Academician Zeng put away his stern expression and revealed a smug smile. Seeing this smile, Chen Peng and Li Zhixiong were filled with regret. They never expected that after all their hard work, they would be tricked by an old scholar at the crucial moment. However, the decision had already been made and could not be reversed. Besides, the two of them were also very eager to explore the danger zone.
"It's over, Zhuge Xiong. We have no choice but to go to the danger zone this time, otherwise we'll have to turn back. That kid Li Shun has surrounded us from all sides."
"Alright then, let's venture into the danger zone, but I can't let that bastard Li Shun get away with this so easily."
"What kind of lousy idea are you up to now, kid?"
"Whether the idea is bad or not doesn't matter. The key is whether we can destroy Li Shun's fleet. We need to install a few sets of the Consciousness Field simulation equipment that Academician Xiao made for us into those simplified Reaper we created."
"You mean..."
"Hehehe, I don't know if it will work, but these warships are only used as targets anyway, so using them as bait doesn't matter."
"Don't make too many. Keep 10,000 ships. Use the rest as transport ships. Fill them up with supplies in the Matter River. There won't be any supplies in the danger zone. Collecting energy is too troublesome."
"Ten thousand ships are enough. Even if the Consciousness Field doesn't work, I still have to recoup the investment in those ten thousand ships."
"What a shrewd businessman, haha."
"Fellow academicians, let us prepare ourselves. We will enter the danger zone in one month."
A month later, more than 40,000 Reaper equipped with Reversed State Armor and more than 40,000 simplified Reaper in ordinary armor entered the danger zone fully loaded. Ten thousand simplified Reaper were left behind to destroy all the technology-related equipment in the base before leaving the danger zone as bait. Academician Zeng was afraid of disrupting the connection between the three-dimensional universe and the Secondary Universe.
The academicians were thrilled to venture into the danger zone for the first time. Chen Peng and Li Zhixiong were excited but also worried. Everything seemed normal, but the real danger always lurked in the shadows. Maintaining awe for the universe is something every being that enters the cosmos must understand.
The Reaper entered the danger zone quickly reached a point ten light-years from the exit. There were relay devices there, so the fleet wouldn't get lost. Chen Peng and Li Zhixiong decided to study the area first and wait for news from Li Shun. If Li Shun didn't pursue them into the danger zone, they would slowly build relay devices to expand their exploration range. If Li Shun did enter, then that would be a different story.
The academicians have already gotten busy. Experiencing it firsthand and observing it from a warship are two completely different experiences. The existence of this Secondary Universe is very special. Although 5 billion years have passed, Academician Zeng does not believe that this universe is that big. The Reaper travel at 5,000 times the speed of light inside.
By examining the navigation logs, it was found that, apart from a stop of tens of millions of years when recharging, the universe had been traveling normally at 5,000 times the speed of light. If calculated at this speed, the diameter of the Secondary Universe would exceed 8 trillion light-years, which is countless times larger than the three-dimensional universe. As a subordinate universe, it is impossible for it to be larger than the three-dimensional universe.
It's all the fault of time. The flow of time in this Secondary Universe is not only faster than that of the three-dimensional universe, but there are also places within this Secondary Universe where the flow of time is different. Only in places connected to the three-dimensional universe are time and rules barely normal.
The answers to all these questions will only be found through exploration and research within this universe. Right now, this Secondary Universe is like a giant gold mine, waiting for the academicians to unearth it.
Outside the danger zone, Li Shun's fleet had already surrounded ten thousand Reaper. Although the Reaper had not yet entered the enemy's attack range, escape was impossible. The encirclement of Li Shun's fleet was getting smaller and smaller. They did not fire, seemingly intending to capture these academicians alive.
A billion vanguard fleets had already surrounded the Reaper in a tiny space of only half an astronomical unit. The Reaper ' pre-programmed sequence was activated, and Consciousness Field erupted— Consciousness Field filled with provocation.
The area where the Reaper trapped is the same area where the first dimensional fall caused the explosion. The giant worm of the fourth dimension should be right next to this three-dimensional space. The giant worm must have locked onto the relative position of this three-dimensional space and the fourth dimension.
Li Shun's fleet of robots had already flown out, but it was too late. An enormous insect head appeared directly above the Reaper, followed by a deafening explosion. The entire Reaper fleet was wiped out, along with billions of nearby disc-shaped warships, which were also reduced to ashes.
The insect head angrily surveyed its surroundings before disappearing from the three-dimensional universe once again.
"Your Majesty, that sudden arrival destroyed over a billion of our warships, and the entire target fleet was also wiped out."
"Foolish, low-level creatures. The rest of the fleet, continue the search. This is the last danger zone. Send the robots to scout ahead first. Once it's safe, then send the scientists."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Li Shun was so angry that his face turned red. This giant insect had ruined his plans time and time again. This time, he paid a heavy price to obtain ten units of the swarm, but he did not expect that more than half of them would be killed by this giant insect. Even the academicians of Hu Yu's fleet were killed. Li Shun did not expect that the academicians had already entered the danger zone.
He had ventured into the danger zone before, but like Academician Zeng and his team, he dared not go deep, and all the spaceships that went deep got lost.
"Your Excellency, the robots that entered the danger zone have reported that Hu Yu's scientist fleet has not perished; they have entered the danger zone."
"What? They dare to enter the danger zone?"
"We've cornered them; the danger zone is their only hope."
"Hope? I don't believe they can get out. Wait, no, no."
"Your Majesty, is something wrong?"
"It's been over ten thousand years since we last hunted them down. Why haven't they left in all this time?"
"Your Majesty, they can't leave either; there are swarms of insects all around."
" Wei Kaiyuan, you haven't been back long and don't know them well. Don't underestimate them. If they were able to break in, they must have a way out. They know we might come back, but they haven't left or called for reinforcements from the main fleet. So they must have a way to escape. They didn't leave until we surrounded them, and only entered the danger zone at the very end. Maybe they've already discovered something and found a way out."
"We've been here for over ten thousand years longer than them, and even we haven't discovered anything. How could they possibly have discovered the secrets of this place?"