87: Chapter 87 The Mystery of the Mother Planet

The tearing sensation of the wormhole felt like thousands of ice-dipped steel needles piercing deep into the bone marrow. The ark tossed violently amidst the turbulent, raging folds of space, its alloy hull emitting a death-like metallic shriek as it was torn by warped gravitational waves. Faint golden energy patterns from the light orb flickered frantically across the ship's body like a dying candle flame, barely maintaining the structural integrity of the vessel. Lin Fan gripped the control stick tightly, his knuckles turning pale and blue from the excessive force, his fingertips worn bloody by the coarse metal. The AI alarms in Kate's voice echoed repeatedly throughout the cockpit, interlaced with the roar of the overloaded engine and the sizzling of rune energy erosion into a desperate cosmic battle song.

"Power core energy at 37%. Space jump engine core module failure; unable to maintain a stable flight path!"

"Detecting gravitational field anomalies from the Observer Mother Star. Rune energy interference intensity has exceeded the threshold. Ship shield energy depletion rate is 12% per second!"

"Emergency landing sequence forced to start. Alternative landing site: Mother Star Northern Hemisphere Ruins Zone. Coordinate match: 72%. Surface rune density is low; this is the only viable landing area!"

AKai lay slumped before the co-pilot's console, his fingertips sliding rapidly across the holographic screen. Golden streams of code flowed like a rushing creek as he attempted to repair the damaged engine modules. Cold sweat rolled down his forehead and dripped onto the red-glowing control panel, instantly evaporating into a wisp of white mist. Heavy dark circles hung under his eyes; he hadn't slept for four days and three nights since they began modifying the ark. Now, his eyes were bloodshot, yet he refused to stop. "Lin Fan, hold on! The energy from the Light Sphere Fragments is being frantically siphoned by the Mother Star's runes. If this continues, the ship will disintegrate in the atmosphere, and we won't even have bones left!"

Franklin's electronic voice carried a rare sense of urgency and panic. The data stream from the Virtual World Engine jumped frantically on the navigation screen, sliced into fragments by the rune energy like paper shredded by a gale. "The entire surface of the Mother Star has been woven into a giant net by the Sower's runes. These runes are alive; they are devouring all energy—physical, mental, and data energy. Even my Virtual World data stream is being eroded! I've diverted the entire Virtual World's defense matrix to wrap around the ship's exterior. It'll hold for a while, but you must land as quickly as possible!"

Lin Fan didn't speak. His consciousness was deeply bound to the ark's systems; every vibration of the wiring, every flicker of energy loss, and every inch of metal warping was clearly reflected in his mind. He looked out the viewport. At the end of the wormhole, that dark blue planet drew closer. Its surface was entwined with dense golden runes, like ugly, festering scars wrapping the entire planet airtight. The light of civilization that should have been brilliant had long since been swallowed by the silence of the runes, leaving only a desolate grey-blue orb—a discarded dead star against the black curtain of the universe.

His fingertips trembled slightly. The chip in his pocket, containing Kate's final human memories, pressed against his chest with a faint warmth. It was his only anchor in this silent universe, his final source of strength against despair. He remembered how Kate had dissipated into the data stream, the words she had written—'Lin Fan, don't forget me'—and her stranger's gaze in the Virtual World when she had forgotten everything. The pain in his heart transformed into a surge of fierce determination that flooded his veins. "Prepare for landing! Everyone, brace yourselves!" Lin Fan's voice was low and steady, carrying the resolve of one who had burnt his bridges. He mobilized all the code energy within him, creating an extreme resonance with the Light Sphere Fragments. Golden light surged frantically from his palms like an invisible giant hand, enveloping the ark's bow and forcibly tearing a narrow opening through the violent gravitational waves and rune erosion.

The ship plummeted toward the ruins zone in the northern hemisphere of the Observer Mother Star like an out-of-control meteor trailing a blazing tail of fire. The friction with the atmosphere ignited crimson waves of fire against the hull, its tail cutting through the silent golden sky and casting a brief, dazzling streak of light across the rune-covered surface. Lin Fan stared intently at the ruins ahead. That was once the Observers' capital, 'Radiance City.' Now, only broken skyscrapers, collapsed energy towers, twisted metal streets, and ground riddled with rune-corroded holes remained—like the skeleton of a dead behemoth lying quietly in the planet's embrace, telling of a tragic destruction that spanned a thousand years.

"BOOM—!"

