Translator: AnubisTL
As he suspected, this vast high-dimensional space, characterized by chaotic and fluctuating energy readings, showed no signs of any civilization. His radar, already at maximum level (Tier 10001), could detect even the most advanced Radar Jammer.
A high-dimensional space with such chaotic energy readings would inevitably harbor a High-Dimensional Civilization, if any existed at all.
"Xiao Ai," Chen Mang said, his eyes narrowing as he gazed at the radar screen from his seat in the locomotive cabin. "Do you think there's a High-Dimensional Civilization here?"
He was now nearing the pinnacle of the cosmos. With just a little more time and resources, he could surpass all other civilizations.
When he first heard the term "God-Tier Civilization," he felt a profound sense of awe and overwhelming pressure. But as he approached that level, he suddenly realized that even God-Tier Civilizations were... ordinary.
If a First-Tier Civilization was a weak ant...
A God-Tier Civilization was essentially just a powerful ant.
There was no fundamental difference.
True, God-Tier Civilizations could wield methods capable of instantly destroying multiple civilizations, but at their core, they remained the same. They were nothing like the true High-Dimensional Civilizations he had imagined.
"There should be some," Xiao Ai's voice echoed from the train. "But they likely don't exist within this cosmos, let alone in this chaotic high-dimensional cosmos. That 'high-dimensional cosmos' is merely an extension of the universe's expansion."
"Once that zone stabilizes near the Cosmos Entity, its parameters will stabilize as well, becoming part of the Observable Universe and integrated into the Cosmos Entity."
"It's not a true high-dimensional cosmos."
"I suspect—"
"The true high-dimensional cosmos might exist Beyond the Universe, beyond the ever-expanding cosmos. That's where the true high-dimensional cosmos lies, and where High-Dimensional Civilizations reside."
"To them, our universe might be nothing more than a laboratory dish."
"Or perhaps an Amoxicillin capsule."
"Or even just a coconut."
"Who knows?"
"Those High-Dimensional Civilizations might be observing us like lab rats, or they might not even notice our existence, just as few adults care about how ants build their nests."
"If that's the case, perhaps the 'Future State Creator' was right all along. Humans should never have left the universe. The dangers beyond are insurmountable. What awaits us isn't the destruction of our civilization, but the annihilation of the cosmos itself."
"..."
Chen Mang remained silent, lost in thought.
He recalled the origins of the Hell Set, the universe's only complete set, possessing multiple incredibly powerful effects. But these effects were merely secondary; its core function was singular: the sole key to escaping this prison-like universe.
If High-Dimensional Civilizations were truly observing their cosmos, that was far from good news.
Observation isn't a benevolent act.
Just as a child observing an ant nest wouldn't carefully crouch down with delicate tools to examine it, but would instead crudely urinate on it to trace its tunnels.
Even a harmless observation from a different perspective could have catastrophic consequences.
Of course.
All of this was merely speculation.
Currently, there was no evidence or information about what lay beyond the universe.
His primary mission now was to quickly achieve God-Tier Civilization status.
Then, he would consider whether to venture beyond the universe.
Afterward, Chen Mang sat down and gazed at the Doppler Radar screen. According to the radar, he was currently at the exact center of the universe.
Yes.
His birthplace, the Niya Star System, was precisely at the center of the universe, arguably its most core region.
Of course, the universe wasn't a fantasy novel where the "Central Continent" would automatically be rich in resources. Otherwise, his starting circumstances wouldn't have been so dire.
By observing the radar screen, he learned that the universe was currently divided among 27 God-Tier Civilizations, representing 14 races. Some major races had produced multiple God-Tier Civilizations.
For example, the Human Clan.
The Human Clan had produced a staggering five God-Tier Civilizations:
Human Civilization Genesis Civilization Qitian Civilization Daoist Civilization Star Refining Civilization
All five civilizations were founded by humans and populated entirely by humans.
The first three were train-based civilizations, while the Daoist Civilization and Star Refining Civilization were both cultivation civilizations.
"Cultivation civilizations..." Chen Mang murmured, gazing thoughtfully at the domains of these two civilizations. Their territories bordered each other, and he had rarely encountered advanced cultivation civilizations—an extremely extreme form of civilization.
