Chapter 381: The Creator |
Right at that moment—
Xiao Ai's voice, which had been absent for a long time, finally rang in his ears.
"Captain, it got away. The other party was extremely cautious. When they came over to check the situation and realized something was wrong, they immediately turned around and fled. I tracked them with everything I had for a long time, but I eventually lost their trail."
"However, they also know of our existence now."
"From now on, it's basically like playing with our cards face up on the table."
Chen Mang gave a slight nod. "In that case, if we freely spend those quadrillions of coupons, wouldn't we crash this game in no time? Are they not planning to make any countermeasures?"
"Uh..."
Xiao Ai hesitated for a moment before replying, "Actually, there isn't much to spend them on. There are no real cash shops in this game, and the items sold in the in-game stores are all ordinary goods that cannot be brought out into the real world."
"The resources that can be extracted from the game, such as iron ore and blueprints, all need to be produced by the players themselves."
"I see."
Chen Mang nodded slightly before logging out. He didn't linger in the game any longer.
Standing in the train cabin, he looked around before stretching lazily and lying down on his bed. "I'm going to rest for seven days and give myself a short vacation. During this time, you need to keep a close eye on two things."
"The first thing."
"Find the location where this game's AI is housed, if possible."
"The second thing."
"Use the Doppelganger Radar and our other information networks to constantly monitor the First Universe. See if there are any regions where resources are frequently reported stolen, just like when we used the Dream Stone to steal resources from other civilizations."
"Understood."
Some things couldn't be rushed.
Right now, there weren't many clues, or rather, his hypothesis required enough time to be verified. He had to wait a while.
Over the next seven days.
Chen Mang truly did nothing at all. He didn't log back into the game, spending his days lounging in his cabin, strolling around the god-tier Human Civilization, or taking a few walks on Water Blue Star.
It was a complete vacation.
During this period, Qi Ya actually came to find him. She mentioned wanting to return to her own home, the god-tier Zerg Civilization, to take a look, but he temporarily rejected the idea.
It wasn't the right time yet.
It wasn't suitable for them to be completely exposed to the public eye.
There was no rush.
The seven days quickly flew by. Chen Mang sat in his cabin, looking over the information Xiao Ai had gathered over this period. Currently, the detection range of his Doppelganger Radar covered the entire universe. Coupled with Xiao Ai's ability to absorb data from all dead AIs within the radar's range...
...along with their other information-gathering methods.
Their intelligence network was by no means weak.
A max-level AI paired with a max-level radar created a terrifyingly effective means of gathering intel.
"..."
After reviewing all the data, Chen Mang slowly closed his eyes and muttered, "Interesting. So over the past seven days, the amount of resources stolen across the universe via a Dream Stone has been minuscule. At the very least, it falls far short of the resources being generated within the virtual game, New Universe."
"The numbers don't add up."
During these seven days.
The virtual reality game New Universe had completely blown up in popularity. Especially since in-game resources could be brought into the real world, many people had turned it into their full-time jobs, and numerous gold-farming studios had set up shop.
Yet, strangely enough, the resources stolen from the First Universe via the Dream Stone were incredibly scarce.
The conservation of energy was a fundamental law of this universe.
If something appeared here, something had to disappear over there.
Even the resources obtained through a Dream Stone had to originate from some corner of the cosmos; they couldn't just be created out of nothing. But right now, the resources from the game New Universe were seemingly materializing out of thin air.
And they were being generated in massive, endless quantities.
This was completely illogical.
"Could they be resources from the Second Universe?" Xiao Ai asked tentatively.
"No,"
Chen Mang shook his head. "Resources from the Second Universe all carry the 'Hell' prefix and cannot be used normally in the First Universe. Keep following this matter. I am very curious about exactly what methods this game uses to constantly spawn such a massive amount of resources."
"If the resources aren't coming from various corners of the First Universe..."
"Then where are they coming from?"
"There has to be a corresponding source somewhere."
"Could it be that the twenty-seven god-tier civilizations pooled their resources to use as an early-game gimmick to attract players, and it will dry up in the mid-to-late stages?" Xiao Ai proposed another theory.
"That's even more impossible."
Chen Mang shook his head again. "This isn't just a gimmick anymore; it's the core gameplay mechanic. If this feature is removed later, the game will pretty much be dead. Furthermore, even if it were a gimmick, have you ever seen a virtual online game capable of bringing in-game items into reality?"
"Such technology is completely unheard of."
