A More Ancient Legacy

Xiao Bai had a favorable impression of Lao Luo and chatted with him for a while, discovering that the old man also held him in high regard, greatly admired his animated GIF, and kept calling him "Big Shot," making it a bit awkward.
Lao Luo clearly underestimated the danger of the Metal Worm, actually believing it to be a hazard level 5...
As a Military Academy student, Xiao Bai knew that a proper hazard level 5 threat required an entire company to neutralize. While the big worm's stats looked impressive on paper, its actual combat capabilities were far from that formidable.
Setting aside his own interv ention this time, even during its previous appearance, it had been injured by the self-defense weapons of an Engineering Machine and forced back by two Autonomous Machines. This performance simply didn't match the expected level of a hazard level 5 threat.
Of course, Xiao Bai didn't need to explain this to Lao Luo. He simply reflected on the experience:
"It's lived too comfortably here, without any natural enemies or competition. It grew so big that it can't even utilize its paper stats properly. So the principle of 'perishing in comfort' applies just as much in 'Paradise' as anywhere else."
"I can't just be a paper tiger that only knows how to bluff. I need to find ways to gain more practical experience. Once I finish my current tasks, I'll try that thing Professor Wang mentioned last time..."
Just as he was speaking, another notification sounded. Professor Wang had sent a message:
"How have you been these past few days? Every thing alright? I tried that game you recommended last time, and it's pretty good, except the microtransactions are way too expensive—constantly charging 648 yuan... But I did get a five-star character, a sword-wielding little jiangshi. Pretty cool, right?"
Seeing Professor Wang's earnest attempt to connect with younger people, Xiao Bai felt like chuckling. They exchanged a few casual remarks, and Xiao Bai casually mentioned Lao Luo, the mailroom attendant.
"Ah? You mean Luo Ming? I had a nodding acquaintance with him. It's a pity we didn't have time to get closer before he..."
"What do you mean by that?"
"He was a few ye ars younger than me. I heard of his reputation even when I was still at the Academy of Sciences. He was an incredibly talented genius, and naturally, he was a bit arrogant. He couldn't break free from the Academy's circle, and now he's ended up like this."
There was no need for detailed explanations; Xiao Bai could already guess the gist of the story—likely something about someone's emotional intelligence failing to keep up with their intellectual prowess.
"Professor Wang lives up to his reputation—his knowledge surpasses even that of search engines!"
"You little rascal... By the way, you're interested in biology, right? You should talk to Luo Ming more. He's been stuck in the 'mailroom' for years, without even a single student to mentor. He should be quite approachable by now."
"Yes, I feel he's actually quite a nice person."
"Great. Go ahead and chat with him. I need to check my daughter's homework now. Remember to add me as a friend in the game later."
After ending the casual conversation, Xiao Bai didn't rush to disturb Luo Ming. Instead, he took out the research paper he'd been reading halfway through and resumed his rote memorization.
He was currently in an undergroun d warehouse at the Radar Station, which had been completely stripped of its original contents. Now, three large cultivation pods, resembling massive test tubes, stood in the space. Thick cables connected the pods to the reactor located in the lower levels.
One pod contained his physical body. Another housed the biological mecha. The third appeared empty, but in reality, it was busy analyzing the genes of the Blade Tyrant.
Since the research lab was a temporary conversion of an underground warehouse, the furnishings were inevitably rather shabby, and the li ghting was insufficient, making the surroundings dim. This made the fluorescent green glow emanating from the three large test tubes all the more striking, giving the place the atmosphere of an illicit "black workshop" conducting illegal human experiments.
"Trying to pursue the gene path is rea lly troublesome. The expenses are high, the results are slow to come, the risks are significant, and there's a whole mountain of knowledge to catch up on. If I weren't afraid my physical body would get beaten into the Second Dimension again, I'd really..."
"Never mind, never mind. I don't have the luxury of avoiding trouble right now. I have to seize every opportunity to get stronger!"
"There are still over two hours until the results come in. I'll go out for a walk."
As Xiao Bai spoke, he tapped his foot on the floor and called out:
"Xiao Mi."
The little milk cat emerged from behind one of the large test tubes, scampered into his palm with a soft pitter-patter , and was then placed back in the cockpit.
Despite its small size, the kitten was remarkably docile and obedient. With its companionship, Xiao Bai's loneliness was considerably eased.
After taking off with the Little Milk Cat, Xiao Bai launched the drone to search in all directions. He wanted to confirm the exact size of Paradise 2-114 and see if there were any other resources he could scavenge.
He quickly reached a conclusion.
"The total area is equivalent to a mid-sized city, but apart from the graveyard and the base, it's practically empty. What a waste! With such vast, flat land, it would be great if we could grow something..."
"Underground, there's a vein of rare ore with substantial reserves, but this useless panel can't even identify what type of ore it is, let alone how to utilize or extract it."
"In the end, I'll have to figure it out myself..."
As Xiao Bai spoke, he landed on a field of rubble.
This was the site of the Abyss Gate, originally a colossal, dome-shaped archway hundreds of meters tall, its center suspended with a 'vortex' connecting to the mortal world.
After its destruction, the archway collapsed into this field of rubble, forming the current debris field.
The Scanner swept the area, revealing nothing but rocks. Undeterred, Xiao Bai scanned the surroundings with a green light and discovered a surprising find:
Boundary Gate Fragment Absorbed: 1
"Is 'Boundary Gate' what the Panel calls the 'Abyss Gate'? How come the Scanner didn't detect it?"
Xiao Bai glanced at the Storage Space, where a fragment resembling a broken jade piece was labeled simply:
A mysterious material with spatial transmission capabilities.
"Could I possibly reassemble this gate?"
Xiao Bai meticulously scanned every inch of the area, eventually unearthing twelve such fragments.
When he activated the combination preview function, a new option appeared:
Space Anchor: The last trace of the most ancient lost civilization, capable of randomly establishing spatial connections with other Paradises and deciphering their Rules. Once anchored, the two Paradises will gradually converge until they collide and fuse.
The fine print below added:
The Abyss Gate is artificial? Then what about the Paradises? Are they artificial too?
Xiao Bai stared in shock, feeling his Mech's temperature drop several degrees, as if he had stumbled upon some vast, hidden secret.
"This world is far more complex than the original Earth. It seems there's not just one lost civilization? Did they all perish within Paradise ?"
He couldn't help but recall the records about The End and the Apocalypse...
Fortunately, he quickly regained his composure. First things first—let's just create the item.
As the green light flickered, a...
...massive ship anchor materialized before him.

Chapter end