The spacious room was silent, with only the faint white noise of electronic components operating.

The chair with its back to the door remained motionless, like a silent observer of a play.

Chu Guang wondered whether the professor's old friend, the "Observer," was also watching from nearby.

But even if it was, it probably couldn't jump in to say anything.

After all, it had said that the next meeting would be after tens of thousands of years.

If he could wait until then.

The professor standing on the screen seemed to be lost in distant memories. He stood quietly for a long time before beginning to speak in a slowly unfolding tone.

"It was a long, long time ago, over three hundred years removed from today."

"I can no longer recall if it was the first or second time I met it, but it was certainly the first time it conversed with me sincerely."

"Back then, I had already mastered the mysteries of the four fundamental forces and gradually began to use gravity as a medium to touch the edges of dimensions... Just as the observer anticipated, after mastering stellar-level forces, we had obtained the key to the stars."

Chu Guang's face showed astonishment.

"Hyper Space Engine? You invented it?"

The professor shook his head.

"No, I'm not interested in specific applications; those things were primarily done by my students. But my research on neutrinos, quark gluon plasma, and gravitons has somewhat laid the theoretical foundation for the hyper space engine. Including deflection shield, and the anti-gravity you're familiar with, they are actually extensions of the hyper space theory..."

Not interested? Really...

Feeling a surge of pretentiousness, Chu Guang touched his nose involuntarily.

Although he knew the person opposite was not intentionally pretending, he found himself taken in.

Perhaps this is the art of specialization.

More than pretending, he was better at being cunning.

At this point, the professor suddenly seemed to remember something and paused.

"I won't talk about those complex things with you. If you're interested, you can find out for yourself. There's a popular science book called 'The Past, Present, and Future' on the bookshelf in the B4 Level Library, which reveals the principles of hyperspace and FTL engines in simple language. It would be friendlier for amateur enthusiasts."

Chu Guang nodded.

"I read it a long time ago... Did you write it?"

He did not remember who the author was, only the mention of "Gravity Link" in the book had amazed him, realizing how FTL travel in the Human Alliance Era worked.

The professor chuckled.

"No, it was written by my student."

Wow.

Taken in again!

Chu Guang lightly coughed.

"...Are we off-topic?"

"Sorry, we digressed a bit."

The professor apologized with a smile and resumed his previous tone, continuing.

"In short... In the Nth year after the United Human was established, we obtained the key to the Star Sea, completing the first rise of the entire human civilization. From that day on, our frontier was no longer just Earth, but began to expand to other planets beyond the Earth-Moon System."

"And just when the Human Alliance needed me the most, the Observer found me and predicted a future crisis and various matters regarding the 'Heaven disaster.' In the end, it hoped I would go to Mars to dig a tomb, one much smaller than the ruins of South Gate Two... However, due to some matters, I couldn't go."

Chu Guang: "What matter?"

The professor was silent for a while, seemingly reluctant to discuss the issue, but then felt it was something that had already passed, so he ultimately opened up.

"A private matter... My wife fell gravely ill, at least back then there was no cure, even though at that time we had mastered stellar-like power. And those in a similar position as yours didn't want me to take risks, persuading me for quite a while... In the end, I chose to stay in the era I should belong to."

"Indeed, there was nothing you could do, it's human nature." Chu Guang nodded with a bit of admiration in his eyes.

He was not devoid of emotions.

On the contrary, he valued emotions greatly and was willing to make friends with those who valued emotions too.

Such people, despite not necessarily being good, generally have a baseline, pay attention to their behavior, have reservations, and won't do unscrupulous things.

By the way, this is also one of the reasons he's single up to this point.

Even though he hasn't done anything like fathering a child out of wedlock.

"Right? You also think it's human nature, don't you... Moreover, things aren't that simple."

The voice drifting through the screen was filled with complex emotions, difficult to describe whether something was being cast aside or an unwarranted responsibility was being shouldered.

"...From what I later understood, that guy hid quite important details, indeed, there are some 'good things' buried in that grave, but back then we simply weren't equipped to fully excavate that site. Once inside, there was no coming out, no one could! No wonder it specifically required me to go. It was a trap; that guy wanted to kill me!"

