Chapter Eighty-three: Earth · Beast Tide (Twenty-four)

On Earth, the monster hordes that had been preparing for yet another siege suddenly halted. The moment they regained the ability to move, they howled and fled in all directions. Yet something moved even faster than they did.

The military formations, already primed for action, unleashed their attacks; the city’s defense systems, powered up and waiting, struck as well. Although the convergence of the civilization core had caught them unawares, they were well prepared for the monsters’ assault. After all, anyone subjected to three or four attacks a day would soon grow accustomed, and so those fleeing beasts met their misfortune.

A dozen monster corpses were left behind, marking the end of this intense phase of attacks. Everyone in the city breathed a collective sigh of relief. Many felt the pressure on their hearts dissipate, their absorption of internal energy growing smoother. Old petty disputes seemed trivial now, especially regarding the acceptance of foreigners and the Spirit Beast Tribe.

Sun Meng gazed at the projection of the miniature Earth civilization core in his hands, and attempted to input a directive.

“The foundational language of the entire civilization shall be the official language of Hua Country.”

The civilization core flashed, and Sun Meng sensed that his points had dropped by one tenth—less than a thousand remained. Though Earth’s civilization was bound to center on Hua Country’s culture as it advanced, he indulged his longstanding resentment of having to learn foreign languages by exercising this privilege.

He believed that at least the people of Hua Country, especially the youth, would thank him. As for whether foreigners would struggle to adapt, that was not his concern!

On Earth, Yi Gang stared at the civilization core in his hands, stunned for a moment. It was only when Sun Meng reminded him to hurry home, to await the arrival of Hua Country’s officials, and to take his girlfriend straight to the capital, that he snapped out of it.

Fortunately, the earlier events had cleared the monsters from the area, making his escape far easier. Having reached the late stage of Tier Two, his flight speed had increased dramatically; his golden-red internal energy trailed behind him like wings, leaving a streak in the sky. In less than an hour, he returned to the base overhead.

Landing, he walked through the gates, immediately surrounded by the garrisoned soldiers.

“Yi Gang, twenty-five years old, formerly top-tier in mid-Tier Two, skilled in archery, internal energy attribute is a rare Golden Flame,” a lieutenant reported, and then the commanding officer stepped forward.

“Thank you for eliminating that monster; you are a hero to us all. Attention, salute!”

The crisp, unified salute left Yi Gang somewhat overwhelmed. He hurriedly returned a reasonably proper salute. “Um, this is the civilization core. You can take it with you. I still need to—”

“Ah Gang!” A woman’s voice called out, and the soldiers stepped aside to make way.

“Little Rabbit!” Yi Gang’s face lit up with excitement. He rushed over, lifted her off her feet, and spun her around. “You’re really healed! How did you do it? Was it—”

“It was the Moon Pearl, and the hospital’s ice formation needed repairs from overloading. I paid for it myself. Don’t you plan to keep me company?” Leng Xiyue turned her head aside as she spoke.

Little Rabbit clung to Yi Gang’s arm. “Don’t blame Sister Yue. She’s right. Besides, I was drawn to you at first because of your talent. She’s always liked you, so I don’t mind your feelings for her. Just don’t let it affect our marriage!”

“Ahem! Yi Gang, my friend, folks from the capital will be arriving soon. You’ll need to go in person, and the council has decided that you two will be a model for peaceful coexistence between our peoples. Your wedding will be broadcast worldwide.”

“Ah!” Yi Gang blushed. He’d never imagined such a day for himself; all he’d ever wanted was an ordinary life.

“This is my first gift to you. I hope you like it,” Leng Xiyue whispered in his ear. Yi Gang turned to see her departing silhouette, momentarily speechless. In the end, Little Rabbit tugged him onto the plane.

Sun Meng, seeing there was nothing urgent on Earth for now, made his way to the room of Mu Xingye.

The door opened; Mu Xingye and Pickes sat inside.

“You’re here,” Mu Xingye said with a smile.

“I think I understand now why you know so much. Is it because the rules prevent you from speaking openly?” Sun Meng asked tentatively.

“Exactly. Even we probe each other indirectly to see how much the other knows. Congratulations on reaching this point; now we can discuss a new plan. You must understand the importance of these metals by now!” Mu Xingye said.

Sun Meng took a seat. “Indeed. Though the competition doesn’t seem fierce or the rules harsh, the hidden rules are far more ruthless than the apparent ones. These metals can only allow about twenty percent of civilizations to break through to Tier Three before the assessment ends. Those who know in advance won’t want more people to share in them; they want more for themselves.”

“Yet you and I won’t reveal the secret, only subtly aid our friends. In the competition among civilizations, there is neither justice nor mercy. Everything is for the development and evolution of civilization. We help allies, but not the weak,” Pickes replied.

Sun Meng wanted to argue, but realized he had no grounds to refute Mu Xingye’s words. Had Mu Xingye said this earlier, Sun Meng might have disagreed, but now, understanding the significance of the civilization core, he knew Mu Xingye was right.

Allies, in this context, are those who, after reaching Tier Three, enter into a covenant witnessed by the system, anchored by their civilization cores. Breaking such a covenant invokes penalties from the system’s rules; the most severe offenders lose their qualification for the game entirely, causing everything gained to collapse in an instant.

After this stage’s assessment, only civilizations above Tier Two can continue, meaning their systems have been profoundly influenced—even fundamentally redirected—by the system. If these were destroyed, it would amount to civilization-level regression.

‘Could it be that Earth’s unsolved mysteries, prehistoric relics, and vanished civilizations are remnants left behind by those failed civilizations?’ Sun Meng shivered at the thought of those cultures that disappeared overnight.

“I believe you’re now aware of the civilization core’s purpose. We can thus sign a simple alliance for this operation,” Pickes said, producing his civilization core.

It resembled a standing rhombic crystal, with concentric rings both horizontally and vertically.

Mu Xingye’s civilization core was a large sphere with a smaller one attached, encircled by a ring-shaped band.

Sun Meng nodded. The others had shown enough sincerity to warrant his agreement. He summoned his own civilization core, a miniature world of circular heavens and square earth appearing in his hand.

Mu Xingye’s eyes flickered with surprise. “Let’s review the contract together.”

The projections from the three civilization cores converged, their light merging. A screen materialized, displaying the contract, with the text automatically adapting to each viewer’s language system, eliminating any loophole caused by linguistic or grammatical differences.

After reading the contract, Sun Meng nodded. He’d already gained much, since once the mine was found, only Pickes’ robots could handle the early extraction; he just had to pinpoint its location.

As for the monsters, he truly no longer feared them. Those below Tier Three couldn’t match his speed, and even if he couldn’t defeat them, he could easily escape.

Once all three agreed, the contract was sealed; the glow returned to their civilization cores, and everyone within their respective civilizations became aware of the alliance.

“Time is short; let’s begin,” Pickes said.

In less than two days, Redemption Day would arrive. The sooner the metals could be exchanged for their civilizations, the better.

The spaceship swiftly arrived at the designated site, launching a decoy attack on the monsters.

Infuriated, the monsters charged at the ship; the vessel turned and fled, while, in secret, a lone figure streaked down to the ground below.