Launch Failure

The next day, in a secret valley on the outskirts of Eastsea City, at Dark-Gold Heavy Industries' No. 1 launch pad.

It was a cloudless, sunlit day. Golden rays poured unobstructed into the valley, illuminating the towering dark-gold warship until it resembled something from myth, radiating an even more dazzling yet austere glow.

The atmosphere around the launch pad was solemn and tense. Di Tian, Bi Ji, Zi Ji, Myriad Demon King, Crimson King, and Bear Lord had all changed into matching custom-made dark-blue work uniforms and white safety helmets bearing the Dark-Gold Heavy Industries logo. They actually looked somewhat like professional engineers. Divided into several groups, they held various soul-guided inspection instruments and carried out the final comprehensive pre-launch checks.

"The energy buffer readings for the shock-absorbing base are stable. No abnormal fluctuations." Di Tian's voice came through the internal communications soul device. He was crouched beneath the massive launch frame, inspecting the intricate energy conduits and hydraulic systems that spread like a spiderweb.

"The integrity of the external soul-guided matrix has been confirmed. Energy flow is smooth, with no leakage points." Bi Ji and Zi Ji floated through the air, slowly circling the middle of the warship as the instruments in their hands scanned each scale-like armor plate.

"The pressure at every node of the internal air circulation system is normal. The ecological maintenance units have started properly. Oxygen levels are stable at 22%." Myriad Demon King stood before an open maintenance hatch, carefully checking the densely packed figures on the control panel.

"The fuel line pressure for the main engine bay, backup engine bay, and all auxiliary thrusters has been checked. Seals are intact, with no leaks." Crimson King's three heads each watched a different monitoring screen, working with astonishing efficiency.

"The external cooling spray system, internal fire warning system, and automatic fire-suppression soul-guided arrays are all ready! This old bear checked them three times. I guarantee not even a spark will pop out!" Bear Lord thumped his chest, his voice booming. He was responsible for several systems most closely tied to "safety."

Yet the star of this flight—the Golden Dragon King, Jin—looked especially "relaxed." He sat in the safety observation area far from the launch pad, with a small table before him piled high with all kinds of grilled fish Huo Yuhao had specially prepared for him. The aroma filled the air. He held a cumin-grilled eel in his left hand and a spicy grilled black carp in his right, eating with great enthusiasm while mumbling through a full mouth, "Mm... everyone... burp, make sure you check everything carefully... Tighten every screw! My hide may be thick, but I don't want to become some 'flying man'—especially the smoking kind..."

The Dark-Gold Dragon King, Dark-Gold, had no time to pay him any attention. Wearing a slightly oversized safety helmet that did not seem to fit quite right, he held a heavy soul-guided engineering clipboard and wore an exceptionally serious expression. He continuously recorded the data coming in from every section and occasionally issued commands through the intercom. "Fine-tune pressure valve No. 3 in Zone C by 0.3 standard units... Recalibrate the bow balancing module once more... Watch the thruster fuel mixture ratio..."

Huo Yuhao and Demon Spirit were inside the central control room. The huge light screen before them was divided into dozens of smaller windows displaying real-time data and soul-guided video feeds from every critical point inside and outside the warship. A faint golden light flowed in the depths of Huo Yuhao's eyes. His spiritual power blanketed the entire vessel like the most precise detection net, sensing even the slightest energy flow and structural stress changes. Demon Spirit's fingers flew over the console as she operated the automated sequence for the entire launch procedure.

"The internal facilities and emergency life-support systems have received final confirmation." Di Tian emerged from the ship's interior and removed his slightly oil-stained gloves.

"External inspections complete!" the other fierce beasts reported one after another.

"All preset inspection points have passed!" Dark-Gold marked off the final check on his clipboard and let out a long breath. Then he looked through the observation window toward Jin, who was still gnawing on fish bones in the distance. His voice rang out through the loudspeakers. "Jin! Stop eating! Prepare to board! The final inspection is complete. It's up to you now!"

At that, Jin reluctantly set down the half-eaten grilled fish in his hand, licked his fingers, rose to his feet, and dusted off nonexistent dirt. "All right, all right, for grilled fish... no, for science and exploration!" He changed into a custom dark-gray pressure-resistant flight suit made by Dark-Gold Heavy Industries, designed for both comfort and a degree of protection. After putting on his helmet—whose angle he adjusted several times with obvious displeasure—he gave a thumbs-up to his companions waving hard at him from the distant safety zone, then strode toward the slowly opening airtight hatch.

"Good luck, Uncle Jin!" Demon Spirit shouted through the communicator.

"Be careful. If anything feels wrong, activate the escape protocol immediately!" Huo Yuhao warned.

"Boss Jin, we'll drink when you get back!" Bear Lord hollered.

Jin waved without looking back, and his figure vanished through the hatch.

