Chapter 12: The Doctor's Experiment

After recovering from his adventure in the Mirror Corridor, Alex felt he had gained a deeper understanding of Silver Moon Apartments. However, the peaceful days didn't last long. One morning, the entire building suddenly shook violently, waking Alex to find the items in his room trembling.

He quickly got out of bed and rushed to the window. The world outside looked normal, but the interior of the building seemed to be in the midst of an invisible earthquake. Just then, his phone rang. It was Kai.

"Alex, did you feel that?" Kai's voice sounded tense.

"Yes, what's going on?" Alex asked, trying to maintain his balance.

"It's Dr. Blackwood," Kai said quickly. "He's conducting a dangerous experiment. We must stop him. Meet me in the basement."

After hanging up, Alex hurriedly dressed and rushed out of the room. The elevators seemed to have stopped working, so he had to take the stairs. Along the way, he saw other residents coming out of their rooms, looking confused and discussing the situation.

When Alex reached the basement, Kai was already waiting for him. Kai's expression was serious, his eyes flickering with concern.

"Follow me," Kai said, leading Alex through a hidden passage.

They arrived in front of a huge laboratory. Through the glass, Alex saw an old man with white hair standing in front of a complex machine, excitedly operating various controls.

"Is that Dr. Blackwood?" Alex asked in a low voice.

Kai nodded, "Dr. Elias Blackwood, a genius physicist and a long-time resident of Silver Moon Apartments. He's been researching multiverse theory, but lately, his experiments have become increasingly dangerous."

Just then, a burst of intense light suddenly erupted from inside the laboratory, and the entire basement shook violently again.

"We have to go in and stop him!" Alex shouted.

Kai nodded in agreement, and together they burst through the laboratory door.

"Dr. Blackwood!" Kai called out loudly. "You must stop this experiment! You're endangering the safety of the entire Silver Moon Apartments!"

Dr. Blackwood turned around; his eyes gleaming with excitement. "Ah, Kai! And this must be the new Traveler. You've come at the right moment! You will witness a historic moment!"

"Doctor, what exactly are you doing?" Alex asked, warily eyeing the machine that was emitting a constant humming sound.

"I'm opening a permanent interdimensional portal!" Dr. Blackwood explained excitedly. "Imagine, we could freely travel between different realities, gaining unlimited knowledge and resources!"

Kai's expression became more serious, "Doctor, you know the risks of doing this. Forcibly opening dimensional doors could lead to the collapse of reality."

"Risks?" The doctor laughed. "Without risk, there's no progress! Watch, young men, we're about to usher in a new era!"

Just then, the machine suddenly made a loud noise, and a beam of dazzling light shot out from it, forming a rotating vortex in the center of the laboratory.

"Success!" Dr. Blackwood shouted ecstatically.

But their joy quickly turned to fear. The vortex began to expand uncontrollably, sucking in objects from the laboratory. The powerful suction even began to affect them.

"Turn it off!" Alex shouted, struggling to hold onto a pillar to steady himself.

Dr. Blackwood frantically operated the control panel, but to no avail. "I... I can't control it anymore!" he cried.

Kai managed to move to the machine, "Alex, I need your help! Use your ability! Imagine the vortex shrinking, disappearing!"

Alex closed his eyes, concentrating all his energy. He imagined the vortex slowly shrinking and finally disappearing. Gradually, he felt the suction around him weakening.

When he opened his eyes, the vortex had shrunk to the size of a fist. Kai quickly operated the machine, finally shutting down the device. The vortex disappeared, and the laboratory returned to calm.

Dr. Blackwood collapsed on the floor, his face pale. "What... what have I done?" he muttered.

Kai walked over to the doctor, his tone stern but not without compassion, "Doctor, you must understand, some boundaries cannot be crossed. Your research nearly destroyed Silver Moon Apartments, and could have endangered the entire reality."

Alex also approached, "Doctor, your knowledge and talent are invaluable. But they need to be properly guided. Perhaps you could focus your research on better understanding and protecting existing dimensional channels?"

Dr. Blackwood looked up at them, tears glistening in his eyes. "You're right. I was too obsessed with breaking limits, ignoring the dangers it could cause. I promise you, such experiments will never happen again."

Kai nodded, "We'll help you, Doctor. Your knowledge is very valuable to us. But from now on, any experiments must be conducted under strict supervision."

As they left the laboratory, Alex felt both exhausted and excited. He turned to Kai, "We really did it, didn't we? We prevented a disaster."

Kai nodded with a smile, though his expression quickly turned serious, "Yes, we did. You were excellent today, Alex. Your abilities are growing rapidly."

Alex felt a surge of pride, but then thought of something, "Kai, the doctor mentioned 'new Traveler' earlier. Are there others like me?"

Kai's expression became serious, "Yes, Alex. There are many Travelers in the world, some are our allies, while others... are not. That's why your training is so important."

As they walked out of the basement, Alex felt Silver Moon Apartments seemed to be conveying its gratitude to them. The walls emitted a faint glow, and a warm energy permeated the air.

Alex knew that today's experience was just one of many adventures he would have as a Traveler. There were more secrets to uncover, more challenges to overcome. But with Kai's guidance and his growing abilities, Alex felt ready to face anything.

That night, lying in bed, Alex reflected on the day's events. He realized that being a Traveler wasn't just about having extraordinary abilities, but about how to use these abilities wisely and bear the responsibilities that come with them.

With these thoughts, Alex slowly drifted off to sleep. In his dreams, he saw countless worlds and possibilities, and he, standing at the center of it all, ready to face the next challenge.