For humanity, burn the stars.

"The solution is very simple."

Luke's synthesized voice pulled Li Lin back from his chaotic thoughts.

"Find a well-preserved human body, then stuff your brain into it, and that's enough."

"Or do you want to use this body to be re-engineered back into a human?"

"That's certainly possible, but it will take a little longer."

Li Lin nodded slightly. Just as he had thought, it was indeed done by brain transplantation.

Luke flicked his whiskers, which were intertwined in front of his chest, and continued:

"Of course, I still prefer you to choose the first option."

"After all, as an exhibit, I certainly hope you can steal the spotlight."

"Because in my father's planetary governor's private collection room, there happened to be several pure human specimens from the pre-war era that had been preserved for over a hundred years."

"Then, we'll transplant your abnormally active brain that insists it's human into it."

At this point, Luke suddenly paused, and said to himself:

"No... but thinking about it this way, it doesn't seem so bad for me to regenerate you back into a human."

"Although the final exhibits may not be that outstanding, in another sense, this was a process I led..."

Li Lin paid no attention to Luke's dilemma, but silently pondered the path ahead.

Brain transplantation, a highly demanding procedure in human medicine, is described as something as simple as taking out vegetables from a refrigerator.

However, for the Vera, whose technology is so advanced, the difficulty is probably about the same as opening a refrigerator.

As for being re-modified back into a human, Li Lin wasn't that concerned.

Although this would allow him to customize his character's appearance, this isn't a game, and Li Lin simply didn't have the leisure to do so.

Moreover, his crafting skills are not very good. Every time he creates his own character's face, other players exclaim that an ancient god has descended to earth. Therefore, he basically uses preset bodies.

"So... what's your decision?"

"I hope you can accept this gladly, after all, as an exhibit, I want you to be able to show what humanity should be like."

"Instead of forcing me to make a fool of myself and ruining my exhibition."

Discarding the lifeless, hollowed-out shell-like corpse, Luke looked back at Li Lin, his fiber optic organs trembling slightly:

"So actually, I'm really looking forward to completing this deal with you."

"You possess an inner quality that interests me, a quality that truly belongs to 'humanity'."

"And I can give you an external body that is worthy of this inner self, a body that truly belongs to 'humanity'."

"In a sense, wouldn't humanity, which had already gone extinct, be 'resurrected' in my hands?"

"What a wonderful and symbolic exhibit this will be!"

Its voice was filled with the excitement of impending success and boundless joy.

Li Lin remained silent, his enormous frog-like eyes slowly sweeping over the two Veras in front of him.

It was just a small event at the alien school, such a ridiculous cause, yet it became his lifeline.

By sheer coincidence, they encountered their own alien selves in this hellish place. Truly, life is unpredictable…

Brain transplant, consciousness transplant, and then become an exhibit for the children of alien elites.

Making a deal with the enemy who wiped out your clan is indeed a humiliating and risky choice.

However, he didn't take it seriously.

The flame of revenge had been buried deep in his heart since the very beginning of his transmigration, when he realized where he was and what he had become.

To seek revenge, one must first survive.

To survive in this hell, he had no choice.

He could not forget the constant heaviness of the carapace on his back, nor could he forget the frog's eyes that made him nauseous and its vertically split mouthparts.

He could not forget the despair he felt when he saw the news about the Dyson sphere, a feeling that was like being doused with ice water and completely freezing the last bit of hope.

Staying here means either slow decay or immediate self-destruction.

In some unknown corner, it silently perished in the body of this monster.

Furthermore, if he stayed here, he wouldn't be able to do anything at all, and he wouldn't even have the opportunity to access and develop real technology.

By contacting Vera and accepting this humiliating deal, at least... he gained a 'possibility'.

Even if a human body is displayed as an "exhibit," it means that it has been freed from this lowest level of hell.

Even being confined meant he had access to a wider world, it meant... survival and hope.

Given the current situation, Vera will definitely not come down to contact the Shell People casually; if this opportunity is missed, there may never be another chance.

Now that the choice is before him, Li Lin must consider whether this might be the only opportunity he has in his life.

Is the meaning of life to win by any means necessary? Or is it to live humbly no matter what?

For Li Lin—yes, that's right.

That's how it is now, at least for now.

Since the other party wants me to show what a human being should be like...

Then when the time is right, he will surely show them the finest human virtues—'revenge'.

Revenge is one of the most important motifs in human cultural memes.

It is one form of human suffering, a collision when human actions extend outward, like the echo of ripples on water on a stone.

It was because of these painful echoes and ripples that he was able to recognize the boundaries of humanity itself, and at the same time, to sketch out some outlines of this chaotic world.

An ugly compromise? It's only temporary, Li Lin swore to himself.

Revenge seems to have permeated the entirety of human history; as long as there is civilization, there will be revenge, and the culture of revenge is particularly strong in some cultures.

One day, this echo will reverberate throughout the universe.

If given the chance, he would definitely choose to have yellow skin again.

As the last inheritor of human civilization in this world, he has the right and the obligation to seek revenge.

He has an unshirkable duty to restore humanity's glory.

Li Lin slowly nodded to Luke, who was waiting for his answer.

"...I agree."

His voice was hoarse, yet exceptionally clear, carrying a firmness that the Veras could not comprehend.

No matter how much they analyze or imitate, they cannot comprehend human emotions and determination.

"Take me... away from here."

Luke's fiber optic organs swayed happily, and several of his tentacles made a clapping-like motion.

"A wise decision!"

"Well then, welcome aboard my spaceship, to our future... 'humans'."

Considering that Li Lin's shell had been almost torn off, the traction beam enveloped him, moving him along with the large lump of repair gel into the spaceship's interior.

Li Lin took one last look at his dilapidated house and the "kindred spirits" he didn't recognize in the garbage heap.

The shell people no longer perceive themselves as human, which is why Li Lin does not consider them human.

However, if given the chance, Li Lin would still want to transform them back into humans as a tribute to the former humans of Earth.

He hopes that when he returns next time, he will come back as a liberator.