Chapter 84: Library

Translator: Exodus Tales Editor: Exodus Tales

Ye Jingshan stood onstage in his Adjudicator Union uniform bearing a face as cold as a frozen lake. He coughed twice before addressing the auditorium in his severe voice. “First, I’d like to welcome everyone on behalf of Endaro Star Region’s Heaven Execution Training Camp. I am your battalion commander, Ye Jingshan.

“This year, the training camp accepted a total of 13,174 cadets, a number which, historically speaking, was the most we’ve taken in. Still, I should tell you that fewer than five thousand can usually finish this five-year course without getting eliminated!”

Murmurs could be heard in the auditorium. Ye Jingshan’s statement was like a severe reprimand, splashing a basin of cold water on these fresh hopefuls.

After a moment’s pause, Ye Jingshan continued speaking. “There’s one important rule in Heaven Execution Training Camp that no one can violate, and that is never to use any thermal weapons! If anyone is to go against this stipulation, they’ll be immediately removed from the training camp—no exceptions!”

“Adjudicators are part of the Pan-Human Alliance and are considered as one of the largest elite warrior organizations in the universe. A true warrior can win through their strength and doesn’t need to rely on external power!” Ye Jingshan demonstrated great vigor, his hand balling up into a fist as he spoke.

“I believe everyone here has heard of what happened to the ancient civilization; why would a once glorious civilization be destroyed overnight? That’s because living beings at that time relied too much on machines, relied too much on AIs, as a result of their underestimation of their capabilities! We must definitely not let a repeat of that tragedy!

“Everyone, keep that in mind. If we wish to lay a stake in this sea of stars where dangers abound, we can only rely on ourselves!

“I’ll admit that thermal weapons are very powerful, but they’re also very dangerous! Its emergence has eliminated the need for warriors to a large degree, but facts have proven that when warriors reach the pinnacle of their strengths or talents, it is entirely possible for them to take on these mechas which have no regard for their targets!

“If you are content with being a normal warrior, then I suggest you leave this training camp immediately, for you don’t fit this place.

“In contrast, if your goal isn’t so simple, striving to become an elite warrior, then I welcome you to this training camp with open arms! Accept the suffering from the searing flames of hell! Torture your body and flog your spirits!

“You’ll turn into a well-respected warrior—someone who won’t need any help and can take on enemies with their bare hands... A true warrior!”

The cadets in the auditorium got very excited, their blood boiling inside them. Each face turned red from their fire, their chests thumping vigorously.

Technology would forever be every living being’s bane. When talking about the level of technological advancement, the modern-day civilization was far from what the ancients had achieved, but the highly advanced ancient civilization was decimated by the very robots they had created.

The people of this day and age had risen from the ashes of their near-annihilation following the robots’ departure, and such a history had been etched into the mind of every survivor of that apocalyptic event. It was akin to a fish that knew how to swim upon birth; the movement to swim had already been ingrained in them and there was no way to wash it away.

Now that they were at the stage of great development again, their technological level was closer to the ancient civilization, though the closer they were, the scars left by the ancient civilization ached all the more.

A warrior who used thermal weapons would forever be a mere warrior, never reaching the standards of an elite fighter their entire life.

The world respected elite warriors who could take on what their ancestors had once relied on—a simple construct of primitive weapons—by relying solely on their strengths!

Through their continued success at tapping into their seventh brain region, mankind had proven that a top-tier warrior would be equally capable of destroying heavens and earth without utilizing thermal weapons!

Anyone who got the chance to visit the Pan-Human Alliance’s headquarters would see the famous motto of the great philosopher Kriens: ‘We are wielders of technology, but we will never become slaves to it!’

Xia Fei had once heard Phantom speak of it, so he had some knowledge regarding the ancient civilization. The technology was like a double-edged sword; the ancient civilization thought that they would have no worries using technology, never pursuing to improve their capabilities; as a result, their bodies gradually weakened.

That was why when that crisis occurred, the unprepared beings easily collapsed. It usually took eons for a civilization to emerge, yet the ancient civilization had collapsed in the span of a night.

Organizations like the Adjudicators Union and Monastic Order, who were basically the inheritors of the ancient civilization, tasked themselves with creating elite warriors capable of protecting the modern civilization with their bare hands.

Thus, it was easy to explain why Heaven Execution Training Camp had a no-tolerance rule regarding the usage of thermal weapons.

