Starting as a Mechanical Hunter

Chapter 896: Chapter 2: Dangerous Relic

Cosmic Relics—this kind of thing, it was Gao Gong’s first time seeing one up close. Even last time, when he consecutively succeeded in Ascending three times and became a Tier Six Virtual Sovereign, he had only ever caught a distant glimpse during his tours as a Civilization Leader through a few Super Civilizations.

Even for Super Civilizations, treasures like Cosmic Relics are cherished to the extreme; you can only observe them from afar. And most of the time, the Cosmic Relic you’re allowed to view from afar isn’t even the Relic’s true body.

Still, while he was busy "eating melons"* Gao Gong did manage to confirm one thing.*(gossiping / spectating)

Any "Investigation System" skill is useless against Cosmic Relics.

And as it turned out, that was exactly the case. The moment he cast "Investigation," it was like a clay ox plunging into the sea—no ripples, no trace.

He couldn’t even get a name to pop up.

So this was actually the first time Gao Gong had heard that this Cosmic Relic had already mutated from an "Evolution Modifier" into a "Civilization Evolver."

"Evolution Modifier" was most likely the Attribute this Cosmic Relic was originally supposed to have. The Space-Time Administration Bureau has cooperative arrangements with a few Super Civilizations; they station space-time technicians inside these civilizations. With the help of these technicians, a Super Civilization can peer into the future, use the timeline where the Relic synthesis succeeds, and preemptively grasp the Relic’s abilities.

"Evolution Modifier" was, in all likelihood, born that way.

But why it turned into a "Civilization Evolver"—you’d have to ask the party involved.

"It chose that itself."

As Deep Net spoke, the line and the box both vanished, replaced by a corridor—a long hallway that looked as if it were condensed from time itself, holding within it endless technological evolution. With a single glance, it felt as though you could see the rise and fall of an entire civilization.

At the end of the corridor was Deep Net’s figure. Only now, Deep Net was seated on a bench woven out of time, smiling at Gao Gong.

She patted the spot beside her, but Gao Gong didn’t sit. Instead, he asked curiously, "What exactly is your state right now?"

"Same as your future self—a Superdimensional Life."

The Deep Net in front of him suddenly vanished, yet Gao Gong could feel that in every angle of time, she was still peering at him.

"You’ve mastered the changes in Time Parameters?"

Since there are Space Parameters, of course there are Time Parameters. Comprehending Time Parameters is the prerequisite for becoming a Superdimensional Life, because only Superdimensional Lifeforms can see the future.

"Sit down and you’ll know."

Gao Gong glanced at the bench, then finally sat. The instant he did, his Consciousness boomed as if it were undergoing a Big Bang, exploding from a "Singularity" into everything.

He seemed to see, along the turning of time, the birth and destruction of all things.

In the end, the scene froze on a strange creature.

The creature was semi-transparent, almost filling a large box. Its outline resembled a massive insect, but the only organs on its entire body were the countless mouths covering its surface. Those mouths moved without Consciousness—mouths appearing and opening, mouths closing and vanishing.

"That’s the Memory Worm’s true body?"

The true body of a Tier 5 Information Life, something Low-tier Life cannot see. Even when Gao Gong activated Divine Knowledge, he could only see a part of it—the thing was simply too huge.

Now, Gao Gong finally saw its full body.

"Yes. Its very existence affected the environment of the synthesis and interfered with the Relic’s Attributes," Deep Net said.

"A purely chaotic environment made the Cosmic Relic more inclined to evolve something that could suppress it. And this kind of existence isn’t an individual—it’s a civilization."

Soon, one after another, grain-of-rice-sized Human Form silhouettes emerged. Then, mouths appeared and opened; strands of Memory Worm burrowed into the Human Forms. The worm is man, and man is worm.

"Is this the past or the future?"

"Both past and future."

Gao Gong narrowed his eyes slightly and said:

"So, in the not-so-distant future, I’ll have everyone absorb the Memory Worm and become its hosts?"

"Isn’t that obvious? A Tier 5 Life that’s ’crashed’—who would be willing to throw it away? Its evolution on the information layer, I can help you seal. But its material-layer Anchor Point has to be inherited by living beings themselves."

"So I split the Memory Worm into two parts: ’Memory’ and ’Worm’?"

"Exactly."

Before this, Gao Gong had only had a vague idea. Now, great—he not only had the idea, but even the operation steps were being handed to him in advance.

"So seeing the future is one of your abilities?"

"To be precise, it’s people’s futures. And the more familiar the person, the better," Deep Net reappeared, shrugged, and said, "As for strangers, it’s doable, but there’s a certain chance they’ll notice. You should be careful using that trick. If anyone finds out you’ve got a Cosmic Relic in your hands, trust me, your end will be absolutely miserable. You don’t even need precognition to know that."

Gao Gong understood, of course.

Being able to foresee the future means you can preemptively perceive and avoid the risks that lie in that "future."

It’s an ability that practically qualifies as a bug.

"But this shouldn’t be your strongest ability, right?" Even though this ability was already exaggerated enough, Gao Gong still said, "Since you said this Cosmic Relic is called the ’Civilization Evolver,’ then its strongest ability should be related to civilization, shouldn’t it?"

