Rebirth of the Super Battleship

Chapter 445: Four-Dimensional Jump

“I realize that during the earlier stage of preparations, we fell into a mental trap. We failed to make enough contingencies for unexpected developments, which has led us to this passive situation now. Once this matter is over, I will request disciplinary action from higher command. For the moment, stop all discussion of my mistakes, and focus every bit of energy on resolving this crisis.” Inside the Radiance, a cold, detached voice spoke slowly.

As soon as the voice fell silent, another voice, brimming with agitation, erupted, “How could this happen? How could this happen? This is a Neutron War Star! It contains such vast amounts of technology. It could boost the strength of a Level 6 Civilization immensely. Something so precious, it’s not garbage! How could the Divine Ark Civilization bear to destroy it? To waste it in such a way, doesn’t the controller of the Divine Ark Civilization feel the slightest bit of shame?”

A Neutron War Star, even a damaged one, was of incalculable value. Xiao Yu knew this clearly. In truth, if it were possible, he would rather lose the China ship than give up this Neutron War Star. Even though it was broken, with only one usable weapon, with pitiful maneuverability, and with technology he could not decipher, Xiao Yu would still gladly trade one, two, even ten China-class ships for it.

But he had no choice. His situation was dire, forcing him to make painful sacrifices and hard decisions.

Outside, the Taihao Civilization and the Guardian Civilization both waited for him. Unless he killed all the intelligent beings under his command, the Taihao Civilization would not allow him to leave this system. Unless the Neutron War Star was taken out, the Guardian Civilization would not permit him to escape.

Alternatively, Xiao Yu could slaughter all the beings under his command and exchange their deaths for the Taihao Civilization’s support, escaping under their protection. That too was an option. But… the Neutron War Star could not be kept either way. If that was the case, then better to preserve the lives of his people and destroy the Neutron War Star.

That was Xiao Yu’s decision.

It was like a man faced with a zombie. The man held the most advanced gun, but the gun had no bullets. The bullets were on the zombie, and only by killing the zombie could he obtain them. And there was only one way to kill the zombie, by using the gun itself as a club to smash its head. Yet in the moment the zombie’s skull was crushed, the advanced gun would also be broken.

If he didn’t kill the zombie, he would die. If he killed the zombie, the advanced gun would be ruined. What should he choose?

Obviously, he should sacrifice the gun to preserve his life. Even if it was the most advanced gun in the world, life came first. To Xiao Yu, this damaged Neutron War Star was that gun.Such an act was indeed a waste beyond words, like… using the famous Along the River During the Qingming Festival painting as toilet paper.

Inside the Radiance, the heated argument continued.

“We accounted for every contingency. We even mobilized our civilization’s flagship, the Radiance, to oversee matters personally. But who could have imagined this? After obtaining such a priceless Neutron War Star, this madman of the Divine Ark Civilization would actually choose to destroy it? My God! Even thinking of such an idea feels like a monstrous crime. And yet this Divine Ark Civilization actually carried it out, actually this insane!”

It was as if an international thief, after ten years of infiltration, after paying endless costs, sacrificing countless wealth, even his wife and children, finally succeeded in stealing Along the River During the Qingming Festival. But then, who could have imagined that once he had stolen it, it was only to use it… as toilet paper?

Such madness should never have existed in the world. And yet Xiao Yu had chosen to do exactly this. He had obtained the Neutron War Star, and instead of thinking how to use it to make himself stronger, his first thought was to destroy it outright.

No wonder the Guardian Civilization had gone mad. No wonder they had never considered this possibility.

“Now the Divine Ark Civilization is really doing this, what should we do? We cannot enter this star system. Any soldier who enters will die instantly. We cannot send in machines either, any equipment that enters loses contact with us. Even pre-programmed machines won’t work; they will be destroyed by the system. We… we cannot even establish contact with the Divine Ark Civilization. What do we do? How can we stop them from carrying out such madness?”

“We’ve paid such a huge price, expended so much effort. Our civilization’s core waits for us to bring back the Neutron War Star, to raise our technological level, to finally stand against the Sweepers. How can we fail?”

“Tell me, what should we do?!”

Xiao Yu was unaware of the fierce debate raging outside the star system within the Guardian Civilization. At this moment, he was still methodically carrying out his plan. In truth, he could more or less guess what the Guardians must be experiencing now.

“First, one thing is certain, the Taihao Civilization and the Guardian Civilization are not perfectly aligned collaborators. Otherwise, the Guardians would not have waited more than a decade to pursue me. During this time, they must have been probing, fighting, compromising, before finally agreeing to cooperate. Which means there is deep suspicion between them.”

“The Taihao ship is already here. Based on my knowledge of Level 6 Civilizations, that ship, if not their flagship, must be very close to it. Then the Guardians would have no reason not to dispatch one of their largest ships to restrain it. Which means… it’s very likely the Guardians’ Radiance is also here.”

“For this Neutron War Star, you’ve paid no small price indeed.” Xiao Yu thought with a faint trace of irony. “When you finally discover that all your scheming, all your efforts, have been wasted, that you’ve come away empty-handed, how satisfied will you feel?”

“You’re powerful? You’ve endured for tens of millions of years, stood toe-to-toe with the Sweepers, built the Guardian Alliance, towering above all others. Yes, you are strong. But… if you want the Neutron War Star, then come and take it! If you have the ability, then stop me! I really want to see whether you truly have that power!”

At this moment, Xiao Yu’s heart was filled with exhilaration. The fury he had suppressed for so long finally burst out. Between him and the Guardian Civilization there was already blood feud. To make the Guardians suffer brought him nothing but joy.

Inside the Radiance, the heated debate continued.

“We actually do have a way to contact the Divine Ark Civilization.” a voice said slowly. “Don’t forget, while the signal shielding blocks every band of radio or tachyon communication, it does not block visible light. So, we can use visible light to communicate. Let’s mass-produce giant flash charges… use their light pulses to send messages to the Divine Ark Civilization. I’ve already connected with our civilization’s psychic research scholars, they will advise us on how best to persuade the Divine Ark Civilization.”

“That’s just one option. Besides that, we have another. The Neutron War Star has already been activated by the Divine Ark Civilization. We can now attempt a data-permission-level seizure. With personal Four-Dimensional shields made from fragments of the half Four-Dimensional Taihao body, we can slightly delay the death ray’s effect on carbon-based life. If we push our short-range Four-Dimensional jump technology to maximum power, it can sustain a leap of forty billion kilometers. So, I propose we directly transmit data battle teams and special operations squads into the Neutron War Star, and there attempt a direct authority-seizure operation… carrying out both strategies at once would be the most secure approach.”

“You’re insane! You’re playing with the lives of our soldiers!” another voice erupted in fierce opposition. “Even with personal Four-Dimensional shields, under death ray exposure our troops can only survive half an hour at most. And we don’t even fully control short-range Four-Dimensional jumps. Even the Radiance itself risks much when performing a Four-Dimensional jump, let alone individuals! And this time the jump distance is forty billion kilometers! The Neutron War Star is tiny, and its main control chamber even smaller. Such precision teleportation is impossible. Out of ten thousand soldiers, even one landing in the right place would be sheer luck. I absolutely oppose this plan.”

“Your opposition is meaningless. I have the authority to issue this order. That’s final. Dismissed.” The cold, icy voice spoke these words and fell silent.

A day later, while Xiao Yu was busy, he suddenly noticed flashes of light in the distance.

“Oh, so you’re trying to send me messages this way?” Xiao Yu sneered.