Lin Mo's phrase, “Flesh is weak, Machine Ascension is eternal,” struck Commander Qin Weiguo and all the soldiers present like a cold wedge.
However, his subsequent words seemed to unveil an even deeper, more unsettling curtain.
“Commander Qin, Captain Chu Hang, and all the guardians of The Boulder.”
Lin Mo’s voice came through the loudspeaker, the fanaticism hidden beneath his calm tone not only hadn't subsided but surged even more powerfully.
“Do you really believe that humanity, facing this desperate world, can only passively endure, or devour each other like beasts, just to barely survive?”
He didn't wait for an answer, but continued speaking as if a prophet standing on the threshold of a new era, with a chilling certainty in his voice:
“You are wrong! Terribly wrong!”
“Ancient texts and scattered data fragments have long revealed that the evolution of life is by no means a single path! Under the laws of this universe, there are at least four paths to a higher level of ‘Ascension’!”
“The first!”
His voice suddenly rose.
“Is what you see, and what we have chosen – Machine Ascension! Replacing fragile flesh with flawless alloys, replacing failing hearts with eternal energy cores, purifying the mists of emotion with absolutely rational logical thinking! We will transcend physiological limits and embrace a nearly eternal existence! This is the inevitable destiny of a rational civilization!”
Commander Qin Weiguo’s face was ashen, his fists clenching with a cracking sound, but he did not interrupt. He needed to know how many more shocking statements this “madman” had hidden.
Lin Mo’s voice paused slightly, as if savoring the shock of the people outside, then continued, his tone even carrying a hint of… pity?
“And the second is Flesh Ascension, indulging in primitive desires and savage power.”
His voice carried obvious disdain.
“Just like that monster you encountered in Jiu'an City, and those pathetic beings in the wilderness who only know how to devour and evolve. They strengthen their bodies, plunder genes; seemingly powerful, they are actually enslaved by instinct and hunger, and will eventually become beasts that only know destruction, completely contrary to civilization! This path is destined to be a dead end leading to barbarism and chaos!”
Chu Hang’s eyes narrowed slightly. He thought of Ling Chen, that being who controlled blood and had terrifying defenses. Lin Mo’s description surprisingly matched some of Ling Chen’s characteristics.
“As for the third,”
Lin Mo’s tone became a little more complex.
“It is what currently appears to be the most common, yet also the most dependent on talent and uncertainty: Mental Ascension, or as you call it—Ability Awakening.”
He did not completely deny this path.
“Developing brain potential, communicating with energy laws, controlling extraordinary powers. The upper limit of this path may be very high, but it relies too much on innate talent, is too easily contaminated by emotions and spirit, progresses slowly, and carries huge risks. Look at the ability users in the fortress; even as powerful as Captain Chu Hang, the suffering from the backlash of his power is probably not something outsiders can comprehend, is it? This path is full of uncontrollable variables.”
Chu Hang remained silent; the burden brought by Rule Judgment was indeed his deeply hidden secret.
However, Commander Qin Weiguo’s heart was already in turmoil!
Lin Mo’s words, though insane, vaguely aligned with the current state of the world as he knew it!
The existence of mutated creatures, the rise of ability users… Could it be that these were not accidental? But rather some… already destined evolutionary paths?!
“But!”
Lin Mo’s voice became impassioned again, filled with undeniable confidence.
“Do you think this is all there is?”
“No! This world is far vaster than you imagine! And the path of evolution is by no means limited to these three!”
Through the loudspeaker, Lin Mo’s voice seemed to pierce through time and space, carrying a solemnity as if revealing the ultimate mysteries of the universe:
“In the vast sea of stars and ancient forbidden knowledge, there lies a fourth path! A more hidden, more powerful, and even more… closer to the origin of the universe, path to Ascension!”
“It’s just a pity…”
His tone suddenly carried a meaningful pause, and a hint of an undeniable… longing and… regret?
“Information about this path is too scarce, and the conditions are the most stringent… It requires… a very special ‘key’… or… ‘medium’… to truly unlock…”
The fourth path to Ascension?!
