Chapter 46 - The Discovery

--Side Story--

I slowly drag myself off the cushions and trudge over to the ultra-expensive piece of junk technology I poured most of my fortune into. All I can say, staring at the screen, is:

「Huh?!」

This can't be right! There’s no way this malfunctioning piece of equipment could be detecting a UCE after so many false alarms. But if these readings are accurate, I might have finally found what both my father and I have been searching for!

I need to double-check, though. I’d rather not get my hopes up only for them to crash because of another cursed malfunction.

...

The readings seem to be... legit!

Which means I might have actually found the UCE—or at least something with similar energy signatures to what our ancestors discovered!

If word gets out, my fame could skyrocket again, but that's short-sighted. Most people don’t even know about UCEs unless they’re in specialized fields.

But enough about that!

I need to get to the coordinates of these readings immediately. I can’t afford to waste any time. Besides, I might not be the only one who’s found this signal. I need to move fast before someone else gets there first!

---

**20 Minutes Later**

Twenty minutes to secure an intergalactic ride? That’s way too much time wasted!

And the nerve of this driver, charging me extra just because I’m in a hurry! Does he think he can just empty my wallet because of that?

One day, I’ll show people like this they don’t mess with me! I may be petty, but you don’t cross me!

A lot of scientists and physicists have mocked me and my research, just like they did with my father. But now that I’ve found this, I’ll get to give them a big middle finger and tell them to shove it. Yes, even in this era, we still use the middle finger—childish, but it’s a tradition I enjoy.

Anyway, I’m getting sidetracked.

Thanks to our civilization’s lightspeed technology, we arrived at the coordinates in no time. And what I saw was unexpected.

It looked like an ancient portal covered in vines, pretty harmless at first glance. But I know better. The naked eye can’t see the massive amounts of radiation and cosmic energy it’s emitting.

「Hey! Are you going to pay or what? You’ve been staring at that piece of junk for five minutes! I don’t have all day, you know!」

I snap out of my daze, irritated by the greedy intergalactic taxi driver. I give him an icy glare.

「Do you have any idea what this is?! It’s revolutionary! It could advance space travel technology beyond anything money can buy! But of course, what can I expect from someone like you?」

「Look, I’m sorry if I was rude earlier, but I really need you to pay for the ride.」

「Sorry, but that’s not happening anytime soon. Thanks for the ride.」

With that, I jab a syringe filled with translucent liquid into the driver’s neck. Within seconds, his body goes limp. I know it’s harsh, but I can’t have anyone knowing about this... though I might have been a bit reckless revealing too much information.

A few minutes later, I’m suited up and floating toward the mysterious portal.

I know it’s reckless to approach an unidentified object with such high radiation and cosmic energy readings, but it’s all for science!

As I hover in front of the portal, I feel an intense urge in the back of my mind to touch it. At first, I try to resist, but the compulsion only grows stronger and stronger until it’s impossible to ignore...

My finger makes contact with the swirling mass of cosmic energy, and in an instant, it feels like the world has turned inside out...