Chapter 40
Heritage Recovery Department
Remains Exhibition Room
This place is not as orderly, pure white and solemn as the General Administration of the Universe. Instead, it looks more like a mixture of a pirate's lair full of trophies and a Gothic museum.
The space is huge and the structure is chaotic.
It is composed of countless architectural fragments of different styles.
Maybe there is a Baroque dome on this side, connected to the cyberpunk steel pipes, and below are the steps of a Mayan pyramid.
The air was filled with a strange smell mixed with obsolete technology, and there were countless whispers, the voices of different civilizations.
At this time, there were several remains brokers standing inside.
They are not a single form.
Some look like human figures pieced together from broken lenses.
Some are a shapeless shadow with phantom texts of various civilizations appearing on their surface; others maintain a humanoid form, but some parts of their bodies have obviously been replaced with some kind of civilization relic, such as a hand made of liquid metal clock.
The "Lens Man" is using her countless reflective surfaces to simultaneously observe more than a dozen low-dimensional civilization creations that have just been "stored".
"...The energy decay rate is 17.3%. The stability of the memory carrier is worrying. The next operation should prioritize extracting their 'collective photosynthetic consciousness' rather than these physical flowers. The efficiency is too low."
She spoke, her voice like the sound of glass rubbing against each other.
Shadow held a book made of glowing worms in his hand. The words were constantly wriggling and reorganizing, recording the rise and fall of an insect civilization.
It responded while admiring the scene.
"I agree. However, some collectors like this kind of thing. They can sell for a good price. The key is to act quickly, before those cleaners from the General Administration sweep everything into the 'Ark'."
The humanoid broker fiddled with her clock hand, and the pointer ticked: "That specimen called Qiu Lian is more capable than we thought.
Lens Man: "She responded to our 'whispers'. She's smart, knows how to disguise herself, and has big ambitions. She wants to be... a collector."
Shadow: "She provided the internal energy of a sample of human civilization. In exchange, we helped her escape the sacrifice and gave her a new identity and...power. We're losing out!"
"Just think of it as making friends. It's not that difficult."
The humanoid broker sneered, "The Universal Administration's self-righteous 'purification' and 'archiving' are nothing more than another form of plunder, disguised as justice. At least we clearly mark the price."
Lens Man: "The plan remains unchanged. At the moment of impact, using the nodes she provides and her own energy as cover, we will conduct a short-distance forced teleportation. The coordinates are set at the edge of the 'Civilization Graveyard'. The space-time turbulence there is sufficient to conceal all traces."
Shadow: "The risk is that she might not survive on the edge of the graveyard, or be caught by the Bureau's subsequent raid."
Humanoid Broker: "That's her worth to prove. If she can't even make it through the graveyard, she's unworthy of being one of us. If she survives... then we'll have a lot to do."
The man with the lenses flashed his eyes. "Execute the 'Ghost Transfer' protocol. List Qiu Lian as a 'potential collaborator.' After she successfully escapes, deploy a basic survival kit and a contact beacon. Observe how she adapts to the cemetery."
Shadow: "At the same time, speed up the acquisition of other target civilizations. The General Administration's inspections have become stricter recently."
The humanoid broker said as the clock hands resumed their normal ticking: "Let's get moving. After all, the remains of civilization can't afford to wait."
…
Ark of Civilization
Temporary accommodation unit
They learned the truth. It wasn't a disaster, it wasn't an accident.
The "end of the world" on Earth is part of the cyclical law of multiverse civilization.
Just like the changing of seasons, when a civilization reaches a bottleneck or deviates too far from a "standard model", regular changes will occur based on a cold and efficient cosmic ecology.
Human civilization is not the first to be replaced, and it will definitely not be the last.
And from the human world to the animal world is the preset path of this change.
The orc form is judged to be a carrier that is more suitable for the next stage of changes in the earth's energy field and environment.
Everything about human civilization, its splendor and suffering, its art and sin, its construction and destruction, has become "heritage," to be archived, studied, and occasionally some harmless features are extracted as embellishments for new civilizations.
They also knew their ultimate fate.
The voice of the "Treasury Keeper" echoed directly in their consciousness, calm but ruthless.
"The second Theia," the treasure keeper showed them a simulated star map, "wasn't a stray planet accidentally struck. It was a purifier launched by the General Administration. Its first impact completed the cleansing of Earth."
"And its second coming has been calculated and planned. It will bring specific minerals and energy, completely activating the latent genetic chains of the Beast World civilization and injecting it with a stable, planetary-level energy source that can last for ten thousand years. But this requires a 'key,' a resonant body."
The keeper's "gaze" fell on them.
