The historical logs of Epoch Zero didn’t begin with poetic hymns or mythological tales of ancient chaos.
They began with cold, precise building specifications, documented in the clean, utilitarian language of an advanced great realm that had mastered the physical constants of reality. The lines of amber text scrolled across the green glowing screen. Then, Lin Tao’s test sight array translated the ancient Precursor script directly into his visual cortex.
The date was stamped in sky-high sidereal cycles. One billion, four hundred and eighteen million, nine hundred and twenty thousand years before the present era.
Lin Tao read the project charter with a calm, analytical gaze, his pulse steady at fifty-two beats per minute.
“Read it aloud, Master Lin,” Old Man Geng urged softly. He stepped closer to the stone stand while keeping a respectful distance from the glowing display. “Tell us what the ancient ancestors wrote when they raised the sky.”
“They weren’t our ancestors, Geng,” Lin Tao said, his voice flat, steady, and cold and exact. “And they didn’t raise the sky out of benevolence or divine love. They were researchers conducting a long-term experiment on energy smooth speed.”
Tie Shan folded his massive arms across his chest, his brow furrowing as he listened. “An experiment on what?”
