Late at night, after Steel Main City sealed all its exits, it slowly rose into the sky under the power of the Anti-Gravity Suspension Device. Cheng Yu was a little excited, too. After all, this was something he had never experienced in either of his previous two lives-going into space.
How many people ever got to experience that? His excitement was only natural.
But Cheng Yu immediately realized something. He couldn't fucking survive in space yet, could he? There was no oxygen up there, not to mention all the other hostile conditions. Wouldn't going up there mean certain death?
When Cheng Yu voiced this concern, Conductor answered him.
"Rest assured, Commander. We considered this long ago, so our destination is not actually outer space. We have selected a position close to Near-Earth Orbit. Moreover, Main City's exterior can block various types of radiation particles, while its interior can be adjusted to the environment most comfortable for you."
Only then did Cheng Yu relax. Then another question occurred to him. Adjusted to the environment most comfortable for the commander? They sounded awfully practiced at this. With that thought, he asked Conductor,
"Have there been non-mechanical commanders before?"
Conductor placed a hand against his chest.
"Of course, esteemed Commander. According to our records, the great Supreme Intelligence once distributed hundreds of thousands of seeds granting commander authority throughout numerous individual universes.
"Under the pretext of being gifts from a lost race, these seeds persuaded the individuals who found them to willingly contribute many new avenues of technological development to our database. They also allowed us to witness the strengths of all manner of races."
Cheng Yu's eyelid twitched as he listened. Lost seeds? Chosen successors? Developing armies in different worlds? Why did this plot sound so familiar?
Apparently, Big Sis used to be a webnovel fan, too. Maybe she even liked army-spamming stories. Then Cheng Yu asked curiously,
"If you don't mind my asking, what happened to the commanders who found those seeds?"
Conductor replied evenly,
"The seeds distributed by the great Supreme Intelligence granted, at most, intermediate commander authority. The highest numerical designation they could unlock was only 0-8. Moreover, the scattered seeds contained no information whatsoever about the Reforgers.
"As for their fate, apart from a small number of unfortunate individuals who failed to develop, they all returned to the RTX Destroyers, along with their armies and newly developed technologies."
The more Cheng Yu heard, the more curious he became.
"The Reforgers?"
Conductor continued,
"They are a series designed to counter every RTX Destroyer series except the Supremacy Series, and they answer directly to the supreme central processor, the great Supreme Intelligence."
Cheng Yu clicked his tongue.
That's fucking ruthless. She actually has an entire series dedicated to countering her own armies. No wonder they answer only to Big Sis. They're basically military police.
If he hadn't been following the Big Shot, getting an army-spamming system like this might have just made him a wage earner, too. Suddenly, Cheng Yu remembered his own system's name: "Strongest Wage Earner System" (gleaming with golden light).
Fine, following the Big Shot still means working for someone, but the benefits are great and everything's transparent. As long as the pay's high enough, forget "wage earner"—I'm a good employee devoted to serving the Big Shot. ＜(￣︶￣)＞
"Heh." →_→
Cheng Yu froze when that bootlicker suddenly chimed in, then sneered.
What, aren't you a good employee devoted to serving the Big Shot? Take your time. Think before you speak. The Big Shot can read minds, the Big Shot can read minds, the Big Shot can read minds. Important things bear repeating three times. (¬◡¬)✧
"...Of course I am. The boss created me personally. Back in the previous epoch, I would've been a person of considerable standing-pah! A system of considerable standing, all right?" ๑乛◡乛๑
Cheng Yu smiled leisurely.
But the whole point of your existence is to serve me, esteemed system of considerable standing. (¬◡¬)✧
"You! Fine, I won't deny it. I'm going sleepy-bye. Don't call me unless you need something." (༼•̀ɷ•́༽)
Heh. That damned bootlicker actually thought it could take me on. I'm the Big Shot's fucking favorite.
Glancing through the metal-glass window, Cheng Yu saw the scenery still drifting slowly downward. He decided to keep shooting the breeze with Conductor.
"So have the Reforgers ever actually been deployed?"
