Two groups of warships simultaneously advanced slowly toward the source of the signal. Five hours later, both fleets stopped at the same time; any further advance would have resulted in a collision. This was the location of the signal source, 1.6 light-years from Earth Two.
Hu Yu immediately checked all the surrounding satellite signals but found nothing unusual. There was absolutely no fleet that had entered this area. The satellites were arranged in a regular pattern, and if they didn't follow a special route, they would definitely collide with one of the satellites. Even a single spaceship would have a greater than 50% chance of colliding with it. The probability of being captured by an image at a distance of less than two light-years from Earth Two was 100%, unless this civilization's technology far surpassed that of humanity.
The Wind Master dispersed again to conduct a thorough search of the surrounding airspace, but still found no signal transmitting devices.
" Academician Zeng, how could this be? It's only been a dozen hours since the signal was sent, and now we can't find any trace of the signal source."
"Something's strange. Let me think about it." Academician Zeng fell into deep thought.
The Wind Master slowly cruised through this airspace, scattering millions of satellites to coordinate the search for the signal source. Hu Yu didn't believe that this signal source could leave this place without human knowledge after sending the signal.
"Danger! Revenge! Xuan Star Civilization! Luo Zhigao!" Just when everyone was at a loss, the fleet received this message again.
"The signal source is right here!!!" Academician Zeng shouted.
"Where?"
"Within a 500-meter radius, right next to our Wind Master!!!"
Search immediately!
Several nearby Wind Master immediately surrounded them, turning on their massive interstellar searchlights and illuminating the entire sky. Even interstellar dust could be clearly seen through the ship's portholes, but they still couldn't find the source of the signal.
The computer has located the signal source within a space with a diameter of one meter based on the direction of signal propagation. However, there is absolutely nothing in this space. Not only is it invisible to the naked eye, but optical instruments of various wavelengths have also failed to detect anything. The signal seems to have appeared out of thin air.
This was the first time they had encountered such a bizarre situation. Just as everyone was puzzled, Academician Liu Bo suddenly shouted, "Return the signal immediately! Return the signal immediately! It's a space signal!"
Everyone looked at Hu Yu, Hu Yu pondered for a second, then nodded. "Return the call: This is Hu Yu. Please inform Minister Luo of the location and specific details."
"Launch at the fleet's maximum power," Academician Liu Bo added.
The brief message, amplified by the Wind Master, spread outwards.
" Academician Liu, what exactly happened?" Hu Yu asked as he turned around after sending the message.
"General, the source of this message isn't actually here. The signal source's location is somehow connected to this area, which is why we can't pinpoint its location."
Is it at a high latitude?
"Not necessarily. I feel this connection is very unstable and consumes a lot of Minister Luo's energy; it doesn't seem like information transmission from a higher dimension."
"Can you locate the signal source?"
"Not yet, General. Our current methods for detecting space are limited. We can only determine the location of certain objects based on spatial fluctuations, but radio disturbances in space are too weak for us to detect."
" Little Liu, are you sure?" Academician Zeng asked.
"I'm not entirely sure, but it's the only possibility, unless it's the work of a civilization far more advanced than ours. Let's wait patiently for now. The signal we're receiving is still very strong, so the source shouldn't be too far away. If it really is Minister Luo, I believe he'll call back soon."
One hour...
Two hours...
24 hours...
Everyone was waiting anxiously. Had they made a mistake in their prediction? Academician Liu was also starting to waver. However, Hu Yu continued to wait patiently. Even a one in ten thousand chance was worth waiting for, because the other end of the signal source was Luo Zhigao, one of his own people.
Forty-eight hours...
One week...
One month...
Still no response.
"General, perhaps we should head back first; maybe I'm mistaken."
"No, keep waiting."
A year has passed, and even Hu Yu is starting to wonder if he really made a mistake. At that moment, a satellite two light-years away sends a message.
"Is it really General Hu Yu? That's wonderful! To receive your reply before I die is already a blessing from heaven. Tell the leader that I failed in my mission and I have let the people down. Before reaching the Advanced Stage of Small Star Sector Civilization, do not cause trouble for the Xuan Star Civilization, Luo Zhigao."
Everyone was shocked again. It really was Luo Zhigao. But why was the information receiving point two light-years away this time? Hu Yu didn't have time to consider these questions. The satellite's transmission power was limited, so Hu Yu had to lead the fleet and spend seventeen hours rushing to the information receiving point.
" Minister Luo, please inform us of your location and situation immediately. We are already part of the Small Star Sector Civilization."
Hu Yu knew Luo Zhigao's temperament very well. This strong man would not send such a message unless it was a crisis. If Hu Yu wasn't lying, Luo Zhigao would never have told Hu Yu his location.
"Two academicians, why did the signal source move over such a large area?"
"I suspect it's a space vortex," Academician Zeng replied. "The center of a space vortex might be a wormhole, but this wormhole isn't equidistant from both ends for a spaceship to pass through. We've made some progress in our research on space vortices over the years. Due to its extremely high density and energy, the center of a space vortex might connect to a point in a distant location. However, the tail of this vortex isn't fixed; it twists and turns as the vortex rotates. Moreover, the tip of this tail could be extremely small, possibly a millimeter or even a nanometer. That's why Minister Luo's third message moved here. The exact location is almost random and uncontrollable. However, as long as the vortex remains relatively stable, the range of movement of the vortex tail won't be too large."
"Then I'll wait here. Zhonghua, you immediately return to Earth Two and move all the planets within 200 light-years to the JD4 Planetary System. Make sure you have at least 15; if that's not enough, move more from other places. Inform the entire population to work overtime and manufacture warships and various weapons with all their might. Everyone must be mobilized. Tell everyone that another branch of our people is in trouble and needs everyone's full support. Academician Zeng, Academician Liu, you also go back and tell all scientists that we must solve the travel speed problem within 20 years, and our weapons also need to be upgraded. Antimatter weapons are no longer suitable for dealing with Small Star Sector Civilization. This is a death order; it must be completed. I'm afraid Minister Luo and his team won't be able to hold out for long. We must be ready for battle at any time during these 20 years."
" Old Hu, the other side is Small Star Sector Advanced Civilization. We can't possibly defeat them within 20 years."
"No, the other side is definitely not Small Star Sector Advanced Civilization. I know Minister Luo too well. This so-called Xuan Star Civilization is lucky to have reached the Intermediate Stage of Small Star Sector. At most, they are the kind that have just broken through to the Small Star Region. Otherwise, Minister Luo could not have lasted this long. It has been a year since we received the first message, and Minister Luo and his group do not seem to have deteriorated. This means that the other side's strength is limited."
"Alright, let's do something big this time. We must crush this so-called Xuan Star Civilization. We also need to start establishing our authority in the Milky Way. Let's start with this Xuan Star Civilization."
"The Basic Space is now almost complete. Breaking the speed barrier within 20 years shouldn't be a problem. I'm confident."
"Alright, since that's the case, I'll play along once. Twenty years it will be. If we don't break the speed of light by a thousand times, I'm resigning as an academician!!! Chief of the General Staff, let's go."