Chapter 48: Return Voyage

Words : 1445 Updated : Sep 12th, 2025

Xiao Yu waited quietly in the darkness of space. During the month-long wait, he undertook extensive repairs on all damaged ships. As part of these repairs, another twenty ships were dismantled, and their components were used to restore the others. Xiao Yu’s fleet now totaled 271 ships, with only The Solar remaining as the sole County-class vessel. While overseeing the repairs, Xiao Yu also ran countless simulations, attempting to predict the aftermath of the Phantoms attacking the alien planet. A month passed, and Xiao Yu piloted his fleet to begin the return voyage. Bright blue flames illuminated the darkness of space, accompanied by intense radiation, making the fleet highly conspicuous. Xiao Yu believed that if the enemy still had survivors, they would surely notice this movement. However, even as the fleet approached within five million kilometers of the alien planet, there was no sign of activity. No ships launched from the surface, and the space-based laser platforms and missile silos in geostationary orbit showed no signs of attack. Xiao Yu felt a surge of optimism. At a distance of five million kilometers, his fleet could cover the gap in less than four hours at full speed. If he launched interstellar missiles, they would reach the planet’s surface within thirty minutes. In cosmic terms, this was a very close distance. Xiao Yu was not entirely confident that his civilization extermination plan would succeed. Despite the Phantoms accompanying him for thousands of years, he had never tested them on intelligent life. Their full potential remained uncertain. “This could very well be a trap,” Xiao Yu thought. He wasn’t concerned about an ambush in space—any launching ship would reveal its location due to its engine emissions. Xiao Yu had been monitoring the region intensively during his retreat and had detected no such activity. His main concern was a possible ambush on the planetary surface. If the enemy waited until Xiao Yu landed to launch a counterattack, it could deal a devastating blow. Xiao Yu didn’t believe that the Phantoms alone could completely annihilate a civilization. Civilizations on the brink of extinction often unleash extraordinary potential, producing countless heroes. This had been proven time and again on Earth. Xiao Yu’s most likely scenario was that the Phantoms would be eradicated, but not before inflicting severe damage on the enemy. How severe this damage would be, however, was up to chance. “I don’t care if they’re wiped out or not—let’s send a few missiles their way first,” Xiao Yu decided. From the missile launch bay beneath The Solar, five interstellar missiles, each carrying a massive hydrogen bomb, roared toward the alien planet. This time, Xiao Yu programmed the missiles to detonate on the planetary surface rather than in the upper atmosphere. The payload of these missiles consisted of massive three-stage bombs. A hydrogen bomb, formed by encasing a fission bomb with thermonuclear material, was further encased with another layer of fission material to create the three-stage bomb. Most hydrogen bombs on Earth were three-stage bombs. The three-stage bombs were designed for maximum destructive power and radiation damage, inflicting catastrophic and irreparable harm on the planet. Xiao Yu believed that if the enemy had any remaining strength, they would surely resist. The interstellar missiles took five hours to reach the alien planet. In theory, at maximum speed, they could have arrived in under thirty minutes. However, traveling at such high speeds would have caused the missiles to disintegrate upon contact with the planet’s atmosphere, which, at such velocity, was as impenetrable as solid steel. To ensure their safe arrival, Xiao Yu programmed the missiles to accelerate initially and decelerate before reaching the atmosphere. From five million kilometers away, Xiao Yu observed five brilliant streaks of light, like meteors, entering the alien planet’s atmosphere. These were the missiles, generating heat as they collided with the atmosphere. The missiles successfully penetrated the atmosphere without any interception. Xiao Yu silently watched as immense explosions erupted on the distant planet. Five massive fireballs, visible even from five million kilometers away, lit up the surface of the alien world. The power of hydrogen bombs is significantly limited in space, but on a surface rich in gases, the destructive potential multiplies. Within an atmosphere, the devastation caused by a hydrogen bomb is easily tenfold that of one detonated in the vacuum of space. Xiao Yu recalled how, during Earth’s Cold