"Warship No. 1, prepare for liftoff. Switch all systems to final pre-launch status." Dark-Gold's voice sounded simultaneously in the main control room and over the external broadcast, carrying a barely noticeable tremor of excitement and nervousness.

Amid a deep mechanical rumble, the heavy alloy protective panels atop the launch pad slowly slid apart, revealing a pristine blue sky overhead. Dozens of high-precision soul-guided recording instruments set up around the valley adjusted their angles at the same time and locked onto the warship. To ensure maximum secrecy, high-powered signal jammers and optical camouflage generators had long been activated above the valley. From the outside, everything appeared normal, with only the occasional bird flying past.

Eastsea City Academy

The morning physical training class had just begun. The students of Class One, Grade One were warming up with a run around the massive ring-shaped soul-guided simulated training field. Tang Wulin ran near the front, his breathing even and his steps steady. Na'er followed not far behind her brother, her little face slightly flushed. Xie Xie tried to show off with flashy footwork, while Zhou Changxi lagged behind, panting heavily. Yun Xiao worked hard to keep up with the main group. Gu Yue, meanwhile, ran in the middle of the group, seeming somewhat distracted as her gaze occasionally drifted toward the outskirts of Eastsea City.

"...Seven, six, five..." The electronic launch countdown echoed through the valley.

"All personnel, withdraw to the final safe distance! The launch procedure is irreversible!" Dark-Gold's voice was firm and decisive.

"...Three, two, one! Launch!"

An incomparably thick azure beam, blazing like a volcanic eruption and mixed with orange-red exhaust flames, suddenly shot up from somewhere in the outskirts—visually distorted and blurred by the camouflage—and pierced the heavens! At the base of the beam, endless billowing clouds of high-pressure white steam surged outward in all directions like an enormous flower of death blooming. Even from so far away, the light was too bright to look at directly, while a low, continuous hum filled the air.

At the far end of the horizon, close to the ground, an extremely bright silver point of light appeared without warning, like a star that had risen early. For a brief moment, it even eclipsed the morning sun!

"Huh? What's that?" a sharp-eyed student cried, pointing in that direction.

Then the point of light began to move. It did not rise smoothly, but climbed with an unwavering, desperate momentum, trailing a thin, solid white tail behind it. It carved a clear path across the blue Skyveil, like an exclamation mark written by a god with light as his pen.

"Is that a soul-guided aircraft? It's so fast!" Tang Wulin noticed it as well. He could sense the immense energy contained within that point of light.

Gu Yue narrowed her violet eyes as she stared at the ascending trail. She could faintly sense that familiar, powerful draconic aura of the Golden Dragon King, along with the massive thrust restrained and unleashed by soul-guided machinery. So it has begun...

Watching the point of light grow smaller as it accelerated, leaving behind a long white condensation trail, she calculated silently. First step: break free of the atmosphere... It looks like the next step of the plan can begin soon.

However, just as the point of light rose to a certain altitude and was about to become difficult to see—

A sudden change occurred!

The originally stable, brilliant point of light flickered violently and unnaturally, then swelled once!

Like the fatal spasm of a heart.

Then, without warning, it transformed into a massive fireball of chaotic, violent crimson and dark gold that exploded outward in an instant!

BOOM—!!!

Only then did a distant, muffled yet clearly distinguishable explosion roll in like a belated funeral bell, sweeping over the city and reaching everyone's ears. The sound had weakened greatly over the long distance, but the explosive force contained within it still made their hearts tremble.

They saw the explosion before they heard it.

The training field erupted into an uproar.

"It... it exploded?!" Xie Xie stared wide-eyed.

"Did the experiment fail? That explosion was terrifying..." Yun Xiao covered his mouth.

Zhou Changxi stared blankly at the smoke cloud and scattered flames slowly spreading and falling through the sky. "What kind of soul-guided device would have to be that huge...?"

Tang Wulin frowned deeply. He recalled the white trail he had seen earlier. That was definitely not something an ordinary soul-guided device could produce. Na'er instinctively moved closer to her brother, worry written across her little face.

Gu Yue watched the cloud of fire that proclaimed the failure, a trace of understanding flashing through her eyes. She gently shook her head and murmured as if analyzing a technical issue, "As expected... During the first extreme-condition test, the cooling system or structural resonance problem still surfaced. Looks like I'll have to find time to discuss the data with them." Her reaction resembled an anticipated technical review far more than shock.

Almost at the exact moment of the explosion, Leng Yaozhu stood at the window on the top floor of the Eastsea City branch of the Spirit Pagoda, holding a cup of clear tea. The unusual flash in the distant outskirts and the muffled blast that followed made her raise her eyelids slightly.