Chu Guang was stunned for a few seconds, his face full of shock.

"The Observer... wants to kill you? Why?"

The person on screen remained silent for a moment before speaking after a long pause.

"I don't know, maybe it didn't really want to kill me, perhaps it just wanted me to disappear for a while. According to its explanation, my progress was better than it anticipated, a global collaborative trans-regional organization... that is, the United Human was established two centuries earlier than it predicted."

"Not only that, including the timeline for the first fusion reactor's completion, and the construction of the space elevator, all these were based on the foundation of the common prosperity of all humanity."

"Although I don't think it's a big deal, it's all trivial in the face of time, besides it's not entirely my accomplishment. However, it believed our universe is advancing too fast, with undercurrents rising beneath the vision of prosperity."

"From its perspective, the explosive progress in science and technology allowed us to bypass challenges we should have encountered, and the practical tools we should have gained through solving these issues. Once our pace slows down in the future, the problems we've bypassed will erupt collectively. A small risk could undermine all our efforts, and this risk is almost certain to occur in the future."

Pressing his brow, Chu Guang pondered for a while, trying to untangle the conflicts between both sides.

Simply put, what the Observer wanted was appropriate interference, but the result of that interference exceeded its own expectations.

So it intended to remove the disruptive element.

No—

Saying it like that isn't quite correct either.

More accurately, it gave this professor two choices.

Either go to Mars and accept its "macroscopic regulation," developing towards the direction of the Breaker.

Or abandon the System and remain on his original timeline, with the price being it would remove the excessive interference, or rather reclaim the "aid from the void."

According to the professor, by then he had already mostly outgrown the System given to him by the Observer.

If there were no higher pursuits, indeed there was no need to keep the System and yield to the Observer's manipulations.

"...And then what?" Chu Guang continued to ask.

The professor on the screen slowly said.

"Afterwards, nothing much happened. It said it would go to the future to find someone else, then left with the System it had given me, as if it never came. But it didn't matter anymore. Like I said, by that time, I didn't really need its help... Yet it seemed disappointed and came back to find me many years later. It didn't say why it returned, but I could probably guess, maybe because it found there was no future."

Chu Guang: "By 'no future' you mean... no Breakers?"

The professor shook his head.

"It means everything... According to its statement, if I continued to remain on my current timeline, our civilization would be exhausted and lose all its future. Or put it another way, countless universes where I exist would be blown into oblivion, and not a single Breaker would emerge until the ultimate heat death of the universe."

Chu Guang's Adam's apple moved, silent for a long while, he gently sighed and said.

"This sounds too exaggerated."

The professor faintly smiled.

"It is quite exaggerated, but in fact, it has its reasoning. According to its soap bubble theory, the past and future both exist simultaneously in the void, as do multiple universes and parallel worlds. Any decision I make in my timeline could alter the future outcomes, and these changes were possibilities existing since the dawn of the universe."

At this point, the professor's voice suddenly carried a trace of melancholy.

Chu Guang wasn't sure if there was a hint of regret in it, but there was certainly helplessness and frustration.

"It showed me another future, a possibility in a parallel world after I went to Mars... There, I saw my descendants and also the descendants of many people I'm familiar with. They were living well. Although it couldn't be compared with the Prosperity Epoch, it wasn't far behind either."

"In the end of that future, I ultimately left my home planet, but our civilization's future was bright. Although it went through some twists and turns during this time, it didn't fall into the irreparable decline of the Wasteland Era... In the end, we embraced the star sea with an entirely new attitude."

Staring at that indistinct face, after thinking for a long time, Chu Guang asked.

"Do you regret it?"

"No, just a bit regretful," the professor shook his head, slowly said, "Back then, I actually was starting to have doubts about its capriciousness. It said it wouldn't come to me again, yet suddenly returned with so-called another future."

"Of course I refused it, it left disappointed... But thinking carefully, that might have been the last chance to restore history to the correct track."

"Perhaps, dying at the right time would be the best ending—"

"I can't agree with that statement."

Chu Guang shook his head and said without thinking.

"History cannot always progress according to the rhythm we envision. You cannot represent correctness, nor can I, and eyes floating in the void can represent even less."

