Chapter 187: Shock! Astonishment! The Eerie Civilization Upgrade System!
[Repeating once more.]
["Eywa" has been captured. Mission complete.]
[...]
When the flagship headquarters' command center transmitted the supreme directive clearly to the ground forces, everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief, breaking into a thunderous roar of excitement.
Instantly, cheers of jubilation echoed across Pandora's rainforests as human soldiers shouted and celebrated.
Meanwhile, the Na'vi natives, hiding deep in the dense jungle, trembled with fear, afraid they might inadvertently reveal themselves to these savage "sky people."
At the Spirit Tree legion, the Astartes Legion soldiers known as the "Iron Hand" maintained their usual aloof and stern demeanor, but inwardly, they were overjoyed.
No one wanted to remain mired in the quagmire of colonial warfare. A swift end to the conflict was undoubtedly the best outcome.
"Woohoo!"
Jack Wills, overwhelmed with excitement, grabbed David by the shoulder, grinning broadly. "Kid, you performed spectacularly on this mission, even better than me. Maybe the higher-ups will promote you to a team leader."
This covert operation was a resounding success, and everyone involved would receive due recognition and rewards.
As a member of the Astartes vanguard team that led the charge, David was sure to receive his fair share of accolades. Upon hearing that he might be promoted to a team leader position, David couldn't suppress his grin and eagerly nodded in excitement.
He thought about his mother, Gloria Martinez. If she learned of his victory and promotion to an officer in the company's military, she'd be over the moon!
Under the Spirit Tree, V also exhaled deeply, just like the others, upon hearing the headquarters' confirmation.
As the one responsible for interfacing with the matrix to extract "Eywa," no one bore greater pressure than he did.
Now that everything was proceeding as planned, V felt as though a massive weight had been lifted from his shoulders.
"Thank goodness... everything went smoothly," V reflected with heartfelt relief.
Meanwhile, in the near-Earth orbit, the Infinite Fleet staff broke into deafening cheers.
They embraced, bumped fists, and celebrated with unrestrained joy, releasing the emotional tension that had been building up.
This was, without question, a monumental day in human history.
However, their celebration was short-lived. Within seconds, the fleet staff returned to their posts and resumed their work.
Although the Na'vi deity "Eywa" had been captured, the post-war cleanup required equal attention and effort.
In the main command center of the starship:
"Lucy, I believe this day will go down in history!" Morgan Blackhand said, a relaxed smile on his face as he addressed Lucy, who remained cold and composed.
"This colonial war took us only three years to prepare for," Morgan continued. "Before the fleet's official departure, I thought it might drag on for at least six months."
"But to think, we ended this grandiose war in less than a month. It's truly surprising!"
As Morgan spoke, he shook his head with a wry smile. The war had ended so quickly it was almost unbelievable.
In fact, if one were to strictly calculate the duration of ground combat between the forces and the Na'vi, it hadn't even lasted a full 24 hours.
In other words, humanity spent three years preparing for an interstellar colonial war that ultimately didn't even last a single day.
It was satisfying, no doubt, but also left a strange sense of unfinished business.
He had imagined LA's forces deploying the Infinite Starship to wipe out tens of thousands of alien native creatures.
In reality, though, the total number of Na'vi killed by human soldiers was likely less than the casualties from a small skirmish between the company and rebel forces—barely a few thousand.
"Morgan, this outcome is the best for both the victor and the vanquished," Lucy responded, her tone lacking Morgan's light-heartedness. She had always anticipated the war's one-sided conclusion.
Since the outcome was predetermined, it was better to end things as quickly as possible. Prolonging the war only risked unexpected developments and the potential for humanity to be drawn into an Infinity conflict.
To Lucy, the ideal mode of war was a single decisive battle, like a duel where victory or defeat was determined in a fleeting moment of swordplay.
Li Ang 's strategy of achieving maximum results with minimal losses was undoubtedly the best choice for everyone involved.
"True, no one wants a war to drag on Infinitely," Morgan agreed, nodding in approval.
As a former soldier, he understood all too well the devastating toll war could take on human morale and willpower. More often than not, war led to losses on both sides.
While Morgan and Lucy engaged in idle conversation, Li Ang stood at the central console, deep in communication with Pandora's deity, "Eywa," through the matrix system.
In the matrix's virtual space, the surroundings remained an Infinite , featureless expanse of white—no up or down, no left or right. It was an unadorned void.
At this moment, Li Ang faced Pandora's consciousness entity, "Eywa," as if he were an omnipotent god.
