lcionline Chapter 263 The End of Civilization
Chapter 263 The End of Civilization
When the members of the Second Fleet saw that familiar face appear on the screen, the entire fleet fell silent.
Thomas Wade, this devilish man, ultimately met his end by being imprisoned by Yun Tianming, who was also human.
This outcome is somewhat dramatic, but upon closer examination, it makes perfect sense.
"The Great Evacuation was thrown into chaos, and the initial reason was simply because this man became the second Swordholder. I believe that not only you will be interested in him, but the Carbon-Based Federation will also be interested in him."
Yun Tianming's eyes held a hint of amusement. He actually had other baits, but none of them should have been as effective as Thomas Wade.
Half of the Trisolaran civilization's transport ships were bombed, and nearly 90% of its high-ranking officials died tragically. It can be said that the hatred between the two sides has long been irreconcilable.
However, they are an absolutely rational civilization, and between survival and revenge, they will definitely choose survival as the highest priority.
Therefore, the other party also needs to be interested in Thomas Wade.
Coincidentally, the Carbon-Based Federation downgraded its level of attention to the Great Evacuation from Level 4 to Level 3, and even gave it the evaluation of "a good show".
Indeed, the destruction of a civilization is nothing more than a good show in the eyes of a higher civilization. They want to see Wade just like humans want to meet the actors in person after watching a great movie.
As for the future of this civilization, they neither care nor are concerned.
The Great Escape effectively severed the Trisolaran civilization's last hope of joining the Carbon-Based Federation. They had initially invited them to join because they thought the civilization had potential, but now that the civilization was gone, there was naturally no need for them to exist.
As for the remaining Second Fleet and Yun Tianming's remnants, I believe the Federation's risk control team will soon come to take charge of cleaning them up.
But if Thomas Wade can be brought back, then there might still be a chance for things to turn around.
Therefore, the interests of both sides are now surprisingly aligned.
Clinging to their last glimmer of hope, they prayed that this advanced civilization would spare them, and the price they would pay was nothing more than to be made a clown on stage.
"No wonder people say that actors have the lowest social status. Now that I see it, it's really true."
Qi Li sighed deeply, seemingly resentful of his current predicament.
"Send me the coordinates of that planet. I agree to the deal."
The decision that Qi Li made was extremely difficult; it was a gamble with their lives for the future of a civilization.
The Carbon-Based Federation still needs to give an explanation. Even if Yun Tianming provides the planetary coordinates, someone still needs to make a sacrifice to apologize to the Carbon-Based Federation for the mistake of the Great Evacuation.
Otherwise, even if they escape to the ends of the earth, they will still be found and completely eliminated by the Carbon-Based Federation's risk control team.
Qi Li was well aware that there was an insurmountable gap between himself and Yun Tianming in terms of governance, so the task of handing over this responsibility was left to him alone.
He could certainly choose to walk away and ignore the future, since tracking a fleet would be easier for the Carbon-Based Alliance than tracking him alone.
But in doing so, he would extinguish the last glimmer of hope for the revival of the entire civilization.
Now he is at a crossroads. If he chooses to save people, he will inevitably have to take Thomas Wade back to the Carbon-Based Federation and become a puppet. If he chooses to take the fleet and leave, as long as they escape far enough, they can live out their lives in peace.
A single wrong decision can lead to a completely different outcome.
"I've sent you the planet's coordinates. It's up to you how you choose."
Yun Tianming's voice sounded like a devil's whisper. He gave the other party all the power of choice, while at the same time clearing himself of all responsibility for the matter.
After a long silence, Qili finally made up his mind.
"Stay there and don't move. We'll see each other again soon."
With the communication cut off, Yun Tianming looked at the black screen, and a relaxed smile finally appeared on his face.
Meanwhile, Thomas Wade quietly lit a cigarette.
"As a soldier, I admire him."
Yun Tianming remained noncommittal.
"It is admirable that he had every reason to leave, but that would have rendered the trap we set for him meaningless."
Did you know anything about this person before?
"Yes, but not many. When I was the governor, he was already the commander of the Second Fleet. He set off earlier than I expected. At that time, you should still be working in intelligence."
Wade took a deep drag on his cigarette.
"The Second Fleet is departing so early?"
