Chapter 161: Escape

Words : 1508 Updated : Sep 23rd, 2025

The transformation process of Satellite 3C was nearly identical to that of Satellite 3B. Xiao Yu first used weapons of mass destruction to scour 3C’s surface, wiping out all the Swarm clinging to it. Then he deployed massive quantities of robots and mechanical equipment to commence large-scale construction on Satellite 3C. In this way, Xiao Yu slowly but steadily ate away at the Swarm Queen’s living space. Xiao Yu had once considered the idea of directly propelling a satellite into the Swarm Queen, using the force of planetary collision to destroy it. But after careful thought, he abandoned the plan. That was because among the various types of spawn the Swarm Queen could produce were engine bugs. It had been these bugs that once blocked the Hebei’s approach. If he were to propel a celestial body toward it, the Swarm Queen would certainly produce massive numbers of engine bugs and command hundreds of billions—perhaps even trillions—of bugs to assault the celestial body. Xiao Yu had no confidence that he could protect a planetary engine from that scale of assault. Once the planetary engine was destroyed, the satellite would fall into the hands of the engine bugs. The end result would be gifting the Swarm Queen with more food. Moreover, building a planetary engine was an enormous project. It was better to stick with the steady approach—slowly but surely forcing the Swarm Queen into a dead end. Time passed again—two more months. During this time, several smaller satellites were pushed out of the Aquila three System by Xiao Yu, and Satellite 3C was also secured under his control. At this point, a total of twelve large satellites existed. The Swarm Queen held one; Xiao Yu had secured two. Even though Xiao Yu still remained at a disadvantage within the system, he was no longer in the least bit anxious. Xiao Yu’s power increased day by day, whereas the Swarm Queen’s power remained static. Sooner or later, his strength would surpass hers. His plan advanced step by step—each step solid and precise. Like a spider facing a ferocious prey trapped in its web, Xiao Yu steadily wove layer after layer of silk around the Swarm Queen. When that fierce beast finally lost the ability to resist, it would be time for Xiao Yu to enjoy his feast. In this period, no fewer than five large-scale battles broke out, each involving over fifty billion Swarm bugs. Every battle ended in a draw, with casualties on both sides. But a draw meant the Swarm Queen had failed to stop Xiao Yu’s movements. By that measure, she had lost each time. In this steady war of attrition, Xiao Yu finally secured control of seven satellites—more than half of the twelve total. The remaining eighty-nine smaller satellites had all been removed from the Aquila three System, flying off to destinations unknown. At the moment when the seventh satellite officially fell into Xiao Yu’s hands, he noticed a shift—the Swarm Queen seemed to grow agitated. Her body began to tremble, as if caught in internal conflict. “Trying to escape?” Xiao Yu immediately sensed her intent and made a swift decision. At this point, the Swarm Queen’s destruction was virtually assured. There was no way Xiao Yu would allow any variable to arise. Even if she did flee, Xiao Yu was confident that he could defeat her in a war of attrition—but once she left the Aquila three System and the supply lines of his many bases, he would have to expend much more time and effort. Upon detecting signs of escape, Xiao Yu immediately commanded the Hebei, leading billions of ultra-miniature starships and tens of thousands of large ships, to block the Swarm Queen’s orbital path. A planet-sized body of this scale could not simply break away from Planet three’s gravity and flee. The required thrust would be far too great—beyond the Swarm Queen’s capabilities. The only feasible method was to accelerate gradually along its orbital path, building up momentum over time until it could break free. Even those eighty-some small satellites Xiao Yu had moved had required this method. Much more so for a large satellite. But the arrival of the Hebei disrupted her plan. The Hebei positioned itself directly in her path. If she continued accelerating, she would collide head-on with the Hebei. Xiao Yu would have no qualms about launching a super-sized hydrogen bomb and blasting her into oblivion. Evidently, the Swarm Queen also understood how dangerous the Hebei was. So she adopted a new approach. Xiao Yu saw that countless engine bugs were being created, braving the hail of gunfire and the billions