Chapter 55: Sweepers and Guardians

Words : 1519 Updated : Sep 17th, 2025

Xiao Yu was deeply troubled. The theory that “exterminating other civilizations increases the luck of one’s own civilization” had been largely validated. However, Xiao Yu still couldn’t understand why the civilization responsible for Earth’s destruction had allowed him to leave, or why he had been compelled to leave the Solar System immediately after acquiring interstellar navigation technology. The feeling was unsettling. Xiao Yu had always been accustomed to controlling every aspect of a situation—be it on Earth, in the Solar System, or during his confrontation with the Lizardmen civilization. But now, the intelligence obtained from the Lizardmen left Xiao Yu feeling lost. He even speculated that Tianyuan IV might hold a massive trap waiting for him. But upon reflection, he realized that choosing Tianyuan IV as his destination had been a decision he made on Earth long before any external manipulation could occur. Moreover, with no other viable destinations available, Xiao Yu suppressed his unease and pressed on. The idea of returning to the Solar System was dismissed without hesitation. At his current speed of 900 kilometers per second, returning to the Solar System would require decelerating to zero and then accelerating toward the Sun, a fuel expenditure Xiao Yu could not afford. Besides, would such a mysterious entity bother setting such an elaborate trap for a civilization as weak as his own? With all factors considered, Xiao Yu resolved to continue toward Tianyuan IV. Another source of concern was the coexistence of civilizations in the universe. Under the principle that “exterminating other civilizations increases one’s own civilization’s luck,” the universe would inevitably be a chaotic, brutal, and dark arena. Moreover, weaker civilizations would be especially targeted because they were easier to eliminate. “Humans on Earth were truly fortunate to have developed this far,” Xiao Yu sighed. “While I have no intention of exterminating other civilizations to advance my own, I must guard against being attacked by others. For survival, I must grow stronger as quickly as possible.” Xiao Yu thought as he carefully set aside his former optimism. “From now on, I must assume the worst of other civilizations and remain highly vigilant. At the slightest sign of hostility, I must strike first. It’s better to make a mistake than to suffer a loss.” At that moment, Xiao Yu made a firm decision. On the barren planet, Xiao Yu had gained substantial resources. As a result, some basic scientific experiments that didn’t consume much energy could now begin. However, due to the inability to conduct foundational physics research, Xiao Yu didn’t expect much from these early studies. Xiao Yu deeply understood a vital truth: places rich in resources and inexhaustible energy—like the Solar System—were ideal for scientific research. In the vast void of space, even the most advanced civilizations would experience a significant slowdown in technological progress. Take the Lizardmen civilization as an example. With only a single planet as their home and drifting through the void for over 6,000 years, they had only progressed from rudimentary mastery of nuclear fusion energy to the initial development of energy weapons. Xiao Yu’s research priorities focused on perfecting energy weapons and advancing nanorobot technology. Refining energy weapons would give Xiao Yu unparalleled combat strength, while successful development of nanorobots would provide immense defensive capabilities. Until breakthroughs were made in energy shield technology, nanorobots remained the most practical defensive solution. Because nanorobots are on the nanometer scale, equipping them with their own energy source is impractical. The only solution lies in developing wireless energy transmission technology to address this issue. Wireless energy transmission technology had been researched on Earth for years, dating back to the early 20th century and the work of Nikola Tesla. It was rumored that Tesla had achieved wireless energy transmission in his own home, though this was never confirmed. The principle of wireless energy transmission is straightforward. It involves creating an electromagnetic field, with nanorobots equipped with sensing devices. When the sensing devices resonate with the electromagnetic field, energy is transmitted to the nanorobots. On Earth, the primary obstacle to wireless energy transmission was excessive energy loss during the process. However, through meticulous research, Xiao Yu managed to reduce energy losses to an acceptable level. The initial nanorobots Xiao Yu constructed were at the kilonanometer scale—one ten-thousandth of a centimeter. These nanorobots received their energy exclusively via wireless transmission and typically operated within countless tiny pipelines embedded in the inner walls of spaceship hulls. If the spaceship hull suffered damage, these nanorobots would transport raw materials from the nearest storage