Chapter 1 The Big Bang

 Boom!

There was an earth-shattering explosion, and a red fireball that was brighter than the sun instantly appeared in the sky. The shock wave generated by the explosion swept across thousands of square kilometers. Flames, strong winds, earthquakes, and dust roared and raged, overwhelming countless trees, and it was like the end of the world.

"ah…"

Ji Xinghuo woke up suddenly and sat up straight in the darkness.

The aftermath of the big explosion remained in his mind, and the roar continued, making his eyes full of confusion and panic, and it was not until a few minutes later that he gradually regained his composure.

 “It's this nightmare again, **** it!”

Ji Xinghuo cursed, shook his head helplessly, and glanced at the luminous clock beside the bed, it read one o'clock in the morning.

 For the past week, he has been having nightmares every night with the same content. In the dream, my perspective was locked. It first appeared in outer space, flew into the earth's atmosphere like a meteor, and finally exploded above a vast forest.

Every time there was an explosion in his dream, Ji Xinghuo would wake up and feel as if his brain had really exploded.

 And the culprit of all this…

 “Turn on the lights.”

Ji Xinghuo shouted softly, and the bedroom gradually became brighter.

Before his eyes could adjust to the brightness, Ji Xinghuo rolled out of bed and staggered into the bathroom. He saw himself in the mirror, looking haggard and tired, with a few eye-catching bloodshot streaks in the corners of his eyes. His mental state was very bad.

 Having not slept well for a week in a row would make anyone feel depressed.

 “It's time to settle.”

Ji Xinghuo muttered and opened the cabinet behind the mirror and took out a beautiful braided necklace. The nylon rope was woven into a complicated and beautiful belt. The pendant of the necklace was a gemstone, which was covered by a grid. It looked quite exquisite.

Looking at the gem pendant of the necklace, Ji Xinghuo's eyes were very complicated.

Ten days ago, I and several classmates went to the Lake Baikal region for a graduation trip. On the last day, I spent 20 Asian dollars at the stall of the local reindeer tribe to buy this necklace as a souvenir.

That stall has hundreds of similar braided necklaces, but the pendants are different.

Ji Xinghuo didn't notice anything unusual when choosing. He bought it and put it on because it looked good. He returned to Chang'an that night.

Then the nightmare begins.

Having the same nightmare for several days in a row, Ji Xinghuo pinpointed the cause, which was the pendant of the necklace, a gem that looked like a glass marble.

The shell of the gemstone is transparent, with a colorful nebula inlaid inside, shaped like an eye, but there is a hollow in the center of the iris, as if the pupil has been gouged out, with several tiny cracks spreading from the middle, giving it an inexplicable incomplete beauty.

This thing is obviously not a natural gem, but a man-made object, and it is not valuable.

Ji Xinghuo did some research on it out of curiosity.

It was found that the hardness of the gemstone is extremely amazing, it must be many times harder than diamond, exceeding the upper limit of the hardness tester; its brittleness, melting point, water solubility and resistance data cannot be detected, let alone its composition. , completely beyond the scope of my understanding.

He struggled for a long time without leaving any trace on the gem.

 Even once, Ji Xinghuo soaked it in his own blood, but still to no avail.

With no results from gem research, Ji Xinghuo turned to his nightmares to look for clues.

 The first thing that comes to mind is the "Tunguska Explosion".

The explosion scene in the dream is consistent with the conditions of the Tunguska explosion in many aspects, such as the explosion in the sky, the absence of craters and celestial debris, the scope of the explosion, the degree of destruction of the forest, etc. It is consistent with the data from many surveys and researches in history. That's right.

However, the Tunguska explosion occurred in 1908 and today is 2223, more than three hundred years apart.

Moreover, the explosion site was far away from Lake Baikal where I was visiting, nearly 800 kilometers away.

 There is distance in both time and space.

Despite this, Ji Xinghuo still suspected that the gem in his hand was probably related to the Tunguska explosion, or even caused the mysterious explosion.

“Unfortunately, I have no other evidence except dreams.”

 “Otherwise I can solve an unsolved mystery from more than three hundred years ago.”

Ji Xinghuo laughed at himself, the question now is how to avoid nightmares.

I have tried this before. No matter whether I carry the gem with me or not, even if I put it in another city thousands of kilometers away, I will still have nightmares whenever I sleep, as if it is bound.

 He returned to the bedroom with the necklace, untied the string, took the gems out of the net, placed them in the palm of his hand and examined them carefully.

 “Is this really a different species?”

 This is not the first time Ji Xinghuo has come up with this idea.

In fact, at the beginning, he guessed that the gem was probably an alien species, but it just didn't match the characteristics of the alien species he knew, whether it was the alien database of the "Astral Defense Council" (ADC) or the national "Astral World" The corresponding alien species cannot be found on the official website of "Ministry".

 The so-called "exotic species" are strange objects that contain "supernatural powers".

 All alien species on earth come from the "star realm".

In 2033 AD, thirteen star gates suddenly opened on all continents around the world. You can enter the star realm by passing through the star gates.

