Chapter 119: Arrow Beast Civilization

In an instant, Xiao Yu understood the thoughts of this alien beast. “I didn’t expect there to be another civilization in the Aquila Nebula... No wonder it stayed silent for so long; it was summoning another civilization.” Xiao Yu reconstructed the entire sequence of events. After abandoning control over its own thoughts, this alien beast chose to control an unknown civilization instead and directed it to the Aquila Two binary star system to thwart the collision plan. “However, since this civilization also uses nuclear fusion as its energy source, do you think they can stop me?” A surge of fighting spirit rose within Xiao Yu as all 5,000 spaceships were prepped for combat. The 7,000 glowing points moved at astonishing speed. Xiao Yu observed that a few hours later, they crossed the white dwarf star and continued their rapid advance. Within just a few minutes, these peculiar spaceships reached a distance of over ten million kilometers from the white dwarf star. The dozens of Village-Class spaceships Xiao Yu had stationed there were immediately destroyed. However, before their destruction, the observation equipment on these ships managed to gather some data about the unknown glowing points. These were small spaceships, each with a diameter of only a few dozen meters, with the largest not exceeding 300 meters. Their design was disc-shaped, but their surfaces were not smooth, appearing rugged and resembling some sort of animal’s armor. After destroying the Village-Class spaceships, this cluster of glowing points traveled further, covering tens of billions of kilometers, before they began decelerating. They slowed down to a standstill relative to the white dwarf star, while maintaining a velocity of 50,000 kilometers per second relative to Xiao Yu. Then, they began accelerating in reverse. Xiao Yu realized they were preparing for battle. If they didn’t decelerate, they would simply pass by him at a relative speed of over 70,000 kilometers per second, making any kind of combat impossible. At such speeds, energy weapons could only manage one salvo before both sides would be out of range of each other’s weaponry. Under Xiao Yu’s watchful gaze, the cluster of glowing points gradually reduced their speed from 50,000 kilometers per second to 40,000 kilometers per second and kept decelerating further. It resembled two sprinters heading toward the white dwarf star as their finish line. However, since the glowing points were slower, it appeared as though Xiao Yu was chasing after them. Based on current velocity estimates, Xiao Yu would encounter them in one day, at a distance of about 4.3 billion kilometers from the white dwarf star. At a distance of 300 million kilometers from the white dwarf star, Xiao Yu would have to perform one final orbital correction for Moon One. Otherwise, under the gravitational influence of the nearby red dwarf star, Moon One would deviate from its trajectory and fail to collide with the white dwarf. Once the 300-million-kilometer threshold was crossed, there would be no way to prevent the collision. The 300 million kilometers equated to a two-hour journey. In other words, Xiao Yu had to defend Moon One for 22 hours, ensuring that the planetary engines aboard it were not destroyed during this time. Xiao Yu was not confident about defeating the 7,000 glowing points with just 5,000 spaceships, but he was determined to hold out for 22 hours. Even if he couldn’t last the full duration, it didn’t matter. The final orbital correction only required around 1,000 planetary engines to function. As long as these engines were protected, Xiao Yu would emerge victorious. With one day left before encountering the enemy, Xiao Yu began intense calculations and preparations. Xiao Yu’s spaceships typically had a maximum speed of no more than 10,000 kilometers per second. Meanwhile, the glowing points could reach a maximum speed of 26,000 kilometers per second. However, this difference didn’t imply an insurmountable technological gap. If fuel consumption was disregarded, Xiao Yu could also accelerate his ships to that speed. The issue was that at such speeds, his ships would lack the fuel necessary for deceleration. Before developing an energy source surpassing nuclear fusion, the measure of a fleet’s technological level was its acceleration capability, fuel consumption rate, and material technology. Xiao Yu observed over time that the opposing force’s three critical metrics—acceleration capability, fuel consumption rate, and material technology—were not significantly different from his own. This realization bolstered his confidence. “If this is all you have, it’s truly disappointing,” Xiao Yu thought with unwavering confidence. During this period, Xiao Yu used calculations and modeling to make some deductions about the civilization behind these glowing points. “Since this Alien Beast can control these glowing points but cannot use them to obtain enough fuel to escape the white dwarf’s gravitational pull, it can only mean one thing: these glowing points lack the capacity to collect such vast amounts of deuterium.” “This means they cannot belong to a Technological Civilization. Any Technological Civilization evolved to this level would