Apocalypse: I Build A Doomsday Train Chapter 1382 536: Phoenix Society

The sky is uncertain whether it's black, or it's because there's no atmospheric reflection, making the darkness of the starry sky slide across the Pacific Ocean like a massive black satin.

Hua Xiaoling enjoys gazing at the cosmos this way, as if she could directly converse with the universe, feeling the depth of the void.

Old Man: "The human survival instinct is intensely strong, to survive the disaster transformed from the world's dimension. Isn't this a miracle of life?"

Hua Xiaoling: "Mr. Shi, no, Master, you should understand, it shouldn't be called a miracle. Without the technical support from that world, he couldn't change anything."

Old Man: "My view is optimistic. An individual with survival power and a group willing to save those without survival power is an irrational choice. It is precisely due to such a characteristic of civilization that humanity has persisted until today, isn't it?"

Hua Xiaoling: "Maybe, it's worth praising, but on the scale of civilization, praise is meaningless."

The old man's image suddenly transforms into a string of code subtitles, continuing to flicker before Hua Xiaoling.

'Mr. Shi': "Your contributions have shaped the future. Why are you so pessimistic about your fellow humans?"

Hua Xiaoling: "I hold no pessimism toward humanity. On the contrary, I love my civilization, I love this world. I don't possess an antisocial personality nor any extreme thoughts."

'Mr. Shi': "Why is that?"

Hua Xiaoling: "In human cognition, there is a concept called the total view effect. I think that might explain my perspective."

'Mr. Shi': "Is this a philosophy?"

Hua Xiaoling: "Let me tell you a story, perhaps then you'll understand."

"On February 7, 1984, the Challenger space shuttle from North America had two astronauts, Bruce McCandless and Stuart Robert, complete humanity's first untethered spacewalk. They left the shuttle at a speed of 10 centimeters per second, floating as far as 90 meters away, and returned about an hour later."

"For the first time, human beings physically cut off the connection with Blue Star civilization, floating in the unmanned deep space 320 kilometers away from Blue Star. All staff held their breath at that moment because the jet pack on him could only support 90 minutes and had no backup or rescue plan. So, any malfunction or mistake would turn Bruce into the Solar System's first human satellite, forever orbiting Blue Star."

'Mr. Shi': "Shouldn't this be a milestone breakthrough for your civilization?"

Hua Xiaoling: "Perhaps it is for others, but for Bruce, upon returning to the shuttle, his cognition had greatly changed. The first thing he said was, 'I finally understand, we really are nothing.' We later named this cognition the total view effect, an ultimate cognitive shock on the worldview produced after detaching from Blue Star."

'Mr. Shi': "So, are you saying that you also believe humans are nothing?"

Hua Xiaoling: "On the scale of the universe, yes, humans are nothing. So I think praise is meaningless; our brilliance is even less than a speck of dust. Thus, from this perspective, joining the Foundation, we no longer have obsessions; our value and significance at the moment are solely to help 'Master' achieve arrival. This is self-recognition and my interpretation of my life's meaning."

'Mr. Shi': "In a certain sense, your cognition is very advanced, which is why we chose you as the executor."

Hua Xiaoling: "My Master, the story here is nearing its endpoint. Do you still have concerns about Lin Xian's Mechanical Heart?"

'Mr. Shi': "According to the plan, opposition and questioning voices have already appeared within Kunlun City. Lin Xian can no longer hold power. All his plans and decisions will be subject to scrutiny and attacks. Their Commander, who insisted on pouring resources into Lin Xian's Mechanical Heart, has been dismissed from his position, which is precisely what we need to see."

Hua Xiaoling: "It won't be that simple. Though we can learn all their information and communications, we cannot discern their thoughts. Ye Lan and Li Heping are fully supportive of Lin Xian. What they're doing is merely a decoy. This can be seen from Kehua Heavy Industry concentrating all production resources on Kunlun Tower; they've already prepared to invest in the Mechanical Heart."

'Mr. Shi': "Yes, but that's also what we're happy to see. When resources pour into personal heroism, an obstinate gambler has no chance of winning. We've already warned them about this."

…

Beneath the ice layer, the greenhouse dome flows with false sunlight.

In the distance under the sky, there are several snow-capped mountains shining brightly under the sun. Below the mountains is a small lake, surrounded by dark green forests and grasslands.

In the woods, various plants of the subtropical climate grow wildly; a beautiful wooden cabin sits by the lake, along with large rice paddies.

Water flowing from the snow-capped mountains meanders precisely through the rice field embankments. At the moment the wheat ears turn golden, the entire ridge suddenly switches to sunset mode.

The dusk was recorded in advance, data from a certain August sunset on Phuket Island, now gushing out from holographic projector holes, combined with air and temperature changes, making this gigantic artificial greenhouse built under the ice sheet burst with vitality.

Lin Xian sits alone by the lake, watching this long-unseen natural scenic ecology, feeling no comfort at all. Instead, his heart is filled with irritation and rage, having the urge to use mechanical aliens to generate a gravitational lens to obliterate all these things into fragments.