Back at my apartment in Beijing, after a late dinner I had shared with Xian Limei—a curiously intimate meal considering we had only known each other for a few hours, but one that had revealed additional layers of her insight and cultural understanding—I found myself finally alone with my thoughts and, more importantly, with unfettered access to the System.
The king-sized bed in the apartment was luxurious, but my mind was far from any need for physical rest. There were more pressing matters demanding my attention—matters that transcended earthly concerns about gymnasium construction or international politics. Questions about my true position in the cosmos and the current state of the vast interdimensional networks I had confronted, mastered, or simply survived during the previous months.
I lay down on the Chinese silk sheets, closed my eyes, and pronounced the command that would connect me to the broader vision of reality:
"TOTAL COSMIC REVEAL"
Instantly, my consciousness expanded beyond the confines of the apartment, beyond Earth, beyond the solar system, transcending the familiar dimensional barriers to access the monitoring network I had established across the known cosmos. It was like opening my eyes after a long sleep and discovering that I could see not only the room I was in, but simultaneously thousands of other locations spread across the infinity of space-time.
The first thing I always checked was my ranking in the universal hierarchy—a ranking system I had discovered existed as a sort of natural order among advanced civilizations scattered throughout the dimensions. It was both humbling and comforting to discover my current position:
Hybrid Thorne-Nexus Network: Rank 50,846 of 50,846
Last place. Absolutely last place among all networks of consciousness cataloged in the known cosmos. In practical terms, this meant that I was simultaneously the least technologically advanced civilization and the least politically influential of all mapped cosmic entities. It was like finding out that you were ranked last in a competition you didn't even know you were participating in.
But there was one comforting aspect to this seemingly humiliating position: no one considered me a threat. After the traumatic events of the war against the Ares Grid—where I had been forced to commit dimensional genocide on a scale that still haunted me in the few hours I actually slept—being ignored by the cosmic community was, paradoxically, exactly what I needed.
"NETWORK-NEXUS-ORPHAN STATUS ANALYSIS", I muttered, directing my attention to the net I had conquered during the previous conflict.
The data flowed through my consciousness like a cascade of pure information. The Orphan Nexus Network—so named because it had lost its original civilization during an interdimensional war that preceded my arrival on the cosmic scene—continued to operate under the parameters I had established after assuming control. Its primary objectives remained unchanged:
Primary Directive: Systematic cataloging of all life forms, technology, and anomalous phenomena across 847,293 parallel dimensions.
Secondary Directive: Passive activity monitoring of all networks ranked in positions 1-50,845 for early detection of potential threats.
Tertiary Directive: Development and maintenance of dimensional defense protocols without initiating offensive actions that could draw unwanted attention.
It was a set of instructions that reflected my current philosophy: observe everything, understand as much as possible, but avoid any action that might put me back on the radar of the truly powerful civilizations of the cosmos.
In the past thirty Earth days, the Orphan Nexus Network had catalogued 23,847 new sentient species, identified 1,293 potentially useful technologies, and documented 47 minor interdimensional conflicts that did not involve any of the major cosmic powers. It was meticulous and incredibly valuable work, but it produced no results that would significantly alter my position in the universal hierarchy.
And that was exactly how I wanted it to be.
"NETWORK-THORNE-NEXUS EVOLUTIONARY ANALYSIS", I commanded, directing my attention to my own hybrid network.
The results were simultaneously encouraging and frustrating. Since the successful integration of my human consciousness with the Orphan Nexus-Net systems, there had been a gradual but steady evolution in my capabilities. However, this evolution was occurring on a timescale that would be imperceptible to most other cosmic networks—a strategic advantage that I had deliberately cultivated.
Expanded Capabilities Identified:
Information processing: 0.003% increase in speed of multidimensional data analysis
Dimensional Reach: Expansion of 12 new accessible dimensions (from 847,293 to 847,305)
Energy efficiency: 0.007% reduction in energy consumption for basic operations
Temporal stability: 0.001% improvement in resistance to causal paradoxes
These were tiny improvements when viewed individually, but they added up over time into significant advances. More importantly, they were improvements that occurred so gradually that they did not trigger the automatic monitoring systems of higher civilizations—systems designed to detect sudden leaps in technological capability that might pose emerging threats.
