People in Terra, governing a bizarre little country

He didn't push the door open and enter. It wasn't the right time yet. —%Hedgehog 4% off proxy purchase:

He will come again.

"let's go."

"Are we just leaving like this?" the Tin Man asked, somewhat puzzled. "Aren't we going to wait for Mr. Ernst and the others?"

"I have achieved my goal by bringing him here."

Mark Max said calmly,

“If Ernst needs it, he will come to you and me.”

"As for now, let's go back first. I want to hear your report, Tin Man."

"Uh what?" Tin Man paused slightly, seemingly realizing something, and laughed awkwardly.

Mark Max was in a fairly good mood and didn't reprimand his cunning but diligent subordinate. He simply gave him a gentle reminder:

"Don't you have some new friends? Would you like to introduce them to me?"

Chapter 642 Please address the President as Ernst!

Tremont, Columbia.

Ernst and Kristen parted ways at the main gate of Rhine Life.

The governor seemed preoccupied; her question had indeed been answered by the [Preserver]. If that could be considered an answer.

"There is no way."

"Given the current progress of the Terra civilization, space travel is impossible."

"You can't even get out of the isolation layer. Your civilization is too weak and powerless."

“I know you have made some minor explorations outside the isolation layer through some unconventional methods. But I must remind you that what you have glimpsed cannot even be considered the real universe.”

The keeper's earnest admonition still echoes in my ears:

"The real universe is far more terrifying than you can imagine."

The isolation layer was not a constraint, but rather a form of protection. When ancient civilizations built that barrier to separate the earth from the sky, they certainly didn't intend to trap themselves forever on the narrow surface of the earth.

However, when civilization faces inevitable decline, they hope to use this unavoidable method to limit the surviving people's premature contact with the universe, so as not to attract the attention of enemies again.

For prehistoric civilizations, as long as any individual survives, the revival of their civilization is only a matter of time. This is because they left behind an immense legacy. At that point, the isolation layer, like an eggshell, will be no problem at all; any attempt to break through it will be easily accomplished.

Perhaps even they themselves did not expect that the survival plan would encounter all sorts of unexpected events over a long period of time, and in the end, the one person who finally survived was deleted from the database.

The isolation layer they left behind as protection has become an insurmountable barrier for the Terran civilization.

Christensen remained silent for a long time after receiving this answer.

Ernst didn't think she would waver. Some people's persistence in certain things is beyond the comprehension of ordinary people. Ernst had always been wary of such people while also holding them in high regard. In any case, Christensen was currently the only pillar of Terra's space program. If some things were not done simply because of difficulties or dangers, then the world would only gradually decay in stagnation.

As stated in the "Moon Landing Speech":

"We made this decision and took this attempt not because it was easy, but precisely because it was difficult."

It wasn't because it was cheap, nor because it was easy to achieve, nor for any other miscellaneous or irrelevant reasons. No other factors prompted us to choose to land on the moon; we simply chose to make it our goal.

This novel, Qun: ∠捂、三寺死是人类勇气和浪漫。

If Christensen had actually given up after hearing about the difficulties of exploring the universe, Ernst would have been disappointed in her.

Fortunately, she didn't.

She was preoccupied with her own thoughts, simply reassessing a series of plans.

After saying goodbye, Ernst returned to the hotel.

Tin Man, along with petite Mark Max, was already waiting in his room.

Ernst didn't concern himself with such a trivial matter as how an agent and the country's highest ruler could trespass into his room; after all, no one could stop them anyway.

He was more curious about the four documents the two had placed on the table.

"No need to be shy, Mr. Ernst, just look."

Mark Max flapped his wings in a gesture,

"You might recognize these four people?"

Ernst walked forward, somewhat bewildered, and picked up the documents on the table. Holhaya followed closely behind, picking up the remaining two documents.

Tina Lin Tsang

[An unidentified individual appeared in the Sargon Ahmayi tribe about two weeks ago. Several days later, during a conflict between the chieftains, the individual killed the Ahmayi chieftain and subsequently fled. They are currently under the protection of the Melander Foundation.]

[Modified firearms were suspected to have been used during the battle. No racial characteristics were detected.]

The "treasure" candidate awaits the President's personal confirmation.

Eliza Cohen

[An unidentified individual appeared in the Sargon Ahmayi tribe about two weeks ago.]

[Modified firearms were suspected to have been used during the battle. No racial characteristics were detected.]

The "treasure" candidate awaits the President's personal confirmation.

Ernst's pupils contracted slightly, and he turned his head to look at the two files in Holhaya's hands.

Elias Kötz

Alexander Senaviev

The contents of the files are almost identical: they all appear in Sargon, get involved in a conflict between kings and chiefs, kill a local king and chief, and are forced to flee, eventually being sheltered by the Meland Foundation.

This seems to suggest that they are a group of people, or at least know each other.

The skirt was also modified into firearms.

A long-forgotten word popped into Ernst's mind.

Is 哵 a firearm?

Ernst looked up, his brow furrowed, at Mark Max:

"This is?"

"Candidates".

Mark Max said calmly,

“Mr. Ernst, you should understand that I couldn’t have remained inactive for so long before you showed up.”