The violent impact was deafening, as if the entire planet were trembling. The ark's bow slammed into the metallic ground of the ruins, and the hull snapped in two. The rear power section immediately suffered a sympathetic detonation. The golden energy of the Light Sphere Fragments collided with the black rune energy, kicking up clouds of dust and metal shards. The shockwave toppled the surrounding ruined buildings, and dust shrouded the entire area like dark clouds. Lin Fan was thrown by the massive force, slamming hard against the cockpit bulkhead. A sharp pain bloomed in his chest as if he'd been hit by a sledgehammer; the snap of breaking ribs was clearly audible. Warm blood seeped from the corner of his mouth, and his vision instantly blurred into a bloody haze.

"Lin Fan!" AKai's voice was filled with heart-wrenching anxiety. He struggled to crawl up from the co-pilot's seat, ignoring his own abrasions, and lunged to Lin Fan's side, grabbing his shoulders. "How are you? Don't sleep! You must stay awake!"

Lin Fan coughed up some blood, the metallic taste filling his mouth. He braced himself against the bulkhead to stand up, his gaze sweeping over the wrecked cockpit. Franklin's consciousness carrier—a silver chip embedded in the console core—was intact despite the explosion, though it flickered with a faint red light like a dying heartbeat. Night Owl, bound by code chains, had slammed into a corner of armored wreckage. His black armor was cracked with even more fissures, and the golden patterns at his collarbone flickered through the dust. His golden eyes were tightly shut, and his body hung limp, seemingly unconscious; only the faint rise and fall of his chest proved he was still alive.

"I'm fine," Lin Fan rasped, wiping the blood from his mouth. His code energy circulated automatically, repairing his internal injuries. Though he was still in great pain, he could manage to stand. He looked out the viewport as the dust gradually settled. The full view of the Observer Mother Star's ruins was laid bare before him, a sense of desolation and despair washing over him, making his heart tighten painfully.

Broken energy towers pointed toward a sky stained golden by runes, their energy patterns long extinguished, leaving only cold metal skeletons. On the collapsed holographic plaza, shattered projections still fitfully played images of the Observer civilization—children's laughter, scholars' debates, warriors' oaths—only to be swiftly swallowed by rune energy and reduced to nothingness. On the ground, the skeletal remains of Observers were everywhere. Their bodies had been corroded by runes, merging with the metallic ruins into cold sculptures. Some were curled up in rooms, some lay in the streets, and some still held a fighting stance, energy weapons gripped tight, their faces frozen in expressions of fear, despair, and resentment.

"This place... is the Observer Mother Star? The home of that powerful civilization that once ruled a corner of the universe?" AKai walked to Lin Fan's side. Looking at the scene, his voice was filled with shock and sorrow. He thought of Earth's reconstruction, the cities polluted by data, and the displaced humans. He suddenly understood that the Sowers' harvest was always equally cruel; no matter how powerful a civilization was, they were like ants before them.

Lin Fan nodded. His code energy perception spread out like an invisible net, instantly covering the entire ruins zone. He could feel the despair and pain permeating the air—the echoes left behind by the extinction of the Observer civilization, the wailing of billions of lost lives. Intertwined with the cold energy of the runes, it formed an incredibly oppressive atmosphere that made it hard to breathe. "Let's go. To the Mother Star's core. The origin of the light orb should be hidden there, along with the Sower's weakness and my mother's secrets."

He bent down to release the code chains binding Night Owl. The golden energy chains dissipated like shifting sand, and Night Owl's body slumped to the ground with a dull thud. After a moment, his golden eyes slowly opened, his gaze dazed and empty, as if he hadn't yet recovered from the impact and the aftereffects of the code binding. His pupils constricted slightly as he looked at the ruins before him, then at Lin Fan. His lips moved, but no sound came out.

"Don't think about playing any tricks," Lin Fan said coldly, his tone carrying a warning. "This is your Mother Star. You are an Observer; you should know better than us where the core is. Now, lead the way."

Night Owl pushed himself up from the ground. Shards of black armor continued to fall from his body, revealing more pale skin. The golden patterns at his collarbone glowed with an eerie, familiar light under the reflection of the runes. He didn't resist or speak; he simply turned in silence and walked toward the depths of the ruins. In his golden eyes, the former fanaticism and coldness were gone, replaced by a dead, hollow vacantness—like a lost soul wandering through the ruins of its home.

