Chapter 645: The End and the Beginning (Grand Finale)

“I’ve erased Wang Xi completely.”

Upon returning to Eco Science City, Chen Chen went to his office and gazed at the dark green gemstone resting in his palms. “But it’s just as those three in the subspace mentioned, I cannot destroy the power lurking within this gemstone. Even those three from the subspace cannot destroy it. They can only suppress it at best.”

“How do you plan to take care of this cursed object?”

Little X entered the office and asked.

“Let’s seal it away at Mars for now.”

Chen Chen considered for a moment then rapped his knuckle against the table. “Perhaps I can find a better use for it in the future. There’s no need to rush it just yet. Now that this problem that has plagued me for some time has been taken care of, it’s time to travel the Milky Way and find what neighbors there are in the galaxy. We also need to find an alternative for subspace navigation technology, something that allows us to travel at a similar efficiency but without the risks that come with subspace navigation.”

“Then, what happens to our current subspace navigation technology?”

Little X enquired.

“Just leave it aside for now.”

Chen Chen announced, “If we still haven’t managed to discover an appropriate solution after several millennia, then we’ll go back to using it. I think by that point, mankind should be more than capable of preserving and protecting itself from the dangers of subspace, perhaps even completely negating it.”

“Sir Godfather.”

Reaching this point, Little X had a sad look in her eyes.

“Don’t worry, I’ll leave my other half here on Earth.

Chen Chen smiled gently. This was extremely rare of him these days. He put his arm forward and Little X put her head to his gentle touch.

Chen Chen patted Little X’s head, his voice became full of emotion. “Don’t worry about me, I’m as close as one can get to Godhood by this point. It’s to a point that I can become the fourth master of the subspace if I want to, only I don’t want that for myself. Nobody is immune to the corruption of subspace and I doubt I can preserve my sanity if I take that approach.

“Besides, I’ve always held firmly to the belief that there’s no such thing as a God in this universe. There never has been nor will there ever be. I plan to uphold this belief.

“Mankind doesn’t need to resort to faith and religion to progress. What it needs is unwavering determination and preservation!”

Chen Chen suddenly froze after saying this. The two dark pits in his eyes seemed to be capable of penetrating through time and space as he gazed into the distant future. “Perhaps at some point in the future, when humanity is in peril, I’ll appear again and put mankind back to the path of glory. That moment may come, but it’s not now. Mankind no longer needs me as is.”

“You mean that mankind may still face a threat of utter devastation?”

This was how Little X understood Chen Chen’s remark.

“Of course.”

Chen Chen nodded and spoke with a solemn tune, “Now that I’ve gained power putting me on the same level as those three in the subspace, I noticed that I’ve gained some insight into the chaotic pattern of the time and space of the subspace. At some point in the future, it may be thousands of years or perhaps tens of thousands of years later, the fourth continent of the subspace will meet its eventual master. When that happens, the shackles of the subspace will be unbound and the three entities in the subspace will regain their form.”

“Ah.”

Little X looked up at Chen Chen, her expression was colored with shock.

“Mankind still has a long way to go.”

Chen Chen suddenly rose. In front of him was a reality rift that he had just opened. Just as he was about to step into it, he felt a weak tug at the corners of his shirt.

Chen Chen turned his and saw Little X looking into his eyes with fixed determination. “Sir Godfather, please take me with you. I want to follow you forever, through the end of time, even if we were to go to the unknown edges of the galaxy.”

The icy expression of Chen Chen seemed to crumble if ever so slightly as he hesitated in making a decision.

“You say that you’re not needed here, in that case, I’m not needed here as well. My clones can be independent and can handle everything and take care of the needs of mankind by this point. I’ve already transferred my consciousness into this body. I’ve become a full-fledged existence, a human.”

Little X spoke with sincerity. There was a tinge of desperate pleading in her voice.

“Sigh.”

There was a tender glow in Chen Chen’s eyes. He patted the young lady’s head, then his figure vanished. Moments before the reality rift closed, another slender figure vanished along with it.

Several centuries later.

