On July 1, 2056, in a remote corner of Yangzhou City, inside an old, rundown residential complex, a handsome young man with a weary look on his face lay asleep, unable to wake.
Inside the room, a furnace burned with flickering blue flames. The coals inside gave off unbearable heat, and the young man had passed out from carbon monoxide poisoning. His condition was already severe.
After an unknown amount of time, a streak of light shot in, smashed through the window, and landed beside the young man. The glow split in two: one part burrowed into his body, while the other turned into a crystal ball and fell beside him.
A fierce wind howled through the broken window. Only then did the young man's fingers twitch as he regained consciousness.
"Ugh, what's going on? My head is spinning!"
Liu Yun struggled to sit up, his head pounding. He forced himself to look around. This was a completely unfamiliar place, and panic left him utterly bewildered.
There was a table in the room, with several medals of merit and even a disability certificate on it. A photograph lay there too.
It showed a girl with the young man himself. She was fair and petite, with long, flowing hair, dressed in the neat, modest style of a student. The sight left the young man staring blankly.
Then a flood of memories poured into his mind. Monsters, Martial Artists, War Generals, and more—all of it came rushing back, finally reminding him of everything.
"Did I transmigrate into the Swallowed Star World? Good heavens! Was this girl his ex-girlfriend who dumped him?"
As he fully absorbed the original owner's memories, everything that had been unclear became vivid to Liu Yun. Still, the shock was too much for him to accept all at once.
The original owner had also been named Liu Yun. He had been a capable Martial Artist, but six months earlier, he'd injured his spine while fighting off a beast tide and lost his former strength. He'd spent all his savings as a Martial Artist trying to pay for treatment, enduring endless hardship and frustration, yet still couldn't fill the bottomless pit that was his medical expenses.
At the same time, a Martial Artist's disability could greatly affect how a partner saw him. His girlfriend, who had once loved him dearly, had already abandoned him without mercy! Even before transmigrating, Liu Yun had seen countless soldiers fight bravely, only to lose an arm and then be scorned by their wives or lovers.
After being abandoned, the original owner had been too ashamed to face his old companions. He'd left the villa and chosen an ordinary residential complex where he could live in obscurity.
Liu Yun's parents had died long ago. They had barely made a living as caretakers at a radio station, and money had always been tight. Fortunately, Liu Yun had managed to become a Martial Artist, which was how he'd been able to buy a house in Yi'an District, Yangzhou City.
But not long ago, he'd suffered a serious injury and lost all his strength. Within a year, Liu Yun would be paralyzed, and with Earth's current level of technology, there was no way to treat him. Liu Yun had lost hope. Unwilling to become a burden on his younger sister, he had chosen to end his life. His body had been left beneath the lamplight, blood staining the empty room.
Liu Yun's body hadn't recovered. Though he had taken it over and gained a wealth of knowledge unique to the Swallowed Star World, he still had no way to preserve the original Liu Yun's strength.
Let me think carefully about how to deal with all this. I can't overlook a single detail.
Standing by the broken window, Liu Yun gazed at the lights in countless homes, his heart pounding as he began to consider how to make the most of his situation—to keep Liu Yun alive and even set him on the path to invincibility.
Liu Yun had always loved Swallowed Star and had read it many times, so he knew its characters and plot inside out. It was a vast world, and a harsh one.
Countless monsters had appeared on Earth. First they seized the skies, then they took the oceans, leaving humanity struggling to survive amid the beast tides.
When Luo Feng appeared and put an end to the beast tides, humanity began making contact with the civilizations of the universe. Only then did they discover that Earth was nothing more than an unnoticed corner of the Milky Way, controlled by the Silver Blue Empire.
The Silver Blue Empire ruled over eight star systems the size of the Milky Way. And even that was only a junior civilization empire. Above it stood the Black Dragon Mountain Empire, a thousand times more powerful, ruling over more than eight thousand spiral galaxies.
Yet the Black Dragon Mountain Empire was itself merely a vassal state of another power. Humanity's territory was practically endless, and the universe was immeasurably vast. Five other great races competed with humanity, each possessing formidable abilities. Of course, to the lesser races, it seemed as though six great evil races were fighting over every resource they could find.
Earth was like a speck of dust floating beneath the setting sun, yet it was also where the protagonist, Luo Feng, lived. Liu Yun wondered whether he should use his extensive knowledge of Martial Arts to teach Luo Feng a few techniques.
If he could teach the kid even one or two moves, then with his future achievements, Luo Feng might give Liu Yun a helping hand—and Liu Yun would take off from there.
But after thinking for a long time, Liu Yun began to feel tired. He felt that relying on someone else's power was probably unreliable. Luo Feng was certainly a decent person, but for a long time, he couldn't even cure his own younger brother's paralysis. How could he possibly save Liu Yun?
First, he went to the bathroom and fetched some water to douse the furnace. As he watched the water hiss into steam, he thought that he couldn't give up on life. He had to find a way.
Only after the flickering flames inside the furnace had been completely extinguished did Liu Yun notice the faint red glow emanating from the crystal ball that had entered the room earlier.
It was the Life Core of a Machine Race being from the universe. It had crossed over with him and was searching for a suitable person to bond with.
Liu Yun had already formed a bond with it, much like a blood pact between living beings. The core had become his Machine Race Clone. With a wave of his hand, Liu Yun sent it floating into his palm, and in an instant, an endless flood of knowledge surged into his mind.
The Machine Race was a powerful race. Even after their consciousness had been extinguished, they could still accomplish great things. Even one ten-thousandth of their computing power, once released, represented a level of intelligence far beyond human imagination. This Crystal Ball was actually the core of a powerful Machine Race member, and it had now fallen into Liu Yun's hands.
In the Swallowed Star World, the Machine Race was one of the most powerful races, ruling over boundless territories and possessing many fearsome abilities and methods beyond Earthlings' imagination.
"Excellent, I've got a cheat now! Flesh is weak; machines are the future! With a Machine Race Clone, my future will be smooth sailing."
After his excitement faded, Liu Yun forced himself to calm down. How he should proceed from here remained unknown, but for now, he had to rely on the miraculous Crystal Ball.
It was the Life Core of a powerful Machine Race being. Its original body had been destroyed, and now it could only serve as Liu Yun's clone.
The Machine Race could churn out troops to gather resources for Liu Yun, or switch to production and manufacture all kinds of fearsome high-tech weapons! All things considered, it was far better than the Zerg. The Zerg couldn't switch to production and integrate perfectly into human society, and their mass-produced troops would probably be meaningless under the Machine Race's firepower. Besides, the Machine Race's ability to churn out troops was no worse than the Zerg's. It could build bases and upgrade them continuously, helping Liu Yun gain an influential position in society.
Before you continue