Rebirth of the Super Battleship-Chapter 739: Life and Torment

[T/N: The author confuses Senya and Jason here, they clear it up in the next chapter but I’ll fix it now instead.]

The other scientists had already withdrawn, leaving only Jason, Luka Three, and Number Five behind. Xiao Yu’s expression was grave, and the faces of these three high-ranking figures of the civilization were no lighter.

“Jason, report to me on the situation within the civilization first.” Xiao Yu said.

Although Xiao Yu knew all the data circulating inside the Divine Ark Civilization, including every internal development, he still needed Jason’s personal interpretation.

As a leader and one who stood above, Xiao Yu did not need to be proficient in every field. He only needed to possess the capacity to lead and then let the talents of each domain work for him.

It was like back in the Earth era, if you asked a senior government official to design a skyscraper, he would basically be unable to complete the task. He only needed leadership; under his leadership, outstanding engineers would naturally help him accomplish it.

“Some rumors have already begun to spread within the civilization, saying that our Divine Ark Civilization is on the verge of defeat.” Jason replied. “We cannot stop these rumors, because they are, in fact, true. Those biological army warriors who personally took part in the fighting are eyewitnesses to the war. The information is leaking out from them. We also cannot restrict their right to freely communicate. If we did that, it would only confirm the rumors even more.”

Xiao Yu let out a quiet sigh. How could he not know about these circumstances?

But as Jason had said, the facts were indeed as they appeared, and no means could suppress them.

“However, from my observations, our civilization has not descended into chaos because of these rumors.” Jason went on. “On the contrary, I have seen many, many people under these circumstances prepare themselves to give everything for our civilization. My suggestion is that, in the present situation, we do not need to issue denials or try to refute rumors. What we should do is honestly disclose our current predicament to our people and then guide public sentiment to fight for our civilization.”

After Luka Two’s death, Jason had become the leader of the entire Social Committee.

Xiao Yu thought it over for a moment, then accepted this suggestion.

“Do it that way. However, hand this matter off to someone else. I have another task for you.”

“Please speak.” Jason said, his emotions showing no fluctuation.

“Before that… I have two tasks to assign to Three and Number Five.”

Xiao Yu paused for a moment, but did not state the task directly. Instead, he changed the subject and said to Luka Three and Number Five, “I want you to take over the work left behind by the late Xu Junpo and complete the development of the Spatial Bomb. In addition, I want you to conduct research on black lightning and draw up a list of all scientific achievements that might arise related to black lightning.”

Luka Three was basically of the same era as Luka Two, and now, in truth, he was approaching the end of his life. With current life technology, his lifespan could no longer be greatly extended.

Compared to Luka Three, Number Five was much younger.

“I will cooperate with Lord Three in conducting this line of research.” Number Five said to Xiao Yu.

“Good. I have already transmitted the relevant research data to your personal computing terminals. Once you return, begin this work as soon as possible. These studies may very well determine whether our Divine Ark Civilization can continue to exist, so you must treat them with the utmost seriousness.” Xiao Yu said.

“I will also fully cooperate with your work.”

Luka Three and Number Five nodded and left.

Now only Xiao Yu and Jason remained here.

“Before I assign your task, I need to tell you some background information.”

Xiao Yu sighed quietly and, manipulating his own projected avatar, made a light gesture in the void.

A great mass of text, images, and video information appeared, playing out like a movie.

Xiao Yu laid out for Jason everything about Xu Junpo and Luka Two.

“I need you to tell me what your teacher, Luka Two, was trying to do. What exactly do Xu Junpo’s studies mean? They said that if our Divine Ark Civilization is defeated, their arrangements can give us a chance to continue. I need you to perfect what they have laid out and save our civilization.” Xiao Yu said very solemnly.

“I have already analyzed these arrangements from Luka Two’s personality, his way of handling affairs, and the visible parts of his arrangements, but I still cannot find the links between all these things.”

“Has our Divine Ark Civilization really reached such a critical moment?” Jason’s gaze seemed to lose focus. He looked at Xiao Yu, somewhat dazed, and said, “So my teacher and Director Xu did not die from overwork. They both committed suicide. They abandoned their own lives.”

Jason’s reaction disappointed Xiao Yu somewhat.

