Chapter 83: The History of the Ultra-Ancient Era

Although Zhang Chengwei was not at the Liu residence and thus did not appear on the screen, Liu Yuanwai was present. So, Zhang Desen bowed respectfully to Liu Yuanwai on the display and addressed him as “Father-in-law!”

Liu Yuanwai, however, waved off the formality and said, “Never mind, Desen. There’s an urgent matter we need to discuss, which is why I had Ting’er contact you right away. Besides you, only Ting’er knows how to use this device. Now, let’s get back to business…”

Immediately, Liu Yuanwai and his daughter allowed the person Zhang Chengwei had sent to appear on the screen and report the recent developments to Zhang Desen.

Before long, the family retainer dispatched by Zhang Chengwei relayed the news gathered by spies previously placed within the Council of State. It turned out that those spies had learned of confidential dealings between Minister Qian and the Saurians, though the precise details remained unclear. What was certain was that the Saurians were willing to offer a grand gift in exchange for cooperation, and Minister Qian had agreed to reestablish their partnership.

Given the Saurians’ relative strength compared to humans still using cold weapons, it seemed unnecessary for them to seek such collaboration. Still, there was nothing to be done except observe for the moment.

Meanwhile, earlier that afternoon, a large fleet of Saurian ships had suddenly flown in tight formation over Xidu, heading urgently seaward as though racing to war. The sight was unprecedented, and the people of Xidu were filled with fear, as if monsters had emerged to bring calamity. Yet, at this very moment, Minister Qian’s government was preparing a banquet, officially calling it a family gathering and inviting no outsiders.

Of course, both Zhang Chengwei’s and Liu Yuanwai’s people had investigated and learned of Minister Qian’s activities, but the connection between the two matters remained a mystery, leaving all parties uneasy.

Hearing all this, Zhang Desen considered the news and then reassured them, “I understand. There’s no need for you to worry. I now have a far-seeing eye and a keen ear—this is the perfect opportunity to test their effectiveness. Once I have results, I’ll contact you. Rest assured, all will be well.”

They replied, “Very well!” Though they had no idea what Zhang Desen meant by a far-seeing eye and keen ear, their trust in him was absolute, so they followed his instructions and disconnected the communicator.

Afterward, Li Longfang approached and asked, “Desen, is something wrong? Has something happened with Minister Qian?”

Zhang Desen replied, “Yes. The Saurians want to deepen their cooperation with Minister Qian—didn’t you catch that just now?”

Li Longfang said, “I heard, but I don’t quite understand what it means. Could the Saurians really be in some kind of trouble?”

Zhang Desen answered, “That’s what I suspect as well. When we were at the mountain base, I always felt that their reasons for demanding my surrender hinted at a shortage of manpower far greater than we’d realized. It seemed like something was missing.”

Li Longfang asked in puzzlement, “So, what are they planning?”

Zhang Desen replied, “Don’t worry. This is the perfect time to test my new far-seeing eye and keen ear. Didn’t I just finish installing the data collection device?”

Li Longfang nodded, “Yes.”

Zhang Desen continued, “Very well, let’s see what we can uncover. What exactly are they up to?”

He then activated the ship’s computer and connected it to the data collection device, quickly gaining access to the Saurians’ global network.

Zhang Desen began searching for all sorts of information, though the sheer volume and complexity were daunting. His first priority, of course, was to look for the latest military news, hoping to understand why the Saurian forces were suddenly moving en masse toward the ocean. Meanwhile, the translation unit tirelessly converted incoming data.

When Zhang Desen came across a news report from the Saurian Orme Empire, the headline astonished him: “Undersea Humans—The Atlanteans—Are Violating the Border.”

He was shocked. In his original universe, there were legends of Atlantis, but never any solid evidence. Who would have thought that in this universe, Atlantis truly existed? When Li Longfang saw the headline, he was confused and asked, “Atlantis? What is that?”

Zhang Desen replied, “Longfang, this is something new. I need to investigate further.”

Li Longfang asked, “Is it dangerous?”

Zhang Desen answered, “Let me explain the Atlantis civilization, though I don’t know how closely the Atlantis of this universe resembles the one in ours. Still, let me tell you about the version from my own universe, so you have an idea. How does that sound?”

Li Longfang agreed, “All right.”

