It was a space filled with the coldness of metal. In the very center, Qin Fen did not see the person he expected. Instead, there was a massive liquid nutrient tank, within which a human brain floated. Protected in a specialized container, thousands upon thousands of fine wires were connected to it.
There was absolutely no one else in this room! Only the brain, in its special container within the nutrient tank, emitted the faintest trace of life force.
“Don't stand in the doorway, come in.”
The room’s speakers sounded again, and the lights of a row of computers flickered softly in rhythm with the voice.
Qin Fen stepped into the room, gazing with confusion at the brain in the nutrient tank. He had expected a supremely powerful martial artist to be presiding over this space.
In the current societal environment, where might practically reigned supreme, nearly every faction’s supreme leader was the strongest martial artist holding the highest seat of power. Yet, the apparent apex of authority in this base was not a formidable warrior; in fact, it possessed not even a shred of combat capability. It was merely a human brain.
Although academia had its hierarchies based on scholarly merit, the Founding Council was clearly not a purely academic institution. It manufactured numerous killing machines and operated under the cruelest laws of survival: the useful lived, the useless perished!
The batches of experimental subjects Chen Feiyu had overseen were the most vivid examples of this. For such an organization, the leader of this base was nothing more than a brain.
The cold room offered nowhere to sit. Qin Fen and Chen Feiyu entered, standing quietly, unable to suppress their curiosity as they surveyed the surroundings. A large array of computers filled the space, data scrolling incessantly across the screens.
“My body is this base,” the brain spoke, breaking the silence. “You are Qin Fen, correct? And you are… Chen Feiyu? It has been a long time.”
The atmosphere in the room instantly turned icy.
Chen Feiyu’s face was shrouded in killing intent as he looked at the brain. Not everyone in the Founding Council knew Chen Feiyu; only those who had undergone that experiment, and the highest echelons of the Council leadership! Every individual involved in that experiment was Chen Feiyu’s enemy!
In this world, besides a select few like Qin Fen, only Chen Feiyu’s enemies within the Founding Council knew the name Chen Feiyu.
“Based on the data from the blood flow in your body, and the way your strength alters the air pressure in the room, I deduce you are angry. I apologize. At present, I can only make estimations based on data.” The brain controlled the room’s speakers, continuing its aged voice: “Chen Feiyu, we will discuss your matters later. Before we address you, I feel it necessary to tell you both a story. If you do not believe I am merely stalling for time, you might listen.”
The walls of the room suddenly parted, automatically pushing out two chairs, a table, and on the table, some iced drinks—giving the distinct impression of entertaining an old friend.
Qin Fen sat down, quietly observing the brain before him. The room’s lighting dimmed, and a massive projection shone onto the smooth wall just beyond Qin Fen’s sightline.
It depicted human society before the New Technology Movement—a time when humanity had reached the pinnacle of its existing technology, yet simultaneously faced a grave looming threat: energy depletion.
Oil, like the lifeblood of the planet, was nearly drained in that era of rapid development. People experimented with various energy substitutes: controlled nuclear fusion, solar power, wind energy, even the flammable ice slumbering beneath the sea, no less potent than oil, all became primary targets for human society.
But then, one day, a new form of energy appeared in human society—inexhaustible, renewable, and perfectly safe for the environment. People called it Plant Energy.
“That’s right, Plant Energy!”
The aged voice continued, tinged with a hint of excitement: “Plant Energy. Plants are a form of life, and the energy derived from this life far exceeded human imagination. With the advent of this energy source, humanity’s energy crisis seemed solved…”
The aged voice suddenly emitted a cold, mocking smile: “Seemed solved.” Everyone believed it was solved. But who considered where this wheat and corn came from? The Earth was only so large, and humanity had not yet entered the Space Age. To supply the energy needs of the entire world, humanity would starve. And not just once!
“The common populace did not know how life energy was converted, so naturally, they didn't know how much grain was consumed,” the aged voice sighed slightly. “But some people did know. The inventors of it understood this problem intimately.”
Qin Fen watched the screen quietly, sensing instinctively that the aged voice would not casually recount useless ancient history.
“Humanity is like a child, and scientists are like parents who spoil that child,” the voice took on a tone of helplessness and emotion. “Faced with a constantly demanding child, scientists—these doting parents—continuously created technologies and inventions to satisfy their offspring. This time, a team of scholars, seeking to satisfy the children’s need for energy and life, opened for them a ‘Pandora’s Box’ overflowing with sweetness.”
“Unable to enter the Space Age, unable to colonize other planets for farmland, this group of scientists devised a radical method: multidimensional space.”
Multidimensional space? Qin Fen raised an eyebrow. That spatial theory was certainly famous.
“Zero-dimensional space lacks length, width, and height; it is purely a point. One-dimensional space possesses only length. Two-dimensional space is a flat world with only length and width. The three-dimensional world is the tangible reality of length, width, and height that our eyes perceive. Four-dimensional space adds a time axis to the ordinary three axes of length, width, and height, and this time axis is an imaginary numerical axis. According to Albert Einstein's theory of relativity: the three dimensions we face daily combined with time constitute what is known as four-dimensional space.”
Qin Fen merely nodded without speaking. This spatial theory, expounded by a brain of unknown age, was hardly new information for a student graduating from one of Asia’s top three high schools. It was likely intended more for Chen Feiyu.
