401: Chapter 401 The Vast Expanse of Stars: A New Era (Grand Finale)

Morning Star Consortium · The 2025 Map

On the evening of December 31, 2025, the sunset over Shenzhen Bay was like a molten golden orb, slowly sinking into the sea. On the distant horizon, a silver-white aerospace plane was emerging from the clouds, trailing a faint wake as it descended toward Bao'an International Airport. It was the "Kuafu," flying in from New York, and the entire journey had taken only fifty-two minutes—eight minutes faster than last year. Below the flight path, a stream of flying cars wove between buildings like a swarm of silent fireflies. This city, which was just a small fishing village forty years ago, is now one of the most dazzling landmarks of human civilization.

Su Chen stood before the floor-to-ceiling windows on the 88th floor of the Morning Star Consortium headquarters, looking out at the city. His silhouette was reflected on the glass, overlapping with the skyline outside. At thirty-five, his hair had grayed a bit, but his eyes were still bright. The door behind him pushed open softly, and Lin Wan walked in, holding a report. She wore a white cashmere sweater with her hair styled in an elegant bun; the years had left not wrinkles on her face, but a deeper sense of composure.

"The closing prices for all eight companies are out," she said calmly, as if speaking of something perfectly ordinary.

Su Chen didn't look back. "How much?"

Lin Wan flipped open the report, her pace steady, but every number struck the air like a heavy hammer: "Xinghuo Electronics at 1.2 trillion, Spark Power at 2.8 trillion, Spark Materials at 1.5 trillion, Xinghuo Chip at 3.2 trillion, Xingchen Motors at 1.5 trillion, Xingchen AI at 2.1 trillion, Xingchen Heavy Industry at 1.2 trillion, and Xingchen Medicine at 1.5 trillion. That's a total of 16 trillion USD."

She paused before adding, "Including the unlisted Xingchen Aerospace, Xingchen Defense, Xingchen Energy, and Xingchen Finance... it's a bit over 20 trillion."

Su Chen finally turned around and smiled. There was a composure in that smile that suggested he had seen the end coming, yet also an ambition that had never been extinguished. "20 trillion USD. The world's third-largest economy, second only to the United States and China."

Lin Wan smiled as well. "The ranking isn't important anymore. Because our economy is no longer just on Earth."

At 7:00 PM, at the Shenzhen International Convention and Exhibition Center, three thousand employee representatives had gathered from all over the world. They wore uniforms of different colors—blue for Xingchen Aerospace, silver for Xinghuo Chip, green for Xingchen Energy, and white for Xingchen Medicine. From Maasai engineers from Africa to meteorologists at the South Pole research station, from robot operators at the lunar factory to construction workers at the Mars outpost—three thousand faces, three thousand stories, and three thousand lives changed by Xingchen.

Su Chen stood on the stage before a massive circular screen. On the screen, the Earth rotated slowly, showing azure oceans, white clouds, and emerald continents. The Moon was on the left, and Mars was on the right. Dense clusters of blue light points extended from low Earth orbit all the way to the asteroid belt; those were Xingchen's assets—50,000 Starlink satellites, the Kunlun Space Station, the Guanghan Palace Moon Base, the Morning Star City Mars outpost, 5,000 Nebula Space Servers, and ten asteroid belt mining ships.

"In 2025, the Morning Star Consortium has eight listed companies with a total market value of 16 trillion USD and three million employees worldwide." Thunderous applause erupted from below. Su Chen paused, his gaze sweeping the room. "But today, I am not here to brag about numbers."

He tapped the screen. The image switched to a live feed from inside the lunar factory. Gray walls, white lights, and robotic arms were at work. Lunar soil was fed into the print heads and extruded layer by layer; a satellite bracket was taking shape. There were no human figures, only machines operating in silence. "The Guanghan Palace Base on the Moon has achieved 100% full automation. Robots are building robots, and factories are replicating factories. From lunar soil sintering and 3D printing to precision machining—not a single screw from Earth is needed for any of these products."

The screen switched to Mars, on the Utopia Planitia. A silver-white city was under construction, with domes rising one after another as robotic convoys traversed the red wilderness. A name appeared on the big screen: "Morning Star City." "The Mars outpost has been completed. Morning Star City will welcome its first batch of immigrants in 2028. One thousand people."

The screen switched again to Earth orbit, at the Kunlun Space Station. Twenty-four astronauts floated in a zero-gravity environment; they were from twelve different countries, using Xingchen's brain-computer interfaces to control experimental equipment. "The Kunlun Space Station has twenty-four permanent residents. The next goal is the Moon—one hundred people."

