Chapter Summaries

Human Civilization's attack damaged [Thread] but failed to destroy its core, while the Gardener Faction stalled for reinforcements. Lü Yongchang realized the Gardener Faction feared Human Civilization's potential, and the chapter ended as its forces began an all-out encirclement.

• Lü Yongchang ordered Human Civilization to request support from the Tenth Empire after the Gardener Faction attacked.
• Human Civilization's Spacetime Trap and Dark Matter Bombs split [Thread] apart, but [Thread]'s core survived as a two-dimensional lifeform appeared.
• [Ant] and [Thread] planned to hold Human Civilization for three months until a four-dimensional being arrived.
• [Ant] claimed the attack had been a misunderstanding, but Zhao Zijie and Lü Yongchang suspected the Gardener Faction was buying time because it feared Human Civilization's potential.
• The Cosmic Monitoring Project detected spacetime fluctuations across hundreds of millions of light-years, and Lü Yongchang ordered the fleet into battle as Zhao Zijie identified an all-out encirclement.

Human civilization used the Universe Listening Plan’s warning to launch a four-dimensional leap and ambush [Thread] and [Ant] outside the Unnamed Galaxy. As the two Dimensional Beings advanced by reducing spatial rifts to two dimensions, Lü Yongchang held back the Four-Dimensional Weapons so the fleet could study their methods.

• Human civilization ordered its waiting fleet to eliminate [Thread] and [Ant] quickly, then rendezvous with the [Tenth Empire] and draw other factions into the fight.
• [Thread] and [Ant] discussed whether human civilization would believe their warning before detecting a four-dimensional leap from the Unnamed Galaxy.
• A fleet of over a hundred thousand Starships appeared and opened fire as [Ant] and [Thread] charged toward it.
• Human cannons struggled to hit the Dimensional Beings, who reduced incoming spatial rifts to two dimensions and kept closing in on the fleet.
• Lü Yongchang explained that the rifts’ surrounding space had undergone dimensional reduction and stopped Zhao Zijie from using Four-Dimensional Weapons so the fleet could study the attackers.

The Human Fleet fought the dimensional beings [Thread] and [Ant], using Dark Matter Stabilization Fields to resist dimensional reduction and escalating to matter-antimatter annihilation strikes. After capturing the gravely injured beings, the fleet fled through a wormhole toward the Boötes Void, leaving a shattered galaxy behind.

• Lü Yongchang ordered the Dark Matter Stabilization Fields activated as [Thread] reduced starships into two and a half dimensions, and one protected ship briefly attacked before being destroyed.
• Lü Yongchang realized the fields might allow humans to damage lower-dimensional beings or perhaps force them to ascend dimensions, while the fleet lost at least a hundred starships to attacks from [Thread] and [Ant].
• The Human Fleet escalated the battle by launching ten rounds of Annihilation Starburst strikes, devastating the galaxy and leaving [Thread] and [Ant] unconscious with signs of dimensional ascension.
• Human starships contained the damaged [Thread] and [Ant] in specialized devices and departed at faster-than-light speeds.
• The Human Fleet opened a wormhole and headed for the Boötes Void, its only escape route through the Gardener Faction's encirclement.

A Gardener Faction scout discovered the shattered galaxy and reported that Thread and Ant had been captured and Human Civilization was fleeing toward the Boötes Void. Membrane ordered the Gardener Faction to mobilize against Humanity, while Su began reinforcing the Boötes Void after learning it was likely the target.

• A four-dimensional Gardener Faction being entered the shattered galaxy, searched its timeline, and sent a tachyon message about Thread and Ant.
• Membrane learned that Thread and Ant had been captured and Human Civilization was fleeing toward the Boötes Void, then ordered the Gardener Faction to abandon its missions and attack Humanity.
• Dimensional beings across the universe mobilized toward the Boötes Void in response to Membrane’s broadcast.
• Su learned that the Gardener Faction was mobilizing and that its likely target was the Boötes Void.
• Su ordered Quark Fortresses and Black Hole Fortresses transferred from nearby superclusters to reinforce the Boötes Void.