"How are the randomized rolls for the Power Magnet going?"
"I have already rolled the Overlimit Effect you wanted, Captain. You were on vacation these past few days, so I didn't bother you."
"Good."
Chen Mang nodded slightly and looked toward the panel that popped up on the cabin's control console screen.
—
"Simulation 1,789,813 concluded. The Overlimit Effects of this Universal Empowerment are as follows!"
"Power Magnet Level 5 Overlimit Effect": Can absorb items dropped by monsters killed by the train or its crew members within the vicinity.
"Power Magnet Level 10 Overlimit Effect": Provides a powerful suction force.
"Power Magnet Level 20 Overlimit Effect": When approaching other trains, there is a probability of consuming a small amount of the energy stored in their energy shields.
"Power Magnet Level 50 Overlimit Effect": Energy consumption of the strong magnet is halved.
"Power Magnet Level 100 Overlimit Effect": The strong magnet can be freely controlled. The control range matches the range of the Target-Acquisition Radar.
"Power Magnet Level 200 Overlimit Effect": Energy consumption of the strong magnet is halved.
"Power Magnet Level 500 Overlimit Effect": Can slightly alter the trajectory of enemy 'physical artillery fire'. This Overlimit Effect does not apply to energy cannons.
"Power Magnet Level 1000 Overlimit Effect": When a crew member dies near the train, their complete soul can be pulled into the train. This Overlimit Effect is probability-based and not guaranteed to succeed. "Power Magnet Level 2000 Overlimit Effect": Can form a massive gravitational field.
"Power Magnet Level 5000 Overlimit Effect": While this Overlimit Effect is continuously activated, nearby Ore Stars will be rapidly pulled toward the train's location at extreme speeds.
"Power Magnet Level 10000 Overlimit Effect": Can pull all celestial bodies within one million light-years. Once fully activated, it will take at most 100 million years to suck all celestial bodies within this one-million-light-year radius into the train's vicinity. If paired with a max-level Wormhole Generator, the required time will be drastically reduced.
(PS: There are no unique Overlimit Effects in this simulation process.)
(Once any unique Overlimit Effect is confirmed and saved, other civilizations will no longer be able to roll that specific Overlimit Effect. Furthermore, once confirmed and saved, the current civilization will permanently lose the ability to reroll the Universal Empowerment for this component.)
"Save or Reroll?"
-
"..."
Chen Mang looked calmly at the panel. This was the set of Overlimit Effects he had obtained after rerolling over a million times. There wasn't a single unique Overlimit Effect among them, but it didn't matter. It was enough.
This was a Green-grade component.
Without any hesitation, he saved this Primordial Blueprint on the spot. Using the duplicated component blueprint, he consumed 205 Background Units of iron ore and upgraded it to the maximum level in one breath.
He did not obtain a "Sanctuary" Overlimit Effect.
He wasn't the first civilization in the universe to upgrade this component to the maximum level.
He then looked at the Wormhole Generator inside the train, a Prismatic-grade component. At Level 2000, the maximum distance it could create a wormhole was 100 million light-years, which was also sufficient for him.
And since the Level 2000 Overlimit Effect for this component was 'None', he hadn't continued upgrading it.
As for now...
He consumed another 1,100 Background Units of iron ore, upgrading this component straight to Level 10000—the maximum level.
The next moment—
A new panel suddenly popped up on the train's control console screen.
-
"Human Civilization is the first civilization in the entire universe to obtain a max-level 'Wormhole Generator' component. This component is automatically upgraded to the 'Sanctuary' grade."
"As a result, you have obtained the Civilization Wonder 'The Creator'."
-
"Wormhole Generator 'Sanctuary' Overlimit Effect": The created wormholes can exist within high-dimensional chaotic regions.
-
"Very nice."
The corners of Chen Mang's mouth curled up slightly. It seemed that the higher the grade of a component, the less likely any civilization had ever upgraded it to the maximum level. After all, the resources required were simply terrifying.
And this Sanctuary Overlimit Effect was also very interesting.
With a max-level Wormhole Generator, the range of the wormholes he could create spanned the entire universe. This meant that as long as he was willing and able to spare the resources, he could open a wormhole to any corner of the cosmos.
Furthermore, the generated wormholes could persist in high-dimensional chaotic regions.
In other words, he could even head to the high-dimensional chaotic region outside the "observable universe" right now. Of course, just because he could go didn't mean he could survive there—that was an entirely different matter.
