Rebirth of the Super Battleship-Chapter 752: I Choose to Withdraw

All the schemes and plots, all the mutual calculations, millennia of preparation, all the love and hate and tangled emotions, all came to an end in this moment. The first clash with the Sweepers Civilization ended with the death of the Specter companion, the destruction of the Micron Civilization’s corpse, the complete annihilation of all three Taihao Civilizations, and the number of twenty billion conventional warships reduced to fewer than thirty million.

The price paid by the Sweepers Civilization was that, aside from the Neutron War Star, every other participating ship was lost in battle. Whether spherical warship or ordinary warship, whether Star-Class spaceship or the smallest Village-Class spaceship, not a single one remained.

The war had brought unimaginable, grievous wounds to both civilizations. In this war, there was no victor. Whether it was the Sweepers Civilization or the Divine Ark Civilization, both were losers.

But the outbreak of war does not shift according to the will of any individual within a civilization. No matter what, the war would continue until life and death were decided. A hatred etched in bone and the drive of enormous self-interest determined that, between the Divine Ark Civilization and the Sweepers Civilization, only one could remain.

“Although I have practically swept away the Sweepers Civilization’s military might, their social structure has not been affected at all. That means they have enormous potential for war. New warriors and new ships, as well as new generals and new commanders, will spring up like bamboo shoots after a spring rain. If I do not completely destroy the Sweepers Civilization, I will never be at peace.”

“But my Specter companion is already dead. What should I do… After the Micron Civilization died, its Specter companion became the Specter Taihao. And according to what the Specter Taihao told me, before him, there had never been a single case where, after either the Main Civilization or the Specter Race died, the other side remained alive. So… do I have to die too?”

“That Level 7 Civilization of the microscopic direction told me that Luck Value can also be changed, which means I still have hope of surviving. But to change Luck Value… how is Luck Value supposed to be changed? When it comes to something this vague and illusory, I am only a Level 6 Civilization, how can I possibly come into contact with such a thing…”

These many thoughts left Xiao Yu’s mind in utter chaos.

Under the traction of the Solar spaceship, the entire small universe was rapidly advancing. Just like the Sweepers Civilization, Xiao Yu’s industrial base and social structure had also suffered almost no damage. Xiao Yu’s potential for war was equally enormous. In fact, just within these few hours spent fleeing, Xiao Yu had already produced at least one thousand spaceships.

But Xiao Yu knew that no matter how many spaceships he had, they would be completely useless in the face of the Neutron War Star. And in terms of Luck Value, after the Specter companion’s death, his own Luck Value was certainly as low as it could possibly be. In this Milky Way Galaxy, there was only one thing that could destroy him, and that was the Neutron War Star. That meant that, in the not-too-distant future, he had an extremely high chance of encountering the Neutron War Star once again.

Xiao Yu pondered for a moment and made his decision.

Xiao Yu once again summoned Ares, Ruto, Luka Three, Luka Four, Number Five, as well as all the committee members of the Social Committee, all the committee members of the Military Committee, and all the scientists of the Central Research Academy of Science, and convened the largest-scale meeting ever held. Moreover, this meeting was broadcast live on television, transmitting both visuals and audio to every corner of the Divine Ark Civilization. Whether in cities or in the countryside, whether in the mountains or in the jungles, as long as intelligent beings existed there, they could watch live images of this meeting in real time.

In this moment, countless intelligent beings put down what they were doing. Busy workers set down their tools, students put away their books, pedestrians halted their steps, couples stopped their intimacies. Those who were asleep were shaken awake from their dreams, and dying patients opened their eyes wide.

Every gaze was gathered on Xiao Yu.

“I have something very important to tell everyone.” Xiao Yu’s projected image stood at the front, speaking very calmly. “The war is over. Our Divine Ark Civilization, following the arrangements of Luka Two and Director Xu, has narrowly escaped with its life. However, my Specter companion has died beneath the Neutron War Star. I’m sure you all know what this means. That’s right, Luck Value, an extremely low Luck Value.”

Xiao Yu’s voice echoed in every corner of the Divine Ark Civilization.

“The Divine Ark Civilization as it is now cannot withstand another disaster like this. At present, let alone an enemy like the Sweepers, even a preliminary Level 6 Civilization could inflict severe damage on us. And according to the rule that the lower one’s Luck Value is, the more misfortune one will encounter, the probability of us running into such sudden incidents is extremely high. So now, it is time for me to fulfill my promise.”

Xiao Yu lifted his head, his eyes lingering reluctantly on everyone present, and on all the citizens of the Divine Ark Civilization watching at their information terminals.

