336: Return Journey Blueprint and "Hope" Upgrade Plan

The scene when the "Hidden Dragon" returned to the Return Ruins was... far more grand than Wen Youyi had anticipated.

As the silver-white small starship passed through the silver vortex at the entrance of the Return Ruins, it was not the familiar silence that greeted them, but a scene of bustling activity.

The once-silent ring structure was now brightly lit, and those facilities that had been dormant for hundreds of thousands of years were like waking giants, operating in an orderly manner.

The most conspicuous was the "hope"—it was docked in the largest ring-shaped dry dock, its hull covered in scaffolding, with countless automated repair robots crawling all over it, as if they were dressing the giant beast in living metal armor.

"Is... is this still our 'hope'?" Zhao Iron Pillar pressed against the porthole, his eyes wide open, "Why does it feel like it's gained a bit of weight?"

"It's not weight," Senior Brother Zhang pushed up his glasses, his eyes behind the lenses shining with the unique brilliance of a tech enthusiast, "It's being fitted with external armor and a new thruster array. Look, there are four auxiliary thruster ports on both sides of the bow, and two energy shield generator nodes have been added to the midsection of the hull... My god, they even installed a small ecological dome expansion module on the back of the ship!"

Aila Xinghen - Deputy Captain scanned the data: "The intelligent System of the Return Ruins seems to be helping us upgrade the starship. According to the energy readings, the defensive capabilities and maneuverability of the 'hope' have at least doubled."

Wen Youyi was not surprised. Since they had passed the test of the Star People and inherited their legacy, it was only logical for the Return Ruins to provide technical support.

He was more concerned about another matter now: "'hope' bridge, please respond if you can hear me. This is Wen Youyi calling."

Wang Wu's excited voice immediately came through the communication channel: "Captain! You've finally returned! It's been a full thirteen days; we thought..."

"You thought we were done for at the Star Devourer Royal Court?" Wen Youyi smiled, "It's not that easy. Is Luo Chen there?"

"I am here." Luo Chen's calm voice joined the communication, "Welcome back, Wen Youyi. I am relieved to see that you are safe and sound. Also... please allow me to express my respect; the news that you destroyed the Star Devourer Royal Court has already spread through certain channels."

Wen Youyi was stunned: "The news has spread? So quickly?"

"The Universe has its own information network," Luo Chen explained, "The Sky Patrol, as well as some other Observer civilizations, are monitoring the movements of the Star Devourers. When the 'Dominator' collapsed and the Royal Court fell into chaos, the news was like a pebble thrown into a pond, and the ripples spread very quickly. Now, the name of your 'Starfire' civilization has spread across a dozen nearby Star Domains—though everyone is not yet quite sure who you specifically are."

This was somewhat unexpected. Wen Youyi had originally intended to keep a low profile and make a fortune in silence, but he had accidentally become an "internet celebrity."

The "Hidden Dragon" docked with the "hope". When the hatch opened and the four of them stepped onto the bridge, they were greeted with warm applause and hugs.

Mu Wanqing was the first to rush up, looking Wen Youyi up and down: "You aren't hurt, are you? Is there anywhere you feel uncomfortable? I've prepared new calming soup..."

"I'm fine, everything is great." Wen Youyi accepted the inspection with a smile. He noticed that there were quite a few new faces on the bridge—they were all Sky Patrol crew members brought by Luo Chen. They were wearing dark blue uniforms and working together with the old members of "Starfire" in a harmonious atmosphere.

Old K's mechanical eye flashed with red light: "Kid, you've finally returned. If you hadn't come back, your Zhao Iron Pillar's apprentice would have dismantled the maintenance workshop—the kid was learning to use an energy welding torch and almost set the No. 3 engine room on fire."

"I didn't!" A young man emerged from behind Zhao Iron Pillar; it was Xiao Li, the apprentice Zhao Iron Pillar had taken on the "hope", scratching his head honestly, "I just... I just wanted to try out the new tool."

Everyone burst into laughter. At this moment, Wen Youyi truly felt the warmth of "coming home."

After a simple welcome ceremony, Wen Youyi convened a meeting with his core team. In addition to the original members, Zhao Iron Pillar, Senior Brother Zhang, Aila Xinghen - Deputy Captain, Wang Wu, Mu Wanqing, and Old K, the attendees also included Luo Chen and his daughter Liya, as well as several key technical personnel from the Sky Patrol.

Wen Youyi first displayed the complete star key. When the master key, with all seven fragments lit up, hovered in the center of the conference table, everyone held their breath. It was not just a key, but a living star map, the legacy of a civilization, and a heavy responsibility.

