The "Hive Mind Civilization" is indeed a terrifying type of civilization.
To cite a nearby example, Wei Huan's Undead Scourge is also a peculiar type of hive mind. All Undead obey only his command, willing to face death without complaint. Sometimes, to achieve victory in a crucial battle, Wei Huan chooses to sacrifice a greater number of Undead to achieve his goal. This behavior is incredibly similar to the War Race of the Tier 5 world.
Furthermore, humanity's greatest enemy—the Dark Beast Race—is also a hive mind civilization. The Royal Family has absolute control over the lower-level races, and even the Imperial Family, second only to the Royal Family, can be used as a bargaining chip to test their opponent's strength. In the assessment world, to force out his trump cards, the Dark Beast Royal Family continuously ordered the underlying Dark Beast Lords to attack him regardless of their lives. He often saw Dark Beast Lords intercepting and killing him outside the city with their summoned units, something utterly impossible for the Human Race.
It is difficult to determine which is superior: the human civilization, composed of individual sentience, or the hive mind civilization.
But currently, the hive mind civilization seems to have the upper hand. After all, they are always united and can exert 100% of their racial power, which the Human Race cannot do. Even now, the Human Race continues to engage in internal strife, constant cursing, and taking up arms over resource ownership, with each side wishing the other ill so they can seize the right to speak.
However, the weakness of the hive mind civilization is also very apparent.
If humanity loses a leader, countless other leaders will rise. If the Azure Dragon Legion loses Commander Hong, they still have Commander Chai, Commander Mu, and so many young military talents who can sustain the sky. Just like in Daxia's past history, there was a period of humiliation and near-extinction, but didn't the single spark eventually turn into a prairie fire? Wei Huan, even more so, single-handedly crossed the river of time, returning to the beginning of this calamity to shift the outcome of two civilizations. Is this not also a single spark igniting the glorious sun?
But looking back at the hive mind civilization, it doesn't seem so great. Without the Royal Family, they collapse, and the entire civilization ceases to exist.
So, there's no need for humanity to belittle itself. It just needs someone to change the current state of chaos. Perhaps this is the core problem that "civilizations composed of individual sentience" must face and solve in this civilization war.
Wei Huan knows very clearly the identity of the Tier 5 World War Race. They indeed originate from a hive mind civilization—a special civilization with a collective consciousness. One powerful aspect of this civilization is that not only are their wills unified, but they gain doubled strength when more of their kind gather together.
This is a terrifying race; they were the War Races of both the Tier 5 and Tier 6 worlds in the previous life. However, constrained by the Tier 5 world's suppression of their abilities, humans had a very easy time in the Tier 5 world. These detestable Sea Serpent War Race members only helped humans in the Tier 5 world, striving at all costs to gain trust. This is what led to the "major setback" in the Tier 6 world.
Of course, some things cannot be said too much. Mu Zhong is too smart. His reluctance to overthink doesn't mean he would feign ignorance when evidence is presented right before his eyes.
After guiding Mu Zhong to the "hive mind" speculation, Wei Huan stopped bringing up the War Race. This level of information was enough. Presumably, Mu Zhong would include this speculation in his subsequent report. Once the seeds of doubt have been sown, it will be virtually impossible for these War Race members to replicate their former success in gaining human trust.
What Wei Huan needs to do next is encounter more of the War Race. Since these War Race members don't fight back or curse, they are naturally welcome! No one dislikes Gold-tier resources.
Furthermore, encountering more of them will allow him to prove their actual lack of "independent thinking ability" through their consistent behavior and rhetoric upon their appearance. With enough evidence, the War Race's lie will fall apart.
Wei Huan continued to move forward, searching for treasure chests in the more distant No Man's Land. After leaving the island with the Gold Ruin, Wei Huan hardly encountered any more trouble from the Aosam people. Even when Aosam's vehicles passed by while he was developing a ruin, they saw it was him and steered clear.
What else could they do besides steer clear? They couldn't win a fight, and if they cursed, old accounts would be brought up. Now, Wei Huan is Daxia's "big darling." If they accidentally touched him, Daxia could empty its nest, and they could be drowned in spit. Moreover, Wei Huan is indeed too strong; the thought of him opening a Gold Treasure Chest alone sends a chill down their spines. Did the vehicle Captains, who lacked confidence against a Gold monster, have the confidence to defeat Wei Huan?
They chose to... pretend not to see him, rush ahead, and if they could discover a treasure chest first, at least Wei Huan still abided by the rule: as long as a battle had started, he wouldn't interfere.
Some people even wanted to send a message to Wei Huan to cooperate, splitting the Gold Treasure Chest development 50-50. Wei Huan flatly refused: "I can unconditionally help the Daxia Pioneer Corps. Are you a Daxia person?"
"Uh..."
