Rebirth of the Super Battleship-Chapter 85: Six Years
The war between Xiao Yu and the Luka beings finally came to an end, with Xiao Yu emerging victorious.
In fact, calling it a complete victory wouldn’t be an exaggeration. As a mechanical civilization, Xiao Yu’s existence allowed him to rebuild his fleet given enough time and resources. For him, the number of ships was merely a numerical problem.
Undoubtedly, the captured Luka ships and their occupants would propel Xiao Yu’s technological advancements to new heights.
The chase across the stars had lasted a month and a half. The return journey to the Tianyuan IV star system, being less urgent, would take approximately two and a half months at a slower pace.
During this time, Xiao Yu began gathering environmental requirements from the Luka beings and started retrofitting ships to create new homes for them.
Eventually, all Luka ships would be taken over by Xiao Yu, ensuring no hidden threats remained. The Luka beings accepted this but included numerous environmental requirements, even requesting that each ship be equipped with at least one large entertainment facility. Xiao Yu agreed to all their demands—it was merely a matter of effort.
Xiao Yu planned to take the Luka beings with him on future interstellar travels. Their experience in surviving the cosmos was invaluable, and their knowledge of Level 3 Civilization technology could further benefit him.
However, Xiao Yu didn’t forget the most critical question.
After dispatching robots to seize control of all Luka ships and ensuring their total subjugation, Xiao Yu urgently posed his query.
“Tell me, how will your mother civilization respond once they learn that you’ve been defeated and captured by me?”
This question was of paramount importance to Xiao Yu—his very survival depended on the answer.
The tens of thousands of Luka beings fell silent before their acting supreme commander, designated by Xiao Yu as Luka One, provided a response.
“In light of our current predicament, we understand that lying or withholding information would be an exceedingly foolish decision. Thus, I will speak truthfully. However, you must understand that our answer is only our projection of what might happen. We cannot guarantee its absolute accuracy,” Luka One said.
Xiao Yu replied, “As an evolved mechanical civilization with advanced modeling capabilities, I can simulate and evaluate every word you say. Any inconsistency or contradiction will be detected. Therefore, I am not afraid of deceit. Moreover, after your answer, I will require a detailed account of the Luka mother civilization’s societal structure to form my own judgments. Your response will serve only as a reference. Now, proceed.”
Through the communication system, Xiao Yu observed Luka One convene a remote conference with the other Luka leaders. After several minutes of heated discussion—which Xiao Yu monitored in its entirety—they delivered their conclusion.
“After discussion, we believe the mother civilization would respond as follows: First, since the mother civilization retains confidence in capturing you, your location will not be disclosed to other civilizations. This information will remain internal. You must understand, the fleet of 7,000 ships, combined with the surprise attack plan, had a 99% success rate in our simulations. That is why no larger fleet was dispatched. These 7,000 ships represented less than 1% of our military strength.”
“Therefore, upon learning of the fleet’s destruction, the mother civilization will reorganize a larger fleet—no fewer than 50,000 ships—and it will likely include a Grand Kar-Class ship, or what you call a Province-Class ship. They will redeem another Faster-than-Light transmission opportunity to continue pursuing you.”
Xiao Yu paused before responding, “I need a strategy to counter this.”
Luka One replied, “Based on our understanding of military personnel, many will eagerly volunteer for this ‘guaranteed victory.’ Consequently, there will be significant contention over the appointment of a supreme commander. This will inevitably cause delays, though no more than a year. Including the five years required for the journey, you have six years in total to evade them. Within these six years, you must travel at least half a light-year away to escape the mother civilization’s pursuit.”
Xiao Yu immediately began calculating his options.
Six years to escape half a light-year—that meant Xiao Yu’s fleet would need to reach a speed of 1/12th the speed of light, or approximately 25,000 kilometers per second.
While Xiao Yu could achieve this speed, the act of accelerating to it would deplete all available fuel. This would leave Xiao Yu unable to make course corrections, decelerate at the destination, or adapt to unforeseen circumstances—effectively condemning him to a fatal trajectory.
