My portable grandfather refreshes every week

Expedition Team No. 13 does not consist of just 13 people.

This was the final war for the Global United Front. In preparation for this final ceremony, the Global United Front formed countless "Expedition Teams No. 13".

It could be several thousand, or it could be tens of thousands...

After all, even recorder Ishan and repairman Domini, who weren't even considered "elites," were chosen to be members of Expedition 13. This gives you an idea of ​​just how many teams the United Front had prepared.

And they all knew, and even the volunteers who came to summon them knew, that none of them would ever return.

Just like the expeditions that paved the way for future generations, none of them returned alive, and it is impossible for any of the members of Expedition 13 to return either.

They have already sacrificed enough for this magic essence ritual: the destruction of 12 expeditions, the countless pioneers who planted beacons in billions of star systems, the deaths of countless people, and the countless scholars who drowned in the magic essence while trying to calculate its equations...

Even Ishan's deceased wife was one of the scholars who were among the victims.

And this final step, which is also the most important step, will be taken without any complaints from anyone.

The machine race's calculations have also been transmitted again: if nothing is done, even the most remote regions of the universe will be completely swallowed up by the Great Void in less than 500 years.

Even if their generation could barely survive and hide on the edge of the world, waiting for the end of their lives, they wouldn't care about the deluge after their death.

But they still made it this far, for that future...

Tomorrow is coming.

But someone has to hold onto this final dawn.

Expedition Team No. 13 begins a seven-year-long intensive training program to integrate the team!

No one complained, and they all knew that their team was unlikely to be the last one to go. For this final expedition, the United Front organized thousands of Expedition Teams No. 13 to advance in a saturation-style manner.

Any team that reaches the designated equation area will complete the ritual.

However, apart from the higher-ups, no one knew how many teams there were. They probably all thought there were at most two or three teams, one main team and two reserve teams. During training, everyone was told that they were the main team.

In fact, tens of thousands of teams are undergoing the same training and preparation.

Recorder Ishan and Tree Man Domini were among them. Everyone in their team underwent brutal special training. There were no substitutes, no reason for them to step down without any burden. They could only complete exhausting training every day to make themselves stronger.

Their team had exactly thirteen members. Apart from Ishan and the tree-man Domini, the rest of them had gradually become familiar with each other through years of training and practice.

A liar named "Sak" is a creature whose race has made him accustomed to lying, so he is constantly ridiculed by the people in the party as "Sak the Liar".

Engineer Locke, a robust orc, is in charge of energy and boiler maintenance.

Navigator Avira, like Ishan, is an Eldar and is responsible for navigating the route and confirming the final ritual point.

Karl, a male dark elf, is said to be a race skilled in betrayal in the story. He is also a secret agent of the United Front, responsible for liaison and communication with headquarters.

Hogg, the bone dragon, is the mainstay of the expedition and its bodyguard. He is also a true undead, a unique race that can revive even when broken into bones.

The prince of the EyeQ tribe, a person with a giant eyeball, is the team's observer and lookout. He is the member responsible for observation and lookout before entering the area affected by the Great Void. His true form is a strange species whose entire head is an eyeball.

The Zerg Queen looks like a humanoid mantis, but is much more robust. Like the Bone Dragon, she is also a key combatant for the team.

He's a bit like a bull with four arms; he also serves as the team's combat force and bodyguard.

A female ghost, responsible for recording the team's psychological issues and mindset.

An agent resembling a giant catfish is in charge of safeguarding the magic beacon device.

A space ghost draped in a cloak, who has never interacted much with others and is quite aloof.

Together with Domini, the Treeman who served as a starship mechanic, and Ishan, the Eldar who served as a recorder and clerk, they formed this 13-person expedition team.

Although they all came from different races, with different cultures, customs, and aesthetics, during this era, all races had a haphazard, long appearance, giving the impression that other races were nothing more than monsters.

However, this period is precisely the time for them to work together, prepare for various emergencies, and conduct simulated training for the entire process of moving forward.

Over the years, they have all become friends to some extent.

During this period, they not only had training time, but also rest time, vacation time, and time to visit their families.

Over time, even the other teammates became familiar with their families. Many of them had no family; some had lost their families, while others had lost theirs because their planets had long been swallowed by the Great Void.

People like Ishan, who have daughters, are naturally very rare to be willing to join an expedition.

However, as a result, Ishan's daughter, Fugu, naturally became the child that everyone in the team took care of.

They were all very happy to see that little bean sprout grow into a young girl who was said to be doing very well in the school arranged by the United Front and had become the subject of praise by her teachers.

The little girl also has a sweet tongue; every time she comes over, she addresses everyone as "uncle" or "aunt," which makes her like the mascot of the whole group.

Time flew by.

Over the past seven years, they have undergone countless special training sessions, completed numerous simulations, and conducted countless test flights on their journey to the ceremony site.

Now, everything is ready.

Not only them, but all the other members of Expedition 13, along with tens of thousands of other teams, were ready to move forward.

At the same time, the cosmic void continues to expand at a rate that exceeds everyone's expectations, and its influence now extends to a region spanning over a billion light-years.

This expansion has reduced countless civilizations that hadn't had time to evacuate, as well as the frontline bases of the united front, to nothingness.

Meanwhile, according to the calculations of the headquarters androids, the universe will be destroyed in less than 300 years.

Therefore, the departure time for Expedition No. 13 has been determined.

