That kind of pain
The newborn universe breathed steadily under the Zhulong's perception, stars flickering like synapses in deep space. Siqi's consciousness flowed through the dark matter network, monitoring the stability of every physical constant. They had become the guardians of this universe, embodying the ideals of the Creator Spirit into eternal order.
"Unusual disturbances detected in the border area." Shao Wei's warning exploded across the consciousness network like a supernova. His perception was focused on the outermost layer of the cosmic membrane, where ominous ripples were rippling.
Si Qi immediately turned his attention to the boundary. Through his dimensional perception, he saw an indescribable entity wandering beyond the universe—not a living being, not energy, but the embodiment of the concept of "the end." Wherever it passed, even the fabric of space and time began to decay.
"The messengers of heat death." Shao Wei's consciousness conveyed the information he had just deciphered, "They are the final destination of all universes."
The shadow of the end slowly approached the boundaries of the universe. There was no attack, no invasion; simply its very existence was accelerating the entropy of this nascent universe. Stars were entering old age prematurely, galaxies were losing their rotational vitality, and even the speed of light was showing a trend of decline.
Si Qi mobilized the energy of the entire universe in an attempt to resist, but all resistance only served to hasten his own demise. The end was not the enemy, but the innate fate of every being.
"It's fulfilling its duty." Shao Wei's consciousness traveled through the rapidly aging nebula. "Just as we guard the creation, it guards the end."
The hull of the Zhulong began to show the ravages of time. The once-gleaming armor had dimmed, and the hum of its engines had become a tired murmur. Even the twin consciousnesses felt the weight of time's passage.
Just as the universe was about to enter its final silence, Shao Wei discovered something unusual - in a fragment of the Shadow of the End, there was a mark that originated from the Spirit of Creation.
"They are one." His consciousness trembled with this discovery. "Creation and end are different aspects of the same existence."
Siqi immediately understood the hint. He no longer resisted the end, but instead guided the universe into a carefully designed death - the extinction of each star would release a specific energy frequency, and the silence of each galaxy would constitute a pause in a grand symphony.
When the last black hole evaporated in Hawking radiation, an incredible cycle began. The Shadow of the End contentedly absorbed this perfectly concluded universe, while at its core, a brand new singularity was gestating—a newborn seed containing all the memories and experiences of the previous universe.
The Zhulong disintegrated at the final moment of the universe's annihilation, transforming into dust that nurtured new life. Si Qi and Shao Wei's consciousness merged into that singularity, waiting for the next Big Bang with all their understanding.
In a place beyond time, the Spirit of Creation and the Shadow of the End truly met eyes for the first time. They simultaneously gazed upon the gestating singularity, where slumbered the two consciousnesses that had once connected them.
When the next universe emerges from a singularity, its fundamental constants will already contain the blueprint for its evolution. And at the edge of an obscure galaxy, a starship named "Zhulong" is slowly taking shape from a nebula.
Inside the bridge, Si Qi opened his eyes and saw Shao Wei looking up from the data stream. The moment their gaze met, memories beyond reincarnation awoke in his consciousness.
"This time," Si Qi gently stroked the newly born starlight on the console, "we know all the answers."
Shao Wei's fingertips swept across the holographic star map and lightly tapped on the coordinates of a civilization that had not yet been born:
“But the problems have only just begun.”
The newly born "Zhulong" hovered in the cradle of the nebula, its hull flowing with the memory metal of the previous cosmic era. Si Qi's fingertips slid across the control console, and the hypercube navigation interface automatically unfolded, marking the embryonic coordinates of all civilizations in the universe.
"Observer signal detected." Shao Wei's voice was synchronized with the newly installed quantum thinking core. "A nascent civilization from the third spiral arm has just discovered the application of electromagnetic waves."
A tiny blue world emerged on the holographic interface, filled with primitive radio noise. Beyond its perception, a cold gaze was locking onto this civilization from a higher-dimensional perspective.
"The harvesting protocol has been activated." Si Qi called up the threat assessment interface. "The seven-dimensional observers believe that this civilization has reached the filtering threshold."
Shao Wei's mental force field silently unfolded, deeply merging with the starship's defense system. "According to Article 137 of the Fundamental Law of the Universe, any civilization is protected by the Creation Covenant before it breaks through the dimensional barrier."
"The Observers do not recognize the Convention." Si Qi activated the weapon system. "They only believe in purification."
As they spoke, a massive geometric shadow loomed over the blue planet. The projection of the seven-dimensional being began to descend, and even light lost its color wherever it passed.
The Zhulong leaped into the planet's orbit and deployed its spacetime shield. When the high-dimensional attack collided with the shield, the entire star field resounded with the wail of dimensional rupture.
"Their attack is deconstructing physical constants." Shao Wei quickly analyzed the attack pattern, "Trying to eliminate the mathematical basis for the existence of this civilization."
Si Qi piloted the starship through the dimensional gap, striking the observer's projection core from the side. "Then let them witness the brilliance of a protected civilization."
He opened part of the technological database to the nascent civilization. Almost instantly, the planet's radio noise transformed into an organized distress signal, which then escalated into some creative use of energy—they actually used primitive nuclear fusion technology to construct a crude dimensional anchor.
