Chapter 990 - This Game Is Too Realistic

Chapter 990: Breaking Point On the bridge of the missile cruiser, the Orion, a stern-faced man stood before the floor-to-ceiling windows of the cockpit. His facial features were rugged and well-defined, complemented by dark hair combed neatly without a strand out of place. His name was Zhao Tianhe, a Colonel in rank, around forty years old, and the captain of this starship. He was also the highest-ranking officer among the 3,000 crew members aboard. After a prolonged period of gazing intently at the endless starlit expanse outside, he finally broke the silence. “Have we not moved yet?” The navigator's face showed a touch of unease. “We've already entered the hyperspace corridor, but... for some reason, it seems we've come to a halt.” His words were cautiously chosen because he was equally unsure about the whole situation. Typically, upon entering the hyperspace corridor, the stars outside the window would instantly blur into a deep blue-violet hue, followed by a brief but intense shuddering and then the sudden emergence of a blinding light from the central darkness ahead. However, none of this had occurred. Strangely, the warp engines were indeed active, and all data indicated they were positioned at the hyperspace corridor entrance, yet they were seemingly “stuck” at this threshold. Zhao Tianhe remained silent, while beside him, a woman in her thirties looked on with a startled expression. “How can this be? Entering the hyperspace corridor yet not moving... Can hyperspace jumps actually pause? Such things are unheard of!” Her name was Wu Mengke, the executive officer of the Orion's command department, essentially the captain's deputy responsible for managing the daily affairs of the ship and organizing the duty shifts. The United Space Forces' structure mirrored that of the old naval systems, albeit with some differences in function. Zhao Tianhe was deep in thought, his expression gradually growing heavier. As his deputy stated, nothing like this had ever occurred in the history of the United Space Force. No—strictly speaking, since humanity achieved interstellar travel and developed the warp engines! The navigator tentatively continued. “The strangest part is here. We’ve checked everything; the engines are functioning perfectly, with no anomalies. As you said, it’s as if we’re stuck at the entrance to the hyperspace corridor.” “Can you confirm it's the entrance?” Zhao Tianhe suddenly asked. The navigator hesitated, about to nod, but then shook his head uncertainly. “There's no way to be sure.” Hyperspace isn’t classical space; it’s a tunnel between massive celestial bodies. Movement here is point-to-point; you can’t determine coordinates or distance relative to massive celestial bodies in classical space. Silence descended in the bridge. The crew exchanged glances, but no one spoke. After a moment, Zhao Tianhe turned to the equally contemplative Executive Wu and asked seriously: “What do you think it might be?” “I don’t know. With nothing but imagination, the possibilities are endless,” Wu Mengke, now calm, shook her head, her expression complex. “Perhaps the scientists from the fifth department could give us a reasonable explanation.” Zhao Tianhe nodded slightly, casting his gaze out the window, stating with a grim expression. “Hopefully.” He had a ominous premonition. And as time passed, that feeling of foreboding grew stronger... At that moment, urgent footsteps echoed near the bridge entrance. An officer strode swiftly through the open alloy doors, hurriedly reporting. “Sir! There’s been a collision on the lower deck! An unidentified flying object has crashed into us!” Sounds of confusion spread through the bridge. Zhao Tianhe didn’t hesitate, quickly moving to a terminal to view the holographic display. The staff seated at the terminal nervously swallowed, speaking with a flustered expression. "No damage detected in the ship's structure... Are you sure there's a mistake?" The officer immediately responded. "Impossible! My own people are on site. We've already sealed off the affected area following the emergency procedures in the safety manual!" Staff: "But…" Ignoring their argument, Zhao Tianhe stared intently at the screen, a look of disbelief forming on his otherwise stern face. The deflector shields were operating normally. The ship’s structural integrity checks were also all normal... But he trusted his crew, especially when they had no reason to fabricate such a tale. Standing beside him, Ms. Wu Mengke shared his troubled look. “One bizarre incident after another... Do you think this could be some trick by the Gemini?” Zhao Tianhe replied with an undeniable tone. “They’re dead.” Wu Mengke retorted. “What if they aren’t? No one’s actually gone to confirm.” “...No need for confirmation. We did breach their shield. That’s a fact. Let’s not discuss it further.” After delivering these words with a blank expression, Zhao Tianhe paused, then continued. “And even if, by some stroke of luck, they escaped, there is no way they could trap us in the hyperspace corridor.” While a hyperspace corridor can be closed by interfering with the nearby gravitational fields using a massive gravity well, closing one that’s already opened is impossible. Not, at least, with humanity's current known technological capabilities. Wu Mengke sighed. “Then alien involvement is the only