Thus, the efforts of generations and the sacrifices of countless elites will be completed in their generation, amidst the cosmic void catastrophe that has spanned a century. On the last night before the expedition departs, a deliberately suppressed silence permeates the base. The team members are either saying what may be their final farewells to their families, or sitting alone at this vantage point, gazing towards the distant void, or looking towards the billions of stars behind them.

Tomorrow will be the time for them to walk against the light.

Whether feeling anxious, excited, indignant, or calm.

Different reactions were observed in each team member.

In the room of Vice Captain Ishan, however, there was a childlike innocence that was out of place in the outside world. His 10-year-old daughter, Fuge, was excitedly showing him her new painting.

Over the course of seven years, the team members have confirmed their individual identities and roles, and Ishan has become the vice-captain.

In Fougue's painting, there is a somewhat distorted giant painted with gold and silver crayons. It radiates light, with its arms outstretched as if to embrace the entire universe. The background is densely packed with stars represented by dots of various colors.

She is an outstanding child. At school, her paintings are often the envy of other children and parents, and she has earned the nickname "little painter" at school.

"Daddy, look! This is 'King Zun'!" Her eyes sparkled. "It's the king of the stars, it will protect everyone and drive away the darkness!"

Her innocent words reflect her image as a "superhero" who can overcome all difficulties.

She knew nothing. She didn't know that her father and those uncles and aunts were members of Expedition 13. She only knew that they were going to carry out a mission, and that her father and uncles and aunts trained very hard every day for this mission.

However, when Ishan opened her mouth after learning the truth, she only felt bitterness in her mouth.

"Dad, there's a parent-teacher conference on Holy Day, and I'll be giving a speech as an outstanding student representative. Can you come?" The little girl, Fuge, looked on with indescribable pride and anticipation.

Ishan, the vice-captain who had finally persevered until now, felt as if something was blocking his throat. He knelt down and gently hugged his daughter.

“I’ll be back…Fogg, Dad will be at your parent-teacher conference…”

The little girl seemed unaccustomed to her father's tight embrace; she twisted and broke free from his overly forceful hands.

"And there's more! I also have gifts for my uncles and aunts!" She proudly pulled out several small ornaments made of clay and sequins from her pocket, strung together with colorful ropes.

They are crudely made and vary in shape, but they all try to imitate the outline of the radiant giant in the painting.

"This is a talisman I made! For my dad, and for his teammates! It will protect you so you can complete your mission and return home safely!"

She didn't know what the "cosmic void" was; she only knew that her father was going to carry out a very important mission.

In her world, there is no concept of never returning; there is only "departure" and "returning home."

She would wait for her father and uncles and aunts to come home so they could attend her parent-teacher conference together. She would then tell them how excellent she was at school.

Yishan took the dozen or so heavy, warm little items and nodded solemnly: "Okay, Dad will definitely give them to the uncles and aunts. We will definitely wear them."

"Also, we'll go to your parent-teacher conference together on Holy Day..."

……

The following day, Fuzz left the dormitory. Her holiday was over, and she needed to return to the school in the rear to prepare her speech as a student representative for Holy Day.

The entire expedition team had made their final preparations.

It was no different from their usual simulated training sessions; in fact, they had trained like this countless times.

The only difference today is that each of them wears that simple amulet close to their body, either on their chest, waist, or hair.

That was a talisman brought by Vice Captain Ishan. Everyone initially thought it was childish and laughed at their own vice captain, but Ishan revealed that it was a "peace charm" made by her daughter.

At that moment, everyone was stunned. Holding the childlike amulet that had transformed into a giant of light, they felt as if something was stuck in their throats.

After the navigator took the lead in putting the amulet on his head, everyone else followed suit and wore it close to their body.

Each person's race is different; some wear vines around their necks, some have them directly embedded in the gaps between their bones, and some wear them close to their waists.

They made their final preparations.

The same was true for all the other teams; they all started from different lines of defense, and in this location extremely close to the cosmic void, tens of thousands of bases coordinated almost simultaneously.

This final operation was named "Against the Light" by the United Front headquarters.

These tens of thousands of almost identical starships have been given a unified name—Fireseed!
Each ship carries the final magic beacon; if any one of them can carry it to the final area, then this "journey against the light" will be complete.

With a salute from everyone at the base, the Fireseed lit its torch and set sail toward its predetermined goal.

This was not a farewell; it seemed to be witnessing the most tragic funeral, fueled by their own lives.

Not only at the base where Ishan and her group were located, but also at tens of thousands of other bases surrounding the Great Void of Space, torches were lit.

Tens of thousands of Fireseed ships, like fireflies flying backwards, headed towards the vast void of space.

There were no grand pronouncements, no rallying ceremony, only the blue tail flames of the thrusters igniting in the vacuum, cold and resolute. Like a string of fuses suddenly ignited, they drew straight streaks of light in the deep darkness, converging into a silent torrent.

Even the members of Expedition 13 were amazed when they looked at the starry sky.

At this moment, the starship was heading towards the vast void of the universe. In front of them was nothingness, an endless darkness, while behind them were billions of stars.

“No wonder this operation is called ‘Journey Against the Light’,” the treant Domini exclaimed.

Ishan didn't speak. He looked out the window at the area behind his daughter, where he could only see tiny dots of stars in that galaxy.

Meanwhile, on the planet where Fug was, it was the dead of night. She looked up at the sky and, whether it was an illusion or not, she seemed to see countless shooting stars flying in reverse towards the light of that great void.

From afar, the rays of light that flew backward vanished one after another, like a swarm of moths drawn to a flame, silently and resolutely rushing towards the eternal fire. (End of Chapter)