Final Chapter (1)
For the rest of the time, Jian Tanxi continued to do quests non-stop. She rarely saw anyone she knew in the dungeons, so she was mostly silent.
At the same time, she completed more and more tasks and became more and more famous.
That day, after completing her mission, Jian Tanxi was teleported to an abandoned factory.
It's a bit messy here, so Jian Tanxi is looking for somewhere else to stay.
But just then, someone called out to her: "Earthling, we meet again."
Jian Tanxi turned around and saw an old man standing behind her. She felt that the old man looked familiar, but she couldn't remember where she had seen him before.
Jian Tanxi asked in confusion, "Grandpa, do we know each other? You called me an Earthling? So you're from another planet?"
Old man: "That's right. How are you doing with the walking stick I gave you before?"
"crutch?"
Jian Tanxi suddenly remembered who he was: "Are you the old man I met in Diamond Hill?"
“Yes, I was lost in Diamond Hill back then, calling myself a lost soul. I was stuck there for many years until you came and woke me up.”
Jian Tanxi was somewhat surprised: "Yes, I remember that at the time, I took a diamond from Diamond Mountain. Then you suddenly said that I helped you break through the illusion, that you remembered your identity and mission, gave me a cane, and then left."
“That’s right. I come from a distant planet, and my identity is that of a pioneer.”
"pioneer?"
"That's right. On our planet, every child takes a personality test when they turn seven, and the results determine their career path. Exceptionally intelligent, courageous, and pioneering children are chosen as pioneers."
Our mission is to explore the universe and search for other civilizations. If we encounter benevolent civilizations, we can choose to establish diplomatic relations or exchange technologies and cultures. Additionally, if we encounter habitable planets that are currently uninhabited or have a small human population, we should record their coordinates to facilitate future migration by our own people.
As pioneers, we must not only have courage and wisdom, endure loneliness, and maintain good intentions, but most importantly, we must not have any greed for wealth. From a young age, in addition to physical, military, and cultural training, we undergo a special training: to remain unmoved in the face of gold and silver treasures.
Because if we still covet gold and silver, ambitious individuals from other planets will have the opportunity to bribe us. And our planet's expansion depends solely on the messages sent back by our pioneers.
If the news that comes back is false or a trap, it will be detrimental to all the inhabitants of the planet.
I excelled at all of these training programs from a young age. As a result, I successfully became a pioneer.
Our commander has endowed us with many supernatural abilities, enabling us to protect ourselves and explore new frontiers in the universe. However, to restrain us, he has also placed a restriction on us: once we become tempted by gold and silver treasures, we will immediately lose our way, forget our identities, our missions, and where we came from, remaining trapped near the gold and silver treasures until someone awakens us and removes our greed.
That's why I was stuck in that Diamond Mountain for decades.
Jian Tanxi asked in surprise, "You've become greedy for Diamond Mountain?"
"Yes. Although I learned to demystify gold and silver treasures from a young age, that was the first time I had ever seen a mountain made entirely of diamonds. It was so big, so dazzling, so radiant. Even a single diamond knocked off it would fetch a lot of money. And it was ownerless. I not only wanted to own diamonds, but I wanted as many as possible, ideally to move the entire mountain away."
This very thought ruined me and turned me into a lost soul.
I always thought I had a strong will, but that's because I haven't faced enough temptations since childhood. I can resist small temptations, but I can't resist big ones.
"If you hadn't stumbled upon Diamond Hill and woken me up, I might still be trapped there."
"I see... but I still don't understand why I was able to enlighten you?"
"Because you are not greedy."
"I'm not greedy?"
"Yes. When you saw Diamond Mountain, you were amazed, but you never thought of taking it for yourself. You only took one diamond. I saw with my own eyes that someone could be unmoved by the entire Diamond Mountain. I instantly woke up and realized that all these years I couldn't leave it because I was blinded by greed."
"However, I still took one, so I can't be considered completely without greed."
"It was precisely because you took one that I admired you, and it was also the key to my complete awakening. If you had taken many, it would have proven that you were greedy for treasure, just like me; if you had taken nothing, it would have proven that you were either someone seeking fame and pretense of nobility, or someone who didn't know how to take advantage of opportunities. Diamonds may not be useful for now, but they might help you in the future. If you didn't take any at all, you would be in a bind when you needed diamonds in the future. You are neither foolish nor greedy, so you took one."
