Chapter 244 - 206: Heading to the Rhombus Star World

Chapter 244: Chapter 206: Heading to the Rhombus Star World

Rhombus Star World, while not as vast as the Origin Universe, was still considered quite large among the many worlds in the void.

It was also a place with numerous planets.

However, it was only about the size of a single Stellar System.

In Zhang Ji’s memories from his past life as a gamer, Rhombus Star should currently be in the early stages of its cataclysm.

In fact, it was only because it was the early stages of the disaster that any humans survived at all. Otherwise, their continued existence would have been impossible.

Before this, the technological level of the human civilization on Rhombus Star was roughly equivalent to that of Origin Star forty or fifty years ago.

Their productivity could be considered advanced.

They just didn’t have Alchemy Technology.

But a sudden meteorite strike completely upended the climate of the entire Rhombus Star.

The impact of that special meteorite brought a devastating blow.

The atmosphere was destroyed and the planet’s tectonic plates shifted, causing drastic climate changes. A series of disasters followed, including tsunamis and volcanic eruptions. Worst of all, it blanketed nearly the entire surface of the planet with a special kind of radiation.

That radiation, combined with the natural disasters, led to a mass extinction event on Rhombus Star. Within a few years, the original population of six billion had plummeted to only around ten million.

It was a cataclysm of civilization-extinguishing proportions.

And it didn’t end there.

Under the radiation, the remaining humans, along with various flora and fauna, began to evolve, gaining abilities beyond those of ordinary people.

This was the birth of "Superpowers."

It was a type of genetic mutation ability similar to the psionics of the Crystal Spirit Race.

A change brought about by the meteorite’s radiation.

Humans developed them, and so did the local animals and plants.

But compared to humans, the animals and plants were far more numerous. The insects, plants, and animals all evolved terrifying survival capabilities.

And their reproductive abilities were formidable.

The remaining humans found themselves in a precarious state, struggling to survive in that environment.

On a side note, players could also awaken a random Superpower by using a Knoer Meteorite Fragment. They could also kill superpowered beasts and use their Superpower Crystal Cores to increase the strength of their own Superpowers.

In the "Spacetime Anomaly" version of the game, this Otherworld was considered a must-farm rookie world.

After all, if you got lucky and rolled a decent Superpower, it was a huge help.

Zhang Ji planned on taking a trip there.

Zhang Ji brought Lan Zhigao back to the Supreme Capital. There, he had people study him, give him a change of clothes, disinfect him, and draw a blood sample.

After learning how to use the food dispenser, Lan Zhigao ordered himself something to eat.

Although Zhang Ji’s Magic Potion had restored him to his peak condition, the pleasure of savoring good food wasn’t something one stopped just because they were full.

Besides, his body’s digestive capacity was far from its limit.

After enjoying the food, he was truly certain that he had arrived in a parallel world.

After the Knoer Meteorite incident on Rhombus Star, the population had plummeted by over ninety-nine percent. The number of surviving humans was now so small that it was impossible for them to build such a complete and civilized system.

They were now living an almost semi-primitive existence.

Although they could still find some resources from before the great cataclysm, they no longer had the corresponding production capabilities.

Not a single settlement had more than two thousand people.

But from the high vantage point earlier, he had seen that this city had a lot of people—an absurdly large number.

He didn’t know how many years it had been since he’d last seen so many people.

Suddenly, the door to the medical ward opened.

Zhang Ji and Tran walked in.

"You seem to be adapting well," Zhang Ji said.

"My name is Lan Zhigao. Thank you so much for your help... How should I address you?" Lan Zhigao asked.

Both of them were speaking the language of Li Country from Rhombus Star, which Tran couldn’t understand. However, Tran was equipped with a translation Magic Potion. He ate one, and suddenly he could understand what Lan Zhigao was saying.

"My name is Zhang Ji, the current supreme ruler of this civilization. You can call me the Supreme. As for the man beside me, this is Tran Nash, one of the Saint Kings of the Saint King Council. You can simply call him Nash Saint King. After some discussion, we have decided to dispatch Nash Saint King to assist the human civilization in your world with humanitarian aid," Zhang Ji said succinctly.

Zhang Ji planned to go with Tran to Rhombus Star World to aid the human civilization there.

Although Rhombus Star World had experienced a great disaster, one shouldn’t forget that this disaster had also filtered out tens of millions of Extraordinaries.

Not everyone was compatible with something like Superpowers.

Aside from martial artists and Extraordinary beings whose physical attributes met the criteria for stable awakenings, only a small fraction of ordinary people could undergo genetic mutation through the radiation of Knoer Meteorite Fragments and gain Superpowers.

Many more died from the genetic mutation.

This population of ten million people with Superpowers represented an absolutely outstanding productive force.

Some Superpowers, if developed well, had incredibly high potential. They could be used to create all sorts of black-box technologies that could significantly advance a civilization.

It could be said that with this population of ten million superpowered individuals, Origin Star would immediately have the production potential of an Interstellar Civilization.

"Are you serious?" Lan Zhigao’s face was flushed with excitement. "I... I really don’t know how I can ever thank you..."

"No thanks are needed. As fellow humans, this is our duty," Zhang Ji said with a smile.

