The dawn light of the new home, the Star Vortex, caressed the last remnants of the Ark "Heart of Gaia" like a mother's gentle hand. The Iron Heart, the core module housing the Temple of Origin, was bathed in a vibrant, pale golden aura woven from billions of stars. Its scarred hull appeared weathered yet tranquil in the light. The dark golden membrane, shaped by Pei Du's will, had been completely integrated into the hull, a permanent mark of healing. Within the Star Vortex, vast gaseous planets flowed with magnificent ribbons, icy planets reflected a gem-like luster, and metal-rich asteroid belts resembled scattered star diamonds. Beyond, a cerulean planet, framed by a vast ring of stars, with the first outlines of oceans and continents emerging, radiated a reassuring gravity—the cradle of humanity lay just ahead.
Within the remaining fragments of the bridge, the main screen was completely dominated by a magnificent view of the starfields of their new home. A soft glow illuminated the distinct imprint of a hand on the control console, still tinged with the lingering warmth of his body—General Raymond's final trace. The air was no longer icy cold; the steady hum of the circulatory system was the pulse of life. The surviving bridge crew stood in silence, their faces devoid of ecstasy, only a near-holy serenity, the result of traversing purgatory and witnessing countless sacrifices. Silent tears fell, dripping onto the cold alloy floor, creating small stains that reflected the vibrant blue on the screen.
"Course locked... Target planet: Dawn, the capital of our new home planet." The monitor's voice was soft, hoarse with the humiliation of a survivor, yet crystal clear. "Estimated docking time: 30 minutes. Cradle core... stable. Star Monument... anchored successfully. Rift fluctuations... continue to diminish."
The Temple of Origin.
Inside the life support chamber, Lin Mo floated in a pale blue nutrient solution, his face a look of deep serenity. His left eye was tightly closed, and the crystallized area covering his left face had a soft edge. Dark gold veins flowed steadily like a star map, emitting a gentle and restrained light. The raging anti-entropy fire had settled, transforming into the core of a new star, like a star that has ended its violent collapse and entered the main sequence, deep and stable, carrying the mysteries of the universe. His even breathing was the most tranquil melody in this space.
Beside her, Xu Shuangyao's icy blue eyes quietly opened. Her clear pupils reflected the azure outline of the Dawn Star, approaching ever closer outside the observation window. No longer a bottomless abyss, they resembled a newly thawed polar lake, reflecting the gentle starlight. A tear, freed from the shackles of aeons of ice, slid down her pale, yet no longer cold, cheek, silently blending into the nutrient solution, creating a subtle, warm ripple. Her fingertips unconsciously and gently touched her forehead—where the icy mark of the "Mark of Frost" had once been, now only smooth skin and the lightness of a soul, the weight of some heavy shackles completely lifted.
Inside the temple, the chill completely faded, replaced by the warm energy of their new home, the vortex of the star. Dr. Owen, hunched over, his age-spotted hands trembling as he shut down all the glaring alarm screens. On the screen, two curves, representing the miracle of life, stretched steadily. Silently, he watched Lin Mo, slumbering in the life support pod, and Xu Shuangyao, newly awake. Moisture welled at the corners of his wrinkled eyes, but the corners of his mouth slowly and with great difficulty tugged upward, finally solidifying into a silent smile filled with endless emotion and relief. No words were needed. They were the brightest dawn after the eternal night.
Hope, like the rising sun of the morning star, accumulates bursts of power below the horizon.
However, just as this peaceful voyage was about to reach its destination and the core module of the Ark was about to be placed in the embrace of Dawn Star—
Buzz!!!
A cold, sticky, dark purple energy with an absolute will to end, like a long-lurking poisonous snake, suddenly erupted from the deepest part of the crystal core of Lin Mo's left eye and from the source where Xu Shuangyao's soul imprint dissipated - at the same time!
This is not an invasion by foreign enemies!
This was deeply embedded in Pei Du's core, inherited by Lin Mo along with the Starry Sky Origin, and quietly tainted when Xu Shuangyao initiated the final logical formatting—the Observer's ultimate backdoor! It was the "Seed of Entropy" planted by the "Eye of the End" before the core was annihilated, a cosmic destruction that would ultimately lead to their demise!
"Warning! Cradle Core... detected an extremely high entropy increase reaction! The source... Lin Mo! Xu Shuangyao!!"
"Unknown laws of pollution... explosion! Nature... ultimate silence!"
"The energy level... is rising exponentially! The carrier... can no longer contain it! It's about to be... annihilated!"
A shrill alarm instantly shattered the tranquility of the temple! More despair than ever before! The newly established picture of hope, under this ultimate betrayal from within, was shattered like fragile glass!
The crystalline pupil of Lin Mo's tightly closed left eye suddenly erupted with a chaotic, dark purple light! The dark gold veins covering his left face were instantly contaminated and assimilated, revealing spider-web-like purple-black lines like a burnt circuit board! The severe pain caused his sleeping body to violently arch in the life support capsule, and a suppressed, trapped animal-like roar emanated from his throat! Pei Du's painful memories of being dragged into the sea of entropy by chains and his core being polluted and eroded, mixed with the observer's cold whispers of "the origin returning to chaos", were like billions of red-hot steel needles piercing his resurrected consciousness! The warning sign of the carrier's annihilation roared like the death knell in the depths of his soul!
"Well--!"
Xu Shuangyao also uttered a painful groan! Her ice-blue eyes, which had just regained their clarity, were instantly filled with a swirling purple mist! Deep in her soul, the location of the "Frost Mark" that had just dissipated was not nothingness, but an even stronger, icy torrent of formatted instructions! Trying to forcibly drag her consciousness, her traces of existence, along with Lin Mo, into the eternal void and return to zero! She clutched her head tightly with both hands, her nails digging into her skin, her body trembling violently, as if enduring the torture of having her soul torn away inch by inch! The new warmth was instantly frozen, leaving only the cold instructions and the impending... complete annihilation!
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