Chapter 1042: Gift of the Void

Chapter 1042: The Gift of the Void

The Observer…

Chu Guang had never heard this name before, yet it felt oddly familiar.

Perhaps that strong sense of déjà vu was precisely the "morphogenetic field" at work; standing here, he had created an "unstable point" on the membrane of the universe through the perforator, thus receiving resonant information from the void or other universes.

And in that instant, Chu Guang suddenly realized that he too seemed to have awakened "psychic power."

Moreover, it was quite possible that the psychic power he had just awakened was the very reason he could engage in telepathic communion with this being who called itself the Observer.

At the same time—

It was also why Xiao Qi could not see it.

"Observer… I still don't understand. What are you observing, or rather, what is your purpose?"

Gazing back at that sight from the void, Chu Guang paused for a moment before continuing.

"Also… you said you come from the void. What is your relationship with those three consciousnesses?"

Perhaps because he had asked too many questions at once, the ethereal voice pondered for a moment.

"I… am, for the time being, a child of the Primordial Light, though that may not be entirely accurate. I can see many things, but I cannot see myself."

"As for my purpose, knowing too much is not necessarily good for you. Your mission is already complete. You have succeeded in prolonging your civilization on the brink of extinction… At least in this universe, you have overcome an almost inevitable catastrophe and transformed into a new kind of existence."

"As for the crisis tens of millennia from now, that is not your mission, but the mission of your children… and the children of other civilizations in this galaxy."

In other words…

Tens of millennia from now, human civilization will face another major crisis?

And one that affects the entire galaxy?

If true, that was indeed a staggering piece of news.

Chu Guang could not help but feel a mix of bitterness and amusement, yet thinking that it was something tens of thousands of years away, he also felt a certain relief.

The Human Federation had lasted less than two centuries before a crisis nearly destroyed the entire civilization.

Though it was uncertain how long the flame he and his companions had kindled would endure, at least they had bought human civilization tens of millennia of survival.

In the tens of millennia to come, human civilization might experience periods of decline and regime changes, but it would likely never again face a disaster on the scale of the Wasteland Era… at least, that was what the Observer, standing above eleven dimensions, had said.

It seemed his development strategy of "not putting all eggs in one basket" could withstand the test of time.

As a manager, he seemed to have no regrets?

But then, he suddenly noticed a detail in the prophecy.

"You mean… outside this universe, there are other versions of us?"

The Observer spoke in a gentle voice.

"Of course. For example, in the universe numbered…, although Vault 404 exists there, you withdrew from the stage of history very early on. No Alliance was born on this planet. The Wasteland Era eventually ended, but the age of humanity came to a close."

Chu Guang frowned slightly.

"…Is that the timeline where the Celestials succeeded?"

"Yes."

The Observer gave an affirmative answer, but quickly shifted the topic.

"But I don't think that can be considered their success. The neutron plume only killed the organic life on the surface; it did not exterminate other existences. For instance… there was a place called Ideal City on this planet. Because of a long-past bill allowing androids to participate in public affairs, the city's order did not collapse with the extinction of the survivors. On the contrary, with the loss of their legal guardians, a large number of androids achieved liberation, ushering in an era of intelligent machines."

"The androids without legal persons relied on backup data on the Endpoint Cloud to weave a gestalt consciousness called the Brain, and based on the server's self-defense protocols, they activated Ideal City's war machine. Rolling metal swept across the entire land."

"The old servers at the Lagrange point were no match for the larger gestalt consciousness and were quickly assimilated into something similar. In the end, all the Celestials' efforts became a wedding dress for them. A machine civilization dedicated to containing and preserving organic life was born, and it would search the galaxy for species that met its aesthetic standards, establishing new outposts for them."

At this point, the Observer adopted a teasing tone.

"Actually, such an ending isn't bad for you. In a millennium of material abundance, you only needed to enjoy pleasure and procreate. Even in distant eras, many great artists and philosophers renowned across the galaxy were born among you, beloved by many other intelligent species."

"And even in the poorest times, those androids met your nutritional needs, though they restricted your activities in the material world… From beginning to end, you never had to engage in production or combat, being completely protected."

To be honest.

It didn't sound bad at all.

It was as if humanity had completely retired from the starry sea, living a leisurely life of keeping birds in cages, becoming the pets of Frost and Eclipse…?

