Chapter 107: Heartlight Passage

After leaving the death nebula marked as the "Zero Monument", the "Voyager" fell into an even deeper silence. It was not the quiet of the external environment, but the psychological pressure that seeped into every corner of the ship. The obelisk's cold proclamation lingered like a curse in the mind—"You too are a part of the end." It was not a direct attack, yet it could shatter morale more than any weapon, because it was a Negation of existence itself.

Chen Mo could clearly feel the crew's morale sinking. Even Kaiwen, who was usually aloof, often stared blankly at the complex data screens, his gaze unfocused. Zhang Yang's venting roars during training increased, Wang Hu's weapon‑cleaning motions became slower yet more forceful. Han Qing issued patrol orders more frequently, as if trying to chase away the intangible unease with busyness.

Chen Mo stood on the bridge, staring out the observation window at a seemingly endless darkness where even starlight was exceedingly sparse. His fingers unconsciously tapped the edge of the console in an uneven rhythm. He recalled the lights of Qiming City, the children's laughter, and the rekindled glow in Su Yu's eyes when she awoke. Those vivid, warm "existences" stood in stark opposition to the cold "Void" embodied by the Zero Monument.

He had endured countless moments of despair, from surviving the wasteland to confronting the Ark, and then the repeated brutal battles in the star‑sea. Yet previous foes, no matter how powerful, were still a form of "existence"—they had shape, motives, could be understood and opposed. The Void Devourer and its creations, however, embodied a fundamental Negation, a force that sought to pull everything back into ultimate silence. Such an enemy exceeded all of his prior frames of understanding.

This cannot continue. Chen Mo inhaled deeply, and a sharp light reconvened in his eyes. If the enemy tried to erode them with fear and despair, they must cling even tighter to the light within. He opened the ship‑wide broadcast, his voice steady and powerful, breaking the oppressive silence:

"All crew, attention, I am Chen Mo."

"We have witnessed the Zero Monument; it tells us what the enemy ahead is. It seeks to make us fear, to make us think our struggle is meaningless."

"But I ask everyone to consider why we are here."

"It is not to prove how powerful we are, but to protect everything behind us—our home, our kin, our civilization, and the very meaning of 'existence'!"

"That meaning does not lie in whether we ultimately win, but in the courage to move forward knowing the road ahead is dark! It lies in the bond of mutual trust and support among us!"

"Remember, why does 'Heartfire' burn? To protect! As long as that resolve does not fade, we will never be devoured by the Void!"

"From now on, each team will take turns conducting Heartfire Resonance Meditation. We will use our will to ignite our own light on this dead‑silent route!"

Chen Mo's words were like a stone dropped into dead water, sending ripples outward. Though the road ahead was uncertain, the clear orders and rekindled belief lifted the crew's spirit. Heartfire Resonance Meditation was swiftly organized. At first only a few mentally attuned individuals tried it under Kaiwen's team's guidance, but gradually more joined.

In designated meditation chambers, the crew sat in a circle, wearing upgraded Heartflame Resonators, attempting to empty their minds and focus on their most cherished memories and feelings—family smiles, comrades' trusts, the tranquility of home, hopes for the future… At first only faint, almost imperceptible mental ripples were felt, but as more participated and concentration deepened, a wondrous resonance began to arise.

It was not a powerful energy field, but a warm, steadfast "atmosphere" that spread throughout the ship. Anxiety and fear seemed slightly dispelled by this invisible force, replaced by a calm courage and a warm sense of mutual connection.

"Interesting… so interesting!" Kaiwen exclaimed, monitoring the data, gesturing excitedly, "The collective consciousness is truly generating a synergistic effect! Though each individual's Heartfire remains weak, the Heartlight field produced by the resonance significantly counteracts that despairing mental contamination! This is essentially a 'psychic shield' tailor‑made for our Deep Space expedition!"

However, just as the Heartlight resonance was coming into alignment, the department monitoring Deep Space signals reported an extremely faint yet persistent anomalous frequency. The signal did not originate from the algorithm‑guided forward direction, but from a lower side of the route, a sector previously thought to be absolute void. Its characteristics were bizarre, intermittent, like the dying embers of a fire, and… it seemed to contain a faint will‑wave somewhat similar to the Heartfire resonance.

"An unknown civilization? Or… a trap?" Han Qing said, maintaining his usual vigilance.

Su Yu focused her senses for a long time, her brows slightly furrowed: "Very faint… very distant… no obvious malice, only a sense of endless fatigue and… a lingering, unfinished obsession. Like a… echo lost in the darkness."