The screen switched to Earth, at a controllable nuclear fusion power plant. A silver-white reactor stood in the middle of a desert, housing a mass of plasma constrained by magnetic fields; the purple-white flame looked like a sealed sun. "In 2025, controllable nuclear fusion reached full commercial use on Earth. Oil has exited the stage of history."

In the audience, some people's eyes turned red. Su Chen stood in the center of the stage, with Earth, the Moon, and Mars behind him, along with 50,000 satellites, ten mining ships, three million people, and 20 trillion USD.

"Ten years ago, some said that Chinese companies could only do low-end manufacturing. Ten years ago, some said Xingchen was moving too fast and would stumble. Five years ago, some said the Moon belonged to the US and Mars belonged to SpaceX." He smiled. "Today, we have answered them with facts."

A line of text appeared on the big screen: "The Sea of Stars is not a dream. It is the next stop."

In the spring of 2026, at the Guanghan Palace Base on the Moon, a city was growing upon the gray wilderness. Domes rose one by one, each housing a factory, a laboratory, or a greenhouse. Robotic convoys shuttled between craters, transporting lunar soil, ore, and finished products. No human figures were in sight—all operations were controlled by the AI 'Zhulong.'

"Guanghan Palace Base, permanent population: one hundred people. Daily output: fifty satellite components, two hundred robot spare parts, and five hundred tons of construction materials. Lunar soil sintering speed: one thousand square meters per day."

On Earth, in the Morning Star Consortium's strategic planning room, scientists were discussing the next target—Jupiter. Su Chen sat at one end of the long table, listening to the heated debate. Some said it was too far, some said it was too expensive, and others said it was unnecessary. He remained silent until the argument ended and everyone looked at him.

"When humanity first stood up on the African savannah, there was no necessity to leave. But they left anyway. They walked for a hundred thousand years, covering every corner of the Earth." He stood up. "Beneath the ice of Europa, there may be life. This is the greatest question of human civilization—are we alone? For that question, it is worth the journey."

In the autumn of 2027, at Morning Star City on Mars, the first batch of domes was sealed. Inside the greenhouses, plants from Earth began to grow. Wheat, soybeans, and lettuce—they took root in the Martian soil and unfurled their leaves under the Martian sun, their tender green foliage striking against the pink sky. The life support systems were activated, oxygen concentrations began to rise, and air pressure gradually stabilized.

The AI "Zhulong" reported: "Phase one of Morning Star City is complete. It can accommodate a population of one thousand. The first batch of immigrants is scheduled for March 2028."

Su Chen "stood" in the central plaza of Morning Star City via holographic projection, with the red Martian soil beneath his feet and a dome overhead, beyond which lay the pink sky. He was silent for a long time before saying, "The winds of Mars will remember this day." On Earth, five billion people witnessed this moment through a live broadcast.

In 2027, the last oil refinery was closed. Saudi Crown Prince Fahd stood before the cameras, with a solar power station in the desert behind him—the world's largest fusion fuel production base. The era of oil had ended.

In 2028, Xinghuo Motors released the "Yufeng" flying car. It featured vertical takeoff and landing, a range of one thousand kilometers, and a price tag of $80,000. The launch event was held in Shenzhen, witnessed by three thousand people on-site. When that silver-white car rose vertically from the ground and hovered over Shenzhen Bay, the entire audience erupted. Musk posted an emoji on Twitter: 🚀. The comment section exploded instantly: "Musk is still building rockets, while Xingchen has already made cars fly."

In 2029, the last Boeing 747 was retired. It took off from New York, bound for a museum in Seattle. Along the way, countless aerospace planes swept past overhead, trailing white wakes as they reached any corner of the globe within an hour. Boeing announced a transformation—it would no longer manufacture passenger jets and would instead focus on producing components for aerospace planes.

In 2030, the Guanghan Palace Base on the Moon was expanded into "Guanghan City." Under the domes, there were schools, hospitals, restaurants, and gymnasiums. Children ran and jumped in the Moon's low gravity, leaping much higher than they could on Earth. The first batch of babies born on the Moon arrived, known as the "Children of the Moon." Su Chen attended a child's one-month celebration via holographic projection. The child's mother asked, "President Su, will he be able to go to Earth in the future?" Su Chen smiled. "He can. But he might find Earth a bit too heavy."

In 2032, the first one thousand immigrants arrived on Mars. Among them were scientists, engineers, doctors, and teachers, as well as chefs, gardeners, and artists. Su Chen personally arrived on Mars, standing in the central plaza of Morning Star City. He wore an extravehicular suit, the pink sky reflected in his visor. He said to the thousand immigrants, "From this day on, Mars is inhabited."

