Chapter 125: The Final Moment (3)

In less than two hours, Moon One would collide directly with the white dwarf.

During this time, no force could alter that outcome. Perhaps the Taihao Civilization or the Micron Civilization, as the Alien Beast had mentioned, had the capability to intervene, but they clearly had no interest in doing so.

“It’s finally done,” Xiao Yu sighed, his emotions conflicted as he gazed at Chen Mo’s projection before him.

“I’ll develop my technology, map out the entire human genome, and reconstruct a body for you,” Xiao Yu said softly. “But… even if I create a body, what about the soul? Without your soul, would it still be you?”

He felt a wave of uncertainty.

Even now, Xiao Yu’s research into the soul remained a blank slate.

Every word and expression of Chen Mo in the projection was something Xiao Yu had recreated from his own memories of her.

With a sigh, Xiao Yu deactivated the holographic projector, and Chen Mo’s image vanished.

“My friend, thank you. Although we will all perish, our hope remains on our home planet. Our legacy will not end. We are truly grateful to you,” the surviving Arrow Beasts sent messages of thanks to Xiao Yu.

“All perish? But we’ve already won…” Xiao Yu paused, suddenly realizing the situation.

“Yes, of course, we will die. At this close distance, even our Alien Beast physiology cannot withstand the immense energy of a nova explosion. Even if our bodies somehow endure, our souls will not survive the intense radiation from the nova,” the Arrow Beasts explained.

A bitter feeling rose in Xiao Yu’s heart. He realized he had overlooked this crucial point.

His own body was still in the Aquila One system. A nova explosion, while powerful, was nowhere near the scale of a supernova and had a much more limited range of influence.

According to his calculations, the energy release from this nova explosion would have minimal impact on him. Even if the radiation proved too intense, Xiao Yu could simply construct a base on the far side of Aquila A and use the entire planet as a shield. The loss of a few thousand ships wouldn’t be significant.

After all, with his superluminal communication capabilities, Xiao Yu could detect the intensity of gamma rays and X-rays from the nova before they reached the Aquila One system and adjust his plans accordingly.

With enough resources and time, ship numbers were just numbers to Xiao Yu.

But what about the Arrow Beasts?

They were only 300 million kilometers from the binary star system, following Moon One at a velocity exceeding 50,000 kilometers per second and accelerating rapidly under the system’s gravitational pull.

This meant that in just over an hour, Moon One would collide with the white dwarf.

“You could take refuge behind that gas giant…” A thought flashed in Xiao Yu’s mind, but before he could finish, he realized it wouldn’t work.

The reason was simple: their velocity was too high. At such close proximity, they couldn’t decelerate in time. Even if they managed to reach the far side of Aquila Two-Z, their high-speed impact with the planet would be just as devastating as enduring the nova explosion. Their fate would still be death.

“My friends, I’m sorry. I have no way to save your lives,” Xiao Yu said sadly.

“It’s okay, my friend. Destroying the Demon and ensuring our civilization’s continuation on our home planet is enough for us. Thank you, my friend. Thank you,” came a message filled with gratitude and peace. It seemed the Arrow Beasts did not fear their deaths.

“Before we die, we have one request. We hope you can help us fulfill it,” the Arrow Beasts said.

“Please, tell me. If it’s within my power, I will do everything I can to make it happen,” Xiao Yu replied resolutely.

“As you know, because of this wretched Demon’s control, all our kin capable of interstellar travel were brought here. On our home planet, only the elderly and the young remain. They are weak, with no ability to leave the planet or defend themselves. This means that if an external threat invades, they will have no means to resist. We hope you can protect them for a while, just until they are capable of defending themselves. After that, you can leave,” the Arrow Beasts pleaded.

Without hesitation, Xiao Yu replied firmly, “Rest assured, as long as I’m alive and have even one ship left, I will not allow any harm to come to your people.”

