Free Web NovelChapter 1334: Chapter 514: The Trolley Problem (Part 2)
Chu Yan’s gaze fell on Lin Xian, and after several seconds, she turned her eyes to the Scarlet Land outside the window, and slowly said: "Losing some emotions makes the world feel much more unfamiliar to me, it seems even life has become somewhat indifferent. With this perspective, I have somewhat gained an understanding and resonance similar to Hua Xiaoling, but it’s not to the point of betraying the Phoenix Society, nor have I ever considered betraying you."
"Then what is your purpose?" Lin Xian looked at her: "To appear so coincidentally in front of me, surely it’s not just luck that brought you here."
"Yes."
Chu Yan raised her mechanical prosthetic left arm, the weapon hatch on her wrist opened, and a silver Civilization Preview Ball slowly floated out.
"The Foundation has left many things used for locating on you. The moment that Civilization Preview Ball was activated by you, they immediately got the news of your awakening. And besides... there’s the Taboo Items on you."
"Taboo Items?" Lin Xian frowned.
"Did you forget what the Holy Revelation is for?" Chu Yan said: "Scarlet is a fog of war for us, but for the Tower People, it’s not only transparent, all the information can even be transmitted globally without any delay. It’s a technological system that we humans cannot comprehend, and those Taboo Items are energy singularities of their multi-dimensional world unfolding, including Superpower Users, except that one is an object, and the other is a biological body. That’s why the more Superpower Users or Taboo Items a convoy has, they often encounter more dangerous attacks, especially if it’s within Extreme Night or Star Abyss."
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Lin Xian raised his hand and brought out the Black Gear, weighing it in his hand: "No wonder Hua Xiaoling was able to find me so easily, it seems that as soon as I try to activate and use Taboo Items, they have a way to locate me."
"That’s right, but during your coma, you neither could use Taboo Items nor activate the Civilization Language Ball, so the Foundation’s people had no way to accurately locate your presence aside from searching at the Hakko Battlefield. Meanwhile, the High Tower Civilization has already started a full-scale invasion, occupying Blue Star."
"So my purpose in coming is to replace you in rescuing Dawn Center’s orbital forces."
"Replace me?"
Chu Yan looked at Lin Xian, her eyes flashed with complexity, she flipped the Civilization Preview Ball in her hand, only to hear a buzz, and a holographic projection was displayed. In a scarlet scene, a seemingly endless train stretched across a vast red-earth plain. The image swept past countless convoys, a vast array converging with drones assisting in hurriedly constructing something. The horizon was littered with the bodies of Abnormal Bodies, the Iron Guard Brigade troops swarmed in, some even clearly seeing the soldiers’ faces.
"Sky Dome Train, Silver Star, it’s our Infinite Alliance!!!"
Upon seeing the scene, KIKI exclaimed: "They’re all still alive!"
Lin Xian’s expression changed slightly, his eyes immediately fell on Chu Yan’s face, and upon seeing the main forces still largely intact, he was obviously extremely delighted. Yet the next moment, he felt a chilling sensation in his heart. How did such a scene appear in the Civilization Preview Ball?
Seemingly guessing Lin Xian’s thoughts, Chu Yan directly said:
"No need to guess, it’s not unusual for there to be Descent Faction members in the Human Camp. Otherwise, why would so many battlefields suffer such heavy losses? Such methods in Scarlet present no difficulty, all our actions are as transparent as playing cards to the Tower People or the Foundation."
She continued looking at the holographic screen’s image: "Currently, the orbital forces have already detached from their original orbital line, advancing through laying tracks to approximately 390 kilometers southeast of Colorado Canyon in the Red Rock Rift Valley Zone. They resolved an S-Class Abnormal Body and are now building a track steel refinery to forge large quantities of track, speeding up their escape. But what they don’t know is that, while perhaps the Tower Civilization or Abnormal Bodies are unaware of their actions, the Foundation is completely clear."
Upon hearing this, KIKI clenched her fist and coldly said: "You mean, they can launch an attack on the train group anytime, destroy their plans?!"
"Indeed." Chu Yan’s expression remained calm, as if devoid of emotional influence.
