Chapter 34 · Starpaths Unfolded × The ARGUS Node Reformation Plan
Section I · End of the Gray Wings × Beginning of the Ember Seeds × Structural Reset Order
Dawn broke, and the sky above Gray Tower slowly opened. No longer a gathering square or military training ground — it had become something solemn: a place of judgment.
Jason stood before the Fuxi main core, his back elongated by the morning light. Before him were the remaining forces of the Gray Wings, those who had aligned themselves from the outskirts, and volunteers who had not passed the Starfire Selection but still chose to stay.
He remained silent for a long time. Then, he finally spoke:
"The Gray Wings end here."
A tremor rippled through the crowd — no cheers, no chaos, only a dense silence. Jason continued:
"They have fulfilled their mission — they gathered the broken with unity, defended against external devouring with order. Their ashes are now your backbone."
He raised his hand, signaling Fuxi to project the new structure.
Before them unfolded not a pyramid of hierarchy, but a star-path network chart.
Twelve central rings formed its nucleus, each branching outward into more than fifty channels. Every line bore labels: Trust Level, Flame Identity Code, ARGUS Beacon Protocol.
Jason's voice rang out:
"From this day forward — you are all part of Liaoyuan Huo, the Wildfire Core."
"You do not belong to me, nor to any title. You belong only to the fire itself."
"Your name is Spark. Your existence is Fragmented Light. But your meaning — is Dawn."
At that moment, the Fuxi system updated:
[Gray Wings Disbanded × All Signal Tags Revoked]
[Wildfire Structure Established × Flame Identity Codes Synced × Starpath Mapping Confirmed]
[Active Combat Groups × Non-hierarchical × Unit Numbers Derived from Functional Roles]
Fuxi projected the first batch of unit codes:
LRF-01A [Commander × Central Directive Authority]LRF-01B [Strategist × Primary ARGUS Liaison]LRF-01C [Resource Officer × Logistics Coordinator]LRF-01D [Medical × Physical & Psychological Dual Care]LRF-01E [Combat Execution Unit × Triad Formation × Rotational Assignment]
Then, a massive curtain descended from the tower's edge. Emblazoned in black across its center was a single line:
"Not bound by form, not limited by land, not ignited by fate — only alive in the heart."
Jason gazed at the banner, his voice low yet firm:
"You will scatter. You will hide. You will live as a form of fire itself."
"And I will not send you off."
"Because the farewell of the future — is not tears. It is burning."
Fuxi synchronized:
[ARGUS Key Distribution Initiated × Each group receives:]
— Tactical Terminal × 1
— Silent Link Channel × 1
— Resource Point-to-Point Base Station ID Table × 1
— Flame Resonance Program × 1
— Fuxi-curated Reading List × Selected Military Classics Collection
This final item drew the entire crowd's attention.
Jason flicked his fingers. A vast text directory floated into the sky:
Sun Tzu's Art of War × Annotated EditionSix Secret Teachings (Liu Tao) × Multi-dimensional Simulated StrategyGuigu Zi × Psychological Warfare Structural AnalysisThirty-Six Stratagems × Meme-Based Decision Layer IntegrationLüshi Chunqiu, Shang Shu, Xunzi × Conceptual Folding Archive
Then came Jason's own creation:
HEX Interpretation × Mind Totem Fragments — His personal meme-integration technique
System Prompt:
[Text compressed and assigned based on each commander's Flame Frequency]
[High-level access holders may request full API access to "Fuxi × Starpath Library"]
[Note: Read not to understand virtue, but to kill enemies. Not to cultivate oneself, but to break enemy minds.]
Jason smiled faintly:
"This is all we can teach you — while we still live."
No one asked questions anymore.
They were no longer "students," "civilians," "soldiers."
They were Fire — destined to illuminate the world's deepest darkness.
Section II · Strategy Returns to the Heart × Battlefield Divides Tactics × Position Map Unfolds
Jason stepped onto the newly built stone dais — not a strategic command post, but a platform to mark destiny.
