I'm Not a Flame-Chaser - Chapter 230

After listening to the woman's description, Lin confidently shared the information he knew. "It is now generally believed that Honkai is a civilization screening mechanism. Only by surviving Honkai can a civilization be considered to have left its childhood behind."

"Childhood?" The woman was puzzled by the word. The disaster that almost wiped out humanity was described by Lin as something as ordinary as a natural phenomenon, and it was just the childhood of civilization.

"What kind of look is that?" Lin asked in bewilderment. "Do you think that Honkai is a terrifying disaster unique to your Earth? Ordinary Honkai can at most destroy civilizations. Any one of the High Council military and political officials on my Third Earth could wash the surface of the earth, not to mention that a ship's main gun can evaporate a star system with a single charged shot."

"... Are you some kind of battle race from a comic book?" Lin's words sounded like pure, fabricated fantasy to the woman. Surface cleansing? Evaporating a galaxy?

"It's just one of the most common civilizations in the universe." Lin shook his finger. "Anyway, I can help you get through the Honkai. There are two solutions: survival or departure. It depends on which one you need... or rather, which one you can accept."

The woman held her breath, waiting for Lin to continue. She had thought that humanity had reached its end, but unexpectedly, a turning point had arrived.

"The first type."

Lin's voice suddenly turned cold, as if he had lowered his temperature to the extreme cold of the universe that could freeze living beings into ice sculptures. He narrated indifferently, "I will select qualified humans and let you hide in the facilities I have built. You will survive the baptism of Honkai on the planet, and I will provide you with appropriate technological assistance. Within a hundred years, you can reach a level of civilization that can defeat Honkai."

"Of course, I will be the one to select what constitutes a 'qualified' human being, and the remaining people will be chosen to undergo this baptism on behalf of all humanity."

"Wait a moment!"

The black-haired woman interrupted Lin loudly before he could finish speaking, and Lin's eyes seemed to say, "What do you want?" His matter-of-fact manner sent chills down the black-haired woman's spine.

"Why only a portion of the people? Can't you just..."

"I'm not a generous benefactor. I said from the beginning that I'm helping you get through the Honkai, not making everyone survive." Lin interrupted her, staring into her hesitant eyes, and continued, "The second option is to transform all of humanity into a collection of consciousnesses that don't need bodies. Similar biological civilizations exist in the universe, so I think it won't be difficult to do this, and then I'll take you away from Earth."

"At that time, you will no longer be 'human,' but new beings, and no longer distinct individuals."

To put it bluntly... you've become the same person.

"To stay or to leave, the choice is yours."

"Note that it is 'you', the leader of humanity."

May Day Special: Cosmic Drifting Adventure Part 3

The galaxy is so vast that even after seven hundred Cosmic Era of expansion by the Interstellar Alliance, its end is still far out in sight. To confine one's vision to a single planet or a single race is undoubtedly a narrow-minded and foolish act.

Lin casually tossed the mud he had picked up into a container. He wanted to collect the minerals from this Earth for geological research. This Earth had already captured his attention enough. Although he had said that it was normal for similar planets to exist in the universe, he had actually lied.

That theory of information projection is inaccurate. To be frank, it was just the nonsense of some academic fraudster that he heard on the news of the Interstellar Alliance when he was bored. That person is now being used as material for parodies on various websites.

But when a person is strong enough, even a sneeze can cause the earth to collapse. This saying is more appropriate when applied to civilizations. Even if he told these humans the same thing that the liar said, after witnessing things that are beyond the realm of reason, they would have no choice but to believe what Lin said.

"As expected... no matter how you look at it, this Earth is highly similar to the recorded home planet."

Lin surveyed his surroundings, his mutterings unheard by anyone.

Based on his observations over the past few days, this Earth is highly similar to the Earth from which his ancestors originated, both in terms of environment and culture. The language and grammar are also almost identical, except that humans modified a small part of the grammar after leaving Earth to adapt to travel with other civilizations in the universe.

The similarity was truly bizarre, and he had been sending distress signals to the Interstellar Alliance for the past few days, but all his messages had gone unanswered. He even suspected that it wasn't a signal problem, but rather that the long-distance communication company had been bombed.

Most importantly... his ancestral Earth also experienced Honkai.

After defeating the Honkai, his ancestors possessed the technological level necessary to venture into the universe, and thus officially took their first step towards the vast galaxy.

The striking similarities inevitably aroused his suspicions.

"Let's leave once she makes her decision." Lin wiped the dirt off her hands, sighed, and walked back the way she came. "When you have time, ask the teacher to come and take a look at this planet..."

