Chapter Five: Highs and Lows

“How… how could this be?!”

Even the two who had remained relatively composed before now showed unmistakable panic in their eyes.

Lian Feng’s breath came quickly as her delicate hands flew over the keyboard, the clatter echoing sharply. Yet no matter what she did, the screen remained blank—there wasn’t even a single emoticon left.

After a long while of fruitless effort, both Du Kao and Lian Feng sucked in a cold breath, exchanging a glance that spoke volumes of their unease.

They knew—this was serious trouble.

Beside them, Du Qiangwei seemed to sense something wrong but still couldn’t help asking, “What’s going on?”

Du Kao and Lian Feng remained silent, a silence heavy with helplessness.

Lian Feng’s beautiful face was etched with guilt and bitterness, her voice tinged with sorrow: “It appears we’ve lost all access to the power of the galaxy.”

Her guilt was palpable; after all, she had been in charge of the genetic engineering of the Black Wall, including the modification and enhancement of the galactic power.

But she truly didn’t understand why her access to the galactic power had suddenly vanished.

First of all, logically, Ge Xiaolun couldn’t have the capability to cause this.

So... had another godly civilization secretly contacted Ge Xiaolun?

But their surveillance over Ge Xiaolun was thorough.

For a moment, the hall fell into a deathly silence—so quiet one could hear a pin drop.

The atmosphere, heavy and tense, even stilled the usually headstrong Du Qiangwei, who dared not speak recklessly.

“Lian Feng, are you sure it’s all of it?” Du Kao furrowed his brows. Though he saw Lian Feng’s defeat, he stubbornly asked.

Technically, he wasn’t as knowledgeable as she was.

“Even the most basic access to the galactic power’s dark-dimensional source address has failed. I have no idea what kind of force could silently accomplish such a thing.” For a moment, even the god-level civilization engineer was at a loss.

Every attempt met no response; their connection to the galactic power was completely severed.

All signals had vanished like a stone sinking into the ocean.

But she believed that even the strongest god-level civilizations wouldn’t seize all access to the galactic power without their knowledge.

She bowed her head in deep remorse. “It’s all my fault. If only I had kept constant watch over the galactic power, this wouldn’t have happened…”

This sudden crisis erupted on an otherwise calm night, on the eve of a brewing storm.

The galactic power had suddenly gone dark.

---

Smart as she was, Lian Feng had already considered the worst outcome.

At this moment, Du Kao waved his hand decisively, his voice grave: “Now is not the time to assign blame. Besides, this can’t be entirely your fault.”

He knew Lian Feng had been busy preparing the Black Wall and couldn’t have monitored the galactic power’s backend data every moment.

Moreover, the Deno-3 system had basic monitoring over the galactic power’s backend; the signal was cut off instantly, so it couldn’t be blamed on Lian Feng’s negligence.

“Our priority now is to locate Ge Xiaolun himself, then determine where the problem lies.” Du Kao, once the supreme commander of the Nox Star, remained calm under pressure and swiftly issued orders.

“Lian Feng, try to pinpoint Ge Xiaolun’s exact location first. Then, A-Jie, Qiangwei, we all go find him.”

“Also, contact Teacher Rui to check if it’s a technical issue, and if necessary…” Du Kao trailed off, knowing he had exhausted all available measures.

But no matter what, the galactic power’s location must be found first—even if it might be impossible.

Upon hearing this, Lian Feng hurriedly began her operations. “All access methods have failed; we can’t directly locate Ge Xiaolun… wait, what? The SkyNet system shows he’s back at his shop!”

She spoke in disappointment, then suddenly lit up with excitement.

Pointing at a surveillance feed, she quickly looked to General Du Kao.

“This is… good! Great!”

Du Kao was momentarily stunned, staring at the image Lian Feng indicated.

Inside a coffee shop, Ge Xiaolun was leisurely sipping coffee under the moonlight.

Beside him, a breathtakingly beautiful young woman nestled against his arm, gazing at him with deep affection.

Amid the bustling night scene of Grand Canyon City, the moment seemed so romantic and perfect.

Du Kao couldn’t help but feel a surge of joy, applauding enthusiastically, though some doubt lingered in his mind.

Despite the suddenness of the event, their instinctive conclusions weren’t baseless.

Given the circumstances, their greatest fear—and what they considered most likely—was that Ge Xiaolun had been secretly contacted by another god-level civilization, which had severed their access to the galactic power and taken Ge Xiaolun.

Perhaps the Solar Flame, New Deno, or even angelic or demonic entities.

If that were the case, there was little they could do. Earth would have irrevocably lost the galactic power.

Though Earth possessed some strength, it would be insignificant against a true god-level civilization.

Even if they discovered the culprit and tried to negotiate, as long as Ge Xiaolun claimed voluntary cooperation, their power would be insufficient to contest the galactic power.

---

Yet, unexpectedly, just when all hope seemed lost and all measures might prove futile, Ge Xiaolun was right there—calm and unbothered.

Such wild swings of fortune and emotion.

Du Kao barely had time to process this before, with excitement and urgency, he issued orders:

“Lian Feng, A-Jie, Qiangwei.”

“Depart immediately. I’ll contact Teacher Liu to prepare for any contingencies.”

At this moment, Du Kao couldn’t determine the cause of the galactic power’s blackout, nor if a god-level civilization was involved, or if it was some unforeseen accident.

He only wanted to control the situation and first ensure the galactic power’s safety.

Time was of the essence!

“Yes, General.”

Upon hearing his command, Lian Feng rose quickly, ready to take Du Qiangwei and Jace through a wormhole to Ge Xiaolun’s shop.

But the next second, they suddenly paused, all eyes fixed on the surveillance feed.

Ge Xiaolun, at some unknown moment, had looked directly into the camera monitoring them, his gaze calm, voice even:

“You just tried to access my backend, and now you’re spying on my shop’s surveillance. You must be the same group.

I know you’re probably eager to come quickly, but I’m about to sleep. If you insist on disturbing me before I wake, then I suppose there’s nothing left to discuss between us.”

As his words ended, the screen went black.

In the darkness of the monitor, four faces mirrored the same stunned expression.

Du Kao and the others stood frozen, staring at the camera, speechless.

So much had happened tonight.

Thrilling moments, false alarms, emotions swinging wildly.

Yet what left them bewildered now was the galactic power itself—the power that had just awakened the day before, meant for a rookie super soldier, the galactic power they had instinctively thought was under their control, now seemed to have slipped beyond their expectations.

And…

much more.

After a long silence, Du Qiangwei crossed her arms and clicked her tongue. “This guy’s pretty sharp…”