157: Tear apart the atmosphere! Our journey is to the real universe!

The morning light was dim.

When Lin Mo tiptoed out of the room, the sizzling sound of frying and grilling already emanated from the dining room.

Along with Gu Nianqiu's cheerful humming of an off-key tune.

Today's breakfast was still so lavish that it would make any apocalypse survivor weep with joy.

Thick-cut black pepper steak, pan-fried to perfection.

The surface had an alluring caramel-brown crust, but when cut, the inside was a succulent, rosy pink.

It was accompanied by a golden, runny sunny-side-up egg and a few slices of crispy, buttery garlic bread.

"Brother Mo, good morning!"

Gu Nianqiu, wearing her pink lace apron, held a freshly squeezed orange juice and peeked her Little Girl head out of the kitchen, smiling like a blooming sunflower.

"Where's Big Sister?"

"Why isn't she up yet? The sun's already high!"

Lin Mo was about to say she might still be sleeping, when Gu Zhixia's figure appeared at the dining room entrance.

She had changed back into her smart, off-white casual sportswear, her long silver hair neatly tied into a high ponytail.

She looked refreshed and invigorated, no different from the usually aloof Goddess of War.

However... when her gaze met Lin Mo's in the air, she still quickly and unnaturally looked away, as if shocked.

The tips of her ears, usually as cool as frost, had quietly taken on a suspicious flush.

"Hmph, who's like you, clanging around before dawn."

She grumbled at her Little Girl, but her actions were honest as she pulled out a chair and sat opposite Lin Mo, her back ramrod straight.

"Huh?"

Gu Nianqiu tilted her Little Girl head, curiously looking back and forth between Lin Mo and her Big Sister.

Her keen animalistic intuition seemed to sense an unusual atmosphere.

"Big Sister, you seem... a little strange today."

She leaned her Little Girl face close to Gu Zhixia's, examining her carefully.

"Why is your face a bit red? Did you not sleep well last night, are you running a fever?"

"Eat your food!"

Gu Zhixia, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, somewhat annoyed, lightly flicked her Little Girl's smooth forehead.

She picked up her knife and fork, lowered her head, and fiercely cut off a large piece of steak, stuffing it into her mouth, as if trying to vent her inner turmoil through chewing.

Lin Mo watched the sisters' interaction, a barely perceptible curve at the corner of his mouth.

He didn't expose them, merely pushed a glass of warm milk towards Gu Zhixia.

"After breakfast, we'll depart."

His voice instantly brought the somewhat romantic morning atmosphere back to business.

Gu Zhixia's movements paused.

She looked up, her eyes having returned to their usual sharpness and focus.

"Is everything ready?"

"Yes."

Lin Mo nodded.

"The flight path has been planned, all system self-checks passed. We expect to exit the atmosphere in half an hour."

Breakfast ended in a peculiar atmosphere.

The three arrived at the Bridge.

Lin Mo returned to his commander's throne, his consciousness merging with the entire Natural Selection.

"Hold on tight."

His voice, transmitted through the ship's communications, clearly reached everyone's ears.

"Natural Selection, engine power to thirty percent, commencing departure from the planetary gravity well."

There was no violent shaking, nor any ear-splitting roar.

The massive warship, like a awakened black leviathan, silently yet resolutely began to ascend.

Through the enormous holographic viewport, the scorched earth below, stained dark red by industrial exhaust, a place holding countless memories for them, rapidly shrank and receded.

The Purgatory Furnace, which they had personally razed to the ground, was now just an inconspicuous, dark scar on the landscape.

"Goodbye, my sandcastle."

Gu Nianqiu pressed against the viewport, a hint of reluctance on her Little Girl face, and gently waved towards the increasingly distant land.

"The castle was crushed by us, what's there to miss?"

Gu Zhixia stood beside her, her tone still sharp-tongued, but deep in her eyes, a complex emotion was hidden.

This was the starting point where they descended into this world.

It was full of danger and struggle, but it also witnessed their meeting and growth.

As the altitude continuously increased, the dark red sky gradually thinned, revealing the deep, dark cosmic background above.

Soon, the warship completely pierced through the atmosphere.

At that moment, a peculiar sensation spread through everyone's bodies.

Weightlessness.

"Oh!"

Gu Nianqiu let out a light gasp, and her entire body, uncontrollably, slowly floated up from the floor.

"Wow! I'm flying! Brother Mo, Big Sister, look! I'm flying!"

There was no fear on the Little Girl's face, only pure excitement and curiosity, like she had discovered a new toy.

She moved like a clumsy little dolphin, trying to paddle her limbs and control her direction within the spacious Bridge.

The giant carrot pillow in her arms also tumbled freely in the air with her.

Gu Zhixia's physical fitness far exceeded that of ordinary people; weightlessness was merely a small parameter for her body to adapt to.

She only swayed slightly at the initial moment, then immediately adjusted her posture, lightly tapping the control panel with her feet, and stably hovered in mid-air.

Even so, when she saw her Little Girl's silly, adorable appearance, flailing her limbs in the air, her usually cool phoenix eyes couldn't help but curve into a beautiful crescent.

She even felt playful, and mimicking her Little Girl, she extended a finger and gently pushed the carrot pillow that floated in front of her.

It slowly flew towards Lin Mo, like a space billiard ball.

Lin Mo sat on the throne, watching this scene full of life, his heart, which had been tense from thinking about the future, quietly relaxed.

He reached out and steadily caught the flying carrot pillow, then turned his gaze to beyond the viewport.

The planet they had lived on for so long had now become a magnificent glass orb suspended on black velvet.

White cloud bands, blue oceans, and reddish-brown land intertwined on it, forming a grand and silent painting.

"It's beautiful."

Gu Zhixia, at some point, had floated to his side, exclaiming genuinely.

From this angle, one could truly feel the vastness of the universe and one's own insignificance.

"Yes."

Lin Mo nodded.

His finger lightly traced across the control panel, and a massive three-dimensional star map unfolded before them.

"Our current position is here."

He pointed to a green light dot on the star map representing the Natural Selection, and said calmly.