The Shenhe Legacy (3): Great Secrets and Great Pressure

The statue inside was of a tall figure in armor, its face hidden in shadow. It had only three fingers on each hand, one of which gripped a weapon. Countless weapons were displayed behind it.

Han Fei led the Extreme Warriors inside.

It was clear his people had already explored part of the area. They had uncovered many places that obviously contained mechanisms.

They took an elevator down about five or six floors before it stopped.

The doors opened, and dim light fell across the walls.

The space within came into view.

Before them,

a streamlined, oval-shaped spaceship hundreds of meters long sat in a spotless chamber, with no plants or dust anywhere nearby.

It seemed someone had been cleaning it all along.

"Shall we meet the king?"

Han Fei waved a hand.

"No need."

"Get started."

At Han Fei's command, teams of specialists began mining with their equipment.

At the very front was a man wearing a silvery-white crown, being escorted forward.

Han Fei stayed back. Hexi, however, moved ahead and began her analysis.

Projections appeared before them.

Complex streams of data scrolled rapidly across them.

Soon, a faint sound came from the front.

The silvery-white doors below slid open.

Pale, bone-white mist spilled out.

A group of people quickly put on their breathing apparatus.

Some experts collected samples of the gas.

They did not stop moving, either. Small automated probes were sent inside under remote control.

Everyone had their own task.

The work took about three hours.

Then someone ran over to report to Han Fei.

"Reporting in: the interior has been fully surveyed. Secretary Hexi is now conducting a more detailed investigation."

Han Fei nodded and stepped into the spaceship.

Its walls were silvery-white and futuristic, and the machinery had a distinctly mechanical feel.

Following the soldiers leading the way, Han Fei crossed one area after another.

Along the way, he saw a production line filled with the same kind of robots he had seen before.

There were also numerous weapon-manufacturing stations.

Most of them, however, were empty. Who knew where everything had gone?

Soon, Han Fei reached the control room.

The space was not very large. Several screens stood at the front, along with a few seats.

There were also some machines placed nearby.

The room looked rather empty.

Hexi was studying something there.

She nodded slightly, then looked up and saw Han Fei arrive.

"This ship has no security checkpoints at all. In other words, it was left here openly, waiting for someone to come."

Hexi's words made Han Fei's expression shift.

"What have you found?"

"I found a video left behind by this person. Take a look."

Han Fei did not know what Hexi did, but after the silvery-white sphere on the table spun around a few times, a figure was projected onto the wall.

The tall figure was the very "god" who had descended here.

"Greetings, outsider."

His voice was hoarse and bitter, steeped in sorrow.

"I am the highest-ranking officer of the Divine River Civilization stationed in the Long River Star System, a Second Generation Super Warrior. Codename: Master of Single Soldier."

"Jasi."

"Of course, you can also call me Kingdom Machine God. Perhaps that title will be more widely remembered. Or perhaps my legend has faded by your era. Heh."

Chapter 49: The Divine River Legacy (Part Three)—Great Secrets and Great Pressure

The Divine River Civilization.

Second Generation Super Warrior.

Master of Single Soldier.

The words spoken by this man named Jasi shook Han Fei again and again.

This had never appeared in the original story.

But it made sense.

According to the setting, the Divine River Civilization had been consumed by the Ultimate Fear, but that did not mean all the people of Divine River had died.

And the original story could not have included everything.

So it was plausible.

Jasi continued speaking. It was clearly just a recording.

"No matter who comes after me—whether you belong to the feudal civilization I left behind, an Aerospace Civilization from elsewhere, or one of those civilizations that later claimed to be Divine River—if you've made it in here, you must be a life-form from the universe. So I will tell you a secret. I hope you'll be prepared after hearing it. And the things I left here may serve as a legacy to help you."

With that, he lowered the great halberd in his hands.

"First, I want to speak of the calamity known as the Ultimate Fear."

"What kind of calamity is it? To be honest, I can't explain it. Perhaps only Master Ding Ge and Scholar Gillian knew."

