Interstellar Survival: Invasion

Chapter 80: Solidified Time

"Canyue, Canyue, are you fine?" A voice urgently called out to me.

I opened my eyes and saw Old Du hanging beside me. He was shouting anxiously at me, holding onto one of my arms, an arm that had just been pulled out of the sponge-like supernova vestige.

"Canyue, stop daydreaming. The system has detected high levels of radiation at the bottom of the tunnel. Do we continue descending?" came Old Du's anxious voice.

I looked at the spot my hand was pulled out from. A glowing red mark was left there. I patted my head harshly.

"I'm alive? What is happening?" I asked myself with complicated emotions.

"Canyue, how is it down there? The imperial army is getting closer!" Zhang Xingxing's voice came from the communicator.

"Canyue, the radiation is too high down there. Let's return and fight them to the death," said Old Du.

'Looks like I'm really still alive. Thank the heavens for giving me a second chance.' The sensation of being alive was like a warm current in my heart.

"Canyue, what's going on with you? You were dazed for a very long time," shouted Old Du.

"When I touched this substance, I might have time traveled and witnessed the future," I replied.

"What did you see? Do we turn back?" asked Old Du anxiously.

"We can't return. Tell everyone to continue downward. Those with shields, keep the shields on to protect everyone," I said.

"There are hundreds of us. Our energy will drain too fast protecting so many people," Old Du reminded me.

"It should be fine so long as we don't get into a fight. Returning and fighting the imperial army will basically be suicide," I said firmly.

After the message was brought to the others who were waiting above, both Zhang Xingxing and Giorno made the choice to descend into the Dark Hall.

"Everyone who is descending, don't touch the sponge-like substance before you. That thing can very well be solidified time. Touching it will take you across time and result in hallucinations," I warned.

Everyone moved according to my suggestions. I acted as the vanguard and became the first to jump out of the tunnel. Unsurprisingly, a corridor presented itself before me. Different from what I saw in my vision, the place was enveloped in complete darkness. Dust covered the room, while the temperature was as low as negative 15 degrees.

This differed greatly from the brightly lit room in my vision. I turned on my infrared vision and turned my head. Where the creature was crouched in the vision, I saw a wooden coffin.

'It seems that apart from the structure itself, the scenario and characters in the scene have changed greatly,' I thought.

Soon, everyone else arrived in the corridor through the tunnel. Old Du and Bao'er turned on the lights of their suits to illuminate the way for the group. With the help of the light, a deserted corridor entered everyone's vision. Dusty chests were piled on the two sides of the corridor, looking like this place had been deserted for perhaps tens of thousands of years.

A rope and a mechanical arm could be seen directly beneath the tunnel we came from. A messy pile of newer books could be seen around the rope, giving the impression that it had been a while since someone arranged the books in the room.

"Jeferun, come take a look. Is that perhaps Principal Yiman's coffin?" I asked.

"Who's Principal Yiman? Who are you talking about? Why have I never heard of him?" asked Zhang Bao'er.

Jeferun quickly stepped over and studied the coffin. A thick layer of dust covered the dust. When Jeferun reached out to wipe the dust off, the entire coffin crumbled into a pile of powder. Jeferun paled from the sight.

"It's fine. This is proof that this coffin might really be Principal Yiman's," I said.

"Honorable Canyue, you are truly incredibly wise. How did you know that Principal Yiman's coffin was in the Dark Hall?" asked Jeferun.

"Canyue, how did you know?" Zhang Xingxing also asked.

I did not answer the question directly. Instead, I said, "According to the legends, Principal Yiman was the college's first principal. He passed away over 100,000 years ago. It was rumored that his body was buried under the college. The coffin has been resting here for more than 100,000 years. Our arrival had caused a change in the air here, resulting in the rapid corrosion of the coffin."

Everyone exclaimed in wonder. I gave the remains of the coffin three deep bows. After all, this was the senior who had saved me in the alternate future that I had witnessed. Jeferun and the other students also offered their respects to the coffin remains.

"Where should we go now?" Giorno asked.

"First, bomb the entrance here," I said coldly.

"There are so many chests here. Should we check them for treasures first?" asked Domo as he reached for one of the chests.

The same thing happened. The chest turned into a pile of dust.

"Everything here has been corroded by the air. Also, the radiation here is too high. Don't touch anything. Old Du, install the high-energy cluster bombs. The imperial army will be here soon," I urged.

Seeing how firm I was, Zhang Bao'er agreed. Old Du and Zhang Bao'er immediately started installing the bombs.

"Everyone, stick close. Retreat immediately," I said.

The group followed me as we retreated to the depths of the corridor. A few minutes later, a loud explosion erupted behind us.

