Chapter Six: A Plurality of Worlds

The Multiversal Travel Engine activated, carrying Zhang Desen and his spaceship onto the path toward another universe.

Inside the spaceship, Zhang Desen had not yet started the engines. He followed the protocol learned in training, waiting for the vessel to disengage from the energy transmission of the Multiversal Travel Engine, ready to launch at that precise moment. The craft, resembling a fighter jet, was incapable of multiversal travel on its own; it relied entirely on the energy provided by the Multiversal Travel Engine for passage between universes, as well as for its return.

Therefore, Zhang Desen dared not start the ship prematurely. If he were to do so, the entire vessel might break free from the energy corridor, leaving Zhang Desen lost in the vastness of space.

Unbeknownst to him, as he successfully entered the solar system of the target universe, another force began to focus its attention on his spacecraft and the spatial corridor.

...

At that moment, in the command room of the coastal base of the Orme Empire, the Director of Intelligence rushed in to report to their Supreme Leader, Yuri Gotner.

"Reporting, Supreme Leader, the same thing has happened again."

Yuri Gotner was taken aback. "What is it?"

The Director explained, "Supreme Leader, do you recall the unidentified flying object we captured a few months ago? There was a human aboard, and both he and his ship emerged from a mysterious spatial distortion."

Yuri Gotner replied, "Of course I remember. Didn’t we capture him and successfully reengineer him for our control? Has he broken free?"

The Director responded, "No, Supreme Leader. The corridor has appeared again, this time seemingly more stable. Our space radars have detected another unidentified craft preparing to exit the passage."

Yuri Gotner demanded, "What? How is this possible? Where are they from? Were you able to extract anything from the memory of the previous extraterrestrial human?"

The Director answered, "Apologies, Supreme Leader. Although we have managed to compel him to serve us, we have not fully destroyed his remaining will. That residual will continues to resist, preventing us from retrieving any vital information."

Yuri Gotner said, "I understand. But you must eliminate his residual will as soon as possible. I need to know where he comes from. Remember, our numbers are not as great as humanity’s; we rely chiefly on technological superiority."

He continued in a more solemn tone, "If there are humans from advanced civilizations elsewhere who can help the local humans restore their pre-catastrophe civilization, it would be disastrous for us. Understood?"

"Understood!" replied the Director.

Yuri Gotner went on, "Given the current situation, I now order you: no matter what, you must launch a direct attack on the newly appeared spatial corridor. Force out whatever is hidden within—regardless of what it is."

He sat upright and commanded, "Once whatever is inside emerges, regardless of where it tries to flee, you must capture all of them. You know what to do afterward, correct?"

The Director answered, "Yes, Supreme Leader. I will accomplish the mission."

Yuri Gotner waved his hand. "Go!"

The Director saluted. "Yes, Supreme Leader!"

He then proceeded to the operations room.

...

Once the Director arrived at the battle command center and completed the required procedures, everyone took their positions and swiftly entered combat readiness.

A guard approached the Director and reported, "Director, all attack preparations are complete. The target is locked, energy fully charged. Shall we attack the mysterious spatial corridor?"

The Director answered, "Attack!"

"Yes, sir!" the guard replied.

...

Meanwhile, Zhang Desen waited for the transport corridor to finish its transmission, ready to launch his spaceship at the exact moment it was safe.

But as he waited, prepared to activate the ship, the energy transmission corridor suddenly shook violently, as if under attack, destabilizing the entire passage.

Were it not for the seat’s safety harness, Zhang Desen might have been thrown upwards and struck the glass in front of him. Immediately after the tremor, his communicator sounded:

"Multiversal Space, Multiversal Space, this is Home Base. Is your spacecraft stable?"

"Home Base, Home Base, this is Multiversal Space. Aside from a recent severe tremor, everything is normal. Repeat: aside from a recent severe tremor, everything is normal," Zhang Desen responded promptly.

Headquarters replied, "Very good, Multiversal Space. No issues detected. Please remain calm. The tremor may have been caused by an unknown power supply disturbance, which briefly destabilized the spatial corridor. The situation is now under control. Please acknowledge, please acknowledge!"

Zhang Desen replied, "Acknowledged. I am proceeding to the destination as planned. Repeat: proceeding to the destination as planned."