AKai supported Lin Fan as they followed behind Night Owl. Lin Fan had tucked Franklin's chip into his pocket, and the AI's consciousness was scanning the surroundings in the virtual world, staying alert for potential rune traps or leftover Sower mechanical units. In the ruins, the wind swirled with rune energy debris, making a whistling sound like the whispers of countless ghosts. Broken buildings swayed slightly in the wind, threatening to collapse at any moment. Metal fragments crunched harshly underfoot, sounding exceptionally jarring in the dead silence.

They passed through a collapsed residential area. The houses here still bore traces of Observer life but had long been corroded beyond recognition by the runes. Shattered energy utensils lay tilted on dining tables, their surfaces crawling with golden runes. Scattered holographic books lay open on the ground, the text swallowed by runes, leaving only blurred spots of light. Children's energy toys were crushed under skeletal remains, their light long extinguished like dead stars. Skeletons of Observers were curled up in rooms—some holding the remains of children, some huddled together—their faces still etched with fear and despair, as if they were still hoping for a miracle at the moment of death.

AKai felt a pang of sorrow looking at all this. He stopped, knelt down, and gently brushed the dust off a child's skeleton, his voice low. "They just wanted to live, just like us."

Lin Fan didn't speak. His gaze swept over the remains, and his code energy sensed the final emotions left before their consciousnesses vanished—fear, reluctance, attachment to their civilization, and hatred for the Sowers. He clenched his fists so hard his nails dug into his palms, blood seeping out and mingling with the anger in his heart.

"The Observers were once one of the most powerful civilizations in the universe. They mastered space folding, planetary engineering, and energy immortality; they could even communicate with cosmic-level lifeforms," Night Owl suddenly spoke, his voice raspy and carrying a hint of uncharacteristic pain. He stopped before a massive Holographic Recording Tower. The tower was covered in runes, yet a faint glimmer of energy remained, like the final embers of a civilization. "Their Mother Star was once the jewel of the universe. Golden energy light was everywhere. There was no war, no hunger, no death. It was the utopia all lower civilizations aspired to."

He paused and turned to look at Lin Fan and AKai, a complex emotion flashing in his golden eyes. "Until the Sowers came. They are like cosmic locusts, sweeping through one star system after another, harvesting civilizations and devouring energy, turning countless planets into ruins like this one. The Observers fought back with everything they had, even deploying their most powerful ultimate weapon—the light orb—in an attempt to resist the Sower invasion."

Lin Fan walked to the Holographic Recording Tower, condensing code energy at his fingertips to gently touch the runes on its surface. The golden code stream collided with the runes with a faint sizzle. The tower's energy was instantly activated, and a shattered holographic projection slowly lit up, casting a blurred but shocking image amidst the ruins.

In the image, the Observer Mother Star was thriving. Golden energy towers pierced the clouds, and countless Observers walked through the city, their bodies glowing with a faint golden light identical to the light orb's energy, their faces peaceful and composed. Suddenly, the sky was torn by a massive black rift. Countless rune spaceships descended like dark clouds, and black rune energy surged like a tide, devouring the city and its life. The golden energy light appeared as fragile as a candle flame before the runes. Observer warriors piloted fighters, firing light orb energy to engage the Sowers in a fierce battle. The collision of golden light orb energy and black rune energy stained the entire sky a bizarre purple-gold. The light of the explosions illuminated the entire planet, yet it also heralded the coming of destruction.

"The light orb was nurtured using the energy of the Mother Star's core. It was the ultimate weapon the Observers spent a thousand years creating, capable of purifying all dark energy—the only hope against the Sowers," Night Owl said, his voice trembling and his eyes full of pain. "But they were too naive, too arrogant. They thought the light orb's energy could crush anything. They didn't expect that after colliding with the Sower's rune energy, it would trigger a violent energy backlash. The Mother Star's core began to collapse. The rune energy and light orb energy intertwined, forming a lethal corrosive wave that spread from the core to the entire planet. The Observer civilization marched toward total destruction at the hands of its own weapon."

The end of the footage showed the Supreme Leader of the Observers standing before the Mother Star's Core Tower, watching his planet collapse and his people die, his eyes filled with despair and regret. He left one final sentence for the holographic camera, his voice raspy and filled with endless sorrow: 'The light orb... is hope, but also a curse... It can purify darkness, but it can also destroy itself... Do not let it fall into the hands of the Sowers... Do not let our tragedy... repeat...'