"The shockwaves are coming. On the ground!" I shouted.

The intense shockwaves swept through us, turning the chests around us into dust. Looking at the scene around me, I realized that I would not be able to get my hands on the book called Blue Path. After the shockwaves were over, we stood up and continued onward. Soon, we reached the transparent maze. There were no signs of the imperial army closing in on us.

"Titan, use the solution of your people's cube game and help us navigate through this maze. Everyone, stick close. Don't split from the main group," I said.

Everyone was stupefied, except Old Du who seemed to have understood something.

"Canyue, did something hit you in the head?" Zhang Bao'er asked.

"Just follow Canyue's words. I believe he's right," said Old Du.

Titan, still confused about my apparent knowledge of their cube game, started leading the group through the maze.

"What shitty place is this? We keep going round and round. Are you sure you know your way?" complained Giorno.

"Patience. You will get your answer soon," I said.

Before long, we arrived at the familiar fork. I did not pause and told everyone to proceed into the right path. Shortly after, we arrived at the exit. This time, there was no creature waiting there to help us. The eerie wails sounded all around us.

"My god. What monsters are these? Canyue, are you sure this is the right way?" Zhang Bao'er shouted.

"Old Du, Bao'er, Xingxing, turn on your liquid cooling system. Black smoke will appear later. Blast the smoke with your cooling liquid," I quickly said.

Everyone did as told and prepared their cooling sprays. As expected, black smoke started appearing near the exit.

"Blast the smoke," I commanded.

The crew immediately fired the cooling liquid at the smoke. The moment the liquid touched the smoke, the smoke turned into solid clumps and dropped onto the ground. I grabbed the opening and led everyone through the exit. The familiar breathtaking scene of the star and the black hole appeared before me.

"This is too beautiful," praised Zhang Xingxing as she took in the sight before her.

"Often, great danger is hidden behind the most beautiful scenery," I said.

"Canyue, why are you so weird today?" asked Zhang Bao'er. It seemed like our role had been reversed in a different timeline.

"Great explorer, there are two paths. Which do we take?" asked Giorno.

"The lower path. Go through the black hole," I replied calmly.

"Canyue, have you gone mad? Black holes symbolize death. Why don't we take the path of light?" Zhang Bao'er protested.

I didn't know if I should laugh or cry upon hearing his words. It turned out that across different timelines, the two of us would have opposing opinions.

"Two negatives make a positive. Brave death before receiving salvation," I returned Zhang Bao'er's words from a different timeline to him.

"Great explorer, nobody has ever gone through a black hole. Are you sure we should take that path?" asked Giorno hesitantly.

"I'll go first. You can decide if you want to come," I said.

"I support Canyue's decision," Old Du voiced his support for me yet again.

I was gratified to see a healthy Old Du in this timeline. Oftentimes, one would only recognize the important things upon losing them.

"We'll follow the honorable Canyue as well. Perhaps he had received the guidance of Principal Yiman in all his decisions," said Jeferun.

"Let's follow Canyue's suggestion," Zhang Xingxing finalized.

I looked at her with gratitude. Across timelines, she had remained my solid supporter.

"Don't touch anything on the pathway. Watch your hands," I warned Domo.

"Boss, those people have profited greatly from this operation. On the other hand, we have risked our lives for nothing," complained Domo.

"Is your life more important than wealth?" I scolded.

Looking at my grim expression, Domo grumbled for a bit before shutting his mouth. Seeing that everyone had agreed, Giorno compromised and brought the Brotherhood as he followed behind us.

We followed the downward path with me in the lead. We soon reached the silent black hole. Before the black hole was a gaseous door about two meters tall. A blue shining stream of air was spiraling in the middle of it.

The black hole floated silently and unmoving. If it wasn't for the swallowed light at the edge of the black hole, we would have probably assumed that a dark cave was before us instead of a black hole.

"I have never envisioned myself standing so close to a black hole. I feel like I can touch it just by reaching out. If I do, will I be the first person in the league's history to physically touch a black hole?" muttered Zhang Xingxing.

"If we weren't fugitives, this shaking discovery would probably earn us purple star medals," said Zhang Bao'er with a sigh.

"Are you Bluelings sure this is actually a black hole? Perhaps it's merely a prop? The powerful gravity of a black hole will never disappear. Without such gravity, this is definitely not a black hole," argued Amethyst.

We couldn't find a reply to her argument. Even someone who had time traveled once like me had nothing to say.

"This is a black hole. Also, its gravity is extremely powerful just like any other black hole. What you are witnessing is merely the visual image it had left in the passage of time, a snapshot from a point in time," a clear voice suddenly rang out behind us.