The Deep Net’s expression was very complicated, a mix of excitement and regret.

"It is indeed related to civilization. Put simply, its ability is basically one—no, several hundred Cyber Test Fields running simultaneously. As long as there is a single seed, it will take root and sprout, evolving an entire civilization’s Technology Tree."

Gao Gong stared blankly for a long while before he couldn’t help saying, "Don’t tell me it can evolve knowledge!"

The Deep Net nodded vigorously.

According to the Deep Net, the ability of the ’Civilization Evolver’ is to evolve an entire Civilization Technology Tree.

For example, if you’ve mastered a piece of ’Level 3 Professional Knowledge,’ it can automatically evolve that ’Technology Branch,’ deducing all the Professional Knowledge along that entire Professional Knowledge Chain.

If you obtain an entire Professional Knowledge Chain, then as long as there’s enough time, it can also evolve the other Professional Knowledge Chains on that Civilization Panel.

"...So even the Professional Knowledge of a Level 9 Civilization, it can evolve that too?"

The Deep Net hesitated for a moment, then said, "It can."

Gao Gong and the Deep Net exchanged a look. Gao Gong’s expression was extremely grave as he said, "This has to be kept absolutely secret! Otherwise I’ll definitely be hunted down by Advanced Civilizations, and you will most likely be imprisoned in the core territory of a Level 9 Civilization. Don’t talk about a hundred years—one million, ten million years, they still wouldn’t let you out!"

The Deep Net nodded in strong agreement.

From the perspective of Relics, this was an ability that was both kind of trash and extremely bugged.

In the short term, it wouldn’t increase the user’s Power at all. The Super Soldier Legions Gao Gong had imagined were simply out of the question.

But from the perspective of civilization, this was a Cosmic Relic that, if you couldn’t obtain it, you had to destroy it.

The reason was very simple: it could break through the ’Civilization Locks’ created by Advanced Civilizations.

To prevent technology leakage (mainly Technology Tree leakage), Advanced Civilizations do everything in their power—Bloodline Locks, Genetic Locks, Dark Jungle Law, civilization ascension, and so on—all for a single purpose: to keep other civilizations from developing technology targeted at them and triggering a Technology Tree War.

After all, among Advanced Civilizations (Level 6 and above), resources, population, environment and so on have long ceased to be problems. For example, the Level 7 Ancient Civilization behind the Mother City has already unlocked Perpetual Motion Machines; the contest and destruction of Technology Trees are the real root of friction between Advanced Civilizations.

For instance, if the development direction of some nascent civilization is precisely something an Advanced Civilization does not want to see, then that Advanced Civilization will spare no effort and pay any price to annihilate it.

And Gao Gong’s situation now is even more dangerous.

Because the ’Civilization Evolver’ can not only evolve Civilization Knowledge, it can even deduce Level 9 Civilization knowledge—the so‑called ’Ultimate Knowledge.’

You have to realize, in the over twenty billion years of this cosmos’s Evolution, only six Level 9 Civilizations have emerged. These six colossal entities joined forces to create the Civilization Council.

Among Advanced Civilizations, there is a rumor that at present the number of Level 9 Civilizations has already reached the upper limit, and no new Level 9 Civilization can possibly be born.

Yet with the appearance of the ’Civilization Evolver’—

every Super Civilization with ambition will go bloodshot‑eyed.

Likewise, Level 9 Civilizations would absolutely not be willing to have yet another Ultimate Civilization appear to share Authority with them.

Once the surprise faded, Gao Gong and the Deep Net both realized that their current situation was probably not much better than before. A single Tier 5 Information Creature stirring up the Cyber Tide had nearly cost them half their lives; not to mention those Super Civilizations lurking deep in the cosmos.

"We have to get off this planet, fast," the Deep Net said urgently.

Gao Gong paced a few steps, then shook his head.

"No. If we leave now, it’ll only make us look guilty. Right now might be an opportunity."

"What kind of opportunity?"

"The opportunity to pull up a tiger skin and use it as a Banner."

Drawing on his memories from his previous life and the experiences of this one, Gao Gong could be sure that Mechanical Split Star was not the only Cyber Test Field; rather, all the Cyber Test Fields controlled by the Level 7 Ancient Mechanical Civilization had come under attack.

And those Supreme Beings, and the existences behind those Supreme Beings—their goal is to use these Cyber Test Fields to indirectly attack that Level 7 Ancient Civilization.

But now, because of Gao Gong acting as an external variable, the Cyber Tide ended six months early.

The situation now is that, aside from Mechanical Split Star, the other test planets are still mired in dire straits.

In this kind of situation, if he managed things properly, when leaving this planet, Gao Gong could completely drape himself in the skin of a Level 7 Civilization.

As an outer‑ring force of a Level 7 Civilization, having rapid civilization development is only natural, isn’t it?

Of course, Advanced Civilizations aren’t idiots. He’d need a very good reason to be able to wear that skin.

For example, ’hunting down a Supreme Being’ is an excellent reason.

After all, what could be more convenient for cracking the case than the victim turning around and helping to hunt the culprit?

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