Here, there was only deep darkness.
The darkness gave birth to all things.
However, "darkness" was not enough to describe everything in front of me. In fact, in this place, the word "in front of me" did not exist.
If a place mixed all the information together to form a sea of chaos that could not be perceived or described by any means, then this sea of chaos had two extremes at the same time.
It was extremely rich and contained everything. Information that you could and could not describe were all undulating in this sea of chaos. If you had enough knowledge and power, you could assemble everything from this sea of chaos, including the world and even the gods.
It was also extremely empty — because everything here was in a state that could not be accepted by conventional logic and senses. Any information rooted in the real world could not describe the nature of the sea of chaos. If you could not perceive something at all, then for you, this thing did not exist. In this sea of chaos, all mortal creatures were blind and deaf — if they could not grasp the truth.
This was the void, the first place I "saw" when I woke up from my muddle-headedness.
People who did not understand the void would usually think that this was a dark vacuum zone because they could not feel anything, so it was normal to have such an illusion. However, this description was far from the truth. The word "darkness" itself was a word created by humans to describe a specific phenomenon in the world. For the true absolute nothingness, "darkness" such a thing that could be described should not exist. Similarly, "vacuum" was just an illusion created by mortals due to the limits of their senses.
In fact, the void had no color. It was not full of light, but it also did not have any darkness. It had no matter, but it definitely did not exist in a vacuum. It was just that it had exceeded the logic of the senses of ordinary creatures. In the illusion, people called this place a dark and cold vacuum territory. However, if you could have another kind of vision — I mean a visual perception that could distinguish order from chaos, then the void would show a magnificent side.
Just like what I was seeing now. It was rising and falling gently, like a boundless ocean, and the gentle undulation of this ocean indicated that we were passing through a region of very low density of universes: perhaps only a handful of universes within a few million units of information offset, and that was why it was so calm. Looking at the vague map of the Empire in my memory, I roughly estimated that the fleet should have crossed one-third of the Macro World. This was the only "quiet" place in the Macro World network. For some reason, the probability of a universe being born in this region of the void was very low.
I remembered that I was in the lounge of the Empire Admiral. When I fell asleep, the fleet had only left the shadow space for a few minutes, which meant that I had suddenly entered this void wandering state after sleeping for a while.
This wasn't the first time I had entered such a state, so I didn't feel panicked at all. I just felt that it was a little strange. I didn't know why I was suddenly "sleepwalking". This kind of Void Wandering, which Hilla jokingly called "Strolling", was an ability unique to Void Creatures. By releasing one's own essence and regaining the perception skills from the cradle, one would be able to become one with the origin of all things. At the same time, this was also the only way to see the "ocean" as an observer. As I mentioned earlier, if I had another kind of vision, I would be able to see the magnificent side of the void. There were only three "people" who had this kind of vision, and I reckoned that I was only half of them …
Because I had only mastered the method of entering the state of Void Wandering, I had tried it a few times when I had nothing to do. I used this method to "meet up" with Xing Chen and Hilla, but the success rate was only about 60-70%. Sometimes, when I wasn't in a good state, I would fall asleep and still not be able to enter the void. So, I reckoned that I was only half a "person" who had mastered the superhuman vision. But no matter what, overall, this was a pretty good experience. Although I couldn't describe it with words that humans could understand, it felt … quite relaxing. Of course, I had also accidentally entered the state of "returning to the void" before, just like now. Because I had been following the fleet in a long-distance Void Jump, and I happened to be in a state of spiritual wanderlust, it was possible for me to enter the state of wandering. But this time … I didn't know if I was overthinking it, but I kept feeling that something wasn't right.
When I was sleeping, I didn't use any abilities related to the void, so I didn't have the prerequisite to enter the state of wandering. And when I slept, I was usually dead. In Shallow Shallow's words, when I slept, I would be like a vegetable, and the chances of my spiritual wanderlust were very low. This also didn't match the usual conditions for me to accidentally "return to the void." I felt as if I had suddenly fallen in, or that something had pulled me …
Also, I faintly remembered hearing a voice when I was in a daze.
It was the voice of a person, and I couldn't tell if it was a man or a woman, nor was it happy or sad. Tam mentioned a door — and then nothing else.
Motherf * cker, I have OCD, alright!
Alright, let's not talk about what the voice didn't finish. Now that I thought about it, it was another communication that came out of nowhere, which reminded me of the voice I had heard a few times before. I suspected that it was the paranoid people who were building bridges and roads on the other side of the Chaos Abyss who were tirelessly trying to communicate with me. Then, perhaps my inexplicable state of wandering in the void this time had something to do with their sudden connection. According to Tawil and a bunch of scientists from the Empire — actually, I felt that it was basically a wild guess, because they had no way of examining the soul of a Void creature — they believed that when I occasionally established a connection with the people on the other side of the Chaos Abyss, I was in a state where my soul was extremely active, almost unrestrained by the real world. In such an extremely active state, and coincidentally following the fleet through the Void, it was possible that I had entered this state of wandering.
