[Volume 2] Chapter 14: The Spacetime Administration Bureau Intervenes

A biomechanical man descended from the sky, flames jetting from the soles of his feet as he landed before the group.

He stood roughly two meters(6 feet 6.7 inches) tall. His upper body was encased in sophisticated exoskeletal armor, with scale-like metal plating covering both arms.

His left eye had a green iris, while his right was an icy blue cybernetic eye that gleamed with a cold, inorganic light.

Celestial Sojourners generally had little love for the Spacetime Administration Bureau. The main reason was simple: the Bureau was full of self-important busybodies who stuck their noses into everything.

If Celestial Sojourners were veteran drivers speeding down the highways of spacetime, then Bureau officers were traffic cops with far too much time on their hands. If they managed to catch up with you, they would pull you over and demand an inspection.

That said, even the Sojourners had to admit that without the Bureau meddling in everyone’s business, their own lawless behavior would have plunged the Endless Worlds into chaos long ago.

The biomechanical man flashed his investigator’s badge and demanded in a deep, electronically modulated voice, “Identify yourselves. Where did you come from? Where are you going? State your purpose in traveling through spacetime.”

“We’re employees of the Dream Clone Corporation. We come from World Gamma-six-D-76398, and we’re traveling through spacetime to collect Anne Hathaway’s genetic material.”

Jyan-Tyenhaw answered without missing a beat. He didn’t even blink as he lied.

Finn glanced at the man’s badge. His name was Zan-Yee, and he was an investigator with the Spacetime Administration Bureau—the lowest-ranking official in the organization.

But even an investigator wielded tremendous authority. The Bureau was backed by the Star Cosmos Empire and enjoyed an exalted status throughout the Endless Worlds.

If Finn and the others killed this man on the spot, every last one of them would end up on the Star Cosmos Empire’s wanted list.

“Employees of the Dream Clone Corporation?” Zan-Yee snorted and pointed at Moonbell. “I may not recognize the rest of you, but that little girl is a member of the Spacetime Destruction Bureau!”

“Huh? How do you know me?” Moonbell asked in surprise.

She rarely left home and spent most of her time in the laboratory.

“How could I not? You’re too cute!” Zan-Yee exclaimed. “In World Gamma-TWO-A-28538, someone used a photo of you taken at an academic conference to enter the Interstellar Most Beautiful Girl Competition. The result? You won the title five years in a row and became a sensation across the entire universe.

“Eventually, more than five thousand lolicons banded together to search for the universe’s most beautiful girl—only to discover that a scruffy, burly man had used your photo for the entry.

“Then all hell broke loose. The burly impostor was an Immortal Realm expert at Tier 8, and there were plenty of legendary powerhouses among those five thousand lolicons.

“Their battle darkened heaven and earth and extinguished stars! The five thousand lolicons fought the burly impostor all the way to the edge of the universe, shattering galaxies and obliterating even the Dao!”

Moonbell covered her face and sighed. “Damn photo-stealing scumbag!”

How could five thousand lolicons and one burly impostor possibly fight so hard that they obliterated the Dao? Finn couldn’t even muster a sarcastic comment.

Zan-Yee slapped his forehead. “I’m getting sidetracked! Anyway, the Administrator sent me to investigate the incident, and I discovered that the photo had originated with you—the technical backbone of the Spacetime Destruction Bureau.

“Did you people deliberately choose that name just to oppose our Spacetime Administration Bureau?”

“Hmph. None of your business.” Moonbell pouted and rolled her eyes, nearly knocking everyone flat with sheer cuteness.

Zan-Yee clutched at his nonexistent heart. “My son is already three hundred years old, but after I saw your photo, I went and had another daughter. She isn’t even a tenth as cute as you.”

His expression turned stern again. “Now come clean. What exactly are you doing here? Why is a researcher from the Spacetime Destruction Bureau mixed up with employees of the Dream Clone Corporation?”

Bearmont stepped forward. “This little cutie took a job posted by our corporation. She’s here to provide technical support.”

Zan-Yee nodded without bothering to verify the explanation. He took out several flat, bright yellow disks.

“Regardless, all spacetime travel falls under the jurisdiction of the Spacetime Administration Bureau. Attach these tracking tags so we can monitor you in real time. You are strictly forbidden from engaging in any illegal activity!”

