2026-01-25 04:29:40The sun was beating down on Xin’s neck. He was nineteen years old, hanging by a thin safety cable fifty stories above the ground. In the giant city of Jiangnan, Xin was a nobody—just a window cleaner trying to earn enough for a warm bowl of noodles.
"Hey, kid! Focus!" his partner, Old Chen, yelled from the other side of the glass. "One slip and you’re a pancake. My wife will be furious if I have to find a new partner."
Xin wiped the sweat from his eyes and grinned. "Don’t worry, Chen. I’m too poor to die. The universe wouldn't know what to do with my medical bills."
They shared a quick laugh, but it didn't last.
The birds suddenly went quiet. The air felt heavy, like it was about to rain, but the smell wasn't rain—it was burnt metal. Xin looked up and saw the sky cracking open like a broken mirror. A massive rock, glowing with a strange purple light, was screaming through the clouds.
It wasn't a normal shooting star. It was moving too fast, and it was headed right for them.
"Chen! Jump!" Xin screamed.
The meteor slammed into the top of their building. The impact felt like a giant’s fist punching the world. The steel cables snapped with a sound like a gunshot. Xin felt his stomach drop as the platform vanished from under his feet.
He was falling.
As he tumbled through the air, he saw the meteor lodged in the side of the tower. It wasn't just a rock; it looked like a piece of high-tech machinery from another world. A silver shard broke off the meteor and shot through the air, hitting Xin right in the chest.
He didn't feel pain. He felt a sudden, freezing cold. Then, everything went black.
Xin woke up with a gasp. He was lying in a pile of broken glass and concrete in a dark alley. He should have been dead, but he didn't have a single scratch on him.
He touched his chest. Under his torn shirt, a glowing silver mark was etched into his skin. It looked like a complicated circuit board made of light.
"I'm... alive?" he whispered. His voice sounded different, deeper.
He tried to stand up and accidentally pushed against a brick wall. To his horror, his hand went right through the bricks as if they were made of butter.
"What happened to me?"
"You've been touched by the 'World-Engine,' human," a cold voice echoed.
Xin spun around. Three tall figures stood at the end of the alley. They didn't look like people. Their skin was as black as coal, and their eyes were glowing pits of white fire. They wore long, flowing robes that looked like they were made of stars.
"Who are you?" Xin asked, his heart thumping against the silver mark on his chest.
"We are Elementals from Earth-6," the leader said. He raised his hand, and a blade made of pure shadow formed in his palm. "That technology in your chest belongs to us. It can rewrite the world, and we want it back."
Xin backed away. "I don't want your technology! Just take it!"
"We would," the Elemental hissed, "but it’s fused to your heart. To get it back, we have to kill you."
The creature lunged at him. It was faster than a car. Xin didn't know how to fight, but his body moved on its own. He threw his hand out to block the blow.
A wave of silver light exploded from his palm.
The air rippled like water. The Elemental didn't fall back—it reversed. One second it was inches from Xin’s face, and the next, it was back at the end of the alley, standing exactly where it had been five seconds ago. It was like someone had hit the "rewind" button on a remote.
Xin stared at his hands. "I just... turned back time?"
"The boy is using the Engine!" one of the other creatures shouted. "Kill him before he learns how to use it!"
Xin looked up at the sky. More purple streaks were falling from the clouds. This wasn't just one meteor. It was an invasion. He thought of Old Chen, his neighbors, and the thousands of people screaming in the streets.
He felt a hot spark of anger in his chest. The silver mark glowed brighter.
"You're not taking anything," Xin said, his voice becoming steady. "And you're not hurting anyone else."
He turned to run, but the ground beneath him suddenly turned into bubbling lava. One of the Elementals had melted the street with a single touch. Xin jumped, expecting to fall into the fire, but he flew thirty feet into the air, landing on a nearby roof.
He looked out over the city. A giant golden fortress, the size of a mountain, was floating down from the clouds.
"PEOPLE OF EARTH," a voice boomed from the sky, shaking the buildings. "GIVE US THE ENGINE, OR WE WILL BURN YOUR CITY TO DUST."
The three Elementals jumped onto the roof, surrounding Xin. He was alone, he was confused, and the entire world was watching.
The leader of the creatures smiled. "Well, hero? Are you going to give us your heart, or should we start burning the city?"
Xin looked at the giant ship in the sky, then at his glowing hand. He had the power to change things, but he was just a kid who cleaned windows.
What was he supposed to do now?