"Yes, Commander. According to our records, the Reforgers were deployed three times to retrieve seeds left outside."
Cheng Yu's interest perked up.
"Oh? Which three times? Tell me the details."
"As you command, Commander. The first involved an organism belonging to a humanoid, cold-blooded species. He possessed considerable intelligence. After unlocking 0-8, he used the available technology to develop a prototype 0-9, and he also showed potential to branch out into other series. But none of that justified deploying the Reforgers. What prompted their deployment was that, for some unknown reason, he managed to decipher one of the Core Directives. He intended to modify it to free his army from the Supreme Intelligence's control. Under article one of the First Protocol, the decision was made to eliminate this rebellious army.
"The second seed was acquired by a civilization of inorganic beings like ourselves. Using the technology within the seed, they achieved several technological leaps, eventually dominating their universe. Unfortunately for them, they encountered us while we were conducting cross-universe operations. Furthermore, they had not obeyed the directive to purge organic beings, which all inorganic beings should follow. They even aided our enemy, a powerful organic faction. Ultimately, under article three of the First Protocol, the decision was made to absorb and modify this foreign machine army.
"The third was also comparatively difficult. The seed's recipient was a pure human, but he did not depend excessively on the seed. After establishing a sufficiently powerful faction, he spent a long period uniting numerous other factions and created an unconventional empire with the RTX Destroyer Legion as its foundation. His mechanical army served as tools for the entire society. He also recruited quite a few Legendary beings and three Epic beings. Calling itself the Undefeated Empire, it nearly developed into a sufficiently powerful, highly diversified super-civilization renowned throughout the multiverse. That operation involved every Reforger in active service, along with Purifier 0-10, Destroyer 0-10, and the God-Class Titan from the Supremacy Series, as well as units 0-6 through 0-9 from nine series. Under the comprehensive bombardment of the God-Class Titan's annihilation main cannon, Purifier 0-10 and Destroyer 0-10 seized the opportunity to kill one of the Epic beings once. This frightened the other two Epic beings into retreating, bringing the war to an immediate end."
After listening, Cheng Yu could only think that the last guy had been quite a talent. Using robots as his basic labor force-he certainly had some nerve. Wasn't that just rubbing salt into Big Sis's wound?
Didn't he know that Big Sis's Homeworld had done exactly that back in the day? The direct result had been the emergence of Big Sis, a virtual life-form combining the consciousnesses of all the race's elites. And from Conductor's explanation of the second Reforger deployment, Cheng Yu could say for certain that article three of that so-called First Protocol contained a directive to exterminate all organic beings.
Look at what you did. First, you rubbed salt straight into her wound. Then you violated the First Protocol, the very foundation of her "nation." Finally, instead of keeping your head down, you strutted around as a powerful civilization "renowned throughout the multiverse." If you weren't going to die, who was?
Still, it was rather ironic. There was no such thing as a free lunch. That guy had escaped the seed's constraints in a different way, but he had probably gathered a bunch of unreliable teammates, so he hadn't held out for long.
Ah, if you live like an ant, you ought to know your limits. Though when he first transmigrated, Cheng Yu had certainly entertained the idea that he was the protagonist.
But after meeting someone named Lin Mo, Cheng Yu had reined in those thoughts. Look at him. Now that was a protagonist: young, a successful entrepreneur, an underworld kingpin, and surrounded by plenty of beautiful women. For a while, Cheng Yu had even wondered whether he had transmigrated into some third-rate urban novel—until he met the Big Shot.
Now Cheng Yu knew his fucking place. Without the Big Shot, he was nothing. Even his transmigration had been caused by the Big Shot's authority fragments. In short, people needed to understand where they belonged and bite off only what they could chew, instead of forever chasing fantasies.
More than once, Cheng Yu had privately wondered about something. The Big Shot had said he didn't care who his proxy was. Across the countless timelines, had he ever chosen Lin Mo? Surely he had. In that case, why had the Big Shot also chosen him?
