Rebirth of the Super Battleship-Chapter 656: The Method to Destroy the Neutron War Star
Chen Mo held an exceptionally special meaning for Xiao Yu. That special meaning was not only because Chen Mo might still be alive, but also because she possessed powerful means that could help Xiao Yu overcome crises, for example by dispatching a spatial lifeform.
Most important of all were Xiao Yu’s feelings for Chen Mo. The spatial lifeform were likely Chen Mo’s subordinate, yet they had not died in an open and upright frontal clash, nor at the hands of the Sweepers Civilization. They died because of the Taihao Alliance’s sneak attack.
This alone was enough for Xiao Yu to harbor a killing intent toward the Taihao Alliance. After all, the cooperation between the two sides existed only because of the binding of fait accompli and interests. If the matter of the Sweepers Civilization was concluded and Xiao Yu successfully wiped out the Sweepers, then every bit of help the Taihao Alliance had given him would have been repaid.
‘By that time, I, Xiao Yu, will not acknowledge any so-called Taihao Alliance. At that point everything will be determined by strength.’ This was Xiao Yu’s thinking, and he did not shy away from voicing it now.
“I remember your Earth Civilization has a saying that goes something like this.” At this moment, Alien Beast Taihao, who had been silent all along, spoke, his tone full of sarcasm. “Are you are not afraid that a strong wind will split your tongue. How about we fight right now?”
“If it is a fight, I am happy to oblige.” Xiao Yu had not spoken yet when the Specter companion spoke first with a sinister chill. “Although you are badly injured now, you have been a Level 6 Civilization for nearly ten million years, while I have been promoted to Level 4 Specter for only a little over one thousand years. If we cross hands now, it still counts as fair. The last time I tasted the life force of an Alien Beast was when I faced the Arboreal Race Alien Beast. That sweet taste is something I still cannot forget.”
“A fight is a fight. Let us see whether you eat me, or I smash you apart!” Alien Beast Taihao burst into loud laughter.
“Alien Beast, behave yourself.”
“Specter, now is not the time to cross hands with them.”
Xiao Yu and Technology Taihao sent messages simultaneously, restraining the restless Alien Beast Taihao and the Specter companion. No matter what, both sides were in a state of cooperation at this moment. Dealing with the Sweepers Civilization was the top priority. There was no need to waste strength in internal strife now.
After stopping Alien Beast Taihao, Technology Taihao spoke calmly. “I agree to this matter. After the affair of the Sweepers Civilization is concluded, there will be no grudge between our Taihao Alliance and your Divine Ark Civilization. By then, if you seek vengeance on us, we will be glad to accompany you.”
“Very well.” Xiao Yu replied in the same calm tone. “Now, tell me some intelligence regarding the corpse of the Micron Civilization. Once I finish digesting the gains from this incident, I will set off to search for the corpse of the Micron Civilization.”
“What do you want to know?” Specter Taihao asked.
Xiao Yu pondered briefly. “What state of existence is the corpse of the Micron Civilization in?”
“Something akin to a dense stellar body such as a neutron star or a white dwarf.” Specter Taihao answered. “At the very beginning, he, like you, separated his own soul. The vessel he possessed, however, was a small stone. Starting from that small stone as the source, he continuously devoured other small asteroids and interstellar dust, increasing his volume and mass. After his mass grew to a certain extent, he began to devour planets. When his mass grew even greater, he began to devour stars. By then his mass and size had become extremely immense, roughly several dozen times the size of the Sun. At that time he was roughly equivalent to a peak Level 5 Civilization. On the path to ascending to a Level 6 Civilization, he realized that increasing his density was the correct path. Thus he stopped devouring stellar bodies and began, while maintaining his mass, to reduce his volume, which is to say, to increase his density. In the end he became a stellar body similar to a neutron star or a white dwarf with an extremely high density and a diameter of about three hundred kilometers. At that point he was equivalent to a peak Level 6 Civilization.”
“So that was the pattern of development. In this universe, things are truly full of wonders.” Xiao Yu sighed slightly. “Then the corpse of the Micron Civilization is such an existence. In essence it is no different from an ordinary neutron star or white dwarf. The only difference is that by means of the Specter Heart and my Specter companion, we can control it. That is all, is it not?”