"You, the condensation of human civilization, your life frequency is deeply bound to the old earth.
"When the Second Theia descends and exchanges energy with Earth, sacrifice your very being—your bodies and souls—to the singularity created at the point of impact. This will ensure the new civilization maximizes its energy reception efficiency and smoothly inherits some of the old civilization's beneficial qualities, avoiding developmental problems caused by cultural discontinuities."
"This is your duty, and the ultimate meaning of your existence. For this reason, you have been preserved until now."
Despair? Anger? Defiance?
Maybe both have.
But in the brief static dimension of "learning" and "adapting", after understanding the cruel rules of the operation of the universe, an almost numb acceptance gradually replaced the initial emotion.
They saw the silent remains of civilization in countless other compartments.
Some are even just a repetitive song or a seed that flickers with light.
In comparison, the fact that they have consciousness, know their own fate, and can even "prepare" for it seems to be a kind of "mercy."
Ji Dongzang "gazed" at his transparent cabin wall, as if he could see through countless dimensions and see the thriving beast world on Earth.
Dense jungle, agile figures, a rough and powerful vitality is spreading.
She would recall the memories that were forcibly extracted - the Great Wall, the lights, the books, the wheat fields, the warm light of the bookstore... those that belong to the fragility and beauty of human beings.
In the eternally quiet halo of the Ark of Civilization, the treasure keeper's voice echoed in their consciousness:
"The final attunement has begun. Those who accept the fate of sacrifice will receive energy guidance and painlessly merge into the singularity. If you have any objections, you may now propose replacement conditions, which will be arbitrated by the court."
Amidst the dead silence of consciousness, a clear voice, even with a hint of strange excitement, was the first to penetrate the keeper's perception.
"I, Zhou You, have objections."
Zhou You's "body" appeared particularly clearly in the space of consciousness; she even simulated the camera, which she regarded as her life, hanging around her neck.
There was no fear or sadness on her face.
"I accept dismantling," she said. "But my 'work' must be preserved."
Her so-called "works" - those video materials recording the last moments of human civilization and countless moments of extinction, slowly unfolded around her.
It is the slow motion of skyscrapers collapsing in the shock wave of Theia; it is the close-up of the eyes of relatives and friends, a pair of confusion and pain when they mutate; it is the trajectory of the last leaf spinning and falling to the ground as the forest withers under the strange energy.
She recorded all the moments of decline, pain, collapse and final death.
"Look." Her consciousness fluctuated with piety and paranoia.
"What I record is not history, but philosophy! It is the ultimate fate that all things in the universe cannot escape."
She "looked" at the invisible, supreme keepers of the treasure.
"My life, my existence, you can take it and complete your great 'replacement'. This is my choice, and I acknowledge the magnificence of this ending!"
"But these!" she pointed at the surrounding images, frozen in countless deaths and endings. "They are the demise I witnessed and defined! They are an extension of my existence, the crystallization of my personality!"
"In exchange for my temporary demise, this eternal definition of 'extinction' remains. This is a fair trade. Otherwise," she paused, her voice cold, "what you will destroy will not just be a specimen, but a civilization's most profound understanding of its own end, a unique cosmic-level art archive."
"I believe that an administration capable of implementing such a grand cycle should appreciate its value."
A moment later, the keeper's calm voice rang out, simply stating:
"Accept. Condition: The individual's wandering life and soul. At the moment of the Second Theia's advent, participate in the collision and complete the energy channeling and trait inheritance process.
"Displaced Objects: The 'documentary works' defined by individual travellers will be permanently sealed in the General Administration's archives as 'Subsidiary Civilisational Phenomenon Dataset - Classification of Aesthetics of Extinction', numbered NC-794-H."
"Deal." Zhou You said softly, as if he had just completed an ordinary transaction.
Of course she loved this world, with its inevitable demise.
I am also happy to go with it.
Ji Dongzang was in the cabin when he suddenly recalled the day he first met Zhou You. She was wearing her school uniform and had a bright smile, which left a deep impression on Ji Dongzang.
The time they spent together was too short, so short that Ji Dongzang always mistakenly believed that she was a girl who simply loved life.
It wasn't until this moment that she understood.
Zhou You's cheerfulness and liveliness stem from a deep self-obsession. She doesn't just love the world, but she passionately loves the way she "loves the world."
The Space Administration accepted the proposal with a detached attitude.
They don't care about art, but they recognize the logic of "transaction".
The images of Zhou You will be sealed deep in the cold archives, becoming a corner that no one cares about but is extremely gorgeous.
"They may have a chance to appear in the dreams of the orc cubs." As a treasure keeper finished speaking.
Gao Jie also put forward the conditions for his sacrifice.
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