Excellent.
He liked it.
He then looked at the new Civilization Wonder, The Creator.
This was also the Human Civilization's sixth Civilization Wonder.
-
"Special Wonder: If the civilization possessing this wonder earns the approval of the Creator, they will receive a universal Overlimit Effect granting +1 to all component levels."
-
"Human Civilization, Civilization Tenet: For every Civilization Wonder constructed that is recognized by the universal laws, receive one box containing a random mysterious reward. Limit: Nine." (Prismatic)
"Human Civilization has successfully forged a Civilization Wonder recognized by the universal laws. The universe has named it 'The Creator'."
"Successfully obtained one box containing a random mysterious reward."
-
It was worth noting—
He discovered that the Civilization Wonders obtained by being the first to upgrade a component to its max level seemed to provide pretty good Overlimit Effects for the most part. Aside from one Civilization Wonder whose effect was 'favorable weather'—which he couldn't quite wrap his head around—the rest were all excellent.
And right now!
This Civilization Wonder had already been activated.
The so-called requirement of "earning the approval of the Creator" actually meant obtaining the Hell Set. He already possessed this set, so the effects of the Civilization Wonder were naturally activated.
Consequently, the levels of all the components within his train were increased by one.
This included components like the Train Auxiliary AI, Armor, and the Akhenaten Light Energy Main Cannon, which were all now Level 10002—two levels beyond the maximum.
Every extra level past the maximum was a dimensionality-reduction strike against his enemies.
When others weren't at the max level and you were, you were naturally a badass. But when everyone reached the max level, every additional level established a brand-new ceiling of power.
"Very nice."
Chen Mang chuckled softly. He didn't say anything more and immediately drove the train out of the god-tier Human Civilization, arriving at the cluster of star systems left behind by the Rugged Civilization.
A massive number of stars, Ore Stars, and inhabited planets were waiting here for him to pocket.
They were completely abandoned and unclaimed.
His Space Portal had already been upgraded to the max level. Its internal space was infinite, capable of housing countless celestial bodies. Theoretically, he could even stuff every single planet in the First Universe into his Space Portal.
After all, the First Universe still had an observable diameter limit. Although its area was incredibly vast, it ultimately had boundaries, beyond which lay high-dimensional chaotic regions. His Space Portal, however, had absolutely no limits.
The next moment—
With the max-level Power Magnet and the max-level Wormhole Generator fully activated...
The hundreds of billions of planets within this star system all trembled slightly at the exact same time. Immediately after, under Xiao Ai's precise manipulation, countless wormholes accurately materialized in every corner of the galaxy.
A terrifying suction force erupted from these wormholes, dragging all the nearby planets inside. Through the immense pull of the Power Magnet, they were directly stuffed into the Stellar Train's max-level Space Portal.
The entire process was exceptionally clean and efficient.
"Based on the current progress, it is estimated that all high-value planets in this star system will be extracted within one hour. The expected yield of stars from this system is 692 billion."
"Good."
Chen Mang smiled, leaning back in his chair and nodding slightly. He toyed with the newly acquired Mysterious Box in his hands, choosing not to open it right away.
He was much more satisfied with their efficiency now.
Massive quantities of planets rushed madly into the three max-level Space Portals he had prepared long ago, like goods on an assembly line.
With so many stars, his main cannon had enough power to fire almost endlessly and indiscriminately.
It was just that...
This once exceedingly rich region would transform into a massive Dark Abyss as soon as he left.
The Rugged Civilization encompassed a total of thirty-seven star systems.
It wouldn't be long.
The universe was about to lose thirty-seven prosperous star systems, gaining thirty-seven brand-new Dark Abysses in exchange.
Chen Mang suddenly raised an eyebrow. 'Is it possible that some of the Dark Abysses in the universe are artificially created? Like when certain god-tier civilizations pocketed entire rich star systems for themselves?'
It certainly wasn't out of the realm of possibility.
Over the next few days.
The Stellar Train acted like a busy little bee, diligently packing every single high-value planet left behind by the Rugged Civilization across its thirty-seven star systems into its cabins.
After losing all of their stars.
These thirty-seven regions rapidly plunged into absolute darkness. Fortunately, the entire population had already followed the Star Arrow Clan back to their main clan via a Bloodline Wormhole. Otherwise, this environment would have brought about a cosmic-level apocalypse. Very few living beings could survive under such conditions.
Death would be absolutely certain.