Chapter 326 The Swallower’s Next Target

Big Tooth sighed, seemingly a little helpless about Shui Wa's bewilderment, "You understand our devouring needs too narrowly.

"Our demand for matter is beyond your imagination, we need to devour several meals a day, and we also have hundreds of millions of people.

"Our normal eating, in your eyes, is astonishingly gluttonous.

"For millions of years, we have been devouring, endlessly consuming.

"This galaxy once had many planets, but now they have turned into asteroid belts and dust rings, nearly consumed by us to exhaustion.

"This is the true meaning of devouring; we have no choice."

Shui Wa was shocked countless times, "The dust rings here... they're not undergoing planetary evolution but were formed by your devouring?"

Shui Wa then asked, "Then why don't you consider reducing the population? Hibernation, family planning, these are effective methods."

Big Tooth gave a bitter smile and explained, "The development of civilization has its irresistible factors, our size is so large that even hibernation requires a vast amount of energy.

"But that's not the main reason; the key is that our age's spaceships are constantly being expanded, now they are as huge as planets.

"Such spaceships require more people to maintain and operate, the number of people I need to maintain a spaceship is also beyond your imagination.

"The bigger the spaceship, the more people it needs; the more people there are, the more the spaceship needs to continue devouring to obtain enough energy and materials.

"We have fallen into an endless dark cycle."

Shui Wa: "So will you just keep going like this? Is there no way to break this cycle?"

Big Tooth slowly said, "If there was a way, how could we have lived in such a muddle-headed way for sixty million years.

"We are carbon-based life forms, not all planets are suitable for us to devour.

"We have devoured everything that can be devoured in this stellar system, we are about to set off for another stellar system."

Having said this, Big Tooth's gaze turned towards Shui Wa, it was a complex and profound look.

Shui Wa's heart tightened suddenly, a foreboding feeling surged in his heart. But he still mustered the courage, his voice trembling slightly as he asked:

"The next star system you've chosen, where is it?"

Big Tooth was silent for a while, then slowly said, "You understand, among all the surrounding star systems, none is more suitable than she is.

"And besides, venturing to other galaxy systems is full of unknown risks and dangers, we have no choice but to make such a choice."

Shui Wa's emotions became visibly agitated, his eyes slightly reddening as if overwhelmed by intense feelings.

Shui Wa no longer cared about anything else and said excitedly to Big Tooth, "Whether it is us or you, we should both have evolved intelligent civilizations over a long period.

"Are we content to become beasts again?

"Is survival competition the only law for the evolution of life and civilizations in the universe?

"Can't we establish a self-sufficient, introspective, and symbiotic civilization with various life forms?"

Big Tooth looked deeply at Shui Wa, then slowly shook his head.

"I'm not a philosopher, perhaps it's possible. The key is who will take the first step?

"One's survival is based on conquering and eliminating others; this is the iron law of survival for life and civilizations in this universe, if anyone first refuses to follow it and starts introspecting, they're doomed."

Shui Wa firmly responded, "Then why can't we take the first step? The very fact that you are willing to communicate with us has already been a step."

"I believe you would not establish contact with a civilization before destroying it, only to shed a few tears in self-pity as you do."

"Why can't we take this step further? Perhaps there is a chance for different civilizations to coexist peacefully?"

Big Tooth fell silent for a moment, with a flash of complex emotion in his eyes.

"How do you know that we haven't taken that step?" he said, with a voice carrying deep sorrow. "We've gone much further than you can imagine, but the outcome is a painful history we'd rather not recall."

Big Tooth continued, "Your words stem from not truly understanding the cruelty and heartlessness of this universe.

"Once you truly understand it, you won't speak such words.

"We are willing to communicate with you because you are special.

"But if there are many in your civilization who think like you, your civilization will certainly not survive.

"Although we will treat you specially, it is insignificant in terms of the survival of civilizations.

"We have prepared for this journey for hundreds of years, and have stored a substantial amount of resources.

"What's more important is that there are no other star systems to choose from. They have either been visited and devoured by us, or they are barren and unsuitable for our consumption.

"We have no choice but to choose the Solar System."

In Big Tooth's eyes, Shui Wa saw resignation and determination.

Shui Wa also found the Swallower's attitude toward humanity to be very strange—somewhat pleased, somewhat disdainful, and even... jealous. Were these expressions serious?

They seemed very sincere, willing to share everything candidly, yet their civilization was not benevolent.

They spoke the most malicious words with the calmest tone as if such behavior was second nature to them. Perhaps their hearts had become harder than steel, having already lost any reverence or sympathy for life.

Shui Wa understood that it was impossible to stop the Swallowers from going to the Solar System.

Given the circumstances, Shui Wa needed to weigh the pros and cons. His first thought was of the Trisolarans; he did not know if the humans in the Solar System had withstood the Trisolaran invasion.

If they had not, then the Swallowers' journey to the Solar System was irrelevant, and Shui Wa even contemplated using the Swallowers to get back at the Trisolarans.

If humanity could stand against the Trisolarans, it would suggest that the Trisolaran technology was not much more advanced than that of humanity, and ultimately, it would depend on whether the technology of the Swallowers was significantly superior to that of Trisolaris.

Therefore, what Shui Wa most wanted to know now was the technological level of the Swallower Civilization.

PS: Regarding the issue of the Swallower's era starships being so large and easily detectable in interstellar routes, my personal explanation is as follows:

Firstly, its diameter is tentatively set to be slightly larger than Earth, which is not very big in space, and its detectability also relates to its surface materials, among other factors.

Secondly, regarding the Trisolaris First Fleet, they left a trail through the dust clouds that Earth could detect. If we have many "Hunters" nearby, would they not notice this? Would they not come to investigate? Such "minute" traces are very difficult to detect from a great distance.

Thirdly, I speculate that there aren't many Hunters nearby. The rapidity with which the Trisolarans were struck is also related to the previous two interstellar broadcasts—they just happened to be here. Moreover, the Trisolaran Star System has areas of low lightspeed, which is the reason for their downfall.

Fourthly, I speculate that the civilizations using the Hines Strike on Trisolaris are not very advanced either. If they were all like the Singer, humanity would have been exposed long ago.

In this book, two civilizations' warships exchange fire, with all kinds of lasers and glueball oscillation beams, fighting merrily. If there really were many "Hunters," exposure would have come long before.