Ye Jingshan felt satisfied with the fighting spirits this batch of cadets was demonstrating at the moment, for he extended his hand next to beckon Xiao Haili and his three-man team over.

“As is customary, the Union supports the training camp by sending an elite group of warriors every year to oversee the imparting of practical combat knowledge and introducing some situations that the organization’s inner workings are presently facing to everyone in this camp.”

“This year, we have lucked out. I’m sure many of you have heard of the Executive department’s Team 13?” asked Ye Jingshan.

“The Magnificent 13?”

“The so-called Team 13 that has a ninety-nine percent success rate in the Executive department?”

“That strike team that is very famous?”n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Discussions abound among the students, most of them pleasantly surprised by the arrival of such a famous team here.

“That’s right; the Union sent The Magnificent 13 as this year’s special instructors in the training camp; they will be here for a four-month-long assignment, so I hope that everyone will use this opportunity to consult with them as much as possible.”

...

Xia Fei did not really pay attention to the latter half of the ceremony as an inexplicable sense of worry filled his mind.

Xiao Yu’s disappearance, his ambush on Xiao Yong, and that mysterious insider—all clues did not have a direct correlation to Xiao Haili, yet Xia Fei inexplicably felt that there was something fishy about him. Perhaps he was just being paranoid and the guy had nothing to do with Xiao Yu’s disappearance, but the point was Xia Fei’s mind was growing more confused as he thought of it to the point that he felt out of sorts.

Through the information he had gathered via the interplanetary internet, Xia Fei learned that Xiao Haili and Xiao Yong were distant relatives. In terms of appearance, Xiao Haili could be considered a model Adjudicator, strong and upright; he had a kind disposition and was highly regarded by the public and his peers.

Still, Xia Fei always felt that the guy was too good and too clean. There was no such existence in this universe; be it a person or a thing, one would always have flaws.

The more perfect Xiao Haili was, the more Xia Fei felt that he had a problem.

Xia Fei did not return to the dormitory with Chen Dong and the others after leaving the auditorium. He avoided the throng by taking a foreign and quiet path, of which he had no idea where it was leading but did not mind it.

There were American sycamore trees growing on either side of this path, and since it was fall, dry and yellow leaves randomly drifted into the air before falling onto the ground.

No one cared to clear the path of the dead leaves, which apparently made the place feel all the more lonely and desolate.

Without even realizing it, Xia Fei had arrived at the end of the path, and in front of him was a white hexagonal building of about three stories, which covered a sizable plot of land.

“Library?” Xia Fei read out the words on that building plaque.

There was actually no one around this library. The front stairs were littered with trash and leaves, and it was unknown how long it had been since someone last cleaned this place. The white walls were already mottled, giving off a sense of solitude after witnessing the vicissitudes of life.

In the age where information boomed, the interplanetary internet could easily provide people with books that no one would be able to finish reading in many lifetimes, so this sort of library from a bygone era was becoming less and less valued, almost to the point of neglect.

Since Xia Fei had nothing else to do, he went up the flight of stairs with twelve steps, arriving at the main entrance to the library.

A sign was hanging on the door which read: recruiting librarians.

It was unknown how long this sign had been hanging there as the words themselves had faded a lot. It took Xia Fei sometime before he could make out what it said.

Pushing open the door and making his way inside, the unique smell of ink on paper entered his nostrils as rows upon rows of neatly positioned big and tall bookshelves held old tomes. It was really hard to believe that in the modern era of advanced technology, there would actually be such a quaint place.

The counter where a librarian would be was empty, and there was only an overweight fat black cat lazily sprawled across the table. With its size already beyond what a cat should have, the cat seemed more like a ball of fur—the kind that ate up all space.

Judging from its half-closed eyes, the cat lying on the table should have been taking a nap but was roused from sleep by Xia Fei’s arrival; its golden eyes focused on him in annoyance for a moment, then the cat resumed its wonderful dream.

Xia Fei felt very curious. Heaven Execution Training Camp claimed to have the best facilities and resources in this star region, so who knew what sort of books could be found in its library?

Pulling out an old tome, which was as thick as a dictionary, and casually flipping through it, the few pages he scanned through told him that it was an introduction to the various types of ore, from the low-grade mineral spars to the high-grade black crystal ore. Every possible variation which could be found across the universe, including instructions on how to mine and smelt them, was written in this thick tome.