Commander Qin Weiguo, Chu Hang, and all the soldiers who could hear these words felt an inexplicable chill crawl up their spines!
Beyond machine, flesh, and spirit, there was actually a fourth path? What could it be? And what was the “key” Lin Mo spoke of?!
What exactly was this Lin Mo researching deep within the Academy of Sciences?!
“And now!”
Lin Mo’s voice pulled everyone’s thoughts back to reality, once again filled with that cold resolve.
“We have chosen the most rational, most controllable, and most representative path for the future of civilization: Machine Ascension! We are not rebelling; we are merely practicing our ideals and walking on the correct evolutionary path!”
“This Academy of Sciences, and all the knowledge and creations within it, will henceforth no longer be constrained by the shackles of the old era and shortsighted military control! We will be autonomous! We will pursue the eternal mechanical truth according to our will!”
“Commander Qin, please take your people and leave. Unless you want to test whether your steel torrents, controlled by flesh and blood, are stronger, or if our intelligent mechanical legions, fused with cutting-edge technology and absolute rationality, are superior!”
“Do not attempt to force your way in.”
Lin Mo’s voice ended with a cold warning.
“Otherwise, the next ‘pressure test’ will not be so gentle. For evolution, we will stop at nothing.”
As his words fell, outside the Academy of Sciences’ gate, the energy indicator lights of those strangely shaped mechs and automated weapon platforms glowed even more dazzlingly, filled with cold deterrence.
The entire scene was dead silent.
Only the low hum of heavy motors and the hiss of energy flowing could be heard.
Commander Qin Weiguo stood rooted to the spot, like a statue.
There was no anger left on his face, only a deep, unspeakable shock and heaviness.
He had originally thought it was just a scientist losing control, an internal technical rebellion.
But now, what he heard was a complete, insane, yet subtly world-altering evolutionary theory!
And a completely different, threatening declaration of the future!
Lin Mo and his Academy of Sciences were no longer pursuing simple technological breakthroughs or independence, but rather… a completely different path of civilizational development!
A path that, in their eyes, was superior and more advanced!
And the hint of this fourth path to Ascension was like a bomb dropped into deep water, leaving his mind restless.
He finally understood why Lin Mo had become so “crazy,” why those researchers followed him so devotedly.
They saw not a traitor, but a prophet who could potentially lead them to the “altar of gods”!
This was no longer a simple disagreement of ideals or a power struggle.
This was… a battle of paths! A choice concerning the future form of human civilization!
On one side was the military fortress, upholding the traditional human form, relying on discipline and steel to guard order.
On the other was the scientific fantasy, embracing mechanical modification, pursuing absolute rationality and eternal life.
There was also the threat of mutated creatures hidden in the wilderness, following the path of Flesh Ascension.
And… that mysterious, potentially existing fourth path…
The complex situation made this seasoned Commander feel an unprecedented sense of bewilderment and pressure.
He glanced at Chu Hang, whose face was equally solemn beside him, then looked at the cold steel defense line and the closed gate of the Academy of Sciences.
He knew that today, he could not force an attack. The power Lin Mo displayed and his declaration meant that the cost of a forced conflict would be an internal drain that The Boulder could not bear.
But he would also never allow the Academy of Sciences to simply break free from control.
“Let’s go.” Commander Qin Weiguo’s voice was hoarse and tired, but carried an undeniable command.
The troops began to slowly retreat, but everyone’s mood was incredibly heavy. They knew that leaving did not mean the end, but the beginning of another, more complex, and more difficult confrontation.
The rift in Panshi Fortress was irreparable.
And the “Fourfold Ascension” path revealed by Lin Mo, like a huge mystery and a potential vortex, would inevitably draw everyone into it.
Commander Qin Weiguo took one last look at the cold alloy gate of the Academy of Sciences, as if to deeply imprint it in his mind.
He knew he had to re-evaluate everything. Including the missing Ling Chen… Which path was he on?