Thee aftermath of the Level 15 Overdrive had left the multiverse in a state of beautiful, terrifying fluidity. Without the rigid "System" to enforce the laws of physics, the 100 Earths began to drift. Jiangnan was no longer just a city; it was the gravitational heart of a cosmic reef. But a heart needs a ribcage to protect it, and the Needle was starting to sway under the weight of so many realities.
"The drift is accelerating," Mei said, her voice echoing in the hollowed-out command center of the Ark. "Since Xin shattered the System Reset, the dimensions don't know where they belong. If we don't pin them down, the 14th Earth will drift into the 40th, and the resulting collision will turn both into stardust."
Xin stood by the massive glass viewport. He was, as Mei had pointed out, Leve