In this moment, under the impact of such heavy information, Xiao Yu understood that Jason had already lost the basic quality of calm that a brilliant social psychologist should possess.

But Xiao Yu also had to admit that, even so, Jason’s competence in this professional field was still far above his own.

He himself was merely a leader. His responsibility was to lead many outstanding individuals from different specialties and fields and coordinate their efforts, not to personally handle every matter.

If he did that, no amount of computing power would ever be enough.

Xiao Yu sighed silently in his heart and continued, “Yes. From my deductions, Director Xu chose suicide because he was in an impossible situation, forced with no way forward or back. Out of guilt toward our Divine Ark Civilization, he left behind these arrangements. After all, although betrayal was not his intent, it was ultimately his actions that placed our Divine Ark Civilization in a passive position. As for why your teacher chose to die, I do not know.”

“I know.”

Jason’s gaze refocused. He looked calmly at Xiao Yu and said,

“I know why Teacher chose to die. Master, you must understand that an overly long life is sometimes not a good thing. Teacher was tired, so he went to rest. Over nearly one hundred thousand years, he devoted the best of his life to our civilization. He had fulfilled his responsibility, so he went to rest.”

“An overly long life is sometimes not a good thing?”

Xiao Yu quietly weighed those words and asked, “What do you mean by ‘sometimes’?”

“If you cannot live according to your own will, then life is torment. Before he died, I saw Teacher live according to his own will for the first time. He left our entire civilization a test. If we pass it, the Divine Ark Civilization will have the qualification to continue existing. If we fail it, then even if we continue to survive in this universe, the Divine Ark Civilization will one day perish.” Jason spoke softly, his voice carrying a nameless sorrow.

“Master, I will go now. I will devote all my energy and wisdom to solving the puzzle Teacher left behind. I love our civilization, even though it has many shortcomings.”

“If you cannot live according to your own will, then life is torment…”

Xiao Yu quietly pondered that sentence. Then what is the force that keeps me struggling forward? To reach a Level 7 Civilization and go see Chen Mo? But after I meet Chen Mo, then what? Continue exploring the mysteries of the universe? But if one day I become strong enough that the universe holds no more secrets for me, what reason will I have to go on existing?”

For some reason, at this moment, Xiao Yu also felt a trace of confusion.

“Jason, I promise you this. If you can save our civilization, you will no longer have to call me Master. You may call me Xiao Yu.”

Xiao Yu spoke with utmost seriousness.

Jason’s body trembled slightly. He said two words, “Thank you.”

But he never turned back.

He simply walked out, boarded his spaceship, and left the Solar.

“To ensure the Divine Ark Civilization continues, that is my inescapable duty. For this duty, I must strive, I must fight. I truly do not know whether my original decision to gather a great number of intelligent beings as my subordinates and form the Divine Ark Civilization was right or wrong…”

Xiao Yu sighed quietly and once again sank into thought.

On the Space Bridge between the small universe and the main universe, the fierce war was still raging.

The situation was extremely unfavorable for Xiao Yu.

No spaceship could match the Neutron War Star. Even though the Neutron War Star could no longer use Spatial Starburst, the result was the same.

Xiao Yu had already withdrawn most of his own computing power and left the battlefield to the biological army.

Aside from the computing power required to support the combat platform and carry out scientific research, all of Xiao Yu’s remaining computing power was now fully invested in rear-area construction.

The faster Xiao Yu could build spaceships, the longer he could delay the Sweepers Civilization, and the greater the Divine Ark Civilization’s chances would be.

Because on the battlefield as it stood, Xiao Yu’s ships were essentially going to their deaths.

It was precisely because countless ships were going to their deaths that the advance of the Sweepers Civilization was barely being held back.

At this moment, on the battlefield, Yang Jianqi and Rose were serving as commanders.

Under their command, a never-ending stream of schemes and stratagems unfolded. Surprise attacks and counterattacks occurred constantly.

From this main bridge alone, at least one hundred thousand small Space Bridges spread outward like a spiderweb, extending into the rear of the Sweepers Civilization.

The Sweepers Civilization did the same, with large numbers of small Space Bridges spreading through the void.

The flames of war burned fiercely.