From Titan Corporation to the Empire of Man

Chapter 736: An eternal monument symbolizing the ultimate power and order of the empire.
Upon hearing Emperor Sui Yang's clear and unambiguous instructions, Halsey's lazy expression on the holographic screen vanished instantly, replaced by focus and efficiency.

She nodded slightly, her eyes sparkling with excitement for the upcoming "large-scale field test".

"Understood, Your Majesty. I will immediately begin arranging the final self-test before the activation of the large device 01 and assemble the core operations team."

It is expected that within twelve standard hours, Large Device 01 will complete all preparations and arrive at the designated coordinates in the new universe on time.

Her answer was concise and to the point, without any hesitation, and then the communication screen went dark.

After ending his communication with Halsey, Sui Yang's thoughts continued in the vast and silent space surrounding the Golden Throne.

He began to examine and deduce more deeply the universe of Dead Space, which had just been incorporated into the Empire's territory.

As a time traveler who is familiar with many "possibilities" and "story templates", he is naturally no stranger to the horror that may be hidden behind the concept of "Dead Space".

In his memory, the fragmented information about the Stone Village, the Divine Seal, the Corpse Transformation, and the Unification Church now corroborates the reality report sent back by Sui Meng, outlining the cruel undertones of this universe.

Divine Seal...

The emperor silently recited the term in his mind.

What kind of civilization or existence does this bizarre creation, capable of distorting life forms, spreading spiritual pollution, and serving as a beacon to guide the arrival of devourers like the "Blood Moon," represent?

He began to make reasonable inferences and models based on the existing intelligence.

Could it be a chaotic entity, like a warp god, formed from pure negative emotions and concepts?
Sui Yang pondered.

The divine seal incites madness, leads to infighting, and pursues so-called "fusion" and "sublimation." Its characteristics do indeed resonate to some extent with Khorne's bloodshed, Treachery's cunning, or Nurgle's corruption.

They may not be physical civilizations, but rather sources of consciousness pollution on a cosmic scale, using divine seals as "seeds" or "tentacles" to infect and harvest intelligent life worlds.

Or perhaps, it is a highly developed materialistic civilization that has gone astray to extremes?

Another possibility surfaced in Sui Yang's mind.

That civilization may have long since abandoned organic forms, regarding the "unity" and "fusion" of life forms as the ultimate evolution.

They created divine seals as tools to "harvest" or "assimilate" other civilizations, absorbing biomass, technology, and even cultural information to maintain their own existence and achieve some incomprehensible goal.

Their motives may be cold and pure, unrelated to good or evil, solely for some purpose beyond human comprehension.

Or perhaps, it is some kind of predator that inhabits higher-dimensional spaces and virtual realms?
Sui Yang's deductions went even further.

The divine seals may merely be projections or baits of these creatures in a lower-dimensional universe. Their true forms exist in dimensions that humans cannot directly perceive, much like anglerfish in the deep sea that use glowing "lanterns" to attract prey and ultimately drag them into an endless abyss of darkness.

The blood moon is the organ or vessel through which they "feed".

Countless possibilities collided and conceived in his mind, each based on a certain logic, yet lacking decisive evidence.

Sui Yang did not rush to conclusions, maintaining the prudence expected of a ruler and scholar.

But regardless of its true nature, the Divine Seal and the forces behind it are a threat that the Empire must be wary of and must eliminate.

Finally, his thoughts returned to the current situation.

Given Sui Meng's decisiveness and efficiency in this expedition, as well as the ultimate deterrent effect of the "Great Device," the Emperor has reason to believe that the unification process of this new universe will be greatly accelerated.

Perhaps, before those greedy eyes deep within the subspace notice this traumatized universe, or before those evil gods and demons try to extend their tentacles here and drag it into yet another eternal "chaotic storm," Sui Meng will be able to complete his iron-fisted unification and establish a new barrier of order.

Avoiding the Empire from getting bogged down in a protracted war of attrition on multiple fronts, especially with the warp gods, has always been one of Sui Yang's core strategies.

Sui Meng's actions seem to be developing in this favorable direction.

－－－－－－－

Ten hours later.

The Dead Space universe, the planet Aegis 7.

The once relatively empty space of space is now occupied by a creation whose magnificence and exquisite craftsmanship defies description.

