This Was Only the Beginning

He merged with himself from another worldline.

Feng Buzhi closed his eyes in thought for a while, then looked around the room before turning to Tiger-man Theo, who hung suspended in the air.

Feng Buzhi praised him. "I knew I had not misjudged you. Not only did you complete the task I gave you, you also brought me several additional gains—such as your extraterrestrial exploration in that worldline. However, there are still some flaws in your idea."

The Tiger Man wore a blank expression, still unable to process what had happened.

Mason, who stood some distance away, had already regained consciousness.

Yet Mason did not spend much time looking at Feng Buzhi. Instead, he looked toward another figure outside the room, a figure who looked very much like him.

As though noticing their gazes, that figure even waved at him.

Recalling the things the Tiger Man had often said over the past few years, Mason suddenly realized something.

—Was this old man who resembled him another version of himself from a different worldline?

In Mason's field of vision, his other self looked at him with a smile but made no further move. Cult Leader Feng, meanwhile, entered the room—or, more precisely, walked up to the suspended Tiger Man.

Feng Buzhi said, "I believe that in the boundless universe, there must be other civilizations and other surprises. Your idea of conducting extraterrestrial exploration in another worldline was quite good, but the Alpha Centauri triple-star system was simply too close.

"A distance of 4.2 light-years may seem very far to you, but compared to the entire universe, it may not even amount to a speck of dust."

Feng Buzhi waved his arm, and some mysterious Weird power altered the surrounding space.

The scene of flowing light above the metal floor vanished.

Mason