This is a fifteen-square-meter apartment room.
But at this moment, it's filled with dazzling brilliance.
Shen Shi sat dumbfounded on the bed, watching the projection surrounding him. It was a vast city ruin, blazing flames burning fiercely before him, rolling black smoke nearly obscuring the sky. Attacks invisible to the naked eye erupted densely from all around, bringing endless explosions and expanding flames. Countless wailing humans struggled and fled in all directions, yet there was nowhere to escape.
Shen Shi even saw a girl in a delicate princess dress, engulfed in flames in mid-air, rolling and screaming, crashing heavily in front of him.
The mixture of charred and fresh red flesh made him tremble all over.
This was a grand hell.
It was the end of humanity.
The extreme audiovisual display brought unimaginable emotions, continuously impacting every nerve of Shen Shi.
If not for the soft touch of the mattress and silk quilt beneath him, he would have probably screamed and fled by now.
Suddenly, an unknown roar shattered a large area of black smoke. Accompanied by countless flying debris, Shen Shi finally saw the sky beyond the smoke.
And he saw the "enemy" that caused all this.
Shock swept everything in an instant.
It was a giant shadow shrouding the city, a weapon absolutely not originating from humans, with its ferocious shell and writhing flesh intricately intertwined. Every detail showcased a reality far beyond special effects, evoking indescribable tremors.
Just as Shen Shi's emotions were about to reach their limit, everything paused.
The burning flames, swirling debris, and even the humans screaming and fleeing—all ceased to change.
Only immense words continuously emerged in the center of his vision.
Eastern Country Language, Western Alliance Language, Nia Language...
All human languages imaginable were among them.
Shen Shi instinctively found the one he could understand.
[On June 18, 2026, the history of humanity was thus altered.]
[The Earth Star Era was declared over, and the Starry Era of darkness began with a comprehensive invasion war.]
[On June 25, the Earth Federation Headquarters, on behalf of 198 countries worldwide, declared surrender.]
[800 million humans lost their lives in this week.]
[Those who survived lost everything, including dignity, freedom, hope, culture, history...]
[We did no wrong; our only fault was being too weak.]
[With this image, remember the beginning of the Starry Era.]
[Produced on January 1, 3026, of the Starry Era.]
As the final inscription appeared, the original illusion surrounding began to flow towards the center like a retreating tide, finally converging into a hovering white small sphere with a diameter of approximately five centimeters.
If this scene were seen by some people outside, they would definitely fall into indescribable madness.
The kind of immersive projection image transforming the whole room into a virtual world was released by such an inconspicuous, portable small sphere. If this technology could be popularized, it would thoroughly change the human image industry and even the gaming industry.
However, the only person who knew all this was clearly not in the mood to care about this right now.
Shen Shi still sat on the bed.
The familiar surroundings that had already recovered also gradually calmed his emotions.
As if watching an extremely spectacular blockbuster in the cinema, emotions were stirred, but as the movie ended and he left the cinema, so did the world in the movie.
This is incomparably beyond any so-called movie.
Because Shen Shi clearly knew where the floating small sphere containing technology beyond current human understanding came from.
It was from three thousand years in the future.
He raised his right hand. With a slight thought, the diamond-shaped skin on the back of his hand began to emit faint starlight, becoming clearer until finally, it completely concealed the skin's original appearance, turning into something as deep as a black hole, as if it became the entrance to another starry sky, dotted with countless starlights.
"How did this thing end up on me?" Shen Shi muttered to himself.
When he first discovered this change, he was excited for a long time, especially when he realized there was also a "Black Market Trading Terminal" connected to future human civilization that was bound to him alongside this thing.
Scenes from various "black technology novels," "genius novels," "future technology novels," filled his mind.
To him, it wasn't unrealistic daydreaming.
The virtual reality projection sphere before his eyes was proof.
Anything casually obtained from three thousand years later was enough to thoroughly change this era. As long as it was managed well, with careful and cautious beginnings, it was enough for him to conquer this era and create a future beyond anyone's imagination.
Power, status, wealth, health, beauty... everything could be easily obtained.
But that expectation was struck hard just a few minutes ago, along with the contents recorded in the projection sphere!
If this projection sphere really comes from three thousand years in the future, it means everything just displayed before him will happen in three years! Humanity will be invaded by alien forces and then surrender in just a week, entering the dark Starry Era!
Even if he could survive that week of brutal warfare, he would lose everything!
"No way!" Shen Shi gritted his teeth, his gaze revealing fear, "I must find a way to escape this future!"
Though the possibility of parallel universe theory and the like exists, he dared not gamble.
Moreover, he had a inexplicable, intuitive feeling seemingly originating from the galaxy in his hand that told him.
That is the world's future!
At this moment, Shen Shi completely abandoned the original "get rich plan."
Surviving is the priority!
Forcing himself to calm down, Shen Shi looked at the back of his hand again.
He understood his own abilities very clearly.
He was just an ordinary person who had to work hard to get into a decent college, with some small ability and a bit of selfishness, not much different from the people wailing and fleeing in the image just now.
However, with this thing in his hand.
A fundamental difference emerged.
"This thing appearing in this era, appearing on me, could it be trying to convey some mission or have some expectation of me?" Shen Shi contemplated the starry sky shown on his hand, his bright eyes somewhat uncertain at this moment. Finally, as if making up his mind, he said in his heart, "Then there may be disappointment... for me and those I care about to survive is what's most important to me!"