My portable grandfather refreshes every week

"Headquarters, headquarters! A total of 30000 starships set sail, and 18721 of them lost contact the instant they reached the edge of the cosmic void image! According to the magic sensors at fixed points, these lost starships..."

"Total annihilation!"

The harsh data instantly gripped everyone's hearts.

Contrary to expectations, the further expansion of the cosmic void has caused its influence to grow even more, turning what was once a safe area into a dead zone.

Even the paths once traversed by expeditions, and the areas once considered safe, are no longer safe...

This is why the last expedition had to resort to this moth-to-a-flame method.

Without magic essence... without this miraculous product that suddenly appeared at the edge of the cosmic void, they wouldn't even have any way to deal with the cosmic void.

It's as if magic energy was created by the universe specifically to deal with the Great Void, something that is the opposite of the Great Void.

If we compare the entire universe to a living organism, then the Great Void is like a huge wound piercing through the chest of the entire universe, and those magical elements are just like platelets desperately trying to stop the wound.

But even this level of hope is enough to motivate generations to give their all.

Because the only thing unaffected by the distorted physical laws of the Great Void is the Magic Element.

"The remaining expedition teams are still gradually losing contact..."

"Finally, give a message to all members of the 10000 expedition teams..." The high-ranking official slowly closed his eyes and murmured, "They are the last team..."

I apologize, fellow expedition members...

If either team succeeds, we will be with them.

……

"This is Expedition 13, aboard starship number 1307." The dark elf, who was desperately trying to communicate with headquarters, finally received a message from headquarters.

This area is still within the influence zone of the Great Hollow. Although the laws of physics are distorted, communication is still barely possible.

As an intelligence agent secretly trained by the United Front, his current mission is to maintain communication with headquarters as much as possible until it becomes completely impossible to contact them.

"I'm sorry, everyone, the reserve team has failed, and no one has survived. Members of the expedition team, you still have one last chance to return, but you are the last team..." The voice came from the communicator.

At this moment, everyone was silent.

Unbeknownst to them, this was a misleading suggestion from headquarters, because if they knew that there were more than 10,000 other ships like theirs entering the area, they would naturally feel a sense of complacency.

But when they realize they are all alone, an overwhelming sense of responsibility and pressure will weigh on them.

Everyone's breathing quickened at this moment.

Whether they were nervous, anxious, or had made a firm decision, they reached out and touched the small amulet on their bodies.

They could have simply followed headquarters' orders, returned to base, and deserted...

They could even be more shameless and turn around and bite back at those martyrs who bravely stepped into the Great Void, making them sinners whose crimes are beyond description.

But at this moment, no one suggested running away. They all gripped their amulets tightly, feeling only a heavy responsibility weighing on their shoulders.

This responsibility was so heavy that it almost suffocated them.

"Vote, return, or continue forward..." said Domini, the tree-man who had become the squad leader of this squad.

The next moment, an anonymous vote was held, but when the results were announced, they were all...

go ahead!

go ahead!

go ahead!

……

Not a single ticket was returned. Even Ishan, who was clutching his amulet tightly, wore a smile that looked more like a grimace.

The thirteen people's hands were stacked together. At this moment, they all smiled at each other. Even though they came from different races, different civilizations, and even different star systems, they were completely united as if they shared the same ideals.

“We should come up with a slogan, otherwise there will be more disheartening moments like this in the future,” suggested Domini the Tree Man.

“Then, dawn is breaking!” the navigator said.

"Dawn is coming!"

At this moment, filled with grief and hope, they had no chance to turn back.

They shouted the slogan "Dawn is coming," and like countless martyrs, they headed into the vast void of space without looking back.

This is the final war; after this, dawn will break.

"Ahead lies the area named 'Shattered Space,' the same area where Expedition Team 7 left its beacon..."

"It's the same area where Expedition 7's Eternal Watch was finally destroyed!" At this moment, everyone became alert.