Lü Yongchang’s scientists continued researching captured dimensional beings while the Human Fleet entered the Boötes Void and encountered a four-dimensional attacker. Zhao Zijie ordered a saturation strike, but the shadow survived unharmed.

• Lü Yongchang oversaw the Academy of Sciences’ rapid research into the first and second dimensions, aided by [Thread] and [Ant].
• Ten years later, the Human Fleet entered the Boötes Void and received a Tachyon Radar alarm identifying a four-dimensional being ahead.
• The shadow attacked the fleet, killing crews by rupturing their organs and destroying ships by targeting their Zero-Point Furnaces.
• Zhao Zijie ordered a decoy attack, and the Human Fleet unleashed Dark Matter Cannons, spatial rifts, bombs, and stellar projectiles at the shadow.
• The explosions engulfed human ships, but the four-dimensional shadow emerged completely unscathed.

After the Four-Dimensional Being secretly suffered damage from Human Civilization’s saturation bombardment, Lü Yongchang ordered the fleet to ascend into four-dimensional space. The transformed Human Fleet reversed the battle with precise attacks, leaving the Four-Dimensional Being struggling to evade them.

• The Four-Dimensional Being recalled sacrificing part of its body to escape the gravity and Micro Black Holes created by Human Civilization’s bombardment, and concealed the damage to its core.
• The Four-Dimensional Being detected Human Civilization’s dimensional ascension and broadcast that it had mistaken them for an immature Cleaners Civilization.
• Lü Yongchang ordered, “All ships, ascend!” and Human Civilization activated its engines, computing array, and High-Dimensional Printing to transform the fleet.
• The Four-Dimensional Being leaped beside a Starship and attacked, but its blow failed to breach the ship’s dense quark hull as the fleet completed its ascension.
• The Human Fleet launched precisely targeted four-dimensional attacks, while its Starships used the fourth direction to evade the Four-Dimensional Being’s counterattacks.

Lü Yongchang sent ten Chiyou planetary fortresses to trap the four-dimensional being and overwhelm it with firepower. As the being prepared to escape by sacrificing most of its body, an inconspicuous missile approached from behind.

• Lü Yongchang ordered the Chiyou planetary fortresses into battle and told the Dimensional Research Center to prepare to test Van Gogh.
• Ten Chiyou planetary fortresses leaped from the Micro-Universe Port and moved to block the four-dimensional being’s escape.
• The four-dimensional being struggled to evade the Human Fleet’s attacks as its Spatial Shield neared its limit.
• Chiyou activated high-dimensional printing and fired its fortress weapons at the four-dimensional being, forcing it to defend itself.
• The four-dimensional being prepared to sacrifice most of its body to escape, unaware of a missile approaching behind the battlefield.

Human Civilization used [Van Gogh] to launch a dimensional reduction attack on the four-dimensional being, then supplied the weapon with energy from ten [Chiyou] Planetary Fortresses. The being began to collapse into three-dimensional space, unleashing a massive energy burst against the Human fleet.

• [Van Gogh] reached the four-dimensional being and released its Two-Dimensional Fragment to initiate a dimensional reduction strike.
• Lü Yongchang’s research explained how [Van Gogh] used zero-point energy to stabilize the Two-Dimensional Fragment and reduce nearby space.
• The two-dimensionalized space spread from [Van Gogh] and began enclosing the four-dimensional being.
• The four-dimensional being resisted the attack until Lü Yongchang ordered ten [Chiyou] Planetary Fortresses to supply [Van Gogh] with energy.
• With all eight energy input ports connected, [Van Gogh] began reducing the being’s four-dimensional body, and the resulting energy eruption struck Human Civilization’s warships.

The Human Fleet used the two-dimensional weapon [Van Gogh] to defeat the four-dimensional being, powering it with captured Gardener Faction cores. After a day of dimensional reduction, the being became a painting more than two hundred light-years wide before collapsing into fundamental particles.