After two days of relative peace, Mu Zhong suddenly sent a message early one morning: "Wei Huan, our intelligence suggests that Aosam seems poised to act on the Gold Ruin on Five-Star Island."
Wei Huan frowned. This wasn't entirely surprising. Wei Huan's arrival was accelerating the competition between nations, and Aosam had no choice but to take the risk prematurely rather than proceed with a slow, careful strategy. Wei Huan could kill a Gold Ruin monster, and Fang William was originally planning to attack one. Could it be that assembling all of Aosam's power still couldn't kill a Gold monster? Training soldiers for a thousand days is for deployment at a moment's notice, and dying in battle is a heroic end. Aosam, constantly falling behind, had gone "mad."
However, Aosam's action did not align with Wei Huan's expectations. Out of the one Gold Treasure Chest and one Gold Ruin on Five-Star Island, at least one was, without a doubt, a War Race member. If Aosam's soldiers came into contact with the War Race without knowing the truth, they might be tricked.
Mu Zhong said: "...To prevent an unexpected encounter between Aosam and the War Race, we plan to announce the existence of Five-Star Island early. But this means that the original plan to develop the island first and then announce it will have to be suspended."
Mu Zhong continued with a look of regret: "I was about to set off to see you, but now it will probably be a while longer before we can meet. Daxia can choose not to seize Five-Star Island, but it cannot refuse to compete. Before this situation becomes utterly chaotic, we all agree that you don't need to rush back. Open treasure chests, acquire resources, and find more War Race members to collect evidence. In short, I, like you, firmly believe that the War Race has no good intentions, but the world is full of ignorance and arrogance."
Wei Huan nodded, agreeing with Daxia's plan. The result of deliberation by so many strategists might not be the absolute best, but it was certainly comprehensive and more reasonable than anything he could think of.
Wei Huan mentioned another matter: "Over the past two days, the natural energy from the Colossus has become denser. I must dedicate all my effort to searching for evidence of the War Race and returning to the supply point before the Colossus's assessment begins."
"Understood. Be careful. Genuine Gold monsters can also appear in Gold Treasure Chests."
"Mhm."
The conversation ended here. The next day, Wei Huan finally found a wild Gold Treasure Chest. Unfortunately, upon opening it, a General-tier monster leaped out. Wei Huan, currently "semi-sealed," facing a monster of this level, without the blessing of the Shaman Priest and unwilling to use a large number of Netherfire Bombs, the battle became somewhat difficult. The Undead army and all frontline combat personnel were dispatched from the vehicle. They fought fiercely, and some were injured. It took over an hour to finally end the fight. Without the Shaman Priest's blessing, Xu Qingqiang only had Tier 4 combat power and could not reach his strongest state. Wei Huan felt as though he had lost his left arm, which was why the battle lasted so long.
After the battle, Wei Huan's strained eyes finally relaxed. He got up to check on the injured members. But the scene he encountered in the square was different from what he had imagined. Not only was there no atmosphere of low morale or doubt, but everyone was very excited.
Only then did Wei Huan realize that he had taken on more pressure in every battle out of concern for casualties. Especially during the previous Gold Ruin exploration on G5 Island, he single-handedly completed the ruin development, which made the crew, who had prepared for battle, incredibly disappointed and caused them to question their contribution to the vehicle. Not everyone could comfortably lie flat; this vehicle was filled with genuine warriors who yearned to prove their worth through combat.
This time, even though the battle was difficult and dangerous, with almost everyone sustaining injuries, they were all happy to have found spiritual sustenance.
After understanding this, Wei Huan sighed. He gathered the Captains of the combat teams on the vehicle for a meeting.
He said: "You should still remember the War Race we encountered in the assessment world, right? I met them again in the last Gold Ruin. The reason I was able to kill it alone is the same as what you know: these War Race members simply do not resist. All the intense fighting was for show, meant for those Aosam people."
The generals on the vehicle suddenly realized the truth, then felt embarrassed. Captain Xue spoke first: "Boss, you don't need to explain. We are Challengers. We know that every decision you make is deeply considered, so we didn't have the kind of thoughts you imagine about this matter."
Others nodded vigorously, and some of the thin-skinned ones even blushed. It was both moving and self-reflective to have their usually quiet Boss personally explain and speak so much. They shouldn't have speculated about what the Boss was thinking. They claimed to be Challengers who followed orders implicitly, but their actions were contrary to that—they were not qualified warriors.
Wei Huan was also surprised by their reaction. Was there a misunderstanding about him? He shouldn't be a tyrannical dictator, right?
The meeting room was eerily silent for over ten seconds. Wei Huan intensely missed Mu Zhong for a moment, then allowed the Butler to cast a projection. He said: "This is the information compiled by Captain Mu. It mainly contains our experiences and is currently only circulating among Daxia's high command. Take a look. I want to hear your thoughts after you finish."
