Starforger: The Age of Erosion

More than three million years ago, on Earth in the Pliocene, Pangu tore open space. The ancients called it the creation of heaven and earth. He held something back, then exhausted his strength and merged into the barrier. He did not ascend. He became that wall. Fuxi laid the lines, Nüwa repaired them, and Shennong prolonged its life. Then they, too, were gone, not by leaving, but by each merging a part of themselves into it. Seven anchor points, four layers of power, and an instruction manual that had waited three million years. The ancients recorded it for thousands of years. We call it the Classic of Mountains and Seas. In Star Era 208, the lunar orbital base received a signal. Twelve people were found. Gao Fan had a 99.7% compatibility rate. He was the hub. Shen Qishan locked the gate to the Ming Dynasty. When he came back, he carried a message: “The one who holds the hub must fill it with his own body.” He didn't say who wrote it. But Gao Fan found out later. Seven anchor points, three pulses. An eighteen-year-old girl was responsible for the most dangerous frequency. An old technician died beside the equipment he had maintained for thirty years. Gao Fan stood before the interface as his body began to change: his fingertips, collarbone, and entire arm glowed as patterns spread, just like the person from three million years ago. Completion: three percent. He was still standing. But he was no longer entirely human. Outside the window, the Old Earth glimmered far away. “They're on patrol.”