Chapter 25: Spacetime Fragments (Luan Yu Extra 1)

Spacetime Fragments (Luan Yu Extra 1)

(Here we are, really sorry. I don't know if you all have seen Violent Dick or not, but because of fear of censorship, the translators later changed this to Luan Yu.)

(This is a fragment that records a memory; as for why it came here, the reason is probably like a pet that left home instinctively wanting to return to its old den,:))

Somewhere in Nevada.

Science Tower——?? F.

A crystal with a beautiful structure and an indescribable surface color was sealed in a special capsule-shaped tank.

Its shape can be seen as two congruent regular tetrahedra intersecting each other.

Many cables extend from the huge unknown device, connecting to both ends of the tank holding the crystal.

A faint humming sound is emanating from the machine's interior.

Several people in white lab coats are operating their respective displays.

Two or three fully armed guards stand rigidly at the entrance to the lab, guarding it.

However, if defined in a stricter sense, the beings in this lab cannot be considered human.

On a gray, bullet‑shaped body sits a gray‑black egg‑like head; the face has no features, only lines like a drawing's crosshairs.

Even more surprising are their 'hands'.

Visibly detached from the body, they float awkwardly at the sides, performing the functions of hands.

Then, a person operating at the main screen turned his head and commanded another person who had stopped working.

Seeing the leader's gesture, the person who received the order nodded and walked toward a lever.

Then, after pressing Enter, the others each stepped back one turn, their eyes turning to the crystal in the tank at the room's center.

Click—hiss—hiss

The sound of electricity rang out.

Hiss—crackle

Several arcs of electricity appeared on the crystal, emitting a crackling sound.

Soon after, it emitted a somewhat hazy glow.

The observing researchers all leaned forward slightly, but unfortunately, because the face is made of crosshairs, it's hard to discern any expression from a human perspective.

However, the next second, an accident occurred.

Clack~clang~

Accompanying the sound, a fork‑like crack appeared on the container.

Immediately, the crack suddenly expanded, and within two seconds it spread across the whole container with a sharp bursting sound.

Then, while everyone was still dazed, a violent burst of light shot out from the crystal.

Boom————hum————.

Accompanied by a roar loud enough to deafen ears, the crystal block flew out trailing a glow.

Boom~boom! boom

After piercing several walls at high speed, it precisely smashed into a culture tank in another lab three or four rooms away from the original storage room, hitting a person inside.

It fit perfectly onto the face of the person suspended in the tank.

After a few flickers, the crystal block sank into his head without a ripple, like a stone sinking into a swamp.

During a spasm, the crosshairs that had replaced his face grew cyan‑blue crystals covering the visage.

Externally, it looks like a short‑top‑long‑bottom cross‑star embedded in the face.

A little bright yellow fluid flowed from where the crystal met the skin, gradually diminishing and finally disappearing.

Obviously, the two underwent some kind of fusion.

At that moment, accompanied by orderly, unified footsteps, several armed personnel wearing tactical goggles and masks entered the room one after another, raising their weapons.

From the nameplates on their arm sleeves, a few letters possibly indicating identity can be seen: ATPvanguard (ATP Vanguard)/ATPengineer (ATP Engineer).

"Where am I?"

A flicker of light passed over the crystal surface, accompanied by a twitch of the fingers, indicating that 'he' had awakened.

Seeing the person collapsed on the ground struggling to move, the two leading vanguards exchanged a glance, lowered their guns, drew daggers, and slowly approached.

The loss of control of the experiment had been reported to security; if possible, capture him alive.

At this moment, the person attached to the crystal had regained consciousness.

"They want to catch me! Run!" instinctively came to mind.

He sprang up from the ground, bumped into one of the guards trying to grab him, seized his dagger, and stabbed it into another guard's face.

The whole blade went in!

Snick‑snick‑snick‑snick——!!

A fierce barrage of bullets came, but because the crystal‑person (tentatively so called) had a guard in front, it basically had no effect.

He even had a moment to pull out his dagger and throw it, knocking down another guard who was reloading.

Seeing the firepower dwindling, the crystal‑person grabbed a jet, tossed aside the guard's corpse in front of him, and with his other hand picked up an M4 rifle nearby.

Using the yellow bodily fluid scattered from the guard's corpse to obscure his vision, he immediately raised the rifle with both hands and dropped into a half‑knee, adopting a somewhat non‑standard shooting stance.

Then he pulled the trigger.

Snick‑snick‑snick——

Although his aim was poor from never having held a gun before, the dense packing of the besieging guards and engineers meant his volley still achieved decent results.

