Chapter 284: Abandonment and Awakening

"Are we unable to defeat the Olive Branch civilization?" Yan Xia asked.

The gap in strength could not be bridged in a short time; the war had already begun, and everything now felt like a futile struggle.

Everything that happened before now seemed like mere imagination.

Life has an instinct to seek hope, and since life itself can only view the world from its own perspective, it often tends to be self-centered. Only when faced with real problems can one realize their own insignificance.

Dealing with the Olive Branch civilization had been ongoing for so long that the Federation had too many troubles to handle, leading to a lack of deeper exploration into the Olive Branch civilization. Now, it was too late.

"Perhaps!"

"Yan Xia, we can abandon the Federation."

"A planet-class giant ship can fully carry everything from the current Federation, and then we can spend thousands of years far away, rebuilding just like we did before establishing the Federation."

Ella might have already had thoughts of retreat.

Its computing power was already very strong, but it still couldn't find a suitable method to defeat the Olive Branch civilization.

After all, it was just an artificial intelligence; perhaps at Level 1, it could solve weaker opponents through computational power, but after Level 2, the terrifying gap in strength and foundation must rely on something else: time.

Without time, everything is mere talk.

Ella could generate countless plans, but these plans required time for implementation. Nothing in this world could escape time; perhaps even time itself was like this.

"Is that really so?"

"Who can guarantee that we can find a stable sanctuary?"

"When we are small, our range of activities is limited; it's hard for us to encounter other civilizations, just like on Earth."

"But when we grow stronger, our range of activities becomes vast—tens of light-years, thousands of light-years. Such terrifying distances mean that even if we don't seek out other civilizations, they will notice us."

"Fleeing is merely a sign of a defeated family; what does 'as long as there are green mountains, one need not worry about firewood' mean in the vastness of space with our near-immortal lifespans?"

"If the existence of civilization is merely for survival, I would rather choose death right now."

"Ella, do you see? Countless citizens still choose to stay; many may be passive, yet there are still active ones. Why do you think they stay?"

Faced with Yan Xia's inquiry, Ella couldn't answer.

It could simulate and analyze or use answers from its database, but it didn't do so. When its mainframe started running and it didn't think of an answer immediately, it realized it couldn't answer! Thus, any subsequent answers wouldn't belong to it.

So it simply shook its head.

"Because the most important thing supporting life is not lifespan, not time, not possessions or events; it's the inner feelings of life towards the outside world."

"This is what makes life precious. If this is lost, then no matter how long one lives, everything becomes meaningless. This is why so many soldiers are willing to die for the Federation."

"I didn't understand this before, but as the war progressed, I increasingly understood what I wanted."

"Ella, I'm sorry; I'm afraid I'll make a decision you cannot accept…"

Yan Xia expressed his apologies to Ella.

He didn't remember if it was his first time apologizing to Ella; even if it was the first time, he felt very heavy-hearted. He didn't want civilization and the Federation to perish like this, yet he couldn't see a way forward—just like all citizens of the Federation.

"If only there were time."

At this point in the year 60545 AD, if he remembered correctly, he had left the Federation for Star City in 8691 AD—a span too long that just thinking about it sent shivers down his spine.

Had Yan Xia lived enough?

To be honest, he felt he had lived enough.

If he were to die now, he would have no regrets.

However, he still had attachments; sometimes he felt he was too greedy—having lived nearly 60 thousand years yet still unwilling to face death.

"The Federation still lacks another 50 thousand years."

Where could one find these 50 thousand years?

Nowhere!

Ella didn't understand why Yan Xia apologized; it wanted to ask him but didn't get that chance.

"Let me contact Chu."

"It's not difficult to extract its consciousness from Independent Glory."

Once this was said, Ella began to suspect something.

"Yan Xia, don't act rashly; there might still be a chance! My upgrade is almost complete; P=NP. This technology allows us not to wait 50 thousand years but only 10 thousand years."

Yan Xia shook his head: "We don't have ten thousand years left."

"Or rather life doesn't have ten thousand years left."

"Ella, for you, you might have ten thousand years. But for life itself, ten thousand years is truly too long. When families feel death approaching, civilization won't continue progressing; instead, it will collapse instantly—from 2.3 to 2.2 to 2.1—even down to 2.0—everything returns to its original state."

Had Yan Xia collapsed?

Though reluctant to admit it, everyone clearly understood the answer.

Yan Xia was life itself; he bore more pressure than any other life in the Federation. Even if he had a strong heart, he was powerless against this mountain of burdens.

The destruction blooming from the Olive Branch civilization was the last straw that broke the camel's back.

...

The information reached An Li at the end of the Silk Road.

She found it hard to believe what she received; her letter should have been received already yet high-ranking officials in the Federation made such decisions nonetheless.

She didn't know what had happened on the Federation side; if she did know, she would surely understand that there were actually no options left for them now.

This was an order she couldn't defy.

So she boarded the Red Dragon ship to pursue Independent Tower.

After catching up with them, she attempted to awaken Independent Glory—it wasn't difficult.

Independent Glory awakened; its chaotic stream of consciousness instantly shook the surrounding space—of course, this was merely a vibration within life consciousness and not an actual disturbance in spacetime.

An Li's face turned pale: "Surviving lives from Star City need to have a conversation with your manager Chu."

Chu's consciousness appeared and looked at An Li.

"Is it you who wants to talk with me?"

An Li shook her head: "It's our high-ranking officials in the Federation; quick communication equipment has already been sent over. You can use it to talk with our high-ranking officials."

She didn't know who among those high-ranking officials wanted to speak with Chu—that wasn't something she should know.

Chu understood this intent; Star City had been destroyed and needed reconstruction—the Federation would become an ally in this effort.

It should be so…