The Path to Lordship Begins in the North

Chapter 413 Gazing at what was merely an image, an echo of some being lingering on this photograph of the universe.

But Lind's gaze couldn't even focus on the shapes captured in the ever-enlarging cosmic photograph. When Lind subconsciously tried to see clearly, what he saw slipped past the edge of his mind like an endless tide, leaving only chaotic traces. Lind couldn't even determine whether this was his brain's subconscious protection or the effect of the hazmat suit he was wearing.

He has no eyes, no face, but all who see Him are certain that He is gazing upon them, without needing words, His will is imprinted on the depths of their hearts like cold iron.

His existence transcends dimensional boundaries, like a mad symphony, its melody distorted yet irresistible. Mortal reason is crushed by that invisible melody, and consciousness cracks like a mirror under His gaze.

His breath surged in like a tidal wave, bringing something worse than death—wisdom, extraordinary wisdom. In that instant, He infused knowledge into the fragile minds of mortals, not even with His will, but because by the time mortals understood what they saw, it was already too late.

Even through the screen, Lind could feel the distant gaze from the depths of the universe—humanity was being watched.

Then the scene shifts, from towering mountains to scorching deserts, from brightly lit cities to the silent depths of the ocean. All of humanity—regardless of wealth, status, language, or even ideology—pauses in that instant. Children put down their toys, workers stop their machines, and soldiers on the battlefield lay down their weapons. It's as if time has frozen over the entire earth, with only the rapid echoes of heartbeats and breaths, and everyone's consciousness seems to be struggling in a quagmire.

It was an indescribable oppression, like an endless deep sea pouring into everyone's consciousness in an instant. Everyone was exposed and defenseless, their deepest fears, desires, sins, and hopes were laid bare and mercilessly revealed under His unknowable gaze.

Perhaps this entity had no malicious intent, but it still happened, and everyone on Earth underwent a test of their will. It was formless and intangible, yet it struck the depths of everyone's will like a heavy hammer, and a frenzy of knowledge flooded into everyone's minds.

Coming back to his senses from the gaze, Linde vaguely understood why 550C never mentioned this part of history in the connection. Even through a photograph and a screen, Linde could feel that gaze. This gaze seemed to have completely transcended time and space. Even a simple mention could attract the attention of that being again. No one dared to gamble, and no one would gamble that gaze would descend across time and space once more.

What followed was like something out of a classic disaster horror movie: someone went mad, and this madness, like the mental plague Lind had previously known, spread among the people. The panic in the human world exacerbated the spread of this mental plague, and in an instant, the whole world realized that it was being watched by some indescribable, incomprehensible being, and the whole world fell into chaos.

Linde, inside the hazmat suit, took a deep breath. He felt as if he had just gone through a willpower check, but thankfully it was over. At that moment, 550C's voice rang out, bringing Linde back to reality.

"Please silently repeat your name, please silently repeat your name, please silently repeat your name."

Important things still need to be said three times.

The sound of the 550C was still a recording, still so noisy and distorted, but it gave Lind, who felt as if he had survived a catastrophe, an unprecedented sense of realism. However, Lind knew that the recording was far from over, because the legendary golden age had not yet arrived, and mankind had not yet begun to build the so-called Tower of Babel.

The movie continues on the screen, where cults and the apocalypse seem even more fitting. As the chaotic era arrives, those in a semi-mad state begin to emerge, claiming to have received knowledge from the depths of the universe. They say that the messengers of God will descend at some point to completely destroy Earth and then give it a new life.

There have been many classic doomsday prophecies throughout history, which reminded Linde of a certain rumor about 2012. However, during the time mentioned in that doomsday rumor, Linde only remembered that the weather was gloomy that day, and nothing else was different from usual.

However, the cultists on screen are different. They have actually gained some knowledge from that test of the will of all mankind. The so-called "messengers of God" will really descend upon Earth at a specific time.

However, it wasn't just the cultists who gained extraordinary knowledge from that test of will. In this chaos that led to the end of the world, the first country to stabilize was a certain Eastern power. When Linde saw this country appear, he could even feel the madness that had lingered in his mind from his contact with that being through the screen gradually dissipating.

If that existence is like a human being curious about ants on the roadside and pouring a bucket of water into the anthill, then the only good news is that the sugar content in that bucket of water is not low. This is both destruction and blessing.

Those who passed the test of willpower gained extraordinary knowledge in the process, and a certain great Eastern power took the lead in uniting these talents and began to forge ahead on this path toward despair.

They relied on a powerful state apparatus and unparalleled execution capabilities to integrate, utilize, and put this knowledge into production.

This country seems to have become accustomed to the end of the world, and even seems to be summarizing the collapse of civilization and planning to conduct experiments in the next collapse. This time, the people of this country have begun experiments in the end times, like a ray of light, a beacon in that chaotic world. They are prepared for the destruction of civilization and are even considering how to pass on civilization after the disaster.

Yes, they have even prepared for the destruction of the world and the reconstruction work afterward.

At least nothing has happened yet, at least people are still able to eat, at least there is still land to cultivate, and this apocalypse has even given you a clear countdown. So why not do something you can do before the apocalypse comes?

On the screen, an elderly, frail-looking man in military uniform, adorned with medals, said, "If our motherland falls, I will rebuild it, house by house, until the end of the world comes, even if the end of the world comes."

In the midst of chaos, the starry sky that humanity has gazed upon since the time of Homo sapiens has become a taboo. However, a certain Eastern superpower has taken the lead in announcing its exploration plan and intends to use the knowledge gained from that gaze and the chaos to build a massive device capable of covering the entire blue planet, in order to resist the gaze from that vision and to cope with the predetermined apocalypse.

At this moment, the voice recorded by 550C sounded out: "Although this device has its own perpetual motion system and does not need to draw energy from Earth, it is still called the Dyson Sphere Project because of its appearance and characteristics. The space stations and Tower of Babel that you see were once part of the Dyson Sphere Project."

A plan to cover the entire planet has begun.