In fact, it would be very simple for Lin to resolve the Honkai on this planet. The Honkai only changes and evolves according to the technological level of a civilization. Judging from the reports from various planets, even the Honkai with the highest technological level before leaving the planet was only a planet-level disaster.

But Lin didn't want to directly help the people of this planet. He was not related to them and could only pass by them. At most, he had only a meal with them. Civilizations are born and die every moment in the universe. How could the survival of a small Earth hold him back?

However, he also had his own considerations.

"Have you thought it through? My time is limited."

Lin strolled leisurely into the shelter and immediately spotted the black-haired woman standing at the entrance.

Along the way, Lin encountered many Honkai creature. This was the first time he had seen the Honkai of civilization up close. However, their structure ultimately disappointed him. They were not surprising creatures, but just normal species that were still confined to a certain form.

However, this can be considered a kind of growth in knowledge, and Lin will surely see even more during his journey through the universe.

He liked the black-haired woman's eyes from the moment they met; they were resolute yet kind. Only someone like that could lead humanity to live on a planet rife with disasters.

Therefore, it's not surprising that someone with such eyes would make certain choices.

"... Humans will not accept any help from you. You can leave now."

Lin whistled and said flippantly, "I knew it..."

Should he praise the black-haired woman for not abandoning any human principle? No, no, no, Lin Ke doesn't have that kind of lofty morality. One is one, two is two. He won't be surprised no matter what choice the woman makes; he will only do what he says he will do.

"We will overcome the Honkai ourselves and rebuild our homes in this wasteland." The black-haired woman seemed to have come only to explain her choice to Lin. After speaking, she turned around and prepared to return to the shelter.

Lin stretched and began calling his spaceship, then smirked at the woman and said, "Even if you're going to perish next?"

"Even if we perish, it has nothing to do with you, an alien." The woman's tone was unwavering; she was a born leader. "What I want to protect is humanity, not anything else."

Whether they are left to eke out a living or transformed into something else, they are no longer human.

Just like Lin, who looks exactly like a human, but thousands of years after his ancestors stepped into the universe, they had become a different kind of cosmic creature.

"Do you think I'm heartless? Are all extraterrestrial beings so cold-blooded?" Lin stared meaningfully at the woman who had stopped, as if he could see through her thoughts. "Both of the solutions I've given you are effective methods to defeat the Honkai, methods that have been proven on other planets."

Lin didn't lie this time. These two plans were methods used by the two races before leaving their home planet. However, what he didn't say was that he alone could stay on Earth and clean up the Honkai. For him, it was just a piece of cake, an insignificant pause in his long life.

"That's why I said, that's the way other races do it, I'm going to win using the way humans do it."

"How do we win? Do we have a plan?"

"..."

"Isn't this just suicide?" Lin chuckled sarcastically as the spaceship flew over them and landed silently behind them. "Acting rashly without a plan is just foolish."

"By the way, when you say 'human,' you only mean yourself, right? Putting aside the modification plan, I think quite a few people would support the shelter plan."

"Is what you want to do to divide humanity?"

"I have no interest in the infighting among you inferior races that have less than a million left; this is just a friendly reminder."

He is not so merciful as to save an entire race from disaster. The rise and fall of civilizations are the laws of the universe. At most, he can only offer some proven solutions.

But if given the chance, Lin would still return here to observe their fate whenever he remembered during his travels.

For someone whose lifespan is nearly infinite, it was merely a brief respite from a nap.

Lin said nothing, boarded the spaceship, and flew into space without glancing at the crumbling shelter again.

May Day Special: Cosmic Drifting Adventure Part 4

Time flies. Fifty Cosmic Year have passed since Lin left the Third Earth. After the life support device was repaired, it has not malfunctioned again. Lin has also traveled countless light-years in the universe with ease.

As for that strange Earth, he had long forgotten about it after reporting its coordinates to the Interstellar Alliance; the bizarre and wonderful journey through the universe had stolen all his attention.

Unbeknownst to many, a human from Third Earth had gained some fame in the universe. The Interstellar Alliance began to commission him to do things, and as long as the price was right and it was on his way, he didn't mind maintaining cosmic peace.

Today is no exception.

"Quantum Disturbance?"

Upon hearing this troublesome name, Lin instantly went from lying down to sitting up.

Quantum Disturbance is actually an abbreviation, but because the full name is too long, this abbreviation is mostly used to refer to it.