The observer's projection briefly became disrupted. This civilization, supposedly filtered, displayed unexpected adaptability.
"Continue to guide them." Shao Wei's mental vision established a connection with the core scientists of that civilization. "Teach them how to transform their imagination into weapons."
For the next seventy-two hours, miracles unfolded on the blue planet. Children's doodles were transformed into reality-distorting devices, poets' lyric poems were compiled into logic bombs, and even ancient religious symbols materialized into weapons of faith.
When the Observers launched their final assault, they were no longer facing a civilization waiting to be harvested, but rather the torrent of creativity of an entire race. Though crude, these creations, born of primal inspiration, were imbued with a chaotic beauty that the Observers could not comprehend.
"This is life." Si Qi watched the flame of civilization grow brighter in the battle. "It always goes beyond the preset script."
The observers' projections began to crumble. Not defeated, but "understood"—they realized for the first time that the filtering criteria themselves might be flawed.
Before retreating, the Observer sent a message to the Zhulong: "You are prolonging the suffering of this civilization. Evolution will eventually lead to self-destruction."
Shao Wei's response was calm but firm: "Then let them have the right to choose the method of destruction."
When the starry sky returned to tranquility, civilization on the blue planet began to rebuild. They looked up at the stars with eyes no longer filled with fear, but with a desire to explore.
The Zhulong quietly departed, and the laws of the new universe echoed on the bridge:
“Protecting is not a substitute for growth, but an opportunity for growth.”
Si Qi engraved this principle into the core code of the starship and turned to look at Shao Wei who was monitoring signals from other civilizations.
"Next?"
Shao Wei tapped his fingertips on the holographic star map, marking a race that was shaping the stars with song:
“This one looks like it has a lot of potential.”
Stardust swirled slowly outside the Zhulong's observation window, like the universe's tranquil breath. Si Qi leaned back in the control chair, his fingertips unconsciously tapping the armrest, his gaze fixed on an inconspicuous galaxy at the edge of the holographic star map. From there, a faint distress signal emanated, its frequency as ancient as an echo from the dawn of the universe.
"A signal from a civilization's remains has been detected." Shao Wei's voice echoed from deep within the data stream. "It originated approximately 30 billion years ago, consistent with the characteristics of the first generation of intelligent life."
Si Qi sat up straight. The first generation of civilization—an existence even the creators considered legendary. He pulled up the results of a deep-space scan, but the image was baffling: it wasn't the ruins of a planet, nor the remains of a star, but a region of completely still spacetime, where even quantum fluctuations were frozen.
"A time tomb." Shao Wei's mental picture rippled. "Some force has frozen the final moment of that civilization forever."
The Zhulong cautiously approached the boundary where time stood still. Through dimensional perception, they witnessed the final scene of that civilization: countless intelligent individuals gazing at the starry sky. Their technology had advanced to the point where they could touch the essence of the dimension, but in the face of an unknown disaster, they collectively chose to seal themselves away.
"It's not a disaster," Shao Wei said suddenly. His consciousness penetrated the barrier of time and read the information in those frozen thoughts. "They foresaw a future more terrifying than destruction."
Si Qi mobilized the entire computing power of the starship, tracing the clues left by that civilization. Deep within the timeline, he beheld a scene that shuddered his soul—the ultimate fate of all intelligent civilizations: not destruction, not sublimation, but a kind of eternal self-repetition. Like an ant trapped in a Möbius strip, forever walking the same path, unaware of it.
"A cyclical prison." Shao Wei's voice was filled with a rare wave of emotion. "This is the fate the first generation of civilization feared. They would rather be frozen in time than become part of the cycle."
At this moment, the tomb of time suddenly began to melt. The frozen space and time began to flow like a thawing glacier. The final moments of that ancient civilization finally came to an end - but on the other side of the end, a completely new form of existence was emerging.
“They found a way out.” Siqi’s consciousness resonated with the wisdom that was undergoing transformation. “Not to escape the cycle, but to transcend it.”
The individuals of the first civilization began to decompose into basic concepts, and then reassembled into a form beyond comprehension. They were no longer independent lives, but became "possibility" itself, spreading themselves like seeds across all timelines of the multiverse.
The Zhulong's log system automatically recorded this transcendence. On the last line of data, a message from the first generation of civilization to those who followed emerged:
“The cycle is not a prison, it is a cradle.”
Si Qi stared at the dots of light that vanished in the torrent of time, and suddenly understood something. He turned to Shao Wei, and their twin consciousnesses exchanged billions of pieces of information in an instant.
“We know the answers to all the questions,” he said, “because we are the questions.”
Shao Wei's spiritual vision synchronizes with the frequency of the entire universe. In his perception, countless civilizations bloom and fade like flowers on the branches of time, and the rise and fall of each civilization enriches a vision of a transcendent dimension.
"The Observer, the Weaver, the Maw of the End..." He softly listed the various entities they had encountered. "They are just different strokes in this picture."
The Candle Dragon adjusted its course, no longer searching for civilizations to protect, but heading for the deepest darkness of the universe. There, they saw themselves—not as guardians, but as characters in a grand narrative.
Si Qi reached out and touched the shadow, feeling infinite possibilities flowing through his fingertips.
“It’s time to write a new chapter.”
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