Chapter 524: Moses Parts the Sea! Prometheus's Flame! The Nightmare Ends!
The Hyperion had locked onto the Enterprise, and another plasma blast tore through the ship's armor plating. The last remnant of the North American Fleet went up in a violent explosion, blooming into a dazzling firework in the void of space.
Chu Yan stood dumbfounded, staring at the distant Hyperion. They had never expected another warship to suddenly appear here.
This corporate warship, tasked with tailing, had not revealed itself until the very last moment before Chapter Beihai and the others.
Moments later, General Terrence, captain of the ship, initiated contact with the Natural Selection, formally identifying himself:
> "We are the Hyperion, First Expeditionary Fleet of the Universal Megacorp. Acting in the name of humanity's Wallfacer, Paul Atreides, we demand that you immediately return home."
Although Zhang Beihai and Chu Yan didn't know much about the Universal Megacorp—only that they had made certain contributions in resisting the Trisolarans—they had heard of Paul, the new Wallfacer.
They immediately realized: this was Earth civilization calling them home.
"What awaits us if we go back? Will you put us on trial?"
Chu Yan's voice held a wary edge. He longed to return, but not as a criminal. If the price of going home was execution, he would rather keep drifting.
"Only criminals face trial. As for whether you are guilty of betraying humanity—that's not for me to decide. I can't promise you anything."
Terrence's reply was watertight.
Just as despair began to cloud Chu Yan—when it seemed forgiveness was forever beyond reach—Terrence shifted his tone:
> "However, you do have a chance to redeem yourselves."
He transmitted the coordinates of two Trisolaran ships fleeing the Solar System toward the Trisolaran homeworld.
> "Two enemy ships are escaping. You can choose to join us in pursuit.
If you'd rather avoid the risk, you may return to Earth—but whether you face trial at Fleet International, I cannot guarantee."
Faced with such a once-in-a-lifetime chance, Zhang Beihai wasted no time agreeing.
Since the Corporation was willing to offer them a path to atonement, it meant their "defection" wasn't viewed as unforgivable treason. Fleet International was offering them a ladder back.
Just as Zhang Beihai had guessed, the Corporation did intend to give this starship civilization a second chance.
After all, in a sense, his flight had indirectly preserved the Asian Fleet.
Without his diversion, the Asian Fleet would have perished with the United Fleet under the onslaught of the droplets.
Without his escape, there would have been no great triumph later, when the Asian Fleet encircled and destroyed nine droplets.
Because of this, Paul and the UN leadership were willing to extend them a chance for redemption. Whether they could seize it was up to them.
The Corporation's mission was only a third complete; much still lay ahead. Someone had to keep watch on the Trisolaran system, and this small fleet was perfectly suited for it.
"Yes! We'll join you at once!"
Chu Yan, elated by Terrence's offer, led the Natural Selection crew in stripping the Ultimate Law, Enterprise, and Deep Space of all salvageable supplies.
Anything useful, they took—because the journey to the Trisolaran system, even at near-lightspeed, would take four to five years. No resupply would be possible in the interim.
After securing Zhang Beihai and Chu Yan, Terrence immediately reported to War Moon Command.
Meanwhile, within the Solar System, humanity still reeled from an unexpected victory. This war had been won with startling ease, without a single brutal ground battle on Earth.
When the Trisolaran fleet advanced toward Earth, countless had braced themselves for the deaths of tens of billions.
Yet in reality, fewer than a million lives had been lost. The casualties since the start of the Doomsday War didn't even rival those of the internal strife during the Great Depression.
At last, more and more people began to see Paul's true intent.
Why he proposed building ten thousand particle accelerators to break the sophon blockade.
Why the Corporation, though capable of instantly annihilating the Trisolaran fleet, had chosen instead to fight alongside humanity step by step.
The problem had never been technological disparity. The problem was humanity itself.
