Void Jigsaw Puzzle

From Heli Yi's perspective, what just happened was also unexpected to him.

When Hydrogen Ao turned around and ordered the group of people controlled by stimulants to rush towards Zhong Chenmu and others, he unexpectedly found a mutiny within the Carbon Clan on the platform.

Tan Jia quickly rushed behind Tan Guan, holding him hostage, and placed a short knife against his waist. Facing the remaining senior leaders of the Tan Clan, he ordered Tan Guan, "I respect you and call you 'Clan Leader'. If I don't respect you, you're just an old man! Now, immediately, use your authority to get this platform back up. We need to do great things and can't stay stuck in this damn place!"

"Tan Jia, you're crazy!" Those people were all stunned.

Tan Guan also trembled all over and shouted hurriedly: "Tan Jia, what do you want to do? I treat you well on weekdays, and you actually want to threaten me now?"

Seeing this, Hydrogen Ao burst into laughter. "Tan Jia, well done! With your decisiveness, you should take over the position of clan leader! Clan leader Tan Guan, if you still want to keep this position, ask him to do it. That way, we won't touch your precious central water supply system, leaving you with a good reputation. However, it's time to fulfill the deal we agreed on earlier. Remember, this is your last chance. If you hesitate any longer, Tan Jia will be the new clan leader!"

"Wait..." Carbon Crown was still trying to use a delaying tactic: "You just said that you would do a test to verify the stimulant and sedative first. Aren't you going to do it now?"

"There's no need. These lunatics have already proven it perfectly. We used sedatives on them on the ground, and now they're under the effects of stimulants. Look at the effect, isn't it better than expected? Do we still need to beg that woman named Tan Ping, or do we have to tear open the roof of this reservoir and let you bear eternal infamy? There's no need, my friend. Let's move on to the next step."

After hearing this, Tan Guan remained silent for a long time, then nodded dejectedly.

After a moment, the platform began to rise.

Indeed, as Tan Jia said, Tan Guan, as the patriarch, has the backup authority to control this platform.

Seeing the situation change drastically, He Yi was about to send a message to others, but he felt that he was suppressed by a huge force and could do nothing.

At the same time, a message from Hydrogen Ao came over: "Helium Yi, I was distracted controlling those losers just now. Now I'll let them fend for themselves. I have enough energy to deal with you. Together with Hydrogen Nian, Hydrogen Sa, and Helium Qian, do you really think the power of the four of us just now is not as strong as you alone?"

He Yi suddenly felt a hidden force trying to penetrate him through this suppression, and immediately realized it was a cosmic rogue! He hurriedly resisted, but was distracted by the power of Hydrogen Ao and others, and instantly lost consciousness.

When he recovered, the space under the dome was already very quiet, with only Zhong Chenmu and the other five standing there.

Everyone else disappeared.

After listening to Hei Yi's narration, Zhong Chenmu comforted him, "Master Hei Yi, I'm glad you're okay. As for what to do next, let's think of a solution together."

Hei Yi nodded in agreement. "Before we go out, let's take advantage of this rare quiet moment to discuss this."

Zhang Chuyu was clearly anxious. "We don't know what kind of trouble they're going to cause, so how can we discuss things peacefully? What if we finally come up with a plan and it's all gone? Besides, we still don't know how to get out!"

Guo Ling patted his shoulder and said, "Don't be impatient. If you rush out, you'll be like a headless fly and will only alert the enemy. You must think carefully now. I support He Yi."

After saying that, he raised his hand.

Fan Ting took a look and raised her hand as well.

He Yi and Zhong Chenmu were the original initiators of this idea, so they naturally supported it without a doubt.

That's already four votes. No matter how Tan Ping and Zhang Chuyu vote, it's insignificant.

Zhong Chenmu smiled and said, "Everyone, don't worry. The reason I feel the need to discuss a plan is because we need to first analyze why the Wangba Clan is going to such great lengths in the Carbon Clan's capital. What exactly is their purpose? If we can't figure out their motives, and also understand the reason why the Carbon Crown and the Carbon Clan's leaders are so coordinated, any subsequent plans we have will have no basis and will most likely be a waste of effort."

Guo Ling nodded in agreement and added, "Tan Ping, Chu Yu, what Xiao Zhong just said is actually two points. One is the motive of the Wangba Clan, and the other is the motive of the Tan Clan. You are both locals, can you help us analyze the latter?"

“We’re not from here!”

Tan Ping and Zhang Chuyu said in unison. This was not the first time they seemed to mind being mistaken for Tan natives.

This may be the last stubbornness of the people of Fengyao City.

