Light Speed ​​War

Chapter 41: Mental Indoctrination

"Commander, have I gone too far this time?" Zhou Yuan asked George.

“I think it’s great. Look, the Amarans are so friendly to us now, and they’ve cleared up the misunderstanding about the light pillar.”

"This matter is still somewhat troublesome."

"What trouble?"

"Civilization dependency, which is also called deification. They always expect me to keep solving their problems, and it will never end."

“You’re absolutely right, we have to guide them.”

"Yes."

At that moment, his adjutant Jones rushed over. "Commander, the long-range deep space tracking system has just detected a massive fleet six light-years away. They're traveling at 90% of the speed of light and heading straight for us."

"Gather resources, replenish warships and weapons, and prepare for battle."

"Yes, sir."

"Have we been discovered?" George turned to ask Zhou Yuan.

"It shouldn't be. I estimate it's that the thick beam of light that the marine life civilization launched not long ago was detected by them at a distance."

As expected, amidst the eager anticipation of the Amazonian people, Zhou Yuan once again appeared on global television broadcasts, this time against a backdrop of a deep, star-studded space.

"Greetings, dear Amarans. I know your feelings—a mixture of resentment, helplessness, and longing. Remember when I told Secretary Jess that your first probe would bring you calamity? It was absolutely true. Yesterday, God saw a massive interstellar fleet just setting sail from six light-years away from your sun, heading towards your planet." With that, the outline of a vast interstellar fleet appeared, with a large, faint, pale blue glow at its mid-tail—a concentrated manifestation of the flames from a large group of engines.

The Amarans were taken aback, and at the same time, a sense of fear inexplicably arose. They saw many tiny dots on the screen, each dot representing a warship.

"I know you're eager to know why they've come. Let me tell you clearly: this universe is dark, and civilizations are governed by the law of the jungle, where strength reigns supreme. Therefore, weaker civilizations must never expose themselves, or they will invite annihilation. Your neighbor, that marine civilization, understands this principle perfectly, which is why they've gone to great lengths to prevent you from launching probes into space, lest they reveal your location. By the time they learned of your first probe, it was already far away. Presumably, their technology wasn't advanced enough at the time, so they didn't take any action. It wasn't until 410 years later, just six days ago, that they were able to launch that massive beam of light, attempting to destroy the already departed probe. However, they never imagined that six light-years away, there exists a civilization even more powerful than themselves, a civilization that detected the beam of light at an incredible distance. They've already dispatched over six million warships, traveling at 90% of the speed of light, meaning they'll arrive here in six and a half years. You only have six and a half years left."

Six and a half years? That's practically waiting to die.

Zhou Yuan seemed to see through everyone's thoughts. "You may think that six and a half years is too short and meaningless for you. But you must know that even if the strength is vastly different, you must fight to the death. When I say 'you,' I don't just mean you Yamar, but also your neighbors, that unknown marine civilization. I hope that you, who share this planet, will cooperate and join forces to fight against the enemy. Rest assured, God will take care of you and will not ignore this matter, but God does not want you to passively and negatively deal with the disaster. Giving up on something or someone is easy, but your inner souls will tell you that weakness is not a fault, the fault is the lack of faith. It is better to die gloriously than to live meaninglessly. Now, you are not fighting for life or death, but for honor. Fight for the honor of all of you!"

"Fight for honor!" the people roared in unison, clenching their fists as if making a vow in this way.

Zhou Yuan's speech greatly inspired the Amarans. The Amaran civilization's war machine began to operate, and everyone actively engaged in production and construction. Their neighbors, the marine civilization, remained silent, and the Amarans waited anxiously.

At the Alpha Fleet base, Zhou Yuan, George, and others were also waiting anxiously; ten days had already passed.

“No, I have to go there myself.” Zhou Yuan made up his mind.

"Dean Zhou, please don't go. They might hold a grudge against you, and it would be very dangerous for you. I can't let you take that risk. I have to be responsible for you, and this is also for the sake of humanity on Earth."

“It’s alright. According to the Replication Act, if Wei Shan and I are killed, Commander, you can replicate us again.” Zhou Yuan said casually.

"OK then."

Zhou Yuan and Wei Shan arrived at the Life Replication Center, where medical staff in white coats were already waiting.

The two lay on the suspended beds. Wei Shan looked at Zhou Yuan and smiled.

Zhou Yuan was puzzled by his laughter. "What's wrong?"

"We're going to the underworld together this time."

"Hehe, with you by my side, I'm not a lonely ghost anymore."

"Big brother, don't mention ghosts or anything like that. We want to be immortals."

"Okay, let's become immortals."

The two took the pills and quickly fell into a deep sleep. The suspended bed automatically entered two quantum resonance scanning systems, and then the metal cover was closed, sealing the two inside.