I learned from you how to curb my greed, which is why I came to my senses.
Jian Tanxi: "I see... So where did you go after that? Did you continue exploring the universe?"
"Yes, I still had some missions to complete, so I continued to soar through the universe. Now, my mission is complete, and I have come back specifically to help the people of Earth."
Jian Tanxi exclaimed in surprise, "Can you help us? Earth has been occupied by another group of aliens, and they've forced us into all sorts of dangerous games."
“I know that the Hoggers have taken over your planet. Their method of entry is very special. As long as there is paper on this planet, they can enter the planet using paper as a medium. Therefore, what you see of them are all in the form of paper pieces.”
"I see, now I understand... So, were they their real bodies, or projections?"
"They can be projections or their real bodies. As long as they step out of the paper figures, they are their real bodies. The reason they select geniuses from among Earthlings and have you participate in various thrilling games is to train you."
"Train us? What do you mean?"
"The Hoggers are warlike and love to wage war in the universe. However, they don't want their own people to die. So, they capture people from other planets, form armies, and fight for them."
To wage war across the universe, every warrior must be incredibly strong and undergo rigorous training. That's why they make you participate in escape games time and time again, and reward you with superpowers or items after your victories—all to make you stronger.
Their ultimate goal is to turn you into their soldiers. You will charge into battle, and they will reap the benefits from the rear.
"So this is the truth... But I've participated in many games and witnessed the deaths of many Earthlings... If the Hoggers need warriors, why did they have to let my fellow humans die?"
"To simulate the battlefield, because that's how it is—a life-or-death struggle. Moreover, they will further select from all the geniuses, choosing the elite of the elite, and only those who survive will be qualified to become their warriors."
"How long will the game last?"
"There is no fixed time, until only a thousand of you remain dead."
"A thousand people!"
“That’s right. They only select one thousand people from one planet. These one thousand people must be tempered and have witnessed the death of their fellow human beings. The reason they put other ordinary Earthlings in the ecosphere is to use these people to blackmail you.”
"I see... They are so insidious... But what if we don't care about the lives of our compatriots and refuse to obey their commands?"
"Players who don't care about the lives of their fellow countrymen and are unwilling to accept the ecosphere will be killed by various traps set by them. The one thousand who actually survive are those who care about the lives of their fellow countrymen."
"I understand... So what should I do now? Should I destroy all the paper on Earth?"
"It's too late, and this method only addresses the symptoms, not the root cause. I can set up a barrier for Earth. Once the barrier is established, the Hoggers will not be able to enter Earth, and even those already on Earth will be forced to leave."
"How do I build the barrier? What do I need to do?"
"If we can remove the barrier, it will automatically envelop the Earth without you having to do anything. The difficult part is removing it."
As he spoke, the old man took out a rather large box and explained, "The barrier is inside this box, but the box cannot be opened for the time being. On different planets, the box has different ways of opening, but Earthlings need to explore it themselves."
Jian Tanxi took the box and found that it was very light and had no lid or keyhole. It looked like a seamless cuboid.
Jian Tanxi asked, "How did you manage to put the barrier in there?"
"This box is specially made; it's open on our planet. Once the barrier is placed inside, it automatically closes, and all the gaps disappear. This is to prevent people from other planets from easily obtaining the barrier."
This barrier is very precious, and its gifting and use are subject to strict examination. If an evil planet were to obtain the barrier and use it to protect its own planet, it would not be a good thing.
Jian Tanxi: "Since this is from your planet, you should know how to open it, right?"
"No, I don't know. You'll have to figure out how to open it yourselves. These boxes all look the same when they're manufactured. But they'll change depending on the planet. You'll have to put the most precious things from that planet on the box, and once the box approves, it will open automatically."
"The most precious thing? Is it some kind of gold and silver treasure?"
"Let this box tell you your own judgment."
Jian Tanxi did not understand what this sentence meant.
But soon, the appearance of the box changed, with five indentations appearing on the top.
The first indentation looks a bit like an open book.
The second depression is a shallow, semi-circular pit, not very large.
The third and fourth indentations are both small round holes, very small.
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