The slide cover of the adjustment chamber opened silently. The sudden burst of light dazed Kevin for a moment before he sat up. He shook his head vigorously, but found no physical changes. Just like the first time he underwent the adjustment, he lay in the coffin for a dozen seconds and that was it.
But the brief, strange nightmare from before was still vivid in his mind, and the memory left a lingering fear. Raven 12345 was fiddling with a crystal panel suspended in mid-air. It seemed to be the central controller for several control chambers. Kevin felt his eyes tremble as he watched this unreliable goddess mumbling to the manual while tentatively fiddling with the controls. He glanced at the other three control chambers, still motionless, and asked curiously, "Why aren't they all healed?"
"Oh, I'm giving them a checkup," Raven 12345 replied without looking up. "Little Wolf Girl is still developing, Y'zaks just came from another world, and Vivian seems to be having trouble controlling her powers. These three are problem children. I'll take this opportunity to check them out. Don't worry, they all seem normal at the moment. By the way, how are you feeling?"
Raven 12345 finally looked up at the end of her words and gave Kevin a look. "Well, they look pretty well." "I had a nightmare," Kevin said, his anger draining from him as he looked at Raven 12345's unfazed face. He could only recount the dream in detail. "At the end, I saw something floating to the surface... and it startled me awake."
Raven 12345 paused for a moment, then glanced at Kevin silently. "You'd better hurry up and train in the dream plane. Your mental strength is too low right now, and your mental preparation is questionable. You won't be able to handle the big situations in the future."
"What was that nightmare about?" Kevin felt that Raven 12345 had a bad habit of leaving things unfinished, so he pressed on. "Your expression... seems to have a deeper meaning." "It's still the influence of the Dream Plane," Raven 12345 glanced at Kevin. "Once you come into contact with that place, it will remember you and keep appearing in your mental world. Whether it's a dream or a hallucination, what you see are just 'silhouettes' created by the reflection between the Dream Plane and the real world. Many ordinary people who have survived contact with the Dream Plane have been exhausted by this repeated attack. So you'd better train hard while I'm here, so that if anything happens to you, I can help you. Once your mental strength is strong enough, the Dream Plane will be nothing to you."
Kevin slapped his forehead. This sister's previous words were so heartfelt and warming, but why did her last sentence still contain so much ulterior motives? Can't she just stick to her goddess style? Raven 12345 continued to slowly adjust the equipment in the room, meticulously poring over the instructions. Bored, Kevin wandered around the room, curiously examining the cutting-edge gadgets that looked like they came straight out of a sci-fi film. Seeing that Raven 12345 might take forever, he pulled out his own data terminal and started surfing the internet.
He hadn't been sitting around idle these past few days. Kevin was a bit lazy, but not so lazy that he had no ambition. He knew that one of his most important assets in the future would be this little device. Despite its quirky system, chaotic database, a slew of useless programs, and a nagging AI, it was still a treasure. Kevin had been diligently learning how to control this high-tech gadget from the Xiling Empire. After all these days, he had finally reaped some rewards: the most significant was his mastery of the data terminal's dozen or so network modes. He should have realized that the terminal's most important function was networking. A creation from a super-civilization couldn't possibly be a standalone device. However, the numerous plug-ins Raven 12345 had haphazardly installed had caused its network settings to become quite bizarre. Ultimately, the terminal's AI spent half an afternoon rebooting and restoring itself before finally restoring the network to optimal conditions. Kevin then stared blankly at the string of instructions in the network mode list:
Local Device Chain - Local Channel Communication Network - Local Galaxy Communication Network - Local Celestial Group Communication Network - Universe Communication Network - Macroworld Civilian Communication Network - Macroworld Military Channel - Special Dedicated Line Network - Military Control Department Dedicated Line...
