The Fish Horse Star warship is currently following Earth Two. Even if it hides in the Pillars of Creation, it may not be able to escape the clutches of the enemy. However, as Academician Zeng Zhaoyuan said, this is the only way to seek a glimmer of hope.
"Academician, are there any other methods, such as those related to space, like how to re-enter the fourth dimension?"
"We'll try to find a way, but don't get your hopes up too high. Unless a miracle happens in the field of technology, we'll still work hard to see if we can create one."
"This time, we may really be facing annihilation. Don't tell the public the specifics yet, so they won't worry too much."
"The people will understand us. General, you continue to deal with the Fish Horse Star People and try to buy them time. We need to think of something else."
"Alright, fellow academicians, thank you for your hard work."
The difference between Star System-Level Civilization and Small Star Sector Civilization is so vast that just one hundred warships from Small Star Sector Civilization have plunged the entire human fleet into crisis. Humanity is now like hostages with a gun pointed at them; the gunman can fire at any time if he so chooses. However, the gunman also has to face the police outside, and the two sides are in a stalemate. If information cannot be transmitted to the police, the gunman can fire without hesitation.
The fleet has turned towards the Pillars of Creation. Although it no longer has the original Pillars of Creation, if Academician Zeng's observation is correct, the Pillars of Creation have now regained new life. Of course, Academician Zeng would never make such a basic mistake.
Ten thousand kilometers away from Earth Two, a hundred giant ships from the Fish Horse Star were still following at a leisurely pace. In the eyes of the Fish Horse Star People, humans were nothing more than ants crawling slowly at their feet, which they could crush at any time if they wanted to. However, before crushing this ant, they still had to wipe out the Wind Master heading to the Galactic Center.
With only a thousand light-years left to reach the Pillars of Creation, and only 1,500 of the original 5,000 Wind Master remaining—the rate of loss exceeding expectations— Hu Yu grew increasingly anxious. Even those Wind Master hidden within stars or other celestial bodies were found and destroyed one by one. Hu Yu couldn't help but admire the strength of the Small Star Sector Civilization. These Wind Master were distributed over thousands of light-years, and to search for a single human warship in such a vast area, and to destroy over 3,500 in just two years, their power was absolutely not to be underestimated.
Let alone the Wind Master' ability to hide and maneuver over a range of thousands of light-years, even if these thousands of Wind Master were placed in the former Solar System, they would be difficult to find. The Fish Horse Star Civilization's fleet must have used some method to track them; otherwise, it would have been impossible to find them so quickly using conventional search methods. However, Hu Yu did not know exactly what method the Fish Horse Star fleet used. Hu Yu and the academicians had suspected the four-dimensional communication network. This space-based communication method was likely the source of the discovery by the Fish Horse Star fleet. However, if the four-dimensional communication network was shut down, it would be no different from the Fish Horse Star People destroying it. The opening and closing of the four-dimensional communication network is a one-time event; once it is closed, it can never be re-established.
A giant ship from the Fish Horse Star broke away from the main force and suddenly maneuvered into the Wind Master fleet that was carrying Earth Two. With a shock, a powerful electric current was released onto nearly a hundred Wind Master. As the current flowed across the surface of the Wind Master, these nearly a hundred Wind Master exploded violently a few seconds later.
The shockwave from the explosion affected tens of thousands of nearby Wind Master. Earth Two Earth Two forcibly pulled out of its warp drive, and the gravitational imbalance caused it to begin deforming. Fortunately, Gao Jianchuan, the commander in charge of planetary transport, reacted quickly and ordered all Wind Master to stop their warp engines within three seconds, thus saving Earth Two. Otherwise, the gravitational imbalance caused by the powerful warp engines of the Wind Master bending space could have easily led to its disintegration.
Fortunately, these Wind Master did not carry antimatter; otherwise, the chain reaction would have not only destroyed all the Wind Master, but also turned Earth Two into a scorched wasteland.
The people in the underground bunker also experienced a few seconds of weightlessness or g-force. Everyone was still shaken, but fortunately there were no casualties. When Hu Yu saw this, he immediately rebuked the Fish Horse Star People.
" The Fish Horse Star Civilization, don't push your luck!!!"
"Oh, really? It was just an accident."
"Hmph, everyone knows we're at a disadvantage. I know that once you wipe out all the Wind Master, it'll be the inhabited planets' turn next. But you'd better be smart. If you try to force us before all the Wind Master are found, then I'll have no choice but to take them all down with me."
"That's right, your warships will soon be destroyed one by one by us. Moreover, you don't even have 100,000 warships. According to our intelligence, you'd be lucky to have 5,000. You'd better find a way to escape before we destroy the last warship, otherwise, you'll be food for the insects."
"No need for your concern, but I must warn you, if you attack our warships again and prevent our home planet from entering warp drive, it will be tantamount to killing us. We will not hesitate to broadcast this message."
Hu Yu shut down the communication channel with the Fish Horse Star People, not wanting to waste any more words with them. The more he talked, the more smug the Fish Horse Star People would become.
" Old Hu, the Fish Horse Star People destroyed our Wind Master heading to the Galactic Center, which is also a death sentence for us. Why didn't we warn them? For example, we could have broadcast a warning when the number of Wind Master dropped to one hundred."
"It's no use. What if they've already found all the warships and then launch an attack simultaneously? We can't determine the number or the timing of their attack. Right now, we're either going to die if we broadcast or not. We'll also die if Fish Horse Star finds all the Wind Master. The only possibility is to escape before Fish Horse Star finds all the warships."
"At worst, we'll just go our separate ways and neither of us will survive. Let's just broadcast it over the loudspeaker."
"So what? This is not the time for petty squabbles. Even ants try to survive, let alone our 15 billion people. We can't just act on our whims."
"But they're moving too fast. I originally thought they could hold out for four or five years, but it's only been two years, and they've already found more than half of the Wind Master. It's hard to say whether the remaining warships can hold out until we enter the Pillars of Creation Nebula."
"It's a matter of luck. The high density of warships in the early stages explains why they found more."
"Fate? Old Hu, when did you start believing in fate!"
Hu Yu smiled bitterly. Fate? When had he ever believed in fate? Since he took command of the fleet, every crisis had been resolved through the efforts and struggles of everyone. But right now, he couldn't see any hope of resolving the crisis.
500 light-years from the Pillars of Creation, there are still 389 Wind Master remaining.
400 light-years from the Pillars of Creation, there are still 266 Wind Master remaining.
100 light-years from the Pillars of Creation, there are still 28 Wind Master remaining.
20 light-years from the Pillars of Creation, there are still 3 Wind Master remaining.
Keep going, keep going! In just half a month, we'll enter the densest region of the nebula. The concentration of matter here has now increased to over 50 atoms per cubic meter. The Pillars of Creation are now clearly visible. The original three giant fingers have disappeared, and what's in front of us is a huge, radiating cloud of smoke—a typical state of a recent stellar explosion.
The size of the nebula has also expanded from the original 20 light-years to about 25 light-years. The excessive density of matter has blocked the outward impact of stellar explosions. Unless it is an explosion of the magnitude of a supernova, it will not greatly affect the appearance of the nebula.
There are 10 light-years remaining to the Pillars of Creation. The number of Wind Master is zero.
The Fish Horse Star warship blocked Earth Two's path, forcing Earth Two to halt its voyage.