Chapter 105: Starfire Sets Forth

Qiming City operates in a strange atmosphere mixed with sorrow, hope, and urgency. The martyrs' blood is not yet dry, the blueprint of the Voyager Plan has been laid out. This is a project larger and more all‑in than Fire Seed Tempering, aiming straight for the barren edge of the Milky Way to seek the possible Void Source.

Chen Mo's time was split into two parts: one part in the ever‑growing command center handling endless administration, military affairs, and the advancement of the Voyager Plan; the other part was spent outside Su Yu's medical cabin, before that transparent observation window.

Steady light inside the medical cabin fell on Su Yu's peaceful sleeping face; various life‑support instruments emitted regular, faint ticking sounds, the only melody in this quiet space. Chen Mo often stood there for a long time, doing nothing, just watching. He would recall her decisive gaze when she blocked him, her usual gentle yet firm smile, and the countless bits of trust and support they had built since meeting in the ruins.

His fingertips would occasionally unconsciously trace the cold observation window, as if trying to pierce that barrier. Sometimes he would whisper, his voice so soft only he could hear, recounting outside changes, the Voyager Plan's progress, even some trivial worries. This became his sole vent and moment of calm in his high‑pressure life.

Kaiwen's team made steady progress in researching Heartfire, but large‑scale application remained far off. The Heartflame Resonator only produced a weak effect on extremely few innately spirit‑sensitive individuals, and it was highly unstable. How to ignite the fire in more people's hearts became a key problem.

At the same time, the silent dialogue with the black‑box civilization of Europa continued. They seemed to show unusually keen interest in humanity's initial forays into Heartfire, and in one information exchange they even rarely sent an extremely abstruse mathematical description of the High‑Dimensional Consciousness Sea Resonance Theory.

"They… seem to be guiding us?" Kaiwen stared at the heap of formulas like heavenly script, both pained and excited, "If this theory holds, it means Heartfire might not be an isolated personal power, but could be linked and resonated in some way to form a stronger collective consciousness field!"

This direction opened a new door for Heartfire research, but also brought more unknowns.

Just as the core of the Voyager Plan—the new superluminal engine—entered its final breakthrough stage, the medical center delivered news that made Chen Mo's heart stop: Su Yu's vital signs showed violent fluctuations!

He almost instantly rushed to the medical cabin's exterior. Inside, Su Yu's body trembled slightly, her brows furrowed as if enduring great pain, and above her forehead a faint but real golden halo appeared—this was the sign of Heartfire!

"Her consciousness is violently active, fighting something!" the attending doctor reported anxiously.

Chen Mo hesitated not, donning the latest Heartflame Resonator, and carefully probed his spirit force—blended with order, starlight, and resolute will—into the medical cabin, trying to connect with Su Yu's restless consciousness.

In an instant he felt swept into a chaotic storm! It was Su Yu's deep consciousness, locked in a final struggle against lingering shadow‑corroding energy and the sense of void from overexertion. Countless memory fragments flew like glass—fear, despair, but above all a stubborn refusal to sink, a fierce yearning to see again, to protect again.

Chen Mo did not try to quell the storm; instead he turned his will into a lighthouse, steadily radiating warm, firm light that pierced the chaotic fragments, conveying a simple, pure message: "I am here. Come back."

After an unknown span—feeling like a moment yet like eternity—the chaotic storm gradually subsided, the thin golden Heartfire glow steadied and grew brighter. Su Yu's furrowed brows eased, her long lashes fluttered a few times, and at last she slowly opened her eyes.

Her gaze was initially hazy and weak, but upon seeing the familiar face outside the observation window, etched with worry and anticipation, it instantly focused, and the corner of her mouth managed a tiny arc.

Chen Mo's suspended heart finally fell; immense joy and the shock of relief struck him, leaving him momentarily speechless. He merely smiled at her through the observation window—a smile equally weary yet utterly genuine. A thousand words lay in the silence.

Su Yu's awakening was not merely a return of personal life. She brought back the precious experience of directly confronting the Void in her deep consciousness, gaining a deeper understanding of Heartfire's essence. Weak but clear, she told Kaiwen: "Heartfire… is not cultivated; it is born from the heart in dire straits, as the light of conviction to protect what matters most."

These words pointed the way for popularizing Heartfire—it cannot be forcibly ignited, but can awaken from within under specific conditions and guidance.

As Su Yu gradually recovered, a real problem loomed: the Voyager Expedition was imminent—would she join?

Chen Mo's heart brimmed with contradiction. He knew the journey was near‑certain death; Su Yu had just awakened, her body and mind not yet fully healed, and he instinctively wanted her to stay in the relative safety of Qiming City. Yet he also knew her True Knowledge Vision and her unique grasp of Heartfire were vital to the expedition, especially when facing the unknown Void Source. More than that, he could not imagine parting from her again, after having just narrowly escaped the fear of losing her.

Su Yu saw his struggle. After a rehabilitation session, she sat in her wheelchair, gazing at the simulated window onto the vast starry sky, and softly said: "Chen Mo, let me go."

She turned her head to look at him, her gaze still weak but carrying unquestionable resolve: "My eyes might help everyone see the darkness ahead. Moreover… this time I don't want to merely wait in the rear, worrying about you. No matter what lies ahead, I want to face it with you and with everyone."

Chen Mo saw the light reignited in her eyes, brighter than stars, knowing he could not refuse—and did not wish to. He knelt, took her cool hand, and solemnly nodded: "All right. We go together."

Years passed in the flash of frantic preparations.

On the outskirts of Qiming City, inside an unprecedentedly vast shipyard, the crystallization of human civilization's wisdom—the Voyager exploration vessel—finally completed its final outfitting. It was no conventional streamlined warship; its overall shape resembled an elongated, angular water‑drop, sheathed in dark‑blue special armor capable of absorbing and deflecting multiple detection bands. The bow housed an reinforced Starlight Crystal core, while each side extended wing‑like engine arrays that combined Luo Ya energy conduits with Forging Fire heavy structures. The whole ship exuded a silent, mighty aura, like a beast about to awaken and plunge into the deep sea.

The departure ceremony was simple and solemn. No blaring gongs and drums, only banners snapping in the wind and countless gazes fixed upon them.

Chen Mo, Su Yu (basically recovered), Han Qing, Kaiwen, Zhang Yang, Wang Hu… nearly all core members boarded this ark bearing humanity's final hope. Hui Jin remained behind to guard Qiming City alongside the matured administrative system, protecting the homeland.

The Voyager's massive engines began a low hum, their indigo tail flame gradually brightening and blazing. The hull slowly slipped from the shipyard, adjusted its course, and aimed at the unknown darkness at the galaxy's edge.

Chen Mo stood on the bridge command seat, Su Yu at his side. Through the huge observation window he glanced back at the beautiful azure planet slowly shrinking—their point of origin and the home they swore to defend.

He drew a deep breath, his voice carried through the ship's internal comms to every corner of the Voyager:

"All units, final check."

"Report to captain, all systems normal!"

"Stardust Shield, full power standby!"

"Superluminal engine, charging complete!"

"Resonator array, operating stably!"

Chen Mo's gaze turned sharp as a blade, and he lowered his voice to issue the final order:

"Target, galaxy edge, 'Void' coordinates!"

"Voyager, depart!"

Hum——!!!

The engine tail flame suddenly surged to the extreme; the massive ship seemed to break free of intangible bonds, turning into a stream of light that rips space, instantly piercing the solar system's boundary and plunging fearlessly into the vast, dangerous sea of stars that humanity had never entered!

Behind it, the homeland's faint light.

Ahead, the devouring darkness.

Expedition, officially begins!