"Dead Space"

Roach's voice did not rise, yet against the roar of the lake of fire and the eruptions of magma, it was exceptionally clear.

The adjutant frowned tightly, a flicker of vigilance passing through his eyes. "Sir, do you suspect this isn't some large-scale planetary engineering project, but something more dangerous?"

Roach did not answer immediately.

He merely continued to stare at the colossal ship hanging alone in space, his gaze cold.

The drone's camera moved across the hull. Every crack and every damaged section seemed to whisper of some secret that had been erased.

"Regardless," he said quietly, "the existence of that vessel is enough to change our understanding of humanity in this world."

He then turned to the adjutant and gave a brief order. "Have the drones continue their investigation. Try to scan the bridge and other areas. Confirm whether there are any signs of life or residual energy signals."

"Yes, sir."

The adjutant immediately acknowledged the order and issued new reconnaissance commands.

Far off on the horizon, that silent behemoth still floated quietly, like an ancient beast asleep in the stars, forced to use chains of cyan-blue light to hold together a dying world.

Its soundless outline stood at the boundary between blazing firelight and the black void, carrying an unsettling sense of oppression.

Every reconnaissance soldier who had crossed the Space Gate understood that this was not merely the destruction of a planet. It heralded the emergence of some unknown force.

And a thought gradually surfaced in Roach's mind: when the Empire stepped into this universe, it would likely face a long-buried catastrophe head-on.

Not long afterward, within the Meditation Hall deep inside the Imperial Palace on Main Universe Earth.

The grand hall's dome was as black as the night sky, while more than ten thousand Psychic