The Trisolarans had not truly doomed mankind. Humanity had doomed itself—by losing the will to live, the courage to fight, by becoming sheep awaiting slaughter.
Until the Corporation appeared.
The Universal Megacorp did not shower Earth with advanced weapons, nor did it hand out free technology. Instead, it fought with humanity, forcing them to rely on their own strength to win each battle.
Give a man a fish, and he eats for a day. Teach him to fish, and he eats for a lifetime.
To humanity, the Corporation's actions were no less than Moses parting the sea, no less than Prometheus gifting fire. This was the true salvation!
Sure enough, when the war ended, Paul and certain corporate executives revealed their true identities to Fleet International and the UN—along with part of the Corporation's origins, to prevent wild speculation.
Upon learning the truth, all but Luo Ji were left stunned and bewildered.
They would rather have believed the Corporation was descended from the humans who left during the Great Depression two centuries ago—because who could believe a civilization had risen to this level of technology in just a little over a hundred years, even traversing multiple universes?
The Big Bang theory had already posited a beginning of time and left room for God. That was shocking enough.
Now, the Corporation's very existence seemed to prove that behind every world and universe lay some kind of predetermined control.
Every seemingly random occurrence was in fact already fixed. Fate itself was locked in advance.
Defying destiny? Man triumphing over heaven? All nothing but illusions.
And yet, the fact remained: the Corporation had saved humanity in its darkest hour. The destruction of the Trisolaran fleet had lifted the shackles from mankind at last.
Countless citizens openly called for the Corporation to assume stewardship of Earth, holding all authority in trust.
The UN and Fleet International had no choice but to accept this outcome.
When the Asian Fleet finally returned, all they saw near Earth were drifting hulks of shattered warships. The Trisolaran fleet had vanished without a trace.
For humanity, the nightmare war was over.
But for the Universal Megacorp, their unification campaign had only just begun.
For now, though, no one cared about the future.
In the joy of a hard-won victory, people celebrated wildly, embracing and kissing one another.
Two hundred years of torment and suffering had finally come to a close, bringing a perfect end to this dark war. Its conclusion was not only due to the wise guidance of the Universal Megacorp, but also to humanity's own unyielding struggle—every ordinary person had made a great contribution to the continuation of human civilization.
Even when hope was slim and life and death uncertain, the Asian Fleet still resolutely stood against the charge of nine Droplets.
This was a great victory belonging to all of humanity, the result of cooperation between two human powers.
When Paul Atreides once again stood before the Wallfacer Project's public hearing, this time facing all of humanity, he officially stepped down from his role as Wallfacer, the supposed savior of humankind.
The Wallfacer Project was declared permanently concluded.
The human world no longer needed the Wallfacer Project, nor did it need Wallfacers to save humanity.
The Universal Megacorp was like a prophetic guide, existing only to lead human civilization through a dangerous and difficult era.
It was like Noah of ancient times, who built the ark to help humanity escape the great flood.
And after learning the Megacorp's true past, Paul formally became its special envoy, establishing deep cooperation with the United Nations.
If nothing unexpected occurred, Paul would, under the Megacorp's arrangement, gradually become the Three-Body universe's interstellar governor, entrusted with managing all affairs of this cosmos.
At this moment, in Earth's near orbit, the Megacorp's First Expeditionary Legion was already receding into the distance. The War Moon was securely stationed between the solar system's second orbital paths, temporarily anchored there.
To commemorate this extraordinary day, humanity named it Megacorp Day, in honor of these arduous yet glorious years.
From this day on, human civilization had finally found its path to salvation.
However, even after the Trisolaran Fleet had been subdued, many problems still remained—chief among them, what to do about the Trisolarans in their own star system.
That day, UN Secretary-General Galning met with Paul to ask about matters concerning the Trisolaran system.
Paul, being frank, revealed part of the Megacorp's plans.
