Lu Ren asked, "Qingxu, do you know where this Alternate Space Passage leads to?"
Qingxu replied, "Through waveform detection, it's been found that behind the space passage there is a land, with many unknown giant creatures surrounding the space passage. Recently, due to pollution energy reaching a certain concentration, it seems to have triggered some mechanism, showing a trend of gradual expansion."
Lu Ren's expression changed slightly, "How big are the creatures inside?"
"The smallest among them is around one hundred and thirty meters."
Qingxu's voice remained calm, as if his artificial intelligence had no emotions.
"Through forty-eight years of continuous measurement, they have been attempting to come through the space passage, but the passage is too narrow to accommodate them. They can only circle around it, trying to find an opportunity to come through.
After dozens of consecutive probes, I have sufficient reason to speculate that the released pollution energy was manufactured by one of them."
Listening to Qingxu, Lu Ren's heart shook. If what Qingxu said is true, the cause of extinction in this Otherworldly dimension was solely the pollution energy created by one of the giant unknown creatures.
"Humans are truly fragile."
Lu Ren couldn't help but mutter.
"Indeed." Qingxu gave an impartial evaluation.
Xi Yuang, nearby, felt a bit annoyed.
"What do you mean by fragile? We humans are not fragile at all. Where is the extinction? Can't you see us two living people standing here?!"
Lu Ren couldn't help but say, "Are you suggesting that the two of us, a man and a woman, can create a new race?"
The intelligent Qingxu calmly responded, "Super Commander, I'm sorry to inform you that the two of you have reproductive isolation restrictions, which makes it difficult."
"Huh?"
Two voices of surprise sounded simultaneously, as Xi Yuang walked beside Lu Ren, looking shocked, "Has this world already been polluted to such an extent?"
Lu Ren frowned and pushed Xi Yuang away, feeling speechless. He could only remain silent. After all, he came from another world. Perhaps due to subtle environmental factors in space, humans in this world may appear similar on the outside but have undergone essential genetic changes within.
Thus causing reproductive isolation.
Curious, Lu Ren asked, "Where do you think I'm different from Xi Yuang?"
Qingxu replied, "Through recent fingerprint and iris verification, DNA sequence binding mechanisms have been extracted from the fingerprints left during validation. Fundamentally, although your DNA is ninety-nine percent similar, that one percent difference makes your appearance the same, but essential differences exist, resulting in reproductive isolation. Commander Lu Ren, you should have lived in an area distinct from the overall environment of this world, and such fundamental changes take at least five hundred thousand years to happen."
Lu Ren felt speechless, "So you're saying this started back when we were still monkeys."
Qingxu paused, then emitted a series of self-check noises.
"Confidential files verification, permission granted, authorization confirmed."
"Commander Lu Ren, through comparisons of human underlying genetic sequences, it is confirmed that humanity's ancestors were essentially monkeys. However, they did not evolve through world evolution but underwent a sudden evolution mutation within a century, transforming into humans. We have reason to speculate that during that time, a group of monkeys might have come into contact with something, maybe a food item, a stone, or something else, which triggered the evolutionary mutation."
Lu Ren: "Ever considered it was an alien civilization casually altering Earth?"
"That probability is no less than fifty percent, but it's still uncertain as we are still working on tracing the origin. Due to the spread of pollution energy and humanity's extinction crisis, such work has been halted."
Ambiguous without any concrete conclusion.
With technological development and new insights, many former beliefs can be overturned.
These are things to be discussed later. Lu Ren did not want to delve too deeply into this topic, given the two worlds, and though tens of thousands of years ago their timelines might have been the same, they diverged into forks, heading who knows where.
Well, if we were to explain this through the multiverse theories seen in movies or novels, it would make sense either way.
Speaking of reproductive isolation...
Lu Ren's gaze unconsciously assessed Xi Yuang.
Xi Yuang was suddenly covered in goosebumps.