"Well, as our compatriots, please help us analyze this." Guo Ling smiled and changed the subject: "After all, one of you is a former high-ranking official, and the other is a former grassroots civil servant."

Tan Ping was somewhat disdainful: "Who cares? They are just a bunch of pleasure-seeking people!"

Zhang Chuyu, on the other hand, calmed down from his earlier impatience. "I actually think their motives aren't that superficial. While they do usually seek pleasure, from what I've observed along the way, I've always felt that Carbon Crown has some bottom line. Otherwise, why wouldn't he just let Hydrogen Ao open the reservoir through force? Wouldn't that mean completely destroying the lifeblood of the Carbon Clan?"

Fan Ting stared at Zhang Chuyu seriously, a little lost in thought. There was no doubt that this man was her first love in her memory, but why was he completely indifferent to her?

How could she possibly take the initiative to recognize him without sending any signal?

Zhong Chenmu agreed with Zhang Chuyu's point of view: "Well, I've been paying attention to Carbon Crown's performance. Either his acting is too good, or he truly retains the dignity that a tribe leader should have. Let's analyze this issue from another angle. Let's not talk about what he and his colleagues want, but what the Wangba tribe, and the people they control, such as Hydrogen Ao, can offer."

He Yi praised Zhong Chenmu's idea. "Good idea! I definitely know more about cosmic rogues, hydrogen families, and helium families than you do. I'll try to analyze it. Have you heard of the theory of 'three stages of cosmic civilization evolution'?"

Tan Ping and Zhang Chuyu looked bewildered, but Zhong Chenmu was deeply impressed. Guo Ling and Fan Ting also felt as if they had heard of it.

Zhong Chenmu reminded him, "Remember when Hydrogen Chen first went to Wuming City? She shared this theory with us then. She believes that any race in the universe will go through three stages of civilization development: 'pure embodied form', 'dual reality and virtuality', and 'pure virtual form'. The more ancient races in the universe, such as the Hydrogen and Helium races, have already entered this third stage. In other words, they all have only virtual forms, and the operation of their entire society depends on various systems that have been honed over the years and a positive feedback system of continuous self-correction to advance meticulously and correctly. At this stage, on the one hand, the consumption of virtual forms is very limited, and on the other hand, resources are already extremely abundant. Therefore, stable development is almost possible indefinitely. There is only one exception, and that is the Turtle Race, the cosmic rogues - the Silicon Race."

Helium B agreed. "That's right. If there were no cosmic rogues, the third stage would be almost the ultimate form. It could be said that development could proceed smoothly until the universe collapses into a singularity again."

Guo Ling said thoughtfully, "It's a pity that the universe doesn't allow such a perfect thing to happen. The existence of the Silicon Clan is not for any purpose; it is the purpose itself."

"It is the purpose in itself..." The others repeated this sentence silently.

Tan Ping and Zhang Chuyu quickly understood the theory and the logic behind it. They asked cautiously, "So, we've entered the second phase now?"

"No, as individuals, you are, but as a whole, the Carbon Clan is actually still in the first stage, and the same goes for the Fengyao City civilization. Of course, as your common civilization, the Nameless City where we come from has already entered the second stage. I believe that you, like Kunlun City in the Helium Clan, can quickly enter the second stage with my help. Because this was originally my plan - since we are all common civilizations, we should unite and put the ancient civilization puzzle back together as much as possible." Zhong Chenmu explained.

Tan Ping and Zhang Chuyu looked at the young man with a sharp gaze and an upright figure, and couldn't help but sigh: "Is this a genius or a child prodigy..."

Tan Ping quickly deduced further from Zhong Chenmu's words, "Tell me, is it possible that the Turtle Clan you mentioned promised Tan Guan that the Carbon Clan would accelerate its entry into the second or even third stage? Because, at least they are using the guise of the Hydrogen Clan and the Helium Clan, two of the oldest clans in the universe, and this guise is convincing enough. Not to mention that Hydrogen Ao is a senior leader of the Hydrogen Clan."

After hearing this, Zhong Chenmu felt his breathing quicken unconsciously. He vaguely felt that Tan Ping seemed to have found the right direction inadvertently, but there were still some key details that were not completed.

For example, Carbon Crown clearly has the ability to reproduce the signals in the universe into Fengyao City, so why does he need external forces to complete the transformation of the Carbon Clan's civilization stage? Logically, he can do this with his own abilities.

It might just take a little more effort, just like what he had done in Wuming City. He could only infuse the group with the power of both virtuality and reality when certain objective conditions were met. Otherwise, he could only help Guo Ling and Fan Ting master this ability one by one.

So...what do Hydrogen Ao and the others have that can help reduce Carbon Crown's workload or speed up the process?

Got it, stimulants and sedatives!