Even the Imperial Army crew, who had witnessed many of the Empire's miraculous engineering feats, couldn't help but hold their breath when they saw it through the observation window or sensors.

That was one of the ultimate creations of the human empire, a replica of Forerunner technology—

The "large device" is also known as the "halo".

Its main body is a perfect ring structure with a diameter of over 8,000 kilometers, like a giant ring forged by a god using stars as material, quietly floating in the dark background of the universe.

The outer surface of the ring is made of a specially treated silver-gray alloy that gleams with a cold metallic luster. It is covered with regular and complex geometric patterns and energy conduits, with a huge thruster array that is faintly visible, and weapon platform modules embedded in it, highlighting its nature as something not created by nature.

The ring belt is 50 kilometers wide and its cross-sectional thickness exceeds 30 kilometers, which gives it an incredibly stable structure.

However, what is most amazing is not its exterior, but its interior.

Looking through the huge hollow region at the center of the ring, large enough for a small to medium-sized planet to pass through, you can see the inner surface of the ring.

It is not cold metal, but a complete, self-consistent man-made ecosystem.

It has a simulated natural lighting system, creating a day-night cycle.

The vast man-made desert is golden in color, the miniature ocean ripples with azure waves, the dense forest covers the rolling hills, and you can even see the winding rivers and lakes scattered among them.

The atmosphere acts like a transparent ring bound inside a circumference, maintaining suitable temperature and air pressure.

Through a sophisticated ecological cycle system and the introduction of various plants and animals that have been selected and adjusted, from microorganisms to large mammals, from ferns to tall trees, this closed environment maintains a dynamic and healthy balance.

Putting aside its terrifying function as a galactic weapon, the halo itself is a marvel of engineering and ecology of the human empire, a self-sufficient, mobile "habitable celestial body".

At this moment, it is parked in a precisely calculated orbit, neither affecting the normal revolution of Aegis VII nor disturbing surrounding celestial bodies with its massive gravitational field. With Dr. Halsey and his team's final instructions confirmed, the large device 01, parked next to Aegis VII, this magnificent ring with a diameter of over 8,000 kilometers, begins to demonstrate its technological power beyond conventional understanding.

Outside the ring, the energy patterns that had previously only faintly flowed with light suddenly became bright, like countless illuminated galaxy veins. In the end, all the energy frantically converged towards the geometric center of the ring structure.

The next moment, a bluish-green light flashed at the center of the enormous hollow area of ​​the ring, then expanded rapidly like a supernova explosion, instantly forming a giant, steadily rotating energy vortex radiating a soft bluish-green glow.

A trans-universe portal large enough to allow the entire ring to pass through.

Immediately afterwards, the massive ring structure of the large device 01 began to move slowly, precisely adjusting its posture so that its "top" was aligned with the blue-green portal entrance, using the normal direction of the ring plane as a reference.

There was no trail of flame tearing through the void, only an almost absolute stillness.

Propelled by a physics engine that defies convention, this celestial-sized creation began to move toward the portal at a steady pace that was disproportionate to its enormous size and possessed an eerie beauty.

Its edge first came into contact with the energy vortex, like a boulder thrown into water, but without causing the slightest ripple. Only that part of the ring structure began to become blurred and transparent, and finally silently merged into that blue expanse.

The entire process lasted for several tens of seconds. When the last part of the ring completely disappeared into the portal, the huge blue-green energy vortex began to shrink rapidly, eventually turning into a point of light, which flickered once before being completely annihilated in the vacuum.

Within the sphere of Aegis 7, it was as if nothing had happened, leaving only that still dark sphere and the starlight reflected from distant planets, witnessing the departure of a miracle.

Meanwhile, a silent but powerful event is unfolding on the nearby Aegis 7 orbital space station.

The space station, which the Imperial Army temporarily used to house the survivors of the Ishimura, as well as some key personnel and mercenaries from the former Earth Federation and Harmony Mining Corporation (CEC), was now so quiet you could hear a pin drop in its largest observation canteen.

Everyone stopped eating, forgot to chew, and stared intently at the direction where the large device 01 had disappeared, their faces filled with disbelief and astonishment.

After a long silence, someone finally swallowed hard, breaking the stillness.

