These neutron stars radiate powerful energy at all times. If this space were a lake, the water would now be turned upside down by the water beasts.
This defensive line embodies the countless efforts of these civilizations. Within the neutron star's interstellar region, fragments of civilization warships can still be faintly seen drifting, indicating a recent war in the vicinity. These fragments will eventually fall into the neutron star and become part of it.
Nearly a Small Star Sector Civilization and several Great Star Region Civilization spent more than two million years jointly building this massive defensive line. It is the greatest engineering feat in the galaxy, but this seemingly impregnable defensive line is still precarious in the face of the Insect Race.
The fleet stopped in front of the defensive line. To cross it, they would have to detour, jump out of the galaxy, and re-enter from above. However, they didn't know where the neutron stars were located. The last time they took pictures of the galaxy, they didn't find these neutron stars because it was a purely optical image, which makes it difficult to detect such objects.
"What civilization is this? This is the galactic defense line, leave immediately!" A patrol squad greeted the Reaper fleet as it arrived.
"Hello, we are from Human Civilization, and we are now preparing to explore the Insect Zone. We request permission," Chen Peng replied.
"Humans? Please wait where you are. We need to repay the Great Star Region Civilization."
"Thanks."
After a while, a familiar and massive warship appeared before the Reaper.
"Humans, we meet again so soon. Are you here to assist with the defense? This fleet isn't enough." The newcomer was none other than the Heavenly Peak Civilization.
" Lord Heavenly Peak, we are not here to assist in defense. Our fleet is still small, and this fleet is already half our size."
"I told you, you couldn't possibly have a sufficient number of warships in ten or twenty thousand years. What, did you come to the defense line to watch the battle?"
"Sir, we've come here to bypass the defense zone and enter the Insect Zone territory."
"What! You want to enter the Insect Zone?"
"Indeed, to be honest, sir, we're going to explore the Matter River." It was impossible to hide this from the Great Star Region Civilization, so Chen Peng stated his destination directly.
"So that's where you wanted to go. But your fleet size isn't enough. That area is now occupied by high-level insects, and even we dare not descend there easily."
"We know, sir. Look, we've replicated some insect warships; they should be able to evade the insect swarm. We know the Matter River offers little hope of technological advancement, but we still want to see it. Our technology hasn't progressed in tens of thousands of years."
"Are you in such a hurry after not making progress for tens of thousands of years?" Heavenly Peak Civilization smiled bitterly. If it weren't for that person giving them technology, their civilization would not have made any leap forward for hundreds of millions of years. Not only themselves, but almost all the Great Star Region Civilization were in the same situation. All their technologies seemed to have reached their limit, but the undiscovered part was like a high wall blocking their view, and they could not see it no matter what.
"Your method isn't something uncharted territory; it works for low-level insects, but whether you can survive against truly high-level insects is another matter entirely. It depends on your skill level."
"My lord, our journey here has two purposes: first, to explore the Matter River; and second, to gain a deeper understanding of the Zerg swarm. Our civilization is already working diligently to build warships and deploy them to the defenses as quickly as possible. We hope this exploration will provide some information support for future battles."
"Yes, our defenses are frequently under attack from Zerg swarms, and our strength is becoming increasingly insufficient. We urgently need new civilizations to reinforce our positions."
"Sir, are these neutron star arrays also part of the defensive line?"
"You'll be joining the battle soon, so it's good to tell you these things in advance. The neutron star array is indeed part of the defense system. These are all stars we stole from the Insect Zone. Once built into a neutron star array, it will not only prevent the insect swarms in the three-dimensional universe from passing through at faster-than-light speeds, but it can also defend against the insect swarms in the fourth dimension."
"The fourth dimension?!"
"Yes, otherwise why would you see so few warships in the Large Star Region? It's because we're conducting defensive operations in the fourth dimension. The three-dimensional universe is only part of our defense line. We need to eliminate the Zerg swarm in the fourth dimension beforehand; otherwise, the more Zerg swarms that descend into the three-dimensional universe, the more dangerous it will be for us."
"Can neutron stars defend against attacks up to the fourth dimension?"
"If you can enter the Great Star Region Civilization, you will naturally know. Remember, our most important objective is to protect the central black hole. Under no circumstances can we allow the Zerg swarm to destroy the central black hole, or the galaxy will be finished."
"My lord, the central black hole is indeed very important, but its destruction shouldn't necessarily affect advanced civilizations like ours. Why must we defend it to the death?"
"You don't need to know for now. Just do as we say, and you won't go wrong. If we don't need to defend the central black hole, we can have the swarm destroy it, then cause the galaxy to collapse. Most civilizations can then drift away with the star currents, replenishing their energy along the way until they reach other star systems, without having to struggle to defend the galaxy."
"Understood, Lord Heavenly Peak. Thank you for the reminder."
"Yes, you're heading to the Matter River Stream. It's relatively quiet there now. As long as you can fool the insect swarms along the way, there won't be any insects within a few light-years of the Matter River Stream. However, whether you can successfully pass through the Insect Zone depends not only on your technological strength but, more importantly, on luck."
"My lord, for the sake of the advancement of civilization, we are willing to take risks."
"I knew you would definitely go. The existence of the Matter River is no secret, and its existence is unknown in its antiquity. However, at first, none of us suspected that there were any secrets within the Matter River. Although it is somewhat special, for our Great Star Region Civilization, such specialness is nothing in the grand scheme of the universe. As a result, we never went in to explore it until someone told us that there were great secrets inside. Unfortunately, after millions of years of research, we still found nothing. In addition, our defenses were in dire straits, and we could not concentrate most of our forces there for defense. So, everyone gave up."
"Sir, we're just going to try our luck; we don't have much hope of obtaining the technology inside."
"It's good that you have this mindset. I'll remind you of two things. First, faster-than-light travel is impossible in the Matter River, not even for us. We must use conventional engines. You'll understand this when you get there, without me having to remind you. Second, the general rule for the Insect Race is that the larger the size, the higher the rank. But be especially careful of small individuals that suddenly appear; they might be solitary, higher-ranking Zerg."
"Thank you for reminding us, sir. We will definitely pay attention."
"I won't go into the rest. The neutron star array defense line cannot be shut down, but we've left a passage. Follow my warship; I'll take you there."