Stellaris Tech Tree HSR

"Our voyage is to the stars and beyond!"

"Every great creation demands sacrifice. Other civilizations in the galaxy may not understand us, but they must obey!"

"Our will triumphs over material limitations!"

"We transcend mortality!"

"As long as we're willing to bring about its end! Fifty years is enough!"

"The light of the stars has shone on our enemies for too long. But they will never see this enlightenment again!"

"They always have another option: death!"

"We stand at the apex of divinity. The Aether-Link Engine is complete, and the boundless energy of the Shroud is within reach. Destiny awaits—should we activate the engine? Let's do it!"

"Yuan Shen, I came to the Shroud early to pay my debts to you!"

---

Time passed, second by second...

In a cozy, warmly lit bedroom of a residential area, a sharp-featured young man wearing headphones sat in front of his computer. He was fully immersed, savoring a rare moment of leisure hard-earned after months of toil.

From morning until now, he had been conquering the cosmos in his favorite game, Stellaris, with an enthusiasm that bordered on obsession.

"Almost a year since I last played... Man, I'm rusty. Let's start another round. Heard someone made a ship girl mod recently? Gotta try that out."

Stretching his limbs, Chen Lin settled back into his chair, ready to dive back into the game displayed on his monitor.

Stellaris, a game where colonizing uncharted lands, wiping hostile empires off the map, and turning alien delicacies into desserts were standard practices. A 7+ game celebrating love and peace, perfectly suited for alleviating life's daily stress... or so the marketing claimed.

Rumors about war crimes and using organic beings for energy production? Merely efficient population and energy utilization techniques—no need to overthink it.

As a fresh graduate and a corporate drone of the modern biomedical world, Chen Lin had been grinding away at work for over half a year. After completing a major project, he finally earned a seven-day break.

Even the dark circles under his eyes couldn't stop him from indulging in his well-deserved reward.

After hours of gameplay, Chen Lin yawned, rubbing his dry eyes as his wrist instinctively stretched upward.

"Already 10 PM... I should probably call it a night."

Glancing at the wall clock, Chen Lin dragged his stiff body to the balcony of his rented apartment.

The night breeze brushed his face as he gazed at the vibrant cityscape below. Thoughts of his parents, far away in his hometown, surfaced in his mind.

"Maybe I won't have to work overtime this New Year. I should be able to go home," he murmured to himself.

His job at the research institute—a relentless grind of biomedical experiments—had pushed him to his limits. His most recent project, a virus inhibitor, had even made his hairline retreat by nearly a centimeter.

After washing up, Chen Lin returned to his room, planning to watch a few videos before bed...

Buzz—Buzz—Buzz!

Just as he finished a couple of clips and plugged in his phone to charge, it started vibrating.

Seeing the incoming call, Chen Lin's heart sank. "Please don't be the supervisor… Please don't be the supervisor…"

If it was his supervisor, there would be no need to think; it would definitely be a call to cut his vacation short for overtime work.

Relief washed over him when he saw it was from one of his grad school roommates—now also his coworker.

Interestingly enough, all three of his former grad school roommates were now colleagues, working on the same project, even sharing identical vacation schedules.

He picked up the call with a grin.

"Lao Liu, what's up? Still not asleep? Trying to drop dead or what?" he teased.

"Chen Lin, where the heck have you been today? We've got a whole week off, but you didn't join the voice chat for the event!"

"Event… Oh crap, I forgot! I've been conquering the stars all day!"

"Get over here! The event gives an awesome skin if you win six matches in a row, but I can't carry these two alone anymore. We've been finishing in second place all day!"

"On my way!" Chen Lin's exhaustion evaporated as he jumped off his bed, fully revitalized.

Rest? Not happening when an exciting in-game event was live and friends were waiting for him in the chat.

Settling back at his desk, Chen Lin logged into QQ and joined the group call.

The crescent moon dipped behind the clouds as the wall clock struck 3 AM.

"Bathroom break, give me a minute," Chen Lin said into his headset before standing up.

As his hand touched the doorknob, a strange, otherworldly voice echoed in his ears:

"We step into the void, becoming one with the cosmos."

Chen Lin froze, his hand jolting back as if electrocuted.