However, Li Ang did not adopt the arrogant posture of a victor. Instead, he maintained a calm and respectful demeanor, engaging in peaceful dialogue with Eywa.
Under the matrix's visualization effects, Eywa resembled a stripped tree, leaving only its rough roots and intricate network of delicate branches.
Earlier, this collective consciousness entity, formed from all the life on Pandora, had revealed many hidden secrets of the planet to Li Ang .
As Li Ang had suspected, "Eywa" was indeed a naturally formed planetary consciousness unique to Pandora.
It wasn't a tool created by some advanced alien civilization for colonizing Pandora.
This revelation was exactly what Li Ang had hoped for.
After all, he wasn't interested in facing a second-stage boss akin to those found in hardcore games. Unless, of course, it would reward him with a bounty of alien loot!
"Symbiotic relationship..." Li Ang mused.
Through Eywa's narrative, Li Ang learned that Pandora wasn't entirely under Eywa's control. In other words, Pandora wasn't a puppet planet.
The relationship between Pandora and Eywa was one of mutual symbiosis. They were an inseparable community of shared interests.
Through entities like the "Tree of Souls," animals, plants, and the intelligent Na'vi species, Pandora and Eywa had formed a sustainable collective consciousness network.
Eywa relied on this network of awareness and evolution to become the deity of Pandora. It was nearly omniscient and omnipotent, capable of manipulating the consciousness of all living beings on the planet.
Even when facing alien colonizers, Eywa could employ mind control and assimilate them into its network.
In essence, Eywa was Pandora's most fearsome "fangs and claws."
Any alien invader foolish enough to underestimate or disregard Eywa would meet their demise, ultimately becoming nourishment for Pandora's soil.
Eywa existed to protect Pandora from external interference.
But this conclusion seemed almost... too straightforward. Li Ang couldn't shake the feeling that something was amiss, though he couldn't pinpoint exactly what.
"So, your abilities are limited to controlling the consciousness of living beings on this planet. You can't trigger natural disasters like earthquakes or fissures?" Li Ang asked Eywa, probing for more information.
[Correct. I am an independent entity from Pandora itself. While I can control the consciousness of all living beings on this planet, I cannot alter its natural properties or laws.]
[In truth, everything I do is to ensure that Pandora can continue to thrive. Even if not forever, one more day is still worth fighting for. That is the purpose of my existence.]
Eywa's voice was ethereal, like the chirping of birds in a forest.
Even when trapped in this mysterious space by Li Ang , Eywa remained fearless, maintaining her composed and elegant demeanor.
Having witnessed the birth and death of countless beings, Eywa was long accustomed to the taste of life and death.
Even if the next moment brought her destruction by the terrifying matrix, reduced to a mere energy source, Eywa would feel no fear.
She believed in the natural cycle of life and death, understanding that all things would inevitably meet their end.
This time, it was simply her turn.
To Eywa, the prospect of "death" did not seem surprising or shocking in any way.
A powerful alien civilization, wielding a technology like the matrix capable of devastating dimensional reduction, had conquered Pandora's macro-conscious entity.
This alone demonstrated that the person before her had the ability to harness all of Pandora's resources.
As Pandora's guardian, Eywa could accept her fate without regret.
After listening to Eywa's confession, Li Ang nodded thoughtfully.
It seemed that Morgan Blackhand's earlier speculations were far too exaggerated.
Ideas like tectonic plates cracking open to release microbial viruses were utterly absurd.
This wasn't the madness of the Cthulhu mythos' "Mountains of Madness." Where would such viruses or microbes come from?
"If I take you away, will Pandora create another Eywa?" Li Ang asked.
Thus far, their dialogue had gone smoother than expected. Both were open and candid.
There were no lies, no deceit—only the sparks of intellectual exchange between two civilizations.
Perhaps because higher lifeforms are less governed by biological instincts, Eywa maintained a calm demeanor when responding to Li Ang 's questions.
Their conversation resembled a discussion between old friends, devoid of winners or losers, just two pure entities exchanging thoughts.
"It will."
Faced with Li Ang 's sincere question, Eywa openly revealed the truth.
"Pandora adheres to its unique natural laws. Unless your civilization reshapes its essence and alters its natural attributes, another Eywa will eventually emerge through the Tree of Souls."
"It would take thousands of years for a new Eywa to regenerate, but it would undoubtedly return to this planet."
Li Ang sensed Eywa's deep confidence in Pandora's natural resilience.
She did not believe humanity's technology could fundamentally reshape an entire planet.
But ironically, humanity's most advanced technology—"Ideal City" construction—was precisely designed to reshape planetary attributes.
