Arknights, but Terra is Farmed Chapter 25

But the thing in his hand was just a laser pointer, wasn't it?

Did it really have that much total energy?

Wasn't this like discussing toxicity without considering dosage?

But as Chen Ran thought that, he subconsciously turned his head and looked at the planet model, only one centimeter in diameter, and the humans within it, who were probably only 1.3 nanometers tall at this scale...

"I have a feeling that saying 'discussing toxicity without considering dosage' can work the other way around too."

After thinking it over, Chen Ran decided not to dwell on it any longer.

Because on that Terra (Sea Creatures route) planet model, when he reached inside and played with the living mud—

Afterward, when that mud could actually speak and chased the survivors all over the map, science seemed incapable of explaining it anymore.

"Forget it. Let me see if there's anything else I can use instead of this laser pointer."

The reason Chen Ran did not choose to send down another so-called Holy Sword like Savior Cat had was because the more he thought about it, the stranger it felt.

A beam of light rose, and then he appeared?

Wasn't that exactly like shining a spotlight with a bat symbol and then having Batman show up?

That symbolism was not good.

But just as Chen Ran was pondering alone what he could use as a replacement—

"Lord God..."

Amiya, that Demon King Rabbit, gently floated to Chen Ran's side. When he heard her and subconsciously turned to look—

"I've decided." Amiya said, "I agree with your proposal, Lord God. Let... those people of Terra make their own choice."

"Oh?" Chen Ran looked slightly surprised. "Why are you being so decisive this time, little rabbit? Yesterday, you were still hesitating over it for half the day."

Amiya: "... ..."

Amiya really wanted to say that she had no choice but to be decisive.

She had kept wavering because she still did not want to give up. She had always believed there was still a way to save the world, hoping those people of Terra could come to their senses and make the right choice themselves.

But when this Lord God had casually pressed the laser pointer just now and nearly caused a third mass extinction—

Amiya realized she had been wrong.

Was what mattered now whether those people of Terra could turn back from their misguided ways? No. What mattered now was how much patience this Lord God still had.

The safest thing was not to catch this Lord God's attention.

And once this Lord God cast even a glance their way, the opinions of those people of Terra would no longer matter at all.

Even Amiya knew the saying that things should never go beyond three times. Lord God had asked her once last night, and now he had asked her again.

If Amiya still did not make a choice now, was she supposed to wait for Lord God to ask a third time?

So—

"Because I think you're right, Lord God." Amiya said softly. "Whether it is peace or war... that is their own choice. I should respect their wishes."

"Exactly. Since they're already like that, why not indulge them a little?"

Chen Ran smiled and turned toward the planet model wrapped in Originium.

Holding a laser pointer in one hand, Chen Ran glanced at Amiya and said, "Shall we begin?"

"Mm..." Amiya nodded.

... ...

Time began to flow once more.

Like a hard eggshell, the Originium that had originally encased the entire planet shattered completely at that moment.

Like black snow falling, it drifted down in waves as the planet resumed its rotation.

Inside the planet, all living things that had likewise been covered and wrapped in Originium, turned into lumps of stone, awakened as the Originium cracked apart.

Plants shook their leaves, basking in the sunlight.

Birds and beasts flapped their wings and tilted their little heads in confusion.

The people of Terra looked at one another in bewilderment, all wondering, "Who am I? Where am I? What am I supposed to do?"

Their memories remained at the moment when the nations had gathered their armies and launched a final offensive against the Demon King Rabbit.

But what had happened after that?

They did not know. Their memories had remained frozen at that moment forever.

There was no pain, no sorrow, and certainly no despair.

The Demon King Rabbit's methods had been too merciful, leaving those people of Terra completely unaware that they had already "died" once.

But before they could spend much time wondering and thinking, holy light descended from the sky, making every person of Terra instinctively raise their heads.

Tearing through the clouds and accompanied by glittering starlight effects, a white-haired, red-eyed Divine Messenger descended from the heavens, with a small flower atop her head and sacred clothing like that of an Angel.

This Divine Messenger radiated a gentle glow. She was so holy that the people of Terra, who still had not figured out what was happening, were practically rooted to the spot.

Under their gaze, the Divine Messenger looked around. As though unable to bear witnessing the suffering on this land, she furrowed her brows slightly and closed her eyes.

The people of Terra were confused and did not understand, but before such a divine manifestation, they did not dare speak recklessly and could only wait quietly.

What they did not know was that this Divine Messenger was frantically @-ing everyone within the Hive Cluster Mind (Sea Creatures version):

"Sea Creature 1: Hurry, hurry! Where's the cheat sheet Lord God gave me just now? I forgot my lines! Let me see it!"

"Sea Creature 2: I've got it! I wrote it down!"

"Sea Creature 1: Then where are the lines?"

"Sea Creature 2: Humans, your existence is a mistake. War, deceit, jealousy—wait, no! I think I grabbed the wrong script!"