"We have already dispatched the First Expeditionary Legion toward Alpha Centauri, 4.2 light-years away. As for how to handle the Trisolarans, that still remains open to discussion."
The moment these words were spoken, the UN's senior officials erupted into conflicting opinions.
Some believed that since the Trisolaran Fleet had been annihilated, the matter should be laid to rest. Humanity had endured over two centuries of war and could no longer bear further conflicts. They argued that focus should now be placed on developing technology and rebuilding the economic system.
Others argued that humanity should take advantage of the Trisolarans' weakness, sending forces to eliminate them once and for all. If their enemy was not utterly destroyed, then sooner or later, the Trisolarans would launch another invasion.
"Should we not at least consider the possibility of cooperation with the Trisolarans? If we can avoid another war between our species, we need not drive them to extinction."
Secretary-General Galning's stance leaned toward peaceful coexistence. The solar system was vast enough to accommodate the Trisolarans' development alongside humanity. There was no need to push matters to a fight to the death.
"Yes, if we were to invade their homeworld as they once tried to do to us, how would that make us any different from their brutal civilization? Admittedly, this may sound overly idealistic, but the price of war would be unbearably heavy for both sides."
Even Jonathan, who had always loathed the Trisolarans, agreed with Galning.
After humanity's long descent through the Great Decline, humanist ideals now weighed heavily on thought. Besides, endless militarism would eventually snap the nerves of people already stretched taut for centuries.
The public longed for peace and stability. As for vengeance…
The dead were gone. Better to care for the living.
Paul Atreides nodded. Of course he agreed with their sentiments—pursuing peace was never shameful or foolish. But the Three-Body universe had never truly been peaceful.
"Everyone, I must remind you of something: the Trisolaran civilization was itself driven to the edge of a cliff. Their homeworld could be swallowed by their three suns at any time.
Now their only hope of survival lies in colonizing the solar system. But whether they believe humanity will allow them to live here—that is still uncertain.
Once they discover that their fleet has been annihilated, their sophons and Droplets destroyed, they may very well choose to go to extremes and seek mutual destruction."
What Paul meant by "mutual destruction," of course, was sending the solar system's coordinates to every corner of the galaxy.
If the Trisolarans exposed this information, humanity's days would be numbered as well.
Such deterrence was hardly unique to humanity—Trisolarans could just as easily wield it as a threat.
Thus, the Megacorp's approach had to combine grace and force—offering the Trisolarans some benefits, so long as they did not act on the impulse for mutual destruction.
Sure enough, upon realizing that humanity had no true right to peaceful development, Secretary-General Galning's face darkened. He nervously asked Paul:
"Do you have any means to stop the Trisolarans? Must they all be exterminated?"
Indeed, completely wiping out a civilization broke through humanity's moral bottom line—but for survival's sake, such atrocities might become unavoidable.
If that was the only path forward, then so be it.
Paul remained silent.
He knew only that the First Expeditionary Legion was on its way to the Trisolaran system. As for Governor Leon's stance toward the Trisolarans, Paul was uncertain.
Extermination or grace—either was possible.
For the Megacorp's decision would depend entirely on whether the Trisolarans could establish proper communication and understanding.
If they insisted on dragging humanity into mutual destruction, then humanity would strike without hesitation.
Paul himself bore no particular psychological burden toward wiping them out.
The Trisolarans had originally come with the sole intent of humanity's extinction. The first thing they would have done upon conquering Earth was prohibit human reproduction, reducing the population step by step, keeping only a few for genetic experiments.
If the Megacorp were truly to annihilate the Trisolaran civilization, it would simply be a case of retribution in kind.
"For the moment, we are working to establish communication with the Trisolarans. If they are willing to accept the Megacorp's assistance, perhaps this war may finally, completely end."
Paul replied.
No matter what the Trisolarans chose, the Megacorp's unifying mission would not falter.
(Show your support and read more chapters on my Patreon: [email protected]/psychopet. Thank you for your support!)