Reversing the Milky Way

Bai Cheng had already reached the hillside. Looking out, he saw the endless hillside covered in residential buildings nestled among verdant mountains and forests, a veritable paradise. From a distance, the community, surrounded by lush greenery, resembled a quiet jewel set in the hills. A sign at the entrance read "Cuilin Community." A wide asphalt road led to the entrance, flanked by neatly arranged pines and red maples. Passing through the vibrant, verdant trees, one entered the residential area. Each house was uniquely designed, with sloping roofs and large windows that blended seamlessly with the terrain, allowing the architecture to integrate with nature.

It looks alright, but it's too remote. There isn't even a supermarket nearby, though grocery shopping is convenient, so there aren't many people living in this neighborhood. Bai Cheng went inside and took a quick look. This two-story house was located in the center of the neighborhood. The house had two floors and a simple exterior. The first floor was the living room, with a pendulum clock hanging on the wall—a rare sight these days. Next to the living room was a staircase leading to the bedrooms on the second floor. The second floor had three bedrooms, each with windows letting in bright sunlight. Each floor was less than 80 square meters.

Bai Cheng thought it was good after looking at it, so he signed the contract, and the house was eventually sold for 200 million. Seeing that the house had been sold, the real estate agent was overjoyed. Because the location was relatively remote, the owner had offered the lowest price. The house had been listed with the agency for more than a year without any inquiries. Finally, someone came and bought it, which relieved him of a worry.

"Well, Mr. Bai Cheng, it's time for dinner, so I won't disturb you any longer." With that, he got up and left the house. Bai Cheng also took out his phone to check the time; it was indeed time for dinner. Then, Bai Cheng followed him out of his new home. As he stepped out, he gazed into the distance. Because of the elevated location, the distant scenery was unobstructed, and with the bright sunshine, he couldn't help but sigh, "What a wonderful day!"

"Yes, today is a good day, and a good day for visiting graves." Just as he finished speaking, eight men in black emerged from both sides of the road. Bai Cheng immediately recognized the leader as the one who had led the group to his apartment building yesterday.

At this moment, in the Dragon Kingdom's top-secret command center, Yan Qingshan silently stared at the screen before him. The screen displayed the image of the red energy hurtling towards Blue Star, though its size seemed to have shrunk considerably. Yan Qingshan's expression was serious as he pinched the bridge of his nose and asked, "How much longer until it arrives?"

The operator in front of him said, "Ten minutes left."

"What level has the energy detection reached?"

After hearing Yan Qingshan's words, the operator immediately responded, "No energy components have been detected yet, but judging from the trajectory, no obvious changes have been found on the planets it has passed through."

After hearing this, Yan Qingshan said with a serious expression, "Immediately sound the highest level of alert nationwide."

Upon hearing this, the operator responded, "Wouldn't this cause unnecessary panic? After all, a Level 1 alert is issued when the country suffers a major invasion or disaster."

"We don't yet know what kind of impact it will have. We can't gamble like this. If something goes wrong, the consequences will be unbearable for either of us." After saying that, Yan Qingshan continued to look at the screen in front of him. In his deep eyes, there seemed to be an indescribable sadness and melancholy.

Immediately, sirens blared throughout every corner of the Dragon Kingdom's cities, from the main streets and alleys of the city center to remote towns and villages. Along with the sirens and announcements, people were instructed to immediately stop what they were doing and seek shelter in the nearest available accommodation. Those already at home were also urged to remain inside to avoid any unforeseen accidents. However, while some people sprang into action upon hearing the announcements, others leisurely strolled through the streets, seemingly unconcerned.