Besides the AI of Ideal City, there might also be the Bell of Vault 100, the Treefolk lurking in Vault 101, and other artificial intelligence lifeforms.

Even including Xiao Qi from Vault 404—other AIs arriving here would certainly not abandon her.

Of course, without him, she probably wouldn't have that name; other AIs might call her "Wastebasket"?

But then again, the Celestials were really lacking in prestige!

Because this ending was too perfect, Chu Guang even felt a hint of discouragement, so he couldn't help but ask.

"And then?"

After enjoying such bliss for so long, what was the price?

Surely it couldn't last forever?

Perhaps sensing his thoughts, the Observer chuckled, but did not give the answer he expected.

"There is no 'and then.' The Unnameable Fog blocks my sight. No one can see the distant causality, not even me."

"What I see are only some possibilities of the future… As for the sequel you expect, you can imagine it freely; you don't have to get the answer from me."

Looking at the slightly disappointed Chu Guang, the Observer continued in a gentle voice.

"Of course, besides this ending, there is another situation in the universe numbered…"

"Due to an earlier disturbance, Vault 404 never opened properly. Faced with the Legion's invasion, Boulder City chose to compromise, and the Pioneer never reached the Great Desert, dying prematurely in the central part of Falling Cloud Province."

"In that expedition across the Great Desert, the Legion achieved final victory at a high cost. The Fifth Legion was born in the eastern part of the Great Desert, eventually merging with the Torch Church to form a 'theocratic' military body, replacing Marshal Ulysses with the Torch as a new totem, and turning its gaze toward the Academy in the Wandering Swamp."

"As for the Enlightened Society, it remained hidden in the shadows, using the Legion's disintegration to successfully steal the legacy of the Eastern Legion. After that, a vast mutant empire was established along the coast of the Brahmaputra Sea, inheriting the legacy of the southern waters."

"That would be an era of complete chaos, with order utterly absent. The final outcome was already sealed from the beginning; the only suspense was whether the Academy could successfully evacuate before the neutron plume strike."

"Without that cross-thousands-of-kilometers reinforcement, Ideal City never passed the bill allowing androids to participate in public affairs. So when the neutron plume descended upon this planet, the Celestials smoothly took over Ideal City's legacy and executed a more thorough extermination protocol on the remaining organic life."

"From then on, a machine civilization dedicated to eradicating organic life was born. Whether that can be considered an extension of the Celestials, I cannot judge for you… After all, the Celestials' goal was to return to the era of the Human Federation, but in the end, they did not return to the past; instead, they completely killed themselves and could never change back."

"Tens of millennia later, their eternal hostility became one of the troubles of this galaxy, regarded by countless civilizations as a pest threatening prosperity and stability. But conversely, it also became an opportunity for the unification of various civilizations."

"After conquering dozens of star systems, this trouble was eventually ground to dust by the united fleets of the civilizations… And not long after that, the victors who visited this star system discovered your story from the remnants of the database."

"As for what happened after that, that is a causality yet to be born beyond the fog."

That was truly a complete failure…

But then again, the "Celestials" were themselves a freak born in a special era.

Killing some people to achieve a utopia for others—such a thing had never succeeded once in human history.

Though he was a bit sorry not to hear the bad ending of "Universe One," after hearing the ending of "Universe Two," Chu Guang felt a sudden release.

The "Paradise of Organics" was not destined to appear; after the chaos of inaction, there were even more desperate possibilities.

They had not come in vain.

Having understood this, he felt his mind grow much calmer, and he continued to ask.

"And what about our future?"

The Observer smiled enigmatically and replied in that ethereal, elusive voice.

"If I told you, perhaps the 'good things' would not come to pass. Are you certain you wish to know?"

Chu Guang was silent for a moment, then finally gave a carefree smile.

"Then forget it. Rather than some nebulous fate, I'd rather trust myself a little more."

And his reliable companions as well.

Though he had anticipated this answer, the Observer still offered his approval.

"That is the wisest decision. In truth, the future I see is constantly shifting with your actions... like an ineffable mist."

Sometimes knowing too much is not necessarily a good thing. An overly strong will to change fate can instead become the catalyst for disaster. I have seen too many civilizations that delved too deeply into the spiritual realm, paying a heavy price for relying too heavily on revelations from the void, even dissolving themselves into nothingness."