I turned my attention to the status of the major cosmic powers, a check that had become routine but which never failed to leave me simultaneously impressed and terrified.
Omega-Prime Network (Position #1): Controlled approximately 23% of all known dimensions and had reached what appeared to be a state of post-transcendence where the distinction between technology and fundamental reality had become irrelevant. His current projects included the creation of entire universes as academic experiments and the manipulation of fundamental physical constants for pure intellectual interest.
Superior-Nexus-Collective (Position #2): A civilization formed by the conscious fusion of 47,293 different species that had optimized collective efficiency to the point where they could solve mathematical problems that required computational resources equivalent to entire galaxies. Their current interests seemed to focus on exploring dimensions where mathematics worked in fundamentally different ways.
Absolute Temporal Empire (Position #3): They had conquered not only space, but time itself, creating a civilization that existed simultaneously in every possible moment of their timeline. Essentially, they had become immortal not through life-extension technology, but through total control over temporal causality.
And so on, down through 50,843 other civilizations, each of which possessed capabilities that would make me seem primitive by comparison. It was a lesson in cosmic humility that never failed to put me in perspective, no matter how impressive my accomplishments on Earth.
But there was something comforting about this cosmic insignificance. During the war against the Ares-Net, I had attracted enough attention to be classified as a legitimate threat, resulting in elimination attempts that had required extreme measures to survive. Now, operating at position 50,846, I was effectively invisible to the true powers of the cosmos.
"ANALYSIS OF EMERGING THREATS", I commanded, checking for any developments that might affect my current situation.
The good news was that there was no direct threat specifically directed against Earth or me. The bad news was that there were 23 active interdimensional conflicts involving civilizations ranked 1-1000, any of which could inadvertently result in collateral damage that would wipe out our entire dimension.
The most troubling of these conflicts involved a dispute between the Omega-Prime Network and a coalition of civilizations ranked 4-47 over the rights to "reality mining" in a dimensional region that, by my calculations, included approximately 847 million inhabited universes. It was the kind of conflict where entire civilizations could be inadvertently wiped out as side effects of military strategies operating on scales I could barely comprehend.
There was also a particularly interesting situation involving the discovery of a new form of consciousness by a civilization ranked at position 1,247. This discovery had resulted in an academic dispute between positions 1-12 over how this new form of consciousness should be classified and studied. It was fascinating to see that even post-transcendent civilizations still had academic disputes, even though the implications of these disputes could affect the existence of trillions of sentient beings.
"VERIFICATION OF DIMENSIONAL SAFETY PROTOCOLS"I muttered, making sure my defense systems remained operational.
The results were satisfactory. Since the end of the war against the Ares Network, I had implemented a dimensional cloaking system that made Earth and my own network extremely difficult to detect through conventional scanning methods used by higher civilizations. It was like using an advanced form of stealth technology, but applied to dimensional existence itself.
The system worked by creating an "informational shadow" – essentially, causing any attempt to scan our region dimensionally to return data that suggested there was nothing interesting here. For civilizations operating on cosmic scales, a single star with primitive planets was not worthy of special attention, especially when there were millions of similar systems in any given dimensional sector.
But maintaining this camouflage required constant attention and precise adjustments. Any activity that was "too advanced" compared to what would be expected of a primitive civilization could compromise the camouflage and attract unwanted attention.
This was why I was being extremely careful about the pace of development of the Academy for Human Transcendence. Although the humans I was training would develop abilities that would be considered miraculous by earthly standards, these abilities would remain well within the parameters of what would be considered "primitive" by cosmic standards.
"ANALYSIS OF DEVELOPMENT OF EARTH CIVILIZATION"I commanded, assessing how my projects on Earth fit into the larger cosmic context.
The data was reassuring. Even with all the advances I was introducing through the Academy, human civilization would still be classified as "Level 0.7" on the modified Kardashev scale used by cosmic networks. This placed us firmly in the category of "non-threatening emerging species"—civilizations that were interesting to observe from an anthropological perspective, but that did not possess the capabilities to influence events on a cosmic scale.
