The Only Player in ‘Child of Stardust’
Chapter 268 - 184 Two Hundred Years

Chapter 268: Chapter 184 Two Hundred Years

Two hours later.

Zhou Yuan, combining all the intelligence he had at hand, made preliminary preparations for the various anomaly events they might enter.

Looking at the few selected anomaly events, he remarked, "For some reason, I have a strong feeling that once we’re fully prepared, we’ll definitely avoid these anomaly events."

"I think so too." Fang Qing nodded in agreement.

With Zhou Yuan’s luck, it was pretty likely.

·

"Guangxi, I’m about to enter the quest dungeon."

"Huh? I’ll come right back."

Chen Guangxi rushed back from the comic convention after receiving the call. "What’s going on?"

Zhou Yuan briefly explained, and then extended an invitation: "Do you want to join?"

Chen Guangxi saw through Zhou Yuan’s little scheme and said, smiling, "I know you’re eager, but it’s a bit too early for a date, don’t you think?

Besides, the task force just received orders to station near the Cave Heaven Blessed Land early tomorrow morning."

"I see..." Zhou Yuan felt a sense of regret. Teaming up for a dungeon was the best way to strengthen relationships and build bonds.

A few hours later, nearing midnight.

Zhou Yuan drew the curtains, turned off the lights in his room, and lay on the bed, quietly waiting for the teleportation time.

Chen Guangxi sat nearby, curious to see what the teleportation process looked like.

As the time approached, Zhou Yuan began to count down:

"Five, four..."

"Safe travels, I’ll treat you to a meal when you get back." Chen Guangxi said.

"Don’t jinx it, big sister!"

As soon as Zhou Yuan’s terrified words fell, he instantly disappeared.

Chen Guangxi raised an eyebrow in astonishment: "Such a sophisticated spatial teleportation, you wouldn’t notice it unless you were staring directly at it.

Is this the Divine Artifact..."

·

When Zhou Yuan opened his eyes again, his dark vision immediately adjusted to the darkness, revealing that he was lying in a long-abandoned hibernation pod.

The state of disrepair was evident from the dust-covered glass and the lack of any operational indicators inside. The energy seemed to have long been depleted.

Zhou Yuan transitioned to ghost form, stood up from the hibernation pod, and looked around his environment.

It was a long-abandoned church, with scattered and broken pews, all covered in dust and cobwebs.

The once exquisite frescoes had faded and blurred; the wall plaster peeled away, exposing the bricks underneath. The stained glass windows were shattered, leaving only empty frames.

A huge hole in the church roof was directly above the hibernation pod.

It indicated that the pod had fallen from the sky.

Through the hole in the roof, he could see the pitch-black sky outside.

"Since two hundred years ago, this world has lost the sun, the moon, and the stars. All light from the stars vanished. When people look up at the universe, they see only endless darkness."

The abandoned church was dust-covered and overgrown with weeds, which had grown to Zhou Yuan’s thigh, suggesting no creatures had been there for a long time.

"Seriously, buddy, how do these plants grow so lushly without sunlight?"

Zhou Yuan had some basic knowledge; sunlight was crucial for plant growth, as it enabled photosynthesis, allowing them to produce enough organic matter to support their growth and development.

Although some plants could survive in low-light conditions, their growth rate would significantly slow down...

These weeds clearly defied common sense.

Had they mutated?

Zhou Yuan exited ghost form and carefully sensed the environment.

"Temperature is 25 degrees Celsius, humidity around 40%, with a slight breeze. The air has no significant toxins or harmful substances, and its overall composition is similar to the real world..."

Overall, it was a very suitable environment for humans and living beings.

Of course, the inhabitants here might not necessarily be human...

This was interesting. Without the sun, where did the heat come from? Was it geothermal? But Zhou Yuan couldn’t detect significant geothermal energy...

He grabbed a handful of weeds and placed them in his inventory for detailed inspection.

"Name: Night Grass"

"Notes: This is a mutated evolutionary herbaceous plant that can survive and thrive in no-light environments, genetically modified for direct consumption or to make grass cakes."

They were edible?

Zhou Yuan was astonished.

"Genetic modification and hibernation pods... This world possesses some level of technological advancement."

Zhou Yuan turned his attention to the hibernation pod. It was of high quality, having fallen from the sky with minimal damage; even the glass lacked a single crack.

On the side, he found a scratched logo, clearly the manufacturer’s mark, but he couldn’t recognize the script.

It wasn’t any script from Earth.

Fortunately, the Eyes of Identification provided a hint:

"This hibernation pod was produced by the Haibolong Technology Company, production date: 9885, month 14, day 5.

Service initiation date: 9886, month 1, day 1.

Destruction date: 10570, month 5, day 3.

Total users: 0."

Zhou Yuan remained silent.

Alright, he could confirm that this was indeed not an anomaly event from earlier intelligence, but a brand-new anomaly world.

"The time between the hibernation pod’s initiation and destruction spanned 700 years, and additional time passed beyond that... Based on the dust layer’s thickness, the timeline spanned about three to five years."

Zhou Yuan noted these time clues and, in the spirit of seizing everything, stored the damaged hibernation pod into his inventory, thinking he might discover new technologies by disassembling it later.

He continued to explore the church, looking for useful information.

Soon, Zhou Yuan found many shattered statue fragments, likely broken due to the hibernation pod’s fall.

All signs indicated that there had been no biological activity near the church even before the hibernation pod fell.

After using the Lesser Restoration Skill to repair, Zhou Yuan obtained a humanoid female statue.

The woman wore a long dress, her hair reaching down to her feet, her face veiled, with a calm and gentle expression. She held her arms open, as if embracing a child.

Intricate symbols, some clearly related to the moon, were engraved on her dress.

Zhou Yuan raised an eyebrow suspiciously: "Could this be a goddess?"

"Name: Statue of the Goddess Night"

"Notes: As eternal night descended, more people became followers of the night, creating the Church of the Eternal Night out of nothing. They overthrew the statues of the Golden Sun and spread the Goddess’s grace across the land.

During prolonged darkness, people needed spiritual sustenance and solace; otherwise, they’d inevitably despair and go mad."

"Hmm... Seems like it isn’t a true goddess but a religion created by the natives. No idea if any supernatural power exists."

Zhou Yuan pocketed the statue and, after thoroughly looting the church, left satisfied.

Upon exiting the church, he faced a world in darkness and ruins.

Ruined tall buildings stood desolate, roads cracked into irregular pieces, bridges crumbled into rubble, and burned cars left only charred frames. Lush vegetation clambered over every corner.

It was a post-apocalyptic wasteland scene, where human civilization had perished.

Suddenly, Zhou Yuan heard a commotion in the distance.

Someone was running, running for their life.

Behind them followed a series of chaotic footsteps... Thirteen large beasts.