Chapter 440: Chapter 440 Prelude to Disaster

We can imagine a situation:

There is a point, which we’ll call the Information Zero Point, or the Hourglass Vortex, whichever name you prefer, this point has no physical form, it is simply an inconspicuous node of information in the universe, containing even less information than an atom, unobservable by any conventional means.

And this insignificant little point has a terrifying attribute: it absorbs all information around it, like how an empty bottle will suck in the air outside when suddenly opened, but unlike a vacuum bottle, this informational vacuum cannot be filled with an equal amount of information (the amount needed to fill it is unimaginably huge), the only information contained in the Information Zero Point is “zero,” an absolute informational vacuum, no matter how much information floods in, it will all be devoured by this zero point, it is a mad formatting program, mercilessly zeroing out anything it touches, to the zero point, “galaxies” and “time” are the same, “water” and “shape” are the same, “birth” and “somewhat large” are the same, anything in the universe that exists, that can be searched by the world’s tree of information, is just data, completely equal data, in the eyes of the Information Zero Point, even a star has less data than a planet, because the star’s composition is simpler, it can be described with a much simpler and straightforward mathematical model, that massive mass and energy are nothing more than a few more zeros tacked on to the few attributes.

Once the Information Zero Point is released, it forms a huge vortex, this vortex’s coverage can easily envelop the entire universe: because any world is an informational whole, just like no matter how many hard drives a computer has installed, it can create a resource manager that encompasses everything, in the same way, the Information Zero Point can expand its devouring range to the entire world, the vortex it forms will plunder any information within its power range just like a black hole, mass, volume, strength, location, space, history, concepts, memories… all the information you can think of, no matter which dimension they belong to, whether they are tangible or intangible, will be ground into dust and then tossed into the center of the Taotie’s feast vortex, all things in the world gradually becoming elusive phantoms under the mighty formatting storm, even the sturdiest neutron star will turn to nothingness within a millisecond, in fact, faced with such a formatting storm, a structurally simple neutron star is more vulnerable than a planet, it really doesn’t have much data to be deleted, in front of the Information Zero Point, a “hardness of 1” and a hardness of “one zettapascal” just require one delete.

What will become of all this in the end?

The universe will be reborn.

Information Zero Point is theoretically impossible to fill, but it’s not beyond control by external information, with outside force, this greedy zero point can still be set with a limit, once the information flowing into it reaches this limit, the Information Zero Point will shift from closed to open, the cruel and rigid “zero” will first turn into a meaningful “negative one,” then in an instant that doesn’t exist in time, “negative one” will become “positive one,” all information will reverse, a great information explosion will occur.

All previously absorbed information will be returned, and the formatted universe will be reassigned; this is a process of re-creation, something from nothing–indeed, a Singularity.

When the Information Zero Point shifts from a zero state to a negative state, it’s called a Negative Singularity, and when it begins to explode, it’s called a Singularity.

As is commonly known, one way the universe was born is by the explosion of a singularity.

According to the worldview of the Xyrin People (which is almost the truth of the universe), information is reality, the true form of the world is an endless array of data and attributes, the existence of all things depends on the information form they emit to the outside world, this theory and the “Wave Universe” once envisioned by humans have a lot in common, where the biggest similarity lies in the theory defining the concrete matter between universes as the invisible, intangible “information” or the “waves” carrying the information, and the reason humans ourselves don’t realize this is because we too are composed of “information,” a being of one tier cannot actively perceive the true nature of their own tier, the saying being in Lushan and not recognizing the mountain describes this situation, only the Xyrin People, after comprehending the mysteries of the law, could create a Law Weapon like the Information Zero Point.

Naturally, only an extraordinary existence like the World Arbitration Agency, which specializes in adjusting the outrageous laws, could do something that obviously defies the world’s rules and regulations, by deploying Information Zero Point to lower-dimensionalize the whole universe and then reassign it through singularity explosion, this process is called “World Reactivation,” the ultimate defense method of the World Arbitration Agency against Doomsday, of course, it can also be used as an offensive method of mutual destruction, and this small-scale use of “World Reactivation” is the “Hot Restart” that Pandora mentioned.

The Hot Restart doesn’t deploy an Information Zero Point that requires the information of the entire universe to fill, but an Information Black Hole directly formed by the Arbitration Institution, this black hole is highly controllable, able to carry out partial world formatting within a relatively small range, plus with Dingdang having isolated the Kepulu Star Zone from the existing world structure, we can ensure that the Hot Restart will not cause any harm to the normal outside world, and because the process is relatively gentle and controllable, the final information explosion can also be largely regulated, within this process, we can intentionally reshape the Kepulu Star Zone, at least we can restore it to over eighty percent, including most of the homelands that humans and Protos Natives have established over countless generations, this might help those refugees to quickly resume their lives when they return home, yes, of course, this kind of restoration does not include uncontrollable factors such as life.