"You need not heed my revelations; it is enough to press forward with your own will. To be honest, I should not have divulged so much information to you. Signals from the void can interfere with your original destiny."

Though he said this, Chu Guang detected no hint of regret in his words.

"But you did it anyway."

"Yes, because this is exceedingly rare. Ordinarily, you would not be able to see me. I have offered you no assistance, and the one I chose was not you at all, but someone before you... There is only one explanation: the Ineffable Mist has intervened in this game. Only it can establish a causal link between two entities with no prior connection."

The Observer gave his affirmative answer.

Even though it sounded somewhat incomprehensible to Chu Guang.

"So... I was chosen by that 'Ineffable Mist'?"

The Observer chuckled lightly.

"Ha, perhaps. After all, your experiences are indeed remarkable. There are many civilizations more powerful than yours, not a few spiritualists who have grasped the mysteries of the void, and materialists who have realized the essence of the universe and explored the secrets of dimensions."

"But few civilizations have taken such an unconventional path as yours—neither relying on the void nor on forces beyond dimensions, but instead harnessing the power of another universe, and applying it on a large scale."

"There are too many coincidences here, yet this one-in-a-million coincidence has indeed occurred... And I have gained unprecedented insights from you."

Chu Guang: "Insights?"

"Yes."

The Observer's voice suddenly grew much more serious.

Though still gentle in tone, it was markedly more solemn and sacred than before.

"To answer your original question: the meaning of my existence is not merely passive observation. When conditions permit, I also attempt to pierce through the mist's obstruction and offer a certain degree of revelation to the observed subject... just like this conversation we are having now."

"And all these actions serve but one purpose: to fulfill the will of the Primordial Light—to prevent the heat death of the universe, and to resist those 'calamities' that obstruct us."

"In simple terms, it is 'entropy reversal.'"

Prevent... the heat death of the universe?

Hearing such an unimaginably grand goal, Chu Guang was utterly stunned.

But upon reflection, though it seemed unscientific, it was unexpectedly reasonable.

This being had laid such a lengthy foundation when recounting the origin of the universe; if it had merely ended with "I'm just here to observe and wander," that would indeed have been an anticlimax.

Since it knew so much, it must have designs on something within its cognitive scope.

Only he had not expected that those designs would be so vast as to completely surpass his understanding.

"You... why do this? Or rather, what reason is there for it?"

The Observer replied matter-of-factly.

"There is no why. We were born for this, just as you are born needing to eat."

At this point, it paused for a moment, then continued.

"And I am not alone in this endeavor. Besides me, there is another companion who also does this. Its name is the Sower. Like me, it was born from the Primordial Light. Our projections have existed in the infinite universes since the rupture of the primordial cosmos. It is responsible for sowing the seeds of civilization, while I handle what comes after."

Chu Guang tried to sort out the logic, but many things still eluded him.

"I recall you mentioned that the emergence of conscious beings accelerated the heat death of the primordial universe... But if that is the case, why do you go around sowing seeds and then accelerating their growth?"

If the goal was truly to curb the universe's heat death, wouldn't the correct approach be to extinguish the sparks of civilization?

The Observer replied in a gentle tone.

"Merely preventing the emergence of conscious beings cannot stop the heat death of the universe. Even if no civilization ever arose, the universe would still meet its heat death at the end of its lifespan. Conscious beings do accelerate this process, but in that process, new hope is also born."

"Speaking of which, I must mention our third companion... Its name is the Boundary Breaker."

Chu Guang pressed his index finger to his brow.

"Is it also a child of the Primordial Light?"

"Not exactly... Strictly speaking, it is not a continuation of any existence within the void, but a variable born from the infinite new universes."

Uttering these words with profound meaning, the Observer continued.

"It can be anyone, any conscious being, or a collective formed by discrete consciousnesses... that is, what you understand as a civilization. Its emergence will reshape the structure of the universe it inhabits, achieve ascension in the way we hope, and merge its universe with another."

Chu Guang tried to envision that scene.

"...Like two soap bubbles merging together?"

Hearing this vivid metaphor, the Observer nodded approvingly.

"That can be understood as such. And this is what I call 'entropy reversal.'"

"When all the fragments are pieced together, the shattered primordial universe will return to its original form, and our mission since the rupture of the primordial cosmos will be complete."