explanation.” “Unless there’s irrefutable proof of their existence, I don’t want to indulge in baseless speculation.” Leaving it at that, Zhao Tianhe turned to the officer at the door. “Have you determined what hit us?” The officer, apparently confirming internally, pressed a finger to his ear and, after some time, responded with an odd expression. “It’s a… a civilian-grade escape pod? My personnel are uncertain... but there are no ally markings on the ship.” “A civilian ship?” Wu Mengke raised her eyebrows slightly, a faint surprise etching her fine crow's feet. “What’s a civilian ship doing here?” “Could be extremist groups or some unfortunate journalist... Anything onboard?” Zhao Tianhe asked the officer. After confirming with the on-site team through the communication system, the officer looked at the captain and replied. “We found a cryo-chamber on the ship, with a teenaged boy inside, appearing around seventeen or eighteen... He claimed to be from an organization called the Alliance, affiliated with the Burning Legion...” “The Alliance? Burning Legion?” The color in Wu Mengke's face changed slightly, murmuring to herself, “Could he really be an alien...” Zhao Tianhe's expression also turned peculiar as he continued questioning the officer. “What else did he say?” “A lot...” The officer paused, then suddenly looked back up, reporting with a shift in expression. “He’s started fighting with our men...” ... In the engineering and maintenance department’s prosthetic repair room, Luo Yi, having subdued the boy, was reclining against an operating table, allowing the robotic arms above to fiddle with his left arm. Standing by the control terminal, Koala in work attire manipulated the panel skillfully, slicing open the synthetic skin on Luo Yi’s left arm and extracting a burnt-black metal cylinder. “The capacitor's fried... needs replacing.” “Is it serious?” Standing with arms crossed, the burly man on the side asked with a frown. His name was Xiao Yong, and like Luo Yi, he was part of the space combat team under the sixth department, holding the rank of Sergeant. “Not really... not serious at all, just a blown capacitor. I have plenty of those,” Koala grinned, shaking his head. “But these youngsters sure hit hard, straight for the lethal blow.” “Young folks indeed use no restraint. Whoever performed the prosthetic surgery on him must’ve had a death wish.” Xiao Yong cursed. According to the prosthetic management legislation, defensive prosthetics were illegal, especially on minors whose development was incomplete. They had preserved the evidence and intended to press charges against the responsible parties upon returning to Earth. Luo Yi, seated on the table, silent as he examined his newly-replaced right prosthetic arm, suddenly spoke after a moment's pause. “That guy's been on a battlefield.” Raising an eyebrow, Xiao Yong asked, “You mean he’s military?” “Yes.” Luo Yi nodded in agreement, leaving Xiao Yong stunned as he dropped his arms from their crossed position. "…Do we really have soldiers that young?" Eighteen-year-olds should be in high school, at least needing a college degree to enlist. As for rebels from the colonies… Those folks should be long gone by now. Luo Yi looked up at him and said, "Didn't you hear him say he was from the Alliance?" Xiao Yong furrowed his brow. "Do you really believe what he said?" Luo Yi's expression was complex as he shook his head. "I'm not sure, but his reaction time and combat skills weren't inferior—even better... Had he not just awoken from cryo-sleep, I doubt I could have subdued him alone." Xiao Yong looked at him in shock. "Are you kidding? That kid?" Luo Yi looked serious. "I’m not joking. I mean it." The guy could predict his attacks and instinctively react, though his body wasn’t able to keep up. This isn't a skill honed on a training field; it's something learned from intense combat. And yet, one thing remained puzzling. As his comrade noted, the kid seemed too young, like a child. At that moment, an unexpected voice interjected from the doorway of the repair room. "My view aligns with Sergeant Luo Yi's. That kid isn’t just a civilian; he's a soldier—a soldier forged in the wastelands." Three pairs of surprised eyes turned to find the ship's "Chaplain" entering, slightly intoxicated, whiskey in hand, and letting out a burp as he crossed the threshold. Xiao Yong frowned. "Wastelands? Is that from a movie or something?" The fifth department was the most overlooked part of the entire missile cruiser. Established to navigate the unpredictable universe, it rarely became useful on any starship it was on. Sci-tech along for the ride couldn't fix engines or chime in on strategic matters; mostly they churned out academic papers, seen as worthless. He didn’t deny the role physicists played during the era of prosperity, but questioned the necessity of assigning a research team to every starship. In response to Xiao Yong’s skepticism, Wu Xinghuan unsuccessfully stifled another burp, wiping his mouth apologetically. "A movie? It’s not that kind of thing… This kid comes from our future, or rather, he embodies our future.” Koala looked at him with a strange expression. “What on earth are you talking about?” Xiao Yong snorted dismissively. "If he’s our future, then humanity is beyond redemption." Wu Xinghuan chuckled, issuing a playful rebuttal. "Ah, come on, who wasn’t young