The brain cells and cerebrospinal fluid of the two individuals were scanned layer by layer by quantum resonance. Information from each neuron in their brains was acquired by the machine and then transmitted to a super artificial intelligence computer. The intelligent computer reconstructed and restored this neuronal information, uploaded it, and stored it in a simulated human brain. When needed, clones of the two individuals could download their consciousness and then reverse the process to restore it, thus transforming the clones into living Zhou Yuan and Wei Shan.

"Consciousness scan and storage complete," the quantum resonance scanning system announced in a mechanical, synthesized female voice.

The lid of the quantum resonance scanning system was opened, and the two beds were automatically pushed out and returned to their original positions.

With the help of medical staff, the two took "wake-up pills," and they seemed to have just woken up from a dream, and then quickly returned to normal.

After waiting for eleven days, the Yama people received no information from the ocean civilization. Instead, Zhou Yuan reappeared on global television broadcasts.

"Dear fellow Amazons, we meet again. Like you, I am also waiting for news from your neighbors, waiting for them to join the fight against the enemy. However, they have not responded yet. I hope you can forgive them. Perhaps they have their own concerns or other thoughts, and we should also consider their feelings. Because time is precious, I have decided that Wei Shan and I will personally go to the underwater world to communicate and negotiate with them, acting as your peace messengers. If we do not appear after five days, it means something unexpected has happened. But please do not worry about us; we will be resurrected by God."

For the sake of both civilizations fighting against a common enemy, is the divine envoy really going to personally brave the sea? Just over ten days ago, the divine envoy clearly destroyed many of their warships. This time, going to the underwater world, the divine envoy is sure to meet a perilous end. The crowd silently watched the television screen, focusing on the faces of Zhou Yuan and Wei Shan, as if trying to freeze this moment on their faces. The men's eyes were moist, the women couldn't stop crying, and some people turned their heads to secretly wipe away their tears.

Zhou Yuan had become a pillar of support and reliance for the Amaran people. Soon after, portraits of Zhou Yuan began appearing in the lobbies and living rooms of various homes, and even some countries allowed government departments to display his images. Although the Amaran people knew that Zhou Yuan and Wei Shan were extraterrestrials, this did not diminish their love and respect for him.

The Zhou Yuan phenomenon has sparked widespread discussion online and in the media, with various discussions exploring the significance of civilization's existence. Although Zhou Yuan explicitly stated that the universe is dark, this extraterrestrial civilization seems to be striving to change the world through its own existence—something precisely what gods do.

It can be said that every Amaran has deeply reflected on and examined their past actions, and the healthy and positive spirit of Amaran civilization is flourishing. Drunk people are gradually drinking less, more people are giving up their seats on crowded buses, and greetings are becoming more polite and standardized. The initial hatred towards marine life, their neighbor, is slowly fading away... Truth, goodness, and beauty are gradually taking root in everyone's hearts.

At the Alpha Fleet base, George, Zhou Yuan, Wei Shan, and others are discussing plans to deploy to the underwater world.

"Dean Zhou, I think it would be better to send a large warship to accompany you. Firstly, to protect your safety, and secondly, to appropriately deter them."

"Alright. But we need to take those shark-shaped warships that were teleported to the base with us."

"it is good."

Seemingly bidding farewell to the Amazons, the global television broadcast was cut off, and Zhou Yuan and Wei Shan reappeared, this time hovering above the ocean. Everyone's hearts tightened, knowing they were about to venture deeper into the underwater world.

The two waved at the camera, seemingly saying goodbye.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we are an alien civilization, and we have grown from a weakling to where we are today. We are not gods. So, please remove my portrait. I don't want you to eat and drink in front of my portrait, or sneeze in front of my portrait. That would tarnish my image." The crowd laughed, but after the laughter came a sense of reluctance.

"See you in two days." The two waved.

Many people also waved towards the television screen.

Unlike last time, this time Zhou Yuan and Wei Shan didn't cleave through the sea. Instead, they plunged headfirst into the ocean from high above. Strangely, no waves appeared. Then the image was cut off and returned to normal. Some of the Yama people patted the television, thinking there was a signal malfunction.

A town-class sniper ship, the Rutan, carrying two people, slowly descended.

It was the first time for the two to be underwater, and they excitedly observed the underwater world through their binoculars. They saw swiftly moving swordfish, schools of barracuda, ferocious swimming sharks, squid, octopuses, sea anemones, sea urchins, jellyfish, corals, shrimp, crabs, and shellfish, as well as sea cucumbers crawling in a contracting motion. In the dark depths of the sea, there were also many shimmering "stars."

Just as the two were admiring the beautiful underwater world, the Rutan sniper ship's artificial intelligence issued an alarm: "Warning: We are being surrounded by a shark fleet in a fan shape. Enemy ships are 45 kilometers away and number 4850."