Devouring World Dragon

Chapter 247 Let us celebrate the supreme power of humanity, for humanity's destiny is now clearly revealed.

There is nothing new under the sun.

As that ancient country often said, "When things reach their peak, they must decline," and no one can escape this rule.

Britain once ruled the world for two hundred years, and the United States ruled the world for one hundred and fifty years. But the glory of these ancient nations will eventually fade. After standing at the top of the world for a hundred years, this enduring nation is now facing challenges.

But just as no one could have predicted the rise of an ancient nation in the year 2000, and Britain at its peak could not have imagined that the threat to its hegemony would come from the Americas, this time the challenger is not from Earth, but from space.

The colonists on Mars declared their independence to the humans on Earth.

"The Martian Dome Unanimous Declaration... We believe that man is free, and how can a free man be oppressed and enslaved by others."

"We were born here, grew up here, and will die here... We are not Americans, not Europeans, not Middle Easterners, not Africans, not East Asians, nor residents of any other region or country on Earth. We are children of Mars, living on this unoppressed planet, united and forging ahead..."

"We were born on this united planet, where we love one another, and people treat other people's children as their own, and other people's parents as their own... That fragmented Earth is not our home, but a prison where humanity oppresses and humiliates one another..."

Unlike the overcrowded Earth, on Mars, where survival is difficult, people often live in domes smaller than a school. To survive, they have to make the most of all resources, and everyone's needs are strictly controlled, with no one allowed to take more than their share.

Despite the cramped environment that Earthlings ridicule as a "prison," the Martians remain optimistic.

The world they live in demands that they unite. Each dome is one big family, with no class distinctions, no racial differences, no gender discrimination. Everyone is useful, and no one is considered superfluous or subjected to undeserved bullying.

In this environment, people's desire for a world free from oppression has reached an unprecedented level.

Thus, with only 1,477 domes and 170,000 people, this tiny world proudly declared its independence to the old world, which had a population of over 70 billion.

With the isolation of the vastness of space and by taking advantage of the fragmentation of Earth, this small world withstood several impacts from Earth, grew up with difficulty in adversity, and finally blossomed into the most beautiful flower on the cold Mars.

A Martian nation actively exploring space has been born.

The situation took a dramatic turn in 2263 when the Martian fleet defeated the Earth fleet and established its spaceport on Earth's satellite, the Moon.

A sharp sword from the moon hangs over humanity, constantly threatening Earth's safety. But what ultimately solves this problem is not a war between Earth and fire, but a war waged by AI out of control...

The First AI Out-of-Control War, the Second AI Out-of-Control War, the Second Earth Fire War, the Third AI Out-of-Control War...

In the midst of war, humanity struggled forward, and ultimately...

……

"We've made a lot of mistakes."

In the grand square, countless holographic images and meticulously designed sound and light effects transformed the place into a dreamlike world. Countless people gathered here, listening intently in the sky and on the ground.

And in the very heart of this place, surrounded by millions of people, a seventeen-year-old girl stands at the very center.

The fine downy hairs still clinging to her cheeks testified to her youthful appearance. With her bright eyes and slender figure, she would have been mistaken for a celebrity or idol in the old days, but she was the head of the United Government of Humanity.

This is a scene that would never have been possible in the old days: a seventeen-year-old girl leading a huge government. But it is not impossible in this era because she is smart enough, and her calmness, rationality, and talent far surpass those of everyone else.

In this era, identity is no longer limited by factors such as age and gender. What an efficient government should do is to enable all talented people to realize their value as much as possible.

The young girl raised her head and declared to the world in a clear voice.

“We were once misled by countless slogans and incited by countless religious deities. We killed each other, plunged human-made swords into human flesh; vented our ammunition on each other’s bodies; we racked our brains and exhausted our efforts to create countless weapons, just to kill our compatriots who came from the same source millions of years ago, our flesh and blood relatives, more quickly and effectively.”

"What on earth are we doing?!"

The girl shouted.

"A hundred years ago, Wang Leyi of Mars said: 'Give me enough bread to fill my stomach, and I will take neither more nor less.' If fighting is for survival, we already have enough food for our needs. Even the greediest snake is satisfied with just one meal; the easiest cat to kill is only used to train its survival skills. But my fellow countrymen, why do we kill each other? Why do we oppress our kin based on wealth, gender, skin color?"

"Humans like to exclude those who are different from us, but this stems from our most primal animalistic instincts. Only ignorant animals act on instinct and are driven by instinct!"

"What are apes to humans? A laughable lineage, a disgrace. And what is the same to superhumans? We have completed the long journey from insects to humans, but in many ways we are still insects. We used to be apes, but now, humans are more like apes than apes."

"Humans, who pride themselves on being intelligent and wiser than any other species, have we, after millions of years of arduous evolution, become no different from ignorant and unknowing beasts?"

In front of the girl, the millions of people who had gathered there buzzed with discussion.