once? I’ll bet when you were younger, you didn’t have half his skills but were twice the rascal." He swept his gaze across everyone with a smirk, resuming in a tone equally serious and whimsical, “I’ve got some bad news, folks: our ship is stuck in hyperspace… and our time traveler here might be the cause." Silence fell once more as the three exchanged perplexed looks. Hyperspace… Stuck? Facing Koala's gaze, he quickly raised his hand in defense. "Don’t look at me… I’ve never heard of such a thing, and FTL engine repairs aren’t my job." Xiao Yong couldn’t help but comment, “Aren’t you the engineering chief?” Koala coughed softly. "The Fourth Department is engineering and maintenance—not hyperdrive engines; that’s the maintenance crew’s domain. Plus, such crucial equipment is managed by the First Department, under the captain's purview." All this roundabout explaining left Xiao Yong rubbing his temples. “We’ve got too many departments. Time to cut some out.” Koala snapped his fingers. “Good idea, I’d say the Fifth Department is redundant.” “Ahem,” Wu Xinghuan nervously hid his whiskey bottle, “Is this really the time for that discussion...?” “I need to process this…” Luo Yi pressed his index finger against his temple and pondered, “So you mean, that kid’s from the future? And our future... is a wasteland? Which means... our world gets destroyed?” “The world isn’t destroyed. Our civilization advances to a new historical phase,” Wu Xinghuan brought the conversation back to the main topic, quickly adding, “Did you notice his clothing? That’s a genuine refuge uniform, not a replica.” Xiao Yong smirked. “If he’s just a cosplayer, this'll be awkward for you.” Wu Xinghuan’s gaze intensified, betraying a hint of suppressed excitement. “He’s clearly not, as we found spores of mutant slime mold on him—of a kind unknown to us!” The room fell silent again. This time, even Luo Yi looked taken aback. Undeterred, Wu Xinghuan continued animatedly, “I know this is hard to swallow, but that’s what the future holds! In the distant future, humanity coexists with mutant slime mold—they’re not lethal to us, nor are we enemies to them; we’ve become a part of each other.” “Quit the BS!” Xiao Yong snapped. “If that's the case, what have we been fighting for?” Undaunted by the brute’s disbelief, Wu Xinghuan shrugged with a smile. “Individually, you’re right, but from a civilizational standpoint, isn’t it always like this? We can't analyze civilization from one person’s vantage, nor dismiss individuals from a civilization’s perspective. Each dimension’s issues should be considered from matching perspectives. Believe it or not, these are facts… I’ll refine my theory, and you should feel honored to share the vessel with a rising star in the future realm of physics.” “What’s that have to do with being a physics genius?” Koala scratched his furry head, puzzled. “Isn’t it obvious?” Wu Xinghuan beamed as he stretched his arms, flaunting the wine bottle again. “Time is reversible, motion of matter is, and so is entropy. I’ve uncovered new physics.” “You're crazy.” Xiao Yong grabbed the bottle from him without protest, taking a swig. He couldn’t accept it. That a three-year war would end like this, and someday, these spirited youngsters would not only sport combat prostheses but fly around in quasi-ships equipped with anti-gravity like cockroaches scuttling through the universe. If that’s the future, extinction might be a better option. Luo Yi sighed, pinching his nose between his thumb and forefinger. “You said we’re stuck?” “Yes, indeed.” Seeing the bottle nearly drained, Wu Xinghuan resigned the effort to reclaim it. Speechless, Luo Yi scrutinized this unexpectedly triumphant man, presumably a future academic giant. “I’ll entertain your claims, but given the circumstances… you should think about helping us get unstuck first.” At that, Wu Xinghuan’s face lit up with renewed confidence. “It’s actually quite simple. Though we don’t know if the lad stumbled into a black hole or bumped into some neutron star, he somehow landed in our timeline.” “And?” Luo Yi didn’t find it simple in the least, his head beginning to throb. Yet, Wu Xinghuan clearly saw things differently. “So all we need is to find out what happened before he got here, and send him back.” Upon hearing this, all three in the room paused. Could it really be that simple? It sounded as straightforward as picking up an overturned box and putting the lid back on. Luo Yi remained skeptical, but something in Wu’s intense gaze persuaded him—this guy did appear to know his stuff. “At last, our Fifth Department will prove its worth,” Koala shrugged. “On the eve of the war’s end, we’re saving a kid from the future and rescuing over 3000 crew members.” “My achievements go far beyond,” Wu Xinghuan declared with a grin, “Years from now, you’ll recall this meeting… and the affable me.” Wu Xinghuan performed a grand bow, as if he were already standing on an awards podium. Xiao Yong snorted disdainfully, maintaining his scornful expression. "Although this sounds ridiculous, we should give it a try..." Though the mother planet was affected by the war, it hadn’t descended to wasteland status. Especially making peace with the mutant slime mold... Was that really implying that the radicals who ruined everything achieved the ultimate victory? That was out of the question! "Let’s deal with the problem