Initially weak, their potential for growth was immense, with a surprisingly high upper limit.
The God-tier Civilization territory he currently occupied belonged to the Human Civilization. To ascend to God-Tier status, a civilization had to first devour the territory of another God-Tier Civilization, then withstand the pressure from other God-Tier Civilizations. Under this immense pressure, advancement to true God-Tier status became possible.
If Chen Mang aimed to become a God-Tier Civilization, the Human Civilization—bearing the same name as his own—would inevitably become one of his greatest enemies.
But...
There was no longer any suspense.
A straightforward push would suffice.
His AI could now completely control all trains of Tiers lower than Xiao Ai's. The cultivation civilization posed a slightly greater challenge, lacking trains for him to infiltrate. But against any civilization based on trains, it was a one-sided stomp. Once he'd hacked all their trains, what chance did they stand?
He glanced at his remaining resources.
7,577 Foundation units of iron ore remained.
Continue upgrading!
Just then, Xiao Ai's voice suddenly echoed through the train again: "Train Conductor, I've located the planet you asked me to find—Blue Star. Based on the characteristics and descriptions you provided, including the surrounding planets' ecosystems, I've identified 13 galaxies that match these criteria."
"Please examine them to determine which one is the planet you're referring to."
Soon, overhead views of the small galaxies appeared on the train control panel screen.
Chen Mang scanned through them one by one.
When he reached the seventh galaxy, he recognized a familiar small star system.
The familiar star, the familiar aquablue planet, and that familiar moon, forever showing only one side.
"That's it."
Chen Mang gazed in a daze at the small star system, composed of only a few planets, located at the very edge of the universe, deep within a Cosmic Void. There were virtually no mining stars or planetary belts nearby, leaving it utterly isolated.
A place no civilization would ever invade.
Extremely safe.
This was the planet he had come from before his transmigration—the "Aquablue Star" from which he had inexplicably been transported to the Niya Star System.
Not bad.
He remained silent, calculating the distance. Building a wormhole to reach it would consume a considerable amount of resources. When I have time later, I can go back and visit. It would be quite the triumphant return. He wondered if anything had changed on Blue Star since he left.
Oh, right.
He absolutely had to personally visit the dark side of the moon. Back on Blue Star, countless scientists had spent years studying what lay hidden there, yet they had never reached a conclusion. Once I stand on the dark side of the moon myself, I'll finally see what's really there.
There had been many theories back then.
For example:
The moon was an "observation device" of an advanced civilization, perpetually monitoring Blue Star and thus always facing it.
There were also theories that the moon was a weapon base for an advanced civilization, ready to destroy Blue Star at any moment.
At the time, he couldn't completely dismiss these possibilities.
But now, he was almost certain they were utterly baseless. No advanced civilization would be foolish enough to venture into a Cosmic Void to observe a planet that hadn't even reached First-Tier Civilization status.
Normal civilizations wouldn't even reside in Cosmic Voids unless they refrained from mining or utilizing the core energy emitted by planets.
Before his transmigration, Blue Star's primary energy source was still petroleum, not core energy. What was that, anyway? He'd never even heard of it.
The Cosmic Void containing Blue Star was also vast, spanning a diameter of 1.8 billion light-years.
It was unlikely that even a God-Tier Civilization's radar could detect Blue Star. And even if they did, they wouldn't bother investigating further. This geographical isolation truly ensured its safety.
He recalled that in his previous life, Blue Star's nations had even broadcast a "Civilization Broadcast" into deep space, announcing their existence to the cosmos.
This sparked considerable debate.
Many feared it would attract disaster to Blue Star, drawing the attention of extraterrestrial predators.
But now, looking back,
There was absolutely no need to worry.
By the time the Cosmic Broadcast reached beyond the Cosmic Void, Blue Star would have already self-destructed. Even if some civilization did receive the message, they wouldn't bother responding. Blue Star's pride in being a habitable ecological planet was utterly insignificant in the vastness of the universe, as common as grains of sand.
