Xiao Yu rembered. In fact, he had never truly forgotten this matter. However, in his previous state, it seed as though his consciousness had been interfered with, causing this piece of information to be deliberately suppressed. Now, with Luka Two’s reminder, Xiao Yu finally retrieved this information from his vast mory database.
“A Level 4 Civilization fleet! All its lifeforms mutated! Now, even the bodies of the Luka people are starting to mutate! Is this a coincidence, or sothing else?” Xiao Yu’s mind raced as he pondered all of this. “And why did I fall into such a strange state just now? I clearly held deep vigilance against this self-proclaid Modifier. Why did that suddenly disappear? Was my mind influenced?”
Without hesitation, Xiao Yu imdiately halted the spaceship’s progress.
The Modifier’s ssage ca through at once: “Why haven’t you delivered what I need yet?”
Xiao Yu carefully considered his wording before responding, “Great Modifier, there are so items aboard these ships that are extrely important to . Please grant a little more ti to dismantle them. Then, I will send these fifty ships into an orbit ten thousand kiloters from the white dwarf.”
The Modifier replied, “What could possibly be more important than the theory that unifies the four fundantal forces? Do not delay; bring it to quickly. As compensation, I can give you an additional opportunity to ask a question.”
“Great Modifier, I beg your forgiveness. Please grant just a little more ti. These items concern the life of one of my kin and are of utmost importance to . Please wait a mont; it will be done soon.” Xiao Yu’s doubts deepened, and he used another excuse to buy ti.
“Why is it in such a hurry? For it, a hundred million tons of deuterium should be insignificant. Its behavior is too peculiar.”
The Modifier’s tone had turned frosty: “You must understand that this hundred million tons of deuterium is rely a test of your sincerity. Your stalling has made seriously question your honesty.”
“Do you… not want the Grand Unified Theory anymore?”
“Do you… not desire Faster-than-Light Travel technology?”
“Do you… not seek the detailed equations for Force Field technology?”
“You…”
There was a strange, magical power embedded in the Modifier’s words. Under its influence, Xiao Yu’s mind gradually grew clouded.
“Indeed, the Grand Unified Theory is so crucial to ,” Xiao Yu murmured to himself. “Compared to the Grand Unified Theory, everything else can be abandoned. Nothing else matters anymore.”
Guided by this mindset, Xiao Yu began to maneuver the fleet, slowly accelerating.
At this mont, Xiao Yu’s fleet was only one hundred million kiloters away from the white dwarf. At their current speed, they would reach the target in just over four hours.
Xiao Yu’s thoughts were consud by his longing for advanced technology. This desire filled his entire being, even encroaching upon the space that should have been occupied by reason.
anwhile, in the Aquila One system, chaos had erupted aboard the New Holand and Paradise ships. Only a handful of Luka people remained lucid.
Inside an ordinary room on the New Holand, there was a Luka individual with an unremarkable fra. Its frail body was already covered in pustule-like growths, oozing bloody fluids.
Its eyes were large and vacant. It had even lost the ability to walk, now crawling across the floor. As it crawled, it muttered, “The Great God has co to save us. The Great God has co to save us…”
It crawled all the way to the door and opened it. Outside was a wide street. At this mont, the street was filled with crawling Luka individuals, their bodies covered in blood and pus, their minds clouded.
They all mumbled incomprehensible phrases, except for one Luka’s voice, which was sowhat clearer. What it said was startling.
“We must go to the God’s Prison and rescue the Great God…”
“We must go to the God’s Prison and rescue the Great God!”
Countless indistinct murmurs converged into this single phrase.
In the center of the street stood a young Luka individual, trembling in fear as it took in the horrific scene. Finally, it could no longer bear it and burst into tears.
The situation aboard the Paradise was no better. However, due to the lower population density aboard the Paradise, it had not yet reached the extent of Luka individuals crawling everywhere.
For so unknown reason, the rate of mutation among Luka individuals aboard the Paradise was significantly lower than on the New Holand. A considerable number of scientists and prominent contributors remained lucid.