"It was much earlier than you think, Vader. Their goal from the beginning was to exterminate all of humanity, so there was no possibility of any form of colonization."
Wade glanced at Yun Tianming. He had known this kid since the Ladder Project, but now he found Yun Tianming increasingly unfathomable.
Neither side continued on this topic. Since he already knew the departure time of the Second Fleet, why didn't he send out such crucial intelligence earlier?
If asked whether he had ever changed his mind during his years as an undercover agent in The Three-Body Problem, Wade believes he certainly had, but that is precisely why the Stairway Project was able to proceed smoothly.
The Trisolaran wasn't stupid; he was just an ordinary person and it was impossible for him to completely hide his inner thoughts from the other side.
But whatever he thought in the past, at least now he's on my side, and that's enough.
Long wait times can always feel tedious and boring.
Broadcast Era Year 7, 2321 AD.
A year after the communication was completed, the Second Fleet finally sent a connection request to the First Fleet.
When I saw Qili's face again, he looked much older.
It's not a change in appearance, but a change in spirit.
He may have regretted his decisions during that year, but the moving fleet compelled him to keep moving forward.
Finally, in the seventh year of the Broadcast Era, the Second Fleet and the First Fleet joined forces, and these two fleets, separated by more than a hundred years, finally reunited today.
Both sides were excited, after all, their former compatriots were on that ship.
At the moment their home planet was destroyed, they were both wanderers in the universe.
"Wait a moment, I need to access your fleet's control. Lin Xuan has almost turned the area around the solar system into a second Reach in the past few years in order to build that giant hula hoop. Without his authorization, if you rashly enter, you will be hunted down to death by the Earth Federation's overwhelming fleet the next second."
Yun Tianming's reasoning was quite valid, so even if Qi Li was unwilling, he had no choice but to comply.
They had heard about Lin Xuan's actions over the years. Since that incident, the Earth Alliance had been purged three or four times, with a new batch of people being replaced from top to bottom.
The current Earth Alliance is practically a monolithic entity, well... in a physical sense, since those who dared to oppose it have been mostly dealt with, and those who remain are the ones who do their jobs honestly.
Therefore, unless they are mentally deficient, they will not choose to provoke the Earth Alliance.
Soon, Yun Tianming drafted an authorization for him, but because this place was too close to the Earth Alliance's defense line, only three ships were allowed to enter.
If the quantity is too large, it will easily arouse suspicion from the local authorities.
However, this was in line with Qi Li's initial expectations. If Yun Tianming could get the entire Second Fleet to enter, he would be worried about him.
Regardless, this is the border of the Earth Alliance. Given Lin Xuan's ruthless nature, once she knows the Second Fleet has appeared, she will definitely try to wipe them out.
"Alright, we don't need three ships, just one flagship will do."
As he spoke, Qi Li pulled the push rod up directly. For some reason, he had a feeling that something was going to happen today.
But before his flagship could act, another escort ship beside him had already taken the lead and entered the warning line.
"Commander, let us go instead. We can't risk the flagship's life."
Qili stared at the frigate on the screen that was ahead of him, and remained silent.
How could anyone not see through Qili's intentions? His flagship was the command ship of the Second Fleet. If Yun Tianming had set a trap, he would definitely be unable to resist closing it down here.
On the contrary, sending escort ships would increase the risk to the entire fleet.
Qili remains the same; when faced with a choice, he always likes to take risks to secure the greatest benefit for the entire team.
Even now that he holds a high position, this remains unchanged.
Soon, the frigate docked with the First Fleet's berth, and Yun Tianming, accompanied by a group of people, escorted Thomas Wade into the docking area.
At this moment, Wade was wearing electromagnetic shackles on his hands and feet. These shackles, made of a special material, had a strong interference effect on all signal sources. To escape, unless one could forcibly break the alloy using physical means, no external method other than terminal control could break them.
Meanwhile, on the Second Fleet's side, several people were carrying a metal box containing a pre-prepared energy core.
Yun Tianming and his men had been waiting for this for far too long. If it had taken a few more years, the fleet's energy supply would have been completely insufficient to cover their daily expenses.
"The person has been brought. Doesn't that old bastard Qili intend to meet me in person at this point?"