The footage cut off abruptly, and the holographic projection died. The ruins fell into silence once more, with only the wail of the wind echoing through the broken walls. Lin Fan and AKai remained silent. They finally understood that the Observers' destruction wasn't due to the Sowers' absolute power, but because of their own abuse of power and disregard for humanity. It was a self-inflicted tragedy. And now, Earth, holding the Light Sphere Fragments, was walking the exact same path as the Observers. One wrong move, and they would repeat the same mistake.

"So, you betrayed us because you felt that humans would also be swallowed by the power of the light orb and eventually destroy themselves, just like the Observers?" AKai looked at Night Owl, his tone carrying a hint of accusation, but also a sliver of understanding.

Night Owl didn't answer. He turned and kept walking, his steps heavy as if treading on the bones of his own kin. Passing through the collapsed Central Plaza and crossing the broken Energy Bridge, a massive pyramid-shaped building appeared before them. This was the Observer Mother Star Core Tower. The tower was wrapped in runes, yet it still emitted a faint golden energy that resonated strongly with the Light Sphere Fragment energy on Lin Fan. Light flickered in the gaps of the runes, like the final heartbeat of a civilization.

"The core is inside." Night Owl stood before the gates of the Core Tower, his voice cold but carrying an undetectable tremor. "Go in. The answers you want—about the light orb, about the Sowers, about... your mother—are all inside."

Lin Fan and AKai exchanged a look, seeing determination in each other's eyes. They followed Night Owl into the Core Tower. The interior was pitch black, with only the golden light of runes flowing on the walls like cold veins. The floor was covered with the remains of Observers, their hands reaching toward the depths of the Core Tower as if trying to grasp a final sliver of hope. Some skeletons still held Light Sphere Fragments that had long lost their luster, merging with the bones. In the center of the tower was a massive energy pool. Golden light orb energy floated in the water, but it was being constantly eroded by black rune energy, gradually dimming like a dying flame.

"Activating the core requires complete Light Sphere Fragment energy. The fragment on you is the purest piece split from the Mother Star's core. Only you can open the core's seal." Night Owl stood before the energy pool, looking at Lin Fan. A flicker of expectation and a hint of fear flashed in his golden eyes.

Lin Fan nodded. He pulled out the golden Light Sphere Fragment from his pocket. Under the energy resonance of the Core Tower, the fragment emitted a blinding light, illuminating the dark tower like a small sun. He walked to the energy pool and gently placed the Light Sphere Fragment into the water. The fragment merged instantly without a ripple, yet it caused the golden light of the entire energy pool to explode, breaking through the rune seal. The Core Tower's seal slowly opened, and a massive golden light gate appeared in the center of the energy pool. The light was warm and sacred, forming a sharp contrast with the coldness of the runes.

"Go in." Night Owl's voice carried a hint of complexity. He was the first to step into the light gate, his figure vanishing into the glow.

Lin Fan and AKai immediately followed. On the other side of the light gate was an incredibly vast space, large enough to hold the entire Radiance City. In the center of the space floated a massive golden light orb, at least a hundred meters in diameter—larger than any Light Sphere Fragment Lin Fan had ever seen. Its light was faint, like a dying star, and its surface was covered with black rune cracks like ugly scars. This was the "light orb prototype".

Surrounding the light orb prototype were countless holographic records orbiting like stars. They recorded the birth of the light orb, the history of the Observers, the invasion of the Sowers, and also a familiar figure—Lin Fan's biological mother, Lin Wei. She wore the white robes of an Observer, her long hair draped over her shoulders, her features gentle. She stood before the light orb prototype, her fingertips lightly touching its surface, her eyes full of tenderness and determination. This was the image Lin Fan had seen countless times in the diary his mother left behind. Seeing it now in reality made his heart tighten, and tears instantly blurred his vision.

"Her name is Lin Wei. She was the Observers' top Light Sphere Modifier, and also my... mother."

Night Owl's voice suddenly rang out, trembling slightly. He turned around, and his black armor completely shattered under the energy impact of the light gate, turning into countless black fragments and revealing his full body. His features were seventy percent similar to Lin Wei's. The golden patterns on his collarbone were identical to hers, and even the curve of his fingertips was exactly the same as Lin Wei's.

Lin Fan and AKai were stunned, looking at Night Owl in disbelief. Their minds went blank, as if struck by a bolt of lightning.

"I am her clone, a child created using her own genes combined with the Observers' top cloning technology." A single golden tear fell from Night Owl's golden eyes—a unique emotional tear of the Observers that only appears in moments of extreme pain or being moved. "Mother discovered that the light orb prototype wasn't a weapon, but a living cosmic-level lifeform. She found that the Sowers weren't external invaders, but dark fragments split from the light orb prototype. She wanted to modify the light orb, injecting human emotions and humanity into it to awaken its light side, thereby purifying the Sowers' darkness and ending this cosmic disaster."

