The Dark Silent Forest

It was a mountain range, an endless stretch of dark mountains. It seemed like a vivid ink painting by God, yet... it was utterly devoid of daylight...

The sky was gloomy and oppressive. Every so often, a few rumbles of thunder rang out, like the deep, ancient tolling of bells, bringing a hint of liveliness to the otherwise silent forest.

Silent Forest, or perhaps Hunting Forest. That was the name of this dark, quiet forest. As for where the name came from, there was probably no one left who could say.

At some point, a cliff had appeared in the forest, and a human being slowly emerged from it.

He was a man, and his silver hair and silver armor seemed completely out of place in his surroundings.

The man had only just appeared at the cliff when he vanished in an instant. A moment later, a black lightning bolt struck the spot, and the cliff was pulverized in the blink of an eye.

The man reappeared not far from the cliff. He carefully surveyed his surroundings and, once he was sure it was safe, let out a sigh of relief.

"That was close. Looks like I won't be able to complete this mission easily."

As soon as he finished speaking, the man vanished again. The next time he appeared, he was already a thousand meters away.

The man was Yi Chen, who had come to this forest because of a System Mission. He was now standing beside a river. Looking down from the bank, he saw that the river was as black as its surroundings. The water seemed completely still, without a hint of movement, like a pool of stagnant water.

Looking toward the middle of the river, he noticed a structure that resembled an ancient Egyptian pyramid. However, it wasn't made of piled-up sandstone.

The pyramid-like structure towered into the clouds. At its peak was an ornament resembling a lightning rod, and light flowed across its surface. It looked extraordinarily strange, yet it stirred one's curiosity.

How could there be a structure like this here? What was it for?

Yi Chen wondered, then leaped to the base of the structure. He wrapped his hand in Dark Energy and reached out to touch it. The instant his fingertips made contact, everything before his eyes began to warp. In a daze, he found himself in a new place.

The surroundings still resembled a dark forest, but this one was slightly different from the forest he had just been in. The trees were a little thicker, and he had clearly gone deeper in.

Teleportation? Or a wormhole? No, it probably isn't a wormhole. This world is obviously different from the one I came from. It might be some other kind of power.

Yi Chen thought this over, then continued deeper into the forest. He decided to keep looking for the Pyramid Structure, since it might be the way to reach his mission location.

Before long, Yi Chen came across another Pyramid Structure, identical to the previous one.

Using the same method, Yi Chen passed through the structure to another location. He now realized that it seemed to take him deeper and deeper into the forest. He was farther in than before.

"Beep!"

Just as Yi Chen was about to go deeper again, the system's mechanical voice sounded in his mind.

"Due to unforeseen factors in the mission, the system has activated the host's Gene Engine in advance to ensure the host can complete the mission successfully."

After transmitting the message, the system fell silent, leaving Yi Chen looking bewildered. After a brief daze, he sensed that something new had appeared in his consciousness. Then the system spoke again.

"Host, please explore how to use the Engine 'Star Departure' on your own. Since its functions overlap with the system's, 'Star Departure' will take over and continue serving the host from now on. Aside from issuing missions, the system will no longer provide the host with any assistance. May the host achieve Main Godhood soon."

After saying this, the system's voice vanished completely. Yi Chen tried calling for it, but got no response. He then tried opening the System Store and, after confirming that the items were still there, breathed a sigh of relief.

Yan often taught him about technology, but he hadn't studied the specifics yet. So even though his Engine had been activated, he still had no idea how to use it properly. For now, he could only buy what was available in the system.

"Zzz—"

Just as Yi Chen tried to enter the Dark Dimension, a loud electrical crackle came from behind him. With no time to hesitate, he leaped aside at the last possible moment, just before the Black Lightning struck him. The ancient tree behind him was instantly pulverized.

Yi Chen turned around in alarm. About a hundred and fifty meters ahead stood a figure, though some kind of substance seemed to cover it, making it difficult to see clearly. It closely resembled the substance that had shimmered across the surface of the Pyramid Structure. The same glimmering light clung to the figure.