Although the martyrs paved a relatively safe path, it was only relatively safe.

With the continued expansion of the great void and the constant distortion of the laws of physics, no one knows what unimaginable problems might arise here.

"I'll take control of the drone to explore and navigate the way," the dark elf said directly.

Although the task should have been done by the navigator, he volunteered because, in addition to operating the drone for exploration, he also needed to release the communicator to re-establish contact with headquarters.

Before he could fully penetrate the Great Hollow, no matter how low the probability, he had to keep trying to contact headquarters, which was why he, as an agent, had joined the effort.

Besides him, there was another agent in the team, a catfish-like guy. The catfish-like guy's mission was more important: to ensure that the magic beacon could be successfully delivered to its destination.

In fact, the catfish agent was the most important person in this plan; everyone else was just an assistant to ensure he could successfully reach the designated location.

The lead drone was successfully launched. Just as they had trained countless times in simulations, the Dark Elf skillfully launched the swarm drones used for reconnaissance, while also launching their own communication drones.

The Dark Elves are a traitorous race; this is universally acknowledged by the entire United Front.

They are masters of betraying and selling out their friends, and even he couldn't escape the label of "traitor."

But this time, his real mission was... to monitor everyone and prevent anyone from returning...

Yes, he is still a "traitor." His real mission, besides contacting headquarters, is to monitor everyone and prevent them from escaping or returning...

Just like a war supervisor, this was his true duty.

Touching the amulet on his chest, he revealed a deeply painful smile.

"Perhaps, someone like me who trusts no one is destined for a terrible death..." the dark elf murmured. The reconnaissance aircraft successfully flew onto the designated route, a path paved by the fallen pioneers of the expedition, so there shouldn't be any problems.

Suddenly, however, a large number of reconnaissance planes lost contact along their planned routes!
"37 degrees to port, spatial collapse!!"

"A gravitational vortex ahead! Planned route invalid! Turn around! Turn around! Turn around!"

A hysterical voice rang out, and at that moment, a gloomy atmosphere rose in everyone's hearts.

The entire starship was rapidly turning around, heading towards another passage, the area where the reconnaissance plane had just survived.

The ship experienced sudden pitching and damage, but that was no time to think about such things...

"We see the 'beacon' left by Expedition 7. The wreckage of the Eternal Watch is here. It seems we've successfully survived the first disaster..."

The voice of the dark elf rang out, and everyone seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.

Although a large number of reconnaissance aircraft were lost, as long as the recovery capsule is still intact, the remaining reconnaissance aircraft can be recovered and released again, so the problem is not serious and the losses are acceptable.

Even the entire hull only suffered minor damage, and with a little repair, it could continue sailing.

Everything seemed to be moving in a positive direction.

"Prepare to leave the beacon left by Expedition 7 and head to the next one..."

The sound stopped suddenly.

Instead, there was a piercing shriek as space was torn apart by brute force. On the screen, the entire front of the starship was instantly stretched and shattered by an invisible force, like pieces of torn paper.

In an instant, countless error messages rang out. Whether they were lucky or unlucky, they just happened to graz the area where space was shattered, and the entire bow of the ship was torn apart by space.

But that doesn't affect the starship's overall performance; with the hatches closed, they can continue moving forward.

"Karl, respond if you hear me, Karl!" A voice suddenly came from the communicator; it was the name of a dark elf.

However, there was no reply. The few reconnaissance planes that brought back intelligence revealed that the area where the Dark Elf Karl was located had been completely torn apart. His upper body had long been torn apart by space and no one knew where he was. His lower body was stuck at the hatch.

It seems that in the final moments of his life, he didn't think about escaping, but rather about forcibly recovering all the reconnaissance aircraft.

However, time was not on his side. The power of space instantly sliced ​​through this creation, the pinnacle of the United Front's technological achievements, like butter, and he died as a result.