"Furthermore, if it truly represents correctness, it wouldn't be me standing here now, but another person from its prophecy."

Chu Guang could somewhat feel the deep-seated self-blame of the professor.

Although, as he himself said, no one would blame the Wasteland Era on the 'Father of the Prosperity Epoch', just as no one would blame the An Lushan Rebellion on Li Shimin, or blame World War II on Watt, the inventor of the steam engine.

Each generation has its own responsibilities, and even the same person plays different roles at different life stages.

At most, future generations might blame themselves for failing to meet the professor's expectations, not being able to extend the Prosperity Epoch he initiated.

Yet, it was evident that the Observer revealed to him not only an alternate future but also spoiled the Wasteland Era and the millennia thereafter, letting him know causations he shouldn't have known —

Including the fact that the Wasteland Era is set in stone.

Including the reality that no matter how many shelters you build, you can't save everyone, nor change the fate of human civilization turning to dust.

And all of this was because of you...

Though no one would question him for this, he still couldn't reconcile it in his heart.

So much so that his entire latter years were spent preparing for the disasters foretold by the Observer.

Including the construction of shelters.

Including the Black Box of the Ark Project.

Even including the establishment of the Academy, among others.

All these plans, laid out long before during the mid-period of the Prosperity Epoch, bore the professor's influence...

If not for a strong sense of responsibility, it would be impossible to take on these distant responsibilities.

It's worth noting that when "the wolf really came", and at a time when everyone believed that the endlessly prosperous Utopia would continue forever, many frozen wanderers on the Wasteland revered the professor as a deity.

This included the chief of the Grand Canyon, that mysterious old figure like an old trickster.

Also, the conclusion-making doctor behind the Academy, reportedly transformed into a digital life form.

They are unaware of the void and Observer's matters.

From their perspective and all Waste Land Wanderers, it's undeniably seen as foresight, not closing the stable door after the horse has bolted.

Chu Guang knew these due to pure accident.

But his view remained unchanged from before, and knowing these wouldn't alter anything.

If we rejected advancement due to fear of spiraling downward, perhaps humanity would still be stuck in trees.

Moreover, they have demonstrated through action that their fate is in their own hands, not controlled by the elusive void.

"You just said you don't know what choice I would make, I can tell you now, I may not make the same choice as you, but I will make the choice I believe is right."

The professor on the screen was silent for a while, then suddenly laughed freely.

"I want to say, well done, but that feels a bit strange. Although we are different, we actually made the same choice... The choice I made back then was the one I genuinely believed was correct."

He indeed was filled with curiosity about the void and longed to understand the origin of the universe, but if the price was to abandon a human identity and become a pawn of the Observer—the so-called 'Breaker', then that's a different matter.

Stopping the thermal death of the universe.

This indeed sounds grand, but what does it have to do with him as a human?

In front of such endless pursuits, the whole galaxy is but a fleeting mayfly.

Perhaps another universe's him made a different choice and altered or stopped something in a distant future.

But at least in this universe, he chose to live as a human.

With those he loves.

Looking at the professor on the screen, Chu Guang nodded slightly, always feeling there was more to his words, as if he had known him for a long time.

But actually, there's nothing strange about it.

Since he has crossed the membrane of the universe, projecting his thoughts into another, younger universe, he must have gone through repeated observations and selections before finally choosing him.

"Did you get the thing from the relic?"

Reasonable speculation suggests it should be something meant to construct a Morphogenesis Field.

As he expected, the professor in the screen nodded with an approving smile and said.

"Yes, I later attempted some remedial actions, including retrieving the relics on Mars... I think you've probably guessed the essence of the morphogenesis field."

Chu Guang also nodded.

"Resonance of minds can penetrate the membrane of the universe, transmitting information agreed upon by both parties. My conclusion is that you have likely found your past self, and it's highly possible it's the self that had just obtained the system."

"Clever," the blurry figure snapped his fingers, the admiration in the flickering sight becoming more apparent, "Your understanding isn't inferior to mine... The only pity is, you're not cut out for scientific research."

"I'm not interested either, I'm only responsible for setting the game rules," Chu Guang said with an unconcerned expression, then continued, "So what did you obtain from the relics?"

