Everyone's playing Red Giant? I, Black Hole, devour everything!

"How is this possible... He... wasn't he in the 27th Star Sector?!"

For the first time, a slight tremor appeared in Zhao Rutie's voice.

He clearly watched the news and saw Lin Tian complete his evolution in the 27th Star Sector with his own eyes.

He had clearly calculated the time; he had calculated that even if Lin Tian rushed back immediately, it would take at least several days to return to the Seventh Star District.

But now, Lin Tian was right in front of him.

and--

Zhao Rutie's face suddenly turned deathly pale.

Because he sensed it.

The gravitational field of this quasar has locked down its entire headquarters—including itself and hundreds of other stars.

"What...what kind of monster is this...?"

Zhao Rutie's lips began to tremble.

……

"dad--!!"

Zhao Tianyu's voice suddenly came through the communication channel.

"That Lin Tian—he's here! He's become a quasar! Dad, what do we do?!"

Zhao Rutie did not answer.

Because he didn't know what to do either.

The Zhao family headquarters, which he had painstakingly built up over a decade, was like a pile of building blocks in front of a quasar; it would crumble at the slightest push.

Nothing can bridge this gap.

……

The gravity cage shattered.

Lu Xuejian didn't even see clearly what happened.

She only felt that the chains of gravity that had been binding her tightly broke all at the same moment.

Then, she saw the light.

That light was unlike any light she had ever seen.

Red giants, blue giants, supergiants—these celestial bodies she had known since childhood, combined, probably couldn't match even a fraction of the light before her.

Strangely, the light was not dazzling.

It was so bright, to an unbelievable degree; yet, it was also gentle, warm as if an invisible hand had softly lifted her from the abyss of despair.

Lu Xuejian's breathing stopped.

Her gaze was fixed intently on the darkness at the very core of the light.

She couldn't see through that darkness.

But she knew that someone was hiding in that darkness.

A figure she had thought of countless times, recited countless times, and repeatedly appeared in her mind on the verge of despair.

"You...have come..."

Her voice was so soft that she could barely hear it herself.

But that person, of all people, happened to hear it.

"Um."

There is only one word.

But it was this one word that made Lu Xuejian unable to hold back her tears any longer.

All the fear, despair, and sorrow that had been suppressed for so long were completely shattered in that soft "hmm".

She cried quietly.

There was no wailing or hysteria.

Tears, one by one, slid down her cheeks.

"I...I thought you weren't coming..."

"I just got back. I heard you had an accident, so I came over."

They've arrived.

Just four simple words.

But Lu Xuejian knew what those four words meant.

It means that he traveled a long distance to come despite his fatigue.

This means that even though he knew the dangers of the Zhao family headquarters, he still rushed over without hesitation.

mean--

He really cares about her.

Lu Xuejian's heart melted completely at that moment.

She knew she was finished.

It's completely over.

From this day forward, there will be no room for another person in her heart.

……

Zhao Rutie finally snapped out of his shock.

After all, he was the head of the Zhao family and the third-ranked top observer in the Seventh Star Sector, having experienced countless grand events.

After a brief moment of panic, he forced himself to calm down.

He took a deep breath and then turned his gaze back to the massive quasar.

"Lin Tian".

He spoke, his voice trembling slightly, a tremor he thought he could conceal.

"I didn't expect you to be back so soon... Congratulations on evolving into a quasar. In the hundred-year history of the Universe Online, you are the first, and probably the only one for a very long time."

Lin Tian's voice was indifferent: "Get to the point."

Zhao Rutie's lips twitched, but he suppressed his anger and continued, "Lin Tian, ​​we do have some past grievances, I don't deny that. But you should know that these grievances are all just misunderstandings."

"A misunderstanding?" Lin Tian's tone carried a hint of sarcasm.

"That's right, it was a misunderstanding." Zhao Rutie continued, forcing a smile. "Back then, I didn't know your potential, nor did I know your value to the Great Xia Kingdom. Now I know—you are a quasar, the future hope of the Great Xia Kingdom. Even if I, Zhao Rutie, am ungrateful, I wouldn't go against the hope of the nation."

"so what?"

"Therefore, let's each take a step back and, from today onwards, wipe the slate clean of our grudges. The Zhao family will no longer cause you trouble, and you should also refrain from causing trouble for the Zhao family."

"As for the Lu family's affairs—my Zhao family swallowing up the Lu family's assets will not harm you in any way... In fact, I can even give you half of the Lu family's star mines as compensation."

"How is it?"

After Zhao Rutie finished speaking, he fell silent.

He is waiting.

Waiting for Lin Tian's reply.

He believed that the terms he offered were already generous enough.

Taking the initiative to show weakness, to back down, and to cut losses—for a hegemon that has dominated the Seventh Star Sector for over a decade, this is already a huge concession.

The reason he dared to make such a big concession was because he believed that Lin Tian would accept it.

After all, the Lu family and Lin Tian were not related, so there was no need for Lin Tian to continue fighting a behemoth like the Zhao family for the sake of a family that had already been destroyed.

pity.

He doesn't understand Lin Tian at all.

"Are you done talking?"

Lin Tian's voice remained as calm as ever.

Zhao Rutie's heart sank slightly.

"That's all."

"Let's begin then."

"...Start with what?"

"The beginning of destruction."

Four words, light and airy.

But these four words struck Zhao Rutie like a thunderclap.

Zhao Rutie's pupils suddenly contracted.

"etc--!"

He shouted it out almost instinctively.

But it was too late.

The gravitational field of the primordial quasar was released without reservation in that instant.

The spacetime curvature of all eighteen levels is fully activated.

A gravitational field with a mass 5.38 million times that of the sun, like a cosmic judgment, mercilessly enveloped the hundreds of stars at the Zhao family headquarters.

That wasn't the feeling of being "pulled".

It was a feeling of being "swallowed up".

Hundreds of red giant stars at the Zhao family headquarters felt the arrival of this power at the same time.

Their owners screamed in terror.

"My star—my star is out of control!"

"The gravitational field can't hold! I can't hold on any longer!"

"Run! Run!"

Where can we run to?

The entire starry sky was now enveloped by the gravitational field of the primordial quasar.

An 18-level spacetime curvature means that the scope of the event horizon has become unbelievably large.

There is only one way to escape from this area—make your star fly faster than light.

is it possible?

impossible.

Therefore, they only have one fate.