"Humans, we are fully capable of killing you while you are destroying living organisms. Don't think that your defenses can stop us. We can do it if we pay a price."
"So what? You think this is all we have? Let me tell you the truth: if you don't let us humans leave, even if you manage to seize these few organisms, it's useless. We've already deployed a magnetic field around the entire Nebula Region, specifically targeting these organisms. Once they reach the edge, they'll instantly revert to an atomic state. Regardless of whether you're freed or not, these organisms cannot leave the Nebula Region. Furthermore, we've clearly marked the trajectories of all celestial bodies in this nebula. If we trigger a few key points, everything in this nebula will revert to an atomic state."
"Impossible, humans. Even our powerful fields cannot transform matter into an atomic state. How could your hundreds of thousands of warships possibly control the entire Nebula Region?"
"How much do you really know about technology? If you had united to research technology over these billions of years instead of just fantasizing about stealing from other civilizations, you would have been freed not just once, but probably ten times over. Our civilization has only been around for four or five thousand years, while you, over billions of years, have never thought of relying on yourselves. Don't use your lack of initiative as an excuse. You've stolen robots from so many civilizations, and with all that time, you could accomplish anything. In human terms, you're just lazy and want something for nothing."
"Humans, don't provoke us. At worst, we'll part ways. I don't want your biological bodies, but none of your billions will survive."
"Kill us and wait for the next wave of civilizations? In these billions of years, less than a hundred civilizations have entered the Nebula Region, more than 20 of which are Star System Level, averaging only one Star System-Level Civilization every two hundred million years. And we haven't even been able to help you achieve liberation yet. Are you going to continue waiting for the next billions of years?"
"So what? We Nebula Lifeform have no lifespan limit; we can live until the end of the universe."
"Of course, you can wait. It's a pity, we've already dispatched satellite equipment in multiple directions across the Milky Way. Once communication is lost, these satellites will self-destruct. However, before self-destructing, they will send information about your existence throughout the Milky Way. I think other civilizations will definitely be very interested in you."
"Humans, you are the most cunning civilization we have ever seen. What exactly do you want?"
"Our demands are simple: continue according to our previous agreement. You let us leave the nebula, we leave you with the biological organisms, a small fleet, various machines and equipment, and some of the technological reserves of Star System-Level Civilization."
"We need to discuss this."
"Okay, I'll wait for you, but don't take too long."
Several nebulae once again moved away from the vicinity of Earth Two, disappearing into the dense nebulous matter in the distance.
" Number One, are you prepared to grant humanity's request?"
"What else can we do? Humans have a point."
"Once we let humanity leave its inhabited planet, we'll have no leverage whatsoever. What if humanity changes its mind? Wouldn't we be at their mercy?"
What are your opinions?
"Over the years we've been monitoring humanity, I've found that they do indeed value trust highly; I think we can trust them about 50%."
"Even if we achieve liberation, it won't be of much use to humans if they capture us. I think we can believe that about 70% of the time."
"Forty percent..."
"Eighty percent..."
"Fifty percent..."
"Fifty percent..."
"Alright, since everyone's doing this, let's trust humanity for now."
A few minutes later, Nebula Main Consciousness returned to Hu Yu's side.
"So, did you reach an agreement?" Hu Yu asked.
"Humans, we will trust you for now, but you must leave something here. You can return to retrieve it in a year."
"Oh? What do you want to leave behind?"
"One million people."
"That's impossible. Not even a million, not a single one! There's no room for negotiation on that."
"You have to leave something behind, otherwise we won't have any leverage over you, which isn't fair to us."
"Well, we'll leave the Science City to you. It's the core of our civilization. Although we have scientists who can rebuild Science City, it will take countless years to fully restore it, given the accumulation of countless years. If we go back on our word, you're welcome to destroy the Science City. What do you say?"
"Make a deal."
"Okay, deal. We'll first move the inhabited planet to a location one light-year from the edge of the nebula, where we'll finalize the transaction. It'll benefit everyone."
"Agree."
"Alright, let's not waste any more time. We humans have been here for a very, very long time. We have more important things to do. Let's set off now."
Earth Two, once again carried by the Wind Master, entered warp drive. After more than two hundred years, it was finally able to leave this Nebula Region. Two months later, Earth Two stopped at a distance of one light-year from the edge of the nebula.
On Earth Two, the Science City rose from the ground. The most important part of the Science City was a huge spaceship. Normally, houses were built on the outside of the spaceship to increase space and make it less conspicuous.
"This is the main control system for the entire Science City," Hu Yu said, taking out a small instrument. "The organisms are inside the Science City. The magnetic field near this nebula will be immediately dispelled once we leave the Nebula Region. You can complete the release here, or you can take the organisms outside the Nebula Region to release them. If we change our minds, you can press the red button to blow up the Science City. We will still give you the 100,000 Wind Master warships, which contain various robots and equipment, as well as some of our knowledge reserves. Once you feel safe, press the green button, and the Science City will automatically chase after our planet."
"Alright, humans, although we still can't completely trust you, your actions are indeed flawless. If we hadn't waited billions of years for this opportunity, perhaps we wouldn't have had this deal."
Good luck, goodbye.
All the spaceships in Science City remained in place, and Earth Two set off again. The nebula here was already very thin, and although the speed of the Wind Master was still limited to 500 times the speed of light, they were no longer affected by matter. Although basic technology had not made much progress in recent years, there had been many technological breakthroughs. Earth Two's travel speed was now in line with that of the warships, and it would no longer hold back the entire fleet.
" Old Hu, are you really going to leave the Science City to these bastards?"
Hu Yu smiled mysteriously, without answering Wen Zhonghua, but everyone on Earth understood what that smile meant.
After humanity left, several Main Consciousness eagerly used their Branch Consciousness Entity to infiltrate the spaceships of the Wind Master and the Science City, taking these spaceships to another location on the edge of the nebula.