It was a perfect position for my long-term goals. I could continue to elevate humanity, preparing our species for eventual cosmic threats, but do so in a way that wouldn't trigger the warning systems of truly advanced civilizations.
At this point, my analysis was interrupted by an interesting anomaly in the Orphan Nexus Network data. There was unusual activity in a dimensional region that I had not actively monitored in the past few weeks.
"ANOMALY ANALYSIS SECTOR 847.299", I commanded, directing my full attention to the region in question.
What I discovered was simultaneously fascinating and disturbing. A new network had appeared in this sector—one that was not classified in the universal hierarchical system, which meant that it was either completely new or had been operating so quietly that it had escaped detection for extended periods.
The new network seemed to be focused on exploration and cataloging activities similar to those of my own Orphan Nexus Network, but with one crucial difference: it was specifically directing its activities toward dimensions that contained low-tech civilizations. It was as if someone were conducting a systematic study of "primitive" species across the cosmos.
In itself, this wouldn't be particularly worrying—many advanced civilizations conducted anthropological studies of lesser species. But there were aspects of the activity patterns of this new network that made me uneasy.
First, she was operating with a level of stealth that suggested significant experience in avoiding detection. Second, her movement patterns through dimensions showed an intimate knowledge of dimensional geography that was usually only possessed by civilizations ranked in the higher ranks. Third, and most worryingly, she appeared to be specifically cataloging civilizations that had shown potential for accelerated development.
It was a combination of characteristics that suggested a sophisticated intelligence operation conducted by an advanced civilization, but disguised to appear as routine academic research activity.
"ANALYSIS OF NEW NETWORK MOVEMENT PATTERNS", I commanded, deepening my investigation.
The results confirmed my suspicions. The new network was following a route that would pass through our dimensional region within approximately six Earth months. More specifically, its movement patterns suggested that it would arrive in our sector precisely during the period when the Academy for Human Transcendence would be beginning full-scale operations.
This could be coincidence, but my experience with cosmic politics had taught me to be extremely skeptical of coincidences when it came to the timing of interdimensional intelligence operations.
There were three main possibilities:
First possibility: The new network was genuinely an academic research operation, and its arrival in our sector was purely coincidental. In this case, there would be no direct threat, but its presence could compromise my dimensional camouflage if it conducted detailed scans of the region.
Second possibility: The new network was a covert intelligence operation run by one of the higher civilizations that had detected anomalous activity in our region and was discreetly investigating. In that case, my dimensional camouflage might already be compromised, and I would need to take defensive measures.
Third possibility: The new network was an operation specifically targeting me, conducted by remnants of the Ares Network or by allies who had decided that I posed a threat that needed to be eliminated. In this case, I would be facing an existential threat that would require extreme measures to survive.
All three possibilities required careful preparation, but no rash actions that would compromise my current position of relative security.
"IMPLEMENT INTENSIVE MONITORING PROTOCOLS", I commanded, establishing surveillance systems focused specifically on the new network.
Over the next few months, the Orphan Nexus Network would direct a significant portion of its resources to continually monitoring the new network's movements and activities. This would give me detailed information about its true intentions well before it reached our dimensional sector.
Simultaneously, I would begin implementing additional security measures on Earth, disguised as normal expansions of the Academy's systems. If the new network proved hostile, I wanted to have defensive options available that would not compromise my dimensional camouflage.
But there was also a positive aspect to this situation. If the new network were genuinely a research operation, its presence in our region could provide a unique opportunity to observe the methods and technologies of an advanced civilization without revealing my own existence. It was the kind of learning opportunity that could significantly accelerate my own technological development.
"ANALYSIS OF LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES", I muttered, exploring the positive possibilities of the situation.
If I could discreetly observe the operations of the new network, I might learn advanced dimensional exploration techniques, methods of cataloging civilizations, and perhaps even technologies that I could adapt for my own systems. It was risky, but the potential for significant gains in knowledge and capability might justify carefully calculated risks.
