Chapter 100: Cooperation

The abnormal explosion of Tianyuan IV left Xiao Yu deeply shaken. He fell into profound worry.

The act of detonating Tianyuan IV revealed technological power beyond Xiao Yu’s imagination. He couldn’t fathom what kind of means could turn a young star, with insufficient mass for a supernova, into such a spectacular explosion, effectively ending its life in a supernova-like burst.

“The vast universe is filled with crises,” Xiao Yu sighed, a tremendous sense of danger welling up in his heart.

“What’s your take on this matter?” Xiao Yu asked Luka Two.

“My guess is that the Guardian Civilization has issued a bounty on you,” Luka Two replied bitterly. “Typically, for major incidents, the Guardians use spatial broadcasts. These broadcasts spread throughout the galaxy within ten years, and any civilization that has reached the interstellar age can intercept them. We likely missed this information because we were in high-speed travel at the time.”

“I see…” Xiao Yu pondered silently, a question emerging in his mind. “I’m just a Level 3 Mechanical Civilization. Why is the Guardian Civilization so interested in me?”

Luka Two sighed softly and answered, “It’s because of your form of life… Combining the soul with machinery to achieve infinite life, endless energy, immense computational power, and unparalleled creativity—this is the life state all beings dream of. I don’t know what kind of opportunity allowed you to evolve into this form, but I’m certain that even the life forms of the Guardian Civilization and the Sweepers are inferior to yours. Both of these powerful civilizations’ beings are still constrained by birth, aging, sickness, and death. Even if their lifespans extend to hundreds of thousands or millions of years, they still die. But you won’t.”

Xiao Yu stood there as if struck by lightning.

“I always thought that when technology advanced enough, combining the soul with a computer would be a simple matter…” Xiao Yu murmured to himself. “But now it seems I was wrong—wrong from the very beginning.”

Xiao Yu carefully recalled every detail of the process by which he combined his soul with a computer.

“First, I accidentally obtained a strange, stone-like substance from a comet in the outer solar system. Only after discovering the peculiar properties of this stone did I begin my research into merging the soul with a computer…”

“This stone emitted a mysterious radiation. Under its influence, a person’s consciousness—or soul—took on a physical form. It was with the help of this stone that I accomplished this extraordinary feat of integrating my soul with a computer. It seems that after the fusion was completed, the stone lost all its unique properties and became just an ordinary stone.”

This detail was something Xiao Yu had never given much thought to before, dismissing it as an unexplained phenomenon of the universe. But now, reflecting on it, he realized how strange it truly was.

“How could it all be such a coincidence? Just when I discovered Earth was on the brink of destruction, I immediately stumbled upon this stone… Then, after succeeding, some unknown force influenced my mind, compelling me to leave the solar system as soon as I acquired interstellar travel capabilities…”

“I always thought that the life forms of advanced civilizations must be far superior to mine…”

Xiao Yu felt a sense of bewilderment.

He began to detect a faint hint of conspiracy. Within this conspiracy, Xiao Yu felt like an ant, easily manipulated and voiceless.

This was an unpleasant realization.

“So, my value is really that significant, huh?” Xiao Yu asked Luka Two with a bitter smile.

“Of course, you’re extremely valuable. If someone captures you and deciphers your secrets, the civilization that masters your mysteries would gain eternal life. They would undoubtedly become the most dominant species in the galaxy—no, in the entire universe,” Luka Two replied. “Before, I always thought you were just a highly intelligent electronic lifeform. It’s only recently that I confirmed you’ve fused the soul of a sentient being with a computer. However… it seems the Guardian Civilization has also uncovered your secret.”

“This means endless pursuit, a powerful enemy out of nowhere…” Xiao Yu said bitterly. “It also means I must enhance my strength as quickly as possible.”

“Yes, my master, you must enhance your strength as quickly as possible. My race’s fate is now bound to yours. The stronger you are, the safer my tens of thousands of kin will be. If you are captured, we will undoubtedly perish as well. Therefore, my master, for your strength, I and my tens of thousands of kin are willing to dedicate our power to you,” Luka Two said as he knelt to the ground in full prostration.