"Sea Creature 1: What the hell are you doing?!"

"Sea Creature 3: I know it! I copied it down! Look, read it quickly!"

"Cough."

The Divine Messenger finally opened her eyes and swept her scarlet gaze over the crowd. "Humans, Lord God has bestowed grace upon you. Now, you have two choices."

As the Divine Messenger's words fell, two towers descended from the sky behind her.

The towers plunged straight down. Accompanied by a deafening boom, they shattered the earth and sent birds and beasts scattering.

When the dust clouds, like a sandstorm, finally dispersed, two towers reaching into the clouds stood upon the land.

It was unknown whether there had been a slight error in the angle at which they were dropped, or whether the ground had been too soft.

One of the towers was clearly leaning slightly.

To the people of Terra, that angle of tilt looked like a divine sign, like a guiding beacon.

Such a miracle descending from heaven made the previously silent people of Terra even more deathly quiet.

Earlier, they had merely been dumbfounded. Now, they did not even dare speak loudly.

Because they had witnessed this miracle with their own eyes, they all understood clearly that if those towers had not landed in the wilderness, but had fallen upon their heads instead—

The shockwave alone could wipe out a nation at best, and at worst...

This was an absolute threat of death.

"First, climb this tower and light its beacon."

The Divine Messenger raised a hand and pointed toward the clearly tilted tower. "If the beacon shines white, it means you have chosen peace, coexistence, and an eternal paradise. At that time, Lord God will grant you inexhaustible food and water. You will no longer need to worry about survival, and this place will become a true Garden of Eden."

"Second, climb that tower and, with the combined strength of thousands or tens of thousands, light its deathlight."

The Divine Messenger raised her hand again, pointing to the other tower, whose angle was normal. "If the deathlight shines red, it means you have chosen power, profit, and eternal war. At that time, Lord God will grant you the ending you deserve."

After saying that, the Divine Messenger lifted her hand and pointed at the sky. "Lord God is watching you from up there. Now, make your choice."

... ... ...

... ...

"How was that, little rabbit? The hint I gave them was obvious enough, right?"

Chen Ran stretched out his hand and held the now-revived planet model in his palm.

As he zoomed in and out, like someone observing an ecological terrarium, Chen Ran turned to Amiya floating beside him and said, "If they can still choose wrong after that, there's really nothing we can do."

"Mm..."

Amiya nodded her little head.

She had to admit that this Lord God had already been quite considerate.

Of the two towers, one was obviously directional.

And during the Divine Messenger's explanation, the tower where they could coexist peacefully had received considerable emphasis.

As for the other tower of war? It had really only been mentioned in passing.

Any normal person would know which one to choose.

But—

Amiya seemed to have forgotten something: the perspectives of humans and gods were completely different.

When Chen Ran had grabbed her like a claw machine prize and kept her by his side as a god—

Amiya had actually temporarily abandoned her human perspective and begun trying to view everything from a god's perspective.

And Amiya had also forgotten the diversity of humanity.

Amiya did not realize it, and neither did Chen Ran.

Chen Ran merely watched the planet model before him. After he gave it a flick, its rotation had clearly sped up quite a bit.

Then the familiar translucent notification window flickered before his eyes and popped up at just the right moment.

Day One: The descent of the Divine Messenger and the existence of Lord God caused the nations of Terra to halt their war against the Demon King Rabbit and convene emergency meetings across their countries.

"Oh, they stopped fighting." Chen Ran said. "The moment I threw down those two laser pointers, those people of Terra stopped paying attention even to you, Demon King Rabbit."

Amiya: "?"

Upon hearing that, Amiya looked back and forth between the planet model and Lord God with an expression of astonishment and confusion.

Amiya seemed to have no idea how Lord God knew this information.

Even after widening her eyes and staring at the planet's surface for a long time, she could not make heads or tails of it.

It really was Lord God's divine power...

That was the conclusion Amiya reached.

And although Amiya did not know what the people on that planet were doing now, fortunately, Lord God kindly provided her with a live broadcast:

Day Two: Meeting.

Day Three: Meeting.

Day Four: Some citizens could no longer hold back and questioned those in power, asking how long this meeting would continue. Clearly, all they needed to do was climb that tower and light the white beacon, and they could welcome a happy life.

Day Five: Meeting.

Day Six: A rumor began circulating within one nation. It claimed that after observing the skies at night, they had discovered that the twin moons above were actually Lord God's eyes.

Day Seven: The rumor grew increasingly widespread, and the upper ranks of certain nations offered no response.

Day Eight: The rumor claimed that Lord God was actually an Evil God, and that the so-called "peace, coexistence, and eternal paradise" was merely a means of bewitching people, intended to persuade them to press the white light and allow the Evil God to descend upon the world.

Day Nine: Most citizens began resisting the spread of the rumor. They were more willing to believe that "peace, coexistence, and eternal paradise" was real, and requested that their national leaders resolve these rumors.

Day Ten: Meeting.