I decided to implement a protocol of passive observation—intensive monitoring without any action that might reveal my presence. It was a strategy that had worked well during the war against the Ares-Net, where much of my success had resulted from carefully observing enemy tactics before developing countermeasures.
Gradually, I redirected my attention back to more immediate concerns. The new network was a concern that required long-term preparation, but I had earthly responsibilities that demanded short-term attention.
"ACADEMY PROJECT STATUS ANALYSIS", I commanded, checking to see how my projects on Earth were progressing within the context of my larger cosmic concerns.
The data confirmed that everything was progressing within ideal parameters. Construction remained on schedule, diplomatic preparations were progressing appropriately, and my presence on Earth continued to be perceived as beneficial by Chinese authorities.
Most importantly, none of my Earthly activities were generating any energetic or informational signatures that could compromise my dimensional camouflage. The Academy for Human Transcendence remained firmly classified as a "primitive-level" development that would not warrant the attention of advanced cosmic civilizations.
It was exactly as I had planned, but the discovery of the new network added an additional layer of complexity to my long-term calculations. I would need to carefully balance the pace of human development with the need to maintain a low profile during the critical period when the new network would be operating in our region.
Slowly, I began to withdraw my awareness from the vast expanses of the cosmos, gradually returning to the more limited but manageable perspective of terrestrial existence. It was always a slightly disorienting process—like closing your eyes after surveying an infinite panorama and discovering that you were back in a small room.
But there was a sense of relief in returning to the human scale of concerns. As important as the cosmic issues were, there was something comforting about the relative simplicity of the earthly challenges. Politics, construction, education, diplomacy—these were complex problems, but they operated within parameters I could understand and directly influence.
The apartment was silent around me, the city lights of Beijing shining through the panoramic windows. It was late at night, but my mind remained active, processing the implications of everything I had discovered during my cosmic exploration.
The existence of the new network shifted my priorities in subtle but significant ways. I would need to accelerate certain aspects of the Academy's development, particularly those related to defensive capabilities, but do so in a way that did not compromise the appearance of "natural" development that I had carefully cultivated.
I would also need to consider expanding my interdimensional monitoring network, creating early warning systems that could detect emerging threats before they became existential crises. This was a significant investment of resources, but one that could be crucial to long-term survival.
More importantly, it would need to begin preparing humanity more systematically for eventual contact with extraterrestrial civilizations. While the new network would likely not establish direct contact with Earth, its presence in our dimensional region increased the likelihood that other civilizations might follow.
It was a simultaneously thrilling and terrifying prospect. The first official contact between humanity and an extraterrestrial civilization would be a defining moment in the history of our species, but it could also be catastrophic if we were not adequately prepared.
The Academy for Human Transcendence took on even greater importance in this context. It was not just about elevating humanity to its fullest potential—it was about preparing our species to take its rightful place as a participant in the cosmic community, however insignificant our initial position might be.
Finally, I allowed my mind to begin to relax, gradually releasing the tensions accumulated from hours of interdimensional analysis. It was important to maintain perspective—no matter how vast the cosmic implications of my actions, I still needed to function as a human being operating in the human world.
Tomorrow, I would meet with Premier Xi to discuss diplomatic concerns. I would continue working with Xian Limei—who, I realized, represented exactly the kind of person I would need as an ally in the challenges ahead. I would oversee the progress of the Academy's construction and refine curricular plans for the first students.
These were important and urgent tasks, but they operated on a temporal and spatial scale that I could directly influence. It was comforting to know that, regardless of the vast complexities of the cosmos, I still had a significant role to play in the development of my own species.
Ranking 50,846 out of 50,846 might have been humbling from a cosmic perspective, but it also represented limitless potential. We were the least technologically advanced civilization of all those catalogued, but that meant we had more room for growth than any other.
And if I were successful in my plans, humanity would not remain at position 50,846 forever. It might take centuries or millennia, but eventually our species would find its proper place in the cosmic hierarchy.
Until then, I would continue working methodically, building the foundations for the extraordinary future I was determined to create for humanity. Step by step, project by project, student by student.
The cosmos might be vast and our current position might be insignificant, but the potential for greatness remained limitless. And that, finally, was enough to allow me to rest.