point and use themselves as adhesive to repair the breach. This approach, however, required an immense amount of computational power. Xiao Yu calculated that a single Village-Class spaceship would require at least several billion nanorobots to meet rapid repair demands. For over 1,000 ships, the total number of required nanorobots would exceed one trillion. Managing this vast swarm of nanorobots simultaneously demanded an astronomical level of computational capacity. Fortunately, Xiao Yu had two super Photon Computers. The majority of nanorobot operations did not require his direct intervention and could be delegated to one of the Photon Computers. Xiao Yu only needed to oversee general directives. Even so, once these trillion nanorobots were deployed, the main computer’s workload was estimated to increase by 5-7%. Building the first experimental batch of one billion nanorobots took Xiao Yu five years. He modified a Village-Class spaceship, embedding its hull with numerous micro-pipelines and installing thousands of material storage points. Once everything was ready, Xiao Yu prepared to test the capabilities of the nanorobots. This Village-Class spaceship detached from the fleet while another identical ship raised its weapon and took aim. At Xiao Yu’s command, a high-speed projectile, accelerated by electromagnetic coil technology to nearly 10,000 kilometers per second, was fired. It struck the hull of the test ship in an instant, causing a violent collision. Ten seconds later, the projectile had torn a hole with a diameter of one decimeter in the test ship’s hull. The firing ceased, and Xiao Yu witnessed a stunning scene. At the site of the breach, the special materials comprising the hull seemed to come alive, writhing and stretching. Ten seconds later, the hole was first sealed by a thin layer of material, which then thickened continuously. Within 100 seconds, the hole had completely disappeared. Xiao Yu exhaled softly, his nerves finally relaxing. In those 100 seconds, Xiao Yu had directed over five million nanorobots near the breach to transport specially treated raw materials from six storage points. Using themselves as adhesive, the nanorobots fused these microscopic particles into the gap. From a macroscopic perspective, it appeared as though the hull itself had regenerated, sealing the breach. A single decimeter-wide hole consumed 670,000 nanorobots. “Nanorobots are consumable resources,” Xiao Yu mused. “This means that every spaceship must be equipped with a nanorobot production workshop. Especially during wartime, these workshops must produce nanorobots continuously to replenish those lost. Furthermore, equipping a spaceship with a nanorobot repair system will increase its overall energy consumption by approximately 5%. This is another factor to consider.” Still, Xiao Yu felt elated. “At least it’s been successfully developed and proven feasible. With this technology, my spaceship attrition rates in interstellar warfare will be significantly reduced.” With this success, Xiao Yu eagerly dove into further research, such as reducing the energy loss rate of wireless transmission, lowering the energy consumption of nanorobots, and improving their flexibility. The Dragon God Cannon project also achieved minor breakthroughs. The energy projectiles it fired now reached one-third the speed of light, with slight improvements in energy output. Time flowed steadily amidst the flurry of research, and in the blink of an eye, a thousand years had passed. Now, only 600 years remained until the fleet reached Tianyuan IV, with less than two light-years left in the journey. Tianyuan IV had already become the brightest star on the horizon, emitting a faint red glow that made it look extraordinarily beautiful. At this moment, Xiao Yu received a strange message. To say he “received” it wasn’t entirely accurate; the message had appeared abruptly in the main computer, catching Xiao Yu’s attention. The message didn’t require translation, as it automatically rendered itself in language Xiao Yu could understand. “The 13,600th broadcast of the Dark Energy Transmission, Third Starfield.” “If you are receiving this message, it means you have at least achieved basic interstellar navigation capability. The following information may be critical to you. Please analyze it carefully.” “The Sweepers have intensified their cleansing efforts in the Third Starfield, and the Specter Race has been sighted here for the first time. Your situation may be very dangerous. This message includes instructions for constructing a simple long-distance communication device. Please upload this data to your central computer; the program will automatically begin the manufacturing process. Afterward, contact us so we can locate your coordinates. A team will be dispatched to escort you to a safe zone.” “Let me repeat: your situation may be very dangerous! Very dangerous!” “Broadcast by: Guardian Alliance Third Starfield Division.”

Chapter 55: Sweepers and Guardians

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