Chapter 344: Remnant Fire

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

The ‘cocooning’ method was finally proven.

The segment of primitive genes from the ‘Firechasers’ had been eliminated. It was isolated and absorbed by the mechanical cocoon before being sealed in a storage device. It was only waiting for the right time to be destroyed.

The people who had been ‘reborn’ did not show any abnormalities. They had clear memories, and they had also passed the ‘self-awareness’ test designed by the psychologists.

Even if they were hypnotized, they could still firmly believe they were themselves. It was almost no different from before they entered the mechanical cocoons.

Only their bodies had changed a little because the aging cells had disappeared, and their body ‘components’ were all ‘new.’ After completing the ‘cocooning,’ they seemed to have returned to their youngest and healthiest times.

Even an old man who was about to die of old age had become a strong and handsome young man after ‘cocooning,’ which surprised his wife, who was about the same age as him.

From then on, the collective ‘evolution’ called ‘cocooning’ officially began.

The entire ‘Lightchaser’ civilization was divided into several batches, and they would gradually complete the transformation of the entire species through multiple ‘cocooning.’

It was a long process. To maintain the normal operation of the civilization during the ‘cocooning’ period, the number of people undergoing ‘cocooning’ each round was not too large.

According to the scientists’ estimates, it might take nearly 50 years.

For that, they needed to move further into the galaxy to avoid the steadily shrinking darkness.

In the end, the ‘Lightchaser’ civilization chose a Black Hole Galaxy called ‘Embers’ as the core galaxy of their current civilization.

Although it was a Black Hole Galaxy, the celestial body environment there was quite stable. Other than the Black Hole, only a frozen planet circled the galaxy’s edge.

That was a Black Hole that had formed before the battle royale began. It was quite old. According to scientists, the Black Hole there had devoured all the matter in the galaxy tens of millions of years ago, leaving only a lonely planet orbiting the Black Hole.

Because of that, the Black Hole that ‘no longer had anything to swallow’ did not have an accretion disk and had completely become a non-luminous celestial body. That was also the origin of its name, ‘Embers,’ which meant it was a ‘burnout’ galaxy.

And the ‘Lightchaser’ civilization would also experience the transformation of their entire civilization there.

As batch after batch of people entered the ‘Brood Nests’ built on the Homeships, the number of people who were reborn also increased.

Logically speaking, the ‘difference’ between species should cause a certain degree of estrangement at that stage, but there was no such thing in the ■Lightchasers.’

Every batch of people who entered the mechanical cocoons would have their social connections checked, and the group that entered the mechanical cocoons would be determined by the distance of their social connections.

Although the people had been updated, their relationship had not been updated. The moment they entered the mechanical cocoons, their relationship was frozen. It would only be activated again after ‘cocooning’ ended.

That also meant the people who had ‘cocooned’ would not feel any social discomfort. If nobody asked them, they would not even know that their neighbors had also ‘cocooned’ in the same batch as them.

The biggest benefit that they could get from the ‘cocooning’ was psychological relaxation on top of being reborn.

The primitive genes of the ‘Firechasers’ had brought them many benefits, but they had also brought them countless scars and pressure.

Although that was actually an illusion brought about by the transformation of their body components, they subconsciously attributed it to some kind of ‘idealistic’ feeling.

The ‘invisible darkness’ was still shrinking outside the galaxy, but many people already felt that the ‘marks’ on their bodies had been removed, and the universe seemed to no longer pay attention to them.

Meanwhile, the ‘Shrinking Universe Observation Ship’ that had never stopped observing at the galaxy’s edge had also sent gratifying news. They confirmed that the speed of ‘shrinking’ had slowed down, probably due to the elimination of the ‘primitive genes’ in their bodies.

That matter made the ‘Lightchaser’ civilization even more excited. They had never felt that a bright future was so close to them.

It was also at the final stage of their ‘cocooning’ that the fleet of the ‘Firechasers’ arrived.

They had already known about the fleet of the ‘Firechasers’ approaching the ‘Embers’ galaxy. Although that matter had initially attracted their attention, as more and more test results were obtained, they gradually realized it.

