Deep Sea Starship Apocalypse

The next morning, as the first rays of sunlight pierced through the villa's window and fell on Yu Moyan's face, he suddenly opened his eyes.

He wasn't awakened by his biological clock, nor disturbed by external noises, but rather by an instinctive throbbing deep within his body that pulled him from his slumber. The excruciating pain from last night's gene modification seemed to still linger in his nerve endings, but when he slowly moved his neck, turned his shoulders, and gently flexed his fingers, he found that all the soreness and fatigue had vanished without a trace, not even the slightest bit of stiffness.

Instead, he felt an unprecedented lightness, as if a warm, soothing force had completely opened up his body, and every cell was greedily breathing in the morning air. He took a deep breath, and what flooded his nostrils was no longer ordinary oxygen, but a fresh scent of grass and trees. Even the expansion of his lungs became exceptionally smooth, and he felt as if he were immersed in a clear spring, with even his breathing feeling clear and pleasant.

Yu Moyan slowly raised his hand and clenched his fist. He didn't exert any force, yet a crisp, light crackling sound came from his knuckles. It was as if a faint current flowed through his bones—a vitality, dormant deep within his flesh and blood, just awakened, surging slowly with the pulse of his blood. He could clearly sense that this power was different from the brute strength of ordinary muscle training; it was the primal power of life unlocked after his genetic chain had been optimized and recombined—weak yet resilient, like a tender sprout breaking through the soil, containing infinite possibilities.

"It seems the transformation has indeed succeeded." Yu Moyan murmured to himself, a hint of relief and a barely perceptible excitement flashing in his eyes.

He rose from the soft bed, his bare feet stepping onto the cool marble floor. The chill crept up from his toes, but it didn't make him uncomfortable; instead, it made him even more alert. Walking to the bathroom, he looked at himself in the mirror and raised an eyebrow slightly. Overnight, his appearance seemed largely unchanged, but his skin had become fairer and smoother. The faint dark circles under his eyes from long hours of staying up late had disappeared, and his eyes had become exceptionally bright, no longer dull and lifeless, but radiating a sharp light, as if holding stars within them.

After quickly washing his face with cold water, Yu Moyan dried the water droplets on his face and immediately summoned the system in his mind: "Open the shop and select a cultivation technique."

As soon as he finished speaking, a faint blue light began to appear before his eyes, a sign that the system panel was about to unfold. He had 12,000 Star Crowns remaining in his account, currency he had accumulated from completing newbie missions and yesterday's check-in. This was enough for him to choose a basic cultivation technique suitable for his genes, along with a movement technique. The excruciating pain from last night's gene modification was still vivid in his mind. That feeling of being unable to control his own power made him desperately want to activate the genetic power within him, truly embark on the path of cultivation, and master his own power.

Just as the blue panel was about to fully appear, a loud roar suddenly came from outside the window.

The sound was not the usual clamor of carriages and horses, nor the sound of airplanes flying by, but a deafening roar like the collapse of heaven and earth, muffled yet extremely penetrating, causing the entire villa to tremble slightly, the decorative paintings on the walls to sway gently, and the glass windows to buzz and resonate jarringly.

Yu Moyan's heart skipped a beat, and all her attention was instantly drawn back from the system store. She rushed to the window, pushed open the French windows, and looked up at the sky.

The morning sky was originally clear and azure, but at this moment, a blinding silver light suddenly ripped through the distant heavens, like a thunderclap in broad daylight, instantly shattering the tranquility of the morning. Within that silver light, a ball of blazing silver-black flame was wrapped, which was a massive meteorite, rapidly falling towards the ground at an astonishing speed, leaving a long, dazzling trail of light that dyed half the sky with an eerie yet magnificent hue.

The space around the meteorite seemed to be distorted by the high temperature and power, rippling slightly. Even from a distance of tens or hundreds of kilometers away, a powerful and ancient pressure still spread through the air, making people's hearts tighten, their scalps tingle, and even making it difficult to breathe.

"That's..." Yu Moyan's pupils contracted sharply, and the notification sound from yesterday's system check-in flashed through his mind: "A meteorite from outer space!"

He almost immediately realized that this abruptly falling meteorite was the extraterrestrial object mentioned in the system's sign-in reward yesterday. He hadn't expected the system to be right; it had indeed arrived precisely this morning.

The instant he gazed at the meteorite, gasps and screams erupted throughout the city. Pedestrians, who had been hurrying along the streets, stopped abruptly, looking up at the sky with expressions of shock and fear. Breakfast shop owners forgot their utensils, commuters on electric bikes stopped on the side of the road, and countless people pulled out their phones, all pointing their cameras at the falling meteorite. The flashes and the sounds of cameras shattered the city's morning tranquility.

Social media platforms exploded instantly, with hashtags like #MeteoriteFallingFromTheSky and #StrangeSkyPhenomenon quickly trending. Netizens uploaded videos and photos, sparking heated discussions. Some marveled at the wonder of nature, others worried about potential disasters, and still others speculated it was a visit from extraterrestrial civilizations. But no one knew that this seemingly ordinary meteorite was not a naturally formed celestial body, but rather a gift from the system, about to bring about earth-shattering changes to this seemingly peaceful planet and to Yu Moyan, who had just undergone genetic modification.

Yu Moyan clenched his fist, his fingertips turning slightly white. He could clearly feel the subtle pulsations emanating from the newly awakened genes within him, as if summoned by some unseen force, echoing the distant meteorite in the sky. It was the life force of a shared origin, a resonance at the genetic level, igniting a burning light within him—he knew that his opportunity had truly arrived. His path of cultivation had only just begun.