Headquarters responded, "Excellent. You are ten minutes from your target. Prepare to launch the spacecraft at any moment!"

"Understood!" Zhang Desen replied.

He made immediate preparations to launch.

As each minute passed, with only two minutes remaining before launch, another massive tremor struck.

Fortunately, the spaceship was not shaken out of the Multiversal Travel Engine’s energy corridor. However, the spatial passage began to show signs of collapse. Once more, the communicator sounded:

"Multiversal Space, is everything normal? Please respond immediately."

"Aside from the abnormal tremor, all is normal. Repeat: aside from the abnormal tremor, all is normal," Zhang Desen replied.

Headquarters called, "Good. No matter what happens, you must launch the ship as planned. That is the best way to ensure maximum safety. Do you understand?"

"Understood!" Zhang Desen answered.

He watched the countdown for launch. Finally, it began: five, four, three, two, one—activate.

But at the very instant he was to launch, the energy corridor was shaken by another violent tremor.

This time, the shaking was so intense it resembled an explosion. Zhang Desen’s vessel was blasted out of the passage, but fortunately, the engines had already engaged and he was able to stabilize the ship at once.

He activated the rear-view system and saw the corridor erupting with a violent explosion. Soon after, it vanished.

Ahead, a planet appeared, looking very much like Earth. Zhang Desen knew this must be Earth in the multiverse.

He attempted to contact Earth in his original universe. He activated the communicator:

"Home Base, Home Base, this is Multiversal Space. Please respond!"

...

"Home Base, Home Base, this is Multiversal Space! Please respond!!"

...

Repeated calls went unanswered. Zhang Desen realized he might have lost contact with Headquarters.

He immediately followed the spaceship's operations manual, checking for damage. Though the ship had endured several severe tremors, it was functioning normally, and no other interference was detected.

Thus, the most likely cause for the communication failure was distance. The electromagnetic waves from the ship’s communicator, traveling at light speed, would take 4.2 years to reach the nearest star to the solar system, Proxima Centauri.

That distance is 4.2 light-years. The diameter of the Milky Way is 100,000 light-years, and the distances between galaxies and clusters are even more immense.

Therefore, direct communication between the ship and original Earth was impossible unless one waited for an exceedingly long time.

According to the previous communication plan, the scheduled contact times were 6:00 AM, 12:00 noon, and 6:00 PM Beijing time. When the Multiversal Travel Engine was activated, it would close the distance to ensure smooth communication.

Now, with communications suddenly cut off just before landing, and combined with the tremors experienced in the multiversal corridor, Zhang Desen reached the conclusion he most dreaded: the Multiversal Travel Engine had suffered an unknown malfunction, and he might not be able to return home for the time being.

Still, he believed that once the machine was repaired, Headquarters would reestablish contact. He resolved to continue his mission as planned.

He piloted his ship into the atmosphere of the multiversal Earth, maneuvering skillfully through layers of clouds. The weather was gloomy.

The scenery before Zhang Desen was incredibly familiar, giving him the illusion of returning home.

Yet he quickly dispelled that feeling. He had not yet landed, but from the air, he saw on the ground not only a human army wielding cold weapons but also another force—composed of terrifying beings.

...

Meanwhile, in the battle command center of the Orme Empire’s coastal base, a guard reported to the Director of Intelligence:

"Director, we have successfully destroyed the unidentified corridor."

"Excellent," said the Director. "What of the unidentified craft inside?"

"A vessel emerged," the guard answered. "Though its appearance differs, it bears the same markings as the previous unidentified craft."

"Good," said the Director. "Immediately attack its propulsion system with minimal energy. Disable it—do not destroy. Capture the alien aboard alive."

...

The Director noticed hesitation. "What’s the problem? Are there difficulties?"

The guard replied, "Director, though we destroyed the corridor, this one was much sturdier than the last. Our weapons overloaded and were destroyed in the process."

The Director was furious, slamming the table and shouting, "What? How could this happen? Forget it—notify the Air Force immediately. Send fighters. Whether in the sky or on the ground, capture the crew of that unidentified vessel alive!"

"Yes, sir!" the guard replied, rushing to deliver the order.