Rebirth of the Super Battleship-Chapter 681: The King of Stars and a Breakthrough
This was the Tarantula Nebula, one of the gathering places of the most extreme stars. The Sun, which ancient humans revered as a deity and which bestowed light and warmth upon all life on Earth, would, if placed here, be nothing more than a tiny, utterly inconspicuous glass bead.
Here, stars with more than one hundred times the Sun’s mass were everywhere, and enormous blue supergiants abounded. The most extreme of them had a mass reaching more than two hundred sixty times that of the Sun. It was the most massive star in the entire Tarantula Nebula. As early as when Earth’s humans still existed, they had already observed it and given it a designation, R136a1. It was one of the most massive and luminous stars visible to humanity in the entire observable universe. Even now, with the ability to traverse a distance of more than one hundred sixty thousand light years, Xiao Yu had not found a star larger than this one.
The excessively intense visible-light radiation rendered all of Xiao Yu’s optical observation instruments inoperative. He could only observe this place with other detection methods. Through a composite image, Xiao Yu looked at that giant, R136a1, and could not help but sigh inwardly, “It is truly powerful. It is truly beautiful.”
R136a1 was undoubtedly the king among stars. A star so enormous could not possibly have formed through ordinary nebular collapse. In stellar evolution theory, the mechanism whereby a nebula gathers and ultimately forms a star can at most produce a star of one hundred twenty solar masses. This is because, in the early stages of a star’s formation, there is an extremely strong stellar wind, and the wind will blow away the dust surrounding it, preventing continued accretion. R136a1 formed through the collision and merger of many different stars.
Xiao Yu had already simulated the process of two stars merging within a model. In the virtual animation, two stars orbited each other. Mutual gravity deformed both stars into ellipsoids. As the distance kept shrinking, the smaller star was drawn into a stream of matter by the larger star. Matter from the smaller star began to be transported along this stream, pouring ceaselessly onto the larger star. This process advanced very rapidly. In an extremely short astronomical timescale, the small star disappeared, swallowed whole by the large star. The large star’s size then ballooned like an inflated ball, and its color changed as well.
Xiao Yu believed that R136a1 was likely the product of the merger of five or more giant stars. By the principle that the greater a star’s mass, the shorter its lifespan, Xiao Yu knew that R136a1’s life could not exceed ten million years. Within a very short astronomical timescale, R136a1 would end its life in the most intense explosion. It was estimated that even though the solar system was nearly two hundred thousand light years away from it, R136a1 would still appear nearly as bright as the Moon when seen from the solar system.
This would be the most magnificent way for a star to die, a photodisintegration supernova. After such a supernova, nothing would remain at the core of the star. There would be no white dwarf, no neutron star, no black hole. All of its mass would be completely scattered into space.
After quietly observing the scenes within the Tarantula Nebula and collecting a certain amount of data, Xiao Yu began his work. The scientists of the Materials Science Institute had told him that the micro-particle aggregated material required to construct a Star-Class warship was very likely formed in the process of stellar mergers, and R136a1 was continuously undergoing massive ejections of matter. Therefore, it was very necessary to collect the matter ejected by R136a1.
Xiao Yu released a large number of collection devices and began gathering material in this world of light, this ocean of light. These collection instruments were like great nets, very thin but with a large surface area. Such a structure posed no problem under ordinary circumstances, but within this ocean of light there were issues.
Here, radiation pressure from light was too strong, strong enough to become a wind-like force. If appropriate propulsion units had not been installed on these collection devices, the pressure of light alone would have been enough to blow them away.
Xiao Yu spent a month and collected roughly one hundred tons of matter ejected by R136a1. He delivered this matter to the Materials Science Institute and, together with its scientists, began to analyze it.
Another month passed. Looking at the ten grams of anomalous substance separated from that one hundred tons, Xiao Yu’s heart was filled with joy.