Electricity flickered in the figure's eyes, and sparks appeared now and then at the corners of them. It looked like a person, but aside from its shape, it had no other human traits. It didn't even seem to be alive, almost like a robot.

The figure saw that it had missed Yi Chen, but showed no anger. It seemed to have no emotions at all. It stared at him without making any move to attack again. After several minutes, it turned mechanically and walked down another path, then disappeared from Yi Chen's view.

After the figure left, Yi Chen didn't linger. He continued searching for the same kind of structure as before.

But the journey wasn't as safe as it had been earlier. Figures like the one he had just encountered appeared from time to time, and they all behaved the same way: they unleashed lightning, then left without lingering, whether or not they hit their target.

Even so, Yi Chen remained on his guard. Everything here filled him with curiosity. In fact, given the strength of his Second Generation Divine Body, attacks from lightning of that intensity wouldn't harm him, so he could afford to be bolder.

He continued searching for Pyramid Structures. Finding them was now harder than before. They weren't as conspicuous as they had been earlier, as if someone had deliberately hidden them in inconspicuous places.

After passing through one Pyramid Structure after another, Yi Chen could clearly feel that he had ventured deep into the forest. The surroundings had grown damper, and the stench of rotting plants assailed his senses, forcing him to hold his breath for a while. Darkness still shrouded the forest, blotting out the sky, and it remained as gloomy and terrifying as ever.

At last, an hour after passing through the previous structure, Yi Chen reached another one. He reached out and touched the flowing light on its surface. Soon, the scene before him began to change.

Angel Nebula

After yet another fruitless search for Yi Chen's location, Yan slowly stopped beating her wings.

She had just returned from Merlot Star to Brahma Star. After coming back from Earth to the Angel Nebula, she had handled the task Queen Keisha had assigned her on Merlot Star, then returned here.

But when she got back, she found that Yi Chen had vanished without a trace. Even using the Scout Eye revealed not the slightest sign of him. Yan, who was usually so calm and composed, couldn't help feeling a little anxious.

She wasn't worried about Yi Chen's safety. After all, they were in the Angel Nebula, and probably no one in the Known Universe could take someone away from here without anyone noticing. She was anxious because Queen Keisha had said there were many secrets to uncover in Yi Chen's genes.

She couldn't help wondering if Yi Chen had discovered some new ability in his genes and ended up teleporting himself to some remote corner of an unknown universe. If that had happened, whether he could return would be entirely up to him.

Just moments ago, Yan had asked Queen Keisha to search for Yi Chen's location, but they hadn't found anything. Queen Keisha had the entire Knowledge Repository at her disposal, and even that hadn't been enough to locate him. Yan couldn't imagine where Yi Chen had sent himself.

"Yan, if he can disappear on his own, then he can surely find a way back. Don't worry too much. Have faith in your male god."

"Ah?... Yes." Yan's pretty face flushed slightly, and she replied in an awkward tone.

"By the way, Yan, Zhi Xin said she found traces of Demons on Fei Leize. Why don't you go take a look?"

"Yes, Queen."

"Stop by and see Anixid, too. But for now, there's no need to let her know we're here."

"Understood."

"Mm... I originally wanted your male god to accompany you on this mission. Since you're going alone, be careful. Report to me immediately if anything seems wrong."

"Thank you for your concern, Queen. I'll be careful."

"Mm, go on!"

That was the end of their conversation. Yan began preparing to head to Fei Leize, but first she left some markers on Brahma Star to alert her when Yi Chen returned. Once she had finished, she set off for Fei Leize.

Meanwhile, after Yi Chen passed through the fourth Pyramid Structure, the scene before him began to change. When everything had settled, he started looking around. But as soon as he got a good look at his surroundings, his pupils contracted sharply. He seemed so stunned by what he saw that he couldn't recover for a long time.