War, the Soviet Union had once developed a 100-megaton hydrogen bomb. However, it was never detonated because the Soviets lacked a testing ground large enough to contain the immense explosion. Ultimately, they split it into two 50-megaton bombs, which were successfully tested. Even a 50-megaton hydrogen bomb exceeded Soviet scientists’ expectations, obliterating all prepared test instruments and specimens. Within several hundred kilometers of the blast center, animals lost their fur and died agonizing deaths in the following months. By comparison, the smallest hydrogen bomb in Xiao Yu’s salvo was rated at 200 megatons of TNT. This meant that beyond the expected high temperatures, radiation, and shockwaves, these hydrogen bombs would also inflict permanent damage on the planet’s crust. For the foreseeable future, the planet would experience violent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. If the roles were reversed, Xiao Yu would never allow such bombs to detonate on his home planet. He believed the aliens wouldn’t either—unless they truly had no strength left to resist. “This must mean... they’ve lost their ability to fight back,” Xiao Yu thought. “Could the Phantoms have completely wiped them out? If so, I might need to shift my attention to any remaining Phantoms. If I went to all this trouble to destroy this civilization only to have the Phantoms turn on me, that would be a disastrous twist.” Contemplating this, Xiao Yu began maneuvering his fleet closer to the planet. The distance steadily shrank to 500,000 kilometers. First, Xiao Yu targeted and destroyed all potential ambush points: orbital laser platforms, missile silos, space docks, and other installations. Only after ensuring their destruction did he proceed with his next move. This was Xiao Yu’s first time coming so close to the planet, entering its magnetic field for the first time. He detected a magnetic field approximately twice as strong as Earth’s. “A magnetic field... just as I expected. Without it, it would be nearly impossible for a planet to develop intelligent life,” Xiao Yu thought. In this starless region of space, the planet had no stellar protection. Without a strong magnetic field, its development of intelligent life would have upended much of what Xiao Yu understood about planetary evolution. On Earth, solar wind frequently disrupts radio communications, but it also shields the planet from various forms of interstellar radiation. Without this solar wind, the emergence of life on Earth would have been uncertain. As the distance continued to close—400,000 kilometers... 300,000 kilometers—Xiao Yu began conducting detailed atmospheric analyses of the planet to prepare for the landing. “This atmosphere contains a high concentration of sulfur. That’s not ideal,” Xiao Yu noted. “The robots will need modifications to operate in such corrosive conditions without damage.” With that in mind, Xiao Yu initiated the necessary adjustments to his robots. Initially, he planned to send five Village-Class ships carrying 1,000 robots to scout the situation. After assessing conditions, he would deploy additional robots. The distance shortened to 100,000 kilometers. Xiao Yu activated his newly developed thermal imaging systems to map the planet’s geological features. Without any external light sources, infrared would have to substitute for visible light. The thermal imaging revealed a surprising phenomenon: the planet’s surface temperature averaged around 20°C. “No stellar heat source... where is this warmth coming from?” Xiao Yu wondered. Further investigation revealed the answer. The planet’s core composition differed significantly from Earth’s. While Earth’s core is primarily composed of iron and nickel, this planet’s core was rich in radioactive elements. The continuous decay of these elements released a steady stream of heat to the surface. “Ah, that makes sense. That’s why this planet retains a gaseous atmosphere,” Xiao Yu realized. With this mystery solved, Xiao Yu closed the distance further, to just 30,000 kilometers. “It’s time to launch satellites,” Xiao Yu decided. Using the ship’s launch systems, he deployed over 80 satellites. Each had distinct purposes—mapping geology, locating mineral deposits, charting terrain—but their primary function was communication. Once in orbit, these satellites would blanket the planet in signal coverage, enabling Xiao Yu to remotely control robots on the surface. “It’s time to begin the landing operation,” Xiao Yu thought as he sent five Village-Class ships carrying 1,000 robots to approach the planet’s atmosphere.

Chapter 48: Return Voyage

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