• The Human Fleet’s bombardment shattered the four-dimensional being’s Spatial Shield and trapped it amid spatial rifts.
• The being realized the barrage was a smokescreen when an ordinary missile revealed a Two-Dimensional Fragment and activated [Van Gogh].
• The being used its core to resist dimensional reduction, but Planetary Fortresses arrived and connected energy conduits to the missile.
• The being recognized the device as powered by Gardener Faction cores and cursed Thread and Ant for failing to destroy them when captured.
• [Van Gogh] reduced the being to two dimensions over a day, creating a painting spanning more than two hundred light-years that then collapsed into fundamental particles.

After Human Civilization defeated the four-dimensional beings, the Gardener Faction mobilized millions of dimensional beings to surround the Boötes Void. Lü Yongchang called on the Tenth Empire and the Neutral Faction for help as the Tenth Empire prepared to join the conflict.

• Zhao Zijie and the Human commanders watched the Starry Sky Giant Painting dissolve after [Van Gogh] helped defeat the four-dimensional beings.
• Lü Yongchang saw the Gardener Faction's red markers gathering around the Boötes Void and ordered the fleet to form a defensive line and contact the Tenth Empire.
• The Tenth Empire learned that the Gardener Faction had mobilized more than two million dimensional beings, with the count still rising.
• The Tenth Empire learned that Human Civilization had captured [Thread] and [Ant] and killed the four-dimensional beings pursuing it.
• The Tenth Empire ordered its fleet to rendezvous with Human Civilization, called the Silicon-Based Alliance to war, and asked the Neutral Faction to convene the Fourth Supreme Conference.

The Tenth Empire persuaded the Neutral Faction to join the war by offering Human Civilization’s research on four-dimensional cavitation bubbles, triggering a major mobilization toward the Boötes Void. As the Cleaners and Gardener Faction reacted by deploying more forces, the Tenth Empire’s fleet arrived at the Human Federation’s Micro-Universe Port for a meeting with Lü Yongchang.

• At the Fourth Neutral Faction Summit, the Tenth Empire presented Human Civilization’s ability to destroy a four-dimensional being and offered to share its research on four-dimensional cavitation bubbles.
• The Neutral Faction unanimously approved joining the war, and numerous civilizations sent fleets toward the Boötes Void.
• The Cleaners deployed additional fleets toward the Boötes Void, heightening the Gardener Faction’s alarm and encouraging more Neutral Faction civilizations to mobilize.
• At the Human Federation’s Micro-Universe Port, Lü Yongchang received word that the Tenth Empire had arrived and prepared to greet its fleet.
• Lü Yongchang ordered Zero to release the Imperial Homeworld and transmit a greeting as the Tenth Empire’s fleet emerged from the wormhole.

Human Civilization welcomed the Tenth Empire by returning its long-lost Imperial Homeworld, prompting the Empire to pledge an eternal alliance. As the fleets prepared for a formal ceremony, Lü Yongchang ordered the [Earth] to advance while a growing threat loomed on the Star Map.

• Human Civilization sent a welcoming message and revealed the Imperial Homeworld Fortress hidden within its fleet.
• The Tenth Empire's citizens recognized the Homeworld and received its 210,000 years of mission logs as it returned to their fleet.
• The Imperial Homeworld's artificial intelligence, Ten, transferred control authority and logs to the Empire's Supreme Emperor.
• The Empire's Supreme Emperor thanked Human Civilization and declared the Tenth Empire its ally forever.
• Lü Yongchang reflected on Earth's loss, then ordered the [Earth] to advance toward the approaching imperial Flagship.

Lü Yongchang learned that millions of Gardener Faction dimensional beings and vast Cleaner forces were mobilizing, and secured the Neutral Faction’s support by offering Human Civilization’s dimensional technology. The Supreme Emperor of the Tenth Empire received Human Civilization’s research and intelligence, then ordered urgent analysis and prepared to convene the Neutral Faction’s Supreme Conference.