"Oh? That was a little louder than expected." Her tone was calm, even carrying a trace of detached anticipation. As someone who knew about it—Gu Yue had briefly informed her under the excuse that "friends were conducting a high-risk soul-guided thrust experiment," gaining a certain degree of tacit approval—she was not surprised. She merely offered a slight assessment of the explosion's scale. "It seems the Agricultural Meteorological Research Platform's 'research' encountered a minor setback." She shook her head faintly, set down her tea, returned to her desk, and continued processing documents. So long as city safety was not endangered and the core rules were not violated, she was willing to grant Gu Yue and her "friends" some room for trial and error.

The officials on duty at the Federal East Sea Soul-Guided Monitoring Station were also rather "calm."

"Report. In the XXX, YYY coordinate region, the scheduled experimental project, 'Deep Space Explorer Phase One Thrust Test Platform,' has experienced an abnormal energy release. It matches one of the preset models: 'experimental failure—propulsion system overload explosion.'" An official calmly delivered his report while looking at the flashing alarms and the filing code that had long been entered into the system.

"The energy level is within projected limits. Forecasts indicate the trajectory of the falling debris will not enter the city's restricted zone. The shielding system is operating normally, and external observation will be severely disrupted," another confirmed.

The person in charge seated at the head position nodded, picked up a document prepared long ago, and glanced at it. "Mm. Put it on record. Handle it according to protocol. Inform the relevant departments to watch for scattered harmless debris that may fall, reinforce patrols around the perimeter, and prohibit unrelated personnel from approaching. As for the public... use the unified explanation they applied for themselves: 'an accident during ground testing of a new soul-guided engine.'" He paused, then added, "Send Dark-Gold Heavy Industries a routine inquiry letter and urge them to strengthen their safety measures. After all, appearances still need to be maintained."

Clearly, in the eyes of the upper echelons, this earthshaking failed launch was merely a reported, tacitly approved, and controllable "experimental accident." The enormous spectacle itself had been part of the plan, intended to test and collect data. The subsequent "cover-up" and "explanation" had long been agreed upon behind the scenes.

Dark-Gold Heavy Industries Valley, launch pad area.

The deafening blast and flash had already passed, but the air was thick with the pungent stench of scorching, molten metal, and overloaded soul-guided units. The once-neat launch pad was a complete mess. Cooling water mixed with oil flowed everywhere, and parts of the ground had been scorched black and cracked by the intense heat.

But the soul beasts moved with astonishing speed, without the slightest panic.

"Rescue!" Di Tian was the first to transform into a streak of black light and soar into the sky, heading straight for the largest falling fragments that might injure someone. With a sweep of his dragon claws, streaks of black blade light precisely cut the still-burning wreckage into smaller, more controllable pieces, then guided them with gentle force toward designated impact-buffer zones.

Bi Ji and Zi Ji followed close behind. Bi Ji scattered emerald life radiance from her hands, rapidly purifying and cooling the harmful residual energy and scorching heat in the air wherever it passed. Zi Ji spread a deep-violet protective force field over crucial undamaged ground facilities and falling fragments of precision components, preventing secondary damage.

Myriad Demon King and Crimson King directed the engineering soul-guided machinery prepared in advance throughout the valley—many of them products of Bear Lord's Dark-Gold Heavy Peak—to swiftly clear the route and begin recovering the relatively intact small and medium-sized fragments that held analytical value. Bear Lord himself roared as he used his enormous palms and sturdy back to catch several searing armor plates the size of doors as they whistled down from the sky, then hurled them into specialized isolation containers with loud clangs.

Dark-Gold wore a high-speed flying soul-guided backpack and shot toward the airspace beneath the explosion's center like an arrow loosed from a bow. His objective was clear—find the figure who had been blown away.

"Ah—! Help—! I'm falling—! Huo Yuhao, I haven't finished your grilled fish yet—!" Jin's scream grew closer. His entire body smoked, his once-stylish flight suit blown into tatters, and his face streaked black and white. He spun through the air like a human cannonball as he fell. Though he looked miserable, his voice was strong, making it clear he had not suffered any real injury.

Dark-Gold accelerated into a dive, precisely reached the position beneath Jin, and opened his reinforced arms. He barely managed to catch him. The force of their fall dragged them down another several dozen meters before they stabilized.

"Cough, cough... ptoo, ptoo!" Jin spat out a mouthful of black smoke. With Dark-Gold supporting him, he staggered to the ground and patted his chest in lingering fear. "That scared the dragon out of me... This was more exciting than fighting the Asura God in the Divine Realm back then! At least those guys' moves looked good. This explosion... was way too crude!"

By then, Huo Yuhao and Demon Spirit had already hurried over. Huo Yuhao held a portable soul-guided analyzer, his brows tightly furrowed. Demon Spirit's eyes were slightly red. She had clearly been frightened by the explosion, but she stubbornly held back her emotions.

"Jin, are you all right?" Huo Yuhao examined him from head to toe.

