Origin Chapter Six: Arrival at the Secret Base a Billion Light Years Away

Los only felt a brief darkness before his vision brightened again. There was none of the dizziness or sense of bodily detachment he had anticipated; everything returned to normal as soon as he could see clearly once more. As he was about to take in his surroundings, there was a faint click in his hand—the metallic box he held separated from the one in Chen Pi’s hand, and at the same time, the others experienced the same automatic detachment. After returning his own metallic device to his pocket, Chen Pi retrieved the others’ boxes and pocketed them as well.

Chen Pi then stepped back slightly, saluted the General, and said, “General, you have returned to the secret base. Please follow me.” His gaze shifted to Los and Zaku, and he gestured politely, “Gentlemen, if you would.”

With that, Chen Pi turned and led them down a metal corridor.

Only now did Los and Zaku begin to observe their surroundings. They stood in a circular, all-metal chamber, approximately thirty meters high and thirty meters across. The chamber’s walls were polished to a mirror-like finish; under the bright illumination of several large lights, they reflected no images. At the chamber’s center was a circular platform, where they stood. This platform, like the boxes Chen Pi had distributed, was adorned only with intricate totemic lines—no unnecessary decorations. The lines on the platform glowed with cyan light, while two circular points pulsed red.

The central platform was connected to the corridor they were now traversing, led by Chen Pi. At the far end of the passage, a door stood open, and they could make out vague shapes moving beyond it.

As the four approached the threshold, the figures became clear: it was Lieutenant Qin and two of the base’s administrators. When they drew near, Lieutenant Qin glanced at Chen Pi, who gave a slight nod. Without pausing to discern who was the General, Lieutenant Qin snapped to attention, as did the two administrators behind him. After saluting, the three turned and continued leading the group down the metallic corridor.

Along the way, Los noticed that every twenty meters, there was a closed metal hatch, each engraved with the same totemic lines as before, though these now emitted none of the cyan light he had grown accustomed to seeing.

They had traveled no more than a hundred meters when they came upon another metallic door, which was slowly opening. The group proceeded inside. Here, too, was a circular metal chamber, though somewhat smaller than the first; within, Los felt as though he could touch the ceiling merely by raising his hand.

By now, Zaku’s curiosity was spent. Unable to resist, he reached up to touch the ceiling, only to discover, to his amazement, that the surface felt insubstantial—there was no solid metallic sensation, as if he were touching emptiness, yet it appeared entirely real above his head. Los, observing, was equally astonished. As head of the Department of Technological Expeditions, he had encountered countless marvels, but even he found this extraordinary.

Noting the commotion behind them, Chen Pi, Lieutenant Qin, and the others turned and, seeing the scene, couldn’t help but laugh quietly. Lieutenant Qin paused and addressed Los and Zaku, “Minister Los, please don’t be too amazed by what you see here. I assure you, even greater wonders await you ahead.”

Embarrassed, Los and Zaku straightened themselves, though Los could not help but ask, “What kind of technology is this?”

By now, Lieutenant Qin had discerned everyone’s identity. After receiving an approving glance from the General, he stepped forward and said,

“Minister Los, this is a manifestation of the time dimension in a lower-dimensional form. We deciphered it using ancient technology discovered in the universe and have successfully recreated and applied it here.”

At these words, Los felt an incomparable excitement stir within him.

“Yes, Minister Los,” Qin continued, “where we stand is the threshold to the dimension of time. In other words, we are about to enter a time tunnel.”

No sooner had Lieutenant Qin finished speaking, Los asked eagerly, “Does this mean we can travel to any point in time?”

“No, Minister Los, we have not yet achieved the technology to move forward or backward through time to more distant points. What we have accomplished is to utilize the time dimension to open nodes between points in space—meaning, we can traverse the distance of a light-year instantaneously. It’s what the scientists of the old Empire once dreamed of—wormhole technology. But the energy required for those theoretical wormholes was so immense that even harnessing an entire star system might not suffice. However, by exploiting higher-dimensional properties, we can achieve this dream far more easily, with greater efficiency and stability. Unfortunately, we cannot yet remain in higher dimensions for extended periods; otherwise, our technological advancement would reach unimaginable heights, elevating all life in the universe to the verge of immortality—war, hunger, and suffering would become things of the past.”

Lieutenant Qin’s voice grew ever more impassioned, so that by the end, he was nearly shouting with excitement.

