Chapter 348: The Belief That Breaks Shackles

Lin Sen began searching for that glimmer of confidence for humanity from the early years of the crisis, it wasn't until the battle of the doomsday that humanity truly established the confidence to counter the Trisolarans.

Lin Sen's voice was filled with gentleness and sincerity, and he spoke slowly, "I am not clear on what you have experienced, nor why you think that you cannot break through the limitations of civilization.

"But we understand that the real limitation of civilization lies in your hearts, and I know that you still desire to break free from the shackles of your civilization.

"I hope you can take a look at the civilizational process between us and the Trisolarans, perhaps it will help you find the answer."

As he spoke, Lin Sen activated a virtual imagery device next to him, projecting vivid images directly into the air, these images were like windows through time and space, allowing the Dinosaurs to directly observe the struggle between the Trisolarans and humanity.

Lin Sen spoke in great detail, starting from the origin of Trisolaran civilization, he recounted the unique environment of the Trisolaran Star System and the difficult development of the Trisolaran civilization.

Trisolaran civilization had experienced 200 cycles of destruction and rebirth, each filled with tragic determination and resilience, but they never gave up. Until they reached the era of information and nuclear energy, they ultimately launched an invasion into the Solar System for the continuation of their civilization.

The era of crisis for humanity then arrived, it was the darkest moment for humanity. The gap between humanity and the Trisolarans was like a chasm, and with technology also under the Sophon Blockade, everyone was under Trisolaran surveillance, humanity had almost no hope of victory...

The Dinosaur Empire had known a bit about this information from Shui Wa, but this was their most direct understanding of the development and struggle between humans and Trisolarans.

Yet humanity surprisingly reborn from the ashes in this darkest era, quickly advancing human civilization step by step to Rank 1.0 in just 200 years and defeated the Trisolaran's Waterdrop in the battle of the doomsday.

At this moment, Lin Sen's explanation was much more detailed than Big Tooth's, taking up over an hour.

This completely changed the Dinosaurs' view of both the Trisolarans and humanity.

Contrary to the Dinosaurs' expectations, the Trisolarans might have lacked cunning strategies at first, but their rate of growth was astonishing, and they soon made remarkable breakthroughs in intelligence and tactics.

Humanity, on the other hand, created an unprecedented miracle. Such a duel between two civilizations was undoubtedly a pinnacle showdown, and in the end, humanity gained a small victory through their cunning strategy.

The Dinosaurs understood that the Trisolarans' loss was not undeserved, no one had expected that Lin Sen had predicted the scenario of the doomsday battle 200 years ago, even having some conjecture about the Waterdrop, and prepared a 200-year plan for it. Such a strategy was impossible to defend against.

After the doomsday battle, human technology rapidly advanced, they officially defeated the Trisolaran Interstellar Fleet in the Battle of the Dust and launched an expedition to the Trisolaran Star System in the following 50 years, taking the battle to the Trisolarans' galaxy.

However, the Trisolarans were equally remarkable. In such a predicament, they were still able to defend against humanity's attacks for nearly 200 years, and they are still stubbornly resisting humanity's onslaught to this day. The Dinosaurs had never thought that the resilience of a civilization could be so strong, that even facing the crisis of extinction, they could persist in their struggle to the end.

Without letting the Dinosaurs ponder too much, Lin Sen continued, "I think any civilization may encounter its own shackles.

"When human civilization faced the Trisolaran crisis, the greatest shackle was the Sophon's technological blockade.

"Almost all human elites would not believe that humanity could still rebel technically against the Trisolarans. Although they always struggled, we all knew that it was a lack of dedication. Their dedication was more to anaesthetize themselves, to find a bit of comfort in despair.

"However, there was still a light of hope for humanity. This light of hope was the flaw revealed by the Trisolarans. When humanity initiated the Wallfacing Project, the Trisolarans unexpectedly introduced the Wallbreaker initiative. This made humanity realize that the Wallfacing Project posed a threat to the Trisolarans, and knowing this was enough.

"This was our belief, our hope.

"If asked what's most important about the development of humanity until now, my answer would inevitably be belief.

"Every completion of our plans has been an enhancement of our belief. In times of crisis, we have never abandoned the struggle because we know that only by holding onto our beliefs can we find the dawn of hope.

"If we had given up, then the fate of humanity can be imagined.

"The same is true for the Trisolarans; the destruction of their civilization for 200 cycles couldn't stop their yearning for the future."

"Their schemes were inferior, but they also strived to change themselves, and now their cunning is no less than that of humanity.

"Now that they have been suppressed by us for more than two centuries, they still haven't given up because their belief is still alive.

"I still don't understand what shackles your civilization, but I can see that you no longer have the belief to break through the 1.4 civilization rank.

"That is the most tragic part about you.

"Both humanity and the Trisolaran Civilization have had their own civilizational shackles, but both humanity and Trisolaris persisted with their beliefs and broke free from those shackles. I wonder if you can make the decision to break free from your own."

The Dinosaur King sighed deeply, his voice filled with helplessness and sorrow, "You're right, we have indeed abandoned our belief, given up the struggle. We might forever be confined within these invisible shackles, unable to escape.

"Most civilizations in this universe remain below the 1.3 rank, otherwise, we wouldn't have survived for sixty million years.

"We have made many efforts too. Since our civilization is limited and potential is constrained, we chose the path of integrating multiple civilizations.

"We absorbed the civilizations we defeated into our rule and blended their technologies into our technological trajectory, hoping to break through the civilization ranks by amalgamation.

"But this also brought great disaster to us, a disaster greater than the catastrophe of the Cretaceous, nearly destroying us.

"Yet, we still survived. We also made countless efforts in other aspects, but all failed. In the end, we could only choose to lie flat, drifting through the universe like a living coffin. If not for the appearance of Shui Wa, we would have forgotten our own history.

"Even that history was found in piles of old papers.

"From the history of humanity, I can also sense your indomitable spirit and belief.

"But perhaps we have grown old. Our belief, over these tens of millions of years, has worn away.

"We have lost the passion and fighting spirit of the past, and can only watch helplessly as we gradually head towards decline.

"This is our sorrow, and also our helplessness."

Lin Sen's words carried an undeniable firmness and ruthlessness, "It is very difficult to awaken a stubborn person, and likewise, a stubborn civilization is impossible to awaken. Everything is your own choice.

"Humanity is not made up of saints, and we don't need you to change anything to cater to us. It's necessary for you to advance to the 1.4 civilization rank quickly, also to more efficiently supplement our technology repository.

"At the same time, we will study the development of civilizations, adding material to the future history of our universe. That is your value.

"Indeed, our goal is to build a united civilization, but the prerequisite is that you must be able to withstand the attacks of humanity and prove your value and strength.

"Otherwise, why would you think we wouldn't destroy you? In the harsh reality of this universe, weakness often means elimination.

"Reflecting on the great troughs in human history, you should understand that a civilization cannot be saved by others.

"What we do is merely throwing you into the furnace for testing. If you can be reborn from the fire, congratulations, you will qualify to proceed with us.

"However, if you fail to do so, you will only turn to ash in the furnace. This isn't our cruelty, but the law of the universe. In this universe, no one can protect anyone forever, each civilization must learn to stand on its own.

"In our view, you are far behind the Trisolaran Civilization. In terms of wisdom and temperament, you seem quite naive and weak."

If No. 7 heard this conversation, he'd probably say, "Let me say thank you!"