"I'm fine, I'm fine. My clothes are just ruined. What a waste of my new hairstyle." Jin wiped his face, only making his hand even blacker.

"Forget the hairstyle for now." Dark-Gold set Jin down, his expression grave. "Start wreckage analysis and data recovery immediately! We have to figure out what went wrong!"

The group quickly moved into a temporary analysis tent. Outside, Di Tian and the others had already collected most of the valuable wreckage, piling it into several small hills. Some of the metal still glowed red and radiated heat.

In the center of the tent, a huge light screen lit up. It began synchronizing the data and visual fragments extracted from the warship's black box—an enhanced version—the external monitors, and Jin's memories from the final moments.

Everyone gathered around, the atmosphere solemn.

Huo Yuhao pointed at internal surveillance footage from before the explosion, replaying at high speed. "Look here. The explosion began in the upper main energy storage tank array. The abnormal energy overload fluctuations caused a chain detonation." On the screen, the readings of several energy units marked in red instantly surged past dangerous thresholds before their signals vanished.

Demon Spirit brought up the automated control logs, her little face tense. "We found the problem! Three seconds before the explosion, according to the preset program, the auxiliary cooling soul-guided arrays for main thrusters No. 3 and No. 4 should have activated peak cooling. But the logs show that the command was sent, while the feedback signal said, 'Device unresponsive.' Immediately afterward, the core temperatures of those two thrusters shot up by 300% in 0.5 seconds!"

Dark-Gold picked up a twisted metal plate and pointed at an inwardly dented pit with torn edges. "This is a shell fragment from Thruster No. 3. The explosion burst from the inside out, a typical overload rupture. The shockwave tore it apart, and then the chain reaction..."

Jin rubbed his ears, which still rang slightly, and added, "I felt it most clearly inside. After the countdown ended and full thrust kicked in, the vibration was ridiculously bad, like ten thousand iron-armored rhinos were jumping around in my stomach. Then, maybe a dozen seconds after liftoff, there was suddenly this especially violent shaking from all directions, like the whole ship was about to come apart. Then—bang! My vision went black, and I flew out."

Myriad Demon King retrieved the remaining data from the structural stress sensors. Some had been destroyed in the explosion, but fragments of data had still returned. "Preliminary calculations show that at maximum thrust, the overall structural stress on the warship exceeded our estimates by 15%. In particular, there was a resonance amplification effect between the middle section and the propulsion bay that we did not adequately account for. Excessive vibration loosened precision circuit connections, displaced components, and even damaged them. That may have been the direct cause of the cooling system failure."

Di Tian summarized, "In short, there were several core issues. First, the warship remains too heavy. To gain enough initial velocity to escape the atmosphere, the main thrusters were forced to operate at extreme power for an extended period, creating tremendous heat dissipation pressure. Second, the cooling system has design flaws or insufficient component reliability, making it prone to failure under extreme conditions and abnormal vibration. Third, the overall shock absorption design needs optimization. It failed to effectively suppress and transfer the complex vibrations produced during extreme acceleration, instead creating harmful resonance that damaged vulnerable internal systems."

Crimson King looked at the compiled data on the light screen and sighed. "In other words, it wasn't a problem with any one component. Several systemic risks were triggered at once under extreme conditions, forming a fatal chain reaction."

Dark-Gold recorded rapidly on his engineering clipboard. Though his expression was heavy, his eyes remained resolute. "A valuable failure. The data is complete, and the problems are clear. Weight, cooling, shock absorption, component reliability... all of these can be improved. Next time, we'll definitely do better!"

Jin changed into the new clothes Dark-Gold had thrown him and stepped closer to inspect the complex data curves and structural diagrams on the screen. Though he could not understand much of it, he grasped the general idea. He patted Dark-Gold on the shoulder, then looked at the companions around him. They were tired, but fighting spirit still burned in their eyes. Jin grinned, revealing a set of white teeth that stood out especially against his soot-blackened face.

"All right, all right, stop hanging your heads! Failure is success's mother! At least it proves this thing has enough thrust to get into the sky, right? The way it got up there just wasn't very graceful... Next time—next time will definitely work! But now..."

He rubbed his stomach, his eyes sparkling as he looked at Huo Yuhao.

"Boss Huo, after getting such a huge scare, shouldn't I get some 'trauma-soothing grilled fish' to calm myself down? I think I can eat thirty!"

Jin's joking instantly lightened the tense, heavy mood in the analysis tent. Huo Yuhao shook his head with a laugh, and Demon Spirit laughed through her tears as well. Di Tian and the others exchanged glances, and fire reignited in their eyes.

A failed launch that had shaken East Sea and alerted the Federation was quickly absorbed and analyzed within Dark-Gold Heavy Industries, becoming an even sturdier stepping stone for their next charge toward the sea of stars.