Chapter 4: Cross-Universe Transport

Chen Fan suddenly shuddered.

Communication link? Cross-universe long-distance transport?

What the hell?

Although his mind was already somewhat foggy at this moment, he instinctively sensed the gravity of the situation.

A deep sense of unease rose within him.

Before he could think it through, the once-bearable distorted whispering grew louder.

It was like thousands of radios around him suddenly broadcasting the noise of a lost signal!

A stronger wave of dizziness also surged forward!

The next second, in a familiar, intense feeling of falling, Chen Fan lost consciousness entirely.

In the dark, silent universe, a black hole silently consumed all the surrounding matter.

Around it, an accretion disk made of plasma material glowed brightly as it spiraled inward.

At the center of the light was an unfathomable blackness.

Under the black hole's immense gravity, even light itself could not escape.

It was the most powerful object in the universe, with no material able to withstand its force—at least, that was the theory.

In reality... this once-dominant celestial body had become a "plaything" locked inside a cage.

Cables made of unknown materials twisted together, weaving into a massive spherical prison that tightly bound the black hole and its accretion disk.

The camera zoomed in, revealing a huge Möbius-shaped building silently operating next to the cage.

The powerful radiation and immense gravity surrounding the black hole had no effect on the colossal structure, which was larger than most stars in the universe.

The Dangerous Technology Administration of the Pan-universe Human Alliance was located within this magnificent megastructure.

"Signal strength is fluctuating abnormally!"

"Cross-universe long-distance transport has encountered an unknown error; unable to open the wormhole!"

Inside the building, researchers in white lab coats appeared anxious as they loudly reported the alarm information projected on the holographic display.

Mohr, with a calm expression, gazed at the massive blue holographic image in front of the command center, though a trace of urgency and panic showed in his eyes.

"Stabilize the signal immediately!"

"The last signal from the TE913 research vessel came from this area!"

Mohr issued a command in a deep voice, "We've finally found a signal in the same frequency range. Whether it's from the TE913 research vessel or not, we must establish contact with this signal source today!"

Just as his voice fell, a flash of bright red appeared on the blue holographic display, followed by a shrill alarm.

"Director, the signal has been completely lost!"

"We can no longer detect the target signal!"

Hearing this, Mohr's face immediately darkened.

It was the same situation with the TE913 research vessel, which had lost contact with the Dangerous Technology Administration in the blink of an eye.

He took a deep breath, trying to calm his rising anxiety, and asked, "Academician Song, do you have any clues?"

After a brief hesitation, the researcher, Academician Song, lowered his head and responded softly, "Based on the data transmitted before the TE913 research vessel went offline and the latest observational information, we suspect that there's a complex cosmic bubble in this area."

Mohr was startled. "You mean..."

"The signal source and the TE913 research vessel may have fallen into a cosmic bubble that hasn't been discovered yet?"

In human alliance research, the universe is divided into discrete "bubbles" within five-dimensional space.

These "cosmic bubbles" are scattered irregularly across a hyperspace membrane that spans the entire five-dimensional space.

The TE913 research vessel, a vessel capable of five-dimensional travel, was one of these ships.

To give an imperfect analogy, if a five-dimensional research vessel is like a ship sailing on the ocean, then the cosmic bubbles are independent bubbles attached to the ocean floor.

Academician Song adjusted his glasses and nodded seriously. "Theoretically, yes."

Mohr's heart sank. If the target fell into a complex, unknown cosmic bubble, it would significantly increase the difficulty of establishing contact with it!

"Regardless, proceed with the coordinate down-scaling calculation," Mohr composed himself and gave the order, "The signal just disappeared, so the coordinates shouldn't have shifted too much."

Academician Song nodded, returned to his seat, and began inputting the relevant data.

Performing down-scaling calculations on high-dimensional coordinates was a complicated and cumbersome task, not something a human could do alone!

However, for the mainframe of the Dangerous Technology Administration, this was not difficult.

In just a few seconds, a string of complex numbers appeared on the massive holographic projection.

These were the four-dimensional coordinates of the signal source!

"Four-dimensional coordinates show no corresponding signal!"

A warning icon appeared on the projection as Academician Song's calm voice came from the side. "We're starting three-dimensional coordinate calculations now…"

Mohr lowered his eyelids, hiding the nervousness in his eyes.

"We found it!"

With a crisp tone, Academician Song's voice rose, "The comparison is complete. The target is confirmed to be the original signal source."

"The coordinates have been re-located!"

"Reinitiate cross-universe transport!"

"Whew!"

Chen Fan suddenly opened his eyes, gasping for breath in shock.

The distorted whispers seemed to still linger in his ears, and a wave of dizziness washed over him.

"Was that... a dream?"

Chen Fan turned over, wiping his sweat-drenched shirt.

A cool breeze blew through the open window, carrying away some of the heat from his body.

He shuddered involuntarily and glanced upward at the wall.

Dim starlight shone through the window and illuminated the portrait of the deity. The once-beautiful image of the goddess now seemed grotesque and eerie.

Without surprise, he was still in this strange and cursed world.

Chen Fan sighed helplessly, letting go of the strange hope in his heart.

"Cross-universe transport, huh…"

He laughed self-deprecatingly, raising his hand to gently pat his overly warm face. "I must be going crazy…"

Muttering to himself, he lay back down on the uncomfortable bed.

Suddenly...

A faint light burst out near his bed without warning!

The soft glow quickly dispelled the darkness in the room, drawing Chen Fan's attention.

He widened his bloodshot eyes, moved his cracked lips, but no sound came out.

Faced with this unexpected and incomprehensible event, he seemed to be frozen, unable to do anything but stand still, a mere bystander.