The mysterious and vast star realm shocked the world. Its appearance subverted scientists' cognition and violated the known laws of physics. The star realm connects the entire galaxy. Using the star realm as a bridge, you can travel to every planet in the galaxy, and even every space coordinate in the interstellar space!

The star realm is not as empty and lonely as space. It is a vibrant world.

The vast star realm breeds countless species. The number and variety are far greater than any other ecological planet. The earth is only a drop in the ocean compared with it. The speed and intensity of the evolution of species in the star realm are also greater than those in the earth's biosphere. Ten thousand times!

 There are also a large number of intelligent races in the star realm, and many civilizations far more powerful than those on Earth have been born.

The opening of the Star Gate brought unprecedented catastrophe to unprepared mankind. Alien invasion, nuclear war, the third and fourth world wars, nearly two centuries of global turmoil and extinction crisis, completely rewritten the fate of all mankind. Destiny and the direction of civilization.

  Today is the 23rd century, and the earth has reshaped its order and pattern.

 Humanity has long adapted to the existence of the star realm and has made use of the unique resources produced by the star realm to promote the rapid development of science and technology and greatly increase productivity.

 However, the ones that have the greatest impact on human beings are those supernatural abilities from the star realm.

 People are used to calling it “superpowers”.

 In the star world, whether it is an intelligent civilized race or a low-level creature like a beast, individuals with powerful power will be born.

They have different abilities, such as controlling thunder and lightning, infinite strength, body changes, invisible leaps, etc. These are just the most common abilities. There are also many magical and weird abilities. The further you go on the road of life evolution, the more extraordinary abilities you will have. The stronger the energy, the longer the lifespan will be!

 Kill the astral creatures and you will have a chance to gain their abilities.

 And those who carry supernatural powers are alien species!

Human beings are not born with supernatural abilities, but they can also master supernatural powers by fusing different species to achieve life evolution.

In the "Stargate Era", the reason why human beings were able to repel the invasion of alien races in the star world was not only because they did not hesitate to use nuclear weapons to kill them all, but also because there were forerunners who mastered superpowers, evolved their lives step by step, and had the power to compete with the powerful alien races in the star world. .

Today, there are more than 40 billion people in the world, and there are more than 2 billion "strangers" with supernatural powers.

Ji Xinghuo is not a foreigner, but he knows a lot about aliens.

 In this century, everyone has learned more or less about alien species, and has also come into contact with alien species in reality.

Alien species are not only born in the bodies of creatures in the astral world. Alien species can also be formed in the natural environment of the astral world. They have different shapes, some are like plant fruits and roots, some are like mineral gems, some are energy crystals, and there are many more. Strange alien species that are difficult to identify.

 The "Astral Defense Council", which has branches in countries around the world, has created the largest alien database on the planet.

Ji Xinghuo carefully browsed through the more than 12,000 mutant species in the database, especially the hundreds of gem-form mutants.

 However, none of them are worthy of the gem in his hand. Not only do they not match up in appearance, the general characteristics of gems and aliens are also very different.

 All heterogeneous species will exhibit "activity".

Ji Xinghuo has come into contact with alien species several times. No matter what form of alien species it is, you can easily feel its "activity" when you hold it in your hand. It's like an egg about to break out of its shell. You can clearly feel its fullness without having to specifically identify it. vitality.

 He did not feel any activity on the gem, it was clearly a dead thing.

 So the speculation that it was a heterogeneous species was rejected from the beginning. but now…

"There are no absolutes in anything." Now Ji Xinghuo felt that he might be wrong, staring at the gem on his palm, "Maybe it is a special case that only exists in ten thousand. It looks like a dead thing, but it is actually an extremely rare alien species. .”

 Since they are different species, they can be fused.

 There is no clear standard for whether a human being can fuse with different species. Generally speaking, the better the physical quality, the higher the success rate of fusion of alien species.

Ji Xinghuo stood up.

 Looking towards the training room connected to the bedroom, he saw his own figure reflected in the mirror on the opposite wall.

He is exactly 1.8 meters tall, neither tall nor short among adult men, only two or three centimeters more than the average height. However, his body shape is well-proportioned and slender. The contrast between his upper body and lower body is close to the golden ratio. His shoulders are broad, and his arm span is nearly two meters. He has long hands and long legs, and his strong muscles contain good explosive power.

 This is the result of years of practice.

 In order to pursue strength and become a different person, everyone on the earth exercises.

 Especially young people who are full of expectations for the future are very motivated. Many of them have been in the gym every day since they were teenagers, doing various physical training to prepare for the fusion of alien species.

 The same goes for Ji Xinghuo.

 I started exercising when I was fifteen and have almost never slacked off. It has been seven years now.

Although he has not yet become an alien, Ji Xinghuo has strong confidence. As long as the level of the alien he fuses is not particularly high, or the ability is extremely strange, the fusion success rate will be at least 80%.

“I wanted to continue exercising for a year or two after my graduation trip, and then take the physical fitness test and apply for a super-limited alien species.”

"Now we have to fuse an unknown alien species..."

Ji Xinghuo showed a little hesitation on his face.

As a citizen of the "United Community of Asian and Pacific Peoples", you can take four physical fitness tests when you reach adulthood. As long as one of them meets the standard, you can get a free alien species and try to merge into an alien.