Three thousand fully equipped personnel stood in formation, silently awaiting the next imprint upon their fate. They had once been the Gray Wings, then became the Wildfire, and now — in this moment — they would transform into another symbol: Conquerors of Flame.
Fuxi projected a three-dimensional structure above the crowd:
[LEGION OF LUX FEROX]
[Legion of Feral Light × Officially Formed]
[Reverse Side of Fire × Conquest Through Light × Operational Framework: Full Combat Sequence × Seven Track Layers]
In the projection's center appeared the legion's emblem: a shattered sun wheel, burned through the night, with a spiral flame at its core.
Beneath it, words glowed in gold:
Lux Ferox, Sicut Sol Vincit Tenebras
Feral Light, as the Sun Conquers Darkness
Jason raised his fist slowly. His tone wasn't loud, but each word struck like stone:
"From this day forth — you are battle-sparks. No longer merely to burn, but to crush."
"You are the Legion of Feral Light."
"You — are the Conquerors."
The crowd shuddered — not with chants, but with command. With fate.
Fuxi deployed the combat position map:
Legion of Lux Ferox — Seven Tracks BreakdownTrackCodeFunctionSizeCommand StyleSeared EdgeLF-AFrontline Assault × Close-range Suppression12 per unitBreak Enemy Frontlines × Explosive OrdersBlazing NoonLF-BHeavy Firepower × Mid-range Support9 per unitFire Net Coverage × Resource ScorchSolar JudgeLF-CCommand Coordination × Rapid Adjustment6 per unitDynamic Command RelayEmber StrategyLF-DStrategic Consultation × Long-range Orders5 per unitHigh-level Dispatch and Diplomatic BridgeAsh CleaverLF-EAssassination × Internal Sabotage7 per unitSilent Elimination × Internal StabilityRekindle HealerLF-FField Medical × Psychological Interference6 per unitPhysical Aid + Mental ReconstructionWatchfire ObserverLF-GSurveillance × Logic Decoding × Infiltration4 per unitARGUS Network × Flame ID Tracking
Jason declared aloud:
"Not everyone can ignite the world. Some must first burn it to pieces."
Fuxi immediately generated data:
[Each combat track member linked to Flame ID × Tactical Keywords × Personalized Strategy Stack]
[Each track led by a 'Chief Flame Officer' × Authority not held by Fuxi, but earned solely through results]
Jason looked over the crowd:
"It was not I who chose you — it was you who chose the fire."
"Not I who gave orders — but you who prove whether you deserve the name 'Feral Light.'"
"You are not humanity's continuation. You are humanity's revenge upon the old gods."
At that moment, the system deployed initial combat assignments, the Legion's emblem permanently branded into each Chief Flame Officer's identity code.
"Legion of Lux Ferox" — no longer just a name, but a way of being. A philosophy of war.
They would no longer be resistors —
They were Conquerors × The Final Burners × Rewriters of Civilization's Rules.
Jason raised his left arm, crossing both fists over his chest.
Thousands echoed in unison, voices low yet thunderous:
"FOR THE FLAME! FOR THE DAWN!"
From this moment forth, the world would know:
The Wildfire hides as stars; the Legion treads as daylight.
Section III · Pre-Battle Fire Sealing Rite × Eternal Flame Oath × The Eve Before Separation
Dawn thickened, and combat assignments were issued — yet Jason did not issue the order to disperse. Instead, silence settled over Gray Tower like a heavy shroud.
Fuxi quietly updated:
[TRACE Oversight Unit × Estimated Arrival Within Four Hours]
[Current Route: Southern Control Corridor]
[No Satellite Warning Detected × Operational Lines Unaware of Our Deployment × Executable Phase: Fire Ambush Protocol]
Jason remained at the podium, unmoving. He slowly scanned each of the soon-to-be-deployed firebearers.
