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Age of Cosmic Exploration (Web Novel) - Chapter 335 - Appearance of the Demon Race!
Chapter 335: Appearance of the Demon Race!
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
The cosmos is millennia old, and there have always been the legends of three greatest threats in space. The third was AI. Low-level AI, middle-level AI, and high-level AI were respectively low-tier space civilizations (level 1 to 3), middle-tier space civilizations (level 4 to 6) and high-tier space civilizations (level 7 to 9). Since there was no need for soul balance or exhaustion, AI civilizations were usually unimaginably huge. The AI would swallow one galaxy after another to convert the materials and energy into its resources. Therefore, AI civilizations would always be a threat, even to space civilizations of similar levels. Only space civilizations that were one level higher than the AI would be able to squash the AI civilization completely. Normally, the only choice was to run. However, there was a fatal flaw to the AI civilizations, and that was their lack of soul. Due to the lack of soul, there would not be improvement in science. A level 3 AI civilization, without encountering some miraculous events, would still be a level 3 AI civilization even after one billion years. Eventually, it would stumble across a civilization more powerful than it and get promptly destroyed!
There was another legend that stated that AI civilizations could only manage to become level 9 space civilizations at most. They could never become a godlike-tier civilization!
The second threat was the zerg civilization… Actually, they could hardly be called a civilization, because among the entire zerg civilization, there was only one being with sentience, and that was the so-called mother nest.
The difference between the zerg and AI was hard to tell. One thing to note was that out of all of the zerg colonies in the cosmos, it was guaranteed there would be no colony that had similar DNA. In other words, even though they were all called the zerg race, each zerg colony was its own isolated existence. They had the same properties of endless consumption, which lumped them together as the zerg race.
Indeed, the zerg race travelled through space evolving and improving through consumption of all living DNA. The mother nest contained soul, so it could manipulate its own DNA. Therefore, the zerg race could engulf a whole planet to drain its minerals and energy. If it was a life-preserving planet, the zerg race would even end up with a wealth of DNA samples, improving its own race’s power.
If that was everything the zerg did, then possibly any level 2 space civilization could demolish them. However, the scariest thing about the zerg race was that they were capable of consuming technology!
Yes, the zerg could consume anything, and if those things were technological products, then the zerg race could even use its own flesh to simulate these products. This was why the zerg race was so scary! Think about it, if the zerg race consumed H-bombs and then used that to create H-bomb flies… Based on the zerg race’s productivity, the sky would be filled with H-bomb flies in just hours… if the opposing race could not handle H-bomb power, then what would happen to them?
Therefore, the zerg race with great numbers, super productivity and mobility, and insatiable hunger was scarier than AI civilizations. The ability to manipulate technology edged them one ladder higher than AI. There were also rumours stating that the zerg race could never become a godlike-tier space civilization…
Next would be legends about the demon race…
Legends about the demon race were understandably fewer in number than ones about AI and the zerg. This was because no known civilization could provide any real detailed information about the demon race. Therefore, this greediest race in the cosmos was stuff of make believe for many.
Of course, Guang Zhen knew everything that Blue 6 had told Yao Yuan about the demon race, but when he saw the things before him for himself, he truly understood what the demon race was…
When the three boarding ships landed on the surface, the first thing everyone saw was the innumerable green meat blobs. Of course, these were what the Black Star Troopers saw. The normal human being, Guang Zhen, saw something completely different.
In his eyes, the world was as miraculous as his dream. The scenery was shifting every other minute; one moment it was the battlefields that he was familiar with, another second it was dates he used to have with his girlfriends, then it would change to his battles side by side with the Black Star Unit…
These memories from the past brought tears to Guang Zhen’s eyes. However, he was a real warrior, one who had survived hundreds of battles, so it only took him several seconds to decide on biting on his tongue in order to pull himself out of the illusion. Then he saw what the others were seeing.
"You saw that?" Guang Zhen was solemn. He looked at the 150 plus Black Star Troopers behind and whispered at Xiao Niao beside him.
Xiao Niao was startled and replied curiously, "Saw what? You’re talking about these green blobs? Yes, we definitely see those, but it sounds like you’re not referring to them… so why? Did you see something different from what we see?"
Guang Zhen gazed into the distance and said, "I… I seemed to be in a dream. It is hard to describe. It was a weird feeling. I seemed to hear a voice calling me deeper into the dream, into happiness. To put it simply… I felt seduced!"
Xiao Niao’s gaze suddenly sharpened when he heard Guang Zhen say those words. He looked at the green blobs around him and replied, "That’s weird because I did not see those things. Why is that?" Then Xiao Niao asked several Black Star Troopers, including Zhang Heng, and none of them said they had the same experience as Guang Zhen. Zhang Heng added that the planet was extremely dangerous, but the danger was not imminent enough to warrant retreat.
"Looks like the problem is yours alone…" Xiao Niao kept thinking, and he said to no one in particular, "Now that I think about it, the biggest difference between you and the rest of us is you are not a Homo Evolutis… I think I got it. Perhaps there is some unique circumstance here that only affects the mental state of non-Homo Evolutis."
Guang Zhen patted his own space armor and said, "This armor is completely sealed, it is like a spacesuit. I have no contact with the outside world. Let’s say the virus or air of this planet can induce hallucinations, but how would it affect me?"
Xiao Niao shrugged and said, "Perhaps hypnosis… Physical contact isn't necessary to cause hallucinations. In any case, you have to be careful because you’re our leader. If you fall, this mission will fail… If not, why don’t you call Yao Yuan and have him switch positions with you?"
Guang Zhen smacked his chest and the metallic clang of the armor rang like bells. At the same time, he pulled out his Gaussian gun and sawblade to say, "That is easier said than done. Every minute here is dangerous. How long you think it will take for me to swap places with Yao Yuan? Furthermore, who do you think I am? I am not that weak…"
Here, Guang Zhen’s eyes turned deeper and he looked into the distance again. "These scary dreams seem… to start changing. I now see many creepy monsters. The friends and memories from before have changed into monsters. They were rushing towards those green meat blobs, but… they seemed to be extremely afraid of them. One of them dared to approach us, but it melted into nothingness like it was splashed with a bath of acid…"
When Guang Zhen said that, the green blobs around them started to change. Many meat blobs had their colors changed and were morphing into other strange shapes…
At the same time, within the underground tunnel, Yun Si’s party was completely cornered. At the front of the tunnel entrance was a large number of controlled humans and schools of alien octopuses. Even though they did not come armed with high-tech weapons, their numbers were endless. If not for the advantage of the tunnel, this small group of humans would have been swarmed by now.
Alas, at that crucial moment, there was a report of problems coming from deeper in the tunnel. There was rumor of monsters among the human group.
"F*ck, the exit has already been sealed off and blocked! Where will the monsters come from? Do you believe I won't kill you with a shot right now? The entrance is already breaking and you come to me with this nonsense report from the back? Do you really wish for death?"
One of the mysterious vice captains roared angrily. He gripped the soldier’s cuff with his eyes blazing, and his gun was pointed at this soldier’s forehead.
The soldier was innocent, and he could not really give an explanation. Honestly, it was impossible for such a thing to happen, but he really did receive such a report. How else was he going to explain the accidents happening among the civilians? Self-inflicted damage?
Yun Si, the Diviner, stepped in to calm the captain. He looked down the deep tunnel with cold eyes and said, "Calm down. From that side… I really do sense danger, and look closely, that person right there… does he look like a human being to you?"
