The moment Barkley crossed the rift, he felt his body being torn into countless pieces and then reassembled at the same time. He felt countless lights passing by quickly in front of his eyes, like stars falling sharply. His five senses began to blur, and time and space became indistinguishable. Barkley desperately grasped the last bit of clarity of consciousness, trying not to be dispersed by this powerful force.
Just when he almost lost his perception of time, suddenly, all his senses were restored. He fell heavily on the hard ground, gasping for breath, and felt the air around him was icy cold.
"Am I... here?" Barkley struggled to prop up his body, looked up and looked around.
In front of him was a vast gray world, the sky was as heavy as an iron plate, and no sunlight could penetrate. The ground was dry black soil, covered with strange cracks, as if the whole earth was torn apart by a huge force. On the distant horizon, there were some huge and blurred outlines, like the ruins of a dilapidated building, standing on this barren land.
Barkley struggled to stand up and took a deep breath of cold air. Although this world was full of strange oppression, he knew that he had entered another dimension, which was probably the place his parents had explored. It was this device that brought them here.
He looked around, trying to find some clues, but the empty environment around him was almost lifeless, and there was not even a trace of wind. He couldn't help but frown, feeling an unspeakable sense of loneliness in his heart. This place seemed to be a place forgotten by time.
Just as Barkley tried to understand where he was, a low humming sound came from a distance, as if some huge machine was running. He instinctively became alert and looked in the direction of the sound. Gradually, he saw a group of strange creatures slowly walking from the shadows in the distance.
Those creatures looked like a combination of some kind of metal and biological organisms, with twisted bodies and irregular limbs, and a harsh metal friction sound when walking. Their heads had blurred eyes and sensory organs, but those eyes were empty, as if they had lost their souls.
Barkley was startled and quickly hid behind a protruding rock to observe these strange creatures. They didn't seem to notice him, but mechanically walked along a fixed path, occasionally making some low hums.
"What are they?" Barkley wondered. These creatures were obviously not natural creatures, but more like some kind of modified products. He guessed that perhaps this was related to his parents' research, and might be the product of this world, or even the result of experiments conducted by human scientists in another dimension.
He followed these creatures on tiptoe, keeping enough distance to try to figure out where they were going. The creatures walked along a wide crack that looked like an abyss leading to the underground, and the creatures were like some kind of watchmen, constantly patrolling to ensure that no outsiders broke in.
Barkley approached the crack carefully and looked down. He saw a strange light flashing in the depths, as if some huge power was surging underground. He felt an inexplicable attraction that made him want to get closer and find out.
Barkley took a deep breath and decided to take a risk. He climbed over the rock and quickly dived into the shadow of the crack, following the creatures underground. As he went deeper and deeper underground, the air became colder and the surrounding scene became more bizarre. From time to time, some strange symbols flashed on the wall, which seemed to be related to the technology of time and space rifts.
"Is this the core area of my parents' experiment?" Barkley was excited and felt that he was getting closer to the truth.
He walked into a narrow passage, and at the end of the passage appeared a huge metal door covered with complex symbols and patterns. This door was very similar to the device he had seen before, and Barkley was sure that this must be the ultimate secret of his parents' research.
He reached out and was about to touch the control device on the door, but suddenly felt a violent vibration coming from under his feet. The earth seemed to be shaking violently, and the symbols on the wall began to emit dazzling light. Barkley had to step back a few steps and stick close to the wall to avoid being affected by the vibration.
At this moment, a low roar came from the depths of the crack, and the sound seemed to come from the abyss of another world, full of oppression and deterrence. Barkley felt a chill on his spine. The voice seemed to be more than just the roar of some creature, but more like an irresistible force calling him.
"Could it be... the power left by my parents?" He guessed in his heart, but he was not sure.
Barkley's fingers hesitated for a moment, and finally made up his mind to press the control device. The door slowly opened, and a strong light poured out from the door, illuminating the entire crack. Barkley felt a strong energy wave coming at him, almost knocking him to the ground.
The scene inside the door was beyond his expectations. It was not the experimental equipment or mechanical device he imagined, but a vast starry sky, with stars twinkling in the sky, as if he was standing on the edge of the universe. The whole space presented a surreal beauty, and time and space seemed to have lost their meaning here.
Barkley was shocked by the scene in front of him and was speechless. He slowly walked into the starry sky, feeling that his body was integrated with the surrounding space, as if he was no longer a separate individual, but resonating with the entire universe.
Just as he was immersed in this strange feeling, a familiar voice came to his ears.
"Barkley, you're finally here."
Barkley turned his head suddenly and saw a familiar figure slowly walking out of the starry sky. It was a man with a gentle and deep look in his eyes and a smile on his lips.
"Dad?!" Buckley shouted in disbelief.
His father, Dr. Bolton, stood in front of him, still wearing the familiar white lab coat in his memory, but his expression was calmer than before.
"You... you're still alive?" Buckley's voice trembled a little, and his inner emotions burst out instantly. He had dreamed of his parents countless times, hoping that they were still waiting for him somewhere, but when he really saw his father standing in front of him, he still couldn't suppress the shock in his heart.
"Yes, Buckley, we're still alive." Dr. Bolton's voice was gentle and firm, "We've been waiting for you here."
Barkley felt a strong emotion surge in his heart, and he couldn't help but rush forward and wanted to hug his father, but his hand passed through his body. Buckley was stunned, staring at the scene in front of him.
"You... you're not... real?" Buckley whispered.
Dr. Bolton smiled and shook his head. "I'm just a projection. The real me is in another place. What you see now is just the image I left behind to guide you to the final truth."
Barkley's mood plummeted, but he knew he couldn't stop. "What about Mom? Is she still alive?"
Dr. Bolton nodded, with a hint of reluctance in his eyes. "She's still waiting for you, but you have to pass the final test to really find her."
"Test?" Buckley was puzzled.
Dr. Bolton's image slowly dissipated, and the last sentence echoed in Buckley's ears: "The secret in your body is the key to unlocking all mysteries..."