To be cautious, He Xingzhou had the robot inspect the metal box first.
The box was made of an alloy that humans had never seen before. It wasn’t locked, and when opened, it contained an unknown crystal the size of a basketball.
The detection equipment couldn’t determine what it was at all, evidently showing that its technological level surpassed the understanding of human civilization.
He Xingzhou asked Big White, "How do we use this?"
"It needs to be connected to an energy device. Connect it to a nuclear fusion reactor, and then link it to your mind, just like using virtual world devices," Big White explained.
"Alright!" He Xingzhou decided to test its functionality first. He immediately arranged for the subspace communicator to be connected to the energy device.
The subspace communication device started and projected an image with binary dot matrices conveying some kind of information.
Big White explained, "This is the language translation mode. As long as you translate human language into this binary dot matrix, it can perform language translation, allowing you to obtain information from other civilizations."
"Lu Mi, activate the language translation!" He Xingzhou instructed.
"Okay, master. Reading the binary dot matrix... Translating text... Transmitting information... Master, I’ve completed it!" Lu Mi said.
At that moment, the subspace communicator displayed a message: "This product is manufactured by the Order Alliance and can simultaneously accommodate five data streams for subspace transmission."
"The five data streams mean it can only allow five people to simultaneously enter the subspace virtual universe," Big White explained.
"Zhou, should we go in and have a look?" Jiang Chan asked He Xingzhou for his opinion.
He Xingzhou thought for a moment and said, "I’ll observe first."
To be on the safe side, he planned to connect to the subspace information himself because he had a Quantum Light Computer. Even if the enemy had any means of information attack, it shouldn’t bypass the Quantum Light Computer.
Big White didn’t mind and said, "I’ll wait for you in the subspace virtual universe, be quick!"
After speaking, it fell into a slumber.
He Xingzhou entered the research lab and connected to the so-called subspace communicator through the Quantum Light Computer.
In an instant, everything in front of him turned dark!
It was an infinitely dark world, then countless starlights appeared, nebulae rotated, as if he had arrived in the true universe!
The sensation was incredibly real, far superior to the small virtual worlds humans created themselves.
If it wasn’t for He Xingzhou reminding himself that he was in a virtual world, he would have thought he was truly in the true universe.
At this moment, a beam of light appeared next to He Xingzhou, condensing into a furry little orb, like a tiny spirit.
"Hello, I am Tuanzi, the guide of the Order Alliance’s virtual universe. Welcome, human from the Blue Star Civilization," the little spirit said.
"You can prepare a name and an image for yourself."
"Why does it feel like creating a game character?" Familiar with the process, He Xingzhou made slight modifications to his appearance, naming himself "Chengfeng," just like in his online games.
"Chengfeng, you are the first member of the Blue Star Civilization to arrive in the virtual universe. You may proceed to certify your civilization level, which will provide some assistance," Tuanzi circled around him.
"You have a friend request from ’Bai Ningxiang’ of the Black Sea Civilization. Do you accept?"
In front of He Xingzhou appeared the image of a young girl.
A delicate, charming face, crystal-clear blue eyes, with golden wave patterns painted on her brows, adding a touch of nobility and mystery.
Her hair and ears adorned with red pendants, wearing shiny shell and scale-like garments, with skin smooth as jade.
The most striking feature was her lower body, which was a white fish tail.
"A mermaid?" He Xingzhou was surprised, noting how game-like the scenario was becoming.
"It’s me, He Xingzhou, I’m Big White!" The mermaid communicated, "Add me as a friend!"
"Big White?" He Xingzhou accepted the friend request, and upon approving the subsequent transfer request, the mermaid—embodying both allure and cuteness—appeared beside him.
"Bai Ningxiang, is that your name?" He Xingzhou was puzzled, "Aren’t you a white dolphin?"
"Who said I’m a white dolphin?" Bai Ningxiang replied, "That’s just my information carrier."
He Xingzhou thought aloud, "So that white dolphin can connect to the subspace communicator?"
"That’s not your concern. Just make sure to take care of it!" Bai Ningxiang wasn’t inclined to explain further.
"What’s with your appearance and outfit?" He Xingzhou asked a series of questions, "Is this how you originally look, or is this an avatar crafted according to human civilization?"
"I’ve always looked !" Bai Ningxiang said.
"That’s unscientific!" He Xingzhou remarked, "If you’re a creature from another civilization, how could you possibly look ?"
"What’s unscientific about it?" Bai Ningxiang replied with a sly smile, "You’re just uninformed!"
"In the Order Alliance, most civilized races are humanoid. You think only Blue Star counts as human civilization? No, there are other places where civilizations also call themselves human. That’s why you can only be called the Blue Star Civilization!" Bai Ningxiang explained.
This further piqued He Xingzhou’s curiosity, "All humanoid? Then why aren’t the Zerg like that?"
Bai Ningxiang was at a loss, saying, "Are you a kid asking a ton of questions? I can’t answer that. I’ve heard that there was once a powerful civilization that sowed the seeds of civilization throughout the universe, which is why humanoid civilizations emerged."