41: Host, turn around and run away immediately!
"prometheus?"
Su Jue tentatively called out in his mind.
"I am here, Supreme Authority Holder."
That voice immediately rang out in his mind.
"You may call me 'xiao pu'."
Su Jue: "..."
This xiao pu really knew how to play along.
"xiao pu, what is this place?"
"Reporting to the Supreme Authority Holder, this is Seed Shelter No. 73 of the 'Ark Project'. Its mission is to preserve the seeds of civilization after the 'Final Cleansing' descends, and wait for... your arrival."
"Wait for me?"
Su Jue was even more bewildered.
"Yes, waiting for the arrival of a pure-blooded human possessing the 'Sovereign Gene'."
"In my database, only you, who have awakened the most primitive and pure Archaic Source Blood, possess the qualifications to restart civilization and lead our revival!"
"You are the... King we have been waiting for for three hundred and seventy-eight thousand and forty-two years!"
Holy crap!
Su Jue felt a bit dizzy from such high praise.
After all this time, his "Supreme Authority" wasn't because of his status as a "human," but because of... the "Sovereign Gene"?
Wasn't that just the Primordial Human Ancestral Blood?
It seemed that the creator of this planet, the so-called "Machine God Cult," had countless ties to the Archaic Human Race civilization!
They were very likely a branch of the Archaic Human Race!
A branch... that had taken the path of technological ascension!
"xiao pu, are you the... boss of this shelter?"
As Su Jue walked, he tried to get familiar with this "hometown xiao pu."
"To be precise, I am the Central Management Intelligence here. Before your arrival, I was responsible for maintaining all operations of the shelter. Now, you are the sole master here."
prometheus's voice was full of respect.
At the end of the passage was a new door.
The door slid open silently, and an incredibly vast space appeared before Su Jue's eyes.
He was instantly stunned.
This was a massive underground space comparable to a small city!
In the distance were rows of uniform, dormant giant mechs, ranging from tens-of-meters-tall "Soldier-class" to hundreds-of-meters-tall "Fortress-class"—everything one could imagine!
On the other side was a fully automated production line, with countless robotic arms waiting quietly for commands. As long as there were enough resources, they could erupt into a terrifying "sea of soldiers" in a short time!
There was also a Weapon R&D Center, a Gene Cultivation Room, an Energy Center... This wasn't a shelter at all!
This was a... super military base... armed to the teeth!
And now, all of this belonged to him?!
Su Jue felt his little heart could hardly handle this level of excitement.
In the Dragon Race, although he used the top-tier resources of the entire universe, that feeling was more like being "fed" by elders.
But now, for the first time, he possessed a "force" that belonged entirely to him!
Although this "force" currently only had one xiao pu commander-in-chief.
"Supreme Authority Holder, do you wish to inspect your assets now? Or, open the gene bank to create the first batch of loyal subjects for you?"
prometheus asked dutifully.
Su Jue snapped out of it and shook his head vigorously.
Inspect? Create subjects?
All of that was too much trouble!
He didn't have much interest in these cold lumps of iron.
Right now, he only cared about one question!
"xiao pu!"
He asked in a serious tone.
"Is there... anything good to eat here?"
prometheus: "...?"
Its central processor, an FTL Quantum Core with a calculation speed comparable to a Saint King's deduction speed, crashed for 0.001 seconds at this moment.
Good... good to eat?
In its database, the concept of "eating" only had the most basic definition: "ingesting energy to maintain vital signs."
It couldn't understand why a great King with the Sovereign Gene would have zero interest in his vast steel empire and instead... care about the food situation?
However, the logic of an xiao pu was absolute obedience.
Since the King wanted to "eat," it had to find the "tastiest" thing in the entire shelter for him!
In its definition, "tasty" was equivalent to... the highest-grade energy source!
"As you command, Supreme Authority Holder."
prometheus restarted its logical judgment.
"Please follow me. I will take you to the... Core Energy Supply Center of this shelter."
"There, we have the greatest masterpiece of our civilization."
"An... imprisoned... 'Sun'."
Under prometheus's guidance, Su Jue passed through layers of corridors filled with a sense of future technology.
Finally, he arrived before the most heavily guarded spherical room, wrapped in countless runes and energy pipes.
"Supreme Authority Holder, this is the place."
"Warning: Ahead is the 'Singularity' Containment Chamber. There is a high-intensity gravitational field and energy radiation inside. Any matter approaching the core area will be instantly decomposed into elementary particles."
"According to safety protocols, I do not recommend you enter."
prometheus issued a kind reminder.
But Su Jue could no longer hear a word.
His eyes were fixed on the object in the center of the room, and he was almost drooling.
In the very center of the room, within a containment device composed of countless concentrically rotating metal rings...
A darkness, only the size of a fist yet emitting enough light-swallowing intensity, was slowly rotating.
That wasn't darkness.
That was... gravity!
A pure gravitational singularity from which even light could not escape!
An... Artificial Black Hole... forcibly created by humans using technology!
It was the power core of the entire Shelter No. 73!
"Warning! Warning! Warning!!!"
"Universe-level energy source detected: Controlled Singularity (??? Rank)!"
"Analysis failed! Analysis failed! Analysis failed!"
"This item has surpassed the current universal laws! It contains the ultimate mysteries of 'Gravity' and 'Space-Time'!"
"Warning! Extremely lethal! Extremely lethal! Extremely lethal!"
"Any form of contact will result in the Host being instantly erased! Completely vanished from the causal level!"
"The system has initiated the highest-level self-destruction sequence! Host, turn around and run right now, immediately, this instant!!!"
The system alarm was so sharp it almost pierced Su Jue's soul!
However, a brilliant smile appeared on Su Jue's face.
He saw it.
He saw the most top-tier, most luxurious... buffet in the entire universe!
Third trial?
To hell with the trial!
I'm going to eat!
He ignored prometheus's warning and the system's self-destruction threat.
Under the stunned "gazes" of that "hometown xiao pu" and the myriad manifestation recorder...
He reached out his chubby, fair little hand.
Slowly, he reached toward that Artificial Black Hole that could swallow everything, representing ultimate destruction and creation!