Galaxy's edge, somewhere in the universe, two hundred thousand light-years from Earth.

…

In the depths of the universe, as a meteorite pierced through a wormhole and emerged from another portal, a beautiful scene unfolded—nebulae, star clusters, and constellations intertwined in the cosmos, transforming into wondrous light and shadow.

Here, the meteorite became a speck of starlight, traveling alone in the vastness of the universe.

In the distance, light from other planets flickered in the cosmic darkness, seemingly beckoning to the meteorite.

After emerging from the other end of the wormhole, the meteorite immediately switched to a low-power state. Its shape became streamlined, spiraling slowly through space with graceful efficiency.

In its previous interstellar voyages, aside from the initial wormhole transit to escape the star system at the edge of the universe (a mere jump of ten thousand light-years), the meteorite had been slowly traveling through space at one-tenth the speed of light.

This wormhole crossing, however, directly spanned a distance of two hundred thousand light-years, an escape leap out of the Milky Way. This nearly depleted half of the meteorite's remaining energy, resulting in a severe loss of power and a significant reduction in size compared to its time on Earth.

The "Fire Seed" civilization embarked on its cosmic journey to find a home once more—a brand new experience.

This time, the meteorite carried two "passengers" from Earth, who roamed like ghosts within its mysterious interior.

Over thousands of years of Earth's history, the meteorite had intentionally or unintentionally collected a vast number of items from the planet. The two specters wandered through the "showcase" of trophies captured by the "Water Drop," examining them one by one, or rather, reminiscing about them.

The showcase contained ancient Earth inhabitants, bizarre flora and fauna, soil minerals…

One of the specters lingered for a long time in front of a group of "people" wearing mountaineering outfits.

These mountaineering-clad "people" were projections of the energy streams of the deceased members of the Molman expedition.

The other specter grew impatient, urging, "Zhao Chenguang, stop looking. Your father and second uncle aren't in there. What's the point of staring at them?"

The specter named Zhao Chenguang dismissed the other with a retort: "An Wenshan, I haven't even started on you yet! I kindly invited you to the world of an advanced civilization, but you're standing with the Earthlings, trying to destroy the 'Fire Seed' civilization. You helped Han Yu seal the 'Tree Root' with some unknown particle, causing the 'Fire Seed' civilization to be unable to spread its seeds for at least five hundred years, and you even forced us to expend a huge amount of energy to escape Earth. How can you say that? How can you be urging me?"

Zhao Chenguang's specter was filled with resentment, endlessly venting his dissatisfaction.

The specter called An Wenshan paid no heed to Zhao Chenguang's words: "In that world, I was a human from Earth, representing the interests of humanity. Here, I am a member of the 'Fire Seed' civilization, loyal to the 'Fire Seed' civilization. If I were given the choice again, I would firmly stand on the side of the 'Fire Seed' civilization. We are the same, you know…"

An Wenshan's specter paused there, leaving the rest unsaid.

After joining the 'Fire Seed' civilization, the determination to defend it would be imprinted in the memory of every member, planting a seed in their subconscious, making them realize that the 'Fire Seed' was more important than their own existence.

On Earth, due to the inherent flaws of humanity, betrayal and deceit were rampant. Humans often betrayed and deceived their liege lords, families, and even everything and everyone they had sworn allegiance to, for their own selfish desires.

But here, no one would betray the 'Fire Seed' civilization. It was an imprint in their subconscious.

Zhao Chenguang's specter murmured, "An Wenshan, do you miss Earth?"

An Wenshan's specter shook his head: "Zhao Chenguang, I think what you're fixated on isn't really Earth, but Rou Yi, Fatty, and Han Yu from your memories. You're just mistaking your longing for them as a longing for Earth. I guess you don't have any friends, maybe you're lonely?"

Zhao Chenguang's specter sighed: "An Wenshan, you're right. I can't stop thinking about Rou Yi, Fatty, and Han Yu. That's why I keep worrying about them. In my memory, they are the people I couldn't bear to leave behind. We were chased by the Z organization and escaped all the way, experiencing so much. My love for Rou Yi is also incredibly sincere. Everything we experienced in the Himalayas can be said to be a matter of life and death. I, such a weak person, was willing to sacrifice myself to save them. That's enough to show how important they are."

The Zhao Chenguang on Earth had indeed died in the Himalayas. His memory as a human only remained until the last moment before he came into contact with the meteorite, but even such a short experience made Zhao Chenguang's specter miss them to this day.