Chapter 572: A Rational Race

Jie Ming did not waste any time.

As soon as he escaped the virtual space, he immediately opened his mental link and transmitted his discovery—the information-based lifeforms' plan to use the contract backlash to annihilate the expeditionary force—to all the high-tier wizards present via his spiritual power.

"What?!"

"Using the contract..."

"Damn it!"

"So that was their plan!"

Waves of shocked mental fluctuations exploded among the crowd.

Martin's face turned ashen instantly.

As an 8th-tier wizard, he knew the horror of that contract better than anyone.

It was a rule branded deep into the soul of every wizard, established by a 9th-tier wizard, and endorsed by the entire wizard civilization.

Once the backlash was triggered, everyone present, including himself, would be instantly stripped of their lives.

Even if he had resurrection methods, he absolutely wouldn't be able to escape.

Because that was a judgment from the power of a 9th-tier wizard, which would seal off all possibilities of resurrection.

Cold sweat slid down Martin's forehead.

Not just Martin, but the 7th-tier and 6th-tier wizards around him all turned pale.

Some subconsciously took a step back, others reached out to touch their own heads, as if to confirm whether the contract inside their souls, within their spiritual seas, was still there.

The news spread rapidly throughout the entire expeditionary force.

Subsequently, every wizard who knew the news couldn't help but feel a lingering fear.

Or one could say... terror!

And then, that terror turned into extreme rage.

"Slaughter them!"

"Leave none alive!"

"Damn things!"

Countless roars sounded simultaneously.

Grey flames, twisted information, violent elements—various attacks were instantly primed, ready to be poured onto that dense mass of information-based lifeforms.

Just at this moment...

A grand voice sounded abruptly in this space.

The voice was exactly the same as the one Jie Ming had heard in the virtual space—no emotion, no fluctuation, only absolute calm. But it no longer echoed directly in his mind; instead, it spread throughout the entire Information Plane, reaching the ears of every wizard.

"We surrender."

"We are willing to become your vassal race."

The movements of all the wizards froze simultaneously.

Jie Ming was stunned.

He looked at that sea of information light, looked at those dense swarms of information-based lifeforms.

They were no longer retreating, nor were they attacking; they were just quietly hovering there, as if waiting for the judgment of fate.

Surrendered?

So quickly?

But after just a moment of thought, he figured it out.

Information-based lifeforms were inherently extremely rational existences.

They had no individual consciousness, only collective interests.

To them, emotions like anger, hatred, and self-esteem did not exist; only the optimal solution existed.

Before, after collecting intelligence on the wizards, they had intended to use the contract backlash to annihilate the enemy and preserve themselves.

Now that the backlash had failed and the enemy had killed their way to their doorstep, the information-based lifeforms, knowing the wizards' power, understood that continuing to resist would only lead to the annihilation of their entire civilization. Surrender was, instead, the most rational choice.

Martin was silent for a moment.

The anger on his face gradually receded, replaced by a kind of calm.

That kind of calm was eerie, like the surface of the sea after a storm—seemingly calm, but hiding something deep down that no one could see through.

"Forget it... since that's the case, I accept your surrender."

He spoke.

Everyone also understood their commander's decision.

Jie Ming subconsciously looked at the wizards around him.

Those wizards who had been roaring, angry, and preparing to kill the information-based lifeforms just a moment ago were now showing subtle changes in their expressions.

Their anger was fading, reason was returning, and the ferocity on their faces was gradually becoming calm.

No one opposed Martin's decision.

No one even showed an expression of surprise.

A strange feeling welled up in Jie Ming's heart.

"How should I put it... this is what a wizard is..."

If it were an army of any other civilization, facing an enemy that had just intended to wipe them out, even if the opponent surrendered, they would never stop immediately while occupying an absolute advantage.

At the very least, they would kill a batch to vent their anger, at least retaliate, at least make the other side pay a price, or use it to establish authority to ensure the other side wouldn't resist again—even if the enemy were an absolutely rational creature, it would be the same.

But wizards wouldn't.

Because they were too rational.

Rational to the point of being almost non-human.

The anger was real, the fear was real, and the impulse to retaliate was also real.

But all these things had to give way in the face of "maximizing interests."

After confirming the characteristics of the information-based lifeforms, the wizards present unanimously agreed that accepting the surrender, incorporating this race, and obtaining their technology and resources was the optimal solution.

Retaliation?

That would only let the benefits in hand fly away.

Jie Ming was silent for a few seconds, then sighed softly.

"Looking at it this way, these information-based lifeforms are really suitable as vassals for wizards."

He muttered.

Both were equally rational, equally non-human.

It's just that information-based lifeforms were born that way, while wizards were cultivated through later training.

The Magic Network terminal suddenly vibrated.

Jie Ming looked down; the expeditionary force headquarters had issued a series of new tasks.

【Task List Updated】

【Task 78-001: Assist in receiving the information-based lifeforms' surrender, count individual numbers】

【Task 78-002: Participate in the analysis of the information-based lifeforms' social structure, study the principles of their entropy-reduction cycle】

【Task 78-003: Station in the core area of the Information Plane, establish a long-term observation station】

【Task 78-004:...】

Dense tasks, from simple to complex, from low risk to high risk, were all available.

Every task was marked with the corresponding military merit reward.

Having experienced similar situations several times, Jie Ming was familiar with the process and casually clicked on one.

【Task 79-015: Assist the information-based lifeforms in redeploying the peripheral defense network】

【Task Content: Establish a joint defense system in the peripheral area】

【Requirement: Logistics-tier wizards preferred, experience in array construction required】

【Reward: 80,000 low-tier military merits】

Jie Ming raised an eyebrow.

It looked like an easy job.

He clicked accept.

【Task Accepted Successfully】

【Please report to the core area of the outpost camp within three days】

Jie Ming put away the Magic Network terminal and looked up at the sea of information light in the distance.

Those information-based lifeforms had already begun to move.

They were redeploying, adjusting positions, and waiting for the wizards' arrangements.

Throughout the process, there was no chaos, no dissent, just like a precision machine executing a pre-set program.

And the wizards also naturally began to command and instruct the actions of these information-based lifeforms; looking at both sides, one couldn't tell that they had been trying to kill each other just seconds ago.

This abrupt and eerie feeling—if creatures from other civilizations saw this scene, they would likely feel fear subconsciously. But Jie Ming withdrew his gaze as if accustomed to it, and turned to walk toward the outpost camp.

Receiving a civilization—there is plenty of work to be done. ===== CHAPTER 573 =====