There were no last words, no dramatic explosion, only deathly silence. He proved a wrong route with his death.

……

911 starships remain...

However, at this moment, no one knew that in this broken, kaleidoscope-like space, the remaining 12 people were silent.

For the first time, a teammate died right in front of me...

Even if a hidden supervising officer died and they completely lost contact with headquarters, at this moment, no one would say anything about returning.

They decided to continue the expedition, repairing the ship, addressing the damage, and recovering the remains. After a temporary rest near the wreckage of Expedition 7, they continued their journey.

As a recorder, Ishan decides to explore the wreckage of Expedition 7, and no one stops her.

He discovered the logbook left behind by Expedition 7.

They were the first team to plant a beacon here, and the team that gave hope to all races in the world. Their remains have become one with the spreading magic, and it is no longer possible to tell their original race or identity.

The log speculates that the magic element is actually cosmic platelets, like the universe's last self-rescue mechanism. However, the time was too short, and the disaster of the Great Void in the universe was too rapid. Even this self-rescue mechanism could not achieve any effect.

Their only way to succeed is to utilize this self-rescue mechanism...

Ishan knew that this was the magic element equation that the God of Myriad Machines calculated with his life, and the birth of the seven beacon structures.

"A word of advice to those who come after: do not approach any turbulent currents or other obviously unusual areas. Any danger here, no matter how harmless it may seem, is absolutely impossible to resist!"

"This record was made by Caris, the recorder of both Expeditions 6 and 7, in the hope of paving the way for future generations."

Ishan fell silent, looking at the log in his hand. This message had not been sent back to headquarters, but he now finally understood why a recorder had been placed in the expedition team.

He silently retrieved the logbook, made a backup of it here, returned to the fleet, and shared the logbook with everyone.

After a brief rest, the starship set off again. They were the first team to arrive here, and after they left, others would come one after another to discover the intelligence they left behind.

However, they were unaware of this and continued on their way.

The starships did not suffer significant damage, but the losses were enormous. The biggest problem was that the reconnaissance aircraft recovery area was completely destroyed, and not a single reconnaissance aircraft that had not yet taken off was left.

They could only watch helplessly as reconnaissance planes were gradually swallowed up, unable to be recovered.

The few reconnaissance aircraft can only serve as a last resort for scouting; perhaps after tomorrow, they will have to rely on the ship itself to begin scouting.

Soon after the last reconnaissance plane crashed due to insufficient energy, even though they had reached the next beacon point, the area where Expedition 8 had last disappeared, they began to hesitate and become timid.

Having lost their reconnaissance aircraft, they were unsure whether every step they took would lead to a safe passage or a graveyard, causing the navigator to begin to hesitate.

"Leave it to me. I'm just doing odd jobs in the team anyway. I'll pilot the rescue plane and clear the way," the Liar Monster said.

A rescue aircraft, a manned aircraft on a starship, used for escape in emergencies.

Although not many, there are still a total of seven sets. If we were to force ourselves to use them as reconnaissance aircraft, it wouldn't be impossible...

However, for the person piloting this machine, it's a situation where almost certain death is the only outcome.

“No, this is too dangerous,” said Domini the Tree Man.

“But this is still better than us all facing danger head-on!” the Liar immediately retorted.

The next moment, there was only silence.

“This is the only way. We’ll each take turns piloting rescue planes to scout ahead. Liar Monster first, me second…” Bone Dragon accepted the suggestion, his hand rubbing his amulet as he spoke.

“Then I’ll be third,” said Domini the Tree Man. “Dawn is coming…”

"Yes, dawn is approaching..."

Ishan also silently gripped the amulet in his hand, as he recorded in his journal.

"The next day, Expedition 13 arrived at the second beacon point. All the reconnaissance planes were destroyed. Liar Monster prepared to use the rescue plane as a reconnaissance plane to move forward."

"Wish us luck." (End of Chapter)