Rebirth of the Super Battleship

A white dwarf star, as its name suggests, is white in color and relatively small in size. It represents one of the final stages of a star’s life, with a maximum mass of 1.44 times that of the Sun but a volume comparable to Earth’s. Such high mass combined with a tiny size means an incredibly high density and gravity.

White dwarfs are among the most terrifying celestial objects in the universe. What kind of beings could survive near a white dwarf?

Xiao Yu did not know, but he was certain they must be extraordinarily advanced—far beyond his capabilities.

“Fifty years… it will only wait for me for fifty years?” Xiao Yu mused. “At my current speed of 10,000 kilometers per second, it would take 42 years to cover the 1.4-light-year distance. Before overcoming material and efficiency limitations, it would take at least 130 years to get there.”

“The moment I made my breakthrough and reduced the travel time to less than 50 years, it immediately sent the message. This proves that it has indeed been watching me,” Xiao Yu concluded.

The thought of an unknown, powerful entity observing him all this time sent a chill down his spine.

“Now, the question is, is this unknown being friendly or hostile toward me?”

This was seemingly an unanswerable question. Yet, through various clues, Xiao Yu managed to glean some insights.

Xiao Yu once again asked Luka Two about the fate of the Level 4 Civilization fleet, inquiring into every detail Luka Two knew. The conclusion was that the mutations that occurred among that civilization’s lifeforms seemed to be caused by a strange and unknown force—something previously observed only in certain hostile Beast Civilizations.

Beast Civilizations and Technological Civilizations were enemies due to their differing evolutionary philosophies. However, Mechanical Civilizations were the common enemy of both. The unknown being referred to Xiao Yu as a Technological Civilization rather than a Mechanical Civilization, which likely indicated that it had detected the Luka people and mistakenly classified Xiao Yu as part of a Technological Civilization.

This suggested that the unknown being was well-informed about Xiao Yu’s situation.

Now, would a civilization just 1.4 light-years away, with the incredible capability of spatial broadcasting, need to set a trap for someone as relatively weak as Xiao Yu?

The answer was no.

If it wanted to eliminate him, it could do so at any time.

“By this logic, it seems unlikely that it harbors hostility toward me,” Xiao Yu thought. “But should I go and meet it?”

“Before making a decision, I should consult the Luka people. They have been part of the galactic community longer than I have and might know secrets I don’t,” Xiao Yu decided. He contacted Luka Two and transmitted all the information about the message.

Luka Two promptly organized a large meeting, attended by hundreds of Luka individuals. Xiao Yu monitored the proceedings through the surveillance system.

He saw Luka Two, slightly taller than the others, step onto the podium and begin explaining the information on the screen.

“The god’s emissary needs your wisdom. Let us discuss this thoroughly. Any idea is welcome. Remember, the Great God is always watching over us,” Luka Two said solemnly.

Immediately, the Luka scientists engaged in heated discussions. Request lights for speaking turned on one after another.

“This is surely a trap laid by an evil god to ensnare the god’s emissary! We cannot fall for it!”

“If it were an evil god, the god’s emissary would stand no chance! If it had truly noticed this place, it wouldn’t waste time talking; it would attack directly!”

“This is a Level 2 Moderately Dangerous Zone. Don’t forget the fate of that Level 4 Civilization fleet! This region could be harboring a ferocious Beast Civilization!”

As the Luka people continued to argue, Xiao Yu sent a message to Luka Two. Understanding the cue, Luka Two called for silence and, after glancing at the speaking request lights, said, “Seat 152, please speak.”

Seat 152 belonged to an elderly Luka. Slowly, it stood, its movements sluggish, but its voice was powerful.

“I believe this is a trap. Based on prior information, we know this region may be hiding a ferocious Beast Civilization. This message is likely a ploy sent by them to deceive our master. We should flee immediately—leave this place without delay.”

The hall buzzed with murmurs.

“Seat 43, please speak,” Luka Two announced.

