Translator: AnubisTL
"No rush," Chen Mang said, unconcerned.
Hearing that it would take another 91 days to complete the unification of all civilizations at or above the Fourth Tier, he remained calm. Such a process naturally required time, and he had plenty of it to spare.
"Let's return to Blue Star for a visit."
"Understood."
By this point, the Stellaris train had already amassed the vast majority of resources from God-Tier and Tier 9 Civilizations. Its internal reserves had reached unprecedented levels, boasting millions of Foundation units of iron ore.
The virtual game New Universe continued to generate endless profits for him.
He had located and eliminated the original AI, replacing it with a Full-Tier AI loyal to him, which now managed and operated the game.
Resources were no longer a concern.
The problem was finding a use for them. All his accessories had already been upgraded to their maximum tiers.
Blue Star.
The planet he had transmigrated from.
As they passed through the Niya Star System, he couldn't resist stopping. He held deep affection for this region, though it had been Two-Dimensionalized. Only later did he learn that this impoverished galaxy, where he had first risen to prominence, was actually the center of this universe.
Perhaps, long ago, this was a resource-rich and prosperous galaxy.
But as time passed, it gradually became barren.
The journey was long.
Blue Star lay at the edge of the universe.
After an hour and thirty-seven minutes, a wormhole slowly materialized beside Blue Star, and the Stellaris train emerged from it.
The azure planet before him was the world he had left behind.
A world situated within the Cosmic Void, Blue Star orbited a burning star alongside a few other planets. Lacking mining stars or habitable zones, it was utterly desolate.
This was a place he would never have visited had he not specifically come here, even if he had unified the entire universe.
Solitude, silence, and desolation were the defining characteristics of this region.
Chen Mang stood by the locomotive cabin window, gazing at his future world. His expression gradually grew complex. After a long moment, he finally steered the Stellaris train down to the planet's surface.
No one detected his arrival.
He landed quietly, unnoticed.
Time flowed at the same rate here, and the planet had changed little. This sense of returning to a familiar place left him feeling somewhat disoriented. He stood on a rooftop, gazing down at the world below for a long time, then looked up at the sky, lost in thought.
In the end, he decided not to seek out his old friends for a reunion.
He made another trip to the far side of the moon.
He wanted to see what mysteries lay hidden there, but in reality, there was nothing but desolation. There was no high-dimensional civilization's surveillance base, as he had once speculated, nor was the moon some kind of monitoring device. It was simply a normal planet.
With this lingering regret resolved, Chen Mang saw no reason to stay any longer. He returned to his train, deciding not to incorporate this civilization into human civilization. Let this second-rate civilization develop in peace here.
Afterward, Chen Mang began living a life that felt like an early retirement.
Back within human civilization, he visited Xiao Fang daily, watching her gradually growing belly. His expression grew increasingly serene, and time and stories began to etch faint lines on his cheeks.
Chen Mang now resembled a kind, middle-aged man.
Not a trace of his former ferocity or violence remained.
He believed that, despite never having a father or experiencing paternal love, he would be a good father.
Finally—
After nearly five months!
Chen Mang's unification of human civilization was essentially complete. Every civilization in the universe at Tier 3 or higher had joined the human civilization. This was enough; it meant that the universe now essentially had only one civilization: human civilization.
The virtual online game "New Universe" was also promoted to all civilizations.
To support this, Chen Mang gathered a massive quantity of Dreamstones and created four more Full-Tier AIs. These, along with the original AI, would manage the operations of "New Universe." Upgrading these AIs to Full-Tier required Murphy Stones.
Fortunately, after the unification, Murphy Stones were no longer scarce.
The human civilization's current status surpassed even that of the former divine race!
And today—
Was an extremely important day: the day Xiao Fang was due to give birth.
Waaah!
Red text messages streamed across every screen on every planet of the human civilization. All planets were on military alert, and everyone was required to stay indoors. Anyone who caused trouble would face the harshest possible punishment.
This was Chen Mang's first child.
Naturally, he was nervous.
