Existing in the unknowable chaos, the first ray of light pierced through the ancient black mist, and the sense called "vision" awakened the dazed consciousness. Through the eyes of the "body," vibrant colors broke the binary of black and white, and everything was so new and exciting.
Then came more information: a cacophony of sounds, the cold air, the metallic stench.
It only wants to greedily perceive more, but it can only see through the eyes of this body. It tries to turn its head, but the body does not act because of its thoughts. It is like a person watching from a third-party perspective, able to perceive but not control.
It desperately wanted to move, emitting silent cries like an infant, but no one could hear it.
The time it took to regain consciousness was unknown. Through this body, it saw countless upright creatures coming and going, engaging in activities it did not understand.
I want... I want more...
After an unknown amount of time, the number of things in sight began to slowly increase.
A water droplet landed on the leaf and rolled slowly. The leaf stared at it, curious yet not feeling itchy.
The roots insert into the soil, and the nutrients bring a sense of satisfaction, much like the feeling of an upright organism feeding.
The beast's nose twitched; its sense of smell, dozens of times more sensitive than ever before, traced the escape route of its prey through the air.
The increasing number of senses brings a torrent of information, which greedily absorbs everything.
Then, new senses were born. It sensed microorganisms, like a surging torrent, like a vast army. It was astonished to find that this was the first thing it could control, like an army obeying its commands.
Is this what my senses are meant to be...?
The idea came to me:
No, that's not right.
I am everything, and everything is me.
The Third Sanctuary One Leaf Green designated a forbidden area for normal people after a certain cadre inhaled some leaked paralyzing fog while passing by the pharmacy and lay in bed for seventeen days and three hours.
Compared to when Han Xiao left, the apothecary room had expanded several times in size, filled with more sophisticated apothecary equipment, and rows of colorful liquid potions of unknown effects were displayed on shelves. On the tables were transparent glass cabinets containing different plants, all of which were raw materials used to make potions.
"Hmph hmph hmph~~" One Leaf Green, dressed in a white lab coat, wearing corrosion-resistant gloves and glasses, hummed a strange tune while mixing some kind of herbal medicine.
Her ability to control plants allows her to sense them and precisely control the proportions of medicines.
Brushing aside the strands of hair that had fallen to her temples, she reached out, opened a cabinet, plucked a petal, and prepared to throw it into the instrument as raw material, but her movement suddenly stopped.
The supernatural ability sensed a kind of spying, fleeting and seemingly an illusion. One Leaf Green frowned slightly and looked in the direction of the feeling, only to find that the source was a plant whose petals had been torn off.
"Strange," One Leaf Green muttered, then thought for a moment and reached out to touch the plant again.
The moment her fingers touched the plant again, an electric shock-like shiver, transmitted through her supernatural senses, pierced her heart.
Suddenly pulling her hand back, One Leaf Green took two steps back, looking at the plant with surprise and uncertainty.
"It wasn't my imagination... When I touched them, I had a very real feeling of being watched..."
If it weren't for her ability to detect subtle changes in plants, she wouldn't have been able to sense the changes either.
A look of surprise flashed across his eyes.
"Is this plant consciously sensing me?"
Suddenly, One Leaf Green thought of something, her expression changed slightly, and she hurriedly touched all the plants in the room. Most of the plants did not change, but a quarter of the plants gave her the same feeling.
Standing in the vast pharmacy room, though it was completely empty, it felt as if countless eyes were surrounding and silently watching over them.
She couldn't help but shiver.
Those stationary plants seemed to have grown eyes, watching her and observing her.
Something's wrong... something's really wrong...
One Leaf Green murmured softly.
late at night.
In the core area of Sanctuary, in the residential area for the staff, Hila, dressed in a black trench coat, sat on the roof, looking up at the starry sky.
Since Han Xiao left, she would occasionally come to the rooftop, gaze at the starry sky, and drift into a daze, lost in thought.
Throughout the year, Hila did not leave the Sanctuary, and Aurora's health gradually recovered.
"Waaaaah--"
A white bear, over four meters tall, let out a deep growl. The bear was walking on all fours, circling in the yard. A blonde girl sat on its back, smiling brightly, her voice clear, melodious, cheerful, and lively.
Aurora's powers slowly revived, and she grew taller, no longer as thin and small as before. Her skin became smoother and fairer, with a healthy rosy glow. The Baby Bear beside her also grew rapidly, its fur flowing, the tips shimmering with frosty light. It had ice-crystal-like scales on its forehead, chest, arms, and thighs, making it robust and powerful. Its small, beady eyes looked both cute and fierce, and incredibly menacing.