So Zhang Desen began, “On the Earth of my original universe, there is a brief account of Atlantis as described by the ancient Greek philosopher Plato…”

He summarized Plato’s account: Atlantis was a beautiful island with advanced technology, its history dating back to around 370 BCE. Plato wrote that Atlantis boasted magnificent palaces and temples, as well as enormous altars for sacrifices. He described the Atlanteans as possessing vast wealth and, in the beginning, being honest, kind, and extraordinarily wise, leading carefree lives.

But as time went on, their ambition swelled. They began to send armies to conquer neighboring lands. The Atlantean way of life became decadent and corrupt, lost in endless luxury and moral decay. Ultimately, this angered the gods. Zeus, king of the gods, brought devastating earthquakes and floods upon the great island in a single night, and Atlantis was swallowed by the sea, vanishing into the unfathomable depths.

After listening, Li Longfang suddenly asked, “Do the gods really exist?”

Zhang Desen said, “Let’s set that aside for now. What matters is this: there truly is an empire of Atlantis with an advanced technological civilization beneath the sea. The Saurians’ current move toward the ocean is because a large fleet of Atlantean warships has, for unknown reasons, approached the Xidu region—a territory the Saurians have always considered their own, not tolerating any outside interference. That’s why Saurian warships have been dispatched to drive away the Atlantean fleet, leading to conflict.”

Li Longfang anxiously asked, “So what should we do now?”

Zhang Desen replied, “Don’t be hasty. I’m sure their archives contain plenty of historical records. If we’re lucky, we might even find accounts of ancient history. Let me search the Saurians’ historical archives.”

“All right.”

It must be said—what he found was astonishing. The prehistoric history of Earth in this universe could only be described as magnificent, for it even included accounts of interaction with extraterrestrial civilizations.

It turned out that in this universe’s Earth, several highly advanced technological civilizations had arisen in different regions in ancient times.

Take the Saurians, for instance: their ancestors, the Dromaeosaurs, were mainly found on the North American continent, where they gradually evolved into a highly advanced civilization—the Saurians.

Humanity in this universe, too, evolved into a high-tech civilization at roughly the same time, mainly spread across the Eurasian and African continents.

The two civilizations initially coexisted in relative peace, but as time passed, differences in species and competition for resources gradually led to conflict.

The clashes grew ever more intense, with increasingly fearsome weaponry deployed. Yet, both sides tacitly avoided using nuclear arms or similar devices, not wanting to cause irreparable destruction—thus, there was no nuclear winter or the like. Still, the war raged on.

The Saurians mounted powerful offensives: eastward, they penetrated most of Africa, the cradle of humanity; westward, they surged deep into the heart of Eurasia, reaching as far north as the Ural Mountains and as far south as the Middle East.

But, as their occupied territory expanded too rapidly, supply lines became overstretched, and fierce resistance from human guerrillas in occupied regions turned the conflict into a protracted stalemate.

Eventually, the Saurians decided to pause their advance to consolidate their new holdings. Humanity, catching its breath, planned a counteroffensive from the Mediterranean, hoping to reclaim lost ground in one bold stroke.

Yet, just as the Saurians’ order to halt went out, and humanity readied its counterattack, a mysterious force suddenly appeared in South America: a group of humans with highly advanced technology, unlike any seen before. They claimed to be from Atlantis and bore fish-like gills on their necks, seemingly adapted for underwater life, yet also possessed terrestrial respiratory organs and excellent night vision, able to see clearly in darkness. In battle, they often wore space combat suits.

As for why they had both aquatic and terrestrial breathing capabilities, opinions varied. Some said they were born that way; others believed they had genetically engineered their kind to survive in all manner of environments, granting them rapid adaptability. The debate continues to this day.

What was beyond doubt, however, was the formidable strength of this mysterious group. They ignored all attempts by humans or Saurians to make contact or negotiate and instead launched direct assaults.

Their first target was the Saurians’ homeland, swiftly occupying North America. They even struck the Saurians who had pushed into Africa and the humans resisting there, engaging in fierce battles with the Saurians of the Pacific region.

Thus, the situation became ever more chaotic. At the same time, the Earth’s ozone layer was suddenly destroyed by a burst of radiation from a distant pulsar in the depths of the universe, leaving the atmosphere unable to shield the planet’s life from the sun’s intense rays. Mass extinctions began across the biosphere.

Simultaneously, the radiation rendered much of the warring parties’ advanced technology useless—disabled or destroyed, except for a few well-protected devices. For most, all their sophisticated equipment was reduced to scrap.