Dingdang could only buy us a month’s time, and Qianqian, using her own abilities, asymmetrically extended time around Black Sun’s surrounding zone, stretching it to a month and a half in total. During this period, Alaya, Pandora, and Gaia had enough time to transform into their Glory Forms, to initiate World Arbitration, while we had to quickly complete the evacuation of the native inhabitants of the Kepulu Star Zone–the impending destruction wasn’t just a material or even dimensional annihilation, but rather a reformatting of the cosmic laws themselves. Even the lower Divine Race, facing such catastrophe, found escape back to the Divine Realm the only way to avoid the disaster.

To still insist on staying was beyond foolishness.

This was a space fortress system temporarily established based on the Asteroid Belt where our troops were currently stationed. The Imperial Fleet had already left the radiation range of Black Sun, leaving behind only two unmanned outposts to monitor the occasionally erupting Abyssal Aggregations. We established a series of spatial anchor points here, approximately ten light-hours from Black Sun. These would serve as coordinates for the Space-Time Management Center to open Space Rifts. According to Alaya, Gaia and the Mother Star were in a “fusion” state. Even if she were to transform into an arbitration form, she’d have to function as a satellite to the Mother Star. If we had to rely on her arbitration form to reset the Kepulu Star Zone, we’d need to bring the Mother Star’s Jump Point closer to the center of this star zone.

Unfortunately, the Black Sun, selected by Ocam to be the first to infect the nearest star systems with Abyss Energy, was also in this location.

“That’s the situation. The ultimate solution we’ve agreed upon can prevent the destruction of the universe, but the Kepulu Star Zone must serve as the flood discharge area.”

In the Crystal Tower of General City, which had unfolded and almost covered an entire asteroid; I relayed the imminent events to Zeratul, Raynor, and the Blade Queen. These three could be considered the racial representatives of the Kepulu Star Zone; they were the first locals to be informed of this shocking news.

“Prepare to flee, this place is doomed soon.”

Lilina interjected as the three still struggled to recover from their shock, her comment piercing the otherwise oppressive atmosphere.

Raynor suddenly stood up, his mouth wide open, but no words came out for a long while.

“I know this is hard to accept,” I gestured with my hand, signaling this bearded uncle–who had recently been trying to mend his relationship with his Blade sister–to calm down, “but compared to the end of the universe, this is still a much better outcome. Moreover, I hope you understand that this is not a discussion but a notification. The indigenous inhabitants of the entire Kepulu Star Zone must make a choice, and our final actions will not be delayed for any reason.”

“This is a nightmare,” Zeratul’s voice was low, then he slowly closed his eyes, “Thank you for your efforts to save this star zone up to now. But I think many people will not leave their homes.”

“Pfft, it’s irrational.”

Lilina mutters under her breath in a tone loud enough for everyone to hear, only to be immediately silenced by a chop from my hand, and off she went to seek solace from Big Sister.

“It’s still the same message, just a notification, and fortunately, you may not have to leave for long. Most of you might be able to return to your homeland within your lifetimes. Our World Arbitration Agency possesses the ability to rapidly reshape this star system, hmm, at least that will be a place very close to your former home.”

The statement silenced those present. Yes, a place very close to their former home–but ultimately, a replica. The Kepulu Star Zone would be reduced to ashes in a month and a half, and even if the reconstructed star system achieved eighty, or even a hundred percent fidelity afterwards, it was still just a copy. All meanings had changed. Perhaps to the Xyrins, such change was insignificant, but to the fragile humans and the Protos natives with deep affection for their homeland, it was incredibly hard to accept.

In this regard, I chose not to deceive them. It was their own homeland, and they had the right to know all of this.

“We must act quickly, with only a month and a half to go. The space technology of the Protos may enable their entire race to evacuate, but for humans, this amount of time might allow only less than half to flee. The majority of humans will die from the ‘formatting’, and it’s still a question how many will heed our warning after it’s issued. James Raynor, I hope you can mobilize as many of your compatriots as possible.”

“I… will do my best,” the bearded uncle pondered for a moment and then nodded resolutely, “As an alien race unrelated to this place, if you can go this far, I will not shirk my responsibilities.”

As expected, after Raynor and his best bro bid farewell and left, the Blade Queen stealthily stayed behind and then broke the silence, “So you’re saying ‘we’ have been abandoned?”

Really adopting the Insect Race perspective, I am truly curious about how physical changes could so vastly alter her psychologically; wouldn’t this question give Lilina a headache for a long time?

“Our purpose here is to exterminate the Insect Race,” I leaned back slightly, comfortably reclining in the large chair, “There’s no place for them in the New World. The Imperial Fleet will deploy probes to blockade the entire Kepulu Star Zone. Every fleeing spaceship must undergo inspection. The Insect Race? Not even a single cell will be allowed to escape.”

