I'm Trapped in the Block

Old Xu was taken aback by the Shell Person’s reply.

"A group like us can’t possibly shake the outsiders. Why are we engaged in such a pointless effort?" Old Xu asked, confused.

The Shell People’s invasion methods were insidious, but at most, they could only cause some casualties and partially affect Oasis City’s operations. They were completely incapable of wiping out all of humanity.

After clearing out the invading Shell People, Oasis City could still rebuild its facilities and resume operations. As long as people remained, there was nothing that couldn’t be started over.

In fact, humanity would only become more vigilant against Shell People invasions and strengthen their defenses.

After the invasion, both sides would suffer heavy losses.

Hearing Old Xu’s question, the Shell Person gave the same answer: "Our ancestors all did this, so we must do as our ancestors did."

The Shell People seemed to care deeply about the tasks handed down by their ancestors. They were incredibly stubborn; no matter how Old Xu tried to guide them, they insisted they had to follow the Mirage’s instructions.

They didn’t care if their actions were useful, whether they could truly rescue their god, or whether they would lose their own lives in the invasion.

After the newborn Shell People saw the illusions within the Mirage, their minds seemed capable of thinking about only one thing—’How do I complete the mission?’

Old Xu understood now. He couldn’t sway the minds of these Shell People at all.

So he took a different approach, suggesting another attack method to the Shell People below him:

"Why don’t we develop here first? We can wait until our civilization is advanced enough to truly shake humanity, and then attack. How about that?"

This obviously unreliable suggestion made the Shell People below think for a long time before they finally answered, "There isn’t enough time. That won’t work."

"Why isn’t there enough time? The god has been trapped for so long, what’s a little longer?" Old Xu retorted.

"It’s not that the god doesn’t have enough time, it’s that *we* don’t have enough time. We will die soon, and we must leave behind the experience of this invasion for our descendants," the Shell Person said earnestly.

Hearing this, Old Xu was deeply confused. "But weren’t we just born?"

"In 17 days, we will die." Even though this was a matter of common knowledge, the Shell Person didn’t suspect Old Xu and patiently answered his question.

"Seventeen days?" Old Xu was stunned.

"Yes."

Listening to their conversation, Mo Ling had a sudden realization.

’No wonder the previous Shell People were in such a hurry to attack Oasis City, and then rushed to leave their experiences for their descendants after the attack.’

’So these Shell People only live for 17 days?’

’No wonder they’re unwilling to develop a civilization; it’s because they simply can’t.’

’Or rather, the vessel of their civilization is the Mirage left behind by generations of ancestors, connecting the Shell People of different eras.’

’That’s why these Shell People place so much importance on the contents of the Mirage. If they don’t follow the Mirage, it’s tantamount to abandoning what their race has always stood for.’

It was a brand seared into their minds.

These short-lived Shell People were almost like tools, endlessly carrying out the obsession preserved within the Mirage.

And right now, that obsession was to "immobilize the outsiders."

Perhaps they had long stopped caring about their god’s safety and were simply upholding the Mirage’s obsession.

Perhaps the Mirage was originally just a way for the Shell People to pass down their civilization, but it had instead dragged the entire race into a vicious cycle, forcing them to constantly repeat past failures.

And in the process, that obsession only grew deeper.

The Shell People didn’t just refuse to turn back after hitting a wall; they’d spend all their time figuring out how to smash their heads through it.

Old Xu was stunned for a long time before he came back to his senses.

He too had likely figured it out: the obsession of these Shell People was simply unchangeable. It was a trait carved into the very soul of their race.

He tried again, suggesting the Shell People launch a frontal assault to reduce the damage to Oasis City, but they immediately rejected him. Their ancestors’ experiences told them it wasn’t feasible.

Although these Shell People were foolish, they had completely memorized all the information in the Mirage. They wouldn’t accept Old Xu’s clearly unreliable suggestions.

Seeing that none of his attempts were working, Old Xu seemed very frustrated, but he didn’t give up.

Suddenly, as if he had thought of something, Old Xu asked the Shell People, "Have we ever attacked that fountain in the core district?"

"No, the core district is very dangerous," a Shell Person below replied earnestly.

Old Xu had found his opening and pressed on.

"That fountain is the core of all of Oasis City! If we destroy it, the entire city will collapse, and all the outsiders will die instantly. Then we can immobilize all of them!"

Old Xu was lying through his teeth. Since these Shell People didn’t know the fountain’s true purpose, he seized the opportunity to turn one enemy against another.

"The core district may be dangerous, but we have to try! Even if our attack on the fountain fails, we can still leave behind the experience for our descendants."

"This time, we won’t immobilize any other buildings. We’ll avoid the outsiders. Our target is the fountain."

"When night falls, we’ll sneak directly into the core district plaza through the waterways. First, we’ll surround the plaza with a shell dome, then we’ll attack the fountain directly. How does that sound?"

The Shell People below fell into thought again. Old Xu’s shell head looked down at them expectantly.

Before long, voices of approval rose from below.

"Agreed."

"Agreed..."

The Shell People voiced their approval one after another, until every last one had agreed to Old Xu’s suggestion.

But they all remained standing motionless, as if waiting for something.

It wasn’t until some of the Shell People looked toward Li Luo and Li Xiangyi that the two of them realized they were also Shell People now and needed to state their opinion.

"Agreed."

"Agreed."

The two answered in unison.

"Move out!"

Old Xu sounded extremely excited. After his shout, the Shell People turned in unison and marched toward a nearby waterway.

After Old Xu jumped down from the pile of shells, Li Luo asked doubtfully, "Are you really going to lead these Shell People to attack the fountain?"

"Why not? We can destroy the Wishing Spring, which is constantly creating dangerous relics, and we can also reduce the damage this bunch of shells causes to Oasis City."

"Even if we fail, the Shell People who escape will spread the false information about the spring. From then on, they’ll keep attacking the Wishing Spring."

The more Old Xu spoke, the happier he became. He reassured them confidently, "Don’t worry. This bunch of shells can’t stir up much trouble, and there won’t be any casualties. I’ll keep an eye on them."

He then changed the subject, asking, "If you concentrate now, can you feel the entire network of currents in the waterways? This seems to be another Shell Person ability."

Li Luo and Li Xiangyi quickly tried to feel it.

"I can actually feel it."

Old Xu nodded. "I’ve found several points that connect to Oasis City’s artificial waterways."

He raised his hand and gestured in the air in front of him.

"I designed the artificial waterways of Oasis City. No one is more familiar with them than I am. I’ll have the Shell People sneak directly into the plaza."

"I’ll let them and the Wishing Spring take each other out."