Rebirth of the Super Battleship

Chapter 439: Inheritance

The report Luka Four delivered did not surprise Xiao Yu. He had already known the outcome would be like this. This disease originated at the atomic and molecular level, and with his current mastery of life sciences, Xiao Yu was powerless to address it.

Xiao Yu let out a faint sigh.

The epidemic had reached a stage where it could no longer be contained simply by concealing or blocking the news. Over four hundred thousand people were sick, and the number was still rapidly rising. The matter had already caused severe unrest within society. Countless speculations and rumors surged like a flood, saying all manner of things.

Fear in the face of the unknown was an instinct of all intelligent beings, even Level 5 civilizations were no exception.

“Very well. Luka Four, begin cryogenic experiments immediately. I require you to place all infected individuals into deep freeze. In addition, select another one hundred thousand healthy individuals and freeze them as well, to observe whether these frozen healthy people will develop symptoms. I will devote all efforts to manufacturing cryogenic equipment. Beyond that, I will personally appear before the people of the Divine Ark Civilization to explain the situation.”

Luka Four bowed deeply to Xiao Yu without speaking. Xiao Yu could clearly see the exhaustion on his face at that moment.

“Greetings, everyone. I am Xiao Yu.”

In the next instant, Xiao Yu’s image and voice appeared across every visual and audio medium aboard the Home-class ships. The bustling city streets fell silent as Xiao Yu appeared on the giant screens. The crowded shopping malls also went quiet as the promotional media once used for advertising were completely taken over by his broadcast.

In recent days, many unsettling events had taken place aboard the Home-class ships. Hospitals had become the most tightly guarded locations. Every patient was placed under strict surveillance and evaluation. Suspected cases were rapidly identified, isolated in intensive wards, with all information sealed off and forbidden from leaking.

The lack of transparent information had, unsurprisingly, bred speculation. During this time, commercial activities had dropped sharply, and the flow of people in densely populated areas had decreased by over thirty percent. The citizens speculated wildly about what was happening, was it a severe contagious epidemic, or infiltration from foreign civilizations?A state of panic, that was the truest description of the present. Xiao Yu knew it was time for him to step forward.

“During this period, we have encountered some difficulties. They are troublesome, they are thorny. But please believe me, our Divine Ark Civilization has the ability to face this challenge. I have already united with the scientists of the Central Research Academy of Science, working day and night to find a solution. At present, we have already made some progress.”

“I am being so open with you because I do not want baseless speculation to spread. We are all members of the Divine Ark Civilization. When crisis comes, we should stand united, should we not?”

“This matter is indeed very troublesome. As for the specific details, forgive me, I cannot disclose them to you. It concerns the strategic direction of our civilization’s future. All I can tell you is, wait calmly, cooperate with the arrangements of the government, and we will surely overcome this crisis.”

“Now I announce, the Divine Ark Civilization is entering a period of martial law. If anyone dares to spread rumors during this time, incite gatherings, loot, or riot, I will show no mercy. Each case discovered will be dealt with immediately. If anyone wishes to challenge the order of the Divine Ark Civilization, then go ahead and try.”

“That is all. Live your lives calmly, and wait patiently for the next directives of the government.”

After saying this, Xiao Yu closed his transmission.

“What you said just now was completely inappropriate.” As soon as Xiao Yu finished his address, Luka Two immediately stood up and said to him, “You should have refuted the rumors or offered reassurance, not made things sound so serious. You must understand, the people are ignorant. They need guidance, not the truth. By doing this, you may have caused panic in people who otherwise would not have panicked.”

Xiao Yu knew Luka Two’s criticism was reasonable. But he had his own plan. Xiao Yu smiled faintly and said, “I did it on purpose. I deliberately made them panic, deliberately made them uncertain. I am using this event to temper their spirit. I want every person of the Divine Ark Civilization to be able to face crises calmly, not to spread rumors at the first sign of danger. Not only this crisis, if there is a next crisis, I will still tell the people of the Divine Ark Civilization the truth. I believe that after experiencing many such events, their spirit will be forged. A nation that fears nothing is the nation with the greatest potential.”

Hearing this explanation, Luka Two fell silent for a moment. He neither opposed nor agreed, and only said, “Since you already have your own plan, Master, then I have spoken too much.”

Xiao Yu believed that all the scientists present could see the deeper meaning behind his actions. He truly regarded these intelligent beings, no matter their race, as members of the Divine Ark Civilization. He saw them as companions, not just tools to be used. This was beneficial for building cohesion and confidence.

Under Xiao Yu’s command, Luka Four had already begun cryogenic experiments. The results would take two days, after which Xiao Yu would determine the next course of action.

Xiao Yu had essentially confirmed one thing, for some unknown reason, perhaps his special form of existence, or perhaps the Four-Dimensional Shield mounted outside the Home-class ships, the strange power that attacked carbon-based life had been delayed in its effect on him. Several days had already passed since he entered this bizarre binary system, and yet only about four hundred thousand cases had appeared, with just over a thousand deaths. If this rate of death applied to other civilizations, then even if countless lives had been thrown at the ruins, they would already have stripped this place bare long ago. But that had not happened. This clearly showed that the situation was special, unique to him alone.

Xiao Yu believed that this was the reason why the Guardian Civilization had driven him here, to use his hand to obtain something. That something could be a form of super-technology, or some critical information. Most likely of all, it was the neutron star…

Exploration of the base continued. Xiao Yu had already covered over one hundred square kilometers when he discovered something intriguing.

It was five strange spheres. These five spheres stood out easily from everything else, because they were far too intact, as though they had just been made.

This abandoned base was at least several hundred million years old. Every building and piece of technology within had long since been ruined. Amidst all the broken debris and thick dust, these five pristine spheres naturally drew Xiao Yu’s attention.

He collected the five spheres and transported them onto a City-Class ship, planning to conduct research on them there.

Xiao Yu did not dare place them aboard a Nation-Class ship, fearing they might contain some anomaly. If a Nation-Class ship were damaged, it would not be worth the risk.

After another five days of exploration, with the force expanded to two million robots, Xiao Yu discovered a very unusual place.

From the outside it looked no different from anywhere else, but a bit of testing quickly revealed its peculiarity. The gate here did not budge under the attack of the landing robots, remaining perfectly intact, unlike other gates that could be knocked down with just a push of a mechanical arm, without even needing weapons.

“There must be something important inside.” Xiao Yu’s interest was piqued at once. A massive number of robots gathered, along with all kinds of machinery. Xiao Yu did not attempt to blast the door open with explosives, fearing that the force might cause the entire base to collapse. In fact, he had always been curious about what kind of material had allowed the base’s core structures to remain intact after so many eons, and he intended to investigate it thoroughly when time allowed.

At last, after subjecting the door to high-strength drills, radiation beams, and lasers in succession, it was finally opened.

Before Xiao Yu lay a surprisingly clean room. There was no dust inside. The floor was polished, spotless, as good as new. But there were no instruments inside either. It seemed to be nothing more than an empty room.

“Where’s the object?” Xiao Yu muttered, directing a robot to enter.

The moment the robot stepped inside, a change occurred. A soft glow began to float within the room, shifting freely as though it were alive.

Xiao Yu could not tell where the glow came from. The robot’s lights were already off, and yet this glow hovered in midair, faintly red, very gentle.

The glow gradually stabilized, condensing into the shape of a sphere. At the same time, Xiao Yu received a message.

“Have you come to inherit this Neutron War Star?”