206: Design Evolution

Thirty thousand meters above the equator of the Falem Homeworld, a floating villa shaped like a droplet of frozen mercury hung silently above a pristine sea of white clouds.

The villa used no thrusters; it relied on the Faleim Civilization's mature anti-gravity field technology to remain steadily anchored at fixed coordinates.

The villa's walls were made of one-way transparent smart molecular material. From the outside, it appeared as an impenetrable silver mirror, while from the inside, it offered a breathtaking, 360-degree unobstructed view of the clouds and the starry sky.

This was a residence specially prepared by the Faleim Civilization for 'special guests.' It was both a place of ultimate luxury and a cage from which not even a bird could escape.

Barlena stood barefoot on the villa's wide terrace, the synthetic floor beneath her feet cool and smooth.

The black silk robe she once wore, which symbolized the supreme power of the Iofer Federation, had been replaced with a simple set of white casual clothes. This made the once-formidable Succubus Queen look a little less fierce and a little more fragile and poignantly beautiful.

She reached out a pale hand, attempting to touch the flowing mist beyond the railing, only to be pushed back by an invisible energy barrier.

“Truly a perfect prison.”

Barlena whispered to herself, a hint of self-mockery in her voice.

Through the transparent floor beneath her feet, she could clearly see the supercity below, grand beyond the limits of her imagination.

The giant towers piercing the clouds, the streams of light weaving into a web in the sky, the busy yet orderly mechanical operations... all of it silently spoke of the power and terror of this civilization.

Compared to this, the Eye of the Abyss fortress she once took pride in was like a dirt mound built of mud by a primitive tribe.

“Losing to such an opponent doesn't seem like an injustice.”

Just as she was immersed in recollections of the past and reflections on reality, a strange ripple suddenly surged in the center of the terrace.

Countless ghostly blue photons gushed from the void, swiftly converging, weaving, and reorganizing as if they possessed life.

In just a few seconds, a lifelike figure appeared out of thin air before Barlena.

It was a young man with black hair and black eyes, without horns, wings, or the signature long ears of the Faleim People.

He wore a well-tailored suit of dark casual clothes and sat casually in a chair also composed of photons.

Although it was only a holographic projection, the composed aura he radiated was more real than any physical entity, as if he were the center of this world.

Barlena turned around, her purple eyes silently watching this uninvited guest.

As a powerful psychic, even though her power had been specifically suppressed upon her capture, she could still keenly perceive the vast consciousness connected behind the projection before her.

That was no ordinary Faleim person.

From the silver-haired, pointed-eared Faleim high-ranking officials, she felt cold rationality and mechanical order.

But from this being, she felt something deeper and more chaotic, yet a vastness that encompassed everything.

“I assume you are what the Faleim People call the guide?”

Barlena spoke, her voice calm, without the hysteria or fearful pleading Lei Wen had expected.

“First time meeting, um... Speaker Barlena?” Lei Wen nodded with a smile, “Or should I call you Ms. Barlena now?”

“The winner takes all; titles are not important.” Barlena walked to another chair and sat down. “I just didn't expect the supreme will that commands this group of silver reapers to be such a seemingly ordinary creature.”

“You have no psychic characteristics, no wings, and no long ears. Are you really of the same race as the Faleim People?”

“In this universe, appearances are often the most deceptive things, aren't they?” Lei Wen didn't answer directly, but instead cast a pointed glance at the delicate small horns on her forehead.

Barlena let out a light chuckle, a laugh tinged with relief.

“You're right.”

She leaned back in her chair, casting her gaze toward the distant sea of clouds.

“Do you know? At the moment those terrifying warriors dragged me from my throne, I thought I would feel anger, humiliation, or even the urge to end my own life.”

“But when I actually sat here, looking at your world and this insurmountable gap, I suddenly felt an unprecedented sense of ease.”

Barlena turned her head and looked seriously at Lei Wen.

“From the moment the Gate of Hell disappeared, I knew this day would come sooner or later. I had to squeeze my country like a madwoman, launch wars, massacre other races, and suppress my own compatriots, all just to build a sand wall destined to collapse before the inevitable destruction.”