Lin Xian looked at Chu Yan, seemingly guessing something: "The Foundation is trying to use this to coerce me, make me surrender without resistance, and then they can ’mercifully’ let the train forces go, give them a chance to escape?"
"The Dark Civilization doesn’t care about human life or death."
Chu Yan raised the Civilization Preview Ball: "And the Foundation’s proposal is for you to enter the Civilization Preview game once again."
"Impossible!" KIKI immediately flew over to stand in front of Lin Xian: "Do you want Lin Xian’s consciousness to be devoured by the Angels, turning him into a zombie?!"
"Turning into a zombie is indeed impossible..."
Lin Xian placed his hand on KIKI’s shoulder, indicating her not to be agitated, then turned to Chu Yan and continued: "The Foundation seems quite clever. They see my Mechanical Heart as a threat, but eradicating my resistance consciousness is inherently less risky than directly killing me, and after remodeling my consciousness and worldview, joining the Foundation is quite likely. After all, so many scientists and convoy leaders do this, precisely extracting hopes and resistance consciousness, then reassessing the Tower Civilization’s development and humanity’s fate with ’absolute rationality.’ Under such circumstances, ’defection’ becomes unsurprisingly smooth."
Chu Yan remained silent.
"If I don’t do this, wouldn’t North America encounter immediate attacks?" Lin Xian asked.
"Yes."
Lin Xian looked at her: "So what’s your opinion?"
Silence descended, only the sound of rolling iron wheels remained in the carriage, Lin Xian, KIKI, and Chu Yan stood confronting each other. He looked at this former kindred soul, though veiled in mildness on the surface, his heart surged tumultuously, even feeling a chilling fatigue.
The scene he glanced at gave him a rough idea of the convoy’s strategy; they were recuperating and preparing track materials for a ready departure. If at this time the Foundation triggered a Scarlet Tide as months ago, it would inevitably bring about devastation for the train forces, leaving Lin Xian both furious and partly helpless, even surpassing the helplessness he felt against the Giant Ocean God.
Humans can always accurately identify the weaknesses of their kind. Lin Xian, who had studied philosophy in college, might never have guessed he’d truly face a ’train dilemma’ in this world one day, and in a train, confronting the survival issues of other trains. It sounds rather ironic and bizarre.
KIKI looked pale, distraught, just listening to Chu Yan’s question made her feel a buzzing in her head. She looked nervously at the agonized face of Lin Xian, attempting to say something but finding her words stuck.
Unexpectedly, Chu Yan looked at Lin Xian with an extremely calm expression and suddenly spoke: "Lin Xian, you weren’t this foolish in my memory."
Lin Xian frowned: "What are you trying to say?"
Chu Yan took a deep breath, her expression serious: "Did you forget what I just told you? This was the Commander’s decision."
"Professor Ye...?"
"Do you think that to preserve your life, we merely lost the secret about the Sword Holder’s Mechanical Heart under those conditions?" Chu Yan asked with a scrutinizing look: "Or do you think Commander Ye hasn’t weighed how many people globally would die after breaking the deterrence era."
"After you fell unconscious, in Asia-Pacific Continent, Europe, Republican Islands, North America, and South America, the number of deaths from the descent of the Scarlet was over three million, the Encounter at Dawn City, the month after Star Abyss’ brief tranquility was merely a calm-before-the-storm, all of it only a storm stirred by the butterfly effect. The Phoenix Society made this decision as they realized that key from the third civilization you possess is likely humanity’s salvation, and now you’re asking me for my opinion, are you really that selfless, considering yourself a Savior now, being swayed by the Foundation’s will?!"
Lin Xian felt a sudden thunderclap in his heart, instantly realizing this gamble was set in stone back at Dawn City, requiring no hesitation at all.
He inexplicably chuckled, his eyes flashing resolute as he looked at Chu Yan
"Should have told me earlier, we’re still on the same side, so the question now is..."
Chu Yan’s eyes turned sharp, and she looked forward at the train
"We have 11 hours left, your train must take flight!"
Lin Xian and KIKI exchanged glances
"Got it?"
KIKI smiled slightly:
"Got it."
