1: Systems from cosmic civilizations

(Brain storage, I am not responsible for brain damage caused by not storing your brain!)

(All worldviews in the text are fictional and not linked to reality.)

My name is Li Yang, an ordinary university student, living a mundane and boring life every day. I heard there was a meteor shower tonight, so I specifically came to the mountain to watch.

But it feels so strange. Why does it feel like one of the meteors is getting closer and closer to me?

Li Yang looked up at the sky, his gaze fixed on the meteor, which resembled a giant burning fireball, plummeting directly towards him.

At this moment, he finally realized that it was not his imagination; the meteor was indeed approaching him with an alarming intensity.

“You son of a gun! I’m a good, well-behaved student, and I haven’t done anything bad. At most, I’ve just secretly… uh… done some private browsing. Is it wrong to do that, even a little? And you’re going to hit me with a meteor?!”

Li Yang ran for his life, sprinting with all his might, while loudly complaining about his tragic encounter. He would occasionally look up, only to find that the meteor was still relentlessly pursuing him, showing no intention of letting him go.

“My life is over!”

Knowing he could no longer escape, Li Yang slowly stood still, closed his eyes, and then took a deep breath, thinking that even if he had to die, he should die with some dignity.

“Boom!”

The meteor plummeted from high altitude, and a tremendous amount of energy instantly erupted, creating an extremely powerful shockwave. For a moment, dust flew everywhere, and smoke billowed. As the smoke gradually dispersed, only a massive deep crater remained, while the fallen meteor and Li Yang had both vanished without a trace… “I’m not dead?”

Li Yang, who had mentally prepared himself to wait quietly for death, found that after a long time, his body felt no pain or any unusual sensation. He couldn't help but slowly open his tightly closed eyes.

The scene before him was a vast expanse of white, like a completely blank, mysterious space.

“Oh my god, so I did die after all. But that’s fine, at least it was painless. But is this really hell? Where are the Ox-Head and Horse-Face, and the Black and White Guards of Impermanence?”

Li Yang muttered, full of doubt.

Just as Li Yang was lost in thought, a voice suddenly sounded without warning.

“Beep… Xili Empire ‘New Fire’ Project activating…”

“What the heck? Empire? Project?”

Li Yang, already confused, felt even more bewildered now, completely at a loss.

“Beep… Activation successful. Congratulations, human. You have been selected for the Empire’s ‘New Fire’ Project. Please complete the assessment mission first.”

“Hey? What is the ‘New Fire’ Project, and who are you? What does ‘assessment mission’ mean?”

Li Yang shouted excitedly at his surroundings. This sudden and inexplicable situation had completely bewildered Li Yang.

“Assessment mission preparation complete. Virtual scenario constructing… Construction complete. Preparing consciousness transfer…”

The unfamiliar voice was cold and mechanical. It ignored all of Li Yang’s questions, simply speaking on its own.

“Hey…”

Although Li Yang was somewhat confused, he vaguely felt that this was probably not a good thing and quickly prepared to refuse. However, as soon as he opened his mouth to say “Hey,” he swayed and fell straight onto the pristine white floor.

He instantly became motionless. If it weren't for the slight rise and fall of his chest proving he was still alive, one might have thought he had already passed away.

A long time later, Li Yang woke up. However, in stark contrast to his previous flustered and bewildered demeanor, he was now calm and composed, with a hint of subtle anticipation in his eyes.

After being drawn into the virtual world, Li Yang understood that the meteor that had previously collided with him was a system from the Xili Empire.

As for the Xili Empire, it was a superpower in the Galaxy. Among the nine levels of cosmic civilization, the Xili Empire ranked 7th.

It could freely convert between different dimensions of planets, Galaxies, and numerous celestial bodies, using different dimensional spaces to create necessary resources and nurture life.

Its civilizational power was sufficient to transform stars into habitable planets, activating stellar cores at will, thereby shaping the atmosphere, oceans, land, and suitable temperatures—all environmental factors beneficial to life—on that star.

The system's goal was to randomly select humans from the vast and boundless universe to participate in the “New Fire” Project.

The essence of the “New Fire” Project was to randomly select humans from the vast universe and make them a part of the Empire.

Of course, joining the Xili Empire was by no means easy; one had to pass the assessment mission set by the system. If one failed to complete it, their consciousness would be directly erased, and the system would then seek out the next fortunate individual.

As for the assessment mission, it was to be given a country on a first-level technological civilization planet in a virtual world and required to unify the world within a specified time limit.

Once the mission was achieved, consciousness would return, and everything in the virtual world would be like a dream, not changing one's personality or behavior in reality.

To be honest, if it weren't for the system, Li Yang himself would never have imagined that a mere ordinary person could lead a nation to achieve the feat of unifying the world.

“Beep… Congratulations on officially passing the assessment mission and becoming a member of the Empire. Due to your excellent performance in completing the mission ahead of schedule in the virtual world, your reward will be upgraded by one level according to the ‘New Fire’ Project. Please prepare to receive it…”

In this vast white space, the system's voice resounded. Upon hearing it, Li Yang's face instantly lit up with joy.

One must know that the Xili Empire originated from a Level 7 civilization in the universe. With such immense power, how could the rewards it offered be meager?

“Beep… Congratulations, Comrade Li Yang. According to the ‘New Fire’ Project, you will be granted the military rank of first-class lieutenant and enjoy all the privileges and benefits of a Xili Empire first-class lieutenant.”

As soon as the system finished speaking, a military uniform appeared out of thin air in the space, which had been empty except for Li Yang.

Li Yang reached out and picked up the military uniform. He saw that the uniform was overall light black, with a lapel collar and faint golden stripes decorating the cuffs. The rank insignia was on the shoulders, with two pockets on the chest. On the right chest was a black dragon emblem. Between the two lapels was a black diamond-shaped cross emblem with a gold filigree border. The peaked cap also had a golden band with a black dragon coiling around a diamond-shaped cross symbol, and it came with black trousers and long leather boots.

The emblem of the Xili Empire was a black dragon coiling around a four-sided diamond-shaped black cross with a gold frame.

On the shoulder strap, which represented the military rank, was embedded a five-pointed star shining with a silver-white light. Below the five-pointed star was a V-shaped thin bar of the same color.

“first-class lieutenant? Is this a military rank? Wow…”

Gently stroking the delicate texture of the military uniform in his hands, Li Yang couldn't help but feel astonished.

One must understand that this was a military rank from a Level 7 civilization. With the issuance of this rank, even the system’s way of addressing him had changed; previously it had always used “you,” but now it not only called him “comrade” but also switched to the more respectful “you.”

Eager Li Yang, at this moment, paid no attention to anything else. He quickly and hastily put on the military uniform in his hands and fastened the shoulder boards. Although there was no mirror there, looking down at this magnificent military uniform, Li Yang could tell without even looking that he must look extremely handsome at this moment. After all, he did have a certain level of good looks.

Just as Li Yang was still smugly examining the military uniform on him, the system's voice sounded again.

“Beep… Lieutenant Li Yang, according to the ‘New Fire’ Project, please complete your first mission…”

“A mission? There’s still a mission? Tell me quickly, what kind of mission is it?”

Hearing what the system said, Li Yang quickly responded.

“Mission: Incorporate the planet you are currently on into the Empire's grand blueprint!”

“What the f***?”