Chapter 91: Alliance

In the vast darkness of space, detecting a fleet maintaining radio silence and emitting neither visible nor invisible radiation is exceedingly difficult. At least, Xiao Yu hadn’t detected the Luka fleet that had been silently tailing him until they activated their energy shields, emitting visible light.

Perhaps Xiao Yu’s sudden switch to a combat formation led the Luka fleet to believe they had been exposed, prompting them to abandon concealment and launch an immediate attack.

Xiao Yu assessed the strength of the Luka fleet. It consisted of approximately 60,000 ships, including one exceptionally large vessel, significantly larger than a City-Class ship, with an estimated mass of several tens of millions of tons. In Xiao Yu’s classification, this was a Province-Class ship. Besides this Province-Class flagship, there were at least twenty City-Class ships, alongside thousands of County-Class ships and tens of thousands of Village-Class and Town-Class ships.

A massive fleet centered around a Province-Class flagship, supported by twenty elite City-Class ships, thousands of County-Class ships, and tens of thousands of smaller vessels!

The moment Xiao Yu came under attack, he experienced a familiar sensation. Almost immediately, countless faint sparks erupted inside his ships, and the outer hull temperatures rapidly increased. Xiao Yu instantly realized what was happening: they were enveloped by a force field created by a Force Field Generator.

Under the influence of this force field, the combat effectiveness of Xiao Yu’s ships would decrease by 50%. Despite Xiao Yu having mastered energy shield technology and significantly improving his ships’ technology, his fleet’s average combat strength still lagged behind the Luka Civilization’s.

Moreover, based on his conversations with Luka One and Luka Two, Xiao Yu deduced that the Luka fleet might also carry another type of superweapon.

Considering these factors, Xiao Yu quickly evaluated his chances and concluded that in the vastness of space, he was absolutely no match for the Luka fleet. Victory was entirely out of reach.

The ferocity of the attack was extraordinary. A single volley resulted in the destruction of about 1,000 of Xiao Yu’s 120,000 ships.

“God, what have I done to deserve this? How did the Luka fleet find me? And why am I so unlucky to encounter the Specter Race here?” Xiao Yu shouted in despair.

Ahead lay the Specter Race, which, according to Luka Two, required at least a Level 4 civilization to combat. Behind him was the Luka fleet, whose first attack alone had demonstrated that Xiao Yu was already outmatched, even before their more powerful weapons were brought into play.

“Stop firing! Stop firing! There’s a Specter Race ahead! Let’s join forces to deal with them first!” In this moment of extreme peril, Xiao Yu suddenly thought of something. He immediately transmitted a message via radio waves.

The Luka fleet likely hadn’t detected the presence of the Specter Race yet. Xiao Yu needed to alert them.

This was Xiao Yu’s only chance. Since the Specter Race was a common enemy to all civilizations, there was a good chance that the Luka fleet would agree to join forces with him to eliminate the Specters. If that happened, Xiao Yu would have an opportunity. He could potentially use the joint battle as a cover to find a way to take down the Luka fleet.

Xiao Yu held no hope for the Specter Race he had encountered. Based on the Guardian Civilization’s broadcast regarding the Specter Race in the Third Starfield, Xiao Yu was nearly certain that they had originated from the Solar System and were now the very ones he faced. However, he did not dare to assume they retained their intelligence. This was evident from the Phantom’s previous frenzied attacks on him.

If they attacked, Xiao Yu would not hesitate to retaliate. Just as he had wiped out the Jovian Phantoms on Jupiter, he would show no mercy. It was like in post-apocalyptic films where one’s relatives or friends turned into zombies—ensuring one’s survival meant dealing a fatal blow without hesitation.

Xiao Yu had always maintained a clear separation between reason and emotion.

“Great God! Why are you so cruel to us? Why, when the Specter Race appears, does the fleet from our mother civilization have to show up here? They can’t save us—they’ll only be destroyed here as well! Great God, have you abandoned us?” Through the monitoring system, Xiao Yu saw Luka Two howling in despair.

“Idiot, a traitor like you deserves nothing more than to be devoured by the Specter Race,” Xiao Yu thought viciously. Controlling a robot, he knocked Luka Two unconscious.

Although Xiao Yu had gained much from Luka Two, he still found many of its actions deeply repugnant.

