This was just the beginning. On the second and third days, more people began to change. Some suddenly gained ten times the strength of ordinary people, while others could transform their bodies into metal or diamond-like structures, among other extraordinary transformations.
Incredible events were unfolding.
These bizarre occurrences shocked everyone. The captain of the spaceship immediately transmitted this news back to Earth, causing an uproar among Earth's leadership once again.
Meanwhile, the spaceship had already begun to accelerate. By the fourth day, it had reached a speed of ten thousand kilometers per second. At this speed, even slowing down would take considerable time. If they were to return to Earth, no one knew how long it would take for them to be able to depart again.
The Earth's leaders could only instruct the people on the spaceship to carefully observe those who had undergone these changes.
At the same time, scientists on Earth began analyzing the reasons behind these changes.
There were no changes occurring while on Earth, but once they left Earth's atmosphere, the transformations began. It seemed likely that the cause was related to space.
About a month ago, a star had appeared, with flames almost covering half the solar system. Most scientists speculated that this star might be the cause of the changes.
The scientists aboard the spaceship continued their studies on the transformed individuals, discovering that not only had they awakened supernatural powers, but their lifespans had also increased.
This caused another uproar among Earth's leadership, who were now restless.
China's leadership took swift action, quickly researching the situation. After calculations by supercomputers, they found that although they hadn't yet successfully tested it, there was a 90% chance of success with the launch of a new spacecraft.
This spacecraft carried part of Earth's leadership and 10,000 elite warriors, and it departed Earth toward outer space.
Soon after, the United States also launched a backup spacecraft, carrying some of its leadership and over ten thousand warriors.
Other countries like the United Kingdom and Germany followed suit, launching their own smaller spacecrafts to break free from Earth, each vying for the first step.
If the speculation turned out to be true, it would be significant, marking the entry of humanity into a new era. Everyone was eager to take that first step.
However, this was only a small portion of Earth's leadership, primarily aimed at verifying the theory. After all, this was a very unscientific matter, and some of Earth's leaders even suspected that the people aboard the spaceship might be deceiving them.
In the end, the exploration ship transmitted news that, out of 300,000 people, 153 had successfully awakened supernatural powers.
This probability was much higher than initially expected.
This could be understood, considering that the 300,000 people were mostly elites of humanity, extraordinary individuals gathered from around the world.
Soon, the first transformation was reported on China's spaceship, with a warrior being the first to awaken.
Then came the second and third transformations...
By the third day, among over 10,000 people, ten had awakened supernatural powers, three of whom were high-ranking individuals, and the other seven were elite warriors.
The United States also reported eight successful awakenings, and other major countries like Germany and the United Kingdom had around ten awakenings each.
This caused a complete uproar among Earth's leadership. They were both astonished and excited, feeling that this was humanity's opportunity to enter the extraordinary era.
Scientists suggested that the radiation from that star was likely the cause, and they urged rapid research into the phenomenon, fearing that once the radiation dissipated, everything would vanish.
Before the radiation could dissipate, however, those who had awakened found that their powers disappeared as soon as they re-entered Earth's atmosphere.
After several tests, Earth's leaders concluded that the power could only be maintained outside of Earth, and once back on Earth, it was lost. Earth seemed like a restricted zone, a place where this new power couldn't exist.
But the information about these awakenings remained confined to Earth's leadership, with ordinary people unaware of the new era approaching.
…
Two months had passed since the first spacecraft launched into space. Despite the excitement among Earth's leadership, Fang Yuan continued to live a calm life.
He entered the Steel Ball World at night and spent his days with Wang Yuanyuan.
One day, Wang Yuanyuan brought lunch to the pet shop, but she was unusually quiet and distant.
"Yuanyuan, are you troubled?" Fang Yuan asked.
Wang Yuanyuan shook her head without answering.
After finishing lunch, she threw the trash outside the door.
"Yuanyuan, if something's bothering you, tell me, we can figure it out together," Fang Yuan comforted her.
But Wang Yuanyuan just shook her head. Her eyes were complicated as she looked up at him. "Can you walk with me?"
"Of course, let me close the shop," Fang Yuan replied.
He locked the pet shop door and walked with Wang Yuanyuan down the street.
Fang Yuan didn't know what was wrong with her, and since he wasn't good at comforting others, he just quietly walked beside her.
They walked out of the shopping street and into a nearby leisure plaza.
"Fang Yuan, I'm sorry..." Wang Yuanyuan suddenly spoke.
"Why are you saying sorry?" Fang Yuan asked, confused.
Wang Yuanyuan stopped, turned around, and looked at him seriously. "Do you know? Back when I was in the country, I already liked you."
"I knew," Fang Yuan smiled slightly.
"I thought so," Wang Yuanyuan said, looking at the sunset. "I always thought I understood you. I thought the more I got to know you, the more I would like you. But I don't know why, every time I leave and come back, you seem so unfamiliar, like you're not the same person I met before."
Fang Yuan opened his mouth, unsure of how to respond. He had to monitor the Steel Ball World and almost always entered it at night to guide its improvement.
Although it had only been one night outside, time in the Steel Ball World moved much faster, and Wang Yuanyuan naturally sensed his changes.
"I thought I would like you. I even seriously considered becoming your girlfriend," Wang Yuanyuan said with a self-mocking smile. "But the more I tried to understand you, the more unfamiliar you became."
"I'm scared, do you know, Fang Yuan? I'm really scared. Are you perhaps someone with multiple personalities? Every time I see you, you're not the same you..."
"Yuanyuan..."
"I'm sorry, I don't mean anything else," Wang Yuanyuan said apologetically. "You're a good man, and you have money. I did want to be your girlfriend."
She sighed deeply, her eyes filled with complexity. "Thank you for never forcing me to confess. It gave me a chance to reconsider, because if you had confessed, I would have had a hard time rejecting you."
Fang Yuan remained silent.
"I know you're a good man, better than many others. My sister always says that. Now, you're wealthy, rich even. But maybe because I'm still young, I want a romantic love."
"Maybe I'll regret it later, but right now, I'm really scared. Every time I see you, I feel unfamiliar. I'm scared that the next time I see you, you won't be the same person anymore... I can't find any sense of security in you."
"I'm sorry."
She then picked up a small horse that had been following her and handed it to Fang Yuan. "This gift is too precious, I can't accept it. Thank you for accompanying me these past few days. I'm leaving. Take care."
After that, Wang Yuanyuan gave Fang Yuan one last complex look before turning and leaving.