Chapter 115: Lonely like Snow

As Xiao Yu carefully observed the alien beast, it stood silently on the surface of the white dwarf, its head tilted upward, seemingly gazing at the distant stars.

Its head was facing directly toward the Aquila One star system.

“What is it planning?!” Xiao Yu immediately heightened his vigilance upon noticing this.

Under the immense gravitational pull of the white dwarf, the beast couldn’t even stand upright—its back and waist were slightly bent, forming a curved shape.

Xiao Yu was certain that this slightly hunched posture wasn’t its natural state.

This also explained its previous behavior—why it had been lying on the surface of the white dwarf for over a year. In a prone position, it faced the least resistance against the star’s gravity, making it the most optimal for rest.

“Perhaps it really is seriously injured. It seemed to mention before that a civilization called the Taihao Civilization had wounded it and imprisoned it on this white dwarf. It also claimed that if it weren’t injured, a small white dwarf like this wouldn’t be able to hold it. Yet now, it can barely stand against the white dwarf’s gravity, let alone straighten its body. Sigh, even such a powerful being has its day.”

Despite these thoughts, Xiao Yu’s vigilance didn’t diminish in the slightest.

“I’ve never heard of the Taihao Civilization before. When the Luka awaken, I’ll need to inquire about it. By understanding the technological level of the Taihao Civilization, I might be able to estimate the level of this alien beast.”

While multitasking—calculating these possibilities, nervously observing the beast, overseeing the massive construction on Moon One, and commanding tens of thousands of spacecraft—Xiao Yu suddenly received a message from the beast through a spatial broadcast.

“Weak technological civilization, what are you doing?”

Xiao Yu’s heart sank as he noticed the beast still standing motionless on the white dwarf.

He understood that this might be the beginning of another deception, yet he couldn’t ignore it. A spatial broadcast from the beast couldn’t be blocked, much like how standing in a noisy marketplace makes it impossible to shut out sound completely, even with earplugs.

“Oh, nothing much. I’m just conducting some planetary modification projects,” Xiao Yu replied.

Immediately, he received a response. This time, he heard a sound resembling a cold laugh embedded in the message.

“It seems you’re building some high-powered engines? Oh, I see your intention. You’re planning to use these engines to push this small thing to the white dwarf, attempting to trigger a nova explosion to destroy me?”

Xiao Yu remained silent, neither confirming nor denying, which the beast interpreted as acquiescence.

“Let me make this clear—this won’t work. As you might already know, nova explosions can occur repeatedly on a white dwarf. I’ve been imprisoned on this white dwarf for over five hundred thousand years and have endured more than a hundred nova explosions without sustaining any damage.” The beast’s tone was icy. “You’re wasting your efforts. I suggest you abandon this futile plan and collaborate with me instead. Help me escape this cursed place, and I will reward you.”

Xiao Yu’s heart grew heavy. He dismissed the latter part of the beast’s words outright. Collaborate with it? A powerful being that could destroy him, one that had deceived him and shown malicious intent from the beginning? Only a fool would consider such a notion.

What truly captured Xiao Yu’s attention was the first part of its statement.

Previously, Xiao Yu had speculated about this possibility. He had to admit that what the beast said was likely true. It was well-documented that nova explosions could occur multiple times on a white dwarf. Furthermore, this white dwarf didn’t appear to be one that would go more than half a million years between such events.

Three hundred seventy thousand years ago, a Level 4 Civilization fleet had passed through the area and been affected by the beast—proving that it had existed here for at least that long. In those three hundred seventy thousand years, the white dwarf must have exploded at least once. Yet the beast remained unscathed.

Undoubtedly, it had the ability to withstand nova explosions.

This raised a critical question for Xiao Yu: Even if he successfully triggered a nova explosion by crashing a moon into the white dwarf, would it be enough to kill the beast?

Doubt began to creep into Xiao Yu’s mind.

As Xiao Yu pondered this, a part of his computational capacity remained dedicated to solving logical problems to ensure his own clarity of thought.

“Is this alien beast benevolent?”

“No,” Xiao Yu answered unequivocally.

“Should I transport supplies for it?”