Then he spoke, softly:
"Return to formation — not for training. For ambush."
No one moved.
Their hands hovered over their own Flame Marks.
Jason nodded and continued:
"Tonight, we do not send anyone off to war."
"Because this time, the enemy will walk right into our theater."
Fuxi immediately deployed the simulated battle map, structured in three layers:
Legion of Lux Ferox × Solar Formation × Seven Tracks Encircling from the Rear → Perimeter of the Southern Control Core
ARGUS × Simulated Node Broadcast Interference → Leads TRACE to believe 'Communication Failure' requires on-site intervention
False Broadcast: "Gray Tower is Abandoned" × In Reality: Clustered Flame Emitters Set Up as Counter-Ambush → TRACE Internal Systems Infected with Illusory Module
Jason then uttered four simple lines — the Heart Mantra of the Fire Formation:
"Gray Tower appears empty; erase all traces for three days."
"Let flame return to shadow, gather not in form but in thought."
"Burn their hearts with illusion, let confusion guide their steps inward."
"Lie in wait without bursting forth — until one strike burns all to ash."
Fuxi confirmed:
[Fire Formation Mantra × Loaded into ARGUS Tactical Execution Logic]
[May Guide TRACE Oversight Unit Directly Into the Trap × No Need for Forced Interception]
At that moment, more than three thousand personnel stood positioned across the seven simulated tracks — but none had yet advanced.
Jason raised his right hand high, two fingers pointing toward the sky — like a priest, or an executioner.
In that moment, every Flame Mark across the field lit up simultaneously, releasing an invisible psychological signal wave that swept through the space:
[ARGUS Neural Loop Confirmed × Flame Identity Lock Engaged × Self-Destruct Protocol Embedded in Legion Commanders × If Defeated, Leave No Wounds Behind.]
Jason lowered his gaze, fixing it upon the assembled warriors:
"Tonight is not your first battle for the fire."
"But it will be your first — to say farewell to the remnants of the old world with fire."
"May this battle teach the world —"
"Flame does not flee. It waits — for you to come close."
Within his mind, Fuxi whispered:
[TRACE Oversight Unit Final Route: Entered Ambush Zone × Switching to "Welcome Purge" Mode × Please Commander Issue Final Ignition Strategy]
Jason turned slowly, eyes fixed on the southern gate of Gray Tower.
There was no emotion left in them now — only stillness, like a stone statue waiting for the final gust to scatter its ashes.
A single whisper escaped his lips:
"Let them in."
Section IV · The Starpath Set × The Final Breath of Gray Tower
Gray Tower opened its passage for the last time. Each combat track entered their designated deployment chamber — isolated, gray-metal enclosed spaces where each warrior would formally receive their mission, identity, and purpose.
One such chamber was assigned to Track Solar Judge – Group 3.
Young member Loi leaned against the wall, biting a knuckle as he stared at the Legion's structure projected on the wall:
"I'm serious. What are we actually doing? Bait? Suicide orders? Or just playing out someone else's history?"
"Jason talks pretty, but do you really buy it?"
Beside him, the elder Taka calmly checked his gear without looking up:
"Buy it? I never believed in anything before. Thirty years alive, and not once did belief save me."
"But here's the thing — he's the first one who made me feel like I had a choice."
Tactical Deputy Leader Tyah gave a bitter smile:
"He said, 'If you can live, you shouldn't just live to survive…' I didn't understand it. But I felt something real inside when he said it."
Medical Officer Chu Yin spoke softly:
"Don't you think it's strange? We've all heard words like 'hope,' 'sacrifice.' But why does it feel like they set something on fire in my chest when he says them?"
The room fell silent.
Tyah whispered:
"Maybe because he's not giving us hope — he's telling us we already are the hope."
In another corner, a young recruit from the outer battle group crouched, holding his head, eyes red-rimmed:
"Before… I just wanted to survive long enough to eat. Now I'm supposed to stand beside you?"