undoubtedly possess that capability. Nor could they belong to a Mechanical Civilization. That leaves only one possibility: these glowing points are part of an Alien Beast Civilization.” “An Alien Beast Civilization! And one that employs nuclear fusion, with a level of development similar to my own!” “I’ve already triumphed against the Moluton Civilization and the Luka Civilization—two Technological Civilizations. I will win against you too!” As the encounter point drew closer, Xiao Yu finally observed the full appearance of these peculiar disc-shaped ships an hour before contact, using large optical instruments aboard his County-Class ships. To his astonishment, the ships had changed shape. No longer disc-like, their main structure had become spherical, with several long, arm-like appendages extending from the sphere. “Can they transform?! Is the disc shape their flight mode, and this new form their combat mode?” “Luka Three!” Xiao Yu immediately contacted Luka Three, who was still stationed in the control room. “Master, what are your orders?” Luka Three responded respectfully. “What abilities do Alien Beast Civilization entities typically possess?” Xiao Yu inquired. Luka Three hesitated, seemingly searching through its database, before replying after a moment, “Alien Beast Civilizations are incredibly diverse, with abilities that vary widely. Our Luka Civilization hasn’t encountered many Alien Beast Civilizations, but during the mission to control the Droplet probe in the Third Starfield, we encountered a Level 2 Alien Beast Civilization. Their combat strategy involved directly using their bodies to attack starships. I’ve also read records of other Alien Beast Civilizations in the cosmos—some possess psychic control abilities, others innate spatial traversal capabilities, and some use weapons like hydrogen bombs, decay bombs, or antimatter bombs. There are even those capable of infinite reproduction, with a single queen beast producing billions or trillions of offspring to overwhelm enemies in sheer numbers. In summary, Alien Beast Civilizations come in many forms.” Though this information broadened Xiao Yu’s understanding, it didn’t address his immediate concerns. Xiao Yu pressed on, “Are there any Alien Beast Civilizations known to possess transformation abilities?” “I’m not sure, but... there likely are,” Luka Three replied. “If they can transform, it suggests they can autonomously control their bodies, which implies their physical forms are exceptionally robust. Civilizations like this are often direct body-to-body combat types, similar to the Level 2 Alien Beast Civilization we encountered.” “Direct body-to-body combat types?” Xiao Yu contemplated. “Robust bodies... that implies their mobility capabilities must also be exceptional. Fine, since I can’t compete with them in mobility, I won’t engage in close-quarters combat. Let’s fight a positional battle instead.” Xiao Yu made his decision. Close-quarters combat, akin to the battles with the Moluton Civilization and Luka Civilization, involved fleets mixing together and engaging in intense skirmishes. In such scenarios, the opponent’s superior mobility could suppress his ships. In contrast, a positional battle emphasized defense. Xiao Yu only needed to protect the 1,000 or so planetary engines required for the final orbital adjustment. Xiao Yu maneuvered his fleet of 5,000 ships into a defensive formation for a positional battle. “I should’ve planned better from the start. Building ground-based gun turrets on Moon One would’ve been ideal,” Xiao Yu thought with some regret. However, it was too late for regrets. He landed several County-Class ships and a batch of Village-Class ships on Moon One to serve as makeshift ground-based gun turrets. The remaining Village-Class ships formed a loose aerial defense circle above the critical planetary engines. County-Class ships and larger vessels, once grounded, could no longer take off. But Xiao Yu didn’t mind. These ships, along with Moon One, had already been accelerated to 50,000 kilometers per second, rendering them incapable of deceleration. Since the ships were effectively lost anyway, Xiao Yu decided to make full use of them before their disposal. With Xiao Yu’s forces in position, the distance between the two sides gradually closed, and their relative speed steadily decreased. Now, they were 500,000 kilometers apart. Xiao Yu directed his ships to launch the first wave of attacks. Having reached the level of a Level 3 Civilization, kinetic weapons had been entirely abandoned. Xiao Yu did not believe high-speed projectiles would inflict much damage on the opponent. Thus, the first wave consisted of countless high-energy laser strikes. Just as this initial wave of attacks was unleashed, Xiao Yu received a message that left him utterly shocked. “Stranger from a Technological Civilization! We are the Arrow Beast Civilization, but we have been controlled. We do not wish to fight you. We also want to destroy the demon on the white dwarf star!” “However, 90% of our control over our bodies has been taken away. We have only 10% remaining. We hope you can quickly devise a method to minimize losses for both sides!” “We repeat: we do not wish to fight you! We do not wish to fight you!”