Chapter 158

In the 118th year of the Star Dome Calendar, the Forgefire Embryo Starship, like a drop of morning dew merging into a forest, hung above the "Tree of Life" — a symbiotic entity co-constructed by the twelve great civilizations. This immense tree, rooted in the web coordinates, had already grown a trunk three hundred meters high. Its trunk, composed of the Flameheart Clan’s lava, was entwined with veins of the Mist Clan’s water curtains, while every leaf of the Stardust Race’s light dust performed cross-dimensional photosynthesis. At the base, the "Root System Core" extended into the depths of the universe at superluminal speeds, sketching complex genetic maps within the dark matter space. Chen Feng pressed his palm against the biological docking screen on the bridge, feeling the heartbeat of the Tree of Life. Suddenly, the fluorescent monitoring belt in the root region erupted in blinding red light. Black, necrotic spots emerged on the surface of the previously crystalline roots, spreading rapidly like a malignant tumor. "The root system is experiencing abnormal proliferation!" Su Yuhan’s voice trembled. "A retro-evolutionary mutation has occurred in the symbiotic gene chain; the Flameheart Clan’s lava genes are devouring the Mist Clan’s water curtain genes. This is... self-destructive fusion!" Liu Ruyan’s alarm sounded amidst the muffled cracking of wood: "The root system’s gravitational field is manifesting! 'Symbiotic Usurpers' have appeared. Their bodies are composed of …