“Collecting these extraordinary people is something I’ve been doing for years.”

Si jumped off the table, glanced at the Tin Man, who shrugged, gave a gentlemanly bow to the people present, turned and left the room, thoughtfully closing the door behind him.

Mark Max continued:

“The treasure is the key to overcoming the difficulties. You, who have met my father, should already understand the difficulties I’m talking about.”

Ernst nodded.

He added:

“It’s a very simple logic. The treasure my father mentioned must belong to people from his time. And in his time, the little animals rolling around in the mud of Terra weren’t even human yet.”

"So, if I want to find treasure, all I can do is look for humans who look like humans."

"The Levi Klitschko beside you, and the people in the files you and this little snake are holding now, were all once my [candidates]. Obviously, none of them were quite qualified."

Holhaya was somewhat confused by what she heard.

"Treasure"? What about their era? What kind of small animals lived on the muddy ground?

She turned her head and looked at Ernst with some surprise. Could the BOSS be some kind of ancient monster?

Ernst knew exactly what she was thinking, rolled his eyes, and emphasized seriously:

"I'm only 23 years old, don't overthink it."

After he finished speaking, he looked at Mark Max:

"Those people."

"They are no longer of value."

Mark Max spread his wings. His tone was indifferent.

"Although I was somewhat surprised, now that the identity of the treasure has finally been confirmed, these people are no longer of any value."

“Those who are not worth anything, I will kill them, so as to prevent them from disrupting our plans.”

Ernst gasped.

Putting aside the fact that we made this plan together, you want to kill these people?

Ernst could understand Mark Max's intentions. Although he had only read the data once, Ernst was basically certain that these people, like Levy, were "pure human beings".

Given the unique nature of humanity on this land due to the existence of the previous civilization, it is entirely reasonable for Mark Max to want to eliminate potential threats in advance.

If they are survivors of a prehistoric civilization, their existence could activate unimaginable weapons or relics, leading to the current situation on Terra spiraling out of control. Mark Max's Columbia development plan has been abruptly halted, and he is finding it difficult to demonstrate his loyalty to Friston.

If they aren't, then killing them would be even less of a burden.

These humans, who seem to have sprung up from nowhere, dare to impersonate us, the noble beings of a bygone civilization? Heading to Terra and Columbia to beg for food?

From the very beginning, Ernst had a slight sense that the reason Mark Max treated him so "kindly" was not simply because he was "a person at heart." But now, he was absolutely certain of that feeling.

He will treat himself well, not because he is human, but because he is a "treasure".

Furthermore, Mark Max is an absolute tyrant. The only thing he cares about is the will of his creator, Trevor Friston, and he will only obey Trevor Friston's orders. Beyond that, he doesn't care whether you are human, a Felin, or a Sarkaz.

He was indeed loyal enough, but this loyalty was only directed at one person: Trevor Friston. It was only because of Trevor Friston's attitude that this loyalty extended to the pre-civilization and the "treasure," but individuals from the pre-civilization, ordinary humans from that civilization, could never earn his respect.

Not to mention, they were "suspected pre-civilization humans".

So Ernst even had to think about a problem.

If he hadn't immediately answered the "code" when he stood in Mark Max's presidential office a few days ago, would Mark Max be planning to kill him now?

This question seems unlikely at first glance. After all, even if he is not a "treasure", Ernst has many other identities. Considering Columbia's importance to the Mark Max Project, this former civilization AI is unlikely to do something like killing himself and causing trouble for Columbia.

However, there are some concerns that we must consider.

The fact that he didn't attack himself doesn't mean he didn't attack Levy or others. Like this group of people.

This is what it means to walk on thin ice.

There are far too many anthropomorphic creatures and creatures that are not human at all on this land. One wrong step, and you may not even have a chance to react before you walk into a dead end.

Even if the person standing in front of you is just an AI that seems to be subservient to you, Ernst can hardly be sure what he is really thinking.

Is this a warning shot, a way to make an example of someone?

He indeed possessed the methods of a "tyrant," tyrannical yet not foolish; with just a few words, he was enough to establish authority and inspire fear.

Ernst gave him a deep look, but didn't say anything, waiting for him to continue.

“Of course, Mr. Ernst, they don’t have to die.”

Seeing that the desired effect had been achieved, Mark Max's mechanical voice softened somewhat, becoming less cold.

“You can save them, just as you saved Levi.”

"If you just say the word, I can let them go."

He did indeed test Levy.

Unfortunately, that meme didn't exist in Levy's time, so he definitely wouldn't have been able to answer it.

According to him, Levy is still safe and sound, mostly because he established a friendly relationship with him from the beginning.

As for now, Ernst didn't actually know any of these people. He had no recollection of their names or photos in the files.

He could have simply let Mark Max take care of those guys without doing anything, and he wouldn't have suffered any loss.

But he still let out a long sigh.

That's always been his way. If he didn't know something, then so be it if he died. He didn't have the compassionate, saintly heart to grieve for death, which is something unknown and that exists every moment.

But if it's in front of him, he'd want to save it.

A virtuous person cannot bear to see someone die while they are alive. Whether he qualifies as a virtuous person is unknown, but at least in the eyes of most people, he is considered a good person.