Kevin suddenly realized he was sitting on a treasure trove without even realizing it. Seeing such a terrifying array of channels on his data terminal, he truly realized the meaning of "you are not alone." He then enthusiastically began to research the data terminal's networking modes. Most of the network channels were locked, which Kevin had expected. He was just a rookie who had just completed his novice mission, so the classified channels were impossible for him to access. The upper limit of the network channels that were open was the local universe communication network, which was the highest level network he could freely connect to. The data link above that was the macro-world civilian network. Although it was a civilian network, it was directly controlled by the Space-Time Administration and had some military nodes involved. A low-level reviewer of Kevin's rank only had limited data access to that network. He could read public messages from the higher-level network, but he couldn't connect directly at will.
But this was enough. He found that the local universe communication network alone was enough to keep him busy, so dazzling that he couldn't even focus on what was going on in other channels!
When the data terminal switched to network mode, the first thing Kevin saw was a window called "Activity Information Push." Here, he could see what was happening in the depths of distant space. "Unencrypted message - Local cosmic channel, originating from Keltura III, non-relay, directed to Dan-Tuin. The Kelrom invasion of Keltura Prime has concluded, with the Keltura natives achieving victory through their own strength. Local censors have determined that this war has not exceeded the observer's warning line and intervention is not necessary. PS: Withdrawing intervention request. End message."
"Unencrypted message - Local cosmic channel, originating from Chadanr, non-relay. The Chadanr star is experiencing drastic degeneration and is expected to completely extinguish 326 Imperial Days after the time of this message. This is a moderate alert event with the potential for civilizational extinction. Local censors have determined that intervention is necessary and are sending a distress signal. Any idle team receiving this message is requested to respond. End message." "Unencrypted message - Local cosmic channel, originating from Dan-Tuin, transiting from Suha Satellite to Chadan. The local examiner has available ship resources. Do you require large-scale immigration? We do not have any available colonies, but we can apply to the Empire to create a new planet. Attached is the local administrative district's authority certificate and available planet customization services. Please enter the dedicated channel if necessary. End of message."
"Unencrypted message - Local cosmic channel, originating from Santusu IV, undirected broadcast. End of message."
"Unencrypted message - Local cosmic channel, originating from Suha Satellite Station, directed to Santusu IV. Did you forget to enter the body text? End of message."
"Unencrypted message - Local cosmic channel, originating from Santusu IV, undirected broadcast. Gang is my cat. End of message."
As soon as he opened the data terminal, a flood of information like these appeared in the activity push window, forcibly pulling Kevin's thoughts away from the cramped confines of his tiny planet. Though merely abbreviated system briefings, they instantly thrust the bustling scene of the deep universe into his presence.
When they first appeared before Kevin's eyes a few days ago, his surprise and excitement were palpable.
"I don't understand them, but they feel truly impressive..." Kevin marveled as he watched the messages scroll by on the channel. He had no idea how to intervene in this conversation, and honestly, with his current abilities, there was no need to take up bandwidth in the higher-level channels. But just being able to see these things gave him a sense of accomplishment: Even if I didn't say anything, I still had a pseudonym in the channel!
"Looks impressive, right?"
"Yeah."
"Want to get involved?"
"Yeah."
"But you don't know if your little chore is worth a post about, right?"
"Eh... Hey, you did it?!"
Kevin finally realized the sudden voice in his ear was Raven 12345's. He quickly logged out and stood up to greet him, but Raven 12345 just waved it off. "Don't be so nervous. It's just work, chatting online. I don't care. Besides, it's good for you to get more exposure to these things. It'll broaden your horizons and prevent you from being like some country bumpkin who becomes an Inquisitor and spends all day focusing on the tiny, several-kilometer radius of their planet. As long as you don't get overly stimulated by this and dream of overnight success, it'll be fine. Oh, and that little wolf girl is the first to wake up. Check out the treatment results."
Kevin then noticed that one of the nearby adjustment chambers had been opened, and Lily was clumsily climbing out.
She had returned to her human form.