Chapter 896
Chapter 896 - 882: The Royal Family?
1,309 words
•
7 min read
"How much longer can we hold out?"
"At most, a month..."
When the message was relayed back, Casola, at the very heart of the warehouse, felt somewhat bewildered.
He, or perhaps she, might be it, even they, had fallen into a dire situation.
Originally, he was just an ordinary middle-tier backbone of this place, but one day, after an unexplained self-division, the energy fluctuations inside his body mysteriously rose a tier.
"Ah, epic! The golden legend... cough, royal mutation."
Among his ethnic group, it was immediately recognized as a variant.
At that time, the entire ethnic group plunged into a celebration that lasted for three days and four nights... The reason the celebration came to an abrupt end after just a few days was not because they had calmed down, but because on the third day, a catastrophe descended upon this world.
It was the most desperate of natural disasters, the Luka people’s arch-enemy... and for their foes, the entire planet of Luka people was nothing more than delicious canned food, a ’delicacy’ worth traversing star zones for a taste.
But the timing was just too coincidental...
"So, it really was me who brought this upon us..."
At this moment, Casola wavered.
Even though he had evaded their natural enemies by taking advantage of his talents, leading a portion of his people to what theoretically was a safe zone, those who remained by his side accounted for less than 3% of the planet’s total population.
What had become of the majority? One need not think too hard, for perhaps the answer lay in the several times more numerous Energy-devouring Evil Sunflowers than before.
"Prince His Highness, please eat a little more."
"Prince His Highness, do you have any other requests?"
"Prince His Highness, perhaps we can try leading the way for you to break out with your people..."
And yet, even in their desperate straits, the other members of his ethnic group held no resentment, rather serving him with joy and anticipation.
Their faces showed no anxiety, no pain, only joy, as if in this moment there was no distress, as if they were still under the festive sky.
Casola realized it...
"As long as there is a chance for me to live on, I’m afraid they would sacrifice everything..."
In this moment, Casola felt a strange fear and unease.
He knew this was the culture of his people, even something coded into the low-level logic of their gene modules, but he still felt discomfort... And what made him even more uncomfortable was the realization that he was feeling ’discomfort’ through logical thinking!
"... Really, am I no longer a Luka anymore?"
Normal life forms often prioritize survival above all else and only consider future generations if unable to secure their own survival.
The reason why sacrificing one’s life for righteousness is revered is precisely because it goes against the natural instinct and logical reasoning for survival—it is a symbol of intelligent creatures defying nature in the name of humanity...
"There’s always something you consider more precious than your own life... But this behavior where everyone thinks my life is more important than theirs, even willing to assist me in living just one more second at the cost of their own lives, is just too abnormal."
It was only after Casola had undergone mutation and broken through the gene module limits of the Luka people that he realized the abnormality of his kind.
They were not making a considered sacrifice; rather, it was like a basic instinct akin to ’normal life forms need to maintain breathing,’ a supreme directive that defied logic and lacked reasoning.
"There’s something very wrong with this..."
Casola felt like he was the only one awake in a collective nightmare, where others were desperately trying to fulfill any command. He did not feel excitement or happiness; all he felt was fear.
He knew that at his command, even if he asked them to throw away their lives needlessly, they would carry out his orders without hesitation.
"...Before, I hadn’t noticed anything amiss, but now... Are we really just puppets and toys designed by higher beings?"
However, after the initial fear and questioning, he had no choice but to reluctantly accept reality... He had to lead his people and avoid the disaster that fell from above.
"...Only enough for one month?"
This reality made him even more uncertain.
The Luka people, even as energy-based life forms, they still have consumption... They can indirectly absorb "Metal Energy" through their metal shells, but at the same time, they can also directly absorb the energy of their own kind.
Yes, they are a life form that can resort to cannibalism when necessary... or rather the Weaker could continue to exist inside the stronger of their kind in another form.
This one-month countdown marked the point at which they started their "last resort" after they had consumed all their supplies.
But could the reinforcements arrive in time before that?
"Impossible, even if the message has been sent, the nearest frontline base would take three months to get here. With some luck, a few merchants and lone Walkers might receive the message, but if they come, they would just be an extra meal for the Demon sunflower..."
Casola had made up his mind that if the situation remained unchanged after a month, he would likely end his own life early.
As an intelligent creature with "Knowledge" and "Morality," he felt some lines were probably harder to cross than death... And from the current situation, as long as he was alive, his people would force him to "feed."
At that moment, a sudden earthquake shook the entire underground palace.
"We’ve been discovered!"
"It’s the Energy-devouring Evil Sunflower!"
"Sector D, it has breached the passage in Sector D! It’s inside!"
Suddenly, desperate screams echoed in the air.
All Luka people knew that once their last fortress had been discovered, there was no longer any chance for life.
Yet at that moment, everyone still stood in front of Casola... Even though they knew rationally it was meaningless, they still wanted Casola to live to the end.
They calmly awaited their doomsday, the past clamors for life and death were gone, the Engineer species’ recognition of dignity and technology was gone, they just felt that dying here for their "Royal Family" was the highest honor.
The survival instinct of intelligent beings was completely erased, replaced by the joy and honor of facing death squarely; this moment was their most glorious one.
However, this scene did not warm Casola’s heart but chilled it instead.
"...What kind of life form are we, that such mechanically logical rules are embedded in the most basic layer of our biological instincts? What took away their selves? Then, what am I as a member of the Royal Family? After all, just a special laboratory rat..."
As the wall suddenly shattered, it also meant he no longer had time to continue pondering.
A miniature Energy-devouring Evil Sunflower burst through the wall... Even just this one creature was too much for them all to resist, and what was more terrifying was that if one of these creatures found them, it often meant a large force was not far behind.
"Meow! Finally found you, meow!"
But at that moment, a strange voice suddenly sounded.
The terrifying Energy-devouring Evil Sunflower opened its mouth wide, and an ordinary humanoid creature walked out. His expression? Was he smiling? Or sneering?
Somehow, Casola thought it was the latter. He seemed to have seen through everything, perceiving the pitiful state of their form of life...
"Mercenary... Lu Ping’an from the Rebirth Commerce Chamber of the Eastern Country of Earth’s civilization salutes you. Choosing our company’s rescue plan was the wisest decision for you and your people."
— End of Chapter 896 —