Chapter 146: Lin Mo stared at the report |
Lin Mo stared at the report, the two badges on his chest warming slightly as if responding to that unfamiliar yet familiar life signal. He looked up toward the direction of the light gate, where space still trembled faintly, residual energy ripples spreading outward like circles on a lake's surface.
"Engineer Lin, we've received an audio transmission." The robot extended its mechanical arm, offering a small playback device with pale blue waveforms dancing across the screen. Lin Mo pressed play, and a cheerful whistling melody flowed out, the ending notes carrying the distinctive upward lilt unique to youth.
"Xiao Yuan..." Lin Mo murmured, his fingers unconsciously tracing the badges on his chest. That melody was exactly Xiao Yuan's favorite—back in the mine tunnels, he would always whistle while working, as if the entire universe was listening.
The next morning, Harmony Dust Star welcomed more visitors. The Alliance sent a scientific expedition team, along with several astrolinguists—specialists who studied mysterious signals from the cosmos. A Xing also sent a message through the communication channel, saying she had reached Echo Star's orbit and was preparing to land.
"Lin Mo, you won't believe this!" A Xing's voice came through the screen, with a strange purple sky visible in the background. "The ground here lights up when you walk on it, like someone is paving a path just for you!"
Lin Mo smiled, his gaze falling on the Stardust Flower field not far away. The flowers swayed gently toward the same direction, as if also watching the distant Echo Star.
By evening, the scientific expedition made a strange discovery deep in the mine tunnels: the star crystal patterns on the rock walls glowed on their own without any energy input, forming a completely new route—starting from Harmony Dust Star, passing through three unknown star gates, and finally reaching Echo Star.
"This isn't randomly formed," the astrolinguist said in amazement. "This seems like someone designed it in advance, waiting for a specific moment to reveal itself."
An indescribable excitement surged through Lin Mo's heart. He remembered the words Xiao Yuan had written beside the markings: "Leave a light for lost stars." Perhaps this was the light Xiao Yuan had left behind, now guiding them toward a new journey.
On the night before departure, a rare light rain fell upon Harmony Dust Star. Golden light particles drifted down from the sky, landing on the Stardust Flower field and making the entire sea of flowers glow with warm radiance. Lin Mo stood among the flowers, watching them sway gently as if seeing him off.
"I will find him," Lin Mo whispered softly, as if making a promise to the flower sea, or speaking to that youth who might be waiting somewhere.
When Lin Mo and the expedition's starship passed through the final star gate, everyone was stunned by the sight before them—Echo Star was more beautiful than any description in the database. The entire planet was covered in crystalline, transparent crystals that refracted seven-colored light under the sunlight, creating beautiful rainbows everywhere.
"Welcome to Echo Star," A Xing's voice came through the communication channel, filled with barely contained excitement. "I think you'll find the answers you've been searching for here."
Lin Mo stepped onto Echo Star's surface, the crystal ground lighting up beneath his feet as if guiding his way forward. He followed this path of light, the two badges on his chest glowing with warm light simultaneously, as if responding to some calling.
Before a massive crystal mountain, Lin Mo stopped. At the mountain's center sat a human figure with its back to him, seemingly waiting for something.
"I knew you would come," the figure turned around, revealing a smile that Lin Mo knew all too well. "Long time no see, Lin Mo."
Tears welled in Lin Mo's eyes as he quickly stepped forward and tightly embraced the youth who had disappeared for so many years.
"Xiao Yuan... you've been here all along?"
Xiao Yuan nodded with a smile, pointing at the surrounding crystal mountains. "Echo Star's ore can store sounds and memories, and also preserve life energy. When I discovered my body couldn't sustain itself any longer, I chose to store my consciousness here, waiting for your arrival."
"Why now?" Lin Mo asked, still unable to believe what was happening before him.
"Because you finally found the complete starmap," Xiao Yuan explained. "The Stardust Flowers, star crystals, roots... they were all clues I left behind. Only when you found all the fragments could I be awakened."
Looking at Xiao Yuan before him, Lin Mo suddenly understood the meaning behind everything. Xiao Yuan hadn't left them—instead, he had continued guarding their shared dream in another form.
"Lin Mo, I have a new plan," Xiao Yuan's eyes sparkled with excitement. "Echo Star's crystals can not only store life energy but also convert it into new energy sources. If we can master this technology, the entire galaxy's future will change."
Lin Mo smiled and nodded. "Then let's complete this plan together, just like we promised before."
During their time on Echo Star, Lin Mo, Xiao Yuan, and the expedition team researched the crystals' mysteries together and discovered a completely new energy conversion technology. This technology could not only solve the entire galaxy's energy crisis but also allow life to continue in new forms.
When Lin Mo and Xiao Yuan stood together under Echo Star's sky once more, they knew a new era was about to begin. And all of this had started with that youth who left lights for lost stars in the mine tunnels.