CHAPTER 201: GREAT FILTER

"Tom, Old Sullivan, what are you doing?!"

The parasite struggled frantically, roaring and pleading incessantly. But all of it was useless.

Eventually, it was firmly secured to the dissection table.

Only then did it seem to truly realize its fate; it stopped struggling, stopped roaring, and instead began to sneer continuously.

"Just wait, just wait, all of you, your entire civilization will perish..."

Tom did not waste words with it; he immediately began the dissection without anesthesia, carefully examining all of its physical conditions and changes, especially focusing on the brain.

As expected, upon this dissection, Tom immediately discovered the changes in its brain.

Numerous neurons had mutated, appearing grayish-black, completely different from a normal person’s.

Based on the varying degrees of infection—it was clear that the greater the desire to view the Evil Eye Galaxy’s star map, the deeper the infection—Tom also began dissecting the other infected clones.

Those clones with lighter infections showed no brain abnormalities whatsoever, nor any signs of infection.

Only those with already severe infections could faintly detect some signs.

After meticulously recording every stage of the infection, including that of the clones and that batch of Bluetoth scientists, and thoroughly collecting the data, Tom directly maneuvered the two isolation spacecraft to begin decelerating.

Finally, at a distance of tens of millions of kilometers from the main fleet, Tom detonated the large-yield hydrogen bombs that had already been installed, destroying all life inside the two isolation spacecraft, whether infected or not.

This was the safest approach. Faced with such an incredibly powerful existence, Tom dared not be careless in the slightest.

Recalling the entire incident, Tom felt a slight sense of relief.

"It’s fortunate that I am such a special existence; I can detect it immediately if a clone gets infected, allowing me to resolve the incident at its very beginning.

If it were any other ordinary civilization, even if they could eventually resolve it and avoid being completely parasitized by the Evil Eye Civilization, they would likely suffer heavy losses.

And... calculating the Milky Way’s distance from the Evil Eye Galaxy at approximately 500 million light-years, a technological level similar to mine, meaning the mid-to-high stage of Electroweak Civilization, would possess images of the Evil Eye Galaxy clear enough to cause infection.

And... due to the unique nature of the Evil Eye Galaxy, almost every civilization, once aware of it, would not miss the opportunity to observe it.

This seems to imply that the entire Milky Way, and even more galaxies, all civilizations that have passed this stage, even that Mechanical Disaster... are civilizations that have survived this calamity?

If they survive, they can continue to develop; if they don’t, they will be parasitized, and their civilization will perish.

What is this, a Great Filter?

Over these many hundreds of millions of years, who knows how many lower civilizations have been wiped out by the Evil Eye Civilization’s Parasitic Disaster..."

Tom increasingly felt the danger and cruelty of the universe.

A distant civilization located hundreds of millions of light-years away, without casting any attention here, merely modified a galaxy, yet it annihilated an unknown number of civilizations.

The Evil Eye Civilization might not even know about the demise of those civilizations, nor did it care at all.

And, how many terrifying existences like the Evil Eye Civilization still exist in the universe? And how dangerous are their methods...?

This time, he easily passed through relying on his own characteristics, without much effort. Next time, will he be able to pass through again?

Tom’s heart was heavy, filled with reverence for the vast universe.

All data concerning the Evil Eye Galaxy was sealed from then on; not only Tom himself, but even the Bluetoth were strictly forbidden from studying it, and even more so from observing it.

When all space telescopes observed the starry sky, they would carefully avoid the Evil Eye Galaxy, never observing it.

Time continued to flow; after resolving this incident, Tom’s energy was once again invested in his own technological research.

Numerous large scientific facilities and various laboratories within many scientific research spacecraft continued to operate busily. Billions of clones still exerted their full effort, remaining at their workstations except during rest periods.

Under these circumstances, over two hundred years quietly passed.

At this moment, Tom’s massive fleet was approximately 22 light-years away from the Altair System, and an even more distant 33 light-years from the solar system.

During this 22 light-year journey, apart from the initial acceleration phase, Tom consistently maintained a speed of 24,000 kilometers per second, never decelerating, and never approaching any star system.

Because Tom knew that every time he docked in a star system, the risk of being caught by the Mechanical Disaster would increase.

Only by constantly drifting in the vast sea of stars would his risk of capture be minimized.

Of course, this also required occasional random maneuvers and random changes in the fleet’s course.

If he blindly continued along the current course, he might be caught up to by the Mechanical Disaster along the way.

Then, on an ordinary day, Tom suddenly realized that his consciousness link with a certain clone left in the Altair System had been restored.

"Hmm?"

Tom’s heart sank.

Just like the clones in the solar system, the clones in the Altair System being awakened from hibernation could almost only be due to the arrival of the Mechanical Disaster Fleet.

When he had left the Altair System, his estimated arrival time for the Mechanical Disaster Fleet was about 300 years later.

But now... only 289 years had passed since he left the Altair System.

Adding the 22-year communication delay caused by the 22-light-year distance, this meant that the Mechanical Disaster Fleet had already arrived only 267 years after he left the Altair System.

They arrived faster than he expected.

Tom felt the noose around his neck tighten even further.

Under the gaze of the awakened clones, that "star" outside the Altair System grew brighter and larger.

Finally, the Mechanical Disaster Fleet, almost identical to what was seen in the solar system back then, appeared in the clone’s field of vision and began advancing into the Altair System.

A sneer flickered across Tom’s lips.

"Chasing me so closely? It would be rude of me not to repay your enthusiasm.

Enjoy the surprise I left for you in the Altair System."

Consciousness links from multiple clones in the Altair System continuously transmitted various perspectives from the Altair System into Tom’s mind.

Thus, Tom saw numerous flashes erupt amidst the almost infinite number of asteroids and small celestial bodies.