SSS-Tier Extraction: From Outcast to Overgod!-Chapter 93: The Return to Gamma

The world outside the ship’s windows suddenly stopped stretching and twisting. The strange, colorful lights of faster-than-light travel vanished, replaced by the familiar deep black of normal space, dotted with stars.

The ship, the Odyssey, had arrived. It hung in space, silent and majestic. Its metal skin no longer looked plain. It now had a faint, steady glow of dark purple energy, a sign of the incredible power it now held.

This energy didn’t flicker or waver; it was solid and calm, a sign of perfect control.

Then, a voice boomed across the entire sector. A voice that everyone heard in their minds. It was the god Warden.

"BEHOLD, SECTOR GAMMA. THE ODYSSEY HAS RETURNED. YOUR LORD, RYAN STONE, HAS COME HOME."

The message was simple, but its power was huge. On every planet, in every outpost, and on every ship in the sector, people stopped what they were doing.

They looked up at the sky, a feeling of excitement and hope spreading among them. The legend was real. The heroes were back.

On the bridge of the Odyssey, Ryan Stone looked at the main screen. He saw his home, Outpost #7, and his jaw dropped a little. When he had left, it was a tough, metal base built for survival. Now, it looked like a small, bright city from a movie about the future.

Tall, clean buildings reached for the sky. Bright lights moved along neat roads. He could even see green spaces, little parks where people could walk and relax.

"Wow," Emma Thorne said softly from her station. "They’ve been busy."

Zara Khan, their top scientist, was already looking at data on her screen. "Growth is up by three hundred percent. Population has doubled. This is beyond all my predictions."

Scarlett, their fierce warrior, stood with her arms crossed, a small smile on her face. "Looks like they didn’t just sit around waiting for us."

As Scarlett expertly piloted the Odyssey towards the main landing pad, they saw the crowd. It seemed like the entire outpost had come out to greet them.

Thousands of people were cheering, waving their hands, and holding up homemade signs that said "WELCOME HOME!" and "RYAN, YOU’RE THE MAN!" One particularly enthusiastic sign just had a drawing of a big rock with a smiling face on it.

The ship landed with a soft hiss. The main ramp lowered, and bright light flooded the exit. Ryan took a deep breath. He was used to fighting monsters and exploring dead worlds. Facing a happy, cheering crowd felt almost scarier.

He walked down the ramp first, with Scarlett, Emma, and Zara right behind him. The roar of the crowd was like a physical wave of sound.

At the bottom of the ramp, a huge man with a bald head and a big, friendly smile waited for them. It was Chris "Boulder" Magnus, the head of the Sector Council and Ryan’s first real friend here.

"Ryan! You magnificent bastard, you’re back!" Chris yelled, pulling Ryan into a hug that felt like being squeezed by a friendly bear. Ryan could hear a few of his bones creak in protest.

"Good to see you too, Chris," Ryan managed to say, patting the big man on the back. "You’ve, uh, redecorated."

Chris let him go and laughed, a big booming sound that made everyone nearby smile. "Redecorated? , we built a civilization! All because of you!" He then gave big, welcoming hugs to Scarlett, Emma, and Zara, who were all smiling at the warm reception.

Chris led them on a tour. Ryan felt like he was in a dream. They walked through a busy marketplace where people were selling strange fruits and handmade goods. He saw guards with new, better armor, all standing tall and proud. The air was filled with the sounds of life, not just survival.

"After you left, stories of your journey started to spread," Chris explained as they walked. "People from all over, even from other sectors, heard about a leader who went into the Outer Voids and came back.

They wanted to be part of that. They wanted to believe in something again. They believe in what you’re building, Ryan. They believe in you."

Ryan felt a lump in his throat. He just nodded, not knowing what to say. He was just a guy who had tried to do the right thing, to protect his people. He never expected this.

Finally, they reached a central plaza where a stage had been set up. The whole Sector Council was there, and they all greeted him with respect and admiration. Chris pushed him gently towards the microphone. The crowd went wild.

Ryan looked out at all the hopeful faces. He felt awkward, but he knew he had to say something. "Thank you," he began, his voice a little shaky at first. "Thank you all. We... we just did what we had to do. But looking at this... at all of you... this is the real victory. This home you’ve all built together. I’m proud of you. I’m proud to be back."

The crowd erupted in another huge cheer. Ryan gave them a small, genuine smile.

Standing a little off to the side, Scarlett watched the whole scene. She didn’t look at the crowd or the new buildings. Her eyes were fixed only on Ryan.

She saw the man on the stage, a powerful leader, a hero to thousands. But she also saw the young man she had first met, the one who was scared but never showed it, the one who always put others first.

She remembered a quiet night on the ship, when he had found her sharpening her daggers and had just sat with her in comfortable silence, not asking any questions, just being there. He had respected her space, her quiet nature, in a way no one else ever had.

As she watched him now, seeing how he handled the cheering crowd with a mix of humility and strength, a strange warmth spread through her chest. It was a feeling she wasn’t used to.

She was a warrior. Her feelings were usually sharp and clear: loyalty, anger, focus. This was different. This was a soft, glowing feeling that made her want to smile for no reason.

Her protectiveness of him had always been strong, like a soldier for her commander. But now, it felt different. It was deeper. The pride she felt wasn’t just for her leader’s success; it was for the good man he had become.

He held so much power, enough to make anyone cruel or arrogant, but he was still kind. He was still Ryan.

She watched the way his eyes crinkled when he smiled his real smile. She noticed the small, almost invisible scar above his eyebrow from a fight they had barely survived together.

These small details felt incredibly important. She realized that the thought of him being hurt filled her with a fierce, burning pain that went beyond her duty to protect him. And the sight of him safe and happy, surrounded by people who loved him, filled her with a profound joy that was all her own.

Her feelings were no longer just about comradeship. That word felt too small, too simple. This was something more. It was a deep, quiet longing. It was the desire to be the one he turned to, not just in a fight, but at the end of the day.

It was the realization that her world, which had for so long been about survival and battle, now had a new center. And that center was the man on the stage.

A small, almost invisible smile touched Scarlett’s lips. It was a private, gentle expression that no one else would have noticed. She, Scarlett "Red" Viper, the deadliest woman in the sector, was in love.

The thought didn’t scare her. It felt... right. It felt like coming home, just as surely as the Odyssey had come home to Outpost #7.

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