“Thank you so much, my friend. Now, we have no regrets. My friend, don’t grieve over our deaths. In the universe, nothing escapes the fate of destruction. Even stars, and the galaxies themselves, have their end. What is our death in comparison?”

From this message, Xiao Yu could sense emotions akin to serenity and release.

Yet his own feelings remained somber.

“So, the universe isn’t entirely dark after all. There will always be benevolent civilizations,” Xiao Yu mused.

“These benevolent civilizations are like lights in the darkness, bringing brightness to this world.”

“You are truly remarkable,” Xiao Yu said sincerely.

“Thank you for your kind words. The final moment is approaching. Let us witness the death of this Demon together.”

“Yes, let’s witness it together,” Xiao Yu replied.

The Arrow Beasts fell silent. Xiao Yu observed as they transformed their shapes continuously in the void, as if expressing some deep emotion toward the white dwarf.

During this time, Xiao Yu had one last task to accomplish.

He launched at least a thousand satellites, accelerating them in the opposite direction. After the nova explosion, these satellites would survive an additional minute. This critical minute would allow Xiao Yu to collect valuable data.

Once all preparations were complete, Xiao Yu’s thousands of ships, along with Moon One and the remaining Arrow Beasts, charged toward the white dwarf at breakneck speed.

On the surface of the white dwarf, the Alien Beast had ceased jumping. It lay sprawled across the surface, its head held high, as though trying to glimpse the true face of the object that would destroy it.

Moon One’s velocity increased rapidly, closing the distance to the white dwarf. The final moment was drawing near.

“Do you have any last words?” Xiao Yu transmitted a message ten minutes before the collision.

“Last words? Hmph. Your civilization must require millions of people to operate those ships. At least I’ll have your people accompany me in death—I won’t be dying alone,” the Alien Beast responded coldly.

“I’ve already told you, all my kin are dead. My civilization has only me left,” Xiao Yu replied. “These ships are piloted solely by me. And… my body is 1.4 light-years away. In fact, these ships are all remotely controlled. Haven’t you noticed? There’s no life onboard any of them.”

“What? You control them alone? How… how is that even possible?” the Alien Beast asked, its voice filled with disbelief.

“Oh, it’s nothing special. Since you’re about to die, I don’t mind telling you—I fused my soul with the central computer,” Xiao Yu responded nonchalantly.

“You… you…” The Alien Beast’s tone grew agitated. “Then… those Technological Civilization beings 1.4 light-years away—what about them?”

“Oh, I encountered a Technological Civilization and captured some of their people,” Xiao Yu answered matter-of-factly, slightly puzzled.

“So that’s it… So that’s it…” The Alien Beast murmured to itself, suddenly breaking into wild laughter.

“Ah, I see now. I see! You’ve done it—you’ve finally succeeded! To fuse the soul with the central computer… so this is how it’s done. Dying at your hands… I suppose I can accept that.”

From these words, Xiao Yu gleaned far more than he expected.

In a flash, Xiao Yu recalled the black, mysterious stone that had been the key to separating his soul and integrating it with the computer.

“What’s the connection? Why did this Alien Beast say ‘you’ve finally succeeded’? What does it know?” Xiao Yu’s mind raced, tension building.

“Who are they? What have they succeeded at?” Xiao Yu demanded.

The Alien Beast let out a strange, cryptic laugh and replied, “I’m about to die at your hands, and you expect to extract information from me? Don’t dream of such fortune. Figure it out on your own! Hahaha, so that’s it, so that’s it!”

“Tell me! What’s going on?!” Xiao Yu roared.

The final moment was almost upon them.

“Carry your questions to the grave, hahaha! You won’t get a single shred of information from me! Ah, seeing you anxious, furious, and tortured by your curiosity to the point of madness—it brings me immense joy. I’m dying, and I’ll take the knowledge of your destiny with me into the darkness.”

“Farewell, weak Technological Civilization!”