The ‘Firechasers’ were there to commit suicide.

It was different from the philosophical suicide of ‘cocooning.’ It was a real complete self-destruction of wiping away all traces of their civilization.

What the universe did to the ‘Firechasers’ was a more conceptual ban. It had nothing to do with genes or physical entities.

That was a theory of causality. The ‘Firechasers’ were a civilization born and developed in the previous era. They had long been destroyed by the Big Bang. They were ‘dead souls’ in the first place, and now they were just waiting for their ‘belated perishment.’

And that extinction was also the prerequisite for ‘Lightchasers’ to survive. Only when they completely perished would the law of ‘Cosmic Contraction’ that surrounded the entire ‘Cradle’ galaxy disappear.

“Has this day finally come…” The leader of the ‘Lightchasers’ slowly stood in his office and looked out the window at the sky above the Homeship.

At that moment, more and more plant spaceships arrived at the ‘Embers’ galaxy. Those spaceships had defeated countless opponents, and the flames of war had left countless traces on their organic shells.

But now, those plants that were once full of vitality had died for a long time and were about to welcome their last ‘burning.’

Along with the plant spaceships was another planet that was covered with a large number of translucent plants and ruins of buildings.

It was the mother planet of the ‘Firechasers,’ a ‘living planet’ that was moving with unknown power. However, the plants on it were no longer active, and even the fluorescent light that was originally emitted had been extinguished.

They had come from the other end of the galaxy, far away from the Homeships of the ‘Lightchasers,’ and all were heading for their destination without exception, the Black Hole at the center.

And at the end of that ‘suicidal’ fleet was the Homeship ‘Dawn Star’ covered in vegetation.

It seemed that the ‘Firechasers’ on that Homeship had gathered all the ‘Firechasers’ so that his compatriots would not die in silence.

The first plant spaceship entered the gravitational range of the Black Hole and was quickly torn apart by the tidal force. The wreckage revolved around the Black Hole and shattered as it got closer until it formed a thin, tiny accretion disk.

More and more spaceships joined the ranks. Without exception, they approached the Black Hole and were shattered and torn apart. They were like moths chasing fire. Even if they knew they would die, they did not hesitate.

As the matter accumulated, the accretion disk grew larger and larger until the mother planet of the ‘Firechasers’ was torn apart and the disk reached its peak.

The high-speed friction between the substances heated up and soon began to release a large amount of energy.

Although the Black Hole didn’t emit light, its accretion disk would. At that moment, the Black Hole was like a star, spreading light and heat to the universe.

The glaciers on the frozen planet furthest away from the ‘Embers’ galaxy also showed signs of melting as more energy arrived.

The water began to flow, revealing the plant seeds frozen for thousands of years under the glaciers. They seemed to represent new life and the future.

There were fewer and fewer plant spaceships, and the accretion disk was getting brighter and brighter. Soon, only the Homeship ‘Dawn Star’ was left.

In the Homeship, the ‘Solar Engineer’ disguised by a ‘Firechaser’ was still sitting on the flower bud as if he had never changed his posture.

The spacecraft was approaching the Black Hole like the rest did. At that moment, the ‘Solar Engineer’ seemed to be muttering to himself as he said to the empty tower observation deck, “…I’m sorry, but you…initially, you didn’t need to come with us…”

The voice was full of apology as if it was another life talking.

However, the Solar Engineer suddenly laughed as if he was a different person.

“But isn’t there no other way? Who asked me to be the only one lacking…But it doesn’t matter. I was originally a nobody. Now that 1 have such an opportunity to leave my name in history, I feel very honored.”

He stood up and looked into the distance.

The accretion disk got closer to the spaceship, and the light that shot into the spaceship became brighter.

At that moment, it was like the sunrise at dawn.

The Solar Engineer’s figure also gradually faded away with the light.

Before he was completely enveloped, he seemed to have recalled something. He smiled and said, “I almost forgot. I initially came here to repair the sun.”

Light burst out, and the last ‘Firechaser’ burned in the accretion disk. The darkness that shrouded the ‘Cradle’ also slowly dissipated at that time..