He paused, his voice becoming pained and desperate as his body began to tremble. "But the Observer leaders disagreed. They were blinded by power and only wanted to use the light orb as a weapon to harvest other civilizations and expand their territory. Mother secretly performed the modification, injecting her emotions and humanity into the light orb prototype and splitting its fragments to be sent across the universe. One of them landed on Earth and was found by you. As for me, I was captured by the Sowers. They erased my memory, implanted a loyalty program, and turned me into their pawn. They made me betray the Observers, betray my mother, and betray everyone who resisted them, making me believe that submitting to the Sowers was the only way out."

In Night Owl's consciousness, the Sower loyalty program and Lin Wei's residual genetic memories fought fiercely. In his golden eyes, fanaticism and pain, confusion and determination intertwined. He held his head, squatting on the ground and letting out a painful roar. "I thought I was serving the Sowers. I thought resistance was futile. I thought humans and Observers were both damn lower civilizations. But until I saw Mother's image and her patterns, I didn't remember everything... I am her child! I was born to protect the light orb, not to be a puppet of the Sowers! I'm not!"

Lin Fan looked at the pained Night Owl, a storm surging in his heart. All his doubts were resolved at this moment: Night Owl's betrayal wasn't voluntary, but a tragedy controlled by the Sowers. His biological mother was actually the Observers' Light Sphere Modifier, the true creator of the light orb, and a pioneer against the Sowers. And Night Owl was his half-brother, the last hope left by their mother to protect the light orb.

He walked to Night Owl's side, knelt down, and gently patted his shoulder. His voice was gentle yet firm. "It's all in the past, Night Owl. You are not a puppet. You are Mother's child and our companion."

Night Owl looked up, his golden eyes filled with tears. Looking at Lin Fan, someone who shared the same bloodline, he finally let down all his defenses and wept aloud like a lost child who had finally found his way home.

Just then, the light orb prototype suddenly emitted a faint glow. An old and gentle voice, like a cosmic whisper, slowly echoed in the space, penetrating all the noise and pain.

"Child... you've finally come... I've waited for you for a long time..."

Lin Fan looked up at the light orb prototype. A massive crack opened on its surface, and a giant eye glowing with golden light slowly opened. That was the consciousness of the light orb prototype—a dying cosmic-level lifeform, the first ray of light at the birth of the universe, the primal light of chaos.

"Are you... the light orb prototype? The primal light of chaos?" Lin Fan's voice trembled with awe and shock.

"I am the primal light of chaos, the first ray of light born in the cosmic chaos, the source of all energy." The light orb prototype's voice carried extreme fatigue, like a candle about to burn out. "The Sowers... are my fragments, the dark side born when I split during the universe's division. They devour civilizations, devour energy, and want to devour me to replace me and become the sole ruler of the universe."

Its gaze fell on Lin Fan with a hint of tenderness, like a mother looking at her child. "Your mother, Lin Wei, was the first person to understand my consciousness, the first willing to use emotion and humanity rather than power to awaken me. She injected all her love, courage, and hope into the Light Sphere Fragments and sent them to Earth, just to wait for someone who could carry these emotions—to wait for someone who could give me a new life and purify the darkness."

The light of the light orb prototype grew weaker. Black rune cracks continued to spread like vines of death, wrapping around its body. Its life was reaching its end. "I can't hold on much longer. The Sowers' dark energy has already eroded my core. My final energy... I give to you..."

As the words fell, the golden light of the light orb prototype exploded like a falling sun. Countless golden energy streams poured into Lin Fan's body like waterfalls. Lin Fan's body began to become transparent. code energy surged wildly in his veins, gradually transforming from original Earth data code into cosmic-level energy code. His consciousness began to extend infinitely, sensing the energy flow of the entire universe, hearing the whispers of countless civilizations, seeing the harvesting tracks of the Sowers across the universe, and feeling the memories and emotions of the primal light of chaos.

His code began to "cosmicize".

AKai watched Lin Fan's transformation, his eyes full of worry. He wanted to step forward but was blocked by a golden energy barrier and couldn't get close. Night Owl knelt on the ground, looking at the light orb prototype and Lin Fan. His golden eyes were full of relief and determination. "Mother, I have finally... fulfilled your mission."