• Human Civilization and the Tenth Empire met at a space platform after their flagships stopped a million kilometers apart.
• The Tenth Empire told Lü Yongchang that more than five million dimensional beings were heading for the Boötes Void and that Cleaner forces from hundreds of millions of galaxies were mobilizing.
• The Tenth Empire persuaded the Neutral Faction to join the war on Human Civilization’s side, and Lü Yongchang promised to share four-dimensional cavitation bubble research and, if they won, lower-dimensional technology.
• The Supreme Emperor of the Empire realized Human Civilization was carbon-based and had mastered both dimensional ascension and descension technology.
• The Supreme Emperor received optical drives containing research data and information about the Gardener Faction and its annihilation plan.
• The Supreme Emperor ordered the Empire Academy of Sciences to analyze the drives and prioritize dimensional ascension research, and said he would request a Neutral Faction Supreme Conference if the Gardener information proved authentic.

With war against the Cleaners and the Gardener Faction approaching, Lü Yongchang ordered the Human Federation to mobilize and sought a breakthrough in computing power. He proposed using tachyons inside a micro-universe to build a vastly more powerful computer.

• Lü Yongchang told Lin Shuguang to mobilize Parliament for war and fully activate the wartime economy.
• Lü Yongchang ordered the deployment of every Star Picker, the Lost Insect Swarm, and the Mother Nest, and called for maximum production of starships and weapons.
• Fang Xu warned that Zero might not have enough computing power to manage production if four-dimensional beings reached the front lines early.
• Lü Yongchang discussed the limits of four-dimensional optical brains with a researcher from the Imperial Academy of Sciences and proposed using tachyons to transmit signals.
• After realizing a universe-sized computer could solve tachyon confinement, Lü Yongchang proposed using Micro-Universe Technology to build a tachyon computer.

Lü Yongchang and two civilizations completed and activated the [Fuxi] Tachyon Computer, overcoming the problem of tachyon signals escaping from its micro-universe. Its initial tests showed that it had more than a thousand times the computing power of Human Civilization’s Four-Dimensional Optical Brain.

• Lü Yongchang proposed the name [Fuxi] for the Tachyon Computer, and researchers built its components inside a one-light-year micro-universe.
• Researchers used Cosmic Membrane Shape-Control Technology to shape the micro-universe’s port around its signal cable and prevent tachyon leakage.
• In Earth Calendar year 15546, the [Fuxi] Tachyon Computer was completed as Gardener Faction dimensional beings gathered near the Boötes Void without approaching it.
• Aboard the [Earth], Lü Yongchang ordered [Fuxi] to start up, and the computer completed its self-check and began testing its computing power.
• Lü Yongchang estimated that [Fuxi] had more than a thousand times the computing power of Human Civilization’s Four-Dimensional Optical Brain.

After the tachyon computer’s breakthrough, Lü Yongchang saw the technology tree reveal several level nine technologies and briefly form the outline of a human figure before returning to normal. He concluded that humanity had to reach level nine to uncover the technology tree’s truth, then ordered Zero to begin producing resources for humanity’s counterattack.

• The [Fuxi] tachyon computer’s successful test triggered a disturbance in Lü Yongchang’s technology tree space.
• Lü Yongchang saw the tachyon computer registered as a level nine technology and glimpsed nodes for Universe Bubble Towing Technology, Five Dimensions Navigation, and Hyperspace Membrane Communication Technology.
• The technology tree space collapsed into shifting luminous lines that formed a human outline, then restored itself before Lü Yongchang could learn who the figure was.
• Lü Yongchang suspected that mastering tachyon technology had triggered an incorrect judgment in the technology tree and decided humanity had to reach level nine to uncover its truth.
• After Zero completed its move, Lü Yongchang ordered Zero to build massive Zero-Point Energy Well arrays and matter-energy conversion factories to supply resources for humanity’s counterattack.

The Gardener Faction launched a surprise assault on Human Civilization in the Boötes Void before its reinforcements arrived. Human forces slowed the attackers with devastating weapons, giving the Cleaners, the Tenth Empire, and the Neutral Faction time to join the battle and surround them.

