308: Chapter 311 Searching for the Origin of Earth, Discovering a Shocking Secret

The Dragon Kingdom Academy of Sciences, deep underground archives.

This was the core of the entire Dragon Kingdom technological community, as well as its most desolate place.

The surrounding walls were covered with three-meter-thick lead plates to ensure that no external radiant energy could interfere with the data here.

Under the dim lights, Jiang Chen and Academician Chen Shuyin were facing an old terminal.

That was a classified database that had been sealed since the end of the last century.

"Are you sure you want to check?"

Academician Chen Shuyin adjusted her glasses, her fingers hovering above the virtual keys, her expression uncharacteristically carrying a hint of hesitation. "Once the files here are accessed, they might completely shatter our understanding of this world."

"It should have been checked long ago."

Jiang Chen exhaled a puff of smoke, his eyes revealing an unquestionable coldness.

"Ever since we stepped into interstellar space and saw that 'wall,' I have always had a doubt."

"Why is the development of our Solar System so mediocre? Why are the enemies we have to face often existences that are extremely lopsided in a certain field?"

"There must be a logic to this."

He pressed the blue confirm key.

"Hum—"

After a burst of dense electrical noise, a bizarre star map of the Solar System appeared on the terminal screen.

That was not the static image we usually see.

It was a set of flowing dynamic calculation models with gravitational field disturbances.

"Look here."

Academician Chen Shuyin pointed to Earth's orbit. "If we were to remove Earth from the Solar System, the gravitational structure of this stellar system would shift, possibly even leading to the collapse of the orbits of Jupiter and Saturn."

"In other words..."

Her voice was a bit dry, as if someone were choking her:

"This planet, Earth, plays the role of a... 'stabilizing stake' in the mechanical structure of the Solar System."

"It is not only not a product of Nature."

"It is even an 'anchor point' carefully placed in a golden position."

Jiang Chen did not speak, just stared fixedly at the stream of data constantly jumping on the screen.

Those data recorded the composition of Earth's crust, the temperature of the core, and that faint yet stable electromagnetic energy field covering the Earth's surface.

That was the so-called "protective shell."

"Keep checking."

Jiang Chen said in a deep voice, "Find the energy source of that protective shell for me."

A few minutes later.

Academician Chen Shuyin's fingers froze.

She pulled up detection data from deep space; it was an ancient log encrypted tens of thousands of times, from the wreckage of that unknown civilization.

"This is not a coincidence."

"This is absolutely not a coincidence!"

Academician Chen Shuyin stood up abruptly, her voice sounding somewhat sharp due to her excitement:

"Jiang Chen, look at this segment of code!"

"It is written in a 'rule code' that only advanced civilizations master. Its purpose is not for climate regulation, nor for resource development."

"The purpose of its existence is only one—blockade."

"Earth is actually a shelter that was carefully arranged."

"Those so-called ancient civilizations, those creators mentioned in myths, they long knew that some kind of terrifying 'The Sweepers' existed in the universe."

"They could not fight against those terrible things, so they chose to retreat."

"They hid Earth away, like hiding a seed in a forest fire."

This conversation caused the atmosphere in the command room to instantly fall into an ice cellar.

Jiang Chen leaned back in his chair, looking at the azure planet model on the screen.

In this boundless dark universe, it was as beautiful as a sapphire lost in a corner.

But now it seemed that this gem was actually a... plaything that could be picked up or crushed at any moment.

"So."

Jiang Chen sneered, his eyes flashing with a kind of disdain. "Those floods, those ice ages, are they actually the 'automatic cleaning system' of this shelter in operation?"

"Once humanity develops to the point where it might expose its location, they will take action?"

"Clean up the population? Adjust the climate? Prevent us from summoning that 'bald guy' over?"

Academician Chen Shuyin took a deep breath and nodded:

"That can be understood that way."

"The reason that Sweeper Civilization hasn't directly torn Earth apart is because our civilization level hasn't touched that alert point called the 'red line'."

"We have always been living under their surveillance and captivity."

"We are like experimental subjects in a cage, thinking we have walked out into the universe, but in reality, we have just circled within the cage."

Jiang Chen was silent.

He stood up and walked to the chip sealed in the lead box.

That was the core pried from that scout ship disguised as a meteorite.

"You are right."

Jiang Chen pressed his hand on the chip, and at that moment, the light in his eyes turned completely cold.

"We used to think that the universe was fair."

"As long as you work hard, as long as you struggle, you can get an admission ticket."

"But in fact..."

"This is simply a pre-arranged script."

He raised his head and looked at the ceiling above, as if he could see that high-and-mighty "The Keeper" at the end of the universe.

"No matter if you are a god, or some so-called rule."

"Since you have blocked the road..."

"Then I will... chisel a hole for you!"

Academician Chen Shuyin watched his almost paranoid state of madness, feeling a sense of peace in her heart inexplicably.

Although Jiang Chen's current state was very dangerous, and although his ideas were simply fantasy in the eyes of this civilization.

But Academician Chen Shuyin knew.

This man never joked.

Since he said he wanted to chisel it open, then in his hands, he must have long been holding that...

"Wall-chiseling" hammer.

"Jiang Chen."

Academician Chen Shuyin walked to his side, looking at the sealed chip. "You just said... this thing is protecting us, then behind it..."

"What it is guarding against..."

"What exactly is that terrifying thing?"

Jiang Chen did not answer directly.

He just handed the alarm that had just popped out of the system, filled with garbled code, to Academician Chen Shuyin.

The coordinates on it.

Do not belong to the Milky Way Galaxy.

They don't even belong to any known star cluster.

"Guarding against whom?"

Jiang Chen looked at the coordinates, the sneer at the corner of his mouth appearing somewhat desolate. "What it is guarding against, of course, is those..."

"That even our current 'God-level Civilization' feels fear of—"

"The true harvesters."

Jiang Chen turned around and strode out of the archives.

His back, under the illumination of the corridor lights, was stretched very long, very long.

That was the back of a lonely pioneer.

He knew that the moment the truth was revealed, the entire Earth civilization would be standing on the edge of a cliff.

There was no turning back.

Only moving forward.

Only when that "wall" blocking the starry sky was completely smashed.

Could they truly see this universe.

Whether it is a sea of stars.

Or that damn...

Huge cage.

Jiang Chen took out his phone and opened the communication channel that was about to be overwhelmed.

"Jiang Wanqiu."

He roared in a low voice, his tone carrying an uncompromising murderous aura. "Forget about that ruin, bring all your warships and return to the Solar System!"

"We are going to war."

"Not fighting against some indigenous people."

"But fighting against this entire... damn cosmic rule!"

On the other side of the screen, the Empress's figure flickered.

She seemed to have sensed Jiang Chen's unprecedented urgency and murderous intent. She didn't waste words, just gently inserted the great sword in her hand into the rock, letting out a deafening roar:

"Dawn City! Assemble!"

"The Father God has ordered it!"

"Everyone, bring your sharpest weapons!"

"We are going home!"

"To smash that—cage that has imprisoned us for tens of thousands of years!"

Listening to this battle cry that spanned galaxies, Jiang Chen finally revealed a brilliant smile at the corner of his mouth.

He no longer hesitated.

He turned and walked towards the express that had been waiting for a long time, loaded with interstellar expedition supplies.

This starry sky is too quiet.

Let us "prisoners" go and create some...

Decent chaos for it.

Outside the door, the base's alarm sounded again.

But Jiang Chen no longer cared.

Because he knew.

As long as he took this step.

The truth of this universe.

Would really...

No longer be hidden.