Quantum Disturbance is one of the mysterious phenomena in the universe. There are so many unsolved mysteries in the universe, and the origins of most of them are still unclear. Quantum Disturbance is one of them.

The term "quantum" merely echoes the saying "when in doubt, consult quantum mechanics," treating it as related to the quantum mechanics of the universe. Its exact nature remains to be discussed, but it is mainly characterized by a "chaotic spacetime interweaving."

You can encounter almost anything; in a sense, it's a time machine that can travel through time and space.

The long-distance communication from the Interstellar Alliance continued, "Yes, we hope you can investigate the Quantum Disturbance region. In-depth investigation is not required; just conduct an observation from the periphery and send us a report. The reward will be high."

"...All right."

Lin accepted the task.

The reward is calculated based on the high amount. If it were really just an investigation, it would be impossible to get such a high reward. People who know Lin know that he only does what he is paid for. The fact that he can give so much means that the Quantum Disturbance phenomenon there may not be so simple.

But Lin still decided to go and see, not because of the reward, but because he was interested in everything, especially this rare cosmic phenomenon.

So he headed toward the coordinates.

"This area..."

Lin arrived at this calm and peaceful dark domain and did not find any so-called Quantum Disturbance phenomenon. However, in reality, Quantum Disturbance does not have a prominent manifestation. Only specialized detectors can detect fluctuations in spacetime folding.

But situations where there's absolutely nothing to observe are truly rare...

"Hmm? What's that?"

At that moment, Lin saw a planet that caught his attention.

Compared to the many lifeless gas giants, that planet was dazzling and beautiful, its vast expanse of azure blue resembling a sparkling gem.

"Strange... How could such a habitable planet exist in this area... No, wait." Lin realized halfway through his sentence that since it was impossible for a planet with such an ecological environment to exist in this area, it meant that the main body of the Quantum Disturbance phenomenon was this Water Star.

Lin was about to reply to the Interstellar Alliance when he discovered that his communications had been cut off.

This sudden communication interruption instantly reminded Lin of something that happened half a Cosmic Era ago.

As memories were unearthed, the appearance of this Water Star before them became increasingly familiar.

"Phew... It's been fifty years since I last came here, and the air is still so fresh."

Lin stepped off the spaceship and stood on the abandoned rooftop, as if he had returned to the moment fifty years ago when he stood on this planet.

The spacetime travel phenomenon caused by Quantum Disturbance makes it difficult to determine the range of travel; he can only estimate the time on Earth by looking at the buildings and plants under his feet.

This desolation... it seems to have occurred after he left.

Lin found the coordinates of the shelter and flew towards it in his spaceship.

Along the way, he saw all things thriving after the apocalypse, but he didn't see any humans, not even Honkai Beast. It seemed that humanity on Earth had been completely wiped out by the Honkai.

Following the path of memory, I arrived at the entrance of the shelter. Its dilapidated state and the towering Giant Tree that had grown there indicated that the place had long been abandoned.

Did that woman lead humanity in the fight against the Honkai to the very end...?

"...Um?"

Just as Lin was feeling sentimental, the life detector detected a humanoid creature. He rubbed his eyes in confusion to make sure he wasn't seeing things, and then looked at the shelter in front of him.

Are there still humans here?

He then noticed that although the shelter looked dilapidated, it was very dusty.

Human survivors?

Lin raised an eyebrow, pushed open the door, and the lush greenery before him made him hold his breath.

The once filthy and weapon-filled cramped space is now teeming with brightly colored plants, which thrive in the sunlight filtering through the cracks in the ground.

"Who... is it?"

An old voice made Lin shift his gaze from the plants to the person standing to the side with their back bent.

Lin hadn't seen such a phenomenon as gray hair and wrinkled skin in a long time, but that didn't stop him from recognizing the old man.

It was an old woman carrying a watering can. She wore a pair of gray glasses and stared blankly at Lin as he walked in, then trembled as if struck by lightning.

"Hello, sir."

Although Lin may not be younger than her, that does not prevent him from being humble in his physical appearance.

"Alien?"

Lin was stunned.

"You... you are that woman?"

A certain sensitive intuition made Lin instantly recognize that this was the black-haired woman who had led humanity in the fight against the Honkai.

"It's me..." The old woman nodded slowly, revealing a kind smile.

She looked nothing like the icy woman she once was; her sharp eyes had vanished completely, and now she seemed like just an elderly woman.

"This is truly an unexpected reunion." Lin looked her up and down, but couldn't match the woman in his memory. "How long has it been since I left?"