Just as humanity was bustling, reuniting under the banner of the 'Humanity's Sacred Terra Alliance,' and diligently working on modifying the world Engines, a 'Devourer' warship, several hundred meters in diameter, pierced humanity's sky and descended before the United Council building.
Representatives from various nations rushed over. Zhou Zhezhi sat in a wheelchair, shoulder to shoulder with Mike and others, observing the suddenly arrived 'Devourer' warship with a calm gaze mixed with a hint of tension.
Soon, the circular warship's hatch opened, and a figure appeared in the eyes of the national representatives.
It was a creature similar to humans, also possessing four limbs, two eyes, a mouth, and other facial features.
However, the difference was that the other party had a strong, lizard-like body, covered in skin that resembled hard rock, like dense scales. Its upright height was even about ten meters; humans looked as tiny as pets in front of it!
And this was the first time the humans of The Wandering Earth directly faced... a true alien civilization!
It's no exaggeration to say that the opponent, merely with its ten-meter height, was enough to make humans feel the dimensional reduction strike from a higher-dimensional life form of a different level!
Humanity's first encounter with the Devourers, however, fell into an eerie silence. Neither side was willing to break it, as if they were competing to see who had more patience.
Finally, the ten-meter-tall Devourer, with its lizard-like appearance, spoke first.
"Insignificant insects, I am the vanguard from the great 'Devourers.' You may call me by my name—Big Tooth."
The Devourer's voice, after being translated by Moss, clearly fell into everyone's ears.
Upon hearing the other party's almost insulting address of them as 'insignificant insects,' Gregory's expression turned somewhat ugly, and his eyes showed a hint of anger.
Such a derogatory term clearly proved, from the side, the Devourers's thoughts and attitude towards humanity.
"The great Devourers is going to devour the entire Earth to continue our magnificent journey." Big Tooth looked at the tiny human national representatives and casually stated how the Devourers would treat this beautiful world.
"All the resources here—minerals, including the atmosphere, energy, and so on—will become part of the great Devourers. You should feel fortunate."
Zhou Zhezhi's pupils constricted. Although he had already received information about the Devourers from Emrys, many people still didn't quite believe it.
Would an Imperium with such a highly developed civilization truly treat a civilization that also possessed intelligence in such a way?!
"Your meaning is that you intend to destroy our home, is that right?" Zhou Zhezhi stared at Big Tooth. He saw no trace of pity, or even superfluous emotion, in its amber vertical pupils.
It was just like—? The same feeling humans have when dealing with livestock!
No one would feel any pity or superfluous emotion for dead pigs, sheep, or cattle, because they were born to be human food!
And, coincidentally, Zhou Zhezhi happened to read the same emotion in Big Tooth's eyes.
"Yes."
Big Tooth nodded, not hiding its or the Devourer civilization's intentions, nor worrying about humanity's resistance, and directly stated its view.
"This world's resources are very abundant; it is one of the rare civilized worlds in the universe, enough for the Devourers to continue its voyage. This is your destiny."
"Then————what about humanity?!" At this moment, a representative couldn't sit still and stepped forward, looking up at Big Tooth.
You have destroyed our home; what will become of humanity?"
"Humanity? Is that your name?"
Big Tooth's gaze searched back and forth among the crowd, finally seeming to settle on one person, and a grim and terrifying smile appeared on its face.
"How to deal with humanity is also one of the reasons the great Devourers sent its vanguard here."
Saying this, it took a step, and the entire ground of the United Council seemed to tremble with it.
Immediately after, Big Tooth suddenly extended its huge, ferocious right hand, grabbed a representative, and, amidst the shocked and terrified gazes of the crowd, directly stuffed the screaming, struggling representative into its gaping maw.
Crunch! Crunch! Crunch!
Bones and flesh were chewed and ground by teeth, emitting a chilling sound, mixed with the agonizing screams of the representative being swallowed and chewed alive, causing everyone present at the United Council to feel a chill from the bottom of their hearts!
A moment later, the screams disappeared.
And that meant that a United Council representative had been eaten alive by the other party!
"You—what are you doing?!"
Mike's eyes were filled with horror and dread. He never expected that a creature with such a highly advanced civilization could so unhesitatingly use such an almost primitive method to—devour another creature that also possessed intelligent civilization!
"Hmm?" Big Tooth used its sharp claw to pick something from its teeth, then spat out some blood-stained, tattered clothes, and said.
"Don't get agitated. As the vanguard sent by the great Devourers to Earth, I am merely conducting a reasonable assessment."
"Assessment? Assessment of what?!"
Mike clenched his fists, a surge of anger burning through his reason.
"You just—ate one of our representatives! Is this the civilization of the Devourers you speak of?"
"I am merely assessing the method of dealing with humanity." Big Tooth remained calm, completely unconcerned by the anger in Mike's and the other representatives' eyes.
Or rather, it simply couldn't be bothered to care.
"Congratulations, insignificant insects." Big Tooth seemed very pleased, and its amber vertical pupils revealed a hint of appreciation.
"According to my assessment results, your flesh is very tender, and the taste is also quite good. You will be raised as a type of small poultry by the Devourers. This will be the Devourers's benevolent handling of humanity."
"Mr. Big Tooth, aren't you a higher civilization?!" Someone, unable to accept such a nakedly cruel fate, cried out in collapse.
"We are also an intelligent civilization! We once had a glorious history—music, art, movies, games! We are not livestock; we are a civilization with intelligence and thought, creatures that can communicate with you! Are you going to destroy such a civilization?"
"In the universe, morality is a useless thing." To the emotionally agitated representative attempting to move it with humanity's brilliant history, Big Tooth merely said indifferently.
"On Earth, humans are at the top of the food chain and can freely hunt any animal. They can even, inadvertently, cause the demise of an ant Imperium with tens of thousands of years of civilization. In the universe, such a food chain also exists."
As it spoke, it leaned down slightly, its amber vertical pupils revealing a chilling, sinister aura.
"You should have been prepared to be slaughtered, shouldn't you?"
The facts stated by Big Tooth were like a heavy hammer, shattering the last shred of hope in the hearts of the human national representatives and dragging humanity into hell.
The human national representatives found that the arguments they had prepared were so pale and powerless.
In front of the Devourers, in front of Big Tooth's cold words devoid of any moral perspective, humanity was like ants... speechless.
Clap! Clap! Clap!
Just then, crisp applause suddenly came from behind them, causing Zhou Zhezhi and others, who were in despair, to turn their heads.
They saw Emrys walking out of the United Council hall, step by step. His seemingly calm expression, however, contained the suppressed tension before a storm.
"Well said."
Emrys stood in front of Big Tooth and smiled.
"I like your point of view. The universe is dark, cruel, and cold. The law of the jungle is the Eternal truth. Morality is merely a restraint imposed by the weak on the strong."
"You... don't seem to be human?"
Big Tooth was somewhat confused. It tilted its head and sniffed.
"You are different from these lowly insects; you have no similarities. Who are you?"
However, Big Tooth had no idea.
This sentence of its completely ignited the accumulated anger in Emrys' heart!
"I am **********!!!"
Emrys roared furiously, and as he raised his hand, surging psionic energy gathered. With the motion of his swing, he violently slapped the ten-meter-tall Big Tooth, sending it flying dozens of meters away!
Boom!
Big Tooth's head was dazed as it was slammed against the warship!
Emrys' veins throbbed on his forehead as he glared at it ferociously, lightning interwoven around him, and the ground where he walked was covered in layers of frost.
"Open your dog eyes and look carefully, I am—a pure-blooded human!"