Chapter 82: Pursuit!

Words : 1524 Updated : Sep 17th, 2025

Xiao Yu’s objective had been achieved. To accomplish it, he sacrificed an entire planet and a star system that was still in its infancy. All the ships had evacuated Tianyuan A, leaving the range of the Force Field Generator. Yet Xiao Yu remained encircled by the Luka fleet, even as they all fled together, forced by the impending collision to retreat outward. To escape the catastrophic energy released by Tianyuan A and Tianyuan IV’s collision, the ships had to fly outward. This movement conveniently brought them closer to the incoming Baoding, reducing its arrival time from three hours to just two. Even better, if they passed through the asteroid belt, Xiao Yu’s numerous hidden turrets and controlled mines would finally come into play. Everything was moving in a favorable direction. The battle raged on even during the retreat. The Luka fleet, seemingly caught off guard by Xiao Yu’s resilience, revealed a slight vulnerability in their formation. Xiao Yu seized the opportunity, breaking free of the encirclement at the cost of 1,000 ships. The Shanghai finally rejoined the main fleet. Xiao Yu exhaled deeply, a sense of safety washing over him. Reinvigorated, Xiao Yu commanded his remaining 23,000 ships to engage the 3,000 Luka ships. Despite outnumbering the Luka fleet nearly eight to one, Xiao Yu’s fleet remained at a disadvantage overall. However, this disparity was temporary. Once reinforcements arrived—Baoding, Tangshan, Langfang, and their accompanying 10,000 ships—the tide would turn completely. “It’s such a shame about Tianyuan A. I poured centuries of effort into that planet, and now it’s gone,” Xiao Yu lamented, his heart heavy with regret. Tianyuan A had passed the point of no return. Under the immense gravitational pull of Tianyuan IV, its collision was inevitable. No force could stop it—not even Xiao Yu. The battle once again reached a stalemate. Meanwhile, the Baoding, escorted by 3,000 ships, was now close to joining the fight. At the Tianyuan B defense line, the 800 remaining Luka ships had yet to be eliminated, largely due to the diversion of Xiao Yu’s forces. But Xiao Yu had a new idea. “I’ve suffered massive losses. Why shouldn’t I make up for them? Instead of destroying them, I’ll capture their ships and crew. The Luka Civilization must compensate me with their technology and resources,” Xiao Yu thought maliciously. In the dark void of space, the two fleets continued exchanging fire while retreating toward the outer star system. With the Baoding’s arrival, the scales of victory began tipping ever so slightly in Xiao Yu’s favor. The Baoding, undamaged and fully supplied, entered the fray like a predator in a tranquil pond. Its arrival was immediately marked by the destruction of a dimly shielded Luka County-Class ship, lifting Xiao Yu’s spirits. The battle spilled into the asteroid belt. Sensing danger, the Luka fleet veered off the ecliptic plane, attempting to escape below the belt and bypass Xiao Yu’s hidden mines. “Do you think you can escape that easily?” Xiao Yu sneered, directing the hidden turrets within the asteroid belt to open fire. Although the controlled mines couldn’t be utilized due to the Luka fleet’s evasive maneuvers, the turrets were enough to bolster Xiao Yu’s offensive power. Over the next few minutes, as the fleets traversed the belt, Xiao Yu’s forces destroyed at least 300 Luka ships. In that moment, Xiao Yu’s calculations revealed a critical shift: the balance of power was now 51% to 49% in his favor. For the first time, Xiao Yu’s forces had surpassed the Luka fleet in overall strength. Victory was within reach. Xiao Yu could win this war—albeit narrowly. But Xiao Yu wasn’t content with mere survival. He didn’t want a pyrrhic victory, where he risked mutual destruction. Xiao Yu’s goal was a decisive and clean triumph. As the fleets pursued each other in the darkness of space, the Tangshan and Langfang were only four hours away from joining the battle. And then it happened—Tianyuan A collided with Tianyuan IV. From Xiao Yu’s position, Tianyuan IV appeared only slightly brighter than the sun. Using optical instruments filtered for protection, Xiao Yu observed the event directly. What he saw left him in awe. Against the bright and radiant backdrop of Tianyuan IV, Tianyuan A appeared as a small black dot inching closer to the star. Then, that tiny dot plunged headfirst into Tianyuan IV. At the moment of impact, Tianyuan IV’s luminosity surged tenfold, like a giant suddenly enraged. “Its convective layer has been breached. Next, there will be massive ejections of stellar material,” Xiao