Chapter 17: The Right Map: Kesha’s Unease

Ryan, who had been waiting at the bridge entrance, immediately stepped forward to meet him. The scars on his face looked even more ferocious under the chaotic lights of the port, but his eyes were filled with excitement and relief. "General! You have returned! The fleet is 97% prepared! All core objectives have been achieved! We are ready to depart at any moment!"

Hefeng’s gaze swept across the vast and chaotic port, over the civilians boarding the ships with fear and hope in their eyes, over the old vessels destined to be abandoned and left for destruction, and finally landed on that deep, boundless expanse of stars—the representation of both the unknown and the future.

He nodded slightly, his cold voice resonating clearly through the fleet-wide broadcast to every corner:

"All units, attention!"

"Abandon all ships marked 'irreparable' or 'low-speed'! Install delayed self-destruct sequences!"

"All personnel, board immediately!"

"All ships, engines to full power! Energy shields to maximum capacity!"

"Fleet formation: Spearhead Guard Formation! Flagship 'Luminous' at the tip!"

"Target heading—" Hefeng’s voice rose sharply, carrying the resolute power of one severing the past to forge the future, as he pointed to a distant and dangerous coordinate on the star map:

"The Death Vortex!"

"All fleet—"

"Set sail—!!!"

As his final command echoed, explosions rocked the edge of the port. One after another, the abandoned ships erupted in flames of destruction, like funeral salutes for a bygone era!

*Hum—!*

Countless starship engines flared with blinding light simultaneously! The massive fleet slowly broke free from the port’s gravity and began to accelerate!

Carrying the last embers of the Angel civilization, the enormous flotilla, like a herd of star-beasts breaking free from their home world's shackles, sailed resolutely toward the first dark gateway to the unknown universe—the one known as the "Death Vortex"—framed by the chaotic glare of the Heavenly City and the殉爆 of the self-destructing warships behind them.

The sea of stars was as ink, cold and silent.

Hefeng stood before the massive viewport of the *Luminous* bridge, the suffocatingly vast fleet behind him. This was no longer just a war machine; it was a mobile ark of civilization.

The bulky hulls of the massive transport ships obscured the starlight, filled with the foundations of the Angel City accumulated over tens of thousands of years, the vast spoils of the Unification Wars, and the fruits of ruthless "requisitions" from the nobility and the wealthy of the Heavenly City.

Three million souls—2.4 million young female angels and 600,000 male angels serving as engineers, teachers, doctors, and agricultural workers—formed the beating heart of this ark.

Every life signal was a cornerstone of a future civilization, and at this moment, the heaviest burden on Hefeng's shoulders.

"General, all ship statuses are stable, engine synchronization is at 99.8%, and the 'Ultimate Spearhead' defensive formation is perfectly maintained."

Ryan’s voice carried a hint of incredible exhilaration. His scarred face looked incredibly resolute under the dim glow of the control console. "The route guided by the Chaos Star Map... it’s simply a miracle! The turbulence and asteroid belts on the periphery acted like docile sheep, automatically clearing a path for us!"

Hefeng nodded slightly, his gaze fixed deeply outside the viewport. The fleet was cutting into the edge of the Death Vortex's violent energy turbulence with an eerie and precise posture.

The gravitational tides capable of tearing stars apart, the incredibly dense asteroid belts, and the wildly dancing energy currents were being pushed aside like waves by an invisible hand in front of the fleet, forming a visible, relatively calm channel.

The massive hulls glided smoothly through the passage; one could not even feel the slightest vibration.

Hefeng’s heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled. He had been torn internally, fearing that the items his father left behind might be invalid or wrong, which would have doomed him and the three million people in his fleet.

It appeared now that the Chaos Star Map scroll was correct; it truly could traverse the forbidden life zones within the Angel civilization's territory.

The Chaos Star Map scroll left by his foster father floated above the central console of the bridge, emitting a soft and mysterious glow. Its ultimate pointer held steady toward the heart of the channel, like a most faithful guiding light.

It was worth it. Hefeng confirmed it in his heart once more.

Taking the risk to bring these "burdens" along was absolutely worth it! With these resources, the population, and especially the top-tier scientists and the knowledge held within their minds, the starting point for a new civilization would be unimaginably high.

A ten-thousand-year shortcut?