Suppressing his excitement, Yu Moyan immediately asked the system in his mind, "System, where exactly is the meteorite's destination?"

The system's electronic voice quickly sounded, with a hint of nonchalance: "Host, the meteorite's destination is the sea."

"The ocean?" Yu Moyan's brows furrowed instantly, a sense of unease rising in his heart. He quickly pressed for details, "System, the meteorite is so enormous, and the power it carries is terrifying. If it lands in the ocean, it will inevitably trigger a massive tsunami, submerging coastal cities. More importantly, marine life will be the first to come into contact with the meteorite's power and evolve. Will humanity suffer mass deaths due to the rise of these marine monsters?"

The more he thought about it, the more alarmed he became. He had just completed the genetic modification last night and was well aware of the catalytic effect of this external force on biological evolution. If marine life evolved first, the mindless monsters would inevitably cause devastating damage to humanity.

However, the system's response was exceptionally perfunctory, even tinged with a hint of guilt: "Um, host, don't worry about the details, these are minor issues~"

Upon hearing this, Yu Moyan's lips twitched involuntarily, a wave of helplessness washing over him. He had long known this system was unreliable. From the random distribution of sign-in rewards to the lack of warning during the modifications, and now the dismissive attitude towards the crisis, this system never played by the rules. But what was done was done; no matter how dissatisfied he was, he was powerless to change it. He could only silently pray that the impact of the meteorite's fall would be minimal.

Just as Yu Moyan was pondering to himself, chaos was raging inside the International Space Station, far away on Earth.

In front of the enormous observation screen, several astronauts in spacesuits stared intently at the data and images displayed, their faces pale and their eyes filled with disbelief and terror. One of the astronauts suddenly turned around and roared into the communicator, "President! Something terrible has happened! The planet... the planet is getting bigger!"

His voice, trembling with extreme intensity, traveled through radio waves to command centers around the world. On the screens, it was clearly shown that the Earth's volume was slowly expanding at a visible rate, the tectonic plates were slightly uplifting, the ocean areas were subtly changing, and a mysterious force was surging from the depths of the Earth, reshaping the entire planet's structure.

At the same time, Yu Moyan, who was in the villa, suddenly felt a violent tremor under his feet.

It wasn't the aftershock of a meteorite impact, but a tremor originating deep underground. The entire villa shook violently, books on the shelves fell one after another, and the ceiling lights swung wildly, as if they might fall at any moment. Tiny cracks appeared in the ground, and a faint smell of dust filled the air. The tremors grew stronger and stronger, like a magnitude 10 earthquake.

"System! What on earth is going on?!" Yu Moyan quickly steadied himself by holding onto the wall, and questioned the system in his mind.

The system's electronic voice sounded again, this time with a hint of sly laughter: "Host, don't panic, don't panic. This is a little gift to make up for your previous worries. You're welcome~"

"A little gift?" Yu Moyan was so angry she almost laughed out loud. She gritted her teeth and asked, "Planetary anomalies and frequent earthquakes—is this your 'little gift'? Should I kneel down and thank you?"

"No need, no need, it's all what I should do, you're too kind, host~" The system remained oblivious, completely unaware of the panic its "gift" had caused.

Yu Moyan took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. Even if he were stupid, he could guess that the situation before him was no ordinary earthquake. Combining the system's words with the planet's anomalies, he instantly understood that the system must have secretly intervened, modifying the entire planet to make its environment more suitable for those who had broken through genetic barriers, thus paving the way for their subsequent cultivation and evolution.

As the planetary terraforming progresses, subtle changes are taking place all over the world.

Ancient remains buried deep underground, fossils and relics that have been dormant for hundreds of millions of years, begin to show tiny life fluctuations under the nourishment of mysterious forces; dormant volcanoes overflow with hot air carrying special energy; unknown sounds come from beneath the ice in the frozen polar regions; even withered branches in the corners of the city sprout tender green buds, growing at a rate far exceeding the norm.

The entire world is undergoing an unprecedented transformation with the arrival of that meteorite and the resulting planetary alteration. Yu Moyan, as the first person to complete genetic modification and resonate with the meteorite, is destined to become the center of this change.

He gazed out the window at the still-falling meteorite, feeling the increasingly active genetic power within his body and the heavy pulse emanating from the planet beneath his feet. The confusion in his eyes gradually faded, replaced by determination and resolve.

No matter how many dangers lie ahead, no matter what challenges he faces, he will not back down. Genetic awakening, a falling star, a new planet—this is his era, and also the dawn of a new age for all those about to awaken.

Yu Moyan slowly loosened his clenched fist, feeling the faint strength flowing through his fingertips, and a faint smile appeared on his lips.

The path of cultivation begins here. And he will surely tread upon stars and meteors, step by step reaching the pinnacle.

The meteorite outside the window drew ever closer, its silvery-black flames growing ever more intense. The planetary tremors gradually subsided, replaced by a vibrant life force that flowed slowly through the heavens and earth. The gasps in the city gradually died down. People gazed at the sky, their hearts filled with an unknown dread, unaware that a brand new era, brimming with power and opportunity, had quietly begun.

Yu Moyan turned and went back to his room, summoning the system panel again. This time, his focus was no longer limited to basic cultivation techniques and movement secrets. The planet had been transformed, and opportunity was at hand. He needed greater power to face everything that was to come.

"System, filter all Heaven-level cultivation techniques suitable for those with gene awakening. I want the best."

This time, he no longer hesitated. Since the times had changed, he would become the most dazzling star in this change.