Li Ang could easily hollow out Pandora, transforming it into an Earth-like "Ideal City."
However, such an action would strip Pandora of its strategic resource value, conflicting with Li Ang 's core interests.
"What if I uproot every Tree of Souls on Pandora? Would another planetary consciousness like Eywa emerge?"
Li Ang kept his tone steady, avoiding the sinister cackles of a stereotypical villain.
"It will."
"Every lifeform on Pandora stems from its natural essence. Unless you completely alter this essence—from hollowing out Pandora's core to transforming its soil—Eywa will regenerate."
"But such an endeavor would cost far more resources than you could ever gain. I doubt your civilization would undertake such a loss."
In responding, Eywa even considered humanity's perspective, offering advice.
Li Ang learned more about Pandora's enduring state over the millennia.
Pandora, rich in resources, differed from other resource planets.
Other planets required conquest of native civilizations or outright battles against advanced civilizations to claim resources.
Pandora, however, had a rebellious nature. Its planetary consciousness interfered with colonizers, rallying its lifeforms to repel invaders.
Even after being subdued, Eywa would assimilate the consciousness of invaders, turning them against their own kind.
"Good thing I upgraded the matrix. Otherwise, I'd have been the one stabbed in the back by Pandora!"
Li Ang shuddered at the thought.
From withering Trees of Souls to the eventual regeneration of Eywa, Pandora was an Infinity cycle of defiance.
No wonder Pandora's ecosystem remained harmonious despite its primitive Na'vi civilization.
It turned out Pandora's natural and divine essence, embodied by Eywa, held far more power than initially understood.
RDA Energy Corporation's failure was unsurprising—they faced a truly formidable foe.
"I didn't expect Pandora's depths to be so profound. No wonder its native Na'vi have remained unconquered through the ages."
At this moment, Li Ang felt fortunate for his caution and diligence. Without them, he'd have fallen into Pandora's countless traps.
If he had merely extracted Eywa's energy using the matrix while leaving human colonizers behind, a new Eywa would eventually reclaim control.
After hearing Li Ang 's comment, Eywa uncharacteristically withheld her response, seemingly concealing something.
"Eywa, if human civilization hadn't invaded, what would your evolutionary endpoint look like?"
Before exiting the matrix to resume command of ground operations, Li Ang posed a lingering question.
No civilization could indefinitely rely on its homeworld for survival. Without interstellar expansion, both the lifeforms and the planet itself would decline and perish.
Yet Pandora's isolationist nature, bolstered by Eywa's omnipotent consciousness, kept it confined to its own world.
This contradiction puzzled Li Ang .
He doubted Eywa was oblivious to this reality.
Faced with his inquiry, Eywa paused for half a minute before reluctantly revealing a shocking truth.
"Our evolutionary endpoint is akin to yours: leaving our homeworld to colonize the stars."
"But we won't develop our own technology. Instead, we'll leverage the knowledge of other civilizations to explore the cosmos."
"Any alien civilization that lingers too long on Pandora eventually has its consciousness assimilated by me."
"I extract their knowledge, mastering their technology and culture."
"When I've gathered enough to support the Na'vi's departure, our interstellar age will begin."
Li Ang 's expression grew complicated as Eywa concluded her explanation. Most of all, he felt stunned and enlightened.
So this was Pandora's ultimate secret!
Eywa never intended to advance her civilization independently. By keeping the Na'vi primitive, she ensured they remained unthreatening.
This attracted advanced civilizations, luring them into colonization attempts.
Once ensnared, Eywa revealed her true nature, extracting their knowledge for her evolutionary leap.
Using foreign civilizations' technology to empower her own—this was the epitome of deception.
Li Ang immediately used the matrix to delve into Eywa's database, uncovering evidence of alien technological knowledge.
The findings confirmed her claims. She was indeed advancing Pandora's evolution through this method.
"Unbelievable..."
Li Ang was stunned. Though this alien technology was useless to LA Corporation, Eywa was on the brink of enabling the Na'vi's cosmic ascent.
Eywa would transmit this knowledge through the Tree of Souls, instantly transforming the Na'vi from primitive archers to spacefaring conquerors.
As their divine figure, Eywa would control their consciousness, initiating Pandora's interstellar age.
This chilling evolutionary strategy left Li Ang both awed and uneasy.
Had Eywa absorbed LA Corporation's scientists' knowledge, she might have replicated Li Ang 's flagship.
Li Ang felt a sense of relief at having identified this hidden danger. By acting cautiously, he had averted a catastrophe for his empire.
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