Chapter 95 (Please give a First Subscription!) Let's Turn Ourselves In
2023-10-23 Author: Rowing Without Oars 233
A few minutes ago.
Central City, the laboratory of physicist Doctor Elias.
This was one of Central City's most advanced laboratories. The walls were painted a pure white, looking clean and bright. The room was vast and spacious, filled with a high-tech ambiance. The floor was paved with smooth marble that reflected the light.
Complex pipes and multicolored cables hung from the ceiling, connecting various experimental devices. Portable instruments and monitoring equipment were piled high on mobile workbenches, and the room was filled with the faint smell of electronics and the sound of running machinery.
Doctor Elias and his assistant stood by the laboratory window.
"Finally, the moment has finally arrived!"
Doctor Elias's face showed an expression full of anticipation.
"Finally, after so many years of research, so many years of searching, I've finally found a way to harness this god-like energy!"
The assistant was also excited: "It's truly unbelievable. For humans, the most common yet most mysterious thing—time—you must be the first person in the world to understand how it works, Doctor.
Who would believe it? This is simply a miracle."
A few years ago, Doctor Elias first noticed the existence of that magical energy. Through his research, he gradually became convinced that this energy was the key to driving the time-space of the entire world.
And now, he was getting closer and closer. He was certain he would be the first great scholar in human history to uncover the secret of time.
The series of explosions that had occurred in Central City previously were all accidents, unintended byproducts of his failed attempts to acquire and activate the energy field of spacetime energy.
Doctor Elias felt sorry for the few people who disappeared after being caught in the accidents, but who cared?
The progress of science is always accompanied by sacrifice. Since ancient times, those who accomplish great things don't sweat the small stuff. Once he succeeded, once he could harness this energy and unlock the secret of time, no one would care about these minor details.
After the experience of the first two failures, all the instruments had been calibrated, and all parameters had been adjusted. This would be the final attempt. He would personally open the Spacetime Gate and draw that miraculous energy from within.
Doctor Elias excitedly pointed out the window, toward Central City and the cloudless sky: "Look at that azure sky!"
"I see it!" The assistant showed an excited expression. "Yes, Doctor, I see a miracle, I see the future! I see people chanting your name, and you will earn a place among all the great figures whose names will be etched in history!"
Doctor Elias gave him a blank, sidelong glance.
"I haven't even pushed the button yet. There's clearly nothing over there."
Assistant: "..."
"And now, this is the moment to truly witness a miracle!" Doctor Elias slammed the switch down.
All the equipment in the laboratory began to roar. The readings on the instruments jumped wildly as if they had gone mad. A massive amount of data flooded the large screen, and the machines let out a roar as if on the verge of overload, emitting streaks of golden lightning.
The two eagerly rushed to the window, only to see golden lightning already starting to appear in mid-air!
This time was different from the two previous failures. After the powerful spacetime energy appeared, it didn't immediately explode. Instead, it slowly tore a rift in space!
"Success, it's a success!" Doctor Elias was ecstatic. "Did you see that? We succeeded! The Spacetime Gate is opening! Behind it lies the secret of time!"
"Yes, but..."
The assistant looked at the readings on the instrument, a little shocked and uncertain.
"The Spacetime Gate is a bit... beyond our calculations," the assistant stammered. "It looks less like a Gate and more like a Wormhole! A very powerful Wormhole!
"It's generating extremely strong gravity. If it continues to expand, it might suck in everything nearby."
"Hmm, that's worth recording," the Doctor nodded.
The assistant was stunned. "But... the entire street below might be sucked in. There could be heavy casualties..."
"So?" Doctor Elias asked.
The assistant was choked for words. "So... so... maybe we should consider shutting it down..."
"Are you an idiot? This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, a chance to uncover the ultimate secret of the universe! And you want to let this chance go because of a few insignificant lives?"
Doctor Elias scolded sharply.
"That's impossible. This bit of sacrifice is completely acceptable for the progress of science. We're increasing the power!"
"...Yes, Doctor."
The Wormhole rapidly expanded, flashing with golden lightning. The bottomless Vortex tore through the calm air, and the powerful gravity transformed into a nocturnal hurricane, effortlessly twisting everything it covered. Glass shattered, the exteriors of buildings warped, and dust and fragments danced in the air. The road collapsed, and cars on the roadside lifted off the ground, crushed into smithereens by the immense gravitational pull before they could be sucked into the massive Vortex.
If it were allowed to continue expanding, it might have evolved into a disaster that could swallow the entire city.
But this "if" would never be known.
Suddenly, a golden radiance shot into the sky, and with it rose a giant wreathed in that same golden radiance. Before the golden radiance around the red-silver giant had even dissipated, its arms had already formed a cross. A majestic, azure beam of light, like a torrential river, poured back into the Wormhole!
Specium Ray!
The things Specium Energy could do weren't limited to just destruction. Just as Ultraman Z in the TV show could use his finisher, the Zestium Ray, to forcibly restore shattered space, infusing a sufficient amount of Specium Energy could achieve the same effect.
And so, everyone witnessed this jaw-dropping, shocking scene.
The giant of light appeared right after the Wormhole. A majestic, azure beam of light shot out, and the rapidly expanding rift... was actually brought to a dead stop!
The immense gravity seemed to be cut off in an instant, and the rampant gale was as if forced back into the void by that light ray. The expanding Wormhole was filled in a moment by the stream of azure light. It trembled with difficulty for a moment, then, as if it had quickly exhausted its power, began to reluctantly shrink under the suppression of the blue light ray.
In the laboratory, Doctor Elias and his assistant stared wide-eyed out the window, then slowly turned their heads to look at each other.
They quickly discovered that the other's mouth was hanging wide open, just like their own—wide enough to stuff a pineapple into each of them.
No, seriously, could someone explain to them what the hell this was?
A giant appeared out of thin air, casually conjured some... whatever-it-was wave of light, and just like that, stopped their Spacetime Gate?
That was a fucking Wormhole!
Could you show it at least a little respect?
After pouring in a blast of Specium, Orin Vale stopped the output. The rift before him had stopped expanding and was beginning to shrink bit by bit.
Observing the Wormhole's condition and the energy readings, a thought crossed his mind. His body flared with light once more, transforming into an orb of light that shot straight toward the shrinking spatial rift and dove inside.
A few seconds after he went in, a pair of hands even reached out from inside, grabbed the left and right edges of the shrinking rift, and with a push from within, accelerated its contraction.
After going inside, he even closed the Gate behind him.
All over the street, the survivors of the disaster stared blankly at the sky, at the spot where the Wormhole and the giant had appeared. They were all dumbfounded, finding it hard to believe if what they had just seen was real or not.
Doctor Elias and his assistant fell into deep thought.
Just a few seconds ago, he had believed he was about to harness the power of a god and make his mark on history.
But now, after seeing the giant who had appeared out of thin air close the Wormhole as easily as shutting a window, Doctor Elias suddenly felt that it was all rather meaningless.
The laboratory was quiet for a moment.
Until his assistant suddenly spoke up.
"Let's go turn ourselves in, Doctor. I suddenly feel that harming so many innocent people for this damn experiment... is pretty meaningless."
"Mm, alright."
Doctor Elias nodded, expressing that he felt the same way.
"Wait for me to grab a coat first."
(end of chapter)