Perhaps that was an underestimation.

He withdrew his gaze and let it fall once more onto the cold string of names on the star map: Heavenly City—Death Vortex—End Mouth—Yellow Springs Barrier—Blood Sea Mist—Hell Road—Eternal Canyon—Boundary Sea.

The first perilous pass was already under perfect control.

As long as they kept moving forward, once they crossed the Boundary Sea, they would reach an unknown universe that even the Angel civilization could not touch.

Then, the sea would be wide enough for the fish to leap, and the sky high enough for the birds to fly.

Keisha would never be able to catch him in this lifetime.

"Maintain course, keep the formation, and keep energy shields at minimum power to conserve fuel."

Hefeng’s voice was steady and powerful, carrying an air of absolute command. "Notify all ships to use this relatively calm voyage for internal equipment maintenance and personnel rest, especially the civilian transport ships. Ensure life support systems and gravity fields remain stable."

The orders were executed swiftly. The massive fleet, like a silent iron whale, traveled elegantly and swiftly through the edge of the violent Death Vortex, without stirring a ripple, losing a single plate of armor, or extinguishing a single life signal.

This near-miraculous sight filled every crew member with a near-fanatical worship and trust for the "God of War" commander standing at the center of the bridge.

At the same moment, in the heartland of the Angel civilization, the capital planet of the "Heavenly Radiance Sector."

The luxurious palace that once belonged to the "Governor of Heavenly Radiance"—the original owner of which was the "King of Heavenly Radiance" before the end of the "Unification Wars"—had become the administrative area for the Governor of Heavenly Radiance after his territory was conquered by the Heavenly Palace Order.

Now, it served as Keisha’s temporary headquarters.

A scarlet cloak trimmed with gold draped over the cold throne. Keisha sat upon it, her deep blue eyes like ice that had not melted for ten thousand years, scanning the former nobility and generals of the Radiance Royal Court who were prostrate on the ground, trembling.

The air was thick with the humiliation of surrender, the shifting of power, and a hint of unease regarding the new order.

"As of today, the Heavenly Radiance Sector is incorporated under the new order."

Keisha’s voice was not loud, but it sounded like cold metal scraping, clearly penetrating every corner of the great hall with indisputable pressure.

"The original garrison legions are to disarm immediately and submit to reorganization and vetting."

"All resource warehouses and technological databases are to be taken over by the Heavenly Blade Legion."

"Anyone who resists will be treated as a remnant of the Heavenly Palace and executed without mercy."

"Yes... yes! We obey the decree of the Heavenly Blade King!" The crowd below knelt, their voices trembling.

No one dared to look up and meet those frozen eyes.

Keisha’s gaze swept over these prostrate figures without a shred of pity.

Her vision seemed to pierce through the magnificent dome of the palace and cast itself toward the more distant star map.

The victory in the Battle of Fury Sea was like the first domino falling.

Star sectors that had once held their breath under the high-pressure rule of the male angels, or had been wavering and watching, were now surrendering one after another. Wherever the Heavenly Blade Legion arrived, they met with almost no bloodshed.

A female officer in Heavenly Blade-standard armor stepped forward quickly and whispered beside Keisha’s throne: "Queen, the governor of the 'Quicksand System' has contacted us voluntarily, requesting to surrender and offering the coordinates of all resource planets and the garrison roster within the system."

"A mutiny occurred at the North Crown Fortress garrison; the commander killed his deputy and opened the gates to request surrender."

"The original Heavenly Palace Order garrison in the 'Iron Curtain Asteroid Belt' has submitted a letter of surrender to our vanguard..."

Good news flew in like snowflakes. Territory was expanding at a staggering speed, and resources, population, technology—the things that formed the foundation of a powerful civilization—were gathering into her hands with unprecedented efficiency.

The sphere of influence of the Meiluo Heavenly Court was expanding rapidly, pushing toward the territory once held by the Heavenly Palace Order at its peak, and in terms of internal strength, it was arguably even surpassing it.

However, there was not a trace of joy on Keisha’s frozen face.

Deep within those profound blue eyes, a heavy gloom was gathering, one that threatened to freeze the soul.

It was too smooth.

It was suspiciously smooth, so smooth that... it made her heart uneasy.

Where was Hefeng?