In the early morning, a series of flights to various colonial planets were set to depart on a set schedule from a remarkable interstellar space station. The solar system was joined with an interconnected set of busy trade routes. The glow of the sun was not as harsh as it was in the past. This was because it was now surrounded by dense sets of Dyson rings. All of the heat generated by the sun every passing second was constantly transmuted into usable energy to be used by the humans populating the solar system.

Mankind had developed countless colonies across the solar galaxy. Although currently constricted to traveling at sub-light speed across the universe, they lived a comfortable and safe life.

To ease the process of starting new colonies, the spaceships were stockpiled with the latest agriculture, industry, and construction templates developed by Blacklight Biotechnology. The colonists would be able to build a stable and reliable basic agricultural and industrial system upon arriving at their destination. These template technologies were commonly referred to as templates.

Furthermore, the atmosphere generator also developed by Blacklight Biotechnology was used to improve hostile locations. Planets without a consistent ozone layer could be improved upon using this machine and a habitable atmosphere could be generated within several months. At this point, the pace of colonization was at its peak.

Androids were also being developed with Blacklight Biotechnology’s sophisticated technology, so they were equipped with advanced intelligence right out of the factory. These Androids served humans like loyal slaves. They arranged every detail of a person’s life and their brains were coded to never cause any harm to humans and to serve dutifully forever.

The welfare system of human society was structured to include every single human being. Each person born was entitled to proper education and after adulthood, each could choose to further develop in his or her intended path be it in politics, business, art, science, and whatnot. One could also simply choose to enter the virtual universe and enjoy a wistful life.

There was nothing stopping anyone from leading a wistful, idle life. The welfare of society alone could allow anyone centuries of stress-free lifestyle.

Therefore, apart from the ones with strong ambitions to explore space and the universe, many people had chosen to lead their lives in the virtual universe. The virtual universe developed by Blacklight Biotechnology was essentially a manifestation of the Garden of Eden, where there was no distinction between rich and poor, no suffering, discrimination, hunger or death. Everyone could be whatever they intend to become in this world.

However, such luxurious lives never hindered the progress of mankind, not in the slightest. Sophisticated artificial intelligence was implemented to replace the grassroots of the social system and maintain structure. The streamlined governmental system worked in tandem with elite scientific research institutions, allowing mankind to continue developing technology at unprecedented speeds.

According to the latest tabulations, by the year 2500, mankind had established up to three hundred and fifty-eight colonies across the solar system, with its population breaching a hundred billion.

In time, even the Androids were entitled to human rights. They were now referred to as the Stone People.

Similarly, mankind was now referred to as the Golden People.

Furthermore, after centuries of passing down psionic genes, nearly all of mankind was blessed with psionic powers now. The reflection inside the subspace showed countless illuminating suns in every direction, essentially serving as a barrier protecting mankind from the corrosion of the subspace.

This was an era where the wealth gap simply did not exist, where each person was blessed with great fortune and could live their lives to the fullest without worries of sickness or disease. Everyone got to direct their focus to the pleasures and the hobbies of their individual lives.

This era was otherwise known as the Era of the Golden People or simply as The Golden Era.

As mankind continued to expand across the galaxy, its influence slowly approached the edges of the solar system and probed into nearby systems, eventually discovering traces of many other alien civilizations. A lot of these alien civilizations ended up crumbling under the mighty hoof of mankind but in time, mankind managed to discover the existence of at least three hyper-advanced, sophisticated alien civilizations in the edges of the Orion Arm.

After further investigation and exploration, mankind would come to know the names of three alien civilizations. They were the Adarlings, the Oukbarbs, and the most mysterious of them all, the Galactical Haunts.

These discoveries reminded the ever-expanding human empire to stay vigilant at all times.

However, there was no need to fear, for centuries of technological development had laid a concrete foundation and prepared mankind for this moment. Although Blacklight Biotechnology, the visionary that led mankind into the age of interstellar travel had long retreated from the frontlines of the battle, mankind was now powerful enough to stand on its own feet without relying on others.

In any case, all who heeded this tale should know that like the sun rising across the horizon, the story of mankind had only just begun.