Chapter 169: Interstellar Tug-of-War

On the day before the planet was to be torn apart, Luka three raised a question.

“Respected master,” it said respectfully within The Paradise, addressing Xiao Yu’s projection, “if the emergence of those chaotic strong gravitational sources throughout this quintuple star system is really due to gravitational instability, as you hypothesized, then this upcoming three-star alignment may result in even larger outbreaks of unregulated gravitational phenomena due to gravitational conflicts. We should prepare for detailed observation—this event might allow us to fully uncover the mechanisms behind the strong gravity source phenomenon.”

Xiao Yu considered this for a moment, then nodded. “Your speculation is reasonable. That possibility definitely exists. I understand—I’ll increase the observation coverage.”

“Yes, Master.” Luka three bowed and withdrew. Xiao Yu, meanwhile, summoned all the satellites scattered nearby, directing them to converge on the area.

It was certain that this three-star alignment was an extremely rare event. Due to orbital chaos, predicting when such an event might occur was nearly impossible. It could happen again in a day—or not for a billion years. That it was happening within just a few short years after Xiao Yu arrived in this system was a stroke of incredible fortune.

“As they say, you gain some, you lose some,” Xiao Yu thought. Casting off the negative emotions caused by the destruction, he fully devoted himself to observing the event’s progression.

He watched as Stars A and B slowly approached the planet while orbiting each other. At this range, their gravity was already having a significant effect. The planet began to exhibit erratic wobbling, and its shape began to distort.

The wobbling intensified, a sign that gravitational forces were increasing. Xiao Yu observed the planet’s longest diameter stretch to 10,000 kilometers, while its shortest axis shrank to less than 7,000 kilometers. It was becoming increasingly oblate—egg-shaped.

“Poor thing,” Xiao Yu sighed inwardly, continuing to observe carefully. Inside The Paradise, thousands of Luka scientists were also gathered at their respective screens, nervously monitoring the data feeds.

“It’s coming—it’s coming!” Xiao Yu silently exclaimed.

He watched as the two stars orbited closer, with the planet caught directly between them. On one side was Star B, just 2 million kilometers away; on the other were Stars A and C, at distances of 50 million and 20 million kilometers respectively.

In that moment, the gravitational pulls of Stars A and C converged, exerting a massive force on one side of the planet. Meanwhile, Star B pulled from the opposite side.

This was a magnificent tug-of-war across the cosmos. In this competition, there would be no victor—only one inevitable loser.

The three stars would remain largely unaffected, but the planet would be torn apart.

Xiao Yu observed the planet being stretched longer and longer under the pull of the three stellar giants…

One side was continuously pulled by Stars A and C, the other by Star B. Both sides exerted a force the planet could not resist. In the end, it could only tear itself in half, using its own destruction to quiet the fury of these celestial titans.

It was split apart. When its longest diameter reached over 20,000 kilometers, it broke apart like a split apple, separating into two hemispherical pieces.

This process, as seen through the instruments Xiao Yu had installed, was stunning.

He hadn’t removed all the equipment from the planet—many observational instruments had been left behind.

The day before it tore apart, these instruments recorded unusual seismic waves. Hundreds of massive earthquakes shook the planet’s depths—some exceeding magnitude 12, with epicenters over 2,000 kilometers deep.

Fissures appeared on the surface—deep crevices over ten kilometers deep. Against the backdrop of the dark lava-covered terrain, they resembled ugly, gaping mouths.

As gravitational pressure increased, geological activity on the planet became more intense. Xiao Yu observed that, due to the flattening of its shape, the core was being compressed, raising its temperature and pressure. The surface thinned in places, triggering intense volcanic eruptions. Massive flows of lava—like the juice squeezed from crushed fruit—were forced out by invisible hands.

On the planet’s two hemispheres facing the stars, a phenomenon resembling oceanic tides began. Except here, the medium wasn’t water—but rock.

On Earth, tidal forces raise the sea level. Here, rocky tides resulted in the formation of towering mountain ranges.

Thus, on both sides facing the stars, colossal peaks began to form—some reaching heights of ten thousand, even one hundred thousand meters. And they were still growing. Under the pull of those invisible gravitational hands, the planet resembled a lump of dough—soft and helpless.

Stretched longer and thinner, the planet eventually reached its limit. Like a spring stretched too far, it snapped in two with a thunderous crack. Two roughly hemispherical bodies, trailed by countless fragments, flew off in opposite directions—each going its own way.

The interstellar tug-of-war ended with the rope snapping.

The three stars, seemingly unaffected, continued on their paths. Stars A and B each captured one of the large fragments, while the remaining debris was shared among all three. Some smaller pieces were flung farther out, caught by the previously uninvolved Stars D and E.

Xiao Yu had witnessed the entire planetary catastrophe unfold. Even after the event ended, he remained transfixed in awe and shock.

The destruction of this planet was more dramatic than any planetary annihilation he had ever observed. Compared to this, even planetary collisions or hydrogen bomb detonations seemed pale.

It was the difference between death by drowning and brutal dismemberment.

From the event, Xiao Yu collected vast amounts of data.

He discovered that during the process, the number of strong gravitational sources within the Aquila IV system surged dramatically. In just that one day, he recorded as many instances as he had in the entire previous month.

“There is a connection,” Xiao Yu thought. “Not only did the quantity increase dramatically, but the duration of each gravitational anomaly also increased significantly.”

Snapping out of his awe, Xiao Yu immediately began analyzing the data. His focus was on detecting gravitons and photons. He hoped these readings might yield some clue regarding the conversion between fundamental forces.

However, rather than the results he hoped for, he observed another startling phenomenon.

He found that the stellar positions observed from the Hebei differed from those recorded by satellites scattered throughout the rest of the star system.

It was undoubtedly another instance of a strong gravitational event. But this time, something was off. It had lasted more than an hour—far longer than any previous event. And the affected range was enormous.

All satellites in the Aquila IV star system had recorded the displacement.

“How is that possible?” Xiao Yu thought frantically. “Could a strong gravitational source large enough to cover all the satellites have formed?”

“No, that’s basically impossible.” Xiao Yu calmed himself, and gradually, a chill crept into his thoughts.

“If… if the satellites’ data is correct, then the only explanation is that my observations were incorrect. The only way to explain it is that—not all the satellites were inside a gravitational field—but my fleet was.”

It was like seeing darkness in broad daylight. If you eliminate the possibility that the world went dark, then the problem must be with your own eyes.

“Could it be… that a strong gravitational source has appeared right next to me—engulfing my entire fleet?” That was the only possible explanation.

Xiao Yu activated the ship’s engines, trying to change position. But to his alarm, he discovered that the Hebei was immobile.

The engines still blazed furiously, spewing flame—but Xiao Yu detected no propulsion.

This realization shocked him. If his ship had lost the ability to move, wouldn’t it be like a drifting asteroid—doomed to float helplessly in this star system forever?

At that moment, a peculiar detail caught Xiao Yu’s attention.

The flames from the engine exhaust were unusually bright. And at the tail end of the ship, strange material convergence was occurring. Some interstellar dust particles were clustering there—unnaturally drawn toward it.

After pondering the situation deeply, an astounding hypothesis emerged in Xiao Yu’s mind.

“Perhaps… the thrust from my engines hasn’t disappeared. It’s just been—somehow—converted into electromagnetic force and gravity…”