Cross-Universe Transmission

Chen Fan jolted sharply.

A communications link? Cross-universe ultra-long-distance transmission?

What the hell?

What even was all this?!

Although his mind was already growing hazy, he instinctively sensed that something was wrong.

A deep sense of unease welled up within Chen Fan.

Before he could think further, the obscure whispers that had been barely tolerable suddenly intensified.

It was as though tens of thousands of radios beside his ears had simultaneously begun blasting the static of a lost signal!

An even stronger wave of dizziness swept over him!

The next second.

Amid a familiar, intense sensation of falling, Chen Fan completely lost consciousness.

In the dark, silent universe, a black hole silently devoured all matter around it.

Around it, an accretion disk formed from vast quantities of plasma glowed brilliantly as it continuously spun and fell inward.

At the center of that radiance lay an abyssal darkness.

Under the black hole's immense gravity, even light itself could not escape.

It was one of the universe's ultimate celestial bodies. No matter could withstand its might—

At least, that was true in theory.

In reality... this extreme celestial body, which should have dominated the universe, had become a "plaything" imprisoned in a cage.

Cables made from unknown materials crisscrossed one another, weaving into an enormous spherical cage that tightly confined the black hole and the accretion disk surrounding it.

As the view steadily drew closer, an enormous Möbius Strip-shaped structure could be seen quietly operating beside the cage.

The intense radiation and immense gravitational pull surrounding the black hole had no effect whatsoever on this megastructure, whose scale surpassed that of most stars in the universe.

The Dangerous Technology Administration, under the Pan-Universal Human Alliance, was located within this magnificent megastructure.

"Abnormal fluctuations in signal strength!"

"Cross-universe ultra-long-distance transmission has encountered an unknown error! Unable to open a wormhole!!"

Inside the building, researchers in white lab coats looked anxious as they loudly reported the alarm messages appearing on the Holographic Projection.

Morr gazed calmly at the enormous azure holographic image ahead of the Command Center, though his eyes also revealed traces of anxiety and panic.

"Stabilize the signal immediately!"

"The last signal transmitted by the TE913 Research Ship came from this region!"

Morr issued his orders in a deep voice. "We finally found a signal on the same frequency. Whether the other side is the TE913 Research Ship or not, no matter what it takes, we must contact this signal source today!"

The moment he finished speaking, a streak of scarlet flashed across the azure Holographic Projection, followed by a piercing alarm.

"Director, the signal has been completely lost!!"

"We can no longer locate the target signal!"

Morr's expression immediately turned grim upon hearing this.

The TE913 Research Ship had been the same back then—it had lost contact with the Dangerous Technology Administration in a mere instant.

He took a deep breath and calmed the agitation and unease within him. "Academician Song, do you have any leads?"

Faced with Morr's question, the researcher hesitated for a moment before responding quietly, "Based on the data sent back before the TE913 Research Ship lost contact and the latest observation data, we suspect that there is a Cosmic Bubble with a complex structure in that region."

Morr was startled. "You mean..."

"The signal source and the TE913 Research Ship may have fallen into a Cosmic Bubble that has yet to be discovered by the Alliance?"

In the Alliance's research, the universe consisted of small "bubbles" scattered throughout Five-Dimensional Space.

These small "bubbles," known as Cosmic Bubbles, were irregularly dispersed across a Hyperspace Membrane that stretched throughout all of Five-Dimensional Space.

And the TE913 Research Ship was a scientific exploration vessel capable of Five-Dimensional Navigation.

To use a somewhat inappropriate analogy, if a Research Ship in Five-Dimensional Navigation were compared to a ship sailing across the sea, then Cosmic Bubbles would be independent bubbles attached to the seabed.

In response to Morr's question, Academician Song raised a hand to adjust the glasses on his nose, then nodded seriously. "Theoretically speaking, yes."

Morr's heart sank. The target had fallen into an unknown Cosmic Bubble with a complex structure, which meant the difficulty of establishing contact with it would increase dramatically!

"No matter what, perform coordinate dimensional reduction first." Morr steadied himself and issued the order. "The signal source just disappeared, so its coordinates should not have shifted too much yet."

Academician Song nodded and returned to his seat to begin entering the relevant information.

Reducing high-dimensional coordinates into lower-dimensional ones was an extremely tedious and complex task, far beyond human capability!

But for the Dangerous Technology Administration's main computer, this calculation was not difficult.

In just a few dozen seconds, a string of complex numbers appeared on the enormous Holographic Projection ahead.

These were the four-dimensional coordinates of the signal source from earlier!

"No corresponding signal detected at the four-dimensional coordinates!"

As a warning icon appeared on the projection, Academician Song's calm voice came from nearby. "Beginning three-dimensional coordinate conversion now..."

Morr lowered his gaze, concealing the apprehension deep in his eyes.

"Found it!"

With a crisp notification chime, Academician Song's voice instantly rose. "Comparison complete. Target confirmed to be the original signal source."

"Coordinates have been relocated!"

"Restart cross-universe transmission!"

"Ha!"

Chen Fan abruptly opened his eyes, panting violently with a look of horror on his face.

The obscure whispers seemed to still echo beside his ears, while faint waves of dizziness continued to wash through his mind.

"Was that... a dream?"

Chen Fan reached behind his back and touched the clothes soaked through with cold sweat.

A slightly chilly breeze blew in through the open wooden window, carrying away some of his remaining warmth.

He shivered and instinctively looked up at the wall.

Dim starlight shone through the window onto the hanging painting. The deity in the portrait continued to look down on him with the same lofty attitude—there were no surprises. He was still in this terrible, strange world.

Chen Fan sighed helplessly, letting go of that faint, inexplicable hope in his heart.

"What cross-universe transmission..."

Chen Fan laughed at himself and raised a hand to lightly pat his overheated cheeks. "I've really gone crazy..."

Muttering to himself, he lay back down on the somewhat uncomfortable bedboard.

Suddenly.

A faint light erupted beside his bed without warning!

The soft glow quickly dispelled the darkness in the room, drawing Chen Fan's gaze toward it as well.

He widened his slightly bloodshot eyes and moved his dry, cracked lips, yet no sound came out.

Faced with this sudden event beyond his understanding, he seemed able only to remain frozen in place as a spectator.