Chapter 166: Heinrich Held Him Tight in His Arms
Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations
Editor: Karai
Spacetime abilities and warp jumps both allowed spatial crossing, but their principles were very different. Lin Xu’s abilities consumed a large amount of energy to activate, but compared to the cost of a single warp jump, it was almost negligible.
Warp jumping was essentially creating a controllable artificial Zerg hole — a tunnel connecting two points in space, allowing starships to cross through it. The Michael’s Sword defense line’s isolation generators directly intercepted these spatial connection segments, making warp jumps impossible.
The spacetime tunnel Lin Xu traveled through with his powers was slightly different from a Zerg hole. He couldn’t fully explain it with his limited physics knowledge, but the formulas from the Spiritual Monarch gave him some inspiration.
That very night, the physicists Godric had arranged to meet with Lin Xu appeared at the Whisper Church. Among them was Brumer, who was not only the chairman of the Review Committee but also president of the Haven Physics Association.
Two moons floated in the eastern sky, the church doors were closed, and the main hall’s long table was repurposed as a discussion platform. Godric had told them about Lin Xu’s identity beforehand and advised them to stay calm — Lin Xu hated being treated like a demigod.
At first, everyone greeted each other and introduced themselves. Everything felt like a normal academic seminar. But when Lin Xu presented several spacetime formulas, the physicists fell silent, pondering these unfamiliar equations.
Lin Xu explained the “lecture notes” he received from the Spiritual Monarch, pointing out what the formulas indicated.
The group was silent for a while longer. Then the first person gestured toward the intelligent robot for scrap paper. Soon more grabbed pens and paper and began frantic calculations.
Within minutes, the physicists, still loving their checkered shirts three millennia later, exploded with excitement.
“A genius idea!”
“Elegant and simple — this is how cosmic truth should look.”
“Your Excellency above, I never imagined we’d hear your teaching again!”
…
Only Brumer noticed Lin Xu watching the excited physicists quietly fall into silence. He cleared his throat.
“Everyone, please calm down. I want to hear Dr. Lin’s thoughts. Dr. Lin, what do you want us to do?”
Lin Xu asked first, “What do you think this formula describes?”
They whispered among themselves, then handed the floor back to Brumer, who explained to Lin Xu: “It describes spacetime transformation based on quantum entanglement, distinct from Zerg hole warp jumps. This spacetime conversion has the same properties as entangled quanta and can nearly instantaneously achieve spatial crossing.”
“We’ve considered this more efficient and stable approach before, but only succeeded in information transmission, never spatial crossing.”
Point-to-point quantum space tunnels don’t truly connect both ends of space, so isolation generators can’t intercept them.
“Can you make such a spacetime tunnel now?”
“That’s…” Brumer hesitated, then consulted his colleagues.
“Dr. Lin, this formula theoretically describes the quantum state structure of universal spacetime, but applying it is another matter. The first hurdle is how to excite a spacetime tunnel.”
Lin Xu tapped the table thoughtfully, then asked, “If I can open a quantum entangled spacetime tunnel, can you expand it?”
The physicists exchanged uncertain looks. Science wasn’t about certainties but paradigm shifts, and they couldn’t give a definitive answer before experimentation.
One asked, “Dr. Lin, if you can open a tunnel, maybe we can build a higher-power one by dismantling machines.”
Lin Xu shook his head, “I have no machines. I can only open tunnels this way.”
He extended his hand palm up over the table. A black rift split open in the space above his palm, revealing the endless blackness of space beyond. Silence fell over the table. The inquirer’s eyes widened as if they might pop out.
Others followed suit, barely breathing, eyes fixed, afraid to blink. Then someone blinked rapidly, trying to confirm it wasn’t an illusion or trick.
“Maybe… we can study its physical structure and expand it,” the man swallowed nervously, trembling. He was a scientist who joined the Whisper Sect to pursue scientific truth. He’d been told by predecessors that the Spiritual Monarch was not some supernatural deity but a real advanced civilization. So when Lin Xu appeared as an ordinary human, he was suspicious but curious enough to see for himself. He never expected Dr. Lin to deliver such a devastating blow to his worldview right away. What he saw before him seemed too much like a miracle.
The group of physicists, faced with the spacetime formulas, grew increasingly excited. One by one, they abandoned their own research and work to gather in the laboratory Brumer had provided, eagerly launching into study and experimentation.
Lin Xu made himself the subject of their research, spending long hours in the lab alongside these scientific zealots. He repeatedly activated and deactivated his powers while they meticulously recorded every parameter.
These were all top experts in their fields. With a wave of their hands, countless personnel, funds, and equipment were thrown into the experiments. Finally, on the fourth day, they completed the first draft of their plan.
“Dr. Lin, take a look,” Brumer slid a holographic display toward Lin Xu and began explaining. “Our preliminary idea is to use pulsars and stars — first to connect the particle beams ejected by pulsars to charge the spacetime tunnel, then to use the gravitational lensing effect of stars to amplify the tunnel. This way, the tunnel can be opened out in space itself.