"We have collected all the fragments," Wen Youyi said, getting straight to the point, "The legacy of the Star People is now in our hands. But a legacy is not meant to be collected; it is meant to be used. I propose we launch the 'Journey Home Plan'—return to the Ranch World and rescue our compatriots who are still being harvested."

The conference room was silent for a few seconds, and then erupted into intense discussion.

"We should have gone back long ago!" Zhao Iron Pillar slapped the table, "I dream of bringing all the brothers from the Cooperative out!"

Senior Brother Zhang pushed up his glasses: "But the technical difficulty is immense. First, how do we cross the dimensional barrier back to the Ranch World? Second, even if we go back, how do we counter the harvesting System of the Creation Heavenly Court? Finally, how do we bring so many people out safely? This involves spatial technology, energy shielding, large-scale transportation..."

"There are many problems, but they are not unsolvable." Wen Youyi tapped on the star map, zooming in on one of the regions, "Look here, there are three 'dimensional stable channels' marked by the Star People. The exit coordinates of one of them are less than five light-years away from the 'Tianyuan Realm' where the Ranch World is located. We can go back through this channel."

Luo Chen interjected: "But according to my understanding, the 'Ranch' operated by high-dimensional forces usually has strict monitoring and defense. Rushing in rashly might trigger an alarm, or even attract 'Scavenger' units."

"So we cannot force our way in," Wen Youyi said, "We must use strategy. Remember what we did at the Star Devourer Royal Court? We dismantled it from within. I have a way..."

He detailed his plan. The plan was divided into three phases:

Phase One: A comprehensive upgrade of the "hope". Using the resources and technology of the Return Ruins, transform the "hope" from an immigrant ship into a true "ark"—it must be able to carry at least one hundred thousand people, equipped with a complete ecological recycling System, medical facilities, educational areas, and even farmland and entertainment zones.

"One hundred thousand people?" Wang Wu exclaimed, "How many times would you have to expand the 'hope' to do that?"

"It's not expanding," Wen Youyi pulled up the design blueprints provided by the Return Ruins, "It's 'folding'. The Star People have a type of spatial compression technology that can create a super-large internal space within a limited volume. The principle is similar to... the Storage Pouch in the world of cultivation, but the scale is much larger."

The appearance of the "hope" in the design blueprints did not change much, but the internal structure diagram showed that its effective volume had expanded by fifty times. This technology made the technicians of the Sky Patrol widen their eyes—they knew spatial compression too, but something this large-scale and this stable was unheard of.

Phase Two: Infiltration and penetration. After the upgrade is completed, the "hope" will return to the vicinity of the Ranch World via the dimensional channel. However, it will not enter directly; instead, it will first send an elite squad to infiltrate, just like they did at the Star Devourer Royal Court, to destroy the monitoring network of the Creation Heavenly Court from within.

"I have already thought about the candidates for this squad," Wen Youyi looked at Aila Xinghen - Deputy Captain, Senior Brother Zhang, and Zhao Iron Pillar, "The four of us have infiltration experience. In addition, we need someone who is familiar with the internal situation of the Ranch World..."

"I'll go." A voice came from the door of the conference room.

Everyone turned their heads to see Yun Zhi standing there. She was still dressed in white as snow, but her eyes were more determined than they had been in the past. She was an "Observer" who had defected from the Creation Heavenly Court years ago and later became Wen Youyi's companion, but she had been injured in a previous operation and had remained in the Return Ruins to recuperate.

"Your injury..." Wen Youyi frowned.

"It has long since healed," Yun Zhi walked in and sat down beside Wen Youyi, "And no one knows the internal structure and monitoring System of the Creation Heavenly Court better than I do. I can help you find loopholes, and even... persuade some 'Observers' who, like me, have developed doubts about the harvesting System to defect."

Wen Youyi looked at her and finally nodded: "Good, welcome back to the team."

Phase Three: Great evacuation and rear-guard defense. Once the monitoring System is destroyed, the "hope" will quickly enter the Ranch World to pick up the compatriots who are willing to leave. But this will alert the Creation Heavenly Court, so someone will need to stay behind to cover the retreat—not by fighting head-on, but by creating chaos and stalling for time.

"This part is the most dangerous," Wen Youyi said frankly, "It may require sacrifice."

"If sacrifice is needed, then so be it!" Zhao Iron Pillar stood up, "Didn't we fight our way out of the Ranch World for this very day? As long as we can save more people, it's worth it!"

