Cataclysm: Undead Dragons and Zero Empire

Lin Ziming observes humanity, just as people on earth look up at him in the night.

Humans are insignificant, with short lifespans, fragile flesh and blood, and can die at any moment. Yet, humans are also great, endlessly regenerating, using wisdom as a tool to break through the encirclement of life's evolution, leaving their footprints across the earth and the stars.

Lin Zimo could see smoldering embers in everyone. These creations, born from his death slumber, possessed considerable potential from birth, but were always waiting for the opportunity to ignite.

Without external influence, most people would never awaken to this potential in their entire lives, let alone develop and utilize it, which is why mysticism has remained a myth and legend from ancient times to the present.

Lin Ziming's work of saving the world was not yet finished. He was distracted as he looked down at the people struggling to survive, trying to find something that could move him.

He observed this seemingly plausible human civilization, whose understanding of the universe was superficial, too young, too naive, and perhaps even reckless. Regarding the vast expanse of deep space, a considerable number of them even believed that their civilization was wandering alone.

Lin Zimo was deciding whether it was necessary for him to continue carrying out the bloodline mission of the Heavenly Dragon, choosing humanity as the future of the universe, even though he had already crossed the threshold of death and no longer had any mission.

The vast majority of nascent civilizations perish in natural disasters, and a large portion of them are destroyed by internal strife. For example, the discovery of atomic energy is often a critical point of self-destruction, and the first child to play with fire burns himself in an obscure corner.

A civilization must make some groundbreaking innovations that transcend its own limitations in order to gain the opportunity to take center stage in the universe. Not every civilization has the courage and perseverance to gather the full strength of its civilization to build starships and explore the stars before even stepping out of its home star system.

Looking at the devastated human civilization on the moon, Lin Ziming, after much reflection, concluded that he should at least give his creations a chance, not only to help them overcome the disaster they had caused, but also to test human civilization and see if they could grasp the unknown and powerful forces.

This thought instantly transformed the psionic energy from a trickle into a tsunami. He diverted a strand of the power he had poured into the planet's core, which transformed into countless meteors that fell to the ground, igniting the latent potential that had long been hidden within the human race.

"I have lit the fire. Now it is up to you to become the fire, to wield it as a tool of civilization, or to become fuel, to set yourself ablaze?"

Change inevitably requires destruction, and savage destruction is indispensable. Every fire that burns involves a massive transformation and destruction of fuel, and this truth has now been passed on to humankind.

Lin Ziming made a promise, like a screenwriter sitting in the audience, writing the opening lines and waiting for humanity to draw back the curtain and present their own drama.

On the earth, Howard was the first to sense the arrival of psychic energy. As a chosen one of the dragons, his psychic talent was extraordinary. Even though he had been out of training for a long time as the leader of the "Death Knights," the power he could manipulate far surpassed that of the priests of the Death faction, who could often only accelerate the death of weak plants, manifesting as tricks such as flowers withering rapidly.

Now that the Dragon Dream Syndrome is a thing of the past, and the ruler high above no longer releases unconscious psychic tides, humanity is no longer plagued by nightmares. But now, a more direct key has opened the human mind.

This wasn't the dull ache in his head that he usually experienced during a Dragon Dream Syndrome attack; it was more like a dormant volcano deep within his body suddenly awakening and spewing lava from within. Howard felt as hot as a piece of rubber about to burst into flames.

He gritted his teeth and tried to calm the restless power. Only after he mobilized the death energy that had once resided in his body did the newly emerging energy gradually subside and flow with his will. So much so that in the mirror, he saw a faint red light emanating from his eyes, making him look like Terence.

Howard snapped out of his daze and realized that his surroundings were in complete chaos. The office looked as if it had been ravaged by a storm. Centered on him, the desk, chair, and the folder he had just been flipping through were all smashed against the wall, leaving a blank space around him.

He felt the world was clearer than ever before, like someone who had been nearsighted for many years suddenly putting on glasses. Everything was clearly visible to him, and all sorts of complex sounds appeared in his mind, as if Howard had become a walking radio, constantly receiving electromagnetic waves propagating in the air.

This new force may be the most primitive form of psychic energy, with the direct manifestation of influencing matter through telekinesis and the sign of burgeoning consciousness through mind-to-mind connections. People who have awakened to psychic energy no longer need to emit mechanical waves through their throats; psychic energy is their most convenient form of communication.

Howard stepped out of the military tent and heard a gasp from the depths of his mind. Following the direction of the telepathic connection, he saw a worker trembling as he moved coal with a handcart in the open construction site in the distance. The handle of the handcart fell to the ground.

The worker looked at his rough, calloused hands, the edges of which were surrounded by tiny specks of light, when suddenly several pieces of coal in the cart in front of him floated in mid-air.

The worker was clearly unable to control the sudden force. His body swayed uncontrollably, and the coal swayed up and down with him. Finally, he suddenly lost control and shot out, crashing into the steel frame of a newly built steam tower. After releasing the force, the worker collapsed to the ground like a crossbow with its bowstring untied.

Similar anomalies swept through all settlements on the same day. Human civilization was surprised to discover the spark of its own ignited talent, and like a child seeing fire for the first time, it was excited to ignite everything, thinking it was the most fun game.

In the city once controlled by a giant corporation, chaos intensified rapidly after the arrival of psychic energy. During the looting of supplies and gang warfare, the out-of-control psychic energy wreaked havoc, scattering and shooting out without warning, like red-hot irons piercing the bodies of innocent people.

"Want some water? Trade your food for it!" The former corporate security team, who had been occupying the water purification station, were delighted to discover the wonderful use of psionic energy. They could now oppress the refugees even more wantonly without expending their remaining bullets, and even use these people to practice new powers that were difficult to master.

They specifically target the isolated and helpless as live targets, while the others queuing to exchange for clean water dared not speak out, fearing that the mysterious force would suddenly turn against them.

A tall, thin security guard stood in front of an old man, his eyes fixed on the man's chest, trying to gather his psionic energy, control the ubiquitous ruins and gravel around him, and then turn them into bullets to fire.

He clearly lacked precise control; his psionic energy suddenly erupted but missed its target, striking the old man's thigh. The old man screamed and fell to the ground, blood instantly soaking through his tattered trousers. The security guard who committed the atrocity, suffering from the backlash of the psionic energy, clutched his head and squatted on the ground, dry heaving.

"Useless! You can't even hit a stationary target!" The security captain kicked one of his men, then walked over to the injured old man himself. "Watch closely. Pull the trigger as steadily as you normally would, just like firing a gun, understand?"

The old man clutched his bleeding thigh, trembling with fear. The security captain's lips curled into a cruel smile. He was about to unleash his spiritual energy to show his men his strength as captain when he was suddenly interrupted by the commotion beside him.