"What are you thinking about?"
Lu Ren's expression was flat, his voice showing no fluctuations.
"I'm thinking about some things I find interesting."
"I think what you're thinking is somewhat perverse."
"Heh, woman, your mind is so filthy."
By the time Xi Yuang returned from the office area with blueprints and planned their route following Qingxu's suggestions, two hours had passed.
The center of the base houses sixty-three pollution creatures, and by Qingxu's explanation, these pollution creatures have survived the initial battles and divided their territory accordingly. This indirectly confirms that in each area, we will only encounter one pollution creature, so as long as we don't charge recklessly, we won't face a siege.
With a power comparison and Qingxu's advice, Xi Yuang barely finished the line planning map.
Lu Ren shared a canned meal from his backpack with Xi Yuang. After eating, Xi Yuang wiped his mouth and said, "When should we head over?"
Lu Ren asked, surprised, "Do I have to go too?"
Xi Yuang was shocked, "Are you planning to let me go alone?"
Lu Ren reached out and patted Xi Yuang's shoulder seriously, "For such matters of world-saving, I think one savior is enough. I can serve as support personnel, leading you forward. Don't you feel this kind of division can make you excited with enthusiasm?"
"Ha? Excited, where?" Xi Yuang replied, puffing angrily, "You just don't want to go!"
Lu Ren: "Saving the world singlehandedly from flood and fire, once this world is saved, you will surely become a hero and be remembered by everyone!"
Qingxu stepped in to throw cold water, "I'm sorry, Commander Lu Ren, but the Haizhou City underground experimental center base is classified information. Everything happening inside will be sealed and must not be revealed to the public."
Lu Ren was somewhat displeased, "You're refuting me, but how was the information about this space passage released at first?"
"The collaborating party initially leaked the information. Pressured by public opinion, the former commander had to release authority and step in to guide."
Lu Ren sighed, looking at Xi Yuang with big eyes staring straight at him.
"Alright Xi Yuang, a hero without a name is still a hero. People will remember!"
Xi Yuang sounded disappointed, "You just don't want to go after saying so much, right?"
Lu Zhong nodded definitively, "Correct!"
Ten minutes later, Lu Ren, with somewhat complex emotions on their face, and Xi Yuang, full of smiles, stood at a corridor corner, looking at a pollution creature wandering aimlessly at the elevator exit.
It wasn't that Lu Ren agreed to go just because someone said so, but the pollution energy density was increasing, and staying here wouldn't end differently from these pollution creatures. Besides, Qingxu, under Xi Yuang's higher-level instruction, stubbornly refused to unveil another exit.
More crucially, according to Qingxu, perhaps within twenty-four hours the space passage will begin expanding, allowing creatures from the opposite world to come over.
If Xi Yuang insists on going, and somehow provokes the space passage, leading the creatures to tear through, it may cause a space storm that would utterly destroy the entire city. The ripple effect would radiate across the continent, and if the pollution energy's restrictions lift, it would spread like a runaway horse, polluting the entire continent. At that time, the high concentration pollution source would instantly infect everyone.
So is the choice to kill Xi Yuang, or to face reproductive isolation first… can't this hurdle be overcome?!!!
Killing Xi Yuang bears no significance. Without taking action, this is undoubtedly a dead end.
Unless Lu Ren can run to the pole of this planet within twenty-four hours.
In essence, a choice between surviving by shutting it down, regardless of his presence here.
Rather than a tougher scenario, take advantage of the current simpler difficulty level to shut it down.
Additionally, through observation, he found that compared to rigorous training, he gained much more skill level during combat.
This is somewhat vexing.
Should he hide, or break through continuously?
Lu Ren found himself itching, even nostalgic for the heightened skill level's immediate feedback during battle, the exhilaration of strength enhancement.
Moreover, after confirming through surveillance that the monsters below were within acceptable limits, it offered Lu Ren motivation for practice.