Finn’s expression darkened. He was already preparing to pull the nuclear rocket launcher from his storage space and fire it straight into the investigator’s face.

Bearmont’s muscles tensed as well, ready to strike.

Chen-Awelon signaled for them to leave it to him. His figure blurred, and he appeared behind Zan-Yee in an instant.

IQ Suppression Aura—activate!

Chen-Awelon contracted the aura until it covered only himself and Zan-Yee.

The smaller its range, the stronger the IQ Suppression Aura became—and the more severely it reduced its victims to idiots.

Zan-Yee’s eyes immediately went vacant, and his entire face went slack. Clear lubricating fluid dribbled from the corner of his mouth as his unfocused eyes stared blankly ahead.

“Duhhh... buhhh... duhhh... buh-buh-buh...”

Once Zan-Yee had been successfully reduced to a drooling imbecile, Bearmont stepped forward. He gathered all his power into one hand and unleashed an overwhelming palm strike against Zan-Yee’s steel chest.

The impact instantly accelerated the investigator to third cosmic velocity—the escape speed needed to leave the Solar System. He shot out of the atmosphere on a trajectory toward interstellar space.

“So that’s all he had? A low-level Venerable Realm(Tier 3) expert, at best.” Bearmont dusted off his hands in disdain.

Despite his words, Bearmont had not killed him. He had merely sent him flying far away.

Whenever a member of the Spacetime Administration Bureau lost all signs of life, a record of everything they had encountered before death would automatically be transmitted back to the Bureau.

The Bureau would analyze the data to identify the killer, then join forces with the Star Cosmos Empire to hunt them across the Endless Worlds.

Unless someone was a powerhouse of the Saint Realm(Tier 7), the Immortal Realm(Tier 8), or the God Realm(Tier 9), they would think twice before inviting that kind of trouble.

“Quick, teleport us out of here!” Chen-Awelon urged.

Everyone climbed aboard the combat platform, a small, hemispherical mobile base equipped with a wide variety of functions.

Finn knew how to operate it. He activated its defensive shield and camouflage system, then switched on its artificial intelligence and ordered it to teleport them somewhere secluded.

The AI scanned the surrounding area and located the nearest concealed spot. After a ripple in space, the group found themselves deep beneath the ocean.

They were near a coastal city. Beyond the transparent energy shield, fish swam lazily through the water. Thanks to the camouflage system, not one of them noticed the hemispherical platform that had suddenly appeared nearby.

Blue light shimmered around Moonbell’s hands as she swiftly set up several large machines, including an Imaginary World Interferometer, an Imagination Condenser, and an Extra-Dimensional Surveillance Eye.

Last came the Imaginary World traversal device she had invented herself. It could project a person’s mind and will into an Imaginary World.

The device consisted of several oval-shaped pink helmets, each surrounded by flickering, mysterious halos.

Moonbell was kindhearted and utterly dependable. Everything she invented went through countless tests, and her creations had never failed once.

Her mentor, Zhuge-Tyentse, was practically a safety hazard by comparison.

Zhuge-Tyentse had absolute confidence in his own abilities. Whenever he created something, he never tested it. He simply tossed it to the members of the Spacetime Destruction Bureau and had them use it.

Most of the time, nothing went wrong.

But when something did go wrong, people died.

Everyone trusted Moonbell without reservation. They lay back in the reclining chairs and put on the pink Imaginary World helmets.

Only Bearmont complained that pink did not suit his tough-guy image and asked whether she had one in black.

Moonbell refused without hesitation.

Left with no choice, Bearmont reluctantly put on a pink helmet.

At that moment, fewer than two hours had passed since the publication of the final chapter of Battle Through the Heavens. Its readers’ power of imagination was at its peak, and the structure of its Imaginary World was more complete than ever.

Moonbell controlled the traversal device with her mind and established a connection with the Imaginary World of Battle Through the Heavens.

In an instant, the minds and souls of Finn, Sainquartz, Bearmont, Jyan-Tyenhaw, and Chen-Awelon crossed the boundaries between dimensions and entered a world that did not exist: the Imaginary World of Battle Through the Heavens!