Two years later, the fleet that entered the Insect Zone was completed. Looking at the 100,000 giant insects in the starry sky, everyone was shocked. The previous encounters with insect swarms were all long-range battles. Although there were more insects and the scene was larger, it was far less terrifying and frightening than the 100,000 Reaper disguised as insects.
Just like the last trip to the Fifteenth Planet, thousands of academicians are ready. However, this time the danger is extremely high, and the entire team could be wiped out at any moment. Academician Zeng is leading the way, and today is the day of departure.
Hu Yu looked at these academicians as if they were gamblers in a casino, betting everything they had. But this time, it wasn't Hu Yu who decided to bet, but these academicians. They were betting their lives to win an opportunity for the fleet's development.
"Fellow academicians, the journey ahead is fraught with peril. Please proceed with extreme caution. Whether it's the Zerg swarm or the Matter River, do not take any risks without absolute certainty. Especially the Matter River, where even the warships of the Great Star Region Civilization have vanished without a trace. Do not risk going in. Just conduct your research outside and send in some unmanned ships."
"General, rest assured, we will consider this carefully before taking any action."
" Chen Peng, Li Zhixiong, come here for a moment."
Hu Yu called Chen Peng and Li Zhixiong aside. This time, Hu Yu had chosen these two to accompany the academicians on this trip. Hu Yu's four generals each had their own strengths. Chen Peng was the steady type, calm in handling matters, with a strong sense of crisis, and always able to avoid danger in advance. Li Zhixiong was known as the "Little Zhuge military. Although he was shameless and self-proclaimed, he was indeed very clever and had one trick after another. If they encountered danger, Li Zhixiong might be able to come up with a solution in time.
"General, what's wrong?" Chen Peng asked.
"You two, you absolutely must ensure the safety of the academicians. Bring them back with not a single one missing. If even a single hair on their heads is harmed, I'll have you both shot on the spot, understand?"
"General, even if we lose our lives, we will ensure the safety of the academicians."
"Nonsense! If you two lose your lives, who will protect the academicians?" Wen Zhonghua cursed from the side.
"Yes, yes, yes, Chief of the General Staff, we'll spare our lives too," Li Zhixiong Li Zhixiong shamelessly, having completely become accustomed to ignoring Wen Zhonghua's insults.
"Alright, stop fooling around. You two, keep a close eye on the academicians. They might not be thinking of risking their lives now, but once they get to the Matter River, their pursuit of technology will make them forget everything, including life itself. You have complete control of the fleet now. Under no circumstances are any manned spacecraft allowed to enter the danger zone of the Matter River unless absolute safety can be guaranteed, understand?"
"General, rest assured, I will absolutely not allow academicians to sacrifice their lives for scientific advancement."
"You need to withstand the pressure from the resident physicians. Once you enter the Insect Zone, try to minimize contact with the base. The Zerg swarm comes from the fourth dimension, and if they discover our communication network, it will be in serious trouble. I won't go into details, and you should all be familiar with the various contingency plans. My final thought is, come back safely."
"Yes, we will definitely return safely, and we will also ensure the safe return of the academicians."
"Go."
Goodbye, academicians, have a safe journey.
"Goodbye."
They waved goodbye and boarded the Reaper disguised as a swarm of insects. A hundred billion Reaper escorted them as they headed towards the vicinity of the defensive line. These insect-shaped warships were truly terrifying, and given that the fleet almost entirely comprised the core of humanity, their absolute safety on this side of the galaxy had to be guaranteed.
If they were mistaken for a swarm of insects by other civilizations or if their technology, which was coveting human warships, were destroyed, things would get out of hand. Therefore, the fleet had to escort them directly to the defense line, and after that, they would have to rely on themselves.
According to the pre-determined route, the fleet will enter the Insect Zone from the Heavenly Peak Civilization's defense line. At present, the only civilization known to mankind in the Great Star Region Civilization Heavenly Peak Civilization. In fact, we can't really say we understand it; we just know about it. Given the Heavenly Peak Civilization's attitude last time, the human fleet should not encounter any difficulties entering the Insect Zone from their defense line.
The fleet sailed onward, traversing the territories of various civilizations, until it reached the defensive line 5,000 light-years from the central black hole in the galaxy. Although it was still 5,000 light-years away from the central black hole, its power was already palpable. The defensive line stretched 2,000 light-years beyond the central black hole, and it was as powerful as the black hole itself. Upon seeing this defensive line, almost everyone was speechless with astonishment.
The first thing that catches the eye is countless warships patrolling back and forth within the defensive line. These fleets come in many different sizes and shapes. The largest warships are over 100 kilometers long. Although they are few in number, their regal aura clearly indicates that they are warships from Great Star Region Civilization. The smallest warships are about the size of Stinger, and they were probably specially designed and manufactured to counter the Zerg swarm.
The fleet cruised past in waves like locusts. There were no insect swarms in the vicinity for the time being, so no war broke out. Apart from the warships, there were countless other planets, some natural planets, and some clearly mechanical creations of civilizations, some as large as planets.
These things are probably superweapons similar to the space cannons of the Far Watcher Civilization. It's just unknown what their effects are, but even a fool would guess that they are incredibly powerful.
The number of other small space-based weapons is too numerous to count. Within a range of tens of light-years that the Reaper fleet's optical equipment can observe, they are almost entirely covered with small space-based weapons. To call them small only means that they are relatively small compared to planetary weapons; these space-based weapons are no smaller than the Reaper.
"Academician, look, what's this?" Academician Liu Bo asked, pointing to the projection.
"My God, it's a neutron star!"
"How could there be so many neutron stars? There couldn't be that many neutron stars in the entire Milky Way galaxy!"
In the projection, countless neutron stars are arranged in rows and columns, with ten stars arranged in a row. These neutron stars are separated by one light-year. If calculated according to this ratio, even if the neutron stars do not extend to the edge of the galaxy, the number of neutron stars arranged along the galactic defense line may be in the billions.
"These should all be artificial neutron stars. We can obtain a neutron star by accelerating the aging process of a star. We can do that too, but we can't move a neutron star right now," Academician Zeng said.
Neutron stars have much smaller masses than stars, but warp drive is not a conventional propulsion method, which explains the strange phenomenon that a fleet can move a massive star but cannot move a small neutron star.
Neutron stars have such a strong influence on space that they are like nails driven into space. The Reaper have tried to move neutron stars, but they not only failed to do so, they were almost destroyed by the enormous tidal forces due to their close proximity. Perhaps only the warships of Great Star Region Civilization have a chance to move a neutron star.