277: Chapter 279 The universe is at peace, truly at peace.

The skies of the Milky Way Galaxy had finally changed completely.

Those high-level predators that once ran rampant and frequently engaged in "civilization cleansing" were now either working as laborers for Chenxing Technology or queuing up in the interstellar trade zone to pay their "tolls."

The entire Milky Way Galaxy had fallen into a strange, unprecedented peace.

This peace had been forcibly stitched together with absolute military might.

The logo of Chenxing Technology had become the hardest currency in the entire star region.

Never mind the small and medium-sized civilizations; even those mysterious organizations that used to hide in the shadows and cause trouble now had to take a detour whenever they saw Jiang Chen's spaceship, terrified of being grabbed by that "Interstellar Village Chief" to build the Great Wall.

"Boss, this is the final batch of the compensation list."

Zhao Gang handed a thick stack of documents to Jiang Chen with a complex expression, "That civilization, which once listed us as a 'destruction target,' just mortgaged their home planet's territorial rights to us."

"They said that in order to show their support for the 'Galactic Federation,' they are willing to hand over all of their civilization's scientific research data."

Jiang Chen tossed the stack of documents, which was as thick as a dictionary, onto the console.

He leaned back in the captain's chair, watching the group of dejected alien nobles loading "Chenxing-brand Spicy Strips" onto their ships, yet he didn't feel the joy of reaching the pinnacle that he had expected.

"It's boring, Old Zhao."

Jiang Chen rubbed his temples, his tone filled with a lazy helplessness, "Really, it's just too boring."

He looked at the universe that no longer held any hostility, nor even a single thought of resistance, and sighed deeply, "Look, these guys wanted to kill me just a moment ago, but now, as long as I give them a bite to eat, they'd even dig up their own ancestral graves to give to you as a gift."

"Is this a battle? This is clearly a one-sided surrender show."

"We can't even find anyone worth fighting in this Milky Way Galaxy anymore."

Zhao Gang stood to the side, his mouth twitching several times.

When others went to war, they were either short on money or short on lives.

His own boss, however, was different; as he fought, he turned his opponents into his own employees and their planets into his own industrial parks.

Was this kind of "invincible loneliness" something mortals could really understand?

"Boss, doesn't this just go to show how formidable you are?" Zhao Gang flattered him insincerely.

"Formidable my foot."

Jiang Chen rolled his eyes and cast his gaze into the distant reaches of the vast starry sky, "What I'm more worried about now is that these guys are running away too fast, which might actually be covering up the true 'source'."

If this universe were truly just a bunch of such fragile "soft persimmons," then wouldn't all those terrifying legends from before, along with the high-risk alerts issued by the system, just seem like a joke?

No.

Jiang Chen narrowed his eyes, his gaze becoming sharp in that instant.

The collapse of those advanced civilizations was not entirely due to fear.

At the edge of that torn dimension, he clearly sensed a deeper, more chilling will; that was the true "hunter."

These fleets he had incorporated were, at best, just guard dogs on the periphery of the forest.

The real predator hadn't even shown its face yet.

"Forget it, no point thinking about that so much."

Jiang Chen stood up from his chair and waved at the busy technicians around him, "Since there's no battle to fight here, let's continue on our way."

"Where to?" Academician Chen Shuyin pushed the door open and entered; she looked even more intellectual than before, having replaced her lab coat with a tactical robe better suited for the interstellar exploration environment.

"Since the Milky Way Galaxy has become our backyard, let's go see the center."

Jiang Chen walked to the porthole and pointed at the gray area on the star map marked "Taboo."

"I heard there's an ancient 'Collapse Point' there; it is the origin of all civilizations and the end of all myths."

"We aren't going this time to snatch mines, nor to sell Spicy Strips."

"We are going to see what those so-called 'The Keeper' are actually up to."

The spaceship engine let out a low roar.

This was no longer a war machine filled with the scent of gunpowder, but an ark for human civilization to step toward a higher dimension.

As the luan bird slowly turned, that once-bustling trade route was instantly left behind.

Jiang Chen leaned against the window, looking through the thick, specially made glass at the stars outside that were gradually growing dim.

His fingers rubbed against the rusty Law of Causality remote control in his pocket.

Every time this thing was used, there was one less use remaining.

But he wasn't worried.

Because he knew there were plenty of "local specialties" along this route; even if he just picked them up, he could assemble a new trump card.

"Old Chen, how are those prenatal education materials coming along on your end?"

Jiang Chen suddenly turned his head and asked a question that made all the crew members nearly spit out their food.

Academician Chen Shuyin rolled her eyes at him helplessly, "It hasn't even been born yet, what are you in such a rush for?"

"How can I not be in a rush?"

Jiang Chen looked earnest, "When our child is born, they will be growing up in a warship. If they can't even distinguish a Curvature Engine, wouldn't that be a disgrace to the Jiang family?"

"You really are something."

Academician Chen Shuyin scolded him playfully, but the tenderness in her eyes could not be hidden.

She walked to Jiang Chen's side, looking at the distant, mysterious deep space.

Perhaps.

The future really was a desolate wasteland, or even a battlefield.

But as long as he was by her side.

These stars filling the sky didn't seem so cold anymore.

Jiang Chen looked at the deep space, a playful smile curling at the corners of his mouth.

"Peace?"

"That is a placebo left for the weak."

"For 'Interstellar Village Chiefs' like us, this universe is, and always will be, that... dark forest filled with opportunities."

"As for those guys hiding in the back..."

Jiang Chen slowly closed his eyes, feeling the vibration of the engine.

"Since you all like playing chess so much."

"Then I will..."

"Flip the chessboard right over for you!"

The luan bird shot out like an arrow from a bow, completely submerging into the darkness, advancing at full speed toward that abyss that no one had ever reached before.

This long journey was destined to have no turning back.

And in this silent starry sky, Jiang Chen heard his consistently tsundere system issue a faint, yet fearful warning at the final moment:

[Attention.]

[The physical rules of the dimension ahead are... formatting.]

[If it is you.]

[Please prepare for... a complete reset.]

Hearing this, Jiang Chen's smile remained bright.

He gripped the control stick in his hand tightly.

Since it's going to be reset.

Then I am the one who—

The one who rewrites the code.