The girl slightly raised her smooth, fair chin and spoke loudly again.

“Some people tell me that today’s wars are, of course, for a longer-lasting peace. Only one nation, one regime, one race, one culture, one history, one voice, one thought can achieve true peace. If there is any stability on our borders with other countries, that’s not peace, that’s a truce.” “But my reason tells me that even if the entire universe were unified, and only one nation, one culture, one thought, and one leader existed, civil war would be far more brutal than external war. Endless wars and bombings carried out to eliminate the enemy would still exist, perhaps even more frequently.”

"Some people comforted me by saying: If a civil war can resolve relatively large conflicts, then a civil war should be waged. If killing can solve problems more efficiently and in the long run, then ammunition should not be spared. The course of history is unstoppable, and any form of progress is necessary and inevitable. Whether the universe goes through ten thousand years of warring states or a thousand years of oligarchy, it will eventually tend towards stability. Of course, stability will inevitably lead to turmoil, and so on in a spiral."

"But then, what is the meaning of everything we are doing now? What is the meaning of our existence in this universe? What is the meaning of this endless war? This spiral of ascent will only bring us infinite suffering and final destruction."

Amidst countless gazes, the young girl loudly proclaimed to the world, to Earth, to Mars, to the Moon, to asteroids, and even to all humanity among the stars.

"I believe that people should be rational and free, and should not be slaves to others, nor should they be slaves to the thoughts of others."

"We unite not just for the sake of unity, but so that every individual can live a meaningful life. Every life is precious, and every unique will is invaluable."

"We are human beings, humans who consider themselves noble and rational. How can our proud wisdom be used to forge swords?"

"Here and in this place, a great nation will be born, and all humans, whether Earthlings, Martians, Lunars, Asteroid Inhabitants, or even all humans in the vast void, will embrace each other and cheer for us to lay down our swords and stop killing each other."

"Let us celebrate, let us celebrate the first peace in history..."

……

A few years later, in 2457, the first intergalactic colony spaceship built by the United Human Government was born. It was planned to carry one hundred colonists and one hundred thousand human fertilized eggs, traveling at 7% of the speed of light to the planet Ross 128b, 11 light-years away.

According to astronomers, the area is ideal for human habitation. These colonists will be kept in cryogenic chambers and guided by AI to the designated planet, thus aiding human space exploration.

"Jane, I've read some ancient science fiction novels. Do you know how they were written?"

Near the spaceport, gazing at the enormous ship, a man asked a girl a question. The girl was no longer in a leadership position, but had gone to her more passionate field of scientific research.

How did the ancients write it?

The girl turned to look at him, asking curiously.

"In the eyes of the ancients, we should only travel to other star systems after we have the means to travel at sub-light speed or even faster than light speed, but they seem to have underestimated our audacity."

As he spoke, the man laughed.

"They seem to have forgotten that in the planetary era, a man named Columbus dared to sail across the vast deep sea in a small boat that was almost made of planks. We do not have the sub-light-speed spaceships or faster-than-light means that they imagine, but what has hindered space exploration has never been technological capability, but determination and belief."

"Think about it, in that era, with those extremely crude fuel rockets, humans dared to land on the moon, but in the nearly one hundred years that followed, humans never landed on the moon again. Why? Was it because of insufficient technology? Was it because of insufficient funding? The fundamental reason is that they no longer looked to space, became obsessed with internal strife and division, and lost that kind of motivation and belief."

As he spoke, he gazed at the colony spaceship he had designed and murmured to himself.

"In that era, the money burned by any single real estate speculation or financial speculation was enough to go to the moon ten times, but people at that time preferred to be enthusiastic about these zero-sum games... If it weren't for the threats and pressure, space exploration would probably still be confined to planets, and Mars would still be barren."

"Threat? What threat?"

The girl keenly noticed the flaw in the man's words and pressed for an answer.

The man was clearly taken aback for a moment, then burst into laughter.

"No...nothing."

Just then, the spaceship was about to launch, dispelling this little incident.

"..."

There was no sound in space, and the spaceship, which relied on gravity for acceleration, didn't even have a flame effect, but when that massive figure, larger than a mountain, left, it still shocked all the onlookers.

Humanity has been circling around Earth for millions of years, and around the solar system for another five hundred years. Now, the first colony spaceship bravely exploring outer space has finally been born. Any human who sees this scene feels a strange sense of destiny.

"Rejoice in the immense power of humanity, for the destiny of humankind is now clearly revealed..."

Suddenly, an inspiring voice rang out.

The girl couldn't help but look to her side, only to see the man gazing at the spaceship, his pupils holding an unusual light—a power that was a mixture of confidence and determination.

……

Within the Crystal Heaven, the thousand-headed monster was no longer on the chessboard; in its place stood a figure whose human form was vaguely discernible. Its eyes held curiosity and confidence as it reached out, as if trying to break free from the chessboard that bound it and grasp the stars beyond the heavens.

(End of this chapter)