The Dawn Star exploded into cosmic dust, but Xu Shuangyao and I survived.

In the center of the destructive nebula, she hugged me tightly as I was dying, using her body to form the final barrier.

Planetary fragments rained down on the energy bubble, and each impact dimmed her starlight a little.

"Don't sleep," she stroked my face with her bloody hand, "the new star core is waiting for us to name it."

The fragments of the dark purple chain behind her suddenly burst out and pierced through her chest.

As the ice-blue blood dripped onto my lips, a clear heartbeat sounded from deep within the nebula.

The last sixty seconds of Dawnstar.

Time was no longer an abstract concept; it materialized in the blood-stained numbers on the main screen of the Cradle monitoring center: 59…58…57… blindingly bright red, each beat like a sledgehammer, hammering down on the age-spotted back of Dr. Owen's hand and the strained nerves of every survivor. From deep within the earth's crust came no longer a dull tremor, but the dying wail of an entire planet, its bones crushed inch by inch, its viscera ripped apart. Dawn Harbor—no, the entire surface of Dawn—was like a piece of pottery being manipulated by a child. Its vast cracks, like the ravenous mouth of the abyss, devoured the once-proud steel jungle and the struggling lives. The sky was no longer a sky. A swirling, dark purple chaotic energy, like a sticky, foul venom, poured down from the shattered void where the "Gate of Guixu" once existed, bringing with it a devastating rain of radiation, stained the horizon with a despairing apocalyptic landscape.

"Doctor! The crustal plate stress index... has exploded! The northern continent... has sunk!" A monitor's voice was distorted, with tears and extreme fear, pointing to the outline of a large land that disappeared in an instant on another screen.

Owen didn't look back. His bloodshot, visibly bulging from his sockets, were fixed on the maddening scene on the main screen, representing the core of Dawn. There, the silvery-white point of light representing the "Star Seed" blazed with an unprecedented, almost violent, pure brilliance, like the last rays of a star's last rays. But this light was locked in a brutal struggle with a stubborn, dark purple pollution source, like a maggot on its tarsal bones. Every surge in light was accompanied by a precipitous drop in the curve representing the stability of the core's structure! The planet, the cradle of countless life, was being ignited and torn apart from within.

"Hold on...Hold on..." Owen's withered fingers dug deep into the alloy casing of the console, his nails cracking and blood slithering down the cold metal lines, yet he remained oblivious. He muttered unconsciously, whether praying for a distant miracle or urging the two stars—Lin Mo and Xu Shuangyao—who had poured their will and strength into the Earth's core furnace as fuel. It was they who detonated the Star Seed, severing the Observer's poisonous claws with the destruction of Dawn Star! The price they paid was this planet and themselves!

"45 seconds! The spatial structure readings are abnormal! The shock wave from the star core explosion... triggered a local space collapse prematurely!" The voice of another monitor suddenly rose, with a sharp crack.

On the main screen, a large area around the edge of the three-dimensional model representing Dawn Star instantly turned into a heart-pounding blackness, representing "non-existence"! That area and everything within it, whether it was mountains, rivers, or cities, were completely wiped out by the premature spatial annihilation, leaving not even a trace of dust behind.

A deathly silence fell within the monitoring center, echoed only by the frantic screams of the instruments and the dying groans of the planet. Despair, like a cold, rusty tide, completely overwhelmed everyone. Some collapsed to the ground, their eyes empty. Some tightly covered their mouths, stifling the agonizing roars of despair. Others, like Owen, simply stared at the screen, as if carving this final scene into the depths of their souls.

"30 seconds!" The countdown announcement was like a death knell.

Boom——!!!

A roar far more terrifying than all the previous tremors combined, like a roar from the Netherworld of Hell, slammed fiercely into the cradle's impenetrable shell! The entire monitoring center was like a dead leaf in a raging sea, violently tossed and smashed! The glaring red light of the alarm flashed wildly, the alloy walls groaned with a teeth-grinding groan, and huge cracks spread instantly! The backup power system erupted with dazzling sparks, and several screens instantly went out, plunging into darkness.

"Structural damage! Area B3...depressurization!" A shrill alarm rang out in the control room.

"Go! Everyone! Evacuate immediately! To the Watcher!" Owen turned sharply, his bloodshot eyes scanning the pale, desperate faces. His hoarse voice, filled with unquestionable determination, drowned out all the alarms and roars, "Take all the core data! Quick! This is an order!"

He slammed a huge red button, and the abandon ship alarm blared throughout the Cradle.

The instinct for survival overwhelmed the numbness of despair. The technicians, mustering their last bit of strength, frantically pulled out the data cores and stumbled towards the emergency escape. The alloy gates crashed down behind them, isolating the area that was collapsing and being flooded with dark purple energy.

Owen was the last to leave the control room. As the gate closed, he took one last look at the main screen.

Countdown: 15 seconds.

On the screen, the silvery-white light representing Dawn's core had reached a brightness so intense it was impossible to look directly at. The surrounding space image took on a grotesque, glass-like distortion and cracking. On the planetary model, the crimson color of destruction, like a plague, was devouring the last bit of blue representing "existence" at a visible speed.

"Live... I must..." Owen's lips moved, and turbid tears finally burst through his dry eyes, mixing with the blood on his face and rolling down. He turned abruptly and rushed into the violently shaking escape tunnel, which was constantly covered with falling debris. He ran for his life towards the "Watcher", a research vessel anchored in the deepest part of the base, theoretically capable of withstanding extremely strong impacts.

My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It will be even more exciting later!