Chapter 98: Reaching the Destination

Hearing Luka Two’s explanation, Xiao Yu froze for a moment.

“Moderately dangerous zone? A Level 4 civilization undergoing mutation?” Xiao Yu’s concern grew. “What kind of mutations are we talking about?”

“I don’t know,” Luka Two replied. “The Guardian Civilization classified the aftermath. As a Level 3 civilization, the Luka don’t have the clearance to access such information.”

“Didn’t the Guardian Alliance investigate further?” Xiao Yu pressed.

Luka Two offered a bitter smile. “There are tens of thousands of Level 1 and Level 2 danger zones across the Milky Way. The Guardian Alliance is already overwhelmed—fighting the Sweepers, eradicating mechanical and beast civilizations, and dealing with the periodic reemergence of the Specter Race. They don’t have the capacity to investigate every zone. However, the Alliance does offer exploration missions; mapping a Level 2 danger zone awards at least 10,000 Alliance Contribution Points. But hardly anyone takes on such tasks—low-level civilizations lack the capability, and higher-level ones fear unintended consequences.”

“I see…” Xiao Yu mulled over the situation. “We’re deep within the Aquila Nebula. Leaving would require a five-light-year journey, which could be even more dangerous. Better to continue toward our current target and settle near that star for now.”

“That’s all we can do,” Luka Two said, visibly anxious. “May the Great God keep watching over us.”

Xiao Yu scoffed. “You’ve already betrayed your species. You should be praying to your Evil God, not hoping for the Great God’s blessing.”

Luka Two froze, then gave a bitter laugh, falling silent.

Xiao Yu ended the call and focused on the journey.

During the voyage, Xiao Yu began his preparations.

He named the red dwarf Aquila One, signifying it as the first star he would explore in the Aquila Nebula.

Upon arrival, Xiao Yu planned to conduct a complete upgrade of his fleet, aiming to increase travel speed to 8,000 kilometers per second and improve weapon power and defensive performance by at least 50%.

This upgrade required more efficient engines and energy systems. By analyzing Luka ships, Xiao Yu had already amassed the necessary knowledge. As this was a technical rather than theoretical upgrade, it was relatively straightforward.

Once complete, Xiao Yu’s fleet would surpass the Luka fleet in strength, allowing him to decisively defeat them in open combat, even without access to weapons like the Force Field Generator or Gravitational Bombs.

Work on dissecting the Luka ships was well underway. By analyzing their construction, Xiao Yu gained a comprehensive understanding of every detail and the technologies involved.

Now just 80 billion kilometers from Aquila One, Xiao Yu estimated that he would reach his destination in ten months.

Aquila One was a young and highly active star. Its stellar winds were much stronger than those of Tianyuan IV, blowing interstellar material far into space. Its heliopause extended a full 80 billion kilometers outward, enveloping Xiao Yu’s current position.

Within the vastness of the Aquila Nebula, Aquila One had carved out its own space. Here, interstellar material was incredibly sparse, and even meteoroids were relatively rare.

Against the faint red backdrop of space, Xiao Yu’s fleet moved steadily toward the dim star in the distance.

Xiao Yu’s observations showed that Aquila One had only one planet, a gas giant with 0.8 times the mass of Jupiter, orbiting at 230 million kilometers. The system also contained two massive asteroid belts and countless chaotic meteoroids on unpredictable orbits.

The system’s features were typical of a nascent stellar system.

Xiao Yu planned to establish a base on one of Aquila A’s moons.

As time passed, Xiao Yu’s fleet drew closer to Aquila One, reducing the distance to just 2 billion kilometers. Here, they encountered the first asteroid belt of the system.

As Xiao Yu navigated through the first asteroid belt of the Aquila One system, he observed an astonishing phenomenon. Among countless asteroids, three massive bodies stood out—two larger than Pluto, and one about 0.7 times Pluto’s mass. The trio orbited each other in a chaotic dance.

“This is… a three-body system,” Xiao Yu concluded.

A three-body system consists of three celestial bodies of comparable mass interacting gravitationally. Such systems are inherently chaotic, with unpredictable orbital trajectories. Unlike the stable, predictable orbits in two-body systems, three-body problems are generally unsolvable except under specific initial conditions.

Beyond three-body systems, there are even more complex n-body systems, such as the entire Aquila Nebula, where thousands of stars of similar mass create an unpredictable gravitational dance.

“This asteroid belt is vibrant and full of energy,” Xiao Yu noted. “Perhaps, after countless years, one of these three bodies will accumulate enough mass to become a true planet, capturing the other two as moons. Alternatively, one body might gain sufficient mass to merge with the others, creating a single, massive object.”

Such an event would produce a spectacular planetary collision.

Aside from this small three-body system, Xiao Yu also observed numerous objects that could be classified as dwarf planets. The total mass of this asteroid belt was roughly three times that of Earth.

According to planetary definitions, an object must clear its orbital path to qualify as a planet. Over time, this belt could evolve into a system dominated by a single planet, which would gradually clear its orbit of other debris, becoming a body three times Earth’s mass.

Xiao Yu didn’t linger here, nor did he slow down. Any asteroids in his way were obliterated by laser cannons, while smaller fragments were absorbed by his Energy Shields. Like a mighty crab, Xiao Yu’s fleet pushed forward through the chaos, unstoppable.

Three days later, Xiao Yu reached the second asteroid belt of the Aquila One system. This belt was much smaller than the first; its largest objects were only about 500 kilometers in diameter and lacked the mass to achieve hydrostatic equilibrium, resulting in irregular shapes.

This region was also teeming with billions of comets. Gravitational perturbations from Aquila A and Aquila One, or collisions between the comets themselves, occasionally sent them hurtling toward Aquila One. As they approached the star, their icy components—water ice and dry ice—vaporized, creating long, luminous tails swept outward by the stellar wind.

Some comets came from interstellar space. Their highly elliptical orbits brought them perilously close to the star, with some passing just hundreds of thousands of kilometers away—a hazardous maneuver that sometimes ended with them colliding with the star itself.

Amidst this chaos, Xiao Yu’s fleet arrived at the orbit of Aquila A, the system’s sole gas giant. After decelerating, Xiao Yu selected a moon roughly the size of Earth’s Moon as the site for his primary base. His vast fleet spread out in orbit around Aquila A.

From the moon’s surface, Aquila A appeared like a dim red moon, reminiscent of Earth’s Moon but tinted crimson.

The chosen moon had no atmosphere, leaving its surface pockmarked by countless craters from meteorite impacts. Without weather to erode these marks, the landscape was rugged and uneven.

Xiao Yu would not tolerate such conditions. Deploying 1,000 Village-Class ships, he stationed them in orbit to intercept any incoming meteoroids that might strike the moon.

Aquila A itself was a massive gas giant, with 0.8 times Jupiter’s mass and 0.7 times its volume, indicating a slightly higher density. Its primary components were still hydrogen and helium.

The planet was constantly wracked by violent storms due to the heat imbalance caused by Aquila One’s radiation. The most ferocious storm had wind speeds estimated at 800 kilometers per hour—unimaginable by Earth standards.

Aquila A’s core was a molten sphere of liquid, dense enough under extreme heat and pressure to surpass the density of steel.

The planet also boasted countless massive lightning storms and dazzling auroras at its poles.

Aquila A had over 70 moons and countless smaller meteoroid-sized rocks orbiting it. Of these moons, nine were large enough to achieve hydrostatic equilibrium. Xiao Yu designated these nine as manufacturing hubs for his operations.

The entire Aquila One system was an untouched frontier. Xiao Yu resolved to make it his temporary home, using its abundant resources to advance his technological capabilities.