When Xiao Yu first detected the ssage, he was startled. He even suspected that his central computer had been hacked. However, nothing developed in the worst-case scenario. For now, it seed to be just a ssage.
Xiao Yu didn’t imdiately begin analyzing the ssage’s aning. Instead, he conducted a large-scale inspection of the central computer he resided in. He examined every corner of the array storage, analyzed every signal receiver, and attempted to trace the origins of the ssage.
The results, however, left him disappointed. Xiao Yu found no trace of how the ssage had arrived.
Since the Lizardn civilization incident and his realization of the dark nature of the universe, Xiao Yu had beco highly vigilant, treating any alien civilization with the utmost suspicion. This situation, where no signs of the other party could be found, left Xiao Yu deeply uneasy.
With his exhaustive checks yielding nothing, Xiao Yu began analyzing the aning of the ssage.
The first point of analysis was the thod used to broadcast the ssage.
Based on current knowledge, this broadcasting thod did not align with any known technology. Conventional radio signals, when transmitted over long distances, degrade significantly. For instance, a signal sent from Earth would beco re noise after traveling one light-year due to substantial distortion.
Xiao Yu was certain that the source of this ssage was far beyond one light-year—perhaps hundreds, thousands, or even tens of thousands of light-years away. Most astonishingly, the ssage translated itself into a language Xiao Yu could understand without any interference. This alone was deeply alarming.
“An intelligent signal…? How is that possible?” Xiao Yu was incredulous.
A signal, by definition, is just a transmitted beam of waves. How could it possess intelligence? Yet if the signal weren’t intelligent, how could it embed itself into Xiao Yu’s computer and translate into a comprehensible language?
Unable to resolve this mystery, Xiao Yu set the question aside.
There was no doubt that the civilization behind this ssage was an advanced super-civilization far beyond his own understanding. Moreover, the ssage didn’t seem overtly hostile.
However, one particular sentence triggered Xiao Yu’s wariness.
“Please upload this information into your central computer. The program will automatically begin the manufacturing process, after which you can contact us to allow us to locate your coordinates.”
Having experienced the Lizardn civilization, Xiao Yu had resolved to approach all alien civilizations with the worst possible assumptions. This ssage was no exception.
“An intelligent wireless signal… upload it to my central computer? If this ssage contains malicious code, creating a superluminal communication device and exposing my location could lead to disaster. After all, under the principle of ‘exterminating other civilizations to enhance one’s own luck,’ any civilization, especially weaker ones, could be treated as resources by more advanced ones.”
“Assuming the intelligent signal has only the abilities it has demonstrated thus far and lacks automatic control capabilities, uploading it to my central computer must be postponed.”
Xiao Yu made up his mind, unwilling to take such a risk.
“If this ssage is genuine, it ntions four key terms: Sweepers, Specter Race, Guardians, and Safe Zone. Analyzing these terms, it seems a group known as the ‘Guardians’ has established a ‘Safe Zone’ to resist the Sweepers and the Specter Race. Moreover, the term ‘Alliance’ is attached to the Guardians.”
Xiao Yu silently analyzed.
“First, let’s consider whether sothing like an ‘alliance’ could exist in the dark universe.”
“If it’s an alliance, it must consist of at least two civilizations. But if exterminating other civilizations enhances a civilization’s luck, how could they coexist peacefully? One possibility is that these civilizations began interacting before they understood the dark universe principle, and after many years of coexistence, they rged so completely that they could no longer separate. However, this is highly improbable and likely applies to only a few rare cases. Given the ntion of a ‘Third Starfield Division’ within the ‘Guardians Alliance,’ this scenario can be largely ruled out.”
“A second possibility is that a highly dominant civilization leads and coerces several weaker civilizations into forming an alliance. Under the dominance of this powerful civilization, the dark universe principle might temporarily be nullified. But why would this dominant civilization bother? Wouldn’t it gain more benefits by eliminating those weaker civilizations? Could it be purely out of goodwill or moral responsibility?”
“That’s laughable—highly unlikely.”
Xiao Yu concluded.
“If the concept of an ‘alliance’ is fundantally untrustworthy, how much credibility can this ssage have?”
Xiao Yu was consud by deep suspicion.
