Deep Space Wandering Fleet
Chapter 253 - Chapter 253 Chapter 253 The Ultimate... Trap

Chapter 253: Chapter 253: The Ultimate… Trap! Chapter 253: Chapter 253: The Ultimate… Trap! Ganyador took a long sigh, “If at that time, our city could have been a bit braver, resisting the pressure to export ideology, supporting some armed forces, trying to change the world, the picture might have been very different.”

Zhang Yuan remained silent. Setting aside whether there are ‘what ifs’ in this world at all, even if the whole affair were to happen again, he believed that Gor City would make the same choices.

For Gor City did not have overwhelming military power, nor did it have strong revolutionary ideological theories to overthrow those old things.

Atiya, the forerunner of civilization… it was truly a pity.

But… this was not even the entirety of history!

This was just the history of twenty thousand years, and there were still thirty thousand years to go!

A civilization, even if it falls into the trap of entertainment, will still progress slowly. Not the entire society could be composed of lower-class citizens with wooden brains–there had to be a large number of middle-class citizens, including engineers, scientists, doctors, and so on, for a stable society.

These middle-class people are not like the lower class; they cannot all be immersed in vulgar entertainment. These folks still think about sharpening their heads to climb up the ladder!

Twenty thousand years passed, and the easily accessible technology within the Universal Factory was slowly exhausted.

These middle-class individuals who didn’t get the opportunity for promotion became an annoyance for the ruling class. Their ideas were the most active and held the greatest variables.

Before the potential of the fully automated universal factory was completely depleted, the path to advancement for middle-class professionals was open because they could exert all their efforts to excavate the complementary technologies from within the universal factory. Those who unearthed them would rise up–a simple principle.

After all, that was the pinnacle product of Second-level Civilization’s comprehensive technology, integrating the vast wisdom of the Alien Civilization. Even with tens of thousands of years, many aspects remained poorly understood due to the unstable technological foundation of the Gleize Civilization.

But now, tens of thousands of years later, things that could be researched have been almost completely studied; things that couldn’t be figured out were complex to the extreme, and the pathways for ascension were gradually blocked.

The desires of intelligent life are endless. When the pathway to ascension was blocked, unity was no longer the focus, and the only choice left was internal strife. For the morally corrupt and materialistic Glizerians, internal games naturally spared no extremes.

Gradually, the entire society began to be shrouded in a haze of darkness. Certain big stars suddenly were embroiled in scandals, some moral role models suddenly became morally bankrupt, which in fact, were all results of internal power struggles.

No matter how perfectly packaged a star might be, once their image shattered, they were bound to be abandoned.

Unhappiness in life was a tangible reality. As the public saw more scandals, they began to feel a sense of weariness, and the potential for upheaval remained.

Therefore, the ruling class became troubled again. They urgently needed something that could provide eternal happiness, even something that could ensure eternal loyalty from their subordinates, to satisfy the insatiable masses…

At last, one day, a researcher named Sila found something called “Happiness Element” in the Universal Factory’s database, opening the real Pandora’s box!

This “Happiness Element” was tailor-made for the interstellar civilization, a somewhat complex chemical substance, hidden deep within the database, which had received little attention.

The label even kindly included a small note: “Can paralyze nerves, highly dangerous substance, recommended for use as a drug only!”

Would it cause death after injection?

Since it was labeled as a drug, it should… probably not.

But why was it labeled as “Happiness Element”?

What does paralyzing nerves mean?

After studying it for a while, the researcher was somewhat puzzled and, driven by curiosity, took the risk to try the so-called “Happiness Element.”

Hiss–

Whew!

After inhaling a bit of Happiness Element, “Sila” collapsed on the ground, convulsing its limbs, paralyzed for half a day.

Then, after waking up, it reminisced for another long while.

It showed an expression of ecstasy mixed with idiocy!

This research worker sprinted towards the ruler’s residence, offering up its research findings–

“I’ve found a higher degree of happiness!”

As for the warning note that followed, “Highly dangerous substance, suggested for medicinal use only,” it was immediately tossed to the back of its mind… Who cares, as long as it’s pleasurable.

A month later, at Central Square of the city, amidst a blaze of color and a clinking of glasses, the ruler threw a grand banquet. Nearly all the Nobles were summoned to discuss something.

Many onlooking citizens knelt on the ground, curiously watching the supreme ruler, wondering what major policy he was about to announce.

The Pangolin stood on the stage, speaking excitedly and fervently.

“Today, we have found the source of happiness, let’s cheer to our heart’s content!”

Suddenly, from a car nearby, a mist sprayed out, and following that, all the observing Pangolins were paralyzed, falling to the ground.

Ten or so minutes later, one by one they revealed confused looks on their faces, dancing with excitement…

The ultimate nightmare had begun…

…

Hearing this, Zhang Yuan involuntarily shuddered!

He had always considered himself to have a strong heart and a high capacity for acceptance, but at that moment, the pores on his back flared open, truly feeling a sincere sense of horror.

He deeply understood what the so-called “Happiness Element” really was, and if this substance were to become widespread, the consequences were unimaginable!

“…It’s a poison!” Ganyador said through clenched teeth: “After using it, one can obtain immense pleasure, but soon, in two days, or maybe three, that pleasure will turn into pain, making you desperately eager to use it again!”

“The most lethal aspect of this poison is exactly that, its antidote happens to be the substance itself, only through endless repetition of use can the pain be alleviated, and there’s no chance of a cure…”

“Ah, I know, I know what it is,” Zhang Yuan nodded.

“What? You know,” it said, slightly shocked.

“Mr. Ganyador, I think I can predict what happened next. It’s truly a sad tale. Don’t your civilization have natural plants… those that can numb the nerves? Natural hallucinogens?”

“You can predict what happened next?”

Ganyador asked curiously: “Natural nerve-numbing plants? What are those… oh, indeed there are some plants that can make us faint directly, but those are completely different from Happiness Element.”

Zhang Yuan was once again shocked; due to the simplicity of the Glizerians’ ecosystem, these substances did not naturally exist there, so they had no resistance!

And no caution either!

Furthermore, with hedonism already sweeping through their world, a non-existent yet irresistible vile thing suddenly emerged, eventually plunging the Glizerians into the very depths of the abyss…

(PS: Seeking subscriptions, it’s not easy to have a burst of activity, treat it as a celebration for the badge of excellence. Though subscription rates just climbed over 3000, they fell back down quickly, probably many went to read pirated versions. If subscriptions don’t increase, then there’s no motivation for a surge… -_-||)