Rebirth of the Super Battleship-Chapter 548: The Pegasus Civilization’s Choice
Xiao Yu had also once tried to use planetary engines to push a planet forward, but at that time Xiao Yu’s level of technology was clearly inferior to that of the Pegasus Civilization now. This was, after all, the technological creation of a Level 5 peak civilization. The planetary engines currently mounted on this planet surpassed those of Xiao Yu back then by a large margin in efficiency, thrust, stability, and reliability.
When these engines were designed, protection of the planet’s geological structure had already been taken into account to the greatest extent. But now, with full power engaged, those geological protection modules had all failed. Thus, the Pegasus Civilization’s capital planet, at this moment, began to gradually exhibit violent geological movements such as volcanic eruptions and earthquakes, just like those few planets Xiao Yu had once pushed.
Most terrifying of all was that, because the acceleration was too great and the planet’s gravity was ultimately limited, the atmosphere of this planet began to shift. Specifically, the atmosphere on the forward-moving side began to be compressed against the planet, while the atmosphere on the opposite side began to slip free of the planet’s control and drift into the boundless interstellar space. Seen from afar, the planet turned into a comet. It had a dense main body, and it also possessed a long gaseous tail.
The dire consequences of advancing too fast had already begun to appear. In the course of forward motion, it was not only the atmosphere that was compressed, but the oceans as well. The seawater on the forward side began an ebb that was extremely obvious, with the seabed even exposed in some places. On the opposite side the sea began to swell. This was the greatest high tide in this planet’s history. Because the process was too rapid, the rising seawater surged along the coastline onto the land like a tsunami, even rushing all the way inland, into the deserts.
The surging of seawater would also induce changes in the air. Under the influence of atmospheric compression, oceanic effects, the powerful exhaust jets of the planetary engines, and intense geological activity, hurricanes not seen in tens of millions of years swept across the planet. The gales were so strong they even blew down some mountain peaks outright.
At this moment, the planet was a scene of complete upheaval. And at this time, the planetary engines had been running for less than half an hour. The planet’s leadership had already taken shelter one thousand meters underground in the most geologically stable region, controlling the movements of the entire planet.
Taking shelter here was not because these people feared death. In such circumstances, someone had to serve as leaders and pilot the entire planet.
“Leader, the latest casualty report is out. In this half hour, of our twenty billion citizens who remained, more than sixty percent have already died. It is estimated that in the next two hours, over twenty percent more will die.” the aide reported somewhat bleakly.
“Do not feel sad.” the leader said with a smile. “Did we not already know this outcome long ago? Very soon, we too will die and go to hell or heaven to join them.”
“This is the latest communications report. A disagreement has arisen between the Arboreal Race Alien Beast and that unknown presence. The Arboreal Race Alien Beast claims it bears us no malice, while the Specter says he is deceiving us and tells us not to abandon this last and only chance.”
“No matter what they say, pay it no mind.” the new leader said with a smile. “From the moment the planetary engines were activated, we set foot upon a road of no return. There is not the slightest possibility of retreat. Even if what that Arboreal Race Alien Beast says is true, so what? Perhaps at the outset it truly had no malice toward us, but given the present circumstances, with our planet already in motion and posing sufficient threat to it, do you think it will still let us go? Even if we give up the collision, feeling its dignity challenged, it will absolutely not spare us. You must understand that we are merely a Level 5 Civilization, and for a Level 6 Alien Beast, destroying the planet of a Level 5 Civilization is not much different from us crushing an ant.”
“We have long been destined for extinction. Let our lives become the nourishment that waters the spirit of our civilization…” The leader sighed and said no more.
The control room fell silent. In space, the contest between the Specter companion and the Arboreal Race Alien Beast continued, both physically and verbally, never ceasing.
No one knew what method the Specter companion had used, but this Arboreal Race Alien Beast, a Level 6 Alien Beast, was pinned down tightly by the Specter companion and could not move in the slightest. Meanwhile, that planet was rapidly increasing its speed, charging in for the collision.
Seemingly realizing that words would have no effect, the Arboreal Race Alien Beast finally stopped arguing and quieted down, thinking of something unknown, perhaps making preparations to meet the impact and minimize its own loss.