"Don't run too fast, be careful not to fall," Hila said, glancing down and frowning.
"Sister, are you looking at the moon again?" Aurora curiously, looking up.
"I'm not looking at the moon."
"I know you must be thinking about Uncle Black Phantom," Aurora chuckled. "I miss him too."
"I wasn't thinking about him at all."
Hila scoffed, "I'm just curious about what his universe is like, hmm... I just occasionally wonder what he's doing in the universe. Humph, that guy dropped some inexplicable disaster prediction, making us worry and scare us, while he went off to have fun in the universe."
Aurora her eyes, blew a breath, and a holy light-like kiss floated out, flying towards Hila's cheek.
Hila waved her hand, scattering the light imprint that flew in front of her, and said irritably, "Stop messing around."
Just then, Aurora suddenly froze, her smile stuck on her face, and her body began to tremble involuntarily.
"Sister, older sister..."
"Hmm?" Hila looked down, her expression instantly changing. A dark red light flashed, and she appeared beside Aurora in a flash, pulling her into her arms and touching her forehead. "What's wrong? Are you sick? I'll go find that apothecary."
"No..." Aurora began with difficulty, her petite body still trembling, "My ability detected a strange creature, no, that can't be considered a creature, I don't know what it is..."
Hila looked surprised. Aurora's ability was to sense life, and she had never seen Aurora show such panic when she sensed a certain kind of life.
What did you perceive?
Aurora closed her eyes, her lips turning pale.
"It's small... but huge, it's spreading..."
When I opened my eyes again, they were filled with fear.
It's everywhere!
Juberly Hub, Black Star Outpost Hall, where all mercenary players gather.
"It's almost time." The Kings and Generals at the panel. "The update will begin in an hour. Let's log off here."
"This is a safer spot," Hao Tian nodded.
"Yes, regarding updates, we'll be going through a period of time and a significant stretch of Tu Shu, with unforeseen changes occurring. Staying at the base is the best course of action."
Frenzied Saber spoke seriously. As one of the beta testers, he knew that updates would span a period of time, and the original characters and factions would move on their own and undergo different changes. He even lost Han Xiao because of this when the open beta started.
With this update, nobody knows how long it will take, or what Black Star will become; it's all unknown.
Frenzied Saber only hoped not to get separated from Han Xiao again. He could barely find him on Planet Aquamarine, but if he got lost in space, he'd probably have to switch to single-player mode. So, staying at the Black Star base was the safest option.
Throughout version 1.0, the benefits Black Star bestowed upon them allowed their combat power to grow to its current level, with each player reaping the rewards. Even players of different classes experienced varying degrees of growth due to Han Xiao's equipment. Not to mention the high-reward quests. The players present wanted to continue following Black Star in the next version.
And it wasn't just them; players on Planet Aquamarine felt the same way. Every time they watched Meat Bun's videos, they wished they could be members of a mercenary group. The adventure was fun, but the main thing was that the rewards were damn plentiful!
We're just jealous!
"Guys, I'm off now. Let's grab a bite sometime." Meat Bun chuckled and was the first to log off.
Maple Moon smiled reservedly, waved goodbye, and disappeared from the spot.
The group said their goodbyes and logged off one by one. Soon, all the mercenary players had disappeared.
It wasn't just them; the same scene unfolded simultaneously on thirteen newbie planets, with tens of millions of players disappearing in a short period of time!
All the officers at the Sanctuary were stunned, and Huang Yu was completely bewildered. He had been preparing for three days to divert the increasing number of Inhuman today, but they all suddenly disappeared without warning!
What's going on here?!
I already took my pants off, and this is what you do to me?!
The once bustling and crowded Players' Plaza is now desolate and deserted, with not a soul in sight. A cold wind blows, and an old newspaper flips through the air.
Residents in the distance came out onto the street, looking at this scene with surprise and uncertainty.
Many people thought of the same thing: the image of the Inhuman disappearing was as abrupt as their appearance, as if they had never existed...
However, the traces left by these Inhuman are multifaceted and cannot be ignored; they are evidence of their existence.
Far away at the Juberly Hub, in the mechanical modification room, where Master Technician Han was punishing Sylvia for endorsing something, suddenly raised an eyebrow and opened the panel.
A new prompt appeared.
[Version 1.0 update enabled]
[Saving data... Saving complete!]
[Player forum closed]
[Update time unknown, please wait patiently]
Han Xiao tried to access the forum, but the entrance was grayed out and he couldn't enter, just like when the closed beta ended.
I closed the book, shook my head, sighed, drank a cup of tea, and calmed myself down.
"What's coming has finally arrived. Sigh, these are tough days..."