“I have watched you be born, watched you grow up, watched you live your lives. Some of you have eventually become outstanding talents in various fields, making great contributions to our Divine Ark Civilization. Some of you have led ordinary lives, but as long as you exist within the civilization, your very existence is itself a contribution to the civilization. In my eyes, there is no distinction between outstanding and ordinary among you. You are all my children. Now I am struck by disaster, but I do not want to drag you down with me. So, I choose to leave, to withdraw from the Divine Ark Civilization.”

“The Specter companion is only my Specter companion, and not the Divine Ark Civilization’s Specter companion. Once I withdraw from the Divine Ark Civilization, there is a very high possibility that the death of the Specter companion will no longer affect you. This is the reason I choose to withdraw from the Divine Ark Civilization.” Xiao Yu said calmly.

“Ruto once asked me, when faced with the choice of whether to let the Specter Race devour all intelligent beings within the Divine Ark Civilization, which decision I would make. At that time, my answer was that I would rather perish myself than allow the Specter Race to swallow you all. Because the Divine Ark Civilization is my child. Just as you would not kill your own children to secure your survival, I will not kill my children in exchange for my own pitiful, prolonged existence. I know that when I spoke these words back then, many of you surely did not believe it, and only thought I said it to stabilize morale. But I want to tell you that every word I said was true. Yes, all of it was true. Perhaps there have been some well-intentioned lies, but ever since you became members of the Divine Ark Civilization, I have never deceived you.” Xiao Yu said softly.

“My own self-positioning has always been that of a leader, not an omnipotent being. So my scientific literacy does not measure up to Xu Junpo’s, nor to Ruto’s. My strategic talent for war cannot compare with Ares, nor with Luka Two. All these years, it is precisely because of one outstanding talent after another that I have achieved what I have today. Losing you would be far more detrimental to me. But now is the time for me to give up all these benefits. I want you to see that every word I speak is true. I said I would rather sacrifice myself than watch the Divine Ark Civilization perish, and now I have done so. Farewell, my children. From now on, you will have to build your own warships, you will have to operate the computers yourselves to perform scientific calculations, you will have to set all the parameters of the air circulation systems on your own, and the intelligent modules of household robots will have to be designed by you yourselves. Everything, everything will depend on you.” Xiao Yu spoke quietly, his face full of reluctance.

An unfamiliar impulse surged up within Xiao Yu’s heart. If he still had a body, he would certainly have shed tears. But he did not. Xiao Yu adjusted the parameters, ensuring that the projected image of himself maintained a calm demeanor from beginning to end.

A strange mood began to hang over the entire Divine Ark Civilization. In the conference hall, some people could no longer control their emotions and began to sob softly. Outside the hall, in the high mountains, in the jungles, in the metropolises, in the villages, countless intelligent beings all felt a pervasive atmosphere of sorrow.

“Master, are you really going to abandon your children? Please stay, do not go. The Divine Ark Civilization needs your leadership. We have already grown accustomed to a life with you in it. After you leave, what will we do…”

“Children must grow up someday. Learn to live on your own.” Xiao Yu said somewhat desolately. “I have rewritten a new program based on myself as a template. After I leave, this program will take over my authority. So, in the short term, our Divine Ark Civilization will not undergo any drastic upheaval. The difference is that this program is open. You will be able to modify its internal parameters according to your own wishes via many interfaces.”

“Please don’t go. Just as you said, our Divine Ark Civilization has countless talented people. If we work together with one heart, we can definitely overcome any crisis, we will definitely find a way to change Luck Value. Our Divine Ark Civilization will not perish, it will only grow stronger and stronger!”

Xiao Yu gently shook his head. “The Divine Ark Civilization is far too fragile right now. A single accident could doom us forever. We cannot afford that risk. Perhaps, after I find a way to change Luck Value, I will return to the Divine Ark Civilization.”

Crowds of people poured into the streets, gathering in front of the Social Committee’s branch offices on each planet and in each city. Countless people wept bitterly, countless people shouted at the top of their lungs. In this moment, the heartfelt voices of all intelligent beings merged into a single sentence, “Stay! Don’t go! We are willing to bear any hardship and danger together with you!”

“I will be taking the Solar spaceship with me. You can choose another spaceship to serve as the traction ship. Yes, from this moment on, you truly hold your fate in your own hands.” Xiao Yu smiled faintly and said, “My children, farewell.”

The Solar spaceship gently released its traction on the small universe. From this moment, it too was free, no longer bound by anything.

The solitary Solar spaceship sailed into the pitch-black, unfathomable universe, beginning its own journey.