C3 Z51 Molding Space!

Niu Li dragged himself home, weary to the bone, just shy of ten o'clock.

His family was a simple one: just his parents and himself.

His folks ran a bustling fast-food joint year-round, which did well enough to place them in the ranks of the well-off.

Upon arriving home, he found only his mother, Gu Huiping, engrossed in a Korean drama on TV.

Gu Huiping glanced up briefly at the sound of the door before her attention snapped back to the screen. "Why so late tonight?" she asked without looking away. "Your dinner's in the fridge. Heat it up yourself."

With a grunt of acknowledgment, Niu Li beelined for the kitchen.

He quickly reheated his meal and took it to his room, locking the door behind him.

This break from routine caught Gu Huiping's eye, but the drama's climax held her captive, more so than her son's odd behavior.

Inside his room, Niu Li wolfed down his food, his gaze fixed on the blank wall across from him, his mind a whirlwind of thoughts.

At fifteen, he was no longer a child; he was a young man, deserving of respect.

Strong as he was, there was no reason for anyone to push him around!

He was determined to get even with that wretched woman.

But as ideas churned in his head, the harsh truth dawned on him: those grand schemes were near impossible to pull off in real life.

His appetite vanished. He tossed his bowl aside, lay back on his bed, and stared blankly at the ceiling.

What was his next move?

Did he really want to endure this bullying indefinitely? Through school, into the workforce, forever?

Overwhelmed by frustration, he yanked the covers over his face and tossed and turned in anguish.

Niu Li flung back the blanket, gazed at the ring on his finger—a gift from the evening's fortune teller. Its design was unassuming, yet the patterns etched into it were bizarre, almost hypnotic. The longer one looked, the less it seemed like a ring and more like a portal to an enigmatic abyss.

"What an odd ring," he mused, twirling it around his finger, his curiosity piqued.

Niu Li's body stiffened as he stared at the ring on his finger in astonishment.

Just a moment ago, it seemed as if the pattern on the ring's surface had briefly glowed. Was he imagining things?

No, this time he was certain. It had definitely lit up.

But could this ring actually emit light?

Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through his finger as the once-gleaming ring appeared to sprout a thorn, piercing his flesh.

"Gene extraction?"

"Gene verification?"

"Gene match at 95%. Verification successful. Identity bound to the Z51 moding machine. Owner confirmed."

The mechanical voice rang out in succession, and Niu Li felt a mysterious connection form between himself and the ring, as if it were an extension of his own flesh.

"What in the world is happening?" Niu Li was utterly bewildered.

"Master, the Z51 moding machine is now bound to you. Would you like to activate it?"

"Activate what?" Niu Li inquired, puzzled.

"Household confirmed. The Molding Space is now open," the mechanical voice announced once more.

"It's activated?" Niu Li murmured, lost in his thoughts.

Regardless of Niu Li's reaction, the ring continued its display, flashing a sequence of lights until a luminous gateway materialized before him.

Niu Li was astounded; the sight before him surpassed his limited comprehension.

For a fleeting moment, he wondered if this could be an alien invasion of Earth—the stuff of legends, a spatial tunnel!

"The Molding Space is ready. Master, please enter," the mechanical voice instructed.

Taking a deep breath, Niu Li tried to gather his wits.

Despite his amazement at the bizarre spectacle, he was reassured by the voice's prompt. At least he could be certain this wasn't an alien invasion. After all, aliens wouldn't acknowledge him as their master.

Curiosity now piqued, Niu Li was drawn to the enigmatic gateway of light.

What could it possibly be? The words of the fortune teller echoed in his mind, conjuring a single term—adventure!

Had he stumbled upon a fabled sage?

He wavered, eager to step through the gateway and discover the wonders that awaited.

Yet, the innate human fear of the unknown was not easily overcome. If the gateway led not to treasures but to a monster, his fate would be dire indeed.

"I'll step in. If it's a trap, dying might be better than the life I have now!" Niu Li mused for a long while before resolutely entering the light portal.

In an instant, he found himself in an alien setting—a stark white space about the size of a room, over ten square meters, with four towering machines pulsating with red and yellow lights.

Beneath these machines stood four massive crystal cabinets, their clarity and splendor captivating.

Niu Li gaped, his eyes darting around in bewilderment.

"Welcome, Master, to the Z51 Molding Space, a product of the Interstellar Empire. This is one of only thirty exquisite Molding Spaces, and you are its sole bound user," announced a mechanical voice.

He spun around to see a small, floating metal sphere hovering before him, a red pinpoint of light on it, watching him like an eye.

Accustomed to the shock, Niu Li felt a strange sense of ease. He pondered briefly before inquiring, "Who are you?"

"Master, I am Spatial Intelligence, at your service to oversee all functions within this space," replied the sphere in a robotic tone.

"Could you explain what the Z51 Molding Space is for?" Niu Li asked, his voice tinged with excitement.

"The Z51 Molding Space exists to fulfill your commands, Master, creating essential power equipment that requires talented individuals."

"How does one create talent?" Niu Li was taken aback. Could people be molded too?

"Master, please approach and review the detailed manuals provided with each piece of equipment. They are designed to help you become acquainted with the machinery. For actual operations, you may entrust them to me," the sphere instructed.

"Do you have a name?" Niu Li suddenly realized he didn't know how to address this intelligence and asked.

"Z51 moldsing intelligence!"

"Then I'll call you Coldy," Niu Li decided, inspired by the sphere's mechanical voice.

"Z51 moldsing intelligence is now renamed Coldy by the Master. The data has been updated," the sphere's red light blinked in acknowledgment.

Niu Li exhaled, a sense of authority washing over him. It seemed he truly was in command here, even able to rename the Spatial Intelligence.

After taking a stroll around the white room and realizing he didn't recognize a single piece of equipment, Niu Li had no choice but to pick up some documents resting atop the machines and start perusing them slowly.

The room's equipment seemed cutting-edge, yet the descriptions were surprisingly straightforward. Once he finished reading, he had a basic grasp of the machines' functions.

The room housed four primary machines, broadly categorized as small, medium, large, and irregular types, each corresponding to one of four Crystal Cabinets.

Each Crystal Cabinet was designed for a different stature. The smallest stood at 1.23 meters—about the height of a young teenager—while the largest stretched to an imposing length of nearly 3 meters, a size Niu Li couldn't fathom for any person.

Staring at the machines, Niu Li was at a loss for words. Eventually, he inquired, "Coldy, what kind of people can these machines produce?"

The mechanical voice of Coldy responded, "Which type are you referring to?"

"How about this one?" Niu Li asked, stroking his chin thoughtfully.

"The small-scale molding machine is capable of creating beings from various races under 1.3 meters tall. It's been programmed with 113 such races identified by the Interstellar Empire. Here's the interface."

As Coldy spoke, a holographic interface materialized before the small-scale molding machine. Dozens of strange race names scrolled across the display.

Niu Li scanned the unfamiliar names, feeling lost. Then, a spark of recognition flickered in his eyes as he zeroed in on the name of a race he actually knew.