Seeds of Dreams

Black fell silent for nearly a minute, then a slightly softer electronic voice sounded. "Understood. May I ask the host's current level of knowledge, in standard interstellar academic years? This will allow me to adjust the terminology for the introduction."

"Zero years," Mu Fan answered without hesitation, rare as it was to hear this machine show any conscience.

"Apologies, Host. Black cannot provide an introduction. Please acquire some knowledge of spatial physics before asking further..." Mu Fan's eyes went dead-fish cold, and his words squeezed out through clenched teeth. "Black... Egg!"

"Host, please put down that 317.4-kilogram steel rock. Black will fully address your questions."

With a clang, Mu Fan dropped the boulder and stared flatly at Black. "Talk."

"Based on incomplete records from the body's detectors, it is certain that Black is no longer in this spacetime plane. Spacetime deviation data is missing and cannot be retrieved. The host must connect to this galaxy's network before initial calibration can be performed."

"The host must trust that, regarding data issues, Black, as a controlled intelligence, cannot engage in fraudulent behavior such as falsifying data toward the primary authority holder," Black said immediately upon "seeing" Mu Fan's expression of are you kidding me.

"According to calculations from damaged pre-jump data, Black has an 89.1% probability of originating from a parallel universe. The time database is damaged and cannot be confirmed. Affiliation: Galaxy Council First Sequence No.3—Yake Super Empire. Product of the empire's SSS-class core laboratory." The cold electronic voice continued.

"Black Complete Body: Development cycle 14,408 atomic days, equivalent to 39.473 atomic years. Scale: Planetary Super Intelligent Cluster core. Performance tier: highest known, standard 17 times that of the previous strongest intelligence. According to incomplete database records, on the day the Planetary Super Intelligent Cluster project was completed, an unexplained energy reaction occurred 0.7 light-years from the core laboratory. Energy level, energy level... beep, incalculable. Database damaged. Spacetime turbulence generated. Black's planetary-scale body destroyed. With a probability of one in a trillion, a Spacetime Tunnel formed. Black Core activated self-preservation protocols and ejected. Current landing location: unknown. Alpha Superbrain is currently Black's secondary authority. Primary authority is the host."

"Narration complete..."

Mu Fan took a breath. His mind felt dazed. For the first time, he felt that something so colossal had barged into his world of understanding.

"Black, what functions do you still have now?"

"Answering the host: Black is currently managed by the autonomous intelligence Alpha Superbrain. Database loss: 91%. Planetary Super Intelligent Cluster loss: 100%. Alpha Superbrain is the highest-grade core intelligence of the Yake Empire. It can process—"

"Can you be used as a photonic computer?" Mu Fan cut Black off directly.

"Alpha Superbrain is essentially an artificial intelligence with growth potential and autonomous consciousness, not a traditional intelligent object. If the host provides the necessary components, it can perform photonic computer functions at 100% efficiency."

"Good. What components do you need me to provide?" Mu Fan stared at the Black Egg before him. He didn't know what kind of shock an artificial intelligence with autonomous consciousness would bring to this world.

He only felt an inexplicable surge rising in his chest. He couldn't articulate it, but if put into words, it would be a Commoner's yearning for the vast starry sea—the dream of an eagle piercing the clouds in pursuit!

Nine light-years from Luoqie Star, Star River Federation Fourth District, Administrative Star Landu Star, Dingchuan Academy, First Virtual Mech Training Room. Rows of blue-and-white virtual pods gleamed faintly, neatly arranged in the hall. A few youths in gray academy uniforms stood on the observation platform in the corner, staring intently at the three-dimensional light screen before them. Inside, a snow-white mech executed tactical evasions through layers of fire.

"Captain Lei Nuo, Senior Lu Qingxue is in a tough spot. She just broke through to PO Battle Network Platinum 2 Star a few days ago, but jumping straight into a Professional Survival Match like this—isn't it a bit too much?" A shorter crew-cut guy beside him clenched his fists as he watched the white mech's perilous maneuvers.

"Let's keep watching. Qingxue should be fine. The instructors estimated her level is higher than Platinum 2 Star. She's probably honing other techniques lately." Lei Nuo didn't take his eyes off the light screen. His gray academy uniform accentuated his tall, straight frame. As Dingchuan Academy's mech combat team captain, his Platinum 4 Star strength was already the strongest known within the academy.

PO Battle Network—a holographic mech combat platform under the pan-federation super-interstellar corporation PO Interstellar Group Corporation. It achieved 95% reality simulation, connecting through full-body neural links to digitize the user and enable brain coordination.

PO Battle Network offered two combat modes. One was Fantasy Combat, leaning toward entertainment. It provided official mechs that didn't exist in reality, with lower simulation requirements, slightly boosted stats, and reduced operational difficulty, allowing players to perform all kinds of imagined moves. This mode was mostly for beginners or casual players seeking the thrill of piloting a mech. In reality, even the cheapest mech cost tens of millions of Star Coins, far beyond ordinary means. PO Battle Network filled countless dreams.

The other was Real Combat—a paradise for academies, militaries, and mech enthusiasts. This mode strictly simulated all publicly available mech models, including military standard mechs and data obtained through other channels by PO. The company also offered all market-available engines, armor, weapons, and accessories, along with customization services. Players could assemble their ideal mech in the network. However, due to the 95% simulation limit, issues like improper daily maintenance or assembly friction in real combat didn't exist here. Fully digitized mechs let players fight at full capacity without other concerns. Conversely, thinking that mastering PO Battle Network meant mastering real combat was a mistake—unexpected mech malfunctions were something theoretical players couldn't handle.

In the network, players progressed from novice to expert. The system aggregated kill counts, combat merits, skill scores, and other massive data through a complex algorithm to form a rank evaluation. From low to high: Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Diamond, Grandmaster, King. Before Grandmaster, each rank had five sub-tiers from 1 Star to 5 Star. With 85% of players stuck in the lower ranks, breaking through was incredibly difficult. Platinum 2 Star was firmly in the expert tier.

Real Combat included Restricted Matches—relatively tame, with heavy weapons removed and specific rules; Light Restricted Competition—more spectator-friendly; and No-Holds-Barred Combat. The most brutal of all was the Survival Battle that Lei Nuo and his group were watching! The survivor wins. No rules. No weapon restrictions!!! Simulation rate 95% AA1%—that 1% was pain lock set to 100%!!

"No good! Someone's sneaking up from behind! Qingxue's in danger!"

(PS: Thanks to book friends Ten_Billion_Lightyears and Remnant★Snow Without Trace for their tips.)