The meeting lasted from daytime until late at night. Every detail was repeatedly discussed and scrutinized. The Sky Patrol civilization, represented by Luo Chen, was willing to provide technical support, including more advanced stealth devices, energy camouflage Systems, and emergency evacuation protocols. The intelligent System of the Return Ruins, the "gravedigger", also participated in the discussion via holographic projection, providing a large number of technical solutions from the era of the Star People.

By the early hours of the morning, the plan had largely taken shape. Wen Youyi named this three-hundred-page action plan "Operation Journey Home" and distributed it to all core members.

"Now, let us begin the first step," he announced, "turning 'hope' into a true 'ark'."

In the days that followed, the Guixu became a massive construction site.

Tens of thousands of automated robots awakened from the warehouse, and under the command of the "gravedigger," they methodically began modifying "hope."

The hull was disassembled first—not with crude destruction, but with precise deconstruction, like taking apart a complex clock.

Wen Youyi and Senior Brother Zhang spent their days immersed in the engineering command center, staring at the progress charts on the holographic projections.

Zhao Iron Pillar, along with his apprentice Xiao Li and a group of strong team members, was responsible for moving the heavy components that the robots couldn't handle—though most of the time, the robots did the work, and Zhao Iron Pillar just stood by cheering, "Go! Go! Go!"

Aila and Luo Chen's technical team were responsible for System integration.

The Sky Patrol's energy technology needed to be compatible with the Star People's spatial technology; it was like forcing Android and iOS Systems together, which was no small feat.

But Aila had a racial gift—the Sky Patrol were naturally sensitive to energy, so she could "feel" the subtle differences in the flow of the two energies and then adjust the parameters to make them coexist harmoniously.

The most interesting part was the modification of the ecosystem.

Mu Wanqing was appointed as the "ark Ecological Chief Designer." This former medical cultivator was now responsible for designing a Small World capable of supporting the long-term survival of one hundred thousand people.

She spent her days with a group of team members interested in plants (including several Sky Patrol members who were curious about whether the plants from their hometown could grow on "hope"), searching through the Guixu database for suitable species.

"We definitely need to plant star rice, but we can't just eat rice," Mu Wanqing said, drawing a schematic on the holographic board. "We also need a protein source... This 'Moonlight Rabbit' breeds too fast; we'll have to control their numbers. The 'Star-Spotted Fish' is good, but it requires a specialized water circulation System... Ah, here's a 'rainbow potato,' cultivated during the Star People era. It's nutritionally balanced and has a short growth cycle—this is the one!"

Wang Wu was in charge of personnel and resource management.

He took inventory of the massive reserves in the Guixu warehouse: energy crystals, Materials, medical supplies, and even cultural Materials sealed away from the Star People era—holographic records of books, music, and artworks.

These were all precious sparks of civilization.

"Once our compatriots are on board, we can't just let them eat and sleep," Wang Wu said. "We need to let them understand the outside world and learn new knowledge. These cultural Materials are the best teaching Materials."

Old K, along with his "old buddies"—veterans who had roamed the Star Domain for years—was responsible for the design of the security Systems.

They were experienced and knew which areas were vulnerable to infiltration and where potential loopholes might occur.

Old K even designed a "fake target" System—if "hope" were discovered, it could release several energy projections disguised as the main ship to draw fire, allowing the real ship to slip away.

Yun Zhi wasn't idle either.

She organized all her memories regarding the Creation Heavenly Court and drew up a detailed structural diagram.

From the location of the main servers for the "spirit net," to the emotional collection arrays of the "Heart Demon" System, and finally the Luck scanning network of the "destiny system," every key node was marked out.

"The 'spirit net' System has three main control centers," Yun Zhi said, pointing to three light spots on the star map. "They are located in the Tianyuan Realm, Di Yuan Realm, and Xuanhuang Realm—these are the three main Ranch World controlled by the Creation Heavenly Court. If we want to destroy it, we must destroy all three simultaneously; otherwise, if one breaks, the other two will automatically take over the work."

"Destroying all three simultaneously..." Wen Youyi pondered. "We would need three teams to act at the same time. We don't have enough manpower."

"It doesn't necessarily require 'people'," Senior Brother Zhang suddenly said. "We can create a 'virus program.' As long as we can physically access one of the main control centers, we can write a self-replicating destructive program and propagate it to the other two through the network."

Wen Youyi, the programmer, eyes lit up: "I'm good at that. But I need to know their network protocols and defense mechanisms."

