Chapter Twenty-Nine: The Kindling Network

Why not pilot the starship to get there?

Apologies, but due to the recent attack by the First-Order White Wing race, Song Chi’s starship, the *Firmament*, sustained heavy damage. It is currently undergoing slow self-repair within his Ancestral Fire Aperture, and it would be unwise to interrupt the process.

In truth, if he were to send it to a specialized starship repair facility, the issue could be resolved in a matter of hours. However, Song Chi was unwilling. Doing so would require maintenance personnel to board the ship, exposing every secret of the *Firmament* to outsiders—something every captain with secrets instinctively resists.

Thus, the *Firmament* had no choice but to recover slowly within his Ancestral Fire Aperture.

Fortunately, half a month had already passed, and the repairs were only a few days from completion. To interrupt the process now would mean wasting a vast amount of time starting the nurturing process all over again; it simply wasn't worth it.

...

The Jiangyuan Fire Bureau is located in the heart of Jiangyuan City, not far from the Dongjiang residential district. After about ten minutes of travel in their Pentium-III kinetic hovercar, they successfully arrived at their destination.

Looking down from above, the Jiangyuan Fire Bureau resembled a perfectly planned, circular multifunctional base, complete with office buildings, starship docking bays, kinetic hovercar parking lots, physical training grounds, and more.

After parking the hovercar at the location indicated by the staff, Song Chao led Song Chi directly to the Fire Bureau personnel building.

They had barely entered the building when a middle-aged man in a Fire Bureau uniform greeted them with a smile.

"Uncle Shen!"

Upon seeing the man, Song Chi took the initiative to greet him politely.

Shen Wenjie was one of the inspection team leaders at the Fire Bureau and a Second-Order captain, commanding a frigate-class psionic starship. He wielded considerable influence throughout Jiangyuan City.

Of course, the most important thing was that he and Song Chi’s father, Song Chao, were close friends of many years. Their families had been very close since Song Chi was a child, and he was quite familiar with Shen Wenjie.

Shen Wenjie exchanged pleasantries with Song Chao before shifting his gaze to Song Chi.

"Good lad, it’s enough that you’ve awakened successfully; the rest is unimportant. Come over to my place in a few days; your aunt and I will celebrate properly for you."

Song Chi beamed.

"Thank you, Uncle Shen... By the way, come to think of it, You-ran should be due for her awakening soon, right? It’s been nearly two years since we last met. Sigh."

Hearing the almost imperceptible sigh from Song Chi, Shen Wenjie and Song Chao exchanged glances and then burst into laughter.

"You rascal, still holding a grudge against me and your aunt? If you miss You-ran, go to Jiangyuan City yourself. You’re thirty now, stop being so bashful."

Faced with this unreserved teasing, even though Song Chi had the mental age of a man nearing sixty, he couldn't help but feel his face flush with embarrassment.

Seeing this, Shen Wenjie and Song Chao exchanged knowing smiles. They didn't continue to tease him, instead drifting into idle chatter.

While talking, the three of them soon arrived at a door on the left side of the third floor. Song Chi glanced up at the label on the door, which read: "Fire Network Room."

Shen Wenjie knocked, and soon a man in a Fire Bureau uniform opened the door. Upon seeing Shen Wenjie, the man’s eyes flickered with surprise, followed by a warmer, more radiant smile.

"Captain Shen."

Shen Wenjie nodded slightly and beckoned for Song Chi to enter.

Song Chi stepped inside. This particular room was responsible for activating the Fire Network. As Song Chi entered, the man who closed the door kept his smile firmly in place.

As someone brought in personally by Shen Wenjie, he understood the implications. If he lacked the awareness to recognize that, he wouldn't have lasted years in a highly competitive position like "Fire Network Auxiliary Activation Officer."

As a role with simple, safe duties and a very high salary, the position of "Fire Network Auxiliary Activation Officer" at any city's fire bureau was highly coveted; a single mistake could cost one their spot.

"Song Chi, right? Sit here."

Guided by the man, Song Chi sat down inside a special metal pod, similar to a psionic modification chamber.

Just as he was feeling curious, the man’s soft voice resonated.

"This is the Fire Network auxiliary activation chamber. From here on, try to relax and do not resist. Since Captain Shen brought you here personally, the access level of the Fire Network you are about to activate will be one grade higher than that of ordinary captains. You can experience the specific functions for yourself after activation. I am only telling you this now; once we go out, don't mention it to anyone else, and I will not acknowledge it either."

Song Chi nodded, feeling quite surprised. He had always assumed that everyone had the same access level to the Fire Network after awakening their Fire Seed; he hadn't realized such things were possible.

However, regardless of the circumstances, he was now one of the "special" ones. He certainly wouldn't act like the arrogant protagonists in the web novels of his previous life, believing he could casually change the rules or champion justice for the world—that was the hallmark of someone who had never been truly tempered by society.

Wherever there are people, there is a world of complexity; where there is light, there is shadow. If he didn't grasp such a simple truth, he would surely meet a miserable end. At this thought, he muttered softly to himself:

"No wonder Dad had to bring me here personally..."

After silently thanking Shen Wenjie in his heart, he closed his eyes.

Familiar psionic energy began to circulate within the activation chamber, eventually concentrating entirely on his brow.

Song Chi felt a stream of cold energy surging from his forehead into his Ancestral Fire Aperture, gradually converging around the Fire Seed within, seemingly attempting to construct a profound and mysterious connection.

He didn't know how much time had passed. When Song Chi regained his clarity, he found himself lying on a single bed at the back of the activation room. The auxiliary activation chamber was already closed, and someone else was inside attempting to activate their own.

He had clearly succeeded in activating the Fire Network, though he would need to wait 24 hours—until tomorrow—to log in officially.

Once he had fully recovered, Song Chi thanked the auxiliary officer and left the activation room.

Outside, his father and Uncle Shen were gone. Relying on his memory, Song Chi headed to the fourth floor, where Shen Wenjie’s office was located. As expected, the two were sitting in the office chatting. Beside Shen Wenjie sat a handsome young man.

Shen Qing, the son of Shen Wenjie’s older brother and Shen You-ran’s cousin. He and Song Chi had often played together as children. He had awakened a colorless Fire Seed two years ago and was currently an ordinary officer at the Fire Bureau. Of course, Song Chi estimated that he would be promoted before long—it pays to have connections.

"Xiao Chi!"

"Da Qing!"

Hearing the long-forgotten nickname, both shared a knowing smile. That nickname was a story for another time, dating back to their childhood.