Under Zhang Sanxian's indifferent gaze, the main control room door, far sturdier than anyone could have imagined, seemed to have been crushed by an invisible giant hand.
Without a sound, it cracked inch by inch and crumbled into dust, revealing the scene within.
Beyond the door was not the multitude of complex instruments and massive control consoles he had expected.
Instead, there was a vast expanse of starry sky.
Silver starlight glittered as galaxies wheeled and swirled.
For all its grandeur, it carried a hint of unreal illusion.
It was somewhat like 3D virtual imaging.
Only, the technology involved was astonishingly advanced.
And at the center of this false sea of stars, spanning tens of thousands of light-years, was a tiny spacecraft that looked exceedingly old, no more than a hundred meters long.
It was speeding forward in a peculiar fashion.
The craft itself remained perfectly still, while the surrounding starry sky, like an enormous backdrop, streamed rapidly backward.
Creating the visual effect of the ship cleaving through the sea of stars and charging ever onward.
Yet at this moment, the false starry sky was simulating a frenzied interstellar storm.
Vortex-like currents of chaotic spacetime swept the little vessel up within them, leaving it in dire peril.
"Blue Star Year 2077: the first dawn of controllable nuclear fusion appeared, and Chenque civilization broke free of its energy shackles.
"Blue Star Year 2245: the sublight engine was declared a success. For Chenque, the sea of stars was no longer beyond reach.
"Blue Star Year 2588: Heavenly Palace, the first large near-Earth orbital space city, was completed. Billions of lives of Chenque civilization formally entered the age of settlement in space.
"Blue Star Year 2791: gene optimization technology became widespread. The average lifespan of Chenque humans surpassed five hundred years, while their