Seeing this, the still‑alive guards and engineers, without a word, orderly stepped over the corpses still oozing bodily fluid, took off their explosive shields from their backs, and prepared to change formation.

"Don't give them a chance to form up!" this thought suddenly popped into his mind.

Taking advantage of the opponent's opening, the crystal‑person also grabbed the explosive shield from a corpse and charged wildly at the enemy.

First, the few skirmishers at the front couldn't withstand the force and were shaken; the skirmisher directly struck by the crystal person's charge collapsed, and when that fallen skirmisher tried to rise, his face and the goggles above it were smashed by the shield's edge.

He then lay flat, rolled to dodge several pistol shots, and picked up another rifle that had fallen to the ground.

He hadn't even gotten into a shooting stance before raising the barrel while lying on his back.

Click-click-click—!

In an instant, several more skirmishers and engineers collapsed dead.

Then, taking advantage of the opening, the crystal person immediately sprang up, backed away, and fled into the corridor…

———————

Outside the science tower, a small hill.

A person wearing a lab coat, sunglasses, and a full beard was intently staring at a certain spot on the tower.

Notably, a golden halo hovered above his head.

"A new variable… hostile or friendly?"

"Why does the prophecy of 'k' contain no information about this variable?"

Having whispered that, he spread his hands, raised them, and aimed at the distant tower.

"IamGOD!"

Countless data streams suddenly swept past the strange man's face; after a brief pause, he thrust his hands forward, and a blade-like flash of light shot out.

As he pulled his hands back, a huge box, slightly taller than him, appeared on GOD's hands.

"I should go kill Hank (Han Ke) as he ordered; these things can serve as a greeting gift for your arrival."

He supported the box and spoke in a low voice.

A sticky note also appeared on the box, recording a line of text.

"Beware of the 'pitch-black smile'!"

The next moment, the box, carrying terrifying kinetic energy, flew toward the tower with a piercing screech.

After merely two seconds of staring, GOD leapt back, a convertible burst from the data streams and appeared right beneath him, carrying him off into the distance…

……………………

The view shifts back.

At that moment, the crystal person took advantage of the chaos to flee, eventually ducking into the nearest accessible room with five or six bullet wounds and locking the door behind him.

Only then could he catch his breath a little.

"Where am I? Why are they trying to kill me… and who am I?"

Many questions rose in his mind as he stared at the pale yellow pus seeping from his wounds, feeling somewhat dazed.

Although he sensed many inconsistencies deep down, he now couldn't fathom why he thought any of this was unreasonable.

"Well, let's start by recalling what I can see! I must have forgotten something important—I have to remember it!"

Thinking so, he turned his attention to his field of view.

In his field of view, no matter where he looked, a row of small squares always remained at the top; during the fierce fighting earlier, the crystal person had not noticed them.

Now, with time to spare, he could finally think it through properly.

"dodge bar"

"!!"

Merely focusing a bit, an explanation sprang to mind, and his brain even automatically recalled his performance during the recent battle.

In fact, while crawling through the corridor looking for a hiding spot, the relatively narrow passage meant that any random trigger pull by the numerous enemies could turn his fleeing self into a sieve.

Yet, until the first bullet struck him, whenever incoming fire came, his body would automatically perform evasive maneuvers that were difficult to execute consciously, narrowly avoiding the attacks.

Accordingly, the dodge bar at the top of his vision would decrease slightly in response.

Fading color indicates 'consumption'; the stronger the attack, the greater the consumption, until it disappears.

"The dodge bar can recover."

"And I have seven small squares."

Having finished reviewing the information in his mind, the crystal person began to ponder the next matter.

"How should I escape?"

Indeed, having fled earlier without choosing a path, he now found himself trapped, staring at the surrounding walls with no exit in sight.

Going out means ambush on all sides,

waiting means only death.

Thinking this, the crystal person involuntarily pressed harder on his wound, as if, because escape seemed hopeless, his pain flared up all at once.

Outside the door, reinforcements and pursuers had already halted, several red-glowing disc devices held by a few "ATP Engineers" pressed against the sealed door.

Hearing the commotion outside, the crystal person slumped into a corner.

Now, even with all his strength, he could only kill a few enemies before being killed himself, or worse, end up as a test subject.

Although only a few hours had passed, the scene of his awakening in the lab and what he'd seen while fleeing clearly told him this was an experimental facility.

Drip-drip—Boom!!!

Accompanying the explosion, the dust and smoke from the collapsing door billowed forth, obscuring everyone's vision.

Meanwhile, the crystal person adjusted his breathing as best he could (do even invisible beings need to breathe?), preparing for the final battle.