at hand first." Luo Yi didn't want to dwell on such distant ideas. He had been away from home too long and simply wished to return. If reconciliation was possible, then so be it. The universe was vast, with countless galaxies beyond the Southern Gate II. Letting them have a planet wasn't the worst fate. Allowing the other side a way out was also giving themselves a break. Besides, the planet originally belonged to "Gaia." They lived there quite peacefully, and if humanity's colonial ships hadn’t disturbed them, those creatures might have continued their own existence until the universe reached a heat death. From the United League's perspective, a three-year war may have been glorious, but it might not be seen the same way by the other side. He got off the operating table, flexed his arm, and looked at Dr. Wu at the doorway. “That boy called… Night Ten, where is he now?” Wu Xinghuan smiled. “In the medical bay. Dr. Xiaolin checked him out, and he seems fine.” Luo Yi nodded. “Let's go see him.” “I'll join.” Koala raised his hand, quickly turning off the equipment to follow the group. Although security on the ship was the Third Department’s job, he didn’t want to miss out on something this intriguing. After all, someone had said this was a historic moment! The four of them arrived at the medical bay to find a crowd already gathered. Not just doctors and nurses from the Medical and Life Support Department, but people from various departments, including high-ranking officers from the ship's command. Luo Yi even spotted an AI expert from the Robotics and Artificial Intelligence Department among them. That even the tenth department was drawn in surprise him a bit. Luo Yi felt a slight unease, shooting an accusatory glance at Dr. Wu. This blabbermouth… Undoubtedly, news about the boy from the future had spread, and now everyone knew their ship hosted a visitor from the future. “Make way, let me through…” Wu Xinghuan lifted his arm and squeezed toward the "stage" like a celebrity. Surrounded by curious onlookers, he made his way directly to the boy sitting on the treatment bed, projecting a kindly smile as he crouched beside him. “Let me introduce myself: I’m Wu Xinghuan, a scientist here.” Night Ten glanced at him, feeling the man seemed more a clown than a scientist. However, recalling the people from the Academy, he resigned to accept it, nodding expressionlessly. "Oh." His mind was a mess right now. On one hand, so much time had passed, he wasn’t sure if Jiang Xuezhou was still alive. On the other, he couldn’t figure out what his current situation was. Two possibilities. Either he was in some one-life-only instance, or he had truly traveled through time. After pondering carefully, the latter still seemed absurd, but he couldn't help but be anxious. Aguang hadn’t responded to him, and his friends on the forum couldn’t be contacted due to being offline. He even regretted not having Fang Chang stay in the cockpit instead of himself. If it were Brother Fang Chang, the issue might have been resolved in minutes… Or even Old Bai could have handled this more maturely. Night Ten reflected on his gaming career, realizing that he'd often relied on brute force rather than wits. “I might be able to help you,” Wu Xinghuan said earnestly, trying to earn the young man's trust. “Help me?” Night Ten turned slightly to look at him, his lips curling into a playful smirk. “You?” As he spoke, he caught a whiff of alcohol. This guy reminded him of Mosquito; no one seemed more unreliable. Even compared to Aguai, this guy might be a tad more competent since at least Aguai hadn’t messed things up completely. But Wu seemed unaware that he hadn’t sobered up, continuing with fervor. “According to my theory, you encountered some issue during hyperspace travel. Perhaps I could assist, benefiting us both.” Night Ten watched him with an amused expression. “That doesn’t sound plausible. My research ship didn't even have a warp engine, relying on an anti-gravity device for planetary ascents and descents, but incapable of hyperspace travel.” Wu Xinghuan gestured with his fingers as he continued. “I know, but the principles of anti-gravity technology are somewhat akin to warp engines—just different manipulations of gravitons. Moreover... well, perhaps it was just an escape pod; there might be other ships nearby—” This guy was most likely drunk, his speech slurring. Night Ten sneered and continued. “That was a research ship from the Academy. I had no other ships, just this one. You must have heard of the Academy; it existed before the war.” “It’s an academic organization... Wait, are you saying they played a significant role post-war?” Wu Xinghuan looked at him, as if stumbling upon some monumental secret. Night Ten could guess what he was thinking; Wu was probably already planning which powerful organization to cozy up to upon returning to Earth. But he was clearly overthinking it. And the reason being... “We collided with a neutron torpedo. Even if we didn’t crash, it detonated nearby. I’m unsure how much the deflector shield held, but the ship lost control and collided with yours…” At this point, Night Ten paused, meeting the excited gaze of the supposed scientist, before delivering words that sent a chill through everyone present. “Can you guess what I was doing? Or why we collided?” “Yes, I was grave robbing.” “Your graves.” To Be Continued...