Rejecting Tsinghua and Peking Universities: I Will Lead Harbin Institute of Technology to World Lead

As space jump devices continued to be successfully mass-produced, human civilization also dispatched a large number of warships and Wukong armored warriors to begin aimlessly searching for enemies and resources.

In the various spaceports of the solar system, one after another, the Great Peng warships equipped with space jump devices sailed out of the port, their silver-white hulls shimmering with a dark blue luster under the starlight.

That was the unique glow emitted when the space jump device was in operation, a symbol of the latest power of human civilization.

Each warship is equipped with a black engine, the surface of which is covered with dark blue energy patterns, like blood flowing in veins, giving the warship the ability to traverse the void.

The Wukong armored warriors have also completed their upgrades, with each armor now equipped with a miniature space jump engine on its back, and a ghostly blue light integrated into the black energy wings.

One hundred thousand Wukong armors, one hundred thousand miniature space jump engines, and one hundred thousand steel warriors capable of freely traversing the void.

Humanity's exploration forces are venturing into the depths of the universe on an unprecedented scale.

Fleets after fleet made space jumps, heading to star systems never before set foot in by humankind.

They searched for traces of the sacred tree, for resources to be plundered, and for anything that might threaten human civilization.

The universe is so vast that even with the ability to jump between spaces, humanity cannot explore every corner in a short period of time.

But humans have plenty of time and patience.

Lin Feng did not pay any further attention to this matter for the rest of the time.

The work of the frontline command has been handed over to a reliable deputy, and the daily affairs of the technology alliance are also handled by dedicated personnel.

Command of the exploration force was handed over to experienced commanders who would make the most appropriate decisions based on the actual situation.

What Lin Feng needs to do is focus on something more important.

Because he understood that spatial jumps were merely a means to an end, while true invincibility lay in time.

Therefore, Lin Feng decisively began to study the Gate of Time and Space, which was the truly invincible existence. If humans could really control time, that would be terrifying.

Space jumps can allow humans to reach any corner of the universe, but time—time can allow people to go back to the past, travel to the future, change history, and foresee everything.

If we master time, humanity will no longer be an ordinary civilization in the universe, but a god who transcends dimensions, causality, and life and death.

An unprecedented desire burned in Lin Feng's heart.

It was a thirst for power, a thirst for knowledge, and a thirst for the future of human civilization.

Lin Feng entered the system space and began to explore and search.

The pale world unfolded before my eyes once more, boundless, empty, and desolate.

Lin Feng stood in the void, the core theory of the spacetime gate bestowed by the will of the universe appearing in his mind.

Those theories were incredibly profound, like a book written in the heavens.

The relationship between time and space, the connection between the past and the future, methods to break the law of causality, and solutions to the time paradox.

Every concept far exceeds the current boundaries of human cognition, and every formula contains the deepest secrets of the universe.

Lin Feng closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and then began his long exploration.

His first research focused on the relationship between time and space.

Space can be distorted, folded, and torn apart, but what about time?

Can time be bent, compressed, or reversed?

Lin Feng spent decades in the system simulation space, deducing countless possibilities.

He built one mathematical model after another, simulating one way or another how time flows.

He can accelerate time in the simulation space, slow down time, stop time, and even reverse time.

But every attempt ended in failure.

The inertia of time is so great that no external force can change its course.

Like a rushing river, you can throw in a stone and create some splashes, but the river's direction will not change.

Lin Feng did not give up.

He began to study the causal law breakthrough method in the core theory of the Time Gate.

The law of causality is one of the most fundamental laws in the universe.

Every cause has an effect; the past determines the future.

If humanity can break the law of causality, it can change the past and thus change the future.

However, breaking through the law of causality requires a force that transcends existing physics.

That power is not energy, not matter, but something more fundamental.

Lin Feng spent several more decades in the system simulation space trying to find that power.

He studied every formula bestowed by the will of the universe and deduced every concept in the core theory.

He felt as if he were standing in front of a tightly closed door, having already touched the patterns on the door, but still unable to find the key to open it.

As for human civilization, it has been constantly plundering various resources from the outside world, and the planet has been growing stronger, with the development of humankind as a whole getting better and better.

While Lin Feng was engrossed in researching the portal to time and space, human civilization never ceased its expansion into the outside world.

The exploration team discovered one uninhabited star system after another in the depths of the universe. These star systems contained abundant mineral resources, including rare metals, energy crystals, and superheavy elements.

Mining fleets swarmed into those star systems like locusts, plundering all the resources before transporting them back to the solar system via space jumps.

The stars in our solar system are constantly growing.

The plundered stellar essence was continuously injected into the sun, and the star, which had already expanded to ten times its original size, continued to grow.

Eleven times, twelve times, fifteen times.

The sun's rays grew increasingly intense, its energy output became increasingly enormous, and the entire solar system was bathed in an even warmer glow.

Human living standards are constantly improving, technological levels are continuously advancing, and the population is steadily recovering.

Although the one-fifth of our compatriots lost in the space war cannot be brought back, new life is being born and new hope is sprouting.

The cities on Mars have expanded underground, forming a vast underground network.

Jupiter's spaceport has become the busiest transportation hub in the entire solar system.

Near Saturn's rings, a brand-new research station is under construction, dedicated to studying the rare substances contained within Saturn's rings.

