"Actually, these aren't what I'm most worried about, sigh," Academician Zeng sighed.
"Academician, are you worried that a neutron star explosion might affect the existence of those so-called danger zones? Or are you worried that a neutron star explosion might attract higher-level insects from the fourth dimension?"
"The space here is exceptionally stable, so there's no need to worry about the neutron star explosion affecting the fourth dimension. As for the danger zone, let's not even mention it. My life is more important, my life is more important, haha," Academician Zeng reassured himself.
"Academician, the existence of this neutron star is indeed very special. But don't worry, our Bee spaceship has already gone ahead of us to explore it. We will know immediately if there are any anomalies. We are currently 0.5 light-years away from the neutron star. The swarm will not be able to catch up with us before we reach the neutron star. If there are indeed anomalies there, it may be a glimmer of hope for us."
"Academician, I have a question."
" Little Zhuge, please speak if you have any questions."
"Academician, warp drive is no longer possible here. We can't move the star to collide with the neutron star and detonate it, so..."
"I understand what you mean. Outside, we can detonate a star by colliding it with a neutron star. Although we can't move the star here, we have other methods that are unusable outside."
"Is there really a way?"
"Would I, an old man, lie to you? In normal space, a neutron star has a huge impact on the surrounding space, so we can only drive other celestial bodies to collide with it. But it's not the same here. We've measured the curvature of space here, and even near a neutron star, the curvature of space is still very, very small. Do you know what that means?"
"Small curvature? Doesn't that mean weak gravity? Academician, are you saying the gravity near a neutron star is very weak? Then can we land on a neutron star?!"
"No, no, the gravity of the celestial bodies here is still normal. It's just that this gravity is interrupted during the process of emanating from the celestial bodies. The same goes for neutron stars. If we don't land, our human bodies can stay a meter above them without being torn apart by tidal forces."
"So what does this have to do with detonating a neutron star?"
"The composition of this neutron star is extremely simple. Its surface is a lattice of iron atomic nuclei, and its interior is a pure neutron fluid. Crucially, its magnetic field is weakened to a negligible degree for some reason, allowing our magnetic field lines to enter the neutron star unimpeded and convert its matter into energy. When this conversion continues to a certain extent, the neutron star will be unable to maintain its structure and will explode violently. If it weren't for the unique characteristics of the space here, the magnetic field lines would not be able to approach the neutron star, and even if they did, they would be destroyed."
"Academician, is it possible for us to preserve some neutron-degenerate matter? We haven't used this since we attacked the Wind Star Civilization. Although it's ineffective against advanced civilizations' warships, neutron proliferation should still be effective against these insects. They lack force field defenses, and neutrons have strong penetrating power, so entering their bodies shouldn't be a problem."
"This kind of thing is good, but it can't be mass-produced for the fleet. We can now mass-produce neutrons and antineutrons, but forcibly combining them is very time-consuming. Obtaining these things from nature is too uneconomical. From the explosion of a neutron star, we can obtain less than one hundred millionth of the degenerate matter. If neutron degenerate matter can really cause huge damage to higher-order insects, we will focus on this research topic in the future."
The fleet continued its advance toward the neutron star. A small swarm of Zerg had already caught up with the fleet, and they seized the opportunity to lie down on the outside of the Reaper. Their two pairs of sharp mandibles on their heads were aimed at the armor and they took a bite. The Reversed State Armor was immediately torn open.
Although the tear wasn't large, these creatures were incredibly fast at biting. Their mandibles were just as powerful as the teeth of those giant insects. No wonder even those giant insects didn't dare to provoke these beetles; if they were targeted, they could penetrate directly into the giant insect's body.
" Old Hu, in the past few months, tens of thousands more pairs of particles in the academicians' fleet have lost entanglement, and now their fleet has less than 50,000 ships."
"I know, it's likely caused by warp drive. To avoid attracting the attention of the swarm, the four-dimensional portal wasn't fully opened this time, and the entangled state between particles is extremely fragile."
" Old Hu, stop fooling yourself. We need to think of something. We know nothing about the academicians' situation right now. I suggest we try to send a fleet over?"
"How can we send them there? Our fleet can't even get through the defenses. Disguise can only be done once, and large-scale camouflage is not feasible; it will definitely attract the attention of the higher-level insects. However, the academicians' fleet has only started to shrink sharply in the last year or two. Initially, only two thousand ships lost contact. Judging from the timeline, they should have already reached the Matter River. Something must have happened in the Matter River, or the Matter River may be affecting the four-dimensional passage."
"There's no insect swarm in the Matter River, so what could have happened? If the Matter River were affecting the passage, all communication should have been lost at once. And even if they were exploring a dangerous area, the academicians wouldn't have needed to expend so many warships. I think the academicians must have encountered an emergency. Judging from the intervals between the loss of communication, the Reaper seem to be in battle."
"Perhaps, but we're not there, so let's not speculate. Even if we could enter the Insect Zone now, it would be too late. I hope the academicians can escape danger and remain safe."
"I also hope that Academician Zeng and his team are capable of handling it, but I just can't put my mind at ease. We shouldn't have sent them in the first place, sigh!"
"Never mind, we can't stop them. How's the Reception Plan going?"
"With the help and some technological support of the Carina Civilization, it's progressing quickly. The stellar path has already been laid 10,000 light-years. However, the consumption is enormous. Just transporting 10,000 light-years has already consumed three percent of the total number of stars to be transported. If we move any further, the consumption will increase exponentially."
"If the energy expenditure wasn't too high, advanced civilizations in the galaxy would have left long ago. We should try to move them as far away as possible, to a place with a greater number of stars, and do so without disrupting the galaxy's normal operation, to avoid impacting other less advanced civilizations. We really have to thank the Carina Civilization this time; if their Reception Plan hadn't been so difficult to implement, we probably would have had to build up our warships and force our way into the Insect Zone."
"I know, it won't cause any galactic upheavals. It's just that the less advanced civilizations in this area will be very puzzled in a few years as to why so many stars have disappeared for no apparent reason."
"This might be a good thing for them, allowing them to realize sooner that they are not alone in this universe. If we had realized this earlier back on Earth, we might not have ended up wandering through space and losing our home."
"Alright, stop dwelling on the past and look ahead. Every cloud has a silver lining. If we hadn't come out of this mess, we might still be Stellar-Level Civilization. Do you believe me?"
"Perhaps."
"Forget it, I'm not going to argue with you anymore. The fleet has a lot of things to do, and I'm destined to be a workaholic. Once we're able to rebuild the Solar System, I'll definitely resign and go back to the countryside. I'll find a lakeside spot near the mountains, raise some chickens and ducks, feed a cow, and grow some vegetables. During the day, I'll take the dog fishing, and at night, my wife will cook the vegetables we grew and stew the fish we caught. Ah, just thinking about it makes my mouth water."