In 2033, Xingchen Medicine released the "Changsheng" gene therapy. Through telomere repair and the clearance of senescent cells, the healthy human lifespan was extended from eighty years to one hundred and twenty. Global social security systems collapsed, and governments urgently met to discuss "delaying retirement to one hundred years old." Netizens wailed, "I retire at sixty and still have sixty years to live. Is my grandson going to support me?"

In 2035, the first space elevator was completed on the Moon. Rockets were no longer needed to travel from the lunar surface to the orbital station. The elevator rose slowly, with Earth, the stars, and the eternally unchanging gray wilderness visible outside the windows. Tourist tickets cost $100,000, with one thousand visitors per year. Someone asked Su Chen, "When will Earth build a space elevator?" Su Chen shook his head. "Earth is too heavy. The Moon is just right."

In 2038, the first human baby born on Mars was delivered and named "Yinghuo." His parents were immigrants who had married, conceived, and given birth on Mars. Media outlets on Earth reported frantically; a CNN anchor said, "The Martian has been born." Su Chen released a statement: "Welcome, citizen of Mars."

On December 31, 2040, in Shenzhen, Su Chen stood on the stage for his final New Year's Eve speech. Sitting before him were three thousand employees of the Morning Star Consortium, with five billion people watching the global broadcast.

"The year 2040. It has been twenty-two years since the launch of the first Tianting satellite." He paused. "Twenty-two years ago, we launched our first batch of satellites from the Command Center. Today, we are building cities on the Moon, raising children on Mars, and mining in the asteroid belt."

On the big screen, photos slowly flipped past—the first drone, "Xinghuo 1," the first satellite, the first rocket recovery, the first space station, the first lunar rover, the first lunar factory, and the first Martian city. Su Chen's voice grew lower. "Some say we have conquered the sea of stars. That is not true." He looked up. "The sea of stars is not meant to be conquered. It is meant to be explored, to be lived in, and to allow humanity to become a multi-planetary species."

Someone in the audience wept.

Su Chen smiled. "In 2041, the Morning Star Consortium has only one goal—to spread humanity throughout the solar system."

A line of text appeared on the big screen: "Next stop, Europa. There may be life under the ice."

The entire audience stood up, and the applause lasted for a full five minutes.

Shenzhen Bay, midnight. Fireworks bloomed in the night sky—red, yellow, blue, and purple, painting the entire bay in color. Su Chen and Lin Wan stood on the balcony of the 88th floor of the Morning Star Consortium headquarters, watching the fireworks fill the sky. On the waters of Shenzhen Bay, the fireworks were reflected like a flowing oil painting. In the distance, the Hong Kong skyline flickered in the night, and the lights of Victoria Peak were faintly visible.

Lin Wan leaned against his shoulder. "We've known each other for twenty-five years."

Su Chen pulled her close. "Yeah."

"Where is our end point?"

Su Chen smiled and looked toward the sky. The moon hung just above the sea; 380,000 kilometers away, the lights of "Guanghan City" were shining. The brightest star was Mars; 55 million kilometers away, under the domes of "Morning Star City," children were running in low gravity. Further still, Jupiter emitted a dim yellow light in the night sky; 700 million kilometers away, an unmanned probe was flying toward Europa. Beneath the ice, there might be life, or there might not.

"Let the robots scout the way first. Once they find life, we'll go."

Lin Wan also smiled. "How long will that take?"

Su Chen looked at the sky, his gaze passing the Moon, Mars, Jupiter, the rings of Saturn, and the edge of the solar system. "Soon."

The fireworks in Shenzhen Bay were still blooming. They had two sons and two daughters. Their eldest son, Su Xinghe, served as the chief engineer in Guanghan City on the Moon; their eldest daughter, Su Xingyue, headed a biology lab in Morning Star City on Mars; their second son, Su Xingyu, was in charge of AI research and development at the Morning Star Consortium on Earth; and their second daughter, Su Xingyao, was still in university studying astrophysics. The empire had its successors, and civilization would continue to endure.

In the night sky outside the window, the sea of stars was calling. Five billion people were watching this planet, but Su Chen's gaze had already moved beyond the solar system. The young man who had walked out of a broken factory had left human footprints on the Moon, Mars, and the asteroid belt. He had spread the internet to every corner of the Earth, sent computing power into space, made nuclear fusion a reality, turned brain-computer interfaces into a language, and made aerospace planes a part of daily life. He had made humanity a multi-planetary species.

On the last page of the grand finale, Su Chen closed his biography. Outside, the night in Shenzhen Bay was deep, and the sea was dotted with starlight. He picked up a pen and wrote a line on the title page: "This is only the beginning."

Outside, the fireworks faded away. The sea of stars is endless.

[The End]