Volume 4: Twilight Galaxy
Unable to determine whether his talent was related, Shu Xun pondered for a long time but couldn’t grasp the key points. Ultimately, he had to temporarily abandon this line of thought and shift his attention to the information Ye Jian had found. In the current era, personal information is highly protected, especially in cross-racial investigations. Without solid evidence or a compelling reason, one has no right to access personal files.
Meng Muyu’s information was classified as top secret because, in a certain sense, he was not entirely human. Meng Muyu had once said that the StarPlay family were survivors of the End World, who were taken in by humanity after being rescued. This is why Bai Ya personally went to obtain the data.
Upon opening Meng Muyu’s file, the first thing that appeared was the basic information at the top: Name: Meng Muyu. Gender: Male. Race: Human (Dream Clan).
Seeing this, Shu Xun and Ye Jian understood that the Dream Clan was likely the true race of the StarPlay family. Meng Muyu’s file was indeed complex, as he had mentioned before. The StarPlay family came from a doomed galaxy. When the human rescue team discovered them, they had already survived on that desolate planet for ten years, barely getting by on the planet’s dwindling resources. This was just as the planet was on the verge of being swallowed by a black hole.
After being rescued from the doomed planet, the StarPlay family underwent examinations in the Interstellar Era. Once it was confirmed they posed no threat to the current era or other races, they were granted citizenship and rights in the Interstellar Era. After joining the human race, they slowly established StarPlay Entertainment, rising to its current status step by step.
As for the StarPlay family’s abilities, the file contained only four words: “Dreams Come True”. There were no further details, which suggested that despite StarPlay Entertainment belonging to the human race, they still had the right to retain some of their own secrets, especially regarding such highly personal abilities.
“Dreams Come True?” Shu Xun habitually tugged at his hair. This ability inexplicably reminded him of Qu Yan from “Winter’s End”. If Qu Yan’s uniqueness was due to this special ability, then the relationship between the StarPlay family and the Invaders might be traced back to Qu Yan. However, since Qu Yan could not be found at the moment, this clue was effectively cut off unless more clues emerged to guide their investigation.
Ye Jian continued to browse the file while speaking. “It seems that the StarPlay family’s ability to run a game to such perfection is closely related to their ability. This ‘Dreams Come True’ ability could also be used to track down the Invaders. There must be some commonality between the StarPlay family and the Invaders for the StarPlay family to resonate with them. If we take it literally, the StarPlay family has the power to manifest things from dreams into reality, and perhaps even more so. Meng Muyu’s ability is clearly much more mature than Qu Yan’s, and its level of evolution far surpasses that of the beings in “Winter’s End”. It’s strong enough to create a complete game operating system across vast star systems in just two months.”
“Exactly. And if there’s any commonality, it most likely lies in the ‘Dreams Come True’ ability. However, there doesn’t seem to be any indication that the Invaders possess such an ability, though their mental strength is similarly high. Wait…” Shu Xun’s voice suddenly trailed off, as if he had just realized something, his eyes showing rare shock.
Ye Jian looked up at the deep-in-thought Shu Xun, without speaking and quietly waiting. After a long time, Shu Xun’s eyes finally refocused, and his voice still carried a hint of lingering astonishment. “In ‘Winter’s End’, beneath the blue light, everything was frozen wherever it touched. How did Qu Yan survive after going out to seek help? Back then, we assumed he survived because he awakened an ability and was lucky. But in the desolate wilderness, where food was extremely scarce, even if the Blue-eyed Ones didn’t freeze to death, they faced the threat of starvation, just like Qing Mo, who starved to death in the villa. Qu Yan knew that the Warm Winter Stone was a special point and even predicted that someone would come to the villa, so he erased his tracks in advance, indicating that he saw or sensed something. And there was a place where Qu Yan could avoid the extreme cold and where the Warm Winter Stone existed. That place was the Perfect Time-Space. I wasn’t the first one to stumble into it—Qu Yan was.”
“Due to the uniqueness of his ability or some other coincidental factors, Qu Yan entered the Perfect Time-Space. However, unlike my situation, without the added bonus of a time-travel talent, he was quickly rejected by the Perfect Time-Space. But even in that brief time, it was enough for him to see the Warm Winter Stones scattered all over the Perfect Time-Space. And because of the different perspective, he saw or sensed the “Winter’s End” game system that the StarPlay family had activated, which led to his subsequent probing.”
Ye Jian pondered Shu Xun’s words carefully. If something could cause such a noticeable emotional reaction in Shu Xun, then the shock certainly wasn’t limited to just this. “Is there something wrong with that time-space?”