"But there's no doubt that it is a calamity—a calamity that destroys civilizations."

"My home, Divine River, was destroyed by the Ultimate Fear."

"That day, boundless darkness descended. Forgive me—I was only a child then. All I saw was endless darkness, followed by the destruction of stars and the disappearance of energy. We were forced to flee. During our escape, our Super Warrior technology became increasingly advanced. Later, I became a Super Warrior, but it made no difference."

His voice seemed to grow pained.

"We tried to rebuild our civilization, but the fear kept following us. We tried to call for help, but no civilization in the universe at the time could stand against it, because Divine River was the most powerful and advanced civilization of that era.

"By the time I learned enough to understand what was happening, the Divine River Civilization could no longer hold on. A massive explosion swept through the entire Divine River Super Star System. It was already too late.

"The Divine River Civilization was completely destroyed.

"At the time, only a few of us Super Warriors survived, barely clinging to life. Master Ding Ge died with the civilization. Scholar Gillian disappeared. We couldn't contact anyone else from the Super Seminary. I believe there must have been other survivors. Perhaps we could still rebuild Divine River.

"After that, we were attacked.

"They all died. I was the only one left.

"But, heh, though I was badly wounded, I was lucky enough to learn some secrets. The nature of the Ultimate Fear may be something called the Void, which is harvesting the highest civilizations of the Known Universe."

At this point, his voice no longer sounded pained. Instead, he spoke as if merely recounting events, lifelessly.

"The thing that attacked us was a purple figure. I couldn't make out its appearance. It was just a huge mouth that swallowed my companions. Its sharp limbs slashed me, leaving me gravely wounded. My wounds couldn't heal, and it was constantly devouring my life, leaving me with nothing to do but wait for death."

"And when it appeared, the sound it made—I heard it clearly—was the word 'Void.'"

"And when I caught that fleeting glimpse of it, I felt an uncontrollable terror. Perhaps now I understand why it's called the Ultimate Fear..."

His words grew increasingly jumbled. He seemed to be losing his mind.

"Everything is over. I came here, hoping to heal my wounds and evolve the intelligence of the people here, but it was all in vain. In the end, I left this secret behind. I hope the civilization that receives this message will..."

"Be careful. Be careful. Be more careful than that."

He lay there, utterly hopeless and looking exhausted. Black smoke began to rise from the enormous gash on his body, shrouding him completely.

"This ship is an escape vessel I used when fleeing. Inside is a complete set of records, from feudal society through intermediate Aerospace Civilization. But don't accept all of it wholesale, or you'll just become the next Divine River."

"Also, I've left behind one of Divine River's greatest technologies: Super Gene manufacturing. The first- and second-generation versions are both basic models, without specific types. You'll have to research the types yourselves."

"And I've left my own Super Gene, too, as a keepsake. I hope whoever inherits my genes will be able to find the Void..."

His voice grew fainter and fainter.

The black smoke enveloping him grew heavier and heavier.

In the end, it swallowed him completely.

He vanished into thin air, leaving nothing behind.

Master of Single Soldier—Jasi.

Dead!

"..."

"..."

Silence.

Han Fei's brows furrowed into a deep crease.

Hexi looked equally somber beside him.

He knew of the Ultimate Fear, and he knew of the Void, but this was the first time he had heard such a detailed account. If they were no match for it at all, would only the gods have any power to resist?

Han Fei wondered.

He also thought of everything Carl would do before long.

Bringing about the arrival of the Void era.

Wasn't that just asking for trouble?

Hunting down top civilizations.

Harvesting them on a schedule.

Treating them like crops?

Perhaps even the gods were no match for it.

And then there was himself, as he was now.

Complacent!

Far too complacent!!

Han Fei clenched his fists, his face expressionless.

Immense pressure swept over him. It felt a little like when he had first learned that this was the Super God Universe: oppressive, yet stirring a drive to fight.

Hexi, beside him, felt only the pressure.

If the recording was true, then the Void was probably the enemy of the entire universe.

And just now, an intense loathing of the Ultimate Fear had welled up in her mind.