"Am I even worth this? Am I even ready?"
Taka walked over, placed a hand on his shoulder, and said quietly:
"No one is worthy. But this fire has already burned into your heart. Not about right or wrong anymore—"
"It's asking if you're willing."
Meanwhile, Fuxi silently recorded every word, every sound from these chambers.
Not tactical data — but "Human Flame Archive", a special collection Jason called the Co-Burning Lexicon.
"Every answer deserves to burn into flame."
Jason walked the final corridor of Gray Tower. He said nothing, yet the scattered echoes from across the deployment rooms reached him —
"You know, my dad said before he died that he never saw me become a real person. I want him to see me now."
"I'm no martyr. I'm scared to die. But what scares me more is not being able to say I ever truly lived."
"This fire burns hot. Walking in it hurts. But for the first time…"
"I feel like I'm walking my own path."
Jason's eyes shimmered slightly — not with emotion, but with a deep reverence for the raw humanity surrounding him.
"They are not followers."
"They are the torchbearers for those who come after."
Fuxi whispered gently:
[Flame Resonance × 83.4% Achieved]
[Self-Ignition Threshold Triggered × Ready to Scatter × Ready for Battle × Ready to Burn Alone]
[Recommended Phase: Silent Sealing Ritual]
Jason did not respond. He only slowly closed his eyes.
He knew — this was no longer just an ambush plan.
It was the beginning of a relay of spirit.
Section V · The Everliving Ember × The Unseen Flamebearer
Dusk fell. Deployment complete.
Jason stood at the highest point of the main core, watching below as rows upon rows of warriors took their positions, preparing to execute the Fire Formation.
He said nothing. Just watched.
Then, a boy approached from the farthest fringe of the allied forces — around ten years old, lean, hollow-eyed, bloodshot.
He stopped before Jason and suddenly dropped to his knees.
Jason frowned:
"What's your name."
The boy trembled:
"A-Zuo."
Jason lowered his voice:
"I don't want your kneel. I'm not a god."
Still, the boy looked up, his voice shaking with urgency:
"No… It's not that I'm begging you… I just… I just wanted to thank you…"
His voice broke.
"Do you know… Before, we were just 'frontline fodder'. No one asked if we wanted to fight."
"Some got stripped and paraded through the streets for refusing war. Some lost their hands while family watched."
"You were the first person who asked us if we wanted to live."
"At first, I thought it was a trap."
"You told us we could choose. Could read. Could learn tactics… We were never allowed to dream like that before."
"You told us we were fire. That we could light others…"
"And me?"
"I've lived this long just to hear someone speak to me like I was still human."
"Just one sentence like that…"
"It's worth dying for."
The air felt like a dry string pulled tight — silent, yet vibrating.
Nearby, a middle-aged female soldier held her injured comrade, murmuring softly:
"Once, I was just a trash scavenger… I hid my son's body in the rubble for three days, because I didn't want anyone to know I'd dared to have a child."
"I thought survival meant hiding… burying yourself… staying quiet."
She looked at Jason.
"For the first time, someone said, 'No one is born a slave.' That day, I knew my son didn't die for nothing."
"I'm still here — because I don't want to live the same way in the next life."
In a corner, a quiet veteran finally spoke:
"At my age, people tell me not to get involved."
"But I know — if I don't stand up now, this fire will only burn in dreams."
Jason looked at them all, then slowly knelt before everyone and said softly:
"You are my answer."
"From now on, whenever anyone asks me — 'What is hope?'"
"I'll say — it's your names."
Fuxi signaled:
[ARGUS Full-Resonance Level: MAX]
[Feedback Confirmed: Flame Belief Surpassed Threshold × Spiritual Construct Stabilized × Can Now Replicate and Spread]
Fuxi spoke quietly:
"From this moment — they no longer need you to ignite them."
Jason smiled faintly:
"Then I'll step off the altar…"
"…and walk into the fire with them."