As the light in the meeting room dimmed, the projection displayed the footage of their encounter with the Tier 5 War Race in the assessment world. The vehicle's interior and exterior were constantly recording. Although the encounter was sudden, the full process was documented.
Seeing the familiar scene, many people raised their eyebrows. Most of the people here had witnessed this scene firsthand, and unexpectedly, it had left a deep impression on their minds. Usually, it didn't bother them, but now that the memory was suddenly recalled, their minds were filled with the image of the beautiful mermaid's tragic death. Similarly, the footage was not obscured in any way. The 3D virtual image felt like a re-enactment of the scene. Many people instinctively tensed their muscles when they saw the Undead attacking the beautiful mermaid.
Subsequently, the meeting room remained oppressively silent until the beautiful mermaid died tragically, with a strong sense of suffocation lingering in the air.
But then Mu Zhong's face appeared on the screen and he said: "Hello everyone, I am Mu Zhong, the Deputy Captain of Wei Huan's vehicle. This footage is a scene we experienced in the assessment world. I must clearly state that it is a treasure chest monster opened from a Gold Treasure Chest, and it is a War Race member of the Tier 5 world..."
Mu Zhong did not rush to discuss the beautiful mermaid. Instead, he shifted the topic to the Tier 3 world's War Race, the Blue-Beard people, and the Tier 4 world's War Race, the Ice Elementals. He then emphasized: "...The core mechanism of the Challenger World is 'antagonism and war,' which rapidly stimulates the evolution of both individual strength and civilization. I repeat: antagonism and war."
Mu Zhong then continued: "Not long ago, our Captain encountered the Tier 5 War Race again. You should all remember the conflict on G5 Island. But in fact, the battle within the ruin was not as intense as everyone imagined. An almost identical situation occurred again. It is regrettable that we do not have a recording, but our Captain is currently searching for traces of the next War Race member. However, I must now provide an oral account and AI reconstruction of the exploration of the G5 Island Gold Relic. I believe you will have some speculations regarding the true face of this race."
Following this, the scene personally reconstructed by Wei Huan appeared before everyone's eyes. The damp, dark underground space, the caves hollowed out of the walls, and the colorful, spotted sea serpent that appeared for about 10 seconds after the Gold Treasure Chest was opened—all sent a chill down their spines. Especially the sea serpent staring intently at the camera. Even though it was an AI reconstruction, everyone here could feel what it was doing.
What was it doing? It seemed to be trying to search for something in their minds through that stare. The drawer of memory was being secretly opened and read without reservation.
What was even more terrifying to everyone was that under this gaze, the sea serpent began to deform, transforming arms and legs, turning into a human. Could it be!?
However, it ultimately transformed into a very twisted, mud-like version of Lt. Colonel Mu. And when it used that twisted, terrifying face to speak the exact same words as the beautiful mermaid to the camera, and displayed a look of innocent pity, some people with low tolerance already felt like throwing up.
This time, unlike the killing of the beautiful mermaid, when this twisted monster was killed, everyone only felt a sense of satisfaction, a release of pent-up anger. Furthermore, before Lt. Colonel Mu could explain, someone was already eagerly looking at Wei Huan, unable to resist asking questions.
Facing these gazes, Wei Huan gestured for them to continue watching the video. Sure enough, Lt. Colonel Mu appeared again.
Wei Huan looked at the face on the screen, his lips curving upward unconsciously. Watching his lips open and close, his every smile and frown, felt as if countless emotional threads were entwined in his heart, giving rise to endless affection.
"...This is our speculation regarding the true face of the Tier 5 War Race. It may not be the most correct answer, but I must remind everyone one last time: The core mechanism of the Challenger World is 'antagonism and war.' Its existence defies reason; it is more enemy than friend."
When the last sentence was spoken, Mu Zhong nodded at the screen. Then the projection disappeared, and the lights in the meeting room came back on. Everyone turned their chairs to look at Wei Huan, who was seated at the head of the table.
After a brief silence, Captain Xue spoke first: "I think your and Lt. Colonel Mu's deduction is correct. The more I think about it now, the more sense it makes. If an individually intelligent race is sealed in a treasure chest, it must be brainwashed by the Challenger World and harbor absolute hostility toward the current civilization, relentlessly attacking like the previous War Races. With this in mind, the mermaid's act of 'dying to prove a point' is extremely bizarre. With the power of the Challenger World, at least at the current stage, no race should be able to escape its control. Therefore, the War Race mermaid doing this can only mean it harbors immense malice and is indeed attacking us."
When this logic was presented, Captain Xue's wife, Li Xue, widened her eyes: "Aiya, Old Xue, your logic is invincible!"
Others also nodded. With this explanation, all the previously unclear points seemed to become completely transparent.