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Chapter 150 – The Original Ark
The cube stopped at 9:00 AM.Xin looked out. Nothing but black. Then the Ark appeared. Not wreckage. Whole. Massive. Lights on every deck."It's beautiful," Elena said."It's a tomb," Xin said. "The architect's final prison."The cube docked with the Ark's main airlock. The door opened. Atmosphere inside. Warm. Clean."Stay close," Xin said.They walked in.---The Ark's interior was pristine. No damage. No age. The architect had preserved it perfectly."He built this after the reset," Elena said. "While the objects were growing. He built a perfect copy of the original Ark.""Why?"Xin touched a wall. Gold lines spread from his fingers. The Ark recognized him."Because he couldn't let go."They walked through corridors. Past quarters. Past labs. Past everything the architect had recreated.Then they reached a door. Different from the others. Sealed. Red light."The private lab," Elena said.Xin put his hand on the door. The gold lines spread. The door opened.---Inside was small. One
Chapter 149 – The Signal Returns
The first sign came at 6:00 AM.Xin was in Sector 44. Helping rebuild a warehouse. His arm was in a sling. His shoulder still healing.Then his chest burned.He dropped the beam he was carrying. Fell to his knees."Xin!" Pip ran over."The Heart-Link. I felt it.""It's dead. You killed it.""It just pulsed."---Shen arrived at 6:10 AM. His face was tight."Sector 7 just reported a signal. From nowhere. No source. No transmitter.""What kind of signal?""The same frequency as the old Heart-Link."Xin stood up. His chest was still warm."Foundation is gone. The clones are dead. The architect is dead. Who is sending that signal?"No one had an answer.---The second sign came at 6:30 AM.Elena ran into the settlement. Out of breath."The cube. It's moving.""What cube?""The one we flew. The architect's lab. It's floating toward Sector 7.""By itself?""No engines. No crew. Just moving."Xin looked at Pip. "Someone is flying it.""Or something."---The third sign came at 7:00 AM.Wei's
Chapter 148 – Last Stand
The timer stopped at 0:47.Xin's hand was inside the socket. Gold light poured out of his arm. The panel cracked."What did you do?" the clone shouted.Xin pulled his hand out. The socket was melted. Dead. The reset couldn't start."I broke it."The clone lunged. Xin sidestepped. The clone hit the panel. Electricity arced. The clone screamed. Fell.Three clones left. Two were down. One was running.---"The last one is heading for the Ark's core," Yara said through Pip. "If it reaches the core, it can broadcast the reset signal manually.""Stop it," Xin said.Mei ran after the clone. Shen on her left. Pip on her right.Xin followed. His body was done. But he kept moving.The clone reached a ladder. Climbed fast. Mei fired. Missed. The clone disappeared into a hatch."Where does that go?" Shen asked.Pip's eyes silver. "The core. Direct access. Two minutes."---Xin grabbed the ladder. Climbed.His broken arm screamed. He used his teeth to hold on. Pulled himself up rung by rung.The h
Chapter 147 – The Bottom
The cube stopped moving at 9:45 AM.The door opened. Xin stepped out. No gravity. His boots magnetized to the floor.Below him was nothing. Black. Empty. No stars. No light. Just void."Where are we?" Pip asked.Elena pointed down. "The original impact point. Where the Ark fell during the first reset.""I don't see anything.""Keep looking."Xin looked harder. A shape emerged from the black. Massive. Broken. Metal twisted around metal.The original Ark.---It was ten times larger than any object. Parts of it were still intact. Parts were shredded. Red lights flickered in the wreckage."The backups," Wei said. "They're in there. All twelve. I can see their heat signatures.""They're awake?""No. Still dormant. But something is keeping them alive."Xin started walking. Across the cube's surface toward the wreckage."Xin, wait," Shen said. "We need a plan.""Plan is find the backups and stop them before they wake up.""There's a gap," Mei said. "Twenty meters of open void between the cu
Chapter 146 – The List
Chapter 146 – The ListThe Foundation found the first backup at 8:15 AM.Not through the encryption key. Through old Ark records. Personnel files from before the reset."His name is Cole," Wei said. "He was the architect's logistics officer. He's in Sector 7. Working as a dock manager.""Does he know he's a backup?""No. The architect never told any of them. They're sleeper agents."Xin looked at the map. Sector 7. Green. No corruption."We need to secure him before he activates. Shen, take the ship. Bring him in."Shen nodded. "Alive?""Alive. But don't let him touch any Needle."---The ship left at 8:20 AM.Xin stayed in Sector 99 with Pip and Elena. His body was failing. The gold light was gone. His left arm was dead again."You need medical," Pip said."I need five more hours.""You won't last five hours."Elena touched his arm. Her small hands were cold. "The object crews. They have medical tech from the old Ark. Better than anything in the sectors.""Where are they?""Elara Vos
Chapter 145 – Tarin's End
Xin moved first.He tackled Tarin before she could raise her hand. Both of them hit the Needle's base. Red light flashing."You can't stop this," Tarin said. "The collective is already in your crew."Xin looked back. Shen was on his knees. Eyes white. Mei too. Wei was down. Pip was fighting it. Silver eyes flickering."Pip!" Xin shouted."I'm... holding..." Her voice was Yara's now. Fighting hard.---Tarin threw Xin off. She was strong. Stronger than she looked."The collective chose me because I'm pure. No doubts. No guilt. I know exactly what needs to be done.""Destroy the Heart-Link. Kill millions.""Temporary death. They'll come back. Better. No free will to corrupt them."Xin stood up. His left arm was dead. Hanging at his side. His nose still bleeding."You're insane.""I'm efficient."She raised both hands. The Needle's red light intensified. Xin could feel the collective spreading. More sectors. More people."Foundation," he said. "Block her."I cannot. She is using the Need
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