 This is the welfare of every "AsiPacific Community" citizen. The country gives everyone a fair opportunity.

 If the integration fails, not only does the patient not need any compensation, but he or she can go to the best public hospital to enjoy free medical services during the recovery period.

 If it succeeds, there are corresponding obligations.

 When there is a need in the future, foreigners must unconditionally respond to the government's call once and serve the country until the service is completed.

Ji Xinghuo was sure to pass the physical fitness test when he was eighteen years old, but he never took part in order to get a higher score in the test.

 The higher the score, the greater the number and quality of abilities to choose from.

 The levels of abilities provided by the country from low to high are: basic, high quality, excellent, and beyond limit.

Most citizens who pass the test can only choose abilities among the first three levels.

Citizens must pass all four tests of strength, speed, endurance and will, and get high scores, and then pass multiple rounds of evaluations by the "Astral Ministry" before they can apply for the highest level of over-limit powers and enter the queue in order of time. Gain this power.

Ji Xinghuo's original target was a super-limited ability, and he was about 30% sure.

 But it's different now.

"If this is really an alien species." Ji Xinghuo whispered to himself: "Based on the hardness of the gem and the special phenomenon that gives me nightmares, the super power it contains is at least super-limit. Moreover, it is probably more powerful than super-limit. The level is higher, reaching the quality of the 'Starfall Level' superpower!"

 Starfall level!

Ji Xinghuo's heart beat hard.

Superpowers of this level are all extremely powerful, and their value is difficult to measure in terms of money. The several Starfall-level powers that have been disclosed in history were not sold, but exchanged.

 “The chance to gain a star-level superpower, even if the fusion fails, is worth it!”

“The worst case scenario is that I'll try again after I recover, it will only take a few months.”

Ji Xinghuo no longer hesitated.

However, there is a problem now, how should I integrate it?

 There are two most common heterogeneous fusion methods.

 The first one is swallowing, taking the foreign species directly into the stomach and digesting it.

 The second one is injection. The foreign species is dissolved into the prepared medicine, and then injected into the human blood vessels to absorb it.

There are also some relatively rare fusion methods: such as converting the alien species into gas and inhaling it; resonating with the alien species' spirit and integrating into the brain; there are also rare alien species that can directly penetrate the skin and enter the body.

The most troublesome fusion method is implantation, which is generally applicable to heterogeneous organs removed from biological bodies and implanted into one's own body like a surgery.

If given a choice, Ji Xinghuo would of course most want to fuse through "swallowing".

 The size of gemstones is small, about the same as a human eyeball, and can be swallowed in one bite. However, he doubted whether he could digest it given the hardness of the gem?

 The most fearful thing is that it requires "implantation" to be able to integrate.

Implantation of xenografts cannot be just inserted into the body anywhere. Research must be done in advance, and rejection reactions must also be considered. Sometimes medication is required to eliminate rejection, wound sutures, postoperative recovery, etc. All of these require professional surgery. The doctor will do the surgery.

 The most important thing is that the implantation point is usually in the part of the body where it exerts its effect.

For example, the "Thunder Hand", the alien form is a tendon that can discharge electricity. It must be implanted into the palm of the hand and connected with its own tendon to master this power.

Ji Xinghuo looked at the eye nebula inside the gem.

"Eye!"

 “Are you going to implant it into my eye socket?”

Ji Xinghuo couldn't help but feel numbness in his scalp. The orbital space was limited and could not accommodate two eyeballs. One of his own eyeballs had to be removed before implantation.

 This price is too high.

 In case of failure…

 Although with today's medical technology, it is not difficult to re-implant the eyeball, and sight can be restored soon, the pain and psychological impact suffered during the operation are by no means something ordinary people can endure.

Ji Xinghuo gestured with the gem on his eyelids.

“This gemstone looks so much like an eyeball!”

 Suddenly, an idea came to his mind. Without thinking about it, he tried to touch the gem lightly with his right eye.

 The eyeball is the most sensitive organ of the human body. Suddenly, Ji Xinghuo felt a slight sting and closed his eyes subconsciously.

However, the stinging became stronger and stronger, as if it was mixed with sand, and tears flowed out.

 Not only the right eye, but also both eyes felt pain.

"what happened?"

Ji Xinghuo endured the pain and opened his eyes. His vision was blurry. It was like there was a thick mosaic in front of him, and he couldn't see anything clearly.

 He touched his cheek and felt a warm and sticky substance, which was vaguely red.

 “My eyes are bleeding…”

Ji Xinghuo's heart tightened, and then he reacted: "Where are the gems?"

The gem he originally held in his hand disappeared at some point. Before he could be happy that this method actually worked, there was a sudden sharp pain in his head, as if an awl was twisting his brain. He let out a cry of pain and fell to the ground with seven orifices. All shed blood.

 Boom!

Ji Xinghuo saw the scene of a big explosion again in his dark eyes, like a scene in a dream. Before his consciousness fell into darkness, a thought flashed through his mind:

 “My head isn't really going to explode this time, is it?”

 (End of this chapter)