“By convention, any deceptive ssage must contain a mix of truth and lies to instill fear and mislead its target. If that’s the case, then the Sweepers and Specter Race may be real. But what do these terms actually represent? Sweepers might refer to the entity that destroyed Earth, but what is the Specter Race?”
Faced with such terrifying unknowns, Xiao Yu felt a growing unease.
He hadn’t yet co to terms with the dark universe principle, and now a new crisis had erged: the ominous ‘Sweepers’ and ‘Specter Race,’ whose nature remained elusive.
“The universe is vast, and there is so much I don’t know. Perhaps speculating about such entities with my current technological level is laughable. Could it be that everything I think I know is wrong? After all, the dark universe principle has only been validated by the Lizardn civilization and myself. Its accuracy is still uncertain.”
“Then… is it possible that the information from the Guardians Alliance is true? A safe zone? If a safe zone really exists where I can peacefully develop my technology, that would be wonderful.”
Xiao Yu sighed as doubt began to creep into his heart.
“Should I upload this information into the central computer and try it out?” Xiao Yu pondered. “It’s a gamble. If I win, I’ll gain precious ti to recuperate and grow. Peaceful interaction with other civilizations could significantly accelerate my technological developnt. But if I lose, I might be treated as fodder, ruthlessly slaughtered, and erased from existence in this universe.”
It was a dilemma.
After a long and intricate deliberation, Xiao Yu finally made up his mind.
“So far, the universe I’ve seen is dark. Therefore, I must view everything with a dark lens. Relying on others is never as secure as relying on myself. Besides, the chances of coincidentally encountering the Sweepers and Specter Race here are slim. With less than two light-years and 600 years left to Tianyuan IV, I’ll keep heading toward my destination!”
Resolutely, Xiao Yu deleted the ssage. Without a shred of hesitation, he accelerated his fleet and pressed on toward Tianyuan IV.
Even though the ssage claid to contain the thod for constructing a basic superluminal communication device, Xiao Yu didn’t believe he could acquire such technology safely.
To obtain the thod, he would have to upload the code into his central computer and let it run automatically. But Xiao Yu couldn’t confirm whether the ssage contained malicious code.
“I can’t let greed lead into unnecessary danger,” Xiao Yu thought to himself.
Four centuries passed in the blink of an eye. Xiao Yu was now 0.6 light-years—or about 6 trillion kiloters—away from Tianyuan IV.
After leaving the barren planet, Xiao Yu finally encountered sothing other than his fleet for the first ti in over a thousand years of travel: a massive asteroid roughly 30 ters in diater, with a total mass of about 10,000 tons, composed primarily of dry ice and iron.
This marked the boundary of Tianyuan IV’s domain, the Oort Cloud. Beyond this, Xiao Yu would officially enter the Tianyuan IV star system.
Because Tianyuan IV’s mass and age were both smaller than the Sun’s, its Oort Cloud extended only 0.6 light-years from its main star—nearly half the distance of the Sun’s Oort Cloud.
Tianyuan IV’s brightness intensified, but at this distance, it was still just a point of light, indistinguishable from other stars and lacking any discernible features.
When Xiao Yu saw the asteroid, he felt an inexplicable urge to cry.
Five thousand years of grueling travel—loneliness, desolation, and despair—had weighed heavily on him. He had no one to confide in. Watching ship after ship break down and be abandoned, experiencing the life-and-death struggles with the Lizardn civilization, and enduring the terrifying vastness of the universe—all of it finally found an outlet.
Because… it was a star. A celestial body that perpetually radiated light and heat, bringing illumination and warmth, and harboring abundant materials. It was not the cold, empty void of space, but a star!
At that mont, Xiao Yu felt an overwhelming sense of relief, as though his entire spirit had been unburdened.
When Xiao Yu departed from the barren planet, his fleet had consisted of 1,243 ships. By the ti he reached the Oort Cloud of Tianyuan IV, only 965 ships remained. All the losses were Village-Class ships, dismantled to repair Town-Class and County-Class vessels.
During the voyage, any ship that couldn’t keep up with the main fleet was dismantled.
Yet all these sacrifices were worth it. Xiao Yu was finally on the verge of completing humanity’s first interstellar journey.
“This place will beco my paradise. Here, I will accomplish the developnt of fundantal physics theories, energy shield research, and superluminal communication technology. I will build countless ships and gain imnse power…”
“Tianyuan IV, here I co!”
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