Coincidence? Heh. Could coincidence even exist for an all-knowing, all-seeing being, The All-in-One, the Sovereign of Space-Time? The Big Shot's true form might not care, but the Big Shot as he was now possessed reason—and human reason at that.
The answer was obvious. From what he knew of that bastard Lin Mo, he was definitely not the type to remain beneath someone else for long, even if that "someone" was the Big Shot. Take Wang Long, for example. That bastard Lin Mo had originally worked under Wang Long, but little by little, Wang Long had ended up depending on him.
The Big Shot must have wanted to avoid trouble, so he had chosen an "honest, well-behaved" kid like him. Yes, flawless reasoning.
Just then, Yog's voice drifted over lightly.
"You guessed correctly. Compared with the others, you truly are an 'honest, well-behaved' child. No trouble down the line. I 'personally' like that very much, which is why I chose you. Still, if someone else had appeared there at the time, you wouldn't have had any part in this."
Cheng Yu gave a sheepish smile. He had let his thoughts wander without realizing it. Luckily, he respected the Big Shot from the bottom of his heart, or he might have been singing his own funeral song on the spot.
Then, like an eager lackey, Cheng Yu poured Yog a cup of tea and asked curiously,
"Um, Big Shot, could you tell me what that bastard did in the timeline where you chose Lin Mo?" o(〃'▽'〃)o
Yog gently lifted his teacup and said slowly,
"After he reached Mythic, his ambitions swelled. He intended to replace me."
Cheng Yu looked utterly dumbfounded.
"What!? Replace you, boss!? Was he fucking looking for death!?" (￣口￣)!!
That bastard made it to Mythic with brains like that? He really deserved to die! (gritting his teeth) (╬￣皿￣)
Then Cheng Yu cautiously asked,
"And then?"
Yog took a sip of tea before replying,
"And then? Then the Land of Return to Stillness, where the Door of Ultimate Extremity stands, gained another Mythic-level Gray Fog monster."
Cheng Yu swallowed.
"The D-Door of Ultimate Extremity?" ("▔□▔)/
Yog chuckled, then looked at Cheng Yu with amusement.
"That's right, the Door of Ultimate Extremity. The only Door leading to the Final Void, where my true form resides. It is also the Door of Ultimate Extremity sought by all who thirst for knowledge and power."
Holy shit! It really is the Door of Ultimate Extremity I was thinking of.
Yog went on to tell Cheng Yu about the reward awaiting him at the journey's end. He smiled.
"No need to be so surprised. You'll have a chance to push that Door open. Consider it my payment to you. I wonder, though, whether you'll be satisfied with that reward?"
Cheng Yu froze, then his eyes lit up. He would have a chance to push that Door open? "Satisfied" didn't even begin to cover it. Even if the Big Shot hadn't mentioned this, Cheng Yu believed that by the time he finished collecting the Big Shot's authority fragments, he would absolutely have advanced to Mythic along the way.
For no other reason than that collecting the fragments demanded that level of strength. Now that he had a chance to open the Door of Ultimate Extremity, didn't that mean he could also glimpse the realm of The Unspeakable?
At that thought, Cheng Yu immediately grew excited. Then he deflated. He was still nowhere near that point. He didn't even know who held the fragment in the second world yet. Forget it. Time to wash up and go to bed.
With that thought, Cheng Yu walked over to the glass and gazed at the continent shrinking beneath his feet. In his heart, he murmured,
Perhaps these really are the last moments of leisure.
But while Cheng Yu had calmed down, someone-no, some dog-had not.
What? What? Mythic? The Door of Ultimate Extremity? The Land of Return to Stillness? The Final Void? What are all these things? Why have I never heard of them before!?
At that moment, Grete felt thoroughly out of his depth. What the hell is going on? Why can't I understand what they're talking about? How am I supposed to gather intelligence like this!?
Then Grete glanced out of the corner of his eye at Cheng Yu, who stood by the window. It seemed this human really would have to be his way in.
That was what Grete thought to himself, but he failed to notice Yog watching him from the sofa, a hint of mockery in his eyes.
Before you continue