Crossing Time and Space

Zhang Hao suddenly understood. The body could die, but if the soul had a suitable vessel, then it could live forever!

So that was how it worked!

He told Mifeng what he had realized.

Live forever? Impossible. You're a carbon-based life-form. There's no problem copying your body, but there's one very important issue: if your soul grows so powerful that your vessel can't contain it, then it'll collapse completely. There's a compatibility problem.

But you don't need to worry. You'll still be able to live for a very, very long time. Maybe by then, you won't even be able to stand being alive.

Zhang Hao thought about it and realized Mifeng had a point. If he really lived for a thousand years, he might well get tired of it and want to die.

Here's my advice: just live in the present!

Zhang Hao had to admit Mifeng was right. There was no point overthinking it; that was just foolish. After all, he was already a billionaire, and he'd gotten that fortune for free... When he thought about it, it felt pretty great. Who could have a better stroke of luck in life?

After preparing himself mentally, Zhang Hao felt much better.

Then he asked, "What does a soul's dwelling place—the so-called medium—look like?"

There are quite a few types of soul dwellings, but ours is special. Nobody else has one!

It's an extremely unusual crystal, called a Soul Crystal. You'll understand once you use one. Want to give it a try?

Zhang Hao hesitated. After a long pause, he asked, "How long would it take to try it?"

It won't take long. Once you enter the Spacetime Bridgehead, I can anchor the time inside it. When you return, it'll still be the same moment. The time difference could be anywhere from a few hours to several days, so as far as your world is concerned, you don't need to worry about the time outside while you're in the bridgehead.

Of course, I can also make time pass at the same rate as it does outside. It depends on what we need. That's what makes the bridgehead so powerful.

Zhang Hao understood each sentence individually, but he couldn't make sense of them all together. It made no logical sense. Could time really stop? This was ridiculous!

Even though Zhang Hao couldn't understand it, he didn't deny it. Almost everything Mifeng had brought him was beyond his understanding. "All right, all right. You mean I don't need to worry about time?"

That's right!

In any case, those words put Zhang Hao at ease. He couldn't bear the thought of going away for years and coming back to find everything changed. He sighed, "That's incredible. You can even control time!"

If you can enter the River of Spacetime, how could you do it without controlling time? You don't need to worry about that. You wouldn't understand anyway!

Zhang Hao rolled his eyes. He really had nothing to say to that. Judging by what Mifeng had shown him, the other truly seemed capable of anything.

"How do I try it?" By now, Zhang Hao was genuinely curious.

The first time, you can only stay for a short while. I'll go with you, too. This is a branch bridgehead on a Branch Planet. It was left behind a long time ago and needs to be restarted.

Zhang Hao asked in surprise, "There's another bridgehead?"

Of course. How else would we get there? There are quite a few branch bridgeheads left over from the past, but some were neglected. If we want to use them, we have to restart them. Even the Main Bridgehead we're in now was only restarted last month. I was trapped in this world for far too long...

Zhang Hao asked, "Uh, are you human?"

After what happened to me, I don't count as human anymore. If this planet hadn't developed a network, I wouldn't have been able to find a partner, and I'd have been trapped here forever. It's a sad story, so let's not talk about it. We can get started.

The Conversion Platform reappeared. They said they'd try it, so they might as well do it now!

You can get on.

Zhang Hao walked up to the black pillar and reached out to touch it. In an instant, he lost control of his whole body again. It was terrifying, but having experienced it once before, he was much calmer this time. He wasn't as helpless as he'd been the first time.

A dazzling light flashed, and Zhang Hao found himself lying inside a transparent pillar, floating in midair. Then everything went black, and he felt himself drifting, cut off from all sensation.

A red dot appeared before him. Zhang Hao's thoughts hadn't stopped. As soon as he wondered how he could get out, the scene before him suddenly brightened.

Then Zhang Hao felt grounded again. He could sense what was around him, though not with his eyes. It was a strange sort of perception, and a stream of thoughts surged into his soul.

Holy crap!

Zhang Hao immediately understood. His body had changed. He was now inside a strange machine, lodged within it, and he could control it without difficulty. The amazing thing was that he could clearly sense everything about the machine. For instance, it had six legs—or six arms, perhaps—and a body made up of seven segments.

Then he sensed the presence of the Soul Crystal. It was something lodged inside the machine that could also change its shape to a certain extent.

Next, Zhang Hao noticed another identical machine beside him. They could communicate! That was Mifeng. In an instant, Zhang Hao understood.

It was almost exactly the same as the Spacetime Bridgehead from before. The only difference was the Conversion Platform.

It was a white, square platform about three meters above the ground, quite large, with sides twelve meters long. The machine—or rather, the mechanical insect—containing his soul was about three meters long. It was a big one.

Boss, is that you?

Although he was certain it was Mifeng, Zhang Hao couldn't help asking. This wasn't a voice, of course, but a means of communication he couldn't understand. He was also certain that the mechanical insect beside him was Mifeng.

Who else would it be?

Zhang Hao received the reply. He could sense Mifeng's impatience, but he was still happy. As a human, having a companion with him immediately dispelled the loneliness of being a soul.

Zhang Hao was actually extremely nervous. His soul's thoughts were in turmoil. There were too many unknowns and too many unfamiliar things. If he'd been alone, his soul probably would have collapsed before long.

Mifeng sent Zhang Hao an intelligent control program, allowing him to truly control the mechanical insect.

Somehow, Zhang Hao suddenly understood a great many things.

Most importantly, he finally understood what Mifeng meant by partnering with him!

The seventy-thirty split wasn't just about sharing the money. It meant sharing everything with Mifeng on a seventy-thirty basis! That was one hell of a bargain.

Of course, Mifeng was still the one truly in control of the Spacetime Bridgehead. With a seventy percent share, Mifeng had first control.

Zhang Hao had second control!

Zhang Hao now knew that Mifeng had six bridgeheads. Apart from the Main Bridgehead through which Blue Star had entered, the other five branch Spacetime Bridgeheads were all shut down. He had no idea what Mifeng had gone through to remain out of control for so long.

The mechanical insect he was inhabiting now was only a temporary vessel. He couldn't stay for more than two hours. After that, he had to return and wait until he could inhabit one again.

The reason it was temporary was that this type of mechanical insect was universally compatible: any soul could inhabit one. But it also had an obvious drawback—it couldn't be used for long. This was only a problem for Zhang Hao, because his soul was fragile and not strong enough.

If Zhang Hao had an incredibly powerful soul, the length of time he could inhabit it would be completely different. He could stay for years, or even decades.

Mifeng and Zhang Hao didn't need words to communicate. Whatever Mifeng thought, Zhang Hao could receive immediately. The two of them were connected.

After getting a little used to it, the two mechanical insects climbed down from the Conversion Platform. At first, the one Zhang Hao controlled was a little unsteady, but he soon adjusted to it and began to move faster.