You see, even if Sandora wasn't by my side, my analytical ability was still very useful.
I wandered aimlessly in this chaotic and undulating ocean. I casually and contentedly floated about, observing the slowly turbulent Sea of Void around me with the mentality that since I was already here, I might as well take things as they come. Perhaps it was because I had entered the state of "returning to the void", but the laziness of Void creatures had become unprecedentedly obvious. I knew that I was on a long journey, and I also knew that I was about to fight an old enemy, but at the moment … I didn't feel the slightest sense of urgency.
Because there was no need to feel urgency. In the state of wandering in the void, the scale of time was not synchronized with the outside world.
"You look very relaxed."
A voice suddenly came again. This time, it was unusually clear, but I still couldn't tell whether it was a man or a woman.
I finally woke up from my lazy state and looked around blankly. Then, I remembered that I had no eyes, so I focused and began to sense everything in the sea of Void. Everything was calm, and nothing existed. The owner of the voice wasn't here. Perhaps Tam came from a faraway place … or even beyond the borders of the Empire. That was what my intuition was telling me.
It wasn't Xing Chen's voice, nor was it Hilla's. A fourth person had appeared in the void?
"Are you looking for me? It's a pity that I'm very far away from you, and the distance between us isn't just the distance. " That voice didn't disappear like the usual messengers. This time, Tam actually picked up on it!
Hearing this, my heart suddenly jumped. What did this mean? This meant that the communication system had basically been established! This meant that the two of us could already communicate normally! This meant that the communication between us had progressed from passing notes to WeChat!
Of course, it was meaningless to dwell on what it meant. I had to prevent the other party from suddenly hanging up again. Thus, I quickly organized my thoughts and replied in disbelief, "You guys came from … the other side of the Chaotic Sea?"
"… It seems that there's some misunderstanding, but … I won't answer any of your questions for now." The voice paused for a moment. Because I couldn't hear the other party's emotions, I had no way of guessing what kind of expression the owner of the voice had when he replied. This was undoubtedly a disadvantageous situation in this kind of probing conversation. Of course, there was also an advantage. Even if the other party could see me, Tam definitely wouldn't be able to see my expression. For the first time, I felt that it was quite good to be faceless in the void form …
"… Very cautious." I didn't quite understand what the other party was talking about, but the other party seemed to be cautious and unwilling to reveal anything. So, I changed the topic, "Alright, let's talk about something else. It's not easy for us to talk. What's the matter? "
"I just want to confirm something and see if you are as reliable as the calculation results." The things that the voice said were getting more and more incomprehensible. Until now, Tam hadn't mentioned anything about building a bridge. In the past, as long as the civilization on the other side of the Chaotic Abyss sent a message, it would always mention "building a bridge". But now, it seemed … different from before?
"It's very dangerous to talk to you." The voice didn't mean to explain too much at all. Tam was almost talking to himself, "Just a few minutes of contact may cause me to lose a lot … Don't worry about it. Now that I have collected the information I want, I need to go back and think about it. There are too many things to weigh. So, goodbye. I hope the next time we meet will be more pleasant. "
Just like when it came, the voice suddenly disappeared. It said a lot of incomprehensible words, leaving me in a daze.
I hope the next time we meet will be more pleasant?
In other words, the meeting between the two of us this time was not pleasant?
I thought about it for a long time and felt that the other party was a bit crazy.
It seemed that the other party would not appear again. Maintaining the state of "returning to the void" for too long would also lead to mental exhaustion after returning to the material world. So, I ended this unexpected "wander".
When my consciousness slowly floated from the deep darkness to the surface, I opened my eyes and saw the familiar scene of the cabin in front of me. Detecting that the owner of the rest cabin had woken up, the main light in the room was immediately adjusted slightly to reduce the discomfort caused by the darkness, and at the same time, not to wake up the other occupant in the room: Jingle was still sleeping.
Looking at the time, the spaceship should still be in the process of warp jump.
There was a very subtle smacking sound on the small table next to me, and I was talking in my sleep. It seemed that Jingle was dreaming of eating something again. The little one mentioned my name softly. In her soft murmur, my name was arranged together with 21 kinds of candy and ice cream in a loop. I was very pleased. This meant that I was indeed one of the most important things in Jingle's life: equivalent to a lollipop. With the little one's soft murmur, my mind became clear. I recalled the conversation with the strange voice when I was in the state of mental wander, and I increasingly felt that the situation was different from the past.
The way the other party spoke and the content were different from the message sent by the civilization on the other side.
Tam didn't mention the bridge again, but he began to take an interest in me personally?
I'm afraid I can't figure this out for the time being, and now I have a more important problem to solve: Damn it, I can't sleep!
I'm so envious of the heartless Three-inch Nail who can even sleep in a box of biscuits!