Los and Zaku listened, not only astonished, but filled with hope. Los clenched his fists, his eyes shining with conviction. He sensed the dawn of a new era, whose key lay in the hands of the General and his loyal soldiers.

“Lieutenant Qin, please lead the way,” Los said solemnly, gesturing respectfully to both Qin and the General. He asked no further questions, knowing this was only the beginning—greater marvels surely awaited.

The General smiled, nodding to Lieutenant Qin to proceed.

Lieutenant Qin led them to the platform at the center of the chamber, retrieving from his pocket a metallic box like the one Chen Pi had used earlier. This time, however, he did not distribute a device to each person.

From one chamber to a smaller one—where would they go next? Though puzzled, Zaku kept his questions to himself, as did Los. Sensing their curiosity, Lieutenant Qin offered a brief explanation:

“Gentlemen, this is one part of the secret base—a transmission point. Its purpose is to protect the base and ensure stability during long-distance transfers. The transmitters you used previously are only suitable for short-range travel, not for distances over ten million kilometers. The base is still far from this point; thus, we must use a much more powerful device for ultra-long-range teleportation.”

“And is this transmission point safe? Could it be discovered?” Zaku finally asked.

“After every use, the transmission point changes location,” one of the administrators replied before Qin could speak. “Furthermore, its exterior is almost entirely a higher-dimensional projection. The Empire’s current technology cannot detect a node shrouded in the time dimension. For example, can you see time?”

Qin merely nodded in agreement.

Zaku, a bit embarrassed, nodded as well. “I understand.”

Seeing that Los and Zaku had no further questions, the General turned to Lieutenant Qin. “Lieutenant Qin, let’s proceed.”

“Yes, sir.”

Chen Pi approached a waist-high pillar at the center of the platform and produced the main control device for the teleportation—similar in form to the previous ones but a deep crimson in color. He fitted it into the hexagonal socket atop the pillar, which immediately glowed red. After completing the sequence, Chen Pi saluted the General. “General, all is ready for your orders.”

Lieutenant Qin signaled Los and Zaku to move to the center of the platform. In a second, all were gathered around the pillar.

“Proceed,” commanded the General.

Chen Pi pressed a button on the device. Instantly, the inner walls of the chamber erupted in a riot of colors, swirling chaotically. In a flash, the colors transformed into streaks, which grew ever finer—first as thick as a finger, then as thin as a hair, until they were invisible to the eye. Then, blocks of color appeared, intensifying for a moment before fading, and finally, everything returned to the metallic hues of before.

It seemed as though nothing had changed at all.

Apparently, they had arrived at their destination.

Chen Pi removed the crimson device from the pillar and pocketed it, then turned and saluted the General. “General, we have arrived.”

The General nodded, glancing at Los and Zaku, then at Lieutenant Qin, who immediately took the hint. He smiled at the two guests. “Gentlemen, did you feel any discomfort just now?”

Los, having kept count in his head, was astonished by his own calculation—only seven seconds had passed, and it was all over, though he had no idea how far they had traveled.

He quickly composed himself, regaining the dignified air befitting his office—not overbearing, but commanding respect and warmth in equal measure, the mark of true charisma.

He chuckled softly. “Truly astonishing, and I felt nothing amiss. May I ask—how far have we come from our departure point in the Empire in these few seconds?”

“Minister Los, we are now one billion light-years from the Empire’s starting point. The Empire does not yet possess the capability to reach this place.”

Before the words had fully settled, Los lost all composure. His eyes nearly bulged from their sockets as he stared at Lieutenant Qin.

“Incredible, truly incredible—a billion light-years! I never imagined I would cross such a distance in my lifetime. General, is this really true?” Los’s voice trembled with excitement, his gaze burning with such intensity he seemed ready to devour the General and his men.

“Minister Los, you mustn’t be so surprised. Just last month, we made a trip ten billion light-years out,” said one of the administrators, pride and satisfaction evident in his tone.

“May I rest a moment? My heart can hardly bear this excitement,” Los said, on the verge of tears. From the moment he met the General today, his heart had endured more shocks than in all his years receiving breakthroughs as Minister—this had surpassed the bounds of his knowledge, even his imagination.

The General laughed heartily, stepped forward, and took Los’s hand. “My dear old friend Los, come, let me show you into our secret base. Rest a while, and then we’ll talk at length.”

“Lieutenant Qin, lead the way!”

“Yes, General!”

“A hundred billion light-years… a hundred billion light-years… a hundred billion light-years…” Los muttered to himself as he walked, in a daze.