"Although many things remain unclear, for now, to avoid becoming a test subject, dying in battle is the best option!"

With that thought, he bowed slightly and clenched his fists.

Meanwhile, the pursuers outside, in pairs or trios, either lowered their sights into view or nervously raised their shields.

Battle, imminent.

…

Bang!! Boom!!!!

While both sides waited quietly for the smoke to clear.

In just a few breaths, the Crystal Person suddenly felt a shock, followed immediately by the sound of a massive object shattering.

Bang bang!

Tap tap tap tap—tap tap tap tap tap—

Immediately afterward, the pursuit team formed by the vanguard soldiers and engineers reacted and began firing wildly.

Kek—ka!

However, taking advantage of the chaos, the Crystal Person had already lunged, collided with a person, cleanly snapped his neck, and then, using his weapon, also disposed of a small group of enemies.

But the smoke and dust would always clear, and the Crystal Person was not strong enough to overwhelm all enemies.

So, as visibility gradually recovered, the Crystal Person, who had only managed to grab an assault rifle and two daggers, decisively hid behind an unidentified object that had unexpectedly been thrown.

However, when the Crystal Person was preparing for a final desperate effort, a few faint sounds changed the situation.

Sss—

Clang~~

A metal can carrying a little white smoke rolled out from an unknown place inside the box; after a brief moment of stunned silence, an intense, blinding white light burst forth accompanied by a terrifying number of metal fragments.

For a moment, the sound of sharp objects piercing flesh continued without cease.

And the Crystal Person also took advantage of this hard-won gathering to hide behind cover and catch his breath.

Amid the chaos, a few indistinct electronic alert tones were like several drops of water in a wave.

【Unthinkable Program】 "Activated!"

In an instant, everything began to distort abruptly.

When the Crystal Person regained his vision again, the surroundings were a lifeless wilderness, but in the distance he could see a patch of buildings, though they were crude, resembling matchboxes.

After checking around several times and confirming the safety of the environment, the Crystal Person, feeling relieved of a heavy burden, slumped against the side of the large box; although in great pain, he still breathed with such vigorous motion that his body's rise and fall were clearly visible.

He regulated himself in this way.

At this moment, it lowered its gaze; the wound, though not yet scabbed, no longer secreted bodily fluids. Along the wound's edge, some fine crystal debris clung.

After a while, he then threw away the weapon in his hand and struggled to sit up.

An urge arose within him—hunger and thirst, and the hope of recovering his health.

Thus, naturally, his attention turned to the box.

At this point, he noticed a sticky note on the box's seam.

"Welcome here, I know you have many questions, but that's useless; you'll know what you need to do. Besides, first learn to survive—'here' is becoming unsafe. The items in the box count as your welcome gift, good luck."

byGOD」

After reading it, the Crystal Person, eager to solve his own problems, tore off the sticky note and hastily opened the box.

After opening the box, the first thing that caught his eye was several bandage rolls placed together, beside which lay a slip of paper.

"No matter what injury you have, just use it and you're fine!"—these extremely exaggerated words were written in red font.

Without any other extra motion, the Crystal Person flipped open the paper slip, picked up a roll, and wrapped it around himself.

After moving aside the top layer, what remained was a fully stocked, neatly arranged assortment of weapons and equipment.

Most conspicuous were two strange gray armguards.

Seeing this equipment that obviously defied 'common sense,' the Crystal Person obviously hesitated a moment, but with little hesitation he still picked it up.

And on the inner side of the armguards were four things resembling needle tips.

He compared it to his nonexistent 'wrist,' then put it on.

Amazingly, as if the floating hand truly had a wrist connected, the Crystal Person clearly felt that a place called 'wrist' now had a definite sense of touch.

After fully wearing them, the Crystal Person clenched his fist, feeling a surge of strength in his hand; he turned his head toward a nearby open space and made a simple motion—raising his hand, aiming at the open space, clenching his fist, then opening it.

Boom!

A burst of crystal clusters exploded in the open space he was facing.

And he felt a loss of something within his body.

"So that's how it is," he thought.

Afterward, he came to his senses and seriously donned the remaining equipment.

……………………

When everything was ready, only the fully armed Crystal Person and an empty box remained here.

At this moment, he was intently looking at a tablet computer in his hand that resembled a thickened one with many external accessories.

—

【Unthinkable Program】

Remaining activation count: 2

User: 【Unnamed】

—

Such characters were displayed on the screen, and the back of the tablet also came with a sticky note.

「Give yourself a name or title. 」

——byGOD」

He stared at the strange face reflected on the screen, inlaid with a crystal, for a long time, then slowly and firmly wrote out a few letters.

——Crystal Cross