The Genesis seemed to have wandered into a forgotten realm.
There was no direction here, no time—only boundless gloom, and the lingering afterglow of energy from dying stars, flowing like luminous celestial rivers toward the depths of the abyss.
The spacecraft advanced cautiously along these energy currents. Inside the observation deck, Mu Yun stood shoulder to shoulder with Jane, gazing out at the surreal scene. Behind them, numerous scholars held their breath, their fear of danger forgotten.
"Scans show eighty-four thousand energy streams…" Jane's voice was dry. "That means… the energy of eighty-four thousand stars is being extracted."
She turned to Mu Yun, her eyes filled with disbelief. "What in the world… is this?"
Just then, the constant hum of cosmic signal monitoring abruptly ceased, replaced by a sharper, more urgent alarm!
"We've reached the core region of the signal source!" Mu Yun's fists clenched, his gaze sharp as a blade as he stared ahead.
"Good heavens… wh-what is that?!" someone exclaimed in horror.
Directly ahead of the ship, in the depths of the infinite void, a massive silhouette—indistinct and emanating a soft golden glow—hovered in silence.
Its outline was vaguely humanoid yet indescribably alien.
And those eighty-four thousand stellar energy streams were pouring into its form like a hundred rivers flowing into the sea!
The sight was soul-shaking. Several of the onboard theologians had already fallen to their knees, murmuring prayers as though in the presence of a deity.
Mu Yun stood frozen, his clenched fists trembling slightly as he struggled to deconstruct this inconceivable "miracle" with rational thought.
Suddenly, a strange syllable erupted directly within the depths of everyone's consciousness! It belonged to no known language—archaic, alien, and laden with boundless authority.
Strangely, Mu Yun understood its meaning. The cadence and rhythm bore an uncanny resemblance to some ancient Eastern tongue.
"I…"
"With the eight hundred million celestial ways… shall at last achieve perfection!"
The voice paused briefly, as if tinged with surprise.
"Oh…?"
Then, utter silence descended.
For dozens of seconds, no sound followed. Those in the cabin exchanged bewildered glances, communicating only through the shock and terror in their eyes.
Yet—
The harsh white noise returned! All systems failed for a second time! Darkness once again engulfed them!
"Mu Yun! Look outside!" the military expert's voice was distorted by sheer terror.
Mu Yun spun toward the viewport.
That golden figure had silently materialized just outside the ship! Barely a stone's throw away!
Golden light rippled across its form, obscuring its true nature. The moment its gaze met Mu Yun's, an endless torrent of golden radiance erupted from within it—like the light of the universe's birth—consuming everything in an instant!
Time lost all meaning.
…
The military expert was the first to regain consciousness. Instinct took over: he immediately assessed the situation. Ship systems were recovering, but many aboard were missing!
Mu Yun, Jane, and several other core scientists had vanished!
"Mu Yun! Jane!" he shouted, frantically searching the cabin. Nothing.
Forcing down his panic, he rushed back to the main console. "Initiate carbon-based life form targeting! Maximum range search for Captain Mu Yun and the others!"
The screen flickered, then after a moment returned a cold response: "Carbon-based life targeting complete… Target life signals not detected."
The ship was intact. Systems were normal. But Mu Yun and the others had disappeared without a trace—as if erased from this space entirely.
The military expert felt a chill creep deep into his bones.
Even more despairing was the sight outside: that golden silhouette still hovered just beyond the hull, radiating golden light and an overwhelming pressure of authority.
Yet the life form scanners showed… nothing there.
…
Meanwhile, in some unknown, shadowy space.
Mu Yun's consciousness slowly coalesced from the void. A violent headache nearly made him cry out.
His vision was blurry. An invisible force bound his body, rendering him immobile. It took him a long while to make out his surroundings: a strange space filled with enormous runic screens, their surfaces shimmering with light, while the low hum of machinery echoed in the air.
He found himself confined within a transparent crystalline container, suspended in midair.
"Activate nuclear arc reactor," Mu Yun commanded in his mind. As the pinnacle of Earth's technology, the nuclear arc reactor implanted in his body—along with its associated individual combat systems—was enough to make him a living weapon.
But now, the Zeus Creative Neurological System linked to his cerebral cortex was completely silent. All his technological armaments seemed to have been forcibly blocked and shut down by a power far superior.
"Activate Creative Neurological System! Quantum defense! Light-speed oscillation! Nano-repair!" He ran through the litany of technological systems, but each command vanished into silence.
Finally, he tried to activate the deepest, most recent achievement of his research: "Activate… antimatter combat system!"
This system was not designed for direct combat, but for detecting and harnessing dark matter and unknown energies.
The moment the command was issued, a strange, warm current suddenly began to flow through the meridians within his body.
The antimatter combat system had detected something!
Just then, a cold, mechanical voice sounded out of nowhere: "Test subject designation 9527, activated."
Mu Yun struggled to lift his head. Projected from the ceiling was a towering metallic figure, a long rune-adorned staff in its hand, its tip glowing with an ominous red light. It gazed down at him as if examining an ant.
"You have been selected," the metallic figure said, its voice devoid of any emotion.
Mu Yun's heart turned cold.
"Experiment countdown begins."
"Ten…"
"Nine…"
…
"Two…"
"One…"
"Commencing ability extraction procedure."
Agony surged through his body in an instant! Mu Yun felt the technological systems within him being violently stripped away, dismantled! The Creative Neurological System, quantum defense, light-speed oscillation, nano-repair… all the powers that relied on technology crumbled like castles of sand.
In the end, only the most primitive bioelectrical signals remained.
Even his appearance began to age visibly before his eyes.
"Commencing spiritual power infusion procedure."
"Ten…"
"Nine…"
…
"Spiritual Root implantation… Heavenly Spiritual Root."
"Three…"
"Two…"
"One…"
As the countdown ended, that mysterious warm current abruptly transformed into a raging energy that rampaged through his meridians, reshaping his body! The agony, cutting to the very soul, caused him to lose consciousness instantly.
No one knew how much time passed before the cold mechanical voice sounded again:
"Universe No. 627, life form constitution incompatible."
"Universe No. 627, life form constitution incompatible."
Crack— The crystalline container confining him suddenly developed fissures!
"Experiment failed! Initiate backup protocol?" The laboratory shook violently; the runic screens flickered wildly.
The towering metallic figure remained silent. Only in the final moment before the space seemed on the verge of collapse did it utter two cold syllables:
"Execute."
A spatial rift suddenly tore open, and a powerful suction force pulled the unconscious Mu Yun into it, swallowing him from sight.