“Very well.” In that moment, Xiao Yu finally lowered his guard toward the Luka Civilization just a bit. “I will construct a dedicated laboratory for your scientists. You will assist me in quickly overcoming the challenges of material technology and engine efficiency!”

“We are honored to serve you,” Luka Two replied respectfully.

After their discussion, Xiao Yu took the construction plans submitted by the Luka Civilization’s scientists and commanded the robots to quickly begin construction. Around the main base, Xiao Yu built a massive new research facility.

Among the tens of thousands of Luka people, 321 had scientific research capabilities. Over the following period, Xiao Yu would share his research results with these Luka scientists and provide them with all the resources they needed. The objective was singular: to overcome the current technological obstacles as quickly as possible!

Under the immense pressure of survival, Xiao Yu craved a technological breakthrough more than ever.

Thanks to the efforts of millions of robots, it took just one month to complete the dedicated research facility for the Luka people. Xiao Yu named it the Second Research Institute, distinguishing it from his own First Research Institute.

The 321 Luka scientists, accompanied by 400 assistants, excitedly moved into the Second Research Institute. After decades of brainwashing under Xiao Yu’s influence, these Luka people had developed absolute loyalty to him. To them, serving God’s Emissary was a supreme honor.

“This is a test from the Great God! After our deaths, we will surely return to the embrace of the Great God!”

“The journey of God’s Emissary is destined to be fraught with challenges. We are the first brave warriors to follow the Emissary! In millennia to come, history will sing of our names!”

“Yes! Contributing our abilities to God’s Emissary is our glory!”

Listening to their chatter, Xiao Yu couldn’t help but smile wryly.

“I’m like a clay Bodhisattva crossing a river—I can barely protect myself, let alone take care of you all. Well, Luka Two’s brainwashing skills aren’t half bad,” Xiao Yu thought.

Over the next period, Xiao Yu witnessed what it truly meant to be a workaholic. These Luka scientists were so desperate to achieve results that they seemed to disregard their own wellbeing. According to Luka Two, the Luka people’s usual routine was to work for 16 hours and rest for 4 hours in cycles. However, after Luka Two’s encouragement, these scientists had gone 40 hours straight without rest, their eyes still shining with energy as if they had boundless stamina.

To prevent the Luka scientists from overworking themselves to death, Xiao Yu had to command robots to forcibly take them to rest. However, it often happened that under the grip of two robots, the small, frail Luka scientists would struggle fiercely, shouting, “I don’t need rest yet! My experiment is about to yield results! Let me go!”

Unable to bear truly harming these obsessive Luka scientists, Xiao Yu reluctantly ordered the robots to release them. The moment they were freed, the Luka scientists, like hungry dogs seeing a bone, would dash back to their workstations with unmatched speed and resume their experiments.

With no other choice, Xiao Yu used his “God’s Emissary” persona, appearing via 3D holographic projection to personally order the scientists to rest. Only then did the Luka scientists reluctantly put down their research equipment and head to the rest area. Yet, even after resting for just two hours, they would return to their fervent research, leaving Xiao Yu helplessly smiling.

To sustain their physical health, Xiao Yu synthesized large amounts of “nutrient-rich” food specifically tailored for the Luka people.

The First and Second Research Institutes operated in an information-sharing mode. With the Luka scientists’ relentless research efforts and Xiao Yu’s immense computational and innovative capabilities working in tandem, progress on the material technology challenge finally showed signs of breakthrough.

Through experiments under extreme high-temperature and high-pressure conditions, Xiao Yu and the Luka scientists co-developed a unique substance. Heavier than gold yet fluid in form, this material significantly enhanced the hardness and toughness of specialized steel when added in precise proportions during forging.

Xiao Yu named this material Liquid Gold.

The production of Liquid Gold was extraordinarily difficult. After mastering the technology, Xiao Yu constructed ten large-scale production facilities. It took an entire year of manufacturing to produce just 500 kilograms of Liquid Gold—enough for a single Village-Class spaceship.

This Liquid Gold material was immediately used to construct a new Village-Class spaceship. Today marked the maiden test flight of this advanced vessel.