297: After becoming a higher-dimensional life form, I saw the truth of the universe!

"What is that?"

When Lu Chen took Su Qingying through the dimensional gate constructed by the core of the "genesis engine," which was filled with twisted light and shadows, they did not arrive at the treasure vault they had imagined, nor did they see piles of super weapons.

What appeared before them was a void.

Absolute void.

There were no stars, no light, and not even the concepts of space and time. They seemed to be suspended at a non-existent "point," surrounded by endless grayness; that sense of oppression was enough to drive any normal person insane in an instant.

"This is the crevice of dimensions."

Lu Chen's voice became ethereal and distant, as if it were coming from all directions simultaneously.

At this moment, the gold and silver light in his eyes had become intensely concentrated, even overflowing from his eye sockets to form a sacred halo behind him. With the leap in his life form and the full authorization of the "genesis engine," his current perspective was no longer limited to three dimensions.

He was "seeing."

Using a way that transcended senses and logic to "see" the essence of this world.

"Don't be afraid, hold on to me."

Lu Chen reached out and grasped Su Qingying's trembling little hand. A warm current came through his palm; it was the protection of Higher Dimensions energy, shielding Su Qingying from being torn apart by dimensional turbulence.

"What I am going to show you is not weapons."

"But the truth."

Lu Chen slowly raised his other hand toward the dead, silent void before him and waved it gently.

"Open!"

Boom—!!!

It was as if a giant black cloth had been violently ripped away; the originally gray world instantly collapsed and reorganized!

Immediately after, a terrifying scene, one that would make Su Qingying unforgettable for eternity and even cause every scientist in the entire universe to suffer brain death on the spot, was revealed before her eyes without reservation!

"Ah—!!!"

Su Qingying couldn't help but let out a gasp; she subconsciously covered her mouth, her pupils contracting violently, as if she had seen some indescribable horror.

What did she see?

She saw a river.

A long river composed of countless brilliant points of light, rushing ceaselessly, with no source and no end!

But it was not water, nor was it stars.

That was—time!

In that long river, every splash was the rise and fall of an era, and every droplet was the birth and death of a life. The past, the present, and the future all existed simultaneously in this river!

The chariots of the Qin Emperor and Han Wu were still racing, while future starships had already set sail; dinosaurs were still roaring, while human civilization had already turned to dust.

Everything was happening, and everything had ended.

This was the universe from a four-dimensional perspective—the River of Time and Space!

"Is—is this the essence of time?" Su Qingying asked tremblingly. This intuitive visual impact was ten thousand times more shocking than any dry physics formula.

"Not just that."

Lu Chen shook his head; his gaze did not linger on the River of Time and Space, but instead turned toward a place further and higher.

"Qingying, look up."

"Look?"

Su Qingying subconsciously looked up.

At this glance, her whole body froze completely.

If the River of Time and Space had shocked her, then the scene above her head filled her with deep despair.

Above her head, in the endless dimensions above, floated gigantic, transparent bubbles that emitted a faint light.

Yes, bubbles.

Countless bubbles were squeezed together densely, floating in an indescribable ocean of chaos. Inside every bubble, countless galaxies, nebulae, and black holes flickered.

"That is..." Su Qingying's voice was so dry it sounded like it was about to shatter.

"That's right."

Lu Chen's voice was terrifyingly calm.

"That is our universe."

He pointed his finger at one of the bubbles that looked ordinary, and even a bit dim.

"Look, that is the universe where our Milky Way Galaxy and our Local Group are located."

"It is not infinite."

"It has boundaries."

"It is just like a soap bubble that has been blown, fragile, closed, and tiny."

Lu Chen's finger moved slowly, pointing to the other dense bubbles beside that one.

"And there are countless such bubbles in this ocean of 'Multiverse'."

"In every bubble, countless civilizations are struggling, fighting, and desperate for survival."

"We thought we were the center of the universe; we thought the starry sea was an infinite journey."

"In fact..."

A self-deprecating bitter smile tugged at the corners of Lu Chen's mouth.

"We are just bugs trapped in glass bottles."

"The so-called 'dark forest' is nothing more than a few bugs in a bottle pecking at each other to fight for pathetic crumbs."

"And the real fear..."

Lu Chen waved his hand abruptly, and their line of sight raised again!

This time, Su Qingying saw something outside the bubbles.

Above that chaotic ocean, several shadows, vast to the point of being unimaginable, could be vaguely seen. They had no specific form, or rather, their forms already exceeded the comprehension of low-dimensional beings.

