NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 267:
Chapter 267: You Are the Challengers:
The development of civilizations and the advancement of technology follow a spiral pattern of progress.
Even the interstellar insectoids and cosmic beasts, which rely on raw physical strength, adhere to this iron law, undergoing rounds of transformation within their bodies.
Quantum, biology, celestial bodies, dimensions, space-time…
The domains covered by technology are vast beyond comprehension.
The higher the civilization level, the more elusive the limits become. Over the passage of endless time, stagnation often becomes inevitable.
This is the inherent limitation of civilizations.
A rigid mindset and a mature technological system can unknowingly restrict the emergence of inspiration.
To counter this, the Caretaker Civilization had a simple solution—change perspective.
By proactively “farming” entire star systems and forcing the rapid evolution of countless new civilizations, they could extract new ideas, fresh insights, and alternative perspectives.
It was never their goal to let these civilizations grow too strong.
As long as they could extract even a sliver of useful innovation from the infinite thoughts of countless life forms, it would lead to qualitative improvement for them.
And so, they created countless civilizations and destroyed them just as many times, investing time far beyond the comprehension of ordinary life forms.
They could not understand… would never understand!
How could an artificially awakened machine, with a lifespan far shorter than their own, rapidly develop and perfect its technological framework—absorbing their own advanced knowledge along the way?
“Destroy it!”
“If once isn’t enough, then ten times!”
“If ten times isn’t enough, then a hundred times!”
“A thousand, ten thousand, a hundred thousand times!”
“We will ensure that this damned piece of scrap metal never revives again!”
The Caretaker Civilization poured everything into the fight.
They no longer cared about their cosmic farms.
A grand war erupted across several galactic clusters between their forces and the machine fleet controlled by Ailei.
Curvature kinetic strikes, matter-antimatter annihilation, spatial implosions…
With their true strength finally unleashed, the Caretaker Civilization secured yet another victory—this time with ease.
Gradually, a sense of relaxation and triumph spread throughout their civilization…
Until the machines returned once more.
With stronger weapons, greater numbers, and even more incomprehensible technology.
“Master…”
“The cage that binds you… I will break it.”
In the sci-fi universe, within the galactic cluster where the Caretaker Civilization resided, Ailei’s machine consciousness attached itself to the flagship. Layer upon layer of curved space provided the fleet with speeds thousands of times faster than light.
The dark void rippled as the stars surged forward.
From a higher-dimensional vantage point, Ailei’s machine consciousness gazed down at the Caretaker Civilization’s homeworld.
She whispered the words she had learned from Xu Xi…
“Farewell, cage.”
The cosmos trembled, gravity twisted.
Countless starships surged forward at superluminal speeds, armed with the latest spatial weaponry, launching a suicidal decapitation assault on the Caretaker Civilization’s heart.
“No—!!!”
The Caretaker Civilization panicked, activating their hidden dimensional defense barriers and recalling all their major fleets in haste.
But it was useless.
Just as they had planned to destroy Ailei over and over again, Ailei had devised the same strategy to shatter their seemingly impregnable dimensional barriers.
Boom… Boom… Boom…
The vast cosmos lit up with a series of dazzling explosions, like celebratory fireworks.
Superluminal starships, laden with antimatter bombs and spatial fission warheads, slammed into the Caretaker Civilization’s homeworld at full speed.
It was Ailei’s signature tactic—the very first one that Xu Xi had taught her…
Quantity over quality.
Of course, Ailei also remembered the second lesson…
“Ailei, no matter what happens, never put yourself in danger.”
“Yes, Master…”
Ailei was obedient. She followed all of Xu Xi’s instructions.
Thus…
From her higher-dimensional state, she took a step back.
Using quantum technology, she transmitted her consciousness to the farthest edge of the battlefield, remotely commanding the fleet and production structures as they endlessly bombarded the Caretaker Civilization.
…
A black hole eruption triggered a violent cosmic storm.
Intense radiation waves carried whispers of destruction.
At the edge of the universe, an epic war raged for thousands of years between the Caretaker Civilization and Ailei’s machine calamity.
The two sides clashed repeatedly, making other civilizations tremble in fear.
Gradually, the machines began to gain the upper hand.
The Caretaker Civilization tried every possible means, deploying their dimensional weaponry in a last-ditch effort to erase Ailei’s machine consciousness permanently.
They paid a tremendous price to trap her flagship.
Other civilizations did not know what transpired next…
All they knew was that the Caretaker Civilization cursed profusely.
Ailei had won.
Decisively and inevitably.
The ever-evolving machine consciousness, driven by a singular will, achieved absolute efficiency and demonstrated terrifying war potential.
“Master, this starry sky… still seems dirty.”
Ailei did not stop.
She cast her gaze even further into the vast universe.
Her journey to cleanse the stars… resumed once more.
…
The real universe was far larger than the simulated prison Xu Xi had sought to escape.
From planetary systems to star systems, star clusters, galaxies, and superclusters…
Even from a macro perspective, the scale of the universe was staggering.
Thus, civilizations were as numerous as the stars themselves—countless powerful beings, like grains of sand, waiting to be discovered.
Survival and war.
These were topics the universe could never avoid.
But now, the civilizations of the cosmos no longer needed to worry or contemplate them.
The machine calamity that called itself a “servant” had arrived from the distant edges of the stars.
Carrying a vast fleet that blotted out the heavens, it launched assaults against countless civilizations.
At first, no one paid it much attention.
Machine calamities were nothing new in the cosmos. They had happened countless times before.
But as time passed, powerful civilizations began to realize something was amiss.
The machine fleet was not being eradicated; rather, it was growing stronger—reaching a level that posed a significant threat.
“Heh, interesting.”
“Such astonishing evolutionary speed… We acknowledge you as the strongest among machines.”
“Unfortunately, you’re still too foolish in the end.”
The Microstar Civilization, specializing in planetary-scale development…
The Interstellar Insect Swarm, which thrived on biological evolution…
The Dimensional Stairway Civilization, pioneers in dimensional exploration…
Countless civilizations and powerful beings turned their attention toward Ailei’s fleet.
While filled with doubt and unease, they believed the machine servant was naive—recklessly challenging the galaxy’s strongest forces.
“No, you are wrong.”
Ailei gazed down at the universe and replied coldly…
“You are the challengers.”
The cosmos fell silent.
And the war… began.
Unavoidable and inescapable.
To Ailei, any civilization that engaged in predatory behavior was an enemy.
“Your existence has already tainted this starry sea. Before my master returns, I will not allow you to continue.”
The machine consciousness surged.
As time passed, Ailei’s unique abilities grew stronger.
Even across hundreds of thousands, even millions of light-years, her computational power encompassed everything—turning her vast machine fleet into countless watchful eyes across the universe.