An old man with beefy legs and thick arms came walking out of the librarian’s office. Just like the cat, he was very obese. Even the simplest activity like walking left him struggling to breathe.

He made his way to the desk and looked at Xia Fei, saying, “Lad.”

“You talking to me, old man?”

The old man nodded, stabbing a chubby finger to a sign on the table. “Ten points an hour, with a twenty percent discount if you pass six hours.”

Xia Fei was stunned. It turned out that browsing a book would cost him points, and it was a fairly expensive price point to boot. Ten points could let him rent a large, comprehensive training room.

Xia Fei shrugged helplessly. “Sorry, I’ve just arrived at the training camp, so I don’t even have a point to my name.”

The obese, old man sighed, stroking the lazy black cat with his hand. “Woe to me. I’ve finally managed to catch someone reading a book, only for him to be a pauper.”

Xia Fei chuckled. “There are very few who come to this library normally, probably because the fees are too high. Perhaps you’ll attract more readers and earn better if you lower the price by a bit.”

The obese, old man was evidently annoyed by the suggestion. “Do you think these are radishes, haggling with the prices like that? These are all books! Precious tomes—do you understand? Ten points for an hour of reading is already a steal.”

Xia Fei was silent. He pulled out a cigarette and did not say a word.

“Young men nowadays are becoming more and more uneducated, only knowing how to train, train, train. All these resources here yet not knowing how to properly use them,” muttered the obese, old man to himself with much resentment.

Taking a moment to think, Xia Fei asked, “Why don’t you put these books online? That way, anyone can read them whenever they wish to do so.”

The obese, old man rolled his eyes at him. “Suppose you have a house of treasures; will you put it online and let others view it at their discretion?”

Xia Fei furrowed his brows. “Of course not. Good things ought to be hidden, but I’ve glanced through a few books here, and while they’re fairly precious, it isn’t to a point of being invaluable as you make them out to be.”

The obese, old man looked to be very incensed by his remark. He gestured at Xia Fei to follow him.

The library was split into two floors, and the bookcases on the second floor were larger than those on the first floor. Twelve of these bookcases were enough to cover the entire floor space.

These bookcases were all made of metal and mahogany, and the tomes were neatly placed behind transparent glasses.

A ventilation system ensured that bookcases would remain in dry condition. Even the temperature was set to something suitable for book storage; each of these bookcases was even fitted with a combination lock to prevent anyone from gaining access to the tomes whenever they wished to do so.

Xia Fei was very intrigued by this. The library was just a place to store books; why would it need such a sophisticated maintenance system?

He walked over to take a look at the books inside, and he could not help but gasp!

The books were all records from the ancient civilization, some pertaining to warships and others about robots; they encompassed all aspects of the lives of the ancient civilization.

The obese, old man had one hand on the stair railing, wheezing hard. It seemed that just a dozen steps was taxing enough for his elderly self.

“How is it? These are all out of print information detailing the most tabooed knowledge in the Pan-Human Alliance, the robot technology of the ancients. The interplanetary internet doesn’t allow for the appearance of any books related to robots, and what you’re looking at is the interplanetary repository. Whatever you can’t find on the internet can all be found here,” proudly declared the obese, old man.

Phantom had already appeared from his Moore Stone by then and gazed at these bookcases filled with tomes for a long time. “He’s not wrong. Because the ancient civilization was decimated by the robots, it led to the Pan-Human Alliance harboring a strong aversion toward any robot- and AI-related objects or materials. These are all restricted in the alliance.

“A long time ago, there was once a movement in the Alliance to revitalize the past in hopes of rebuilding the glory of yesteryear, but since such information couldn’t be distributed over the interplanetary internet, ancient civilization aficionados made them available in the form of books, then circulated them in their cliques for perusal.

“Later, when the Alliance learned of such a thing, a large-scale seizure of all those books was enacted, and many of the works were destroyed. There’s no doubt that these books we see before us now are safe-kept from that period,” explained Phantom.

After bragging about these treasures, Xia Fei was very aggressively chased away by that obese, old man; since he had got no points, he had no reason to be there.

Turning around to see the sign about recruiting librarians, Xia Fei began going down the same path he had come from.

“Phantom, what are your thoughts on the library?” asked Xia Fei.

Phantom was quiet for quite a while before he gave his answer. “The more something is prohibited, the more valuable it becomes.”