Within the Aquila One star system, there was only one planet, Aquila A, which was orbited by dozens of moons. Among them, nine moons t the minimum requirents for hydrostatic equilibrium, giving them a spherical shape.
To achieve hydrostatic equilibrium, there is a mass standard. On a planetary scale, whether composed of rock or tal, the material behaves like a fluid. Hydrostatic equilibrium ans that gravitational forces are balanced across all areas. In space, only a spherical object can maintain uniform gravity across its surface. Once this standard is t, the object naturally forms a spherical shape.
Among these nine moons, the largest had a mass comparable to Earth’s moon but only half its volu, implying extrely high density.
This moon served as one of Xiao Yu’s nine primary bases, primarily fulfilling the role of a manufacturing base. It housed nurous foundries, and spacecraft from other moons constantly landed on it, delivering large quantities of processed raw materials. These materials were refined in the foundries into precise components.
The total number of robots operating on this moon reached one hundred million.
“You’ll do. The manufacturing base will be relocated to the central base,” Xiao Yu decided.
The central base was located on another moon, where Xiao Yu’s central research institute was also situated. The Luka-built Second Research Institute had been relocated inside The Paradise after its completion.
Having made up his mind, Xiao Yu initiated large-scale relocation and construction efforts. The specific task was to construct a new manufacturing base on the opposite side of the central base, where the central research institute was located, and to transfer all valuable assets from the original manufacturing base.
Nurous spacecraft originally destined for Moon One changed their course, bringing a massive influx of robots and building materials to the central moon. Construction comnced at full speed, and within thirty days, the manufacturing base had taken shape.
Xiao Yu spent an additional ten days completing the relocation process.
During these forty days, Xiao Yu also conducted a comprehensive geological survey of the moon where the manufacturing base was located, identifying tens of thousands of exceptionally stable geological points.
At these points, Xiao Yu planned to construct nearly ten thousand planetary engines.
Yes, planetary engines. Xiao Yu’s plan was straightforward: to propel this moon out of the Aquila One system, traverse the 1.4-light-year distance, and crash it into the white dwarf star in the Aquila Two system.
Since there wasn’t a sufficiently massive celestial body in the Aquila Two system, Xiao Yu had to search the Aquila One system for a suitable target and ultimately chose this moon.
The mass of this moon was insufficient to increase the white dwarf’s pressure and temperature to the point of triggering nuclear fusion. However, that wasn’t Xiao Yu’s goal.
Currently, the white dwarf was already near its critical point. Even without Xiao Yu’s intervention, it would only remain stable for a maximum of one thousand years, after which a nova explosion would inevitably occur.
Xiao Yu was rely accelerating the tiline.
The extre heat and pressure from the moon’s impact would imdiately ignite the hydrogen and helium elents at the impact site on the white dwarf, initiating fusion and releasing imnse energy.
After a portion of this energy radiated outward, the remainder would further elevate the temperature of the unfused material, bringing it to fusion conditions as well.
The fused material would, in turn, trigger more unfused material to undergo fusion. Ultimately, all the stellar matter accumulated on the white dwarf would experience intense nuclear fusion.
This was a chain reaction.
The saying “a spark can ignite a prairie fire” aptly described the process.
Thus, the white dwarf, already at its critical threshold, would instantaneously reach its explosion criteria. Within ten seconds of the impact, it would transform into a nova.
The white dwarf was like a ti bomb, and Xiao Yu’s collision thod rely removed the tir, causing it to detonate imdiately.
This plan underwent rigorous scrutiny by Xiao Yu and was ultimately proven feasible.
First of all, the technology behind planetary engines was sothing Xiao Yu personally tested in the Tianyuan IV star system. On that occasion, it was used to propel a planet—a celestial body much larger than this moon.
Secondly, with the significant advancents in technology over such a long period, Xiao Yu’s technological capabilities had far surpassed those of that ti. Propelling a moon was not a difficult task for him.