The entire star system returned to silence. Only a single planet, like a berserk giant beast, kept advancing and advancing. It trailed a long white tail behind it like fireworks being set off. But fireworks last only an instant. After they bloom comes darkness. This planet had a fate similar to fireworks. In the final moments of its life, the Pegasus Civilization and this planet released their remaining life force in the most intense way, proclaiming their unyielding spirit to the dark universe.
The Specter companion also quieted down, perhaps because it sensed this spirit of the Pegasus Civilization. Although it had always looked down on and harbored hostility toward the Pegasus Civilization, at this moment it had to admit a fact, namely that the Pegasus Civilization was indeed a great civilization.
All of this had been orchestrated by the Specter companion. If it had not destroyed all instruments and spaceships along the way that attempted to contact the Arboreal Race Alien Beast, the Pegasus Civilization would not have had such intense hostility toward the Arboreal Race Alien Beast. If the Specter companion had not pinned down the Arboreal Race Alien Beast, perhaps the Arboreal Race Alien Beast would already have left by now, and the Pegasus Civilization’s planet would not have suffered losses. If the capital planet of the Pegasus Civilization could have survived, then after this catastrophe, the entire spirit of the Pegasus Civilization would have been sublimated. When the escape fleet returned, the Pegasus Civilization might truly have been able to rely on its own strength to advance to the level of a Level 6 Civilization.
But all of this was ruined, ruined at the hands of the Specter companion. The reason for doing so was to ensure that its Main Civilization, that Xiao Yu, would not be harmed by the Arboreal Race Alien Beast.
Now, the Specter companion’s plan had basically succeeded. It had calculated against the Pegasus Civilization and the Arboreal Race Alien Beast, and ultimately allowed Xiao Yu to gain the benefit. Yet at this moment, it felt little sense of achievement, because it had truly perceived the spirit of the Pegasus Civilization, a power that could not be defeated.
The Specter companion had not done wrong. Standing in its position, standing in Xiao Yu’s position, this choice would be made. Between civilizations, there is no right or wrong. Whatever benefits one’s own civilization is correct.
It was indeed cruel, but also very real.
The outcome was already set. The three forces all awaited the arrival of the final moment.
In three hours, this planet accelerated from relative rest to a relative speed of ten thousand kilometers per second. At this moment, the planet was only three hundred thousand kilometers from the Arboreal Race Alien Beast. In thirty seconds, the final impact would occur.
The Arboreal Race Alien Beast still hovered motionless in space, as if it had lost its life. Only the Specter companion could sense how terrifying the power within the Arboreal Race Alien Beast’s body was at this moment. Without burning its own life force, it would have been absolutely impossible to restrain the Arboreal Race Alien Beast.
Nothing unexpected occurred in the final thirty seconds. In the ten-millionth of a second before the collision, the Specter companion released its control over the Arboreal Race Alien Beast and used curvature flight to dodge the collision in an instant and flee swiftly.
The Arboreal Race Alien Beast did not have time to escape. Roughly a thousandth of a second after the Specter left, it regained control over its own body. But it was already too late. Before that thousandth of a second had passed, the planet had already slammed into it.
A planet somewhat larger than Earth and a colossal Alien Beast roughly the size of the moon collided at a relative speed of ten thousand kilometers per second.
It was an inexpressibly vast eruption of energy. Countless fragments, flashes, and violent energies surged out. At that moment, the luminosity of the collision point actually exceeded that of the star of this star system by thousands of times.
Countless amounts of matter were directly vaporized, and nuclear fusion reactions even began to occur. It was a vast energy beyond description, faintly reminiscent of the collision between a neutron star and a white dwarf star that Xiao Yu had once experienced.
The Specter companion did not know how great an injury this collision had dealt to the Arboreal Race Alien Beast. It only faintly sensed that after the collision, a heaven-shaking roar seemed to come from the collision point, and then, in an instant, a colossal shadow left, fleeing into the endless void.
That fleeing figure was still enormous, but the Specter companion could tell that this shadow seemed much smaller than the Arboreal Race Alien Beast in its complete state. 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺
“At last this fellow is dealt with. At last this fellow is hurt. At last the crisis faced by my Main Civilization is resolved… Hoo, peace at last…” The Specter companion let out a sigh and also departed swiftly.