of ultra-miniature starships, attempting to push the Hebei out of the way. These engine bugs could block the Hebei from approaching—but they could not move the Hebei from the Swarm Queen’s orbital path. The Hebei was like a massive shackle, binding the Swarm Queen within the Planet three system and denying her escape. Realizing this, the Swarm Queen wisely abandoned the idea of fleeing. Her only remaining option was to produce enough bugs to wipe out Xiao Yu’s fleet entirely. Xiao Yu watched as her spawn production rate increased yet again. Bugs filled the entire area, severely hampering Xiao Yu’s plans to seize the next satellite. The seven satellites already under his control also came under violent Swarm counterattacks. In several instances, bases Xiao Yu had constructed were breached in places—the production rate of combat robots couldn’t keep up with the rate of destruction. If not for the timely intervention of large starship formations, those satellites might have been recaptured by the Swarm. After repelling several of the Swarm Queen’s offensives, she seemed to abandon efforts to reclaim the satellites Xiao Yu already held. Instead, she set her sights on new targets. Xiao Yu saw massive numbers of Swarm bugs gathering around another satellite—at least several billion bugs concentrated there. “She’s preparing to do something,” Xiao Yu thought sharply. “But what exactly?” The answer came when the Swarm Queen made her next big move. Xiao Yu witnessed a shocking scene. Satellite 3A had been fully swallowed by the Swarm Queen earlier, but now, under the cover of a thick, sky-darkening swarm, her grotesque body began to roll and convulse. The surface of Satellite 3A began to form massive folds—each fold hundreds of meters deep—turning the satellite into a series of sudden mountains and valleys. “She’s trying to regurgitate Satellite 3A!” Xiao Yu was startled. He immediately turned his attention to another satellite he had labeled 3J. This satellite was densely blanketed with Swarm bugs, and more and more were streaming toward it. Not only the surface but also the surrounding orbital space, even tens of thousands of kilometers away, was crawling with Swarm bugs. “Is she nearly finished consuming Satellite 3A’s resources?” Xiao Yu realized and immediately resolved: “I must stop her!” Under Xiao Yu’s command, his vast fleet headed toward Satellite 3J. But along the way, they encountered tremendous resistance. The Swarm Queen understood this battle could determine her fate, and she threw everything she had into it. Swarms of bugs massed around Satellite 3J, blocking Xiao Yu’s advance with all their might. Meanwhile, she accelerated her efforts to expel Satellite 3A. Xiao Yu saw that the satellite, previously completely hidden inside the Queen, had begun to reemerge. One side of Satellite 3A was now exposed to open space. On its opposite side, a towering ten-thousand-meter-high mountain suddenly jutted out. Xiao Yu recognized it as a mound of the Queen’s own flesh. “If she swallows Satellite 3J, it’ll take me at least ten more years to destroy her,” Xiao Yu calculated instantly. That was an outcome he absolutely could not accept. With everything he had, Xiao Yu launched a full assault against the Swarm’s defensive net. But the number of bugs was staggering—so immense that even the Hebei could not break through. Hydrogen bombs and energy cannon blasts alike were insufficient to clear them all! Meanwhile, the Swarm Queen had already regurgitated about one-fifth of Satellite 3A. Xiao Yu clenched his jaw and retrieved his remaining gravitational bombs. After extensive use, only around one thousand gravitational bombs remained. Now, Xiao Yu chose to use one hundred of them in a single strike. “No choice. I must use these precious gravitational bombs. No matter what, I must stop her from devouring Satellite 3J.” With this resolution, Xiao Yu loaded the one hundred bombs into a Town-Class ship and personally directed it forward. Behind it, a massive fleet provided cover. But after advancing just under ten thousand kilometers, the Town-Class ship encountered an impenetrable wall of resistance. “Detonate!” In the densest cluster of the swarm, Xiao Yu gave the order. At the moment of detonation, a force like a miniature black hole burst forth from within the ship. First to be affected was the Town-Class vessel itself—its hull instantly collapsed inward, compressed into a tiny sphere. Next, all bugs within several thousand kilometers were drawn into the implosion.

Chapter 161: Escape

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