Earth, the blue planet where humankind was born, is more beautiful than ever before.

The atmosphere is as pure as crystal, the ocean is so clear you can see right to the bottom, and the city and nature blend together harmoniously.

Human civilization is developing and growing at an unprecedented speed.

However, human development has ultimately encountered enormous problems.

It was an ordinary day.

The Seventh Fleet of the Exploration Force, consisting of twelve Dapeng warships and two hundred Wukong armored vehicles, was conducting a routine patrol in a star system about three hundred light-years away from the solar system.

That region of stars had been preliminarily explored before, and no signs of intelligent life were found, only a few barren planets and a thin nebula.

The commander of the Seventh Fleet considered it an easy patrol mission with no surprises.

However, the accident still happened.

Suddenly, a piercing static noise came through the communication channel.

That was a unique interference wave that occurred when the space jump device was activated, but the frequency and intensity were completely wrong.

It was not a human space jump, nor a space jump from any known civilization.

It was a more primal, more violent, and more powerful spatial tear.

"Report! Abnormal spatial fluctuations detected!"

"Positioning: 3,000 kilometers to the left and forward of the fleet!"

"The intensity of the fluctuation... My God, this intensity is ten times that of a spatial jump!"

The intelligence officer's voice rang out in the flagship's command center, filled with barely concealed shock.

The commander's face turned pale instantly.

Ten times stronger than a space jump.

What does that mean?

This means that what is about to appear will possess power far beyond human imagination.

The commander did not have time to issue any orders.

Space was torn apart in front of the fleet.

A massive rift opened in the void. The edge of the rift did not glow with the eerie blue light that humans use during space jumps, but rather with a blood-red, wound-like color.

What emerged from the crack was not the purple light of the sacred tree, nor the spiritual power of the Avatar civilization, but an energy that humanity had never perceived before.

That energy was cold and violent, carrying the will to destroy everything.

Then, a beam of light shot out from the crack.

Just one strike.

It was a blood-red beam of light, as thick as a planet, and moving faster than any instrument could detect.

A beam of light shot out from the crack, sweeping across the Seventh Fleet's formation.

The twelve Great Roc warships were as fragile as paper in the face of the beam of light.

Their shields shattered upon contact, their armor melted in a crimson glow, and their hulls turned to dust in the blink of an eye.

Two hundred Wukong armors were swallowed up by the beam before they could even activate their space jump engines.

The black energy coating was powerless against the crimson power, and the elemental weapon was destroyed before it could even be fired.

Everything vanished completely in three seconds.

Twelve warships, two hundred armored vehicles, and thousands of human warriors.

Everything vanished into nothingness.

Before one of the giant roc warships was destroyed, it sent back a message: "They were attacked by the enemy. The enemy destroyed all their warships and Wukong armored warriors with a single blow. They were powerless to resist."

The message was fragmented, filled with noise and interference.

The message ended with a piercing alarm, followed by the roar of an explosion, and then deathly silence.

When the frontline command received this message, everyone was stunned.

The command center was completely silent. Everyone was staring at the short message, and their faces had turned deathly pale.

Just one strike.

All twelve Great Roc warships and two hundred Wukong armored vehicles were destroyed.

They were powerless to resist.

The commander stood in front of the holographic projection, looking at the last energy data transmitted back by the Seventh Fleet, his fingers trembling slightly.

A blood-red beam of light, unknown energy fluctuations, ten times stronger than a space jump.

What is that?

Is it a sacred tree?

No, the power of the Divine Tree is purple, it is of spiritual nature, and it belongs to the Avatar civilization.

This power is blood-red, purely destructive, and unlike anything humanity has ever seen before.

Is it a new enemy?

Is it an existence even more powerful than the Divine Tree?

The commander took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.

"Pass down the order."

His voice was hoarse but firm.

"All exploration forces, cease operations immediately and withdraw to the solar system."

"The entire army has entered a state of highest combat readiness."

"Notify Lin Feng—"

The commander paused, a complex light flashing in his eyes.

"Tell him we're in big trouble."

The order was swiftly relayed: all fleets on missions abroad were to be withdrawn, and all exploration operations were to be suspended.

The solar system has once again entered a state of combat readiness, with the Great Peng warship arrayed in the starry sky and Wukong armored warriors on standby at any time.

Everyone is waiting, waiting for that unknown enemy to appear.

Everyone knew that it was just one strike, just the beginning.

The real storm is yet to come.

Lin Feng, meanwhile, remained in the system simulation space, immersed in his research on the Gate of Time and Space.

He was unaware of what was happening outside, unaware that the Seventh Fleet had been completely annihilated, and unaware that an even more powerful enemy was approaching.

All his energy was focused on that tightly closed door of time.

In the pale white world, Lin Feng stood in the void, his brows furrowed.

He had simulated it countless times, and failed countless times.

The core theory of the Time Gate was too profound for him to fully comprehend, even with the near-infinite time in the system's simulation space.

He felt he had touched the edge of the door, but he was still unable to push it open.

"Almost there..."

Lin Feng muttered to himself, his eyes flashing with resentment.

"What's still missing?"

Outside the system space, the frontline command post has sent three emergency communications.

But Lin Feng shut down all communications and wouldn't allow anyone to disturb him.

He was unaware that time was slipping away second by second.

Unbeknownst to him, the blood-red enemy was steadily approaching the solar system.