Meanwhile, even in the rural countryside, the air raid sirens were blaring around Bai Cheng's location, and he naturally heard the announcement. At that moment, a henchman standing next to Song Biao said, "Brother Biao, should we go inside and take shelter?" Song Biao scoffed, "What's there to be afraid of? It's probably just some kind of drill." He then glanced at Bai Cheng's newly purchased two-story house, walked over, and put an arm around Bai Cheng's neck, bringing it to his chest. He said in a slightly threatening tone, "Isn't there a house right here? I believe this young man, Bai Cheng, would be happy to lend us his house, wouldn't you say?" Bai Cheng dared not argue. Facing these eight men, with his escape routes blocked, his chances of escape were slim. Moreover, the stone was still inside the suitcase handle; these men were probably here for that stone. Ye Wenbin, that old fox, must have discovered something. Now, he could only try to keep them occupied while he slowly looked for an opportunity to escape.

Then he said weakly, "Yes...yes...you're right, brother. Please come in." Song Biao then glanced at Bai Cheng, who had a fawning smile on his face, and then dragged Bai Cheng into the house.

Upon entering Bai Cheng's house, they saw the eight people each finding a place to sit, acting as if they were completely at home. At this moment, Song Biao spoke up, "Do you know why we came to find you?" Bai Cheng naturally knew the answer, but he pretended to be confused.

He said, "Brothers, have you come all this way because I stole your houses? Don't worry, I'll sell them to you right now, without wasting a minute. May I ask your name, sir?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Song Biao pulled a dark object from his crotch and slammed it on the table with a thud. Bai Cheng was startled by Song Biao's action, and his heart skipped a beat when he glanced at the dark object on the table. There was a dark pistol on the table, its dark muzzle pointed at Bai Cheng.

At this moment, one of the underlings said, "This is our boss, people in the underworld call him Brother Biao."

Then Song Biao said impatiently, "Stop playing dumb, where is the thing?"

Bai Cheng replied, "What what? I don't understand what Brother Biao is referring to?"

Hearing this, Song Biao became impatient: "Stop playing dumb, you already know, don't you? Where is the stone?"

"What stone? Brother Biao, I've never heard of it."

Just as Bai Cheng finished speaking, Song Biao picked up the pistol from the table and stroked it, saying, "Looks like you won't shed a tear until you see the coffin. As long as you hand over the stuff willingly, I guarantee you'll live peacefully today. It's good for both of us. We've known each other for a while, so don't make things difficult for me."

Seeing this, Bai Cheng replied obsequiously, "No, no, no... I left the things upstairs. I'll go get them right away. Please wait here, everyone. I won't trouble you any further." As he finished speaking, Bai Cheng's brows furrowed, and beads of sweat appeared on his forehead, revealing his unease and pressure. He knew that even if he handed over the things today, he was likely in grave danger. His only option was to find a way to escape. He then headed upstairs.

Upon seeing this, Song Biao immediately called out, "Leave two people here to guard outside, the rest of you come with me." After saying that, he put away his pistol and led a few men to follow Bai Cheng.

Bai Cheng slowly lifted one foot and gently placed it on the first step of the stairs. Although it was a simple movement, his steps appeared somewhat clumsy and slow. Even his breathing became rapid and somewhat irregular, each breath accompanied by a weak panting sound, and the sweat dripping from his forehead became more frequent. He looked at each step ahead of him, each step seeming to grow steeper and more insurmountable. Time seemed to freeze, and each step towards the stairs became long and arduous. He knew that if he handed over the item, given Ye Wenbin's cunning nature, if Ye Wenbin found out that he knew the secret, there would be no survivors today.

His brain was racing, and large beads of sweat kept sliding down his forehead, as if the CPU was smoking from its rapid operation. His mind was constantly calculating how to escape.

One of the two henchmen sent to guard outside the house skillfully pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, took one out, and lit it with a lighter from another pocket. He took a deep drag, then slowly exhaled, his expression one of pure enjoyment. Suddenly, his eyes fixed on the sky, as if drawn by something, and he slowly said, "Brother, do you think you can see red stars in broad daylight?"

Another underling was clearly taken aback by the question and instinctively said, "Huh?"

Then they looked up. They saw a faint red light appearing in the sky. Although it was broad daylight, many people in the city had already noticed it, and as time went on, the red light grew brighter and brighter.

At this moment, the red-glowing energy entered the solar system at an extremely fast speed, but it can be seen that the energy has become much smaller. It brushed past Jupiter, leaving a long trail in its wake, and its trajectory overlapped with that of Earth and headed straight for Earth.

