In the boundless sea of stars, for billions of miles, there was not a single star.
Darkness was the sole sovereign here. There was no light, no sound, no life—only the cold void and the occasional speck of cosmic dust drifting past.
In the depths of this deathly silence, a massive Star Fortress floated quietly, like an ancient behemoth slumbering in space.
Deep within the fortress lay the command hall.
A vast projection displayed the starry sky outside in its entirety. Within the river of stars stood an enormous triangular star gate.
Its three pillars were like columns holding up the heavens, each several hundred zhang thick. Dark-blue energy patterns flowed across their surfaces. Between the pillars, a light screen rippled faintly like water, where spatial energy was gathering.
Mu Lei stood at the command console with both hands pressed against it, his gaze fixed through the crystal window on the star gate.
He stood as straight as a spear, the stars on his epaulets gleaming coldly beneath the lights. He had been standing there for a long time—so long that the staff officers beside him had changed shift after shift. Yet he had not moved. He wanted to witness the activation of the star gate with his own eyes, to see the Empire's reinforcements set foot in this starry expanse.
"Star gate energy charge has reached eighty-seven percent!"
"Spatial stability check complete. Fluctuation values are within the safe range."
"Coordinates locked. The channel to Imperial Headquarters is being established."
Report after report echoed through the hall. Every figure was checked again and again, every procedure tightly controlled.
"Governor!" An adjutant approached him and said in a low voice, "All systems have been inspected. We can activate it at any time."
Mu Lei was silent for a moment before slowly