System: My Doomsday Train-Chapter 808 - 329: "Reach the Top, or Die.

"But——"

"Using this thing to destroy a third-level civilization, isn’t that like using an ox cleaver to kill a chicken?"

"This thing might not be quite enough to destroy a fourth-level civilization, but it’s certainly more than enough to cripple one."

"You might have some misunderstanding about third-level civilizations."

The old man shook his head with some sentiment and said: "Even though they are third-level civilizations, the few third-level civilizations in your star system are comparatively weak across the whole Cosmos. Actually, any normally developing third-level civilization, no matter the region, is absolutely distinguished."

"In their own regions, they are dominant rulers."

"However, you can’t be blamed for this; after all, your region’s resources are exceedingly scarce, limiting development prospects."

"Still, this ’Cosmic Landmine’ truly has some excess power. This is the original intention behind designing all ’Cosmic Landmines,’ to ensure absolute overpowering, even if it means resource waste."

"Do you remember what I said earlier?"

"Once the first attempt at overpowering fails, the message will return, and troops will be dispatched again, taking decades. This means the civilization gains precious development time of several decades, which Advanced Civilizations do not wish to see."

"Hence——"

"Even at the cost of resource waste, the first attack must ensure 100% overpowering, leaving no breathing room."

"In the Cosmos, countless civilizations have perished due to the ’Civilization Big Bang,’ too numerous to count."

"Like you."

"I always felt your civilization was in a state of civilization explosion, and an extreme one at that. It’s unclear if your star system is within the range of any civilization."

"It probably isn’t; the Nia Star System, where I am, is too barren."

"It’s hard to say..."

The leader of the Starfire Civilization spoke with a slightly peculiar expression: "You still have some misunderstandings about the Cosmos. The Advanced Civilizations I mentioned span ranges of tens of millions, hundreds of millions, or even tens of billions of light-years, right?"

"But——"

"Even tens of billions of light-years in the Cosmos are nothing more than a speck of dust."

"The territory of those Divine-level civilizations is likely much larger and extremely vast. Those Advanced Civilizations also lie within the territory of a Divine-level civilization, which has likewise laid ’Cosmic Landmines,’ albeit with more stringent trigger conditions."

"These Advanced Civilizations have not yet triggered them."

"Thus, these Advanced Civilizations proceed cautiously, fearing accidentally triggering a higher-dimensional civilization’s ’Cosmic Landmines,’ while laying plenty of ’Cosmic Landmines’ to prevent trailing civilizations from catching up."

"That’s why I despise the current Cosmos environment."

"All civilizations develop on a tightrope, afraid of calamity, yet destroy other civilizations at all costs, lest their status be threatened. Once you reach this point, withdrawal is no longer an option."

"Your ecological position in the Cosmos dictates that you must keep climbing, unable to relax until you reach the summit."

"In the vast Cosmos, how many civilizations can truly reach the summit?"

"Most civilizations will be lost in the river of time. Advanced civilizations cannot even imagine the methods of Divine-level civilizations, nor the form or trigger conditions of their ’Cosmic Landmines,’ akin to exploring the Cosmos with shackles."

"There are only two outcomes in the path of civilization struggle."

"Reaching the summit, or perishing."

"Do you think you’ll be the one civilization among billions to reach the summit?"

"..."

After a longer silence, Chen Mang suddenly laughed: "So, we are very likely within the territory of a Divine-level civilization?"

"Very likely."

The old leader of the Starfire Civilization likewise chuckled quietly: "And there’s a strong chance that just ahead could lie a ’Cosmic Landmine’ from a Divine-level civilization, although we might not even qualify to trigger it."

"Even if passing by its vicinity, the landmine wouldn’t react."

"It’s like people walking over anti-tank mines without causing them to explode."

"We survive not because we are strong, but because we are weak."

"Once we grow strong, what awaits us is not a broader future, but greater disaster. In the Cosmos, often weakness is not shameful; rather, it becomes the key to survival."

"After all..."

"Surviving is what truly matters, isn’t it?"

"The heritage lifespan of a civilization after ascending to a third-level civilization is generally one or two thousand years."

"What concept is this?"

"Many mediocre civilizations can’t even reach the nearest planet to their world, yet manage to sustain for tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of years."

"Do these civilizations live longer because they are strong?"

"No."

"It’s because they are weak."

"They are so weak that no one in the Cosmos takes notice, allowing them to survive. Isn’t such a life blissful?"

"They gaze up at the sky, only finding the stars beautiful today, oblivious to the madness and violence in the Cosmic depths, where billions of lives fall, countless Fixed Stars explode."

"People’s regrets often stem from knowing too much. If they know nothing, they might just quietly appreciate the beauty of the starry sky."