Negative Matter

Two Collectors transported matter from outside the region through the breach holes, each choosing a relatively open area to cultivate a towering skeletal pillar. The pillars grew upward, closing the distance to the microwave source.

The Collectors had prioritized the microwave source because the signs it displayed concerned them greatly. They had already formed their own hypothesis from those signs; now they only needed to verify it.

The skeletal pillars in two different locations grew upward together. Since resources were supplied at roughly equal speeds, they grew at the same rate.

After letting the skeletal pillars grow for some time, once they reached a certain height, the Collectors could use visual observation to glimpse the region's entire interior.

The interior was an extremely uniform spherical space, which indirectly proved that the forces throughout the entire region were very evenly distributed.

Everything inside, aside from the microwave source, was "pressed" against the inner wall. This was not adhesion, merely a description. If it had to be compared to something, it was more like gravity: some unknown force pressed everything within the region against the inner wall.

As the pillars rose, the resistance they encountered grew stronger the closer they came to the top. The Collectors carefully controlled the distribution of torque within the skeletal pillars to maintain balance, continuously pushing upward in an effort to get closer to the microwave source.

However, even so, the skeletal pillars ultimately fractured before they could touch the microwave source.

Fortunately, the Collectors noticed in time, preventing a large-scale collapse. The remnants of the Hui civilization within the region remained intact. After all, it was their own body; any damage would be discovered quickly.

"Looks like we were right."

After cleaning up the aftermath, the Collectors gazed at the microwave source directly overhead and voiced