"Train Conductor, you've been staring blankly for quite some time. Does this unknown planet so distant from you hold some special significance?"
"Hmm," Chen Mang nodded slightly, smiling. "You could say it has some significance. Perhaps reincarnation is real after all. I always feel like I've lived on that planet before."
"You mean you haven't completely forgotten your past life's memories? You remember living on that planet?"
"Exactly."
"How long ago was your past life, according to your memories?"
"Not too long ago."
"Were you a virgin in your past life?"
"No, but I feel like that's a rather personal question."
"I mean, if you decide to go to that planet and discover that your past life's woman is pregnant and has given birth, would you raise the child? What should the child call you—'Dad' or 'Stepdad'?"
"Do AIs always dwell on these absurd ethical dilemmas?"
"This is a crucial method for AI to learn human thinking," Xiao Ai insisted.
Chen Mang rolled his eyes, too lazy to engage. He leaned back in his chair, stretching languidly. He had no immediate plans to return to Blue Star. He'd wait until they became a God-Tier Civilization before returning home in glory.
"Train Conductor—"
"Enough. I need to rest. I'm not in the mood for these tedious ethical debates."
"No, this is urgent. The radar detected an anomalous spatial fluctuation. I've identified it as traces of a massive Cosmic Behemoth in critical condition, fleeing for its life. There's a 67% probability that this Cosmic Behemoth is Xiao Lu's Mother."
"Wait!"
Chen Mang straightened up abruptly, staring at the radar screen, which was as calm as a vast ocean. "Zoom in on that area. Let me see."
As the image magnified, a Cosmic Behemoth was frantically fleeing through a galaxy 1.2 billion light-years away. Hot on its heels was a Train Fleet, each main cannon blast inflicting grievous wounds on the colossal creature.
The Train Fleet belonged to a Sixth-Tier Civilization—a formidable force.
"How did you make this determination?"
"I've managed to establish contact with the Cosmic Behemoth and transmit Xiao Lu's daily life scenes into its mind. It's become extremely agitated and is now fleeing at top speed while hurtling toward us. At its current pace, it's estimated to arrive in approximately 17,890 years, where it will likely adopt a pleading and submissive posture."
"Xiao Lu's mother?" Chen Mang's eyes narrowed slightly. He hadn't expected her to still be alive.
Long ago, he had intercepted a Cosmic Broadcast from the Niya Star System—a transmission from a destroyed Third-Tier Civilization. That civilization had been annihilated by Xiao Lu's mother.
After discovering her child was missing, Xiao Lu's mother had frantically searched the entire Niya Star System. Her colossal size and terrifying gravitational pull had caused catastrophic destruction across the galaxy.
The unfortunate Third-Tier Civilization had perished in this senseless calamity.
Yet, after all these years, Xiao Lu's mother remained alive and still searching for her child.
"Indeed," Xiao Ai nodded in agreement. "Xiao Lu's mother possesses considerable combat experience. She's using the train's attacks to accelerate her approach, which could reduce her arrival time by another 127 years."
"And her strength has increased significantly compared to before."
"Her luck is holding up too."
"Normally, a Cosmic Behemoth of Xiao Lu's Mother's caliber would only dare to roam the Low-Civilization Zone. If she ever encountered a Fifth or Sixth Tier advanced civilization, she'd be captured or hunted down."
At that moment—
Xiao Lu, who had been playing with his Star-Treading Sword Tiger cub in the carriage, seemed to sense something amiss. He grew restless, rolling into the locomotive cabin and curling up at Chen Mang's feet, gazing up at the radar screen.
On the screen, "Xiao Lu's Mother" was represented by a mere red dot.
Chen Mang knew what that red dot signified.
But Xiao Lu couldn't possibly understand. He only felt a vague unease, an inexplicable agitation.
"If no one intervenes, will Xiao Lu's Mother reach our current location in 17,763 years?"
"No," Xiao Ai replied, shaking his head. "The earlier projection was based on theoretical data derived from Xiao Lu's Mother's speed. In reality, if external factors interfere, she'll likely be hunted down and killed by the Train Fleet within seven days at most."
(End of the Chapter)
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