Yu thought silently, even as he continued commanding his fleet against the Luka forces. At this moment, Xiao Yu observed Tianyuan IV’s radiation levels skyrocketing to over 100 times their usual intensity. Normally, Tianyuan IV’s radiation levels were already 30 times that of the sun. Now, it had reached the equivalent of more than 3,000 suns. This was an extraordinary level of intensity. If not for the dual reinforcements of Phantom and Black Bug enhancements to the ship hulls, along with advanced materials science specifically designed for radiation resistance, Xiao Yu’s fleet would have been crippled in an instant. Even his central computer would have been destroyed. At the impact site, Xiao Yu saw massive amounts of stellar material being ejected. The quantities were so immense they were visible to the naked eye. Even with basic optical instruments, Xiao Yu could discern the slender plume rising from Tianyuan IV’s surface. The plume’s length soon exceeded Tianyuan IV’s diameter, indicating that the star was ejecting material millions of kilometers into space. Some of this material would reach orbital velocity, forming a ring around Tianyuan IV instead of falling back. It was easy to imagine the intense radiation near Tianyuan IV’s vicinity. Anything within 30 million kilometers would be instantly annihilated. Even the Luka fleet, despite their Energy Shields, would struggle to withstand the wrath of a star. Compared to Tianyuan IV, Tianyuan A’s mass was negligible. The difference was akin to a needle and a basketball. While the basketball was many times larger, the needle easily pierced its surface, causing air to erupt violently. Xiao Yu understood that for millions—or even tens of millions—of years, Tianyuan IV would remain in this enraged state. The effects on the Tianyuan IV system would be catastrophic. Even Xiao Yu found the conditions increasingly uninhabitable. In the future, Tianyuan IV would become a true hellscape, unsuitable for peaceful technological development. “Farewell, Tianyuan A. I’m sorry, Tianyuan IV. When my technology is more advanced, I’ll come back to repair you,” Xiao Yu thought quietly. Then, he turned all his fury toward his enemy, the Luka Civilization. Xiao Yu could clearly sense the Luka fleet’s morale plummeting now that the Force Field Generator was gone. The cracks in their formation were widening, leading to tactical mistakes. As a result, Xiao Yu’s fleet’s attrition rate dropped by 6%, while the Luka fleet’s increased by 8%. This shift filled Xiao Yu with silent satisfaction. Time marched on as the brutal battle continued. At last, Xiao Yu’s fleet was joined by the reinforcements from the Tangshan and Langfang. At this point, Xiao Yu commanded over 30,000 ships, while the Luka fleet had dwindled to about 2,500. The balance of power had shifted decisively. Xiao Yu keenly noticed something: from this moment onward, the Luka fleet no longer seemed to be avoiding Tianyuan IV’s wrath. Instead, they appeared to be fleeing from him. In other words, they were running away. “Frightened by me, are you? Do you think I’ll let you escape so easily? After the damage you’ve done to my ships, the destruction of my equipment, and the loss of Tianyuan A, there’s no way I’ll let you off without adequate compensation. And since I know you can’t pay, I’ll take your ships as restitution,” Xiao Yu thought bitterly, directing his fleet to quicken their pursuit. The Luka fleet fled toward the Tianyuan B defense line, seemingly intending to rendezvous with the remaining 800 Luka ships stationed there. Xiao Yu made no effort to block them, as he too needed to regroup with the 8,000 ships stationed at Tianyuan B. When this reunion occurred, Xiao Yu’s fleet would swell to nearly 40,000 ships. This starkly highlighted the ferocity of the conflict. Xiao Yu had begun with a fleet of 100,000 ships, but now fewer than 40,000 remained—less than half of his original forces. Meanwhile, the Luka fleet, which had started with 12,000 ships, was down to just over 3,000. Their losses had been even greater than Xiao Yu’s. Finally, both sides regrouped with their respective reinforcements. The Luka fleet began retreating beyond the star system, while Xiao Yu launched a relentless pursuit. Even if this was a feigned retreat, even if traps lay ahead, Xiao Yu was determined to chase them down. He couldn’t rest until the Luka fleet was entirely annihilated. Only then could he confidently begin his next escape. In the boundless void of space, across trillions of kilometers, a monumental chase was about to begin.

Chapter 82: Pursuit!

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