“I carried the weight of the entire Federation, dancing on the edge of a cliff where a single misstep meant eternal damnation.”

“Now, it's all over.”

“The Federation is gone, the fleet is gone, and the ambition is gone.”

“I finally don't have to wake up startled in the middle of the night, no longer have to guard against daggers in the back, and no longer have to think about who to kill tomorrow to assert my authority.”

“Thank you, Guide.” Barlena's tone carried a hint of gratitude, whether genuine or not. “You have not only destroyed my empire, but also liberated my soul.”

Lei Wen listened quietly; he certainly wouldn't develop any contempt just because the opponent showed weakness.

This was a powerful figure who had struggled for survival in a desperate situation. If she hadn't encountered the Faleim Civilization, which possessed the capability for dimensional reduction strikes, she might have truly carved out a place in this dark universe.

“Since you've let go of the past, let's talk about the future.”

Lei Wen leaned forward slightly, getting to the point.

“Barlena, although the Iofer Federation no longer exists, the Iof race still does.”

“A population of trillions is spread across hundreds of star systems, along with various branch ethnic groups with different abilities. This is a massive number and a massive problem.”

“As the former supreme leader of this race, I want to hear your opinion.” Lei Wen looked at her. “How do you think we should handle your people?”

This was a life-or-death question.

And a question meant to test her heart.

Barlena fell silent.

She lowered her eyes, her fingers unconsciously twisting the hem of her clothes.

After a long time, she looked up again, a wretched and ironic smile on her face.

“The Guide, are you seeking advice from me? Or are you testing my level of compliance?”

“Both,” Lei Wen said candidly.

“Then, I'll be blunt.”

Barlena's originally fragile aura suddenly became sharp at this moment, as if the Succubus Queen who once ruled Orion had returned.

“If you want to hear pleasant words, I can tell you that the Iof People will be grateful for your mercy, will comply with your rule, and will become loyal vassals of the Faleim Civilization.”

“But...”

She sneered, her purple pupils filled with mockery.

“That is a lie.”

“You don't understand the Iof People, and you don't understand our bloodline.”

“Our ancestors were born on a lava planet with extreme gravity and a harsh environment. To survive, we had to fight, we had to plunder, and we had to be more cruel and cunning than any other creature.”

“This jungle law of survival of the fittest is carved into our genes, melted into our blood, and has become our soul.”

“In the dictionary of the Iof People, there are no words for submission or loyalty, only endurance and revenge.”

Barlena stood up and paced on the terrace, her voice growing increasingly high-pitched.

“You can destroy our fleet, occupy our planets, and kill all our armies.”

“But as long as one Iof person remains alive, he will plant the seeds of revenge in his heart.”

“We will pretend to be submissive, we will work for you like slaves, we will learn your technology, and we will imitate your systems.”

“But it is all a disguise.”

“We will wait, wait for the moment you show a weakness, wait for the day you become frail.”

“Even if it takes a hundred years, a thousand years, ten thousand years!”

“One day, we will emerge from the shadows, pierce your chest with your own weapons, and return the humiliation you gave us twofold!”

Barlena turned abruptly to look Lei Wen in the eye, the intent to provoke very clear in her gaze.

“This is the Iof People.”

“We are natural warriors and natural traitors.”

“You can never truly conquer us.”

“If you really want to end this once and for all...” She extended a finger and made a cutting gesture across her neck, “then kill us all, leave not a single one.”

“Otherwise, sooner or later, the Faleim Civilization will suffer the backlash of the Iof People.”

After saying these words, Barlena seemed to have exhausted all her strength and slumped back into her chair.

She had displayed the darkest and most irredeemable side of her race before this conqueror.

This was her final resistance, and also her most vicious curse as a loser upon the victor.

However, in the face of Barlena's impassioned declaration, not even a trace of anger or concern appeared on Lei Wen's face.

He even lightly clapped his hands.

“A brilliant speech, Ms. Barlena.”

Lei Wen's tone remained outrageously calm.

“Your analysis of your own race is very profound and very accurate.”

“Violence, chaos, untameable, ungrateful wolves... these assessments are perfectly corroborated in the Faleim People's sociological models.”