"What the heck was that?" He spun around, scanning the pink wallpapered room.

Nothing. Just his white desk and the muffled banter of his friends through the headset.

Am I losing it from overplaying Stellaris?

Scratching his head, Chen Lin dismissed the strange occurrence and opened the door, chalking it up to fatigue-induced auditory hallucinations.

As a medical professional, he knew that exhaustion often led to symptoms like tinnitus or hallucinations. Ignoring these warnings and continuing to overexert oneself could even lead to sudden death.

Still, he resolved to finish two more games before heading to bed.

Quickly crossing the small living room, Chen Lin approached the bathroom. Just as he was about to push the door open, the strange voice returned.

"Don't break the fourth wall, you little schemer!"

"…What?"

This time, he heard it clearly, and the voice even sounded annoyed.

Despite his confusion, Chen Lin chose to ignore it. After all, nature called, and waiting any longer might result in an embarrassing accident.

However…

The moment Chen Lin stepped into the bathroom, it was as if someone had thrown a flashbang grenade inside.

Bang!

Blinding white light flooded the room, forcing him to shut his eyes.

Simultaneously, a searing pain, like a meat grinder tearing into his brain, nearly caused him to pass out.

When he finally forced his eyes open, he found the toilet, the showerhead, even the yellow-and-white tiles—everything was gone.

In their place was nothing but a vast expanse of pure white light.

"That was once a sacred place. You don't yet understand the gravity of your sins, but you will soon enough."

What the hell?! My bathroom is your sacred ground?!

"Ugh…"

Before he could cry out for help, Chen Lin felt himself falling, his body losing balance as if the floor had disappeared beneath him.

Panic-stricken, Chen Lin barely had time to process the sensation of freefall before his consciousness began to fade rapidly.

As he drifted into darkness, faint voices—a conversation between two women—reached his ears.

"How much longer are you going to stall? According to the script, the Astral Express will be here soon. We shouldn't linger. Besides, Elio said there might be an unexpected surprise to simplify things. But the way he looked at me when he said that… I didn't like it. I doubt it's anything good, so hurry up!"

"I know, just a moment."

"…Hmm?!"

When Chen Lin regained consciousness, pain wracked his entire body.

Out of instinct, he clung to the first thing he touched and rolled onto the hard floor, his senses still overwhelmed by the flash and fall.

A soft, delicate sensation brushed against his face, and something sweet, reminiscent of apples, lingered near his lips.

Just as he tried to take a deep breath, he felt something… smooth and slightly moist slide across his lips?

The scent was intoxicating, calming in its sweetness.

Silver Wolf hadn't anticipated someone falling from the sky and grabbing her head, throwing her off balance. The unexpected collision left her too stunned to react.

As she licked her dry lips out of reflex, her eyes shot open, realizing she had… inadvertently licked something she absolutely shouldn't have.

She froze, staring at the young man tightly clinging to her.

Mortified, she punched him in the stomach, sending him flying before raising her hand, intent on erasing the incident from existence.

Smack!

Her hand was caught mid-air by Kafka, who smirked, clearly amused.

"Silver Wolf, could this 'unexpected surprise' Elio mentioned be… him?" Kafka pointed at Chen Lin, now curled up in a corner, groaning in pain.

"…"

"Oh, come on, don't stay silent. I saw what happened. You initiated it."

"…"

Ignoring Silver Wolf's flustered silence, Kafka turned to Chen Lin.

"I know you're confused right now, but don't worry. Stay here; someone will come for you soon."

"Wait, what—"

"No need to fret about safety. Just follow their lead. And as for Silver Wolf… Well, let's just say she owes you an apology. You'll meet again."

Before Chen Lin could respond, Kafka smiled faintly, then walked toward the door with Silver Wolf trailing behind.

Just as Silver Wolf was about to leave, she hesitated, glancing back at Chen Lin. Her voice, soft yet tinged with guilt, reached his ears.

"Sorry… As compensation, you won't feel pain for much longer."

After tapping a few things mid-air, she vanished into the void.

Minutes passed before Chen Lin mustered the strength to lift his head and speak.

"W-Where's… the bathroom?!"

---

T/N: once again... ITSHOULDHAVEBEENME.gif

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