’Of course, it wasn’t a duty-bound rescue. Zhang Ji wanted a great many things: minerals, meteorite fragments, even the entire great Knoer Meteorite, not to mention the superpowered beasts and even the population itself. He already considered it all his for the taking.’

’But then again, kind words are free.’

’And for the current civilization on Rhombus Star, being ruled by the Saint King Council was a better fate than outright annihilation.’

The preparation process was much faster this time.

After all, they were constantly running supply missions to the Celestial Essence Realm and Lan’er World.

Much of what they needed could simply be taken from existing stock.

They just had to move a few supplies, and then they would be ready to depart.

「Ramos Town.」

In just two short days, the population here had been relocated.

In their place was a group of military administrators.

This place would soon be converted into a traversal base.

Just like the forest outside Xia Yu Country that led to the Celestial Essence Realm, and the space station orbiting Origin Star.

The Starship was currently in Lan’er, so for this trip to Rhombus Star, Zhang Ji had to personally lead the way with the Hope.

To be precise, he wasn’t taking that many people.

Most of the contingent consisted of robots and drones.

The human personnel were operators, system maintenance workers, and a few researchers responsible for information gathering.

Once the temporary base was established, he didn’t plan on letting them leave it.

This kind of post-apocalyptic world was like something out of a horror movie.

One moment of carelessness and you could be dead.

An insect, a plant, or even a meteorite fragment on the ground could be enough to take a person’s life.

Unless you were a B-rank martial artist, it was difficult to guarantee your safety.

The process of traversing the spatial rift was about the same as going to the Celestial Essence Realm or Lan’er World—just as tedious.

Now that the World Tree had taken root within it, the Hope had become much more stable. Traveling through the void was easier, and its speed had increased significantly. Its internal space had also expanded several times over. Many Spirit Plants and Demon Plants were cultivated inside—all high-grade goods that Robby had specifically requested. He had even personally reviewed the planting layout.

In the outside world, they might not even mature after several hundred years of careful cultivation.

But inside the Hope, these things could grow very quickly. You could just plant them casually, and they would mature in a month or two.

The Hope and the World Tree formed a powerful combination. This space was now truly a top-tier farming space. In his past life, players who loved farming simulation games would probably die of envy if they saw a home space like this.

Raising a World Tree seedling to this size required an astronomical amount of resources. Players without considerable wealth couldn’t even dream of it.

And if you tried to grind for it, it wasn’t something you could achieve in a day or two.

Inside the Hope’s living quarters.

Lan Zhigao was still a little nervous, anxious, excited, and filled with a mix of hope and fear.

In short, his emotions were a complex mess. He just held a cup of Spirit Tea in his hands for the longest time, lost in a daze.

Zhang Ji paid him no mind, instead busying himself with briefing the staff on various matters, including the taboos and dangers.

Although most of these staff members were professionals, his familiarity with this Otherworld was clearly on a higher level.

After finishing the briefing, Zhang Ji found Tran.

Leaving Origin Star and letting Melia live on her own had left Tran, ever the family man, feeling a bit out of sorts.

"She’ll grow up eventually. Melia isn’t a child who can’t live independently. Besides, isn’t Gu Jie there? You’re worrying too much," Zhang Ji said.

Hearing this, Tran gave a slightly bitter smile. "I’m getting old, after all. I don’t yearn for the outside world as much as I used to."

"But you have to understand, even if you don’t go looking for trouble, trouble will come looking for you. If you don’t grow stronger yourself, you won’t be able to protect Melia when disaster strikes," Zhang Ji said meaningfully.

Tran understood Zhang Ji’s words.

With the appearance of these spatial rifts to Otherworlds, he was now certain that what Zhang Ji had said when establishing the Saint King Council was not just empty talk.

Origin Star was indeed facing many challenges.

This was also the reason he had agreed to go on this mission.

His pep talk complete, Zhang Ji said no more and went over to the Bodhi Tree to begin his cultivation.

Before long, with a shift in the world’s gravity, the Hope broke through the void and arrived at Rhombus Star.

「Rhombus Star World.」

Amidst the ruins of the former Li Country.

The Hope emerged from the void.

This was a city, but its skyscrapers now lay toppled and twisted all around, reduced to rubble.

The spatial rift had appeared at the top of one of the high-rises here.

It was here that Lan Zhigao, pursued by a pack of mutant hounds, with his teammates all dead and himself heavily wounded, had stumbled into the rift in a panic. With an incredible stroke of luck, he had reached Origin Star.

The distance between Origin Star and Rhombus Star World was relatively short compared to the distances to the Celestial Essence Realm and Lan’er World.

Therefore, this leg of the journey through the void was also quite short; the Hope’s entire voyage took less than an hour.

But even so, for Lan Zhigao to have been able to traverse it, his luck must have been off the charts.

That, and his physical constitution was also genuinely high.

Zhang Ji had examined him.

Lan Zhigao’s strength was at least C-rank.

With that level of strength, in a pre-gunpowder era, he could practically be a one-man army.

"I can’t imagine what they must have gone through..." one of the researchers lamented, looking down at the ruins below.

Tran’s expression was profound.

He was seeing one of the possible futures for Origin Star.

If he could help it, he would never let Origin Star meet such a fate.

Amidst the chorus of sighs, Zhang Ji steered the Hope straight toward the settlement where Lan Zhigao had come from.