Seat 43 belonged to a young Luka, who stood up and passionately declared, “What if this is a test from the Great God for the Emissary? I believe the Emissary should send a spaceship to investigate. Perhaps there’s something to gain.”

After the young Luka finished, another Luka stood to speak.

“Isn’t it possible that a powerful Beast Civilization entity, for some unknown reason, is trapped near the white dwarf? Unable to leave, it lures weaker civilizations there to devour them?”

Hearing this, Xiao Yu felt a chill run down his spine.

Under Luka Two’s guidance, one Luka after another stood to share their thoughts. Many ideas were ones Xiao Yu hadn’t even considered.

“Truly, the value of collective wisdom is not just an empty phrase,” Xiao Yu thought, impressed.

The meeting lasted over two hours, during which the attendees divided into two main camps. One camp believed the message came from a benevolent civilization and argued for investigating it. The other camp suspected a trap set by a hostile civilization and advocated fleeing the Aquila Nebula as quickly as possible.

While the debate raged on, Xiao Yu’s thoughts gradually became clearer.

After transmitting a message to Luka Two, Xiao Yu severed the communication.

Receiving the message, Luka Two tapped the gavel to quiet the room. Once everyone settled, he began to speak.

“In truth, whether this civilization is benevolent or malicious doesn’t matter.”

This opening statement caused an uproar in the room, but Luka Two ignored it and continued. “What’s critical is that this civilization has shown a desire to contact us. As the weaker party, we have no choice but to accept. Any civilization capable of spatial broadcasting, whether a Technological Civilization or a Beast Civilization, is at least Level 6. This means it wields power we cannot resist.”

“Think about it. If it were a hostile civilization, would our refusal to go prevent it from dealing with us? If it is a benevolent civilization and its claims are true, investigating might yield unexpected rewards.”

“As for Seat 152’s claim that a Beast Civilization entity is trapped there, this is highly unlikely. Besides, we could simply send a single small spaceship. Even if it were captured, it wouldn’t aid the entity’s escape.”

“Thus, the Emissary has decided to dispatch a spaceship to investigate. The meeting is adjourned.”

The hall fell silent. No one moved.

With a sigh, Luka Two continued, “I understand how helpless it feels to be at the mercy of others. But there’s no alternative. The Emissary is still in a vulnerable stage. As the first followers, it’s our duty to steadfastly support the Emissary’s rise to power. Once the Emissary becomes strong, we, as the first followers, will be immortalized across the galaxy—no, the universe.”

“Forever follow the Emissary! Forever loyal to the Emissary!” the attendees chanted in unison before gradually dispersing.

By this time, Xiao Yu had already begun preparations. He decided to construct a specialized Town-Class spaceship to explore the binary star system.

Xiao Yu named the system Aquila Two, symbolizing it as the second celestial body in the Aquila Nebula he would explore. In this binary system, he designated the white dwarf as Aquila Two-X and its red dwarf companion as Aquila Two-Y.

In the Aquila Two system, the white dwarf constantly siphoned material from its companion star, Aquila Two-Y. This material transfer caused the red dwarf to emit enormous amounts of stellar radiation, potentially thousands or even tens of thousands of times stronger than the radiation from the young star of Aquila One.

Additionally, the accretion disk surrounding the white dwarf would emit intense X-rays and gamma rays. To withstand these extreme conditions, Xiao Yu planned to build the Town-Class spaceship using specialized materials and equip it with a custom Energy Shield system. This would ensure the ship’s survival at a distance of 10 million kilometers from the white dwarf.

To maintain communication with the Town-Class spaceship, Xiao Yu manufactured hundreds of thousands of relay satellites. Transported by thousands of Town-Class ships, these satellites would be deployed along the route, spaced every 400 million kilometers, to enable uninterrupted communication.

Preparations took Xiao Yu five years. At the end of this period, a massive fleet consisting of a specially designed Town-Class spaceship as its core and thousands of Town-Class transport ships departed from the Aquila One system.