"I know them," Yun Zhi nodded. "The Observer Family has received relevant training. I can provide the detailed protocol data."

By the fifteenth day of the modification work, "hope" had taken on a brand-new look.

From the outside, it was just a bit larger than before, with sleeker lines and some mysterious patterns on the hull's surface.

But inside—

Wen Youyi led the core team to conduct the first internal inspection.

They walked into the main ecological dome at the bow of the ship.

It used to be just the size of an experimental field, but now it had been expanded into a true "Small World."

Above them was an artificial sky, simulating the cycle of day and night and weather changes; beneath their feet was fertile soil, where the first batch of star rice and rainbow potato seedlings had already been planted; on one side was an artificial lake where Star-Spotted Fish swam; on the other side was a residential area, with rows of simple yet comfortable housing units neatly arranged, each with its own independent balcony, with space reserved on the balconies for planting flowers and vegetables.

"This place can accommodate five thousand people for long-term living," Mu Wanqing explained. "There are nineteen other similar ecological zones on the ship, which can accommodate a total population of one hundred thousand. In addition, there are medical zones, educational zones, workshop zones, and entertainment zones... I even designed a small 'stargazing observatory' so that everyone can watch the stars during their journey."

Continuing deeper, they arrived at the main energy core.

Originally, there was only one star core engine here, but now a "spatial folding power supply array" had been added—a technology provided by the Guixu that could directly extract zero-point energy from the Void Realm; it was three times as efficient as the star core engine and consumed almost nothing.

"With this, we can theoretically sail indefinitely," Senior Brother Zhang pushed up his glasses. "As long as we don't get blown up, we can keep flying forever."

The weapon Systems had also been upgraded.

The original "high-frequency purification pulse" and "energy burst rounds" were retained, and a "phase interference cannon" provided by the Sky Patrol was added—this weapon didn't directly destroy the target but instead disrupted its internal energy structure, temporarily paralyzing it, which was more humane for dealing with living targets.

Finally, they came to the bridge.

The changes here were minimal, but a "ship-wide neural network hub" had been added.

Now, every area and every device on "hope" was connected through this neural network.

The captain (Wen Youyi) and core members could connect directly via neural links to perceive the ship's status in real-time, making the speed of issuing commands ten times faster than before.

After the inspection concluded, everyone gathered on the bridge.

Wen Youyi looked at his companions—old brothers who had walked the path from the Ranch World, new allies from the Sky Patrol, Yun Zhi who had once been an enemy, and the support provided by the "landlord," the Guixu.

"There is one final modification," he said, holding up the master key. "It requires everyone's consent."

He inserted the master key into a new interface beside the captain's chair.

The master key shone brightly and connected with the neural network of "hope."

[Highest authority key detected,] the voice of the ship spirit of "hope" rang out. Now that it had been upgraded, its consciousness was even clearer. [Do you authorize the permanent Fusion of the Star People heritage database with the ship's System? After the Fusion, this ship will gain access to the complete Star People technology tree, but at the same time, it will assume the ultimate mission of being the 'Guardian of the Civilization Spark.']

Wen Youyi looked at everyone.

Everyone nodded.

"Authorize," he said.

The master key turned into a stream of light and merged into the hull of "hope."

Instantly, the entire starship vibrated slightly, and all the patterns on its surface lit up, emitting a soft, silvery-white light.

On the main screen of the bridge, a star map automatically unfolded, marking hundreds of new coordinates—these were the "sanctuaries," "outposts," and "knowledge bases" left behind by the Star People throughout the Universe.

[Fusion complete,] the voice of the ship spirit carried a hint of solemnity. [The 'hope' ark is ready.]

Wen Youyi stood up and looked around the bridge.

"Well then, everyone," he said. "Rest for three days. Three days from now..."

"We go home."

An enthusiastic cheer erupted on the bridge.

The cheering spread through the neural network to every corner of "hope."

The journey home was about to begin.

Deep within the Guixu, the intelligent core of the "gravedigger" watched all of this in silence.

It called up a dusty record, which contained the final speech of the Star People leader before they departed:

[...We leave the spark here, waiting for those who come after to pick it up. They may not be perfect, and they may make mistakes, but it is precisely those imperfections and mistakes that give civilization the possibility of evolution. May the starlight guide them to find their own path.]

The recording finished playing.

The core light sphere of the "gravedigger" flickered slightly, as if it were smiling.

[Mission, nearing completion.]

It slowly shut itself down and entered eternal slumber.

(End of chapter)