MMORPG: The Almighty Ring

"What is actually happening? Tell me in detail!" demanded Jiang Fei.

He was severely disturbed by the abnormal behaviour of the Valsalrian Army.

"According to the data I downloaded, the Valsalrian Army started evacuating two weeks ago. Other than the two strong defenders who were left here to stall us, there are no living souls left in this fortress!"

0541's information clearly explained that Valsalrian Army's actions were not done in response to Jiang Fei. Two weeks ago, he had not defected to the Trade Federation yet.

"Why did they evacuate?" asked Jiang Fei.

"According to the Valsalrian Army's surveillance, there were random distortions in space throughout the whole Alpha Sector. They started two months ago, and the sector's stability has gradually decreased since then!" explained 0541.

"I do not need these redundant details, tell me what is going to happen here!"

Jiang Fei was restless and desperately craved an answer.

"Unclear. The Valsalrians did not know what caused the space instability. However, there are two possibilities for this. First, this could be the state before a black hole is formed. Or second, this could be the state before a wormhole is opened!" said 0541.

Jiang Fei was shocked. "What? A black hole?"

"You don't have to worry, sir. It could indicate that a black hole is about to form but you can ignore this possibility. The crucial trigger in the formation of a black hole is the death of a massive star which collapsed and exploded. There are no massive stars in the Alpha Sector, therefore, it is impossible for a black hole to form," explained 0541.

"That makes it a wormhole, right?" mused Jiang Fei.

"Theoretically, yes, but this is not certain…" 0541 paused, trailing off.

"What do you mean?" asked Jiang Fei.

"The wormholes that we know of, whether man-made or formed by nature, have never been so huge. This wormhole covers the whole sector, it can't be explained by our current technology!"

Jiang Fei failed to see the relevance. "So?"

"That means one of two things. Either there is an unknown super-intelligent race opening a wormhole to here from somewhere we do not know, or there is an unknown alternate dimension moving closer to our dimension, forming this wormhole with the gravitational pull from both sides."

Jiang Fei was utterly lost. "An unknown super-intelligent race? An unknown alternate dimension?"

0541 was not trying to scare anyone, but his words were horrifying, "Correct! If it is an unknown super-intelligent race, their technology is probably beyond our imagination. Hence, they would be indomitable. We won't stand a chance against them, they could even wipe out our entire universe with ease."

Wanting to forget about 0541's terrifying predictions and hoping to hear a better option, Jiang Fei asked, "What if it's an unknown alternate dimension instead?"

"That would prove the theory of parallel space. Once a wormhole appears, two parallel spaces would collide, outcome… unpredictable," explained 0541.

"Hmm…"

Jiang Fei was silent, both of 0541's predictions filled his mind. No matter which one was true, the outcome would be devastating. If the theory of parallel worlds was correct, the condition of the other space remained unknown. The same was true if they were indeed dealing with unknown opponents. If they turned out to be far advanced in terms of technology, there would be no fight, but only total annihilation.

Nevertheless, the theory of parallel worlds was still the better prediction. With that, they at least had a fifty-fifty chance of the other space being non-threatening. But a man-made super wormhole meant that Jiang Fei and his people would be at the mercy of a super-intelligent race, praying that they were peace-loving.

If the goal of that super-intelligent race was to conquer the universe, not even Theon would be able to escape the fate of slavery.

Such horrifying prophecies… no wonder the Valsalrians had evacuated their strategic stronghold. They did not want to be the first to face such an uncertain fate, hence they escaped, leaving behind only two who had different agendas.

Their first mission was to guard the fortress and prevent random mercenaries from claiming it as their base. And their second mission was to interact with this unknown super-intelligent race or the unknown civilization from a parallel space.

"Captain, what should we do?" asked 0541.

"How much time do you think we have before the wormhole opens?"

0541's answer was not a cheerful one, "Uncertain. However, as the current space stability is very low, a wormhole could appear at any moment!"

"Inform the outlying fleet, tell them to evacuate immediately. Ground units gather now, we leave immediately!" ordered Jiang Fei, not wanting to take any risks.

"Yes, Captain!" 0541 instantly performed the request.

Sarila's notification came in seconds later from Meteor, "Ah Fei, incoming transmission from the Violet Fleet!"

"Patch it through!" commanded Jiang Fei while sending his ground troops off the fortress.

"Affirmative!"

As Sarila spoke, the hologram of a young officer appeared in front of Jiang Fei.

"Sir, why are we evacuating? Are there any threats nearby?" asked the communication officer.

"No time to explain, leave if you want to live!"

Jiang Fei spared no effort on any explanation. Besides, 0541's predictions were too exaggerated for anyone to believe.

The communication officer was instructed to reply with these exact words, "Sir, we cannot simply abandon our post without an official command to evacuate."

"It's your funeral. No one will stop you from your death!"

Tainted by the black malice, Jiang Fei did not care much about others. They had been informed and notified. If they wanted to die, then so be it.

Bison walked towards Jiang Fei. "Sir, everyone has returned to Meteor. We should leave now."

Jiang Fei nodded. "Alright! 0541, beam us back!"

Him and Bison were the last to return to Meteor. The second they arrived, Jiang Fei immediately commanded, "0541, prepare for warp, leave the Alpha Sector!"

"Affirmative, sir!" replied 0541, powering up the warp engine right away.

A transmission from the Violet Fleet was played through the sound system, "Master Jiang Fei, without a direct command from a higher ranked officer, you cannot abandon the battlefield at your own will!"

"You are welcome to stay and die, I have better things to do!" Jiang Fei sneered. He turned to 0541, "Begin to warp!"

"Yes, Captain!"

0541 activated the warp engine and Meteor phased into another space.

"Damn it! I knew these surrendered soldiers can't be trusted! Just because he has some connections, he thinks he can simply join any side he wants!" said the commanding officer of the Violet Fleet.

Young and formidable, he despised people with connections, such as Jiang Fei. Watching Jiang Fei flee with Meteor was unbearable for him!