They were just like several naughty children holding straws or needles, casually poking at those fragile bubbles.

Some bubbles were poked through, and the galaxies inside instantly annihilated, turning into nothingness; some bubbles were injected with some kind of energy, and the civilizations inside began to evolve wildly and then exploded; some bubbles were fused together, triggering terrifying cross-universe wars.

"That—that is..."

Su Qingying felt her soul was about to freeze.

What were those shadows? Were they gods? Demons? Or some kind of observers from a higher dimension?

"Those are the 'Supervisor'."

Lu Chen's voice became incomparably cold, and his eyes burned with a rage called "defiance."

"They are what the Six-Dimensional Civilization called 'gods of Higher Dimensions'."

"They are not gods; they are just the keepers of this Multiverse ocean."

"In their eyes, we might not even count as pets; at best, we are just an interesting sociological experimental sample."

"That so-called 'the cleaners' Fourth-level civilization is just a catfish they casually threw into the bottle, a tool used to stimulate us sardines to keep our vitality."

Boom—!!!

The truth.

This is the ultimate truth of the universe!

Cruel, indifferent, despair-inducing!

What interstellar overlords, what god-level civilizations—in the eyes of those "Supervisor," they are nothing more than slightly stronger bacteria in a petri dish!

All our efforts, all our sacrifices, all our glory—in their view, it might just be a boring reality show!

Su Qingying collapsed to the ground, tears blurring her eyes. This cognitive Dimensionality Reduction Strike was more intense than any physical pain. She felt that the faith and pride she had always held had collapsed at this moment.

"Then—then what are we still struggling for?"

Su Qingying asked while crying, "Since we are just experimental subjects, since our fate was destined long ago, does everything we do still have meaning?"

"Of course it has meaning."

Lu Chen squatted down and gently wiped the tears from her face, his gaze gentle and firm.

"Because we are not just experimental subjects."

"We are also variables."

He stood up and walked to the "bubble" representing this universe, reaching out his hand as if he wanted to pierce through that membrane to touch the world outside.

"Why did that Six-Dimensional Civilization leave behind 'seeds'? Why did they leave behind the 'genesis engine'?"

"Because they were not content to be kept in captivity either! They wanted to resist! They wanted to jump out of this bottle!"

"They failed, so they left hope for us."

Lu Chen turned around abruptly; in those heterochromatic divine eyes, a burst of arrogant spirit capable of piercing the firmament erupted!

"Qingying, look."

"Although this bubble is closed, it is not indestructible."

"As long as our power is great enough, as long as our technology is strong enough!"

"We will be able to..."

Lu Chen's palm clenched violently, as if he were holding an invisible sharp sword in his hand!

"From the inside, smash this damn bottle..."

"...to smithereens!"

"I want to take humanity, take Earth, and rush out of this 'bubble'!"

"I want to go see what those high and mighty 'Supervisor' actually look like!"

"I want to ask them..."

"By what right do they treat us like bugs to be raised?!"

"By what right do they decide our life and death?!"

At this moment, the aura on Lu Chen's body was faintly resonating with that massive "genesis engine"!

The surrounding void began to tremble, as if cheering for this newly ascended "defier of heaven"!

Su Qingying looked at the man before her, the despair in her heart gradually dissipating, replaced by an even crazier, even more fervent admiration and devotion!

Yes.

This is Lu Chen.

This is the man who never admits defeat, who always dares to draw his sword against fate!

Even if the opponent is a god, is the Heavenly Dao, is the master of the entire Multiverse!

He would still dare to point at the opponent's nose and say—

"I refuse to accept this!"

"Good!"

Su Qingying wiped away her tears and stood by Lu Chen's side, gripping his hand tightly.

"Since you want to smash the bottle, then I will hand you the hammer!"

"No matter what is outside, even if it is hell, I will accompany you through it!"

"That's right."

Lu Chen smiled, smiling incomparably brightly.

He turned around, his gaze cast into the depths of that void, where an object emitting a strange light was floating quietly.

That was the core of the treasure vault in the memory of the "genesis engine"!

It was also the ultimate drill left by the Six-Dimensional Civilization, used to break through this layer of "bubble" barrier!

"Let's go, Qingying."

"Go and get our weapon."

"With it, that so-called 'the cleaners'..."

A cruel arc tugged at the corners of Lu Chen's mouth.

"...will no longer be a threat."

"But rather, our..."

"...first stepping stone!"