Luka Two was one of them, urgently directing the still-conscious Luka doctors and law enforcent officers in rescuing the afflicted.
But who knew how to treat this condition? It had no warning signs, no discernible cause. All the Luka doctors were helpless, resorting only to conventional asures like lancing pustules, draining pus, disinfecting, and bandaging.
Amid the chaos, Luka Two suddenly felt its mind grow foggy. A distant, ethereal voice began to softly speak in its head. In that mont, it seed to see the shadow of the “Great God” from their religion.
“My believers, co to the God’s Prison and rescue . Once you have saved , I will grant you eternal life…”
“Co… co…”
The light in Luka Two’s eyes gradually dimd. Its body began to lower, as if preparing to crawl on the ground.
“Leader! Leader! What’s wrong? Are you okay?” At this mont, a young Luka individual rushed over and caught Luka Two.
This young Luka was the sa scientist who, during that previous eting, had suggested interpreting this unknown entity with “malevolent intent.”
Under the shaking of the young Luka, the dimming light in Luka Two’s eyes slowly returned. It looked at the barely-ford pustules on its arm with horror and used all its strength to push the young Luka away.
“Our race’s fate is tied to the Master. If we perish, the Master may survive, but if the Master dies, we will surely die…”
“Go to the communications station and see what the Master is doing. Has he also fallen under this demon’s spell? Tell the Master, tell him—absolutely, absolutely do not hand over that hundred million tons of deuterium to this demon!”
“The demon is luring the New Holand to the Aquila Two Binary System. The Paradise contains the controls for the New Holand. Go, lock down the New Holand’s controls! Then lock down the Paradise’s controls as well!”
“This is our race’s only hope for survival. Go! Quickly!”
“I’m going right away!”
Using its last ounce of strength, Luka Two roared. After shouting these words, the regained light in its eyes began to fade again. Yet, even so, it glared fiercely at the young Luka, silently screaming with its actions: “Go! Go!”
The young Luka stood frozen in shock. Three seconds after Luka Two collapsed, it finally snapped out of its daze. With a scream, it turned as if to help Luka Two up again but stopped after one step. Then it turned and sprinted toward the communications station.
On its way, it saw its teacher—the oldest, most accomplished, and most knowledgeable scientist—collapsed on the ground, life or death unknown. It saw many colleagues from the Second Research Institute crawling on the ground, their bodies oozing pus and blood. It saw countless others—so familiar, so not. But it ignored them all.
In its mind, only one thought remained.
“I must notify the Master! I must notify the Master! Then, lock down the controls for the New Holand and the Paradise!”
Aboard the New Holand, so Luka individuals had already crawled into the ship’s control center. This center had been established by Xiao Yu as a contingency for the Luka people to operate the ship independently during warti, should he be unavailable.
Under normal circumstances, the New Holand was directly controlled by Xiao Yu, and this center did not have control permissions. But, inexplicably, the permissions had now been unlocked.
One Luka individual closest to the control panel was only fifteen ters away. At most, it needed another minute to crawl there. Once it set the course and pressed the confirmation button, the New Holand would head toward the Aquila Two System and the “God’s Prison” in their minds.
Aboard the Paradise, the young Luka scientist had already burst into the communications station. Monts before the confirmation button on the New Holand was pressed, it hit the lock button for the controls. After locking the New Holand’s control permissions, it imdiately locked down the Paradise’s controls as well.
In this state, no one but Xiao Yu could control these two ships.
The entire process took less than thirty seconds. Afterward, the young Luka rushed to the display screen.
What it saw there filled it with horror.
In the Aquila Two Binary System, over a thousand ships belonging to Xiao Yu were traveling toward the white dwarf at a speed of over 6,000 kiloters per second. The distance remaining was less than one million kiloters.
At their current speed and trajectory, the fleet would enter an orbit just 100,000 kiloters from the white dwarf in two and a half minutes.
Terrified, it scread, “Master! Master! Do not hand these ships to it! It’s a demon! It’s a demon!”
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