Inside the Stellaris train, Chen Mang gazed at Xiao Fang lying in the medical pod, surrounded by a flurry of female doctors and nurses. He couldn't help but nervously clutch the hem of his shirt. "Xiao Ai, will a premature birth have any adverse effects?"
"No," Xiao Ai's voice echoed in his ear. "The primary issue is the child's excessive vitality. It's been continuously drawing nutrients from the mother's body. We've been providing the mother with as much nourishment as possible, but her body has a limited capacity to absorb nutrients, and it's gradually becoming insufficient to meet the child's demands."
"If we wait until full term, the mother could be drained dry, and the child would face starvation and death."
"It's not a major problem."
"With the human civilization's technology, we can guarantee a 100% survival rate. There's no need to worry."
The next moment—
A thin needle pierced Xiao Fang's abdomen as she lay on the operating table. Upon contacting the child, the needle embedded a tiny chip beneath the baby's skin. This chip would provide real-time, precise monitoring of the child's condition, ensuring a smooth delivery.
In truth, for human civilization, gynecological surgery of this nature posed no real challenge. But because this particular procedure marked the birth of the First Heir, the doctors and nurses were under immense psychological pressure, cold sweat beading on their foreheads.
Even with the assistance of a Full-Tier AI providing precise data and guidance—a level of support they would never normally receive—they couldn't shake their nervousness.
Yet years of experience allowed them to suppress their anxiety and continue the operation.
Fortunately, as befitting human civilization, the surgery progressed smoothly. But just as the child was about to be delivered, Xiao Fang's abdomen suddenly flattened. The medical team froze in place, their faces blank with confusion. Even Xiao Ai, who had been reporting data, stuttered to a halt.
"What's happening?" Chen Mang immediately sensed something was wrong, his brow furrowing. "Why has the surgery stopped? Continue!"
"Train Conductor."
Xiao Ai's voice, tinged with fear, echoed through the train: "The child... is gone."
"Gone?"
Chen Mang's face darkened instantly. "What do you mean 'gone'? Even if the surgery failed, the child would be dead! What the hell do you mean 'gone'?"
"This is my first fucking child!"
"Even if the child is dead, find him in the Second Universe and bring him back!"
"Wait, wait," Xiao Ai said urgently. "I attached a tracking chip to the child's skin earlier. I can use it to locate him. Let me check..."
"Found him!"
"The child is alive and located on the periphery of the high-dimensional cosmos."
"Good."
Chen Mang's anger twisted into a bitter laugh. "So you're telling me that the child, who was just inside Xiao Fang's womb, rolled over and crossed the Observable Universe? And that he was born with the Hell Set effect, allowing him to traverse the high-dimensional cosmos and reach beyond the universe itself?"
"Even Sun Wukong only traveled 108,000 li in a single somersault."
"My child crossed billions of light-years in one flip?"
Xiao Ai didn't know what to say.
A trajectory silently appeared on the screen, tracing the movement of the chip implanted in his child. The entire process took a mere 0.00039 milliseconds—an impossibly brief instant.
In that fleeting moment, his child had traversed the entire Observable Universe at an incomprehensible speed, crossed the chaotic zone of the "High-Dimensional Cosmos," and ventured "Beyond the Universe." After that, the tracking signal was lost, leaving his child's whereabouts unknown.
Now, one thing was certain:
His child had been stolen.
"Hah..."
Chen Mang took a deep breath, gradually calming himself. He now understood the situation. He was almost certain that their universe was nothing more than an experimental chamber, and they were like lab rats being observed by beings outside it.
And now, those beings had snatched his child, intending to use him for experiments.
Perfect.
Absolutely perfect.
Nothing could be better.
Chen Mang glanced at the doctors trembling like leaves around him, his expression unchanging. He didn't blame them; he simply turned and walked toward his locomotive cabin. He had originally planned to wait until his child grew up and could inherit human civilization before venturing out to explore.
Now, his plans had been shattered.
He swore:
Whoever dared to steal his child would face his full wrath, and he would drag them down with him to mutual destruction!
Indeed.