• More than five hundred thousand fleets gathered around the Boötes Void as clashes between the Gardener Faction and the Cleaners destroyed at least a hundred galaxies.
• Human Civilization used decades of relative calm to build up its resources and expand the Human Fleet to a million ships.
• Lü Yongchang ordered Human forces to prepare for war as Zhao Zijie predicted the next wave of reinforcements would tip the battlefield balance.
• Membrane ordered the Gardener Faction to attack, and hundreds of thousands of dimensional beings poured through wormholes into the Boötes Void.
• Zhao Zijie activated spacetime traps and Annihilation Starburst, inflicting heavy losses on both sides and halting the Gardener Faction's advance.
• The Cleaners, the Tenth Empire, and the Neutral Faction entered the battle, leaving the Gardener Faction surrounded.

Lü Yongchang watched the Cleaners Civilization join the battle with Four-Dimensional Shock Bombs, which threatened the Neutral Faction as well as the Gardener Faction. The Tenth Empire shielded the Neutral fleet while Human Civilization resumed its indiscriminate bombardment, and the battlefield descended into a free-for-all.

• Lü Yongchang assessed the Cleaners' tiny Planetary Fortresses as Quark Fortresses and Black Hole Fortresses, while he identified the Neutral Faction's fleet as a coalition of hundreds of level eight civilizations.
• The Cleaners Civilization launched Four-Dimensional Shock Bombs and began dimensional ascension, while the Gardener Faction blocked the blasts with a wall of four-dimensional beings.
• Zero detected spatial fluctuations headed toward the Neutral Faction, and Lü Yongchang warned the Tenth Empire to support them.
• The Tenth Empire used a four-dimensional leap to intercept the fluctuations, then directed the Neutral Faction to attack the Gardener Faction's exposed defenses.
• Human Civilization resumed its saturation bombardment with weapons aimed at both the Cleaners and the Gardener Faction, while its fleet began dimensional ascension.
• The Cleaners' Planetary Fortresses hesitated, then retreated farther from the human combat zone.

The Gardener Faction shattered the three forces’ encirclement with a mass dimensional-reduction attack, then drove its surviving dimensional beings into the Human Fleet. The chapter ended with the Gardener Faction sacrificing its members to reduce Titan Motherships and other Human vessels into two-dimensional paintings.

• The Cleaners Civilization recognized Human Civilization’s strength and sent a tachyon broadcast as the Gardener Faction demanded that the Tenth Empire and Neutral Faction leave the battle.
• The Tenth Empire declared Human Civilization an eternal ally, and Membrane ordered the Gardener Faction to destroy the Human Fleet at any cost.
• A hundred thousand four-dimensional beings destroyed their cores, unleashing a dimensional-reduction explosion that shattered the encirclement and heavily damaged the Neutral Faction, Tenth Empire, Human, and Cleaners fleets.
• The surviving Gardener Faction forces charged into the Human Fleet, where two-dimensional beings sacrificed themselves to turn Titan Motherships and other vessels into images inside enormous paintings.

The Gardener Faction launched a suicidal dimensional-reduction assault and received reinforcements, putting Human Civilization and the Neutral Faction under pressure. Lü Yongchang sent the human flagship Earth into battle, where it drew in the enemy and began unleashing a powerful four-dimensional shock wave.

• The Gardener Faction sacrificed higher- and lower-dimensional beings to break the encirclement and attack the Human Fleet, while the Cleaners withdrew and the Neutral Faction prepared to support Humanity.
• A second wave of Gardener Faction reinforcements emerged from wormholes in the Boötes Void, forcing the Neutral Faction to abandon its support plans and intercept them.
• Zhao Zijie urged Lü Yongchang to send the flagship into battle so the Neutral Faction civilizations would not be destroyed.
• The Earth arrived beside an endangered Chiyou Planetary Fortress and destroyed the dimensional beings attacking it with its weapons, ten Chiyou Planetary Fortresses, and Carrier-Based Drones.
• The remaining Gardener Faction forces turned toward the Earth, and Lü Yongchang ordered more than a hundred Zero-Point Furnaces to power a device that sent intensifying shock waves through four-dimensional space.