“Space is a set; its most basic element is a point. A collection of points forms lines, surfaces, and volumes. The movement of a three-dimensional body generates time—this is humanity’s best description of the fourth dimension. Simply put… the fifth dimension arises from the movement of the fourth…” The aged voice paused slightly. “When humanity grasped the time axis of four-dimensional space… this Pandora’s Box of the fifth dimension was opened by the scientists.”
Qin Fen frowned slightly. Could the entities he encountered in the Saturn Forest be related to the fifth dimension?
“Young man, I know what you are thinking. It is not what you imagine.” The aged voice paused again, and the projection displayed a vast stretch of land. This area had plains and mountains, but apart from the land and mountains, there was nothing else.
“This is an entirely new space, one that humanity opened. It was a pristine, undeveloped frontier!” The voice grew excited. “But human society, pressured by energy demands, could not wait for the growing cycle of a single wheat field. So, this scientific group fully opened the Pandora’s Box once more. The scientists manipulated the time axis in a new way, drastically accelerating the passage of time within that infinitely vast space! When people lived there for a long time, only a brief period would have passed in this world upon their return. Thus…”
Qin Fen watched the barren fields in the projection. Under the work of automated harvesters and sowers, the land quickly turned lush green. It became boundless wheat fields, requiring no pesticides; boundless green vegetable patches; boundless orchards!
Vast amounts of food were transported to the human world; they transformed into the energy humanity required, serving roles in every corner of society. An energy crisis, one that nearly destroyed the world, was saved once more by the hands of this scientific team!
Scientific technology began to develop rapidly again. The discovery of the Atlantis ruins, the dawn of humanity’s near-space era—all played out quickly in the visuals.
“What a marvelous Pandora’s Box this was,” the aged voice expressed infinite emotion. “If everything had continued this way, how wonderful it would have been. But all the scientists overlooked one thing, or perhaps they realized it but never imagined it would become so severe. The Pandora Space operated far faster than our space. So, as time progressed…”
“Evolution,” Qin Fen blurted out, watching the projection. Plants began to show reliance on other plants, and insects depending on those plants—an unavoidable reality. The growth and propagation of various plants inevitably gave rise to other life forms.
All sorts of insects began to appear, and naturally, new evolutions followed.
This evolution did not seem terrifying, yet it could not be entirely eradicated, and humanity, with its ever-increasing demand for energy, could not stop its relentless march.
An insect appeared in Qin Fen’s view. It somewhat resembled a bee, but it lacked wings. This strange bee did not collect pollen or nectar; its food source was other insects!
Carnivorous! Aggressive!
“Time moves too quickly in there. Observation satellites sent out would quickly become obsolete. That scientific group could not constantly monitor the situation within. They could only create powerful automated attack machines and continuously spray pesticides to exterminate them.”
Qin Fen shook his head repeatedly. If pesticides could wipe out all insects, human society would have had no insects long ago. Without insects, the food chain would collapse, animals would vanish, and perhaps humanity would have perished long ago as well.
“Yes, your head shake is correct,” the aged voice said self-mockingly. “You must know that those scientific groups also knew this, so they began to consider remedial measures.”
The monstrous bee in the projection had grown to the size of a normal person, and the Queen Bee was as large as three men!
In the evolution of this new space, it was not humanity that thrived, but insects similar to bees.
“Their bodies were fairly robust, but they were no match for humans. As long as their scientific development was controlled, these creatures shouldn't amount to much.”
“Correct. Your nod this time is also right. The failing of scientists is their excessive faith in the power of science, neglecting the power of instinct and the force of evolution.”
The projection on the wall continued. The Queen Bee’s first offspring were no different from ordinary bees, but as she consumed different foods, and unable to develop scientific power, her body evolved again. What she birthed were no longer mere bee-like monsters.
This time, the Queen Bee devoured a fish, and then ate something resembling a human-sized gorilla. The resulting bee eggs, upon hatching, produced creatures based on the framework of a bipedal gorilla, possessing the innate abilities of bees but with the external appearance of fish scales.
“Fish-Scale Gorilla!” Qin Fen exclaimed in surprise, shouting out the name of the creature he had faced in the Golden Triangle, as depicted in the projection!
The Queen Bee in the projection died, and the new Queen she produced possessed the ability to walk upright, though she sported a massive ovipositor on her rear. She had six upper limbs resembling human arms, though none as strong as a human’s. She had strong legs to support her running, and bee antennae that allowed her to sense distant danger and evade it promptly.
The process of evolution was normally slow, but in this unique temporal space, evolution was rapid. Queen Bees died generation after generation, only to evolve and birth new forms in succession.
Reptilian creatures became bipedal beings. Their forms were varied, and some could even interbreed to produce similar offspring, while others were sterile, but they all shared a common feature: allegiance to the sole Queen Bee.
“The scientific group truly began to feel fear at this point, because the physical strength of many of these creatures surpassed normal imagination. They began attacking the automated combined harvesting, sowing, and collection machinery, and destroying the pesticides meant to eliminate them.”
“So, this scientific group made a decision! A preemptive strike! They only needed to eliminate the sole Queen Bee.”
In the projection screen, a mercenary force, equipped with sophisticated gear and possessing considerable combat strength, entered this world.
Seeing this, Qin Fen confirmed an earlier suspicion: there were no aliens! All of this was a side effect created by human scientists while trying to save humanity!
(Recommendation: I recommend a new book by my colleague, Xiao Se Lang, titled Shì Chán (Slaying Zen), which is currently being heavily promoted. It is already quite substantial; you don’t need to ‘raise’ it anymore, you can 'slaughter' it now.)