Shu Xun’s expression turned a bit somber. He nodded and said, “That time-space is very likely a world created from someone’s dream, and not just any dream, but a dream that combines all kinds of wishes. The black butterflies that appeared with the Invaders are most likely the messengers of this dream, searching for residents of this world. However, most advanced life-planetary consciousnesses instinctively reject the invasion of the black butterflies. When the Invaders appeared, the lifeforms on the doomed planets, in their desperate struggle for survival, instinctively wished for a perfect home where they could live safely. Thus, the black butterflies were no longer repelled by the world consciousness. They received the wishes of the doomed lifeforms and gradually created the Perfect Time-Space. That’s why a microcity identical to the one in “Winter’s End” appeared in that Perfect Time-Space. The world continues to evolve in response to the wishes of the residents from “Winter’s End”. The chaotic zones I saw in the Perfect Time-Space were the gray areas of the dream, places their wishes hadn’t yet reached. As long as the wishes continue, the dream won’t stop. If the dream doesn’t end, the Perfect Time-Space could even become a new universe. But, what kind of being could possess such a heaven-defying ability—to create a world, a time-space, or even a universe, purely from a dream?”
Shu Xun had once accidentally entered the Perfect Time-Space, and the continent he first arrived at was likely created by the combined wishes of the beings from “Deep Blue Sea” and even the world consciousness itself. That’s why it was vast and teeming with life, yet devoid of living beings.
When Shu Xun entered, the Perfect Time-Space spontaneously captured the wishes in Shu Xun’s mind, which were treasures from the cultivation world, and continued to perfect the continent, integrating cultivation elements into it. Because the beings from the “Deep Blue Sea” were highly suited for cultivation, the continent instinctively welcomed Shu Xun, offering him gifts. In turn, Shu Xun unconsciously guided the continent’s further perfection. This is why, when Shu Xun crossed back into “Deep Blue Sea”, the world consciousness and its beings felt a sense of closeness to him. It wasn’t just because Shu Xun had opened a connection point between the two time-spaces but also because he had given “Deep Blue Sea” a more perfect and reasonable world.
“If the Perfect Time-Space is a dream, then what happens if the dreamer wakes up? Will the Perfect Time-Space still exist? If the black butterflies are messengers, how did they cross time and space to reach this one? What is the connection between the Invaders and the black butterflies? Most importantly, did I guide “Deep Blue Sea” towards vitality or doom?” As Shu Xun spoke, his expression grew even more tense, his deep eyes filled with a heavy, impenetrable darkness.
Ye Jian reached out and patted Shu Xun’s head. “Are you worried about Ling Yang and Leng Bei?”
Shu Xun remained silent, unable to speak. If things truly were as he suspected, how could he not worry? It wasn’t just about Ling Yang and Leng Bei. If the hard-fought vitality that “Deep Blue Sea” had struggled to attain over hundreds of years turned out to be nothing but a dream, it would be unimaginably cruel for the beings of “Deep Blue Sea”. And he might very well be the key that led them toward despair.
“If it really is ‘Dreams Come True’, then the materialized things have already been transformed into reality. If we want to determine whether they are safe, we can continue to investigate. We will surely find a definitive answer. Once we understand the true nature of the Perfect Time-Space, we can judge their safety. If they truly are in danger, we can take appropriate measures.” Ye Jian’s deep voice carried a sense of calm that was inexplicably reassuring. Seeing that Shu Xun’s expression had finally relaxed a bit, Ye Jian continued, “In a few days, “Dusk of the Galaxy” will be in open beta. If Meng Muyu is right and the last remaining Invaders are in “Dusk of the Galaxy”, then we are already on the brink of uncovering the truth.”
“Yes, I know that. It’s just that sometimes I can’t help feeling anxious, but I’m much better now. What about the information on Gray?” Shu Xun leaned back on the sofa, his expression noticeably more at ease. In reality, Shu Xun knew that all they could do now was to keep investigating. The more they learned about the Invaders, the more they would understand the Perfect Time-Space. Only then could they further determine the fate that awaited the beings of “Deep Blue Sea” and “Winter’s End”.
Ye Jian handed the gray file over and the two of them lowered their heads to examine the contents. After only a brief moment, they both looked up again. The reason was simple: the gray file was too ordinary, too commonplace. It described nothing more than a plain dead-leaf butterfly with an ordinary identity and an unremarkable history. The file made it seem no different from any other average interstellar citizen, not even showing any significant life events.
But if Gray was truly so ordinary, why did he get nervous around people? Why did he have a stutter? In this era, physiological stuttering could be easily cured, but Gray’s stutter was entirely psychological. Would someone who grew up in such ordinary circumstances really behave like that?
Shu Xun read through the gray file twice more but still found nothing amiss. It was ordinary to the extreme and, in that way, almost too perfect.