“Yes, that is precisely it.” Specter Taihao answered. “Transforming dense stellar bodies such as white dwarfs or neutron stars is something only a Level 7 Civilization can do. Single-entity Level 6 Civilizations like us can live on the surface of a white dwarf, but we cannot freely manipulate a white dwarf. At most we can only alter its orbit slowly. Precisely because of this, the Neutron War Star of the Sweepers Civilization is so terrifying to us. But if we had the corpse of the Micron Civilization and could control it, the situation would be different. That would be equivalent to us also possessing a quasi neutron star object that can move rapidly. By then, as long as we steer the corpse of the Micron Civilization to collide with the Neutron War Star, we can destroy it.”
This was easy to understand. Although the Neutron War Star could sweep invincibly across the Milky Way Galaxy, even if the object colliding with it was merely a white dwarf rather than a neutron star, it would still be destroyed. Either it would collapse into a black hole under its own gravity, or its internal structure would be completely altered by the sudden impact. No matter which outcome occurred, it would mean that the Neutron War Star was destroyed.
This was indeed a feasible and, at the present stage, the only available method to deal with the Neutron War Star.
“If the corpse of the Micron Civilization is truly as you say, then this method is feasible.” Xiao Yu said. “A collision between two stellar bodies on the level of neutron stars will absolutely destroy any man-made facilities built inside a neutron star. This was already verified in the ruins of that Level 7 silicon-based civilization. I controlled a white dwarf to ram that damaged Neutron War Star and ultimately destroyed it. If the Neutron War Star of a silicon-based civilization could be destroyed in this way, I believe the Neutron War Star manufactured by that Level 7 Civilization of the extreme stellar body direction can also be destroyed in the same way.”
“Only, I have a doubt.” Xiao Yu continued. “Since steering the corpse of the Micron Civilization to ram the Neutron War Star would have destroyed it, why did the Micron Civilization not do so before it was killed?”
“Before death truly arrives, no one believes they are about to die immediately.” Specter Taihao said faintly. “How could the Micron at that time have imagined that it was fundamentally impossible to escape the Neutron War Star’s attack? Continuing to flee, no matter how slim the chance of survival, still offered a possibility to live. But to ram the Neutron War Star meant certain death. The Neutron War Star would be destroyed, and Micron itself would also die. Thus, before the persistent glimmer of hope, Micron could never bring itself to make the decision to perish together. So it died. Until the moment of death it never went to ram the Neutron War Star.”
After a pause and some thought, as if with some difficulty, Specter Taihao continued. “Perhaps I must bear the primary responsibility for this. At that time the relationship between me and Micron was the same as the one between you and your Specter companion now. If you die, your Specter companion will die. If your Specter companion dies, you will also die. That was how it was then. To keep myself from dying, I dissuaded Micron from the idea of perishing together. I told him there was still hope ahead. If we kept running, we would surely escape. In the end, we did not escape. Micron died, and I became a Taihao Civilization.”
“That is truly a sorrowful story.” Xiao Yu said. “I hope such a story does not repeat itself with me. Then, can you tell me what intelligence you have regarding the search for the corpse of the Micron Civilization?”
“In fact, I do not know where the corpse of the Micron Civilization ultimately ended up.” Specter Taihao said. “Across these several million years, the three of us, Alien Beast, Technology, and I, the three Taihao Civilizations, have virtually traversed the entire Milky Way Galaxy, yet we have never found the corpse of the Micron Civilization. But the Specter Heart still exists. The Specter Heart represents the link between me and Micron’s corpse. As long as the Specter Heart exists, the corpse of the Micron Civilization must exist. It must still be hidden in some corner, rather than having been drawn into a black hole or destroyed in collisions with other stellar bodies.”
“The Specter Heart, hmm?” Xiao Yu quickly swept a glance over the cargo hold of the Earth and, only after confirming that the Specter Heart remained safe and sound, did he let out a slight breath.
“You have searched for several million years and still have not found the corpse of the Micron Civilization? Then where could it be hiding? Do you have any suggestions for the journey I am about to undertake?” Xiao Yu asked.
“Searching for the corpse of the Micron Civilization is a long-term project. It is unlikely to yield results in a short time, so you need not be too anxious. Moreover…” Specter Taihao hesitated slightly before continuing, “… we have already searched within the Milky Way Galaxy for several million years and have not found Micron’s corpse. You might consider searching in an extragalactic galaxy.”
“Extragalactic galaxy?” The term made Xiao Yu’s heart jolt, because he suddenly thought of a formidable existence and the last wish it entrusted to him when it was about to die.
“If, one day in the future, when your technology has developed to a sufficiently advanced level, remember to avenge me, and please make a trip to the Large Magellanic Cloud and help me fulfill my final wish…”