"That makes sense."
"If that's the case, their 'dying to prove a point' is explained."
"It's chilling to think about. This race is weaving a massive net; it's terrifying."
"I'm curious now: which is stronger, the hive mind consciousness or the Challenger Will?"
"They don't need one to be stronger than the other. Their goals are actually consistent: to destroy us, only this time they've switched to a circuitous method."
"I understand now. But what should we do if we encounter them next time? That girl was too beautiful; she perfectly matched my aesthetic. Boss, what do we need to add to our minds so that they become blurred like you saw, making it easier to strike?"
After these earnest yet calculating words were spoken, many people looked expectantly at Wei Huan.
Wei Huan shook his head and simply said one word: "Difficult."
He had a very clear understanding of this War Race and deduced their "evil and scheme" from the established outcome, which is why he was completely unshakable. Others were different. Humanity is individually intelligent; everyone has different thoughts. They currently believed this conclusion essentially because of their trust in him and Mu Zhong. If they were given time to interact with the Tier 5 War Race alone, the War Race—which is good at seeing through hearts and extremely proficient in mental corruption—would probably find it easy to change their minds.
Wei Huan thought for a moment and said: "Next time we encounter the War Race, you don't need to take action. I will record the battle footage. Watching it repeatedly might lead to desensitization."
"Uh..."
Wei Huan believed that some people's willpower was strong enough not to be affected. However, he wouldn't look for them on his vehicle. It would affect unity, and not even a single seed of doubt could be allowed to sprout. It was like a cleansing against contamination. He had to ensure they were truly immune to being contaminated again before they could interact with this race.
This was the first time humanity had encountered this type of mentally-attacking race, and in this context of constant internal strife, it was hard to imagine any method that would convince everyone that the War Race was untrustworthy.
However, the God of Luck was on Wei Huan's side.
Because on this very day, Aosam took action against the Gold Treasure Chest.
They apparently believed the Gold Treasure Chest was the less difficult option. Subsequently, a "Crab General" with twenty pincers emerged from the chest, sending Aosam's Pioneer Army into fits of despair. Ultimately, they shamelessly lured the Gold monster to Vermilion Bird Island for a painful exchange, and only then, in cooperation with Captain Fang William, did they finally kill the "Crab General." After tallying the losses, Aosam had six vehicles destroyed and lost 27 people to the "Crab General." Every single one was a powerful Sequence 5, yet they had to share the spoils with Daxia. A massive loss!
Later, Wei Huan watched the video sent by Captain Fang William and was very glad he hadn't touched that chest. The resilient and tough "Crab General" was indeed a tiny bit ferocious. With his current ability, he probably would have ultimately had to rely on the city wall of the Azure Dragon Legion for a positional battle to kill it.
However, this completely put an end to Aosam's grand ambitions. Without knowing that the Tier 5 world had "soft-spoken, physically weak, and easily toppled" War Race members, they would not dare to touch the next Gold Relic. Daxia, which had planned to announce Five-Star Island, also went into hiding.
Wei Huan began to plan his return to secretly open the chest. However, Wei Huan had already traveled too far into the No Man's Land, gradually reaching areas rarely accessed by human Pioneer Armies.
Today was the fifth day after Aosam's battle with the "Crab General," one million kilometers away from the Azure Dragon Supply Point. Wei Huan sat in the Captain's seat of his vehicle, his hand slowly stroking the Colossus, feeling the hard, stone texture beneath his touch, and the natural energy that was growing so dense even he, a Dark-elementalist, could feel its wrapping embrace.
The assessment channel seemed ready to open at any moment. Wei Huan gazed at the endless ocean ahead. His exploration of the world was unfinished, yet he had to return. Suppressing his regret, Wei Huan finally gave the order: "End here. Let's return."
Then he thought for a moment and added: "Take a different route, a direct one back to the Azure Dragon Supply Point."
"Yes, Captain." The Butler could sense Wei Huan's displeasure and did not dare to show its face on the screen. While meekly replying, the vehicle executed a beautiful drift on the sea and turned back.
Having made his decision, Wei Huan relaxed. It's fine. I still have a long time to stay in the Tier 5 world. I will eventually explore this world completely. Perhaps he would encounter a Gold Treasure Chest on the way back, once again proving the danger of the War Race.
Just then, the Butler's surprised voice suddenly rang out in his ear.
"Captain! Radar scan shows a treasure chest ahead! Diamond Treasure Chest! It's a Diamond Treasure Chest!"
Wei Huan jumped up.
What!? A Diamond Treasure Chest? The Diamond Treasure Chest that opens a profession training ground? The one he had only seen two of so far? It's a wild chest, just casually appearing right before his eyes?
Forget going back! He must stay! If he doesn't open this chest, he won't be able to sleep soundly!