiction of the Xingyang Civilization!"

"The entire Shanglin Civilization is under your—or rather, the parallel universe version of you—management!"

Lin Han refused with a smile, "Forget it, I'll let my subordinate go. As for me, this universe is where I was born; I have no reason to leave!"

Tu Kulei was slightly shocked and only spoke after a long pause, "Is it because of the Resistance Army? Actually, it can be disbanded. You've never been able to face the Shenxing Army head-on anyway."

"Besides, with the Great Deity Xingyang here, the Milky Way doesn't need a Resistance Army to spend these five years in peace!"

Lin Han stubbornly chose to stay: "That Governor isn't me, and that Shanglin Star System isn't my home."

"I know that as a part of the Xingyang Civilization, that planet must be thriving and peaceful."

"But no matter how beautiful a parallel world is, to me, it's just an illusory dream."

"No matter how beautiful the dream, it's not as good as cold reality!"

Seeing how determined he was, Tu Kulei didn't try to persuade him further. He simply sighed softly and turned to leave.