He knew full well that the unknown force beyond the universe was an insurmountable foe, yet he refused to surrender so easily.
What followed was this:
The fact that the First Heir had been snatched away by an unknown civilization beyond the universe before birth remained a closely guarded secret.
However,
The Stellaris train began collecting all resources at an accelerated pace, clearly preparing for a major war.
Three years later.
Chen Mang sat expressionlessly in the locomotive cabin, staring at the screen on the control panel. The screen displayed only a B-scan image. He missed his child, though he didn't even know what the child looked like.
During these three years,
All civilizations within the universe at First-Tier Civilization level or higher had submitted to the human civilization.
As a result, the human civilization had accumulated a vast reserve of Foundation units of iron ore.
He felt the time had come.
It was time to venture beyond the universe and engage that unknown civilization in a life-or-death battle.
Deep down, he knew the odds of victory were slim. If he could forget about this, he could happily reign as boss here for a long time, fathering more children without difficulty. If he so desired, he could have hundreds.
But he couldn't overcome this mental hurdle.
He refused to forget what had happened.
In recent days, he had accumulated a vast foundation, all for this battle. This battle might be the end of his life, but he accepted it. He would rather die on the path of revenge than live the rest of his days in evasion.
"Train Conductor."
"Doba's Present State Heavenly Palace is nearing completion. Only the final brick remains. Once it's placed, construction will be complete."
"Hmm."
Chen Mang nodded slightly, his gaze fixed on the chaotic high-dimensional cosmos displayed on the screen. To escape this chaotic zone, all three Heavenly Palaces—Present State, Past State, and Future State—were essential. Only when these three palaces converged could they briefly pierce the barrier of the cosmos, allowing him to escape this region.
In the next moment—
Without hesitation, he slowly pushed the control lever. As a wormhole materialized, the train initiated a rapid space jump toward the edge of the Observable Universe.
Soon.
He arrived at the edge of the Observable Universe, which was still expanding outward at the speed of light. But the train's velocity had long surpassed that limit. Here, wormholes could no longer be created, and space was extremely unstable. To cross the boundary, he needed to match the train's speed to the expansion rate of the universe and then pierce through the boundary line.
Chen Mang pushed the control lever all the way forward.
The train accelerated rapidly, hurtling toward the expanding edge of the universe at an unimaginable speed!
Seated in the locomotive cabin, he gazed calmly at the awe-inspiring scene unfolding before him.
Ahead lay absolute darkness.
No starlight, no matter.
The only light came from the crimson lights flickering incessantly on the train control panel. With the cabin lights off, the oppressive silence and darkness enveloped him like an abyss.
He was staring directly into the abyss, and moving toward it.
The surrounding space fluctuated violently. Had his train lacked its advanced armor, it would have been torn apart instantly!
This process would take a considerable amount of time.
Even though the train had long exceeded the speed of light, catching up with the expansion rate still required time.
Finally.
After 87 days, the Stellaris finally caught up with the expanding edge. The sensation was akin to piercing a transparent film with a finger, as the train shuddered slightly.
The train had officially entered the Chaotic High-Dimensional Universe.
Chen Mang's Hell Set immediately emitted a protective glow, shielding the train from the chaotic energies.
On the radar, the zone fluctuated wildly, its diameter oscillating between 400 million light-years and a staggering 1023.9 billion light-years.
If the Observable Universe were the yolk of an egg, the Chaotic High-Dimensional Universe would be the egg white, enveloping the yolk. However, this "egg white" existed in a chaotic high-dimensional state, its size constantly shifting. Encasing everything was the "eggshell."
Only by shattering this outer shell could one truly escape this universe.
"Hoo..."
Chen Mang took a deep breath, settled into his chair, and gazed at the scene before him.
There was light.
An abundance of light. He saw no stars, yet countless beams converged into ever-shifting shapes, twisting and intertwining endlessly. This was the Chaotic High-Dimensional Universe.
Here, the High-Dimensional constantly collapses.
Here, the Low Dimension constantly ascends.
They collide.
Forming chaos.
(End of the Chapter)