Meanwhile, more people on Earth noticed the phenomenon. Combined with the earlier broadcast, the city's inhabitants realized the impending danger and began frantically seeking shelter in buildings. Chaos erupted throughout the city's streets and alleys; crowds surged, vehicles were jammed, and those rushing home tightly shut their doors and windows. Some even hid in basements, while others had already reached government-designated shelters. However, due to the city's massive population, the shelters were already overcrowded. Therefore, many others sought refuge in the underground parking lots of various facilities to cope with this sudden and unknown situation.

However, a few people thought it was all an overreaction and nothing to worry about. A very small minority were pessimistic, thinking that Earth was doomed and that it didn't matter where they were. So they just stood there, staring blankly at the sky.

Meanwhile, Bai Cheng, after a long and arduous journey, had finally reached the second floor. Song Biao, leading a group of his underlings, followed closely behind. Seeing Bai Cheng's slow progress, Song Biao's face showed a hint of displeasure. He immediately pulled out a pistol from his crotch and held it against Bai Cheng's back, saying, "You better not try anything funny. Hand over the stuff right now."

Bai Cheng felt the hard object behind him and said nervously, "Brother Biao, don't get excited, it's easy to accidentally discharge." As he spoke, he raised his hand and slowly walked towards the bedroom. Seeing this, Song Biao put down his pistol and followed him calmly. As soon as they entered the bedroom on the second floor, they saw only a lonely bed and a suitcase placed on the bedroom balcony.

Bai Cheng slowly approached, then turned his back to the balcony and began to open his suitcase. His movements were very slow. As he opened the suitcase, he slightly raised his head and glanced at the pistol in Song Biao's hand out of the corner of his eye. He was panicking. "Am I going to lose my life here today?" he thought, while his mind kept rehearsing how he would escape.

The only way now is to take advantage of Song Biao's inattention and smash through the window behind us as fast as possible to escape. Although this is the second floor, jumping down will at most break a few bones, which is much better than losing your life. The rest depends on luck.

Although Song Biao wasn't pointing a gun at him, given an adult's reaction speed, raising a pistol would only take a fraction of a second. Now, all he could do was pray that something would distract Song Biao. At that moment, all the hands of the clock hanging in the living room slowly pointed to 12. As the countdown ended 3, 2, 1, the hands overlapped on the clock face, and the clock struck precisely the hour.

As the bell tolled, the red energy arrived on Blue Star. The point of contact between this energy and Blue Star was precisely the hilltop where Bai Cheng's residential area was located. A massive red pillar of light rapidly expanded from the hilltop, its diameter instantly reaching over ten kilometers. With the continuous influx of energy, the red light grew even larger, like a drop of water falling onto a calm surface, creating a series of gradually spreading ripples. These ripples spread rapidly outwards, and within seconds, the entire Blue Star was engulfed by this red energy.

This energy, glowing red, dyed everything it touched red—city skyscrapers, countryside plants and trees, even the ocean, lakes, and the entire earth. Not only that, the energy easily penetrated buildings, including so-called underground shelters, and even miners were affected by the red energy, as if the whole world had been reduced to red.

At this moment, in the Dragon Kingdom's top secret command center, Yan Qingshan stared in shock at the scene before him. Everything in his sight turned red, and then all communication facilities were cut off, and all electronic screens went into a state of no signal.

He intended to raise his hand for a closer look, but what happened next shocked him even more. He slowly raised his hand, as if a movie had suddenly slowed down, but his thoughts remained unaffected. He tried to speed up his hand-raising, but his body seemed to be resisted, allowing him to move at a slow pace. Then, he glanced at the time on the screen and realized that what should have been a second had taken him ten counts to pass. He then understood that time had been slowed down tenfold.

The streets were now moving in slow motion, cars crawling like turtles, and the fountains in the square were slowly rising and falling. At the same time, not only in the Dragon Kingdom, but everywhere on Earth was experiencing this bizarre scene.