After eliminating all theoretical obstacles and ticulously verifying every detailed step of the plan, Xiao Yu began the construction phase.
The Aquila One large-scale particle collider had already been completed, and the construction of the new spacecraft had reached its conclusion. This freed up an enormous number of robots, which were now available to assist in the construction of the planetary engines.
With the continuous transport by tens of thousands of spacecraft, the number of robots on Moon One exceeded ten billion within ten days. And this number continued to grow. In addition to the influx of robots, the newly built manufacturing base on the central moon base was now operating at full capacity, producing an endless stream of components that were being shipped to Moon One.
The first ten billion robots to arrive were divided into ten thousand groups, each assigned to a specific point on Moon One. They began their construction tasks simultaneously.
Indeed, Xiao Yu’s goal was to construct ten thousand planetary engines. Although the mass of this moon was much smaller than that of the planet in the Tianyuan IV system, the long journey required a combined power output from these engines comparable to that used previously.
The ten thousand construction points were scattered across the entire surface of the moon, carefully selected by Xiao Yu as the most geologically stable locations. At these sites, the planetary engines could operate at maximum efficiency while minimizing their impact on the moon.
Countless spacecraft were busy in transit, and billions of robots worked tirelessly. With such imnse construction capabilities, Xiao Yu estimated that the entire project would be completed within a year.
anwhile, in the binary star system of Aquila Two, the alien beast remained unusually quiet for over a year. It lay motionless on the surface of the white dwarf, to the point that Xiao Yu almost thought it was dead.
However, Xiao Yu knew that hoping it would die naturally was unrealistic. The most likely explanation was that it was recuperating from its earlier activities—it was resting.
Just as Xiao Yu’s construction efforts were in full swing, the ships stationed in the Aquila Two binary system observed a phenonon that made Xiao Yu wary.
After over a year of inactivity, the alien beast finally moved.
It slowly stood up, revealing its true form to Xiao Yu for the first ti.
This was a colossal monster, over 300 kiloters tall. Its body bore clear evidence of having once lived on a rocky planet—it had two legs and two arms.
Biological evolution tends to follow the path of optimization. In other words, if life exists on a planet, it is likely to evolve legs—be it two, three, or even four. Legs are essential.
During the early stages of evolution, when life forms needed to move across the planet’s surface, legs were the most cost-effective and efficient tools. Before a species gained the capability to modify its planetary environnt, the uneven terrain would make it impossible to evolve wheels, leaving legs as the most practical option.
Additionally, to et various needs, life forms would also evolve arms. This too is a result of optimal evolution, as arms are highly efficient tools in such conditions. The number of fingers they evolve depends on the specific environntal details.
The fact that it had two legs and two arms, similar to humans, was rely a coincidence arising from a shared general evolutionary trajectory.
While it was evident that this creature had adapted to life on a rocky planet, life forms on gaseous planets would likely evolve wings or fin-like appendages instead, as legs would be of no use in such environnts.
The creature had a massive head, which was sowhat reminiscent of humans. However, the similarities ended there. It had no eyes, nose, or ears—not even a mouth. This indicated that its ho planet’s environnt was entirely different from Earth’s. It did not require eyes to perceive visible light, a nose to breathe, ears to hear, or a mouth to eat and communicate.
Its energy replenishnt, detection, and communication systems were fundantally different from those of humans. Without the ability to dissect the creature, Xiao Yu had no way of determining these specifics.
Additionally, Xiao Yu noticed that it had a pair of massive wing-like appendages. This puzzled him briefly, but he soon understood. The presence of both legs and wings suggested that the creature was an amphibious species capable of both land and aerial movent on its ho planet.
Beneath its enormous wings were two relatively short arms, each 80 kiloters long. In contrast, its claws were disproportionately large, asuring half the length of its arms.
The overall appearance of this creature was terrifying and sinister, evoking imagery of a demon from hell.
“This demon… it manipulated my thoughts and nearly drove into the abyss of destruction…” Xiao Yu thought, his vigilance heightened as he observed the alien beast.
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