“No.”

“Should I collaborate with it?”

“No.”

“Should I stop the satellite collision plan?”

When answering this question, Xiao Yu hesitated slightly. He thought, “If a nova explosion really can’t harm it, perhaps I truly am wasting my efforts.”

“Then, the answer to this question should be ‘Yes’,” Xiao Yu concluded.

The pre-programmed system immediately analyzed this answer and, upon detecting that it contradicted the preset conditions, triggered a specialized generator to release a strong electric current, burning out several sensitive components in the central computer.

This program was outside of Xiao Yu’s control. After designing it, Xiao Yu specifically built a separate, physically isolated computer to run this program. Even if Xiao Yu were influenced, this independent computer could still function autonomously.

The burning of these sensitive components instantly alerted Xiao Yu and brought him back to clarity.

Destroying these components acted much like pricking a human with a needle—it delivered a sharp shock capable of awakening the subject.

“Damn it, I’ve been influenced again without realizing it,” Xiao Yu cursed under his breath. “Fortunately, the preset program fulfilled its purpose and woke me up in time.”

Regarding the alien beast’s earlier words, Xiao Yu made a direct response.

“Logically speaking, you shouldn’t try to stop my plan. The reason is simple—if my efforts were truly meaningless, you could have waited until I completed my project and then told me this. That would have been far more convincing. Maybe, faced with undeniable facts, I might have even considered collaborating with you. But your anxiety has betrayed your concern—I am certain you cannot survive this nova explosion. That’s why you’re so desperate to stop me.”

Xiao Yu continued, “Your words only strengthen my resolve to carry out this plan.”

“Eh?” Xiao Yu received a message laden with surprise. His suspicions were confirmed, and a cold smile formed in his mind. “Perhaps the civilizations of alien beasts focus solely on evolving their bodies, neglecting their intellect, which is why they can be so foolish. Then again, it makes sense—if their civilization combined immense physical power with extraordinary intelligence, the galaxy would already belong to the alien beasts, leaving no place for the Sweepers or the Guardian Alliance.”

“Ah,” Xiao Yu heard a sigh in response.

“You have nothing to say? You’re at least over ten million years old… yet after living this long, you’re still so foolish. No wonder the Taihao Civilization managed to imprison you here,” Xiao Yu taunted, mercilessly ridiculing and provoking it.

Unexpectedly, the alien beast did not respond with the fury Xiao Yu had anticipated.

“Indeed… I was born 14.23 million years ago. I came into being on a small, rocky planet that orbited a warm and gentle star. I spent the first 300,000 years of my life on that planet,” it said, its tone somber.

“On that planet, I was the only living being. You must understand how unbearable such loneliness and solitude can be. The planet’s environment was harsh—I lacked sufficient food and energy. To withstand hurricanes, I evolved legs, as ridiculous as that sounds. To endure volcanic eruptions and violent earthquakes, I evolved wings. I struggled to survive on that planet, endlessly searching for sustenance and shelter from disasters.”

“Occasionally, the planet would grow temporarily calm. If I happened to have enough food during those times, I would sit quietly atop a mountain, gazing at the starry sky, wondering if, in this vast and boundless universe, there were others like me.”

“For 300,000 years, I evolved on that planet until I finally gained the ability to leave. I embarked on my cosmic journey without hesitation, all for one purpose: to find my kindred. I wanted to find companions who could join me in exploring the universe, who could share dangers and joys with me.”

As the transmission continued, Xiao Yu detected a shift in the alien beast’s tone. Its voice grew deeper, tinged with sadness.

“‘Kindred’…” The word echoed in Xiao Yu’s mind, lingering and refusing to dissipate.

“I don’t even know if there are any of my kind left… probably not. Earth has been destroyed, and I was the only one who escaped, and even then, only my soul survived. I can’t even maintain a human form anymore—this strange, inhuman appearance is all I have left.”

“I’ve experienced that loneliness and solitude too. Every danger and fear had to be borne by me alone. The joy of defeating enemies or achieving technological breakthroughs… there was no one to share it with.”

“It truly is… unbearably lonely,” Xiao Yu sighed deeply.