These ten grams were no ordinary material. They belonged to no element and exhibited no elemental structure. They had no atomic nuclei composed of protons and neutrons, and no electrons revolved around any nucleus. They were purely aggregates of microscopic particles. It was precisely this peculiar structure that gave them unimaginably superior material properties, beyond even those of the hydrogen-atomic polymer material. Only such a material was qualified to construct the most powerful Star-Class warship.
“The hypothesis that such material is produced during stellar merger reactions has been confirmed. Next, we will conduct detailed observations of R136a1 to determine the mechanism by which this material is produced.” As Xiao Yu spoke, he approached R136a1 again and deployed a great many observation instruments. All these instruments were made from the flesh of the Crocodilian Alien Beast, enabling them to approach very close to R136a1 for direct observation. Xiao Yu manufactured tens of millions of such instruments.
A massive influx of observational data began transmitting back into Xiao Yu’s mind. He was meticulously observing this king among stars from every angle. Unexpectedly, the first breakthrough came not in the manufacturing technology for the micro-particle aggregated material, but in the study of how to let the Specter Race control the Micron Civilization’s corpse without loss.
That happened in the fifth year after Xiao Yu began research on R136a1. Data on R136a1 was public within the Divine Ark Civilization, and any scientist could freely consult it. Under such circumstances, the research team led by Xu Junpo naturally had access to that data.
“I think we have found a way for the Specter Race to control the Micron Civilization’s corpse without loss.” Xu Junpo reported to Xiao Yu. “During observations of R136a1, in an extreme physical environment, we discovered a special energy. Under exposure to this special energy, we found that imperfect life could temporarily possess some traits of perfect life. On this basis we carried out research and ultimately discovered that this special energy also has the capacity to restore the Specter Race’s damaged life force. Yes, although we do not yet know the precise mechanism, it truly does have this capability.”
In fact, Xiao Yu had long known these research results, but for certain reasons, he concealed some of what he knew. He did not want the scientists to think he knew everything, nor did he want them to know that he was aware of everything about them.
When he first obtained this result, a vague worry rose in Xiao Yu’s heart. He realized that if this energy could truly erase the difference between imperfect life and perfect life, then in theory the already deceased Vichy could also possess the same capabilities as himself, which would imply that the Sweepers Civilization could also manufacture an existence similar to Xiao Yu’s form. That would be very disadvantageous to him.
But Xiao Yu soon found there was no need to worry. This was because the energy had certain limitations. For imperfect life, it could only provide a short-term enhancement. Over time it would have no effect. For the Specter Race or for Xiao Yu himself, there was no such limitation on usage, and it could be used multiple times. However, this energy could only restore the Specter Race’s damaged life force to its original state and could not raise its upper limit.
“For the Specter Race, life force is combat power. If this energy could raise the Specter Race’s life force upper limit, then it would be far too heaven-defying. Well, being able to let the Specter control the Micron Civilization’s corpse without loss is enough.” Xiao Yu thought with excitement. “Xu Junpo is indeed a genius. He possesses outstanding scientific thinking and intuition. It is certain that without him, no other scientist, including myself, could have discovered this wondrous energy from the radiation of this star.”
“Very good. I have already obtained the relevant research data. On behalf of the entire Divine Ark Civilization, I thank you for your outstanding contribution to our civilization.” Xiao Yu said. “I will take over the follow-up research. Leave to me the study of how to create and generate this special energy. You have labored for so long; you may take a rest. Oh, right, I recently developed several tourist sites according to your aesthetic preferences. The spacecraft is ready. Would you like to go have a look?”
Xu Junpo rubbed his thinking organ tiredly and said, “It would be good to relax a bit. But let me rest a few days first.”
“Alright. Within our Divine Ark Civilization, you may do whatever you wish. Any request you have, I can fulfill.” Xiao Yu said.
From this moment on, Xu Junpo’s position in Xiao Yu’s heart had surpassed that of Luka Two, Luka Three, and other distinguished scientists, rising to first place.
“Specter, from now on, you can freely control the Micron Civilization’s corpse without worrying about loss of life force. Our Divine Ark Civilization has at last fully obtained this ultimate weapon, the Micron Civilization’s corpse.”