In the face of such a ruthless response, not a trace of surprise showed on the Blade Queen’s face; perhaps this answer was already well-known. The initial purpose of the Imperial Army’s arrival was to exterminate the Insect Race. The destruction of the Kepulu Star Zone would expedite the process, and the Xyrin People had no reason to lend a hand to the Insect Race in this doomsday scenario.

In fact, we were planning on adding another kick…

But even though her expression was unmoved, a barely detectable glint flashed in the Blade Queen’s eyes, ultimately converging into a calm sigh, “When fate arrives, I will gladly accept it. So when do you plan to execute me?”

By this time, I felt the timing was about right, and with a smile, I said, “What do the Insect Race matters have to do with you? You still think you’re like them?”

The Blade Queen’s eyes widened, and I began the summoning technique, “Lilina!”

The so-called Fake Lolita Priestess who I’d tossed aside just moments ago seemed ready to emerge from some spatial crevice at any moment like a summoned beast awaiting its call. She suddenly appeared before the Blade Queen with a thick portfolio, enthusiastically pitching her services:

“In the name of the Goddess! The Life Goddess Sect is launching a new consumer loyalty program! Cosmetic surgery, body beautification, shaping, breast enhancement! Order your body, exchange, evolve, ascend to holiness! Soul repair, spirit unlocking, life cloning, and resurrection form alteration starting at a minimum fifty percent discount. Both new and returning clients who order the full suite of services will enjoy membership benefits, and VIP users choosing three or more packages will receive a free divine power cellular restructuring session. What? Not interested in this stuff? Then take a look at this book–bloodline exchange starting at a minimum of thirty percent off. Get a binded set of vampire and Nightmare bloodlines, and enjoy the first three levels of genetic lock access… Hey, wait a second, don’t shake your head just yet! Want to become a god? Or a saint? Over here, I also wholesale various cultivation techniques, for heaven’s sake! This is a limited edition! Just spend a few quids, switch to a new body, and practice the divine skill secret manuals I recommend to you. Striving to challenge the heavens in three months, no problem! And it’s totally safe, think about how many poor souls those struck by lightning could have been exterminated during their transmigration, but now with a little money… Look, don’t you doubt me. I transmigrated too, it was tough! Truly, no human should suffer that, but now? Look at me, made it big! I’m the chief priestess of the Life Goddess, you know what that is? Top of the lot! I also double as the Heresy Judge, Battle Knight Captain, Great Pope of the Goddess Sect! And why is that? Because I switched to a new body! Come on, right here, just sign here or a thumbprint will do. I’m telling you, miss this chance and you won’t get it again, no amount of money can bring back the past… Hey! Boss, let me finish…”

Eventually, Lilina, who had spent all her energy promoting with a stack of portfolios, was sent flying in a parabolic arc. That girl should just continue to study pirated stuff with that old rascal Sicaro!!

“That’s right, we can take on race changes as well as bodily restorations over here. If you have no objections, we can start right now. After completion, we can also help you get rid of acne, as a bonus. This is the contract; will you sign it?”

As I pushed a piece of paper in front of Kerrigan, the Blade Queen, who had just emerged from a haze of confusion, asked with a dazed expression, “Um… did you throw that girl out just now because she was stealing your business?”

Me: “…”

Regardless, the process was fairly smooth. Even though I noticed the Blade Queen’s face contort with the difficulty of making this choice, I figured that once she regained her identity as Kerrigan, she would surely be grateful for her wise choice today. Moreover, the will to live is a basic instinct of every creature, and the Blade Queen was no exception. The current situation was such that if she stubbornly clung to her Insect Race identity, she’d be formatted along with her “kin.”

Though Kerrigan had been transformed into part of the Insect Race, she still retained her free will, so of course, she wouldn’t choose to die alongside them. In this situation, even if reluctant, she’d surely make the wise choice.

Meanwhile, a broadcast addressing the entire Kepulu Star Zone was transmitted in sync, centered on every Planet Battleship distributed throughout this part of the universe.

At this moment, with the destruction of the Conqueror-class Annihilation Ship, the “Revelation” that had pervaded the star zone had ended. All the races, abruptly awakened from their madness, were experiencing profound confusion and panic. The confusion stemmed from not knowing why their thoughts had suddenly escalated beyond their control, while the panic arose from–recklessly provoking an unprecedentedly powerful Alien Empire. Even now, many could look up at the night sky and see the hanging Planet Fortresses, as large as giant moons (these fortresses, when not engaging in an attack, activated their Gravity Isolation Devices, thereby not disturbing the orbit of nearby planets), which posed a significant psychological burden one could easily understand.

With their awakening, the Imperial Army also halted military operations and began to broadcast the message of the impending doom of the Kepulu Star Zone, along with the edited truth about the “Revelation” and “Abyss” infection–ending a widespread confusion but bringing even greater fear.

The largest mass exodus of races the Kepulu Star Zone had seen since the dawn of life was about to commence.

(A determined call for votes, yes, quite decisively…)

(To be continued. For further story details, please visit www.wuxiaworld.site. More chapters, author support, legitimate reading!)