Should they stick to the original course, ignoring the unexpected signal, or deviate to chase the faint glimmer in the darkness? The fleet once again split. Kaiwen, driven by a researcher's instinct, strongly advocated probing, believing it could be a crucial clue to this death zone. Han Qing argued for caution, saying any unnecessary deviation could bring unknown risks, especially after the Zero Monument's warning. Zhang Yang thought "any weapon will do," and Wang Hu, as always, waited for Chen Mo's decision.

Chen Mo stared at the lone signal marker on the Star Map, then glanced at the meditating crew members in the chamber, eyes closed and leaning on each other's belief. He recalled the legacy of the Stardust Civilization, and the unknown worlds that had been erased under the Void's erosion.

"Adjust course toward the signal source area," Chen Mo finally ordered, "Reduce speed to one‑third, maintain maximum alert. If any anomaly is detected, withdraw immediately."

He did not make the choice on impulse. On one hand, the unexpected signal might be linked to the Void, a valuable intelligence source; on the other, he sensed that in this death‑stricken land shrouded by the Zero will, any response from another "existence," however faint, was itself a resistance against the Void. Seeking and understanding these "echoes" might itself be part of their mission.

After several days of cautious navigation, the "Voyager" reached the signal‑source sector. The sight before them moved everyone once again.

There was no planet, no nebula, only a ship.

A ship of immense size, yet its wreckage was indescribably shattered.

It resembled a dead giant whale, silently drifting in the void. The hull's material was unknown, displaying a blend of ancient bronze and dark silver, yet most sections were twisted and broken, massive gashes like snarling scars exposing a pitch‑black interior. It was truly colossal—several times larger than the Voyager—and one could imagine its grandeur when whole. Now, however, it was dead silent, only the bow remained, occasionally flashing the faint signal light.

The Voyager approached cautiously. Scans showed no signs of life inside the wreck, energy readings were near zero, and only the signal source persisted like a candle flickering in the wind.

"The signal content has been decoded… it's a repeating set of Star Map data about the coordinates of 'home,' plus a sentence… an unfinished warning," the communications officer said, his voice heavy, "The warning reads: 'Beware… Shadow Tide…' and then cuts off."

"Shadow Tide?" The crew exchanged puzzled looks; it was a new term.

Chen Mo decided to dispatch a small reconnaissance team, led by Han Qing, aboard a reinforced assault craft to penetrate the wreck and seek further information, especially clues about the Shadow Tide.

The recon team, clad in heavy protective suits, stepped onto the alien "Drifting Ark." Inside was a wreckage of chaos, with solidified black matter (perhaps dried blood?) and battle scars everywhere. They located the bridge; most consoles were damaged, but at the main control seat they found a skeletal corpse still strapped to the chair, its hand bones pressed against a button that continuously emitted the signal.

In a corner of the main console, they discovered a carefully protected crystal storage device, which Han Qing carefully retrieved.

After returning to the Voyager, Kaiwen's team promptly analyzed the storage device. Inside were a massive amount of logs, Star Maps, and… the final battle records.

The footage displayed the prosperity—and eventual ruin—of a brilliant plant‑like organic civilization to which the ship named "Watcher" belonged. A "Shadow Tide," a black surge of pure shadow energy, swept across their galaxy, devouring everything, unstoppable. The Watcher was the last refugee, carrying the civilization's seeds and warning, yet during its long drift it ultimately could not escape depleted resources and the successive deaths of its crew. Only the final crew member, at the brink of death, programmed an automatic warning signal.

The log's final line, full of endless regret and lingering obsession, read: "… at least… must send the warning… to those who come after… beware… Shadow Tide…"

Watching the footage of that brilliant civilization shattering like foam under the Shadow Tide, the bridge fell silent. This was more concrete—and more gruesomely revealing—than the abstract proclamation of the Zero Monument, laying bare the horror of the Void Devourer or its minion, the Shadow Tide.

They found an answer, but it brought an even heavier weight.

Yet Chen Mo, watching the final frozen frame of the signal‑sending scene in the storage device, slowly clenched his fist.

This "Drifting Ark" and that alien crew member who never forgot to transmit the warning themselves proved—that the will of "existence," even against ultimate Void, never yields!

"Record Shadow Tide data, update the threat file," Chen Mo's voice rang in the silence, "What we carry is more than humanity's hope."

The "Voyager" adjusted its heading and set out again. This time, their goal was clearer—to locate the source of the Shadow Tide, to find the core of the Void. For humanity, and for all the civilizations consumed, that lingering obsession.