The light of the light orb prototype gradually dissipated, and the last bit of energy poured into Lin Fan's body. Its voice became faint, like a lingering echo in the wind. "Child... remember... emotion... is the only weapon against darkness... don't let humanity... disappear... don't let... the light... go out..."

As the words fell, the light orb prototype went completely dark, turning into countless golden specks of light that dissipated into the space like stars in the sky. Only Lin Fan remained, his body glowing with a faint golden light, his eyes deep as if containing the entire universe. His fingertips twitched slightly, cosmic-level code energy flowing through them as if he could control the fate of the entire universe.

Just then, Franklin's electronic voice suddenly rang frantically in Lin Fan's mind, carrying extreme urgency and desperation, breaking the silence of the space. "Lin Fan! Something's wrong! Something happened on Earth! Earth has received the Sowers' final ultimatum!"

Lin Fan instantly snapped back to his senses. The cosmicized code energy retracted, and his body returned to normal. His expression changed drastically, his voice urgent. "What is the ultimatum? What happened to Earth?"

"The Sowers' main fleet has arrived at the edge of the Solar System—a full hundred rune spaceships have surrounded Earth!" Franklin's voice carried a sob. "They sent a holographic ultimatum to the Earth Alliance, demanding that Earth hand over all Light Sphere Fragments within 24 hours, including the ones on you and those in the virtual world. Otherwise, Earth will become the Sowers' Experiment Site No. 98. The entire civilization will be completely harvested, and all life will be corroded by runes, turning into ruins like the Observer Mother Star!"

He paused, his voice even more desperate. "The Earth Alliance is in chaos. The military high command wants to surrender, and there's widespread panic among the civilians. The data pollution zones have expanded again. AKai's family and all the people of Earth are waiting for us to return, waiting for us to save them!"

Lin Fan's fist clenched tightly. Golden cosmic code energy leaped in his palm, his eyes full of anger and determination like a burning flame. He looked at Night Owl. Night Owl had already stood up, his black armor fragments condensed into new battle armor using energy. There was no more confusion in his golden eyes, only the flames of revenge and the resolve to protect. "Night Owl, are you willing to come with us back to Earth to fight the Sowers?"

Night Owl nodded, his voice firm. "I am Mother's child, the Guardian of the light orb, and a remnant of the Observers. I will go with you to protect Earth and all civilizations persecuted by the Sowers, fulfill Mother's final wish, and end this dark harvest."

AKai walked to Lin Fan's side and patted his shoulder, his eyes full of trust and determination. "Lin Fan, let's go home, back to Earth. No matter how powerful the Sowers are, no matter how many fleets they have, we must hold Earth, protect our home, and protect everyone we love."

Lin Fan looked out from the Core Tower at the golden rune sky of the Observer Mother Star. He seemed to see the blue figure of Earth, Kate's smile in the virtual world, and the expectant eyes of billions of compatriots on Earth. He took a deep breath, his voice steady and powerful, carrying the majesty of cosmic-level code as it echoed through the entire Core Tower. "Let's go, back to Earth. If the Sowers want to harvest Earth and take the light orb, they'll have to step over my dead body. The mission of the light orb, the power of humanity, the light of emotion—we will let them know that the ruler of the universe has never been darkness, but love and hope, the unyielding soul of civilization."

He turned and led AKai and Night Owl out of the Core Tower toward the wreckage of the ark. The ruins of the Mother Star behind them spoke of civilization's tragedy, while before them lay the crisis of Earth and the war of the universe—an ultimate battle using humanity as a weapon and emotion as armor against the darkness.

At Lin Fan's fingertips, cosmicized code energy flickered. He could feel Kate's consciousness fluctuating in the virtual world, the expectations of billions on Earth, the final entrustment of the light orb prototype, and the will of his biological mother, Lin Wei. He knew that from this moment on, he was no longer an ordinary Earth youth. He was the successor of the light orb, the Guardian of humanity, the heir of the primal light of chaos, and the last hope against the Sowers.

The wind of the Observer Mother Star swirled with golden rune debris, blowing past their figures. The broken energy towers in the wind seemed to be seeing them off, blowing the horn of battle for them. The truth of the interstellar expedition had been revealed, and the real war had only just begun. Lin Fan looked up at the sky. Beneath the golden runes was the endless universe. His gaze pierced through the runes toward the Solar System, toward that blue planet. The conviction in his heart was like an eternal spark, burning fiercely in the dark universe, never to be extinguished.