“What’s your suggestion, then?” Xiao Yu asked.
“Our suggestion is simple: use the tens of thousands of our people in your custody to negotiate with the mother civilization. Alternatively, you could become our vassal. With your intelligence, finding a way to secure your survival in such negotiations shouldn’t be too difficult,” replied Luka One.
Xiao Yu sneered, maneuvering a County-Class ship to aim its Energy Cannons at a Luka Town-Class ship.
“This ship carries at least 100 of your people. They will die because of your cunning. I hope you won’t feel too guilty,” Xiao Yu remarked coldly. Before Luka One could respond, Xiao Yu gave the order to fire.
The Town-Class ship, stripped of its Energy Shield, was easily destroyed by the County-Class ship. Watching through his surveillance systems, Xiao Yu saw tens of thousands of Luka beings gasp in shock, their expressions a mix of disbelief, sorrow, and anger.
“This is your first warning. The second warning will be the destruction of two Luka Town-Class ships,” Xiao Yu said icily.
“You… you are a demon!” Luka One stammered. “Against a fleet of 20,000 Luka ships, you stand no chance! Surrender or become a vassal—that is your only path to survival!”
Xiao Yu ignored the outburst, instead posing another question.
“How much Alliance Contribution Points are required to redeem one Faster-than-Light transmission opportunity?”
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Luka One hesitated before answering, “Fifty points.”
Xiao Yu was confident the answer was truthful; he had already discovered this information in the Luka fleet’s database. The question was a psychological tactic.
“And the value of your fleet of 7,000 ships?”
“Four hundred and twenty points.”
Xiao Yu’s mind raced.
“My initial estimate was wrong. I assumed this fleet of 7,000 ships and their Faster-than-Light transmission opportunity would be valued close to my bounty. I believed that by destroying their fleet, the mother civilization would consider the risk outweighing the reward and abandon their pursuit. However, their combined value is only 470 points, far short of my bounty of 2,500 points.”
“This means they will continue sending fleets to capture me. My situation remains precarious.”
“I have six years. In that time, I can construct 120,000 new ships and repair all defenses. Combined with my current fleet of 35,000 ships, my total strength will reach approximately 150,000 ships. Even so, against a fleet of at least 50,000 ships, including a Province-Class ship, I have no chance of victory.”
“But reaching 1/12th the speed of light is also unfeasible.”
“Neither fighting nor fleeing offers a solution. What should I do?”
Xiao Yu fell into deep thought.
“No… wait. If I can acquire Energy Shield technology and the means to manufacture Force Field Generators within these six years, I might have a fighting chance against the Luka fleet.”
A cold smile spread across Xiao Yu’s face.
“You claim I have no chance? If I obtain Energy Shield technology, the ability to manufacture Force Field Generators, and build a fleet far surpassing yours, why wouldn’t I have a chance? Answer me. If your answer doesn’t satisfy me, I won’t hesitate to destroy more Luka ships.”
Luka One hesitated before offering a bitter smile.
“We possess Energy Shield technology. In fact, it is the defining characteristic of a Level 3 Civilization, marking a significant milestone. Its development essentially signals the obsolescence of kinetic weapons in interstellar warfare. However, I regret to inform you that the Force Field Generator we used against you was purchased from the Alliance for 60 points. It is a creation of a Level 4 Civilization, and we do not possess its manufacturing technology.”
“You must understand the critical importance of Alliance Contribution Points to any civilization. The Force Field Generator was chosen for its cost-effectiveness in our calculations, which is why we redeemed it. Additionally, I have bad news for you: when the next fleet of 50,000 ships arrives, there is a 90% chance they will redeem another high-destruction weapon to use against you. You have no chance.”
To verify this information, Xiao Yu questioned over a thousand Luka beings individually, ensuring they couldn’t communicate with one another. Their answers were consistent, confirming the reliability of the information.
A bitter realization settled in Xiao Yu’s heart.
“I refuse to be caged and live out my life in dull subservience. I have six years to prepare. During this time, I will find a solution.”
