172: The Expedition spacecraft's test flight target was Mars, and it arrived in one second!

As that century wedding, filled with sci-fi and romantic flair, slowly concluded amidst the envious and jealous wails of billions of single people worldwide.

A grander, more exhilarating interstellar

expedition!

had also silently drawn back the

curtain!

"Report, Academician Lu!"

Dock No. 1 of the "Heavenly Court" Starship Port.

On the bridge of the expedition Starship Exploration Vessel.

Academician Qin Shan, the chief commander of the expedition project, reported enthusiastically to the calm-faced young man before him:

"'expedition' systems, self-check complete!"

"'god of fire' II, Controlled Nuclear Fusion Reactor energy output is stable!"

"'Warp' engine, preheating complete!"

"We are ready to depart at any moment!"

"Very good."

Lu Chen nodded calmly.

He turned around and looked at the stunning

figure behind him, who was also wearing a futuristic silver-white captain's uniform.

Su Qingying.

At this moment, the icy goddess who had just become a bride still had a trace of intoxicating blush on her snow-like beautiful face.

But her beautiful, bright eyes were filled with a scientist's boundless

yearning!

and desire for exploration!

"Are you ready?"

Lu Chen looked at her, his dark eyes, vast as the universe, filled with unprecedented tenderness and

affection.

"Mhm!"

Su Qingying nodded heavily!

Her cold, beautiful eyes shimmered with a brilliant radiance called "happiness"!

She knew.

Starting today.

She would accompany the man she deeply loved before her.

To conquer that vast, endless

sea of

stars!

"Good!"

Lu Chen smiled.

He slowly turned around and gently sat down on the massive, futuristic captain's chair.

Then, under the gaze of awe and anticipation from all the heads of state around the world.

He issued humanity's first truly meaningful interstellar

voyage

command on the enormous holographic star map before him!

"I declare!"

His voice was not loud, yet it sounded like a divine oracle opening up the heavens and earth!

Clearly echoing in everyone's ears!

And echoing in the hearts of every mortal about to be swept up by the tide of history!

"Human civilization's first interstellar voyage,"

"begins now!"

"Target—"

He stretched out his finger and tapped lightly on the vast star map!

A gigantic

planet!

was instantly locked onto!

"Mars!"

"expedition!"

"Warp Engine, activate!"

"We"

"depart!"

The moment his voice fell!

"Buzz—!!!"

A dull yet solemn roar, filled with futuristic technology, resonated throughout the silent space!

The streamlined, spindle-shaped "Warp Engine" at the center of the "expedition" ship, which had been quietly suspended in mid-air, instantly lit up with a brilliant seven-colored

halo!

An invisible, powerful, terrifying

force field!

instantly enveloped the entire spacecraft!

Immediately after!

"Whoosh—!!!"

A terrifying, sharp shriek, tearing through space!

That silver-white, teardrop-shaped phantom!

Instantly transformed into a seven-colored streak of light that was almost impossible to catch with the naked

eye!

With a terrifying posture that surpassed the speed of light, incomprehensible to any

human!

It vanished into the endless, deep, dark

cosmos!

Meanwhile.

In the Command Center of the "Heavenly Court" Port.

They stared blankly at the empty, dark starry sky on the screen!

Their minds were blank!

It just

left?!

That was way too fast?!

There wasn't even a farewell ceremony?!

However,

before they could recover from this immense sense of loss.

A terrifying scene that almost made their eyeballs pop out of their

sockets!

suddenly appeared in the center of the screen!

It was a vast, desolate, red Gobi Desert, filled with the aura of

death!

And above that Gobi Desert!

A silver-white, teardrop-shaped spacecraft, full of sci-fi

flair!

was slowly drilling out of the distorted space!

It was none other than the "expedition," which had disappeared from their sight less than a second

ago!

"This, this, this..."

His lips trembled, unable to utter a complete sentence!

His heart, which had long been tempered by various great storms until it was as solid as rock!

was now uncontrollably and wildly

pounding!

One

second?!

From the Moon to Mars!

That enormous distance of hundreds of millions of kilometers!

It only took less than one second?!

What in the

hell kind of divine speed was this?!

This wasn't flying a spaceship anymore!

This was clearly playing with teleportation!

Meanwhile.

On the bridge of the "expedition."

Lu Chen was calmly looking at the desolate and unfamiliar red

world outside the window.

There was not a ripple on his face.

As if this great feat, enough to drive all of human civilization

mad, was merely an unremarkable short-distance

trip in his eyes.

"Master."

The ethereal virtual figure of heavenly craft slowly floated beside him.

[We have arrived.]

"Mhm."

Lu Chen nodded calmly.

"Begin."

[Begin what? Master?]

"Naturally,"

Lu Chen's lips curled into an arc filled with madness and ambition!

"Our Xia Nation's 'Planet Transformation' Plan,"

"which has been in preparation for thousands of years!"