“Dr. Lin, this is our private decision based on your description of the scale of the crossing. We worry human-inhabited planets wouldn’t be able to handle such tremendous energy. Next, we need to confirm the volume and mass of the objects passing through, as well as the start and end points. Then we will decide which pulsars and stars to use.”
Lin Xu replied, “I need to let five starships pass through the tunnel: one armed flagship and four escort ships, heading to the edge of the Red Moon system’s dark zone.”
Brumer paused for a moment, then reacted, “You’re taking starships to the Alliance?”
The Red Moon system was Alliance territory.
“Yes.”
“Dr. Lin, may I ask — are these five starships under your control?”
“Yes.”
“That’s good.” Brumer exhaled, clearly relieved. He had feared Lin Xu intended to smuggle a few starships through Michael’s Sword defense line via the space tunnel.
“The starships are currently in the 876th sector of the Long Whale Region.”
“Alright, I’ll review the star charts with them.” Brumer consulted his colleagues for a moment and circled four stars.
“Dr. Lin, here’s pulsar P13 and supergiant star S78, both in sector 780, about a day’s travel from 876. We can open the spacetime tunnel there, then on the Red Moon side, we select near pulsar PL8 and red giant R88.”
“P13 is a privately owned star,” Lin Xu asked. “Is that feasible?”
“Oh, it’s owned by the Rashford Consortium for power generation. We can buy it — that’s no problem,” Brumer said. “The planets in the dark zone aren’t privately owned yet, so no worries there.”
That wouldn’t come cheap… Brumer then said, “Dr. Lin, we have a request. We’d like to know your opinion.”
Sure enough. Lin Xu said, “Go ahead.”
“After the mission, can we publish the research and the success of the experiment?”
Lin Xu hesitated. Was that all they wanted? Seeing Lin Xu’s change in expression, Brumer quickly added, “We’ll follow research ethics. You and your starships will be anonymized and obscured — no one will guess who it was. The formula’s authorship will be attributed to the Spiritual Monarch.”
“Fine,” Lin Xu replied. “The formula’s authorship — you decide. Actually, make it a pseudonym for the Spiritual Monarch. The Imperial royal family still remembers the Spiritual Monarch’s history; it’s best not to expose the Whisper Sect.”
“Good, good,” Brumer agreed eagerly. This was arguably the greatest breakthrough in physics humanity had seen in a century!
It still took several days of technical preparations and equipment adjustments before they could officially activate the spacetime tunnel. Brumer and his team had already run several preliminary tests to confirm the plan’s viability. Lin Xu informed Heinrich of the plan details and the tunnel coordinates. Three days later, everything was ready.
Brumer led Lin Xu to the high-energy frequency emitter built on the outskirts of the city. The emitter was already linked to the pulsar nearby and, charged up, it was tearing through the air with fierce electrical currents.
Brumer checked the timing carefully. A few dozen meters away, the physicists involved in the operation stood nervously, supporting one another. Brumer asked, “Dr. Lin, are you ready?”
“I’m ready,” Lin Xu replied. He planned to enter the spacetime tunnel together with Heinrich to reach the Alliance. The rabbit-cats and data would be delivered later by Godric.
“All right, the countdown is starting now.” Brumer pressed the start button on the machine and began counting down. The wild wind whipped Lin Xu’s clothes and long hair.
“Five, four, three, two, one — begin!”
Lin Xu raised his hand. The spacetime rift slowly opened before him. The machine picked up the data signal and surged into full operation. The currents instantly became a brilliant, massive glowing orb. Invisible ripples spread through the atmosphere and shot out into deep space.
Brumer focused on the signal from sector 780. “Dr. Lin! They’re ready on the other side!”
Lin Xu’s clothes fluttered lightly as he looked at Brumer and gave a subtle nod. Then, he stepped through the spacetime rift. Darkness struck in an instant. What followed was a crawling coldness and burning pain spreading across his skin.
Lin Xu opened his eyes. A shattered asteroid drifted past before him. He had arrived in the Dark Zone. A black starship flashed past in his peripheral vision. Immediately, Lin Xu reopened the spacetime tunnel and threw himself into the Victoria.
With a bang, Lin Xu felt as if he’d crashed into a metal cabinet, then tumbled across the floor several times. The door of the cabinet he’d hit swung open, and countless white porcelain plates and bowls cascaded out, shattering like snowflakes beside him.
He realized he had landed in the Ninth Canteen’s kitchen. The clattering noise drew someone over. Lin Xu saw a pair of black military boots approaching — first quick steps, then breaking into a run. Lin Xu pushed himself up slowly, his palm pressing down on shards of broken dishware, bleeding.
“Lin Xu—” Heinrich rushed to his side, threw out his long arms, and pulled him into a tight embrace, holding him firmly in his arms.
This Title is available for faster chapter releases through paid Patreon membership. Any proceeds go to keeping the website running. Check it out HERE.