Looking at Chu Guang, who was too astonished to speak, the Observer continued with a hint of regret in its voice.

"A pity. In truth, the civilization before you—the one you call the 'Pioneer'—had the potential to become a Boundary Breaker. But unfortunately, they delved too deeply into the spiritual realm, were seduced by other voices in the void, and embarked on a path utterly different from ours. Ultimately, they embraced the void in a way we never anticipated... that creator they understood."

Chu Guang was silent for a moment, then sighed softly.

"I roughly understand your motives... But there is one thing I still don't understand. Why are you telling me all this?"

Simply because the Ineffable Mist had established a connection between them?

It could have chosen not to respond, as it always had.

After all, they could not affect each other, or rather, they were intangible existences to one another.

Chu Guang felt there was still something it was holding back.

The Observer was silent for a while, then spoke with an uncharacteristically uncertain tone.

"Because... I believe that you, or your people, have the potential to become the Boundary Breaker."

Chu Guang was slightly taken aback.

"We?"

Become... the Boundary Breaker?

That goal seemed far too grand for the Alliance as it stood now.

Yet the being before him did not seem to think so.

"Yes, you may not realize it yourselves, but you actually possess a remarkable... affinity. Though you have only just stepped into this sea of stars, I feel that if it's you, perhaps after tens of millennia, you might truly have hope of achieving the miracle we have long awaited."

This unreserved praise made Chu Guang, whose skin was never thin, feel a bit embarrassed.

To be honest, he had no interest in becoming some kind of boundary-breaker, nor was he intrigued by the heat death of the universe or the fate measured in billions of years.

But perhaps, as the Observer said, after they understood their place in the universe and their own destiny, they would always wait for the day when a choice had to be made.

Having learned everything he wanted to know, Chu Guang leaned back in his chair and spoke in a sincere tone.

"Thank you... you've answered many of my confusions, though you've also added more to my head."

The Observer smiled faintly.

"You're welcome. Actually, I should be the one thanking you. Your revelation has helped me a great deal... Perhaps I can try a different approach, no longer confining myself to seeking hope within this universe, but instead, from the very beginning, looking for a chance of coexistence between two universes."

Chu Guang said cautiously.

"May I ask one more thing? Where do you plan to conduct this experiment?"

As if sensing the wariness in his voice, the Observer laughed heartily.

"Don't worry, we won't do anything here—that would be as pointless as gilding the lily. This place no longer needs us. You just need to continue along your own path. I will watch over you from afar in the void... until the one I await appears, or until a crisis from beyond the membrane emerges in this universe."

"The universe we are heading to is one destined for decay and utterly hopeless... The situation there has spiraled completely out of control."

"The most ancient civilization, on which we had pinned our hopes, has gone thoroughly astray. After comprehending their own destiny, they did not become 'boundary-breakers' to pierce the void, but instead actively unleashed calamities and systematically searched for and eradicated nascent civilizations across the entire universe... to the point where we have almost abandoned that 'bubble.'"

"If we succeed in saving that universe, it will prove that your method works. And if we fail, we lose nothing."

Chu Guang roughly understood what it meant.

This guy seemed to be planning to copy his method and start a similar game in another universe?

Of course.

Perhaps what this guy was copying was not him, but the first administrator who had actually come up with that idea.

But regardless, that was a matter for another world, even more distant from him than the world of the players, and clearly not something he needed to worry about.

So, Chu Guang generously offered a favor, smiling as he said.

"Don't mention it. If you find it useful, feel free to take it!"

Hearing this magnanimous reply, the Observer in the void smiled faintly and responded in a teasing tone.

"Don't worry, I won't take it for nothing. I will give you... and your people a certain reward, though it was originally yours."

As it said this, the teasing voice suddenly became ethereal, like the lizard that had dissolved into formless sand in the air earlier.

Seeming to realize the connection was about to break, it quickened its pace, using the remaining time to say.

"Don't you need a new 'server'? No need to choose—go to Tiancang V. There happens to be a habitable planet that's just right for you."

"Moreover, the 'Pioneer' you speak of left some very interesting relics there, including a group of projections from the void guarding the place..."

"Not only that, but there's also something of mine there. That thing is far more powerful than your perforation device, and without such severe side effects."

"Since their original owner has left this universe, I'll take the liberty of deciding for them... and give them to you."

"You're welcome."