“But...”

Lei Wen's tone shifted, a hint of pity appearing in his eyes, as if he were looking at a primitive person still using a stone to sharpen a knife, boasting about how sharp his weapon was.

“You seem to still be looking at us with an outdated perspective.”

“Do you believe that things like personality, culture, or even nature are unchangeable?”

Barlena was stunned for a moment: “Is it not so? This is what has been settled through tens of thousands of years of evolution...”

“Evolution?” Lei Wen laughed. “Evolution is too slow and full of uncertainty.”

“In the eyes of a high-level civilization, so-called nature is nothing more than a slightly more complex string of biochemical code.”

Lei Wen waved his hand, and the villa's outer walls instantly transformed.

The original sky background disappeared, and giant transparent cylinders emitting cold light appeared in the images above.

Suspended within those cylinders were the bodies of Iof People, including strong members of the Red Demon Clan and petite members of the Succubus race.

Furthermore, this did not look like an execution, but rather some kind of precise modification.

Countless tiny mechanical arms were performing operations on their bodies, while data streams on the side showed real-time changes to their genetic sequences.

“Barlena, evolution has never been a problem for the Faleim People. We don't pursue evolution; we design evolution,” Lei Wen said flatly.

Barlena watched those images, a few drops of cold sweat seeping from her forehead.

“The Faleim Civilization's greatest strength is not destruction, but optimization.”

Lei Wen pointed to one set of genetic maps.

“We have already found the segments in your genes that control violent tendencies, rebellious consciousness, and excessive egocentrism.”

“As you said, those are survival instincts you evolved in harsh environments, but in a civilized society, these are impurities that need to be removed.”

“We will use retroviral vectors to perform race-level genetic recombination on all Iof People.”

“We will snip out those unstable genes and implant genetic sequences for obedience, diligence, order, and a natural affinity for the Faleim Civilization.”

“Simultaneously,” Lei Wen pointed to the brain regions of those Iof People, “we will perform ‘Neural Fine-tuning’ on them.”

“This is a method more thorough than brainwashing. We won't erase their memories or lower their intelligence; in fact, we still need them to have enough intelligence to operate complex machinery.”

“We are simply cutting off the neural circuits in their brains that generate rebellious thoughts.”

“On a physiological level, we will make them feel that obeying orders is a pleasurable behavior that brings more dopamine secretion than eating or procreating.”

“When an Iof person wants to betray, his brain will make him feel intense nausea and pain, and when he works hard, he will feel supreme happiness and satisfaction.”

Lei Wen looked at Barlena, whose face was already as pale as paper, and said with a smile:

“You're right, conquering the flesh is useless.”

“So we choose to reshape the soul.”

“It doesn't take ten thousand years, only one generation.”

“Once the new generation of Iof People is born, they will no longer be that bloodthirsty and warlike demon race.”

“They will become the best workers, the most loyal soldiers, and the most disciplined slaves in the universe.”

“They will retain your strong physiques and clever brains, but the wild nature that led to your destruction will be forever sealed in the dust of history.”

“This is truly ending it once and for all.”

Thud.

Barlena slid to the ground, staring blankly at Lei Wen as if she were looking at a true devil.

The so-called 'racial resilience' and 'sparks of revenge' her race took pride in were so laughable and powerless before the opponent's god-like technology.

This was more terrifying than death.

This was an eradication from the root, a complete erasure of the concept of 'Iof'.

“You... you are devils...” Barlena said tremblingly, her voice full of despair.

“No, we are gardeners.”

Lei Wen stood up, his figure gradually fading in the light.

“We are just pruning the branches and leaves in this starry sky that have grown crooked, making them grow more in line with our aesthetics.”

“Spend the rest of your life well here, Ms. Barlena.”

“You will witness with your own eyes how your race welcomes a new life in our hands.”

“That will be a world without war, without betrayal, only with order and obedience...”

“A perfect world.”

Communication cut off.

Barlena was left alone on the terrace.

She looked at the bustling yet cold city below, watching the countless spaceships operating on their set trajectories.

She suddenly felt very cold.

That kind of cold went deep into the marrow, freezing the soul.