Chapter 200: The Grand Unified Field
Chapter 200: The Grand Unified Field
This was no ordinary beam attack.
It was a beam of antimatter accelerated within an intense magnetic field.
The instant it struck a target, it annihilated all matter in its path and released the entirety of that matter’s energy.
The resulting explosion then caused immense secondary destruction throughout the surrounding area.
Against an antimatter beam, no form of matter could offer any meaningful defense except a powerful magnetic field.
Once struck, destruction was inevitable.
In theory, Caelum could destroy the sun with a single shot.
However, that would require releasing an unimaginable quantity of antimatter.
Anything less would barely amount to scratching its surface.
"Next is the dimensional ascension test."
"Begin recording all data."
The quantum terminal on his wrist recognized the voice command and immediately activated the eleven dimensional device hidden within subspace.
Caelum’s figure flickered once.
Then he vanished.
He had entered another dimension.
Within that dimension, Caelum existed in an extremely strange form.
His human body was gone.
Every part of him had transformed into an unknown form of matter.
The substance was unimaginably small, allowing him to pass through any object.
Walls and solid ground in the three dimensional world were meaningless before him.
If he wished, he could remove an object from a sealed container without damaging the container itself.
His figure flickered again.
Caelum shifted to another frequency and entered a different dimension in an instant.
This time, he could see the relationships between all matter.
Every connection took the form of a visible line.
Those lines linked together and formed an entire world of relationships.
In simple terms, logical connections had become tangible.
He changed frequencies once more.
Caelum entered a third dimension.
"What should I eat today?"
"The weather is wonderful."
"Watch out!"
"I think I will propose tomorrow."
"I think I forgot to close the door."
"Where did that boy Derek run off to?"
In an instant, a vast torrent of disordered information flooded Caelum’s consciousness.
Only then did he realize that this dimension was filled with matter carrying the information of thought.
Here, he could read the thoughts of everyone.
Unfortunately, the process could not be controlled.
Caelum could not distinguish useful information from meaningless noise.
Nor could he filter or sort any of it.
After only a brief moment, the flood of chaotic thoughts felt as though it would tear his consciousness apart.
He hurriedly escaped the dimension of thought and returned to the three dimensional world.
At the final instant before he left, one fragment of thought carrying overwhelming despair entered his mind.
"Do not attempt to touch the unified field. A higher dimensional observer civilization is dangerous."
Caelum drew a deep breath.
He held his forehead and remained still for a long time before finally recovering.
Unless absolutely necessary, he never wanted to enter the thought dimension again.
Had he remained any longer, the endless flood of disordered information might have torn apart his personality and memories.
He asked the quantum terminal, "Did you record the information from that final dimension?"
An electronic voice answered.
"The entire process was recorded. However, I apologize. The data is completely disordered and cannot be analyzed. I believe it belongs to a dimension beyond my understanding."
Caelum recalled the final fragment of thought.
"Do not attempt to touch the unified field. A higher dimensional observer civilization is dangerous."
Judging by the structure of the message, that was most likely the intended meaning.
"The unified field..."
There were four fundamental forces in the universe.
Gravity.
Electromagnetism.
The strong nuclear force.
The weak nuclear force.
Humanity had long attempted to discover and prove a theory capable of unifying all four forces.
That theory was known as the grand unified field theory.
To touch the unified field was to touch the ultimate nature of the universe.
In pursuit of that goal, humanity had proposed string theory.
According to string theory, the most basic units of the universe were not particles, but one dimensional strings.
Different vibrations of those strings formed different fundamental particles.
Those particles then formed every type of matter in existence.
In that way, string theory unified all particles at their most fundamental level.
The String Force Field Device unlocked by the next stage of Caelum’s technology tree was based on this very principle.
It used strings to unify the four fundamental forces.
However, judging from what he had just learned, he could not build it immediately.
Suppose a more advanced observer civilization truly existed.
Then the universe Caelum inhabited might be nothing more than a sandbox in their hands.
The unified field could be a boundary they had drawn.
Any civilization that crossed it would be destroyed.
If that were true, constructing the String Force Field Device would be extremely dangerous.
Of course, Caelum would not accept the warning without proof.
He would verify the existence of the observer civilization in his own way.
If it truly existed, he needed to determine how advanced it was.
He also needed to discover how it could be resisted.
As long as Caelum did not construct the String Force Field Device and did not openly draw attention to himself, he should remain unnoticed.
That meant he was still safe.
The universe was vast and contained countless civilizations.
An observer civilization could not possibly watch every civilization individually.
It would most likely respond only when a particular signal appeared.
The String Force Field Device was precisely the sort of signal that could attract its attention.
Caelum’s method of verification was to secretly cultivate other civilizations.
If those civilizations reached the unified field without being destroyed, then the observer civilization likely did not exist.
To reduce the risk of error, it would be better to cultivate several such puppet civilizations.
If none of them suffered any consequences, Caelum would no longer need to restrain himself.
If no observer civilization existed, then Caelum would become the true observer.
Moment asked, "Do you intend to support the Farstar civilization as a puppet?"
Caelum rejected the idea.
"Farstar is too close to us. If it attracts the attention of the observer civilization, Aquora will find it difficult to escape. The risk is too great."
With that single sentence, Caelum sentenced the Farstar civilization to death.
Moment asked again, "What is the plan for the next stage?"
Caelum replied, "I need to train a group of warriors. Every one of them will be equipped with a Hyperdimensional System."
"Whether we conquer the stars or cultivate puppet civilizations, we will need powerful combatants."
"How many people?"
"One thousand."
"In that case, I recommend these candidates."
Interfaces unfolded in midair.
In an instant, Moment selected the most suitable individuals.
Edrick stood at the top of the list.
He had always been absolutely loyal to Caelum.
Candidate profiles continued flashing across the display.
At one point, Caelum’s gaze stopped on Ivy.
He removed her from the list.
Moment said, "As a warrior, she has demonstrated considerable courage."
"I know. But courage is not why I would choose her."
Three years had passed since Moment released the nanorobots.
By now, the entire surface of Aquora lay within their surveillance network.
There was no way Caelum could have failed to notice Ivy’s existence.
The reason for rejecting her was simple.
She was a player.
Players possessed no true loyalty.
That remained true even though Ivy had fought with exceptional bravery on the western battlefield and earned considerable military merit.