"Good guy..."

A former senior engineer from CEC muttered to himself, his voice hoarse, "Just how powerful is this human empire?"
That thing…it’s a man-made object on a celestial level, isn’t it?! This…my God!

His cognitive system is undergoing an unprecedented shock.

"Watch your words."

A man standing nearby, who appeared to be a former low-ranking federal official, subconsciously corrected him, his tone filled with an almost instinctive awe, “It should be called the Emperor… After all, the power displayed by that Sui Meng primordial body, and all of this before us, point to the Emperor as the true god.”

His words elicited tacit agreement from many people around him.

Faced with absolute power and technology beyond comprehension, the original worldview quickly gave way to awe of a higher level of existence.

They not only witnessed the departure of the large device 01, but also, before that, they personally witnessed how it arrived in this space region in a modular form through a portal, and then, like building blocks, was assembled in space by countless massive engineering vessels and automated robots in just a few hours—a truly magnificent process.

That ability to effortlessly manipulate celestial bodies completely overturned their understanding of "civilization" and "technology".

To be honest, after being "invited" to stay temporarily on this space station, and witnessing the iron discipline, efficient management, and technological level of the Imperial Warrior Legion that far exceeded their understanding, most of them had already come to terms with it.

What federation, what CEC? Compared to such a powerful empire that seems to come from the future, they all appear so backward and fragile.

As long as the Empire expresses its willingness to accept them as servants, they will absolutely agree, even with a sense of relief.

I feel fortunate to have the opportunity to board this truly giant ship sailing towards the stars and the sea.

In a relatively quiet seat by the window sat a man with a calm expression and thoughtful eyes—the engineer who, in the original timeline, should have experienced a hellish journey aboard the Ishimura.

Isaac Clark.

Like everyone else, he witnessed the clitellum disappear.

Sitting opposite him was his wife, Nicole.

Nicole was once a medical worker on the Ishimura. During the Ishimura disaster, she not only endured the horror of the zombies, but also suffered a mental breakdown due to prolonged exposure to the mental pollution of the Divine Seal, and was once on the verge of suicide.

Just as she was about to end her life in despair, the ship's cabin echoed with the signature thunderous roar of bolt-action rifles.

This sudden sound, representing the intervention of absolute force and order, acted like an alarm bell, temporarily pulling her back from the brink of utter despair, until she finally received the rescue of the Imperial Warriors.

The profound spiritual influence and trauma she suffered from the divine seal were carefully guided and purified by the war maids accompanying the army with pure spiritual energy shortly after her rescue. She has long since recovered completely, her mental state has returned to health, and her body has also received good care.

Isaac turned his gaze away from the window and exchanged a glance with Nicole. They both saw a similar shock in each other's eyes, as well as a hint of uncertainty and anticipation about the future.

"."

They simply sighed softly, without engaging in the heated discussion that the others had.

For those who had experienced the nightmare of the Ishimura, any peaceful future, away from those twisted monsters, would be a blessing.

"If...the Empire really wants us to stay..."

Isaac said softly, taking Nicole's hand, "With my engineering background, I might be able to find a job in their engineering department."

What about you? What is your medical experience?

Nicole responded with a warm, firm smile: "I believe the Empire also needs doctors. No matter where you are, saving lives is always necessary."

They began to whisper and dream, discussing which department they might be assigned to if they were hired by the Empire, and what their lives would be like, as if they were planning a brand new life within their grasp.

The cold universe outside the window seemed to be tinged with a glimmer of hope.

After traversing countless light-years and precisely located dimensional barriers, the magnificent ring structure of the large device 01, like a ghost, silently emerged from another cyan-blue portal and hovered stably "near" Earth in Dead Space.

Its appearance did not lie close to Earth's orbit, but rather at a safe distance that would allow it to exert unparalleled strategic deterrence without interfering with Earth's tides and orbit due to its massive mass.

Looking up from the night hemisphere of Earth, this enormous "ring of stars" that suddenly appears in near-Earth space, radiating a cold metallic luster and an internal ecological soft glow, will become the most dazzling and awe-inspiring new "moon" in the night sky for all living beings.

An eternal monument suspended above human civilization, symbolizing the ultimate power and order of the empire.
(End of this chapter)