The Specter Race would intersect with Xiao Yu in just over twenty minutes. During this time, Xiao Yu maintained an exceptionally restrained and tolerant stance toward the Luka fleet’s attacks, barely retaliating. This strategy was aimed at convincing the Luka fleet of his sincerity, thereby encouraging them to join forces against the Specter Race.

Xiao Yu understood that the Luka fleet was also aware that encountering the Specter Race left no room for escape unless faster-than-light travel was available. Fleeing from an enemy that moved at light speed was futile. The most rational course of action was to unite all available forces and eliminate the Specter Race first.

After all, in conflicts between civilizations, the defeated side might still survive, as evidenced by the Luka captives aboard Xiao Yu’s ships. The Specter Race, however, offered no such possibility. Between technological civilizations and the Specter Race, the outcome was always life or death—no alternatives.

Xiao Yu trusted that the Luka fleet had the basic judgment to recognize this reality.

Sure enough, five minutes later, the Luka fleet ceased all attacks. Their ships began moving toward Xiao Yu’s fleet, and a message was transmitted. Using his translation tools, Xiao Yu easily deciphered the content. Despite the language barrier, the message carried a clear undertone of seething anger.

“You bastard, what the hell are you?! You’re a curse! I’ve spent twenty years painstakingly tracking you down, not to deliver myself to the Specter Race! Damn it, if we manage to kill the Specters this time, the first thing I’ll do afterward is take you out!”

Reading the message, Xiao Yu could vividly imagine the enraged Luka commander—a creature with a large head, big eyes, a fragile torso, and thin limbs—jumping up and down in fury.

Fuming with anger himself, Xiao Yu retorted, “Screw you! If it weren’t for running from your pursuit, do you think I’d end up in this godforsaken place and encounter the Specter Race? Damn it, is 2,500 contribution points really worth you hounding me like a pack of dogs? Did I demolish your house or kill your family? If I’m going to die, I’ll make sure to drag you down with me!”

Within ten seconds, a new message came through: “What the hell?! You’re showing emotion? You’re not a mechanical civilization! What are you?!”

“None of your business! Let’s deal with the Specter Race first—they’ll be here in fifteen minutes!” Xiao Yu snapped back without hesitation.

The Luka fleet commander’s response came with a derisive laugh. “Hahaha! A being with a mechanical body but the soul of a technological civilization—this is the first time I’ve seen something like you. If we can capture you and hand you over to the Alliance, that’s at least 20,000 contribution points! That would be enough to push our civilization to an Advanced Level 3 civilization! And I would gain supreme honor within our civilization!”

Xiao Yu’s fury surged again. “Focus on the Specter Race first! Worry about surviving to enjoy your spoils later, idiot! I still have tens of thousands of your people in my hands. Push me too far, and I’ll kill them all!”

“For the advancement of our civilization, sacrifices must be made.” The Luka fleet commander’s tone had turned cold at some point.

Xiao Yu’s heart skipped a beat. He immediately recorded the statement and broadcasted it aboard the New Homeland.

The response from the Luka captives was instant. Furious roars erupted throughout the ship:

“No matter what, we were captured for the sake of our mother civilization—how can they abandon us like this?”

“Our mother civilization has forsaken us! We fought and bled to make them stronger, but now we’re being discarded like trash!”

“Great God! Why have you abandoned us?”

Xiao Yu’s action had been instinctive. If he survived this crisis, it wouldn’t take much effort to turn the entire captive Luka population to his side.

The Luka fleet commander sent another message: “Fine, let’s focus on killing the Specters first. After that, the outcome will depend on our own capabilities. This Specter group is only Level 2 and still quite weak. Together, with the Force Field Generators and Gravitational bombs, we have a 30% chance of victory!”

Both Xiao Yu and the Luka fleet commander were highly intelligent. In this situation, withholding their capabilities would be tantamount to suicide. Despite their heated exchange, their cooperation wasn’t hindered. The Luka fleet commander had no reservations about revealing their actual combat capabilities, confident that he could defeat Xiao Yu in direct confrontation later.

Xiao Yu’s heart lightened, and he replied promptly: “Good! Let’s do it! Take care of the Specters first—afterward, the winner takes all! You handle the port side; I’ll take the starboard!”