Just like that, in the middle of the insomnia of the highest commander, the Sixth Fleet and the Empire Admiral's formation, as well as the huge support fleet that we brought along, arrived at the farthest border. Now, the main force was stationed in one of the three universes that had sounded the alarm, but a neighboring desolate world. This was because we were worried that if a conflict were to break out with the Fallen Apostle prematurely, we wouldn't be able to shift the battlefield in time, which would result in a large number of casualties among the natives of the macro world, and even lead to the end of the world.
In the end, this level of war was already not something that the weak races of the macro world could face.
When I arrived at the command hall, my big sister and Xiaoxue were already waiting there. Jingle sat on my head and looked around. When she saw her four clown subordinates playing cards with Icetis, she flew over happily. I didn't know how a little one who was only a head taller than a poker card was going to play cards, but it seemed like the little bean wanted to join in.
"The fleet of the Fallen Apostles is just outside the barrier. We have already set up a Field of Order trap. As long as they head towards this world, they will be pulled closer to the material plane." Xi Wei saluted us from the commander's seat. His clear voice resounded in the command hall, and the gigantic holographic projection in the middle of the hall displayed the scale and general arrangement of the enemy fleet. "However, it seems that the enemy has realized that our army is well-prepared. They have yet to show any signs of launching an attack, and they are still gathering more troops. It seems that while our army is increasing its troops, the Fallen Apostles have also mobilized their own army. "
"Their route of reinforcements is going around the entire Empire's territory. This is an extremely long battle line." I shook my head. "There shouldn't be any more reinforcements. At most, there will only be one more wave. Xiaoxue, get ready. "
"The enemy won't launch an attack for the time being." Xiaoxue stood on the officer's platform. The white halo in her eyes flowed slowly, and her voice was steady and powerful. "I estimate that it will take another six hours. Their last wave of reinforcements is already on the way … Yep, just like what Dad said, it is the last wave. "
This mischievous brat, who was always laughing and joking, now wore an extremely serious expression. She wore a well-ironed high-ranking officer's uniform of the Imperial Army, and there was an inexplicable cold aura surrounding her. This aura wasn't unfamiliar to me. I could feel it from every officer in the Imperial Army. It was an aura that people who had experienced real battlefields would unconsciously emit when they were concentrating all of their energy to prepare for a battle. The current Xiaoxue was completely different from her usual appearance.
This wasn't the first time I had seen this mischievous brat transform into this form that seemed like a veteran of the battlefield. I didn't find it strange, and my gaze fell on the image sent back by the Void Probe. The enemy's fleet was quietly gathering in the Void Order Field, and they had no intention of hiding their tracks. Right now, the Fallen Apostles and the Imperial Army could be considered to be within the firing range of each other's cannons. It was a complete confrontation, and neither side had any tricks up their sleeves — at least, that was how it looked on the surface.
We were all old rivals, and the conflict between us had gradually developed from probing each other, hiding, and beating around the bush to the current situation, where we had directly stationed our troops in the enemy's territory, and the fleets were at each other's throats. Regardless of friend or foe, every spaceship would only release a single message: Come, let's fight!
However, I still couldn't understand why the other party would appear in such a place, a peripheral world that was far from their territory and completely meaningless in terms of strategic value. An expedition that spanned such a long distance across the borders of the Empire, just to attack a civilian world that had almost zero defense capabilities?
The Fallen Apostles must have been brain-damaged … Alright, their brains were already brain-damaged to begin with.
"If we launch a surprise attack before the enemy's reinforcements arrive, we might be able to achieve greater results." Xi Weiss spread the Storm Commander's power to the entire army, and at the same time, gave a suggestion. "I suggest that we directly deploy the Order Disruptors to pull the enemy into the effective range of the trap in the Void Order Field."
All of the Sixth Army's B Squadrons had already assembled, and the Royal Fleet was at the core of the formation. Now, we were fully prepared to face the attack. Based on Xiaoxue's judgment, there was only one wave of enemy reinforcements. It seemed that the other two armies that were on standby in the City of Shadows didn't even need to appear.
"A surprise attack …" I judged the current situation. Indeed, the Imperial Army had already assembled, and the estimated number of enemies had been completely exposed in front of our army due to the Prophet's cheat-like ability. If we didn't have the Prophet, the prudent officers definitely wouldn't have chosen to move ahead at this moment, because there was a possibility that the enemy's follow-up troops could cut into the battlefield at any time and take advantage of the loophole. However, we had the Prophet, so there was nothing to worry about.
But I felt that perhaps we should wait for a while … Wait for a better opportunity.
I wasn't sure if it was a misconception, but the feeling that this battle gave me was strange. It started suddenly, and then the situation escalated inexplicably. In the blink of an eye, the Empire's borders were already facing off against each other, and everything was advancing at an abnormal pace … Just … what was wrong?
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