Age of Cosmic Exploration

Xiao Chen woke up after several days of unconsciousness. She was confirmed to be the rare Anima after being checked at the Homo Evolutis Faction.

Needless to say, the researchers were still clueless about why Xiao Chen suddenly became a Homo Evolutis, and not only a Survivor with no skills, but an Anima. It was mind boggling.

From conversing with Xiao Chen, she too had no idea why it happened. But due to its importance, the conversation was recorded and kept in the Homo Evolutis Faction’s files.

"... It was a boundless cosmos, a pitch black environment. There were twinkling stars, but all of them were so far away that their shine was constantly eclipsed by the cosmos’ total darkness.

"The pervading feeling was one of fear. The fear of being lost in space, the fear of being left to fend for myself alone. I yearned for a companion, someone to assure me of my existence..."

Thus far, everything was similar to the experience of others’ awakening, but what happened next was the kicker.

"Right then, I heard Jay’s voice relaying his experience to me when he himself became a Homo Evolutis. He walked me through it. His voice told me that it depended solely on myself whether I could become a Homo Evolutis. He said that as long as the purity of my desire to communicate with others, to find a home among like-minded people, didn’t disappear, then I will become a Homo Evolutis."

This part of her conversation became a crucial clue to uncovering the mystery of Homo Evolutis awakening. Also, it helped confirm Ren Tao’s, Yao Yuan’s, and Xiao Niao’s speculation. Xiao Chen’s awakening had everything to do with Jay. However, the nature of that relationship was still an unknown. Was Xiao Chen already on her way to become a Homo Evolutis and Jay had only pushed her along? Or did Jay forcefully make her into one?

Regardless, this was an important manifestation of the Deceiver’s uniqueness.

A power that could awaken someone into Homo Evolutis, a dreamlike power if there ever was one. The three felt like the All-Rounder might not have access to the Deceiver’s power, or else it would have manifested itself in some way by now, and it would definitely be the best power in the All-Rounder’s arsenal!

Yao Yuan, on his part, was not envious or threatened by this information. Even though he was an All-Rounder, more importantly, he was the captain for all of humanity. He appreciated all sources of power that were beneficial to the livelihood of humanity, as long as the owner wasn’t someone malicious. Yao Yuan believed that he had a good eye for people, and he believed Jay was a good and kind individual, not one to lust for power. Therefore, he was overjoyed when they found out about this new aspect of the Deceiver.

"It is as we suspect; the power level of a Homo Evolutis is not dependent on its overall numbers but its user’s mastery over it. Before this, we had no idea the Deceiver could use his power in this manner, but with a real life case before us, we realized that the power could be used in this way as well." Xiao Niao sighed, shaking his head.

Ren Tao added, "But I believe not every Deceiver will have access to this power; maybe it’s limited by a threshold of some sort, like the Deceiver’s physical condition, or perhaps it has to do with the person that is being awakened. Like whether the person’s body condition can suffer through the awakening process. However, with the advancement in our medical technology, I believe one day even our seniors can awaken into Homo Evolutis safely. Then again, I still have my suspicions that the awakening has more to do with one’s spiritual integrity. But the reality doesn’t seem to support it, because most of the Homo Evolutis aren’t overtly religious. Maybe the link between the awakening and spirituality is more tenuous than I give it credit for?"

Yao Yuan observed Xiao Chen, who was undergoing a series of tests, and sighed. "We still know too little about the Homo Evolutis. But no matter what, this is a good development, yes? Xiao Chen became an Anima, and Jay finally showed some response. At least now we know he’s no longer brain dead. I think with Xiao Chen at his side, he’ll wake up soon enough."

After Xiao Chen completed the series of tests, confirming her existence as an Anima, she requested Yao Yuan for an injection of the Ultimate Vaccine. Naturally, her request was immediately approved. She was given the injection on that day itself. What followed should be a month-long recovery period, but Xiao Chen’s stubborn and rash nature compelled her to go searching for Yao Yuan. She begged him to let her see Jay.

Yao Yuan felt that there were only good benefits for her to stay with Jay, since it would aid in helping him wake up, so he agreed. Plus, the location was just below the Hope and it was guarded by Zhang Heng and Ebon.

Just like that, the girl walked to the wooden cabin with stumbling steps. Finally, she saw Jay’s sleeping face again. But what happened next made Zhang Heng and Ebon, who were watching, look at each other with bewilderment.

She strode up to Jay’s bedside and slapped him heavily on his forehead. A blush rose to her face and she stalked back to her assigned room with faltering steps. The touching reunion that Ebon and Zhang Heng were expecting did not occur.

"You liar, who gave you permission to kiss me in my dreams?" Xiao Chen mumbled in her heart, but her mouth involuntarily curved up into a smile.

All in all, Xiao Chen finally returned to Jay’s side and settled into her new lifestyle. It was akin to a life in paradise. Beside the cabin was an unpolluted, bubbling brook with drinkable water that was so clean it was as if it had been sweetened with honey. The other end of the cabin was a grass plain hidden with nature’s bounty, and most importantly, the cabin itself was wired with the latest electronic equipment. Life was like a sweet dream...

On the other end, life was like a nightmare for the training troopers of the ninth unit.

This was the sixth day of the training, but for them, it felt more like a year.

Initially, everything was exciting, fresh, and new. Their spirits were high after taking in the planet’s air, drinking the sweet-tasting river water, and munching on the safety-approved nuts and fruits.

However, in just a day, the excitement changed into torture. This was because they had brought nothing with them when they ventured into the forest. Other than space armor, Gaussian rifles, and sawblades, they didn’t have sleeping bags, rations, freshwater, or even lighters. It was as if time had reverted to the prehistoric age and they only carried some weapons and armor from the 4th revolution. And their order was to survive 1 whole week in such conditions in the jungle!

The jungle naturally provided them with a wealth of fruits, but unfortunately, the Ultimate Vaccine wasn’t foolproof. Other than the few fruits examined and confirmed to be safe by the Academy, they were afraid the rest would be poison. Even though they saw the planet’s critters munching on them, they were hesitant to consume the fruits, because the critters might have developed an immune system that they didn’t have.

Thankfully, most of the animal meats were edible. According the Academy, the planet’s life forms were also carbon-based, so most of them were edible by human standards. Of course, there might be creatures that developed poison as a defense mechanism, like the puffer fish, so before eating some unknown species, one had to pray that it wouldn’t be one’s last supper.

For the last 6 days, team leader Haweza was the backbone that held the unit together. He was a veteran soldier and thus knew the importance of pre-mission preparation. He researched the jungle’s geological structure and unique locations beforehand. Other than that, he also went through the codex of the plants and animals in the jungle that had been researched by the Academy. He jotted down their edibility and effects.

This forest fringing the grass plains had similarities to a prehistoric rainforest. It had high vegetation coverage, and in some deeper areas of the forest, the foliage was so thick that one couldn’t see their hands in front of them. The slippery moss that covered the floor became a real hazard. After the ninth unit entered the forest, the first thing they needed to learn was how to survive, the second was how to follow orders and discipline.

According to how perfectly they completed their assigned tasks, the troopers were given rations of differing portions by Haweza. Of course, cooking them was another challenge. The inside of the rainforest was incredibly wet and moist, so it would be hard to light a fire even if they had a lighter. Therefore, they had to learn from Haweza how to steel their stomachs to support eating fresh meat, and the identification of the softest part of the meat...

In other words, the exciting new planet discovery trip that had the troopers excited from the second day onwards became a real nightmare...

But this journey was just beginning.