"Three serums, representing stronger physical capabilities, almost endless lifespan, and spiritual energy respectively. Used correctly, they can even change the entire genetic landscape of humanity, but used improperly, they could also become a curse, like enabling someone who shouldn't live to stay too long, or allowing an infant with immature mind to hear too much noise from the void."

Just as Chu Guang was engrossed, the professor in the screen suddenly shifted direction with a smile and said.

"Actually, those things don't matter to you. I had already used them during the early prosperity epoch."

Chu Guang was stunned for a moment.

"... Used them all?"

The professor smiled and said.

"Sort of, though theoretically one can only choose to use one of the three serums, mixing them could cause genetic contamination, but I figured out a clever way, letting a monkey, which acted as a test subject, ingest the serums, then complemented three different test subjects... Including but not limited to letting them reproduce with other female monkeys, and using controlled variables for their offspring's hybrids."

This guy didn't choose to drink them himself?

There was a hint of astonishment on Chu Guang's face.

He thought he was reckless enough, but he didn't expect to meet someone even more fearless, truly turning a blind eye to the void.

Seeing Chu Guang's surprised face, the professor was not surprised at all and continued.

"The result of the experiment is quite astounding, and it also proves my hypothesis. The serums are likely the projection of higher-dimensional matter on a three-dimensional plane, or some kind of higher-dimensional technology that we do not understand, causing the resulting combination of DNA molecules to be extremely complex, like conflicting codes. If these genomes appear simultaneously in one person, that person's body will undoubtedly 'error out', hence the genetic contamination."

"Therefore, I resorted to intercepting non-conflicting DNA fragments during repeated experiments, and rearranged them with existing technology, gradually transplanting them onto the experimental clones. The genotype formed by rearrangement might exhibit a weaker effect, but it is stable, and indeed no more genetic contamination appeared."

"And not just that, my research team astonishingly found that as the body and genome adapt to each other, those 'annotated codes' would gradually express correctly in a more stable form!"

Chu Guang swallowed.

"Even after dying?"

"Indeed, at least for the clones holding only partial fragments, as long as their life evolution process is recorded through a cultivation chamber or scanning device beforehand."

The professor nodded slightly and continued.

"The re-expression process of the genome can be completed within the cultivation chamber, as the life stages of clones can be artificially defined... Up to now, you should have realized what kind of thing the gene sequence of your 'players' is."

"Sort of understood. It means...you obtained a vast gene pool by analyzing the three serums, and the players' genetic code resulted from different 'fragments' from different gene pools in regular genetic combination. They are responsible for exploring stable expression methods for each 'fragment'."

Chu Guang tried to simplify the complex issue for a better understanding.

Looking at the approvingly nodding professor, he paused for a moment, then continued.

"But there's still one thing I don't understand, what about my gene sequence?"

Seemingly always waiting for him to ask this question, the figure on the screen revealed a vague smile.

"This involves one of the core secrets of Shelter No. 404... Have you ever heard of the 'Complete Life-Born Project'?"

"Of course I've heard of it..."

Chu Guang had a feeling that the eyes staring at him bore a deeper meaning, gradually giving rise to a strange sensation in his heart.

Could it be—

Just as he almost guessed the answer, the professor on the screen revealed the final riddle to him.

"Your DNA contains all the 'fragments' from that gene pool, though most of them exist in an annotated form."

"This process is actually fraught with risks. You're like carrying a nuclear bomb, a slight mistake could blast you into oblivion... But who's making you the Manager? Don't blame me for being cold-blooded, someone has to bear this risk."

"Relatively speaking, the players bear a smaller risk, as they're only given a small piece of shrapnel, responsible only for disassembling the shrapnel in their hands. Aside from carrying a nuclear bomb, you also need to gather and integrate the information, dismantling the 'nuclear bomb' on yourself based on the clues provided by players... This is also one reason why your 'Sequence Level' is positively correlated with the players' sequence levels and their numbers."

"During the entire process of division and cooperation, we indeed referenced the operation mode of the mutated mucor mother nest and improved it to a certain extent."

"That's why I told you not to worry about what I got from the relic, because I had long used those valuable legacies on you."

"And you, are the 'Perfect Life Form'!"