Yun Tianming still wore that calm and collected smile on his face, with officers and soldiers of all ranks from the First Fleet behind him.
The anticipated amicable conversation did not materialize; neither party fully trusted the other until the deal was completed.
Soon, the handover began. Wade was escorted onto a frigate of the Second Fleet, while Yun Tianming also gained control of the energy core.
"We should at least let Qili meet me, after all, we are in the same grade, in principle."
"That's not necessary."
The soldiers in charge of the handover had no expression on their faces. They knew how terrifying the man in front of them was and didn't want to stay any longer.
"Commander Qili will personally escort Wade to the Carbon-Based Federation. We don't need to worry about the future."
After the transaction was completed, the docking point was disconnected, and both parties returned to their respective cabins.
The frigate slowly flew back towards the Second Fleet's formation.
Once Thomas Wade is successfully brought back, Qili will take the flagship to the Carbon-Based Federation, leaving the remaining fleet and energy to Yun Tianming.
At that time, the Trisolaran civilization will be reborn in its new home and become part of the Carbon-based Federation.
"Thanks for your hard work."
As Qi Li watched the frigate slowly fly back into the fleet group, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.
He personally led a group to meet the warriors of the frigate.
Soon, the ship's cabin was docked, and the crew entered the docking area, waiting for the metal gate on the opposite side to open.
"Buzz!"
As the magnetic valve was released, the gate finally opened, revealing a group of people standing on the other side of the gate.
When Qili saw the group of people, his brain went blank for a moment!
He was greeted not by his own escort ship crew, but by Yun Tianming and a group of heavily armed armored soldiers!
"how come!"
Qi Li's brain was frantically trying to figure out what was going on, but Yun Tianming clearly didn't intend to give him much of a chance to think.
"Qili, do you really not want to see me?"
In an instant, as Yun Tianming finished asking his question, three or four beams of light burst from the muzzle of the gun, heading straight for Qi Li and the others.
"Be on alert! Pull the power outage immediately! Don't let them get any closer!"
The piercing alarm sounded throughout the entire flagship. Qi Li never expected that Yun Tianming, that madman, would infiltrate his escort ship and launch an attack while docking with the flagship.
"Squeak!"
Soon, the flagship was forcibly started under Qi Li's command. Before the docking bay could return to its position, it forcibly detached from the track and turned, attempting to create distance from the frigate.
This caused the entire docking bay to begin to twist and deform, and the surrounding metal plates made cracking sounds.
Meanwhile, the remaining ships of the Second Fleet also received the signal and began to turn their guns around, attempting to blast the frigate into scrap metal in space.
But there are people who are even faster than them!
The moment the Second Fleet turned its guns around, all the ships' radars suddenly started flashing alarms wildly.
"A large number of spatial fluctuation nodes have been detected, suggesting that a large number of warp drive fleets are approaching."
In the blink of an eye, hundreds of ships appeared densely packed around them, all bearing the same insignia of the Earth Alliance.
Clearly, this was a trap set by Yun Tianming for the Second Fleet. After a century, they wanted to wipe out the last remaining survivor of the Trisolaran civilization.
There was no sound in the universe, but the constantly flashing red dots around us were like death knells.
Nearly half of the Second Fleet's ships were successfully located by the Earth Alliance fleet. In just an instant, beams of light pierced through the bridges of most of the ships.
The Second Fleet attempted to resist, but the Earth Alliance, in order to wait for a day, mobilized nearly 80% of its forces, and the Second Fleet, exhausted from its efforts, was no match for them.
The area was filled with a dense array of flames, as if they were about to completely engulf everything around them.
Inside the flagship of the Second Fleet, Yun Tianming and his men, who had successfully boarded the ship, fought their way to the bridge, with a dense barrage of gunfire and screams echoing throughout the entire flagship.
Meanwhile, Qili, dragging his body which had been cut in half, stumbled to the control panel and sent a final message to all the remaining ships in the Second Fleet.
"Don't turn back, this isn't home!"
Thus, the Trisolaran civilization completely vanished from the universe, and the remaining Trisolarans were all executed one by one by Wade and his men.
Yun Tianming, the thirteenth governor who had been an undercover agent in the Trisolaran civilization for nearly a century, personally ended the last glimmer of hope for this civilization.