Chapter 177: Searching for the Sweepers

The information storm lasted only 0.5 seconds, gone almost in the blink of an eye. Yet within that fleeting moment, Xiao Yu noticed that all the information storage drives he had left in three-dimensional space were already full, and signs of repeated read-write cycles were appearing.

Xiao Yu’s storage technology was far more advanced than that on Earth. Each physical device could store millions of times more data compared to similar-sized Earth devices. And Xiao Yu had left several hundred ships stationed in three-dimensional space.

The storage equipment aboard these ships could hold tens of thousands of times more data than the sum of all computers on Earth combined. Yet in the mere 0.5 seconds of the information storm, all these storage devices had been completely filled and after being filled, the incoming data continued to pour in, overwriting the original content. Once overwritten, the devices filled again, and the cycle repeated…

How many times his storage had been filled and overwritten, Xiao Yu didn’t even know anymore. In any case, the end result was that he obtained tens of thousands of storage drives filled to capacity.

“According to Taihao, the information storm broadcasts information directionally through space. I’m at least 2.5 million light-years away from the Andromeda Galaxy. If its broadcast area is imagined as a giant sphere with a radius of 2.5 million light-years, my position on the surface of that sphere would be utterly insignificant, and yet I could still receive this much information…”

Xiao Yu was left speechless.

“By this calculation, the total amount of information broadcast by this information storm… is truly unimaginable.”

“I’m becoming more and more interested in the Guardian Civilization and the Sweeper Civilization you mentioned,” Taihao transmitted to Xiao Yu. “Within the information storm, I caught glimpses of battles between the Sweepers and the Guardians. Very interesting scenes. Unfortunately, I didn’t see the Neutron War Star. But it doesn’t matter, soon enough, I’ll personally experience the power of a Neutron War Star.”

“You’re… you’re planning to find the Sweeper Civilization and fight them?” Xiao Yu asked cautiously.

“Not necessarily. If they’re willing to hand over their space technology obediently, I have no interest in fighting to the death. Everything depends on the situation,” Taihao answered. “Alright, we’ll part ways here. You’re safe now. Go do whatever you need to do.”

Xiao Yu felt as though he had passed through a mist. In an instant, the scenery before him returned to normal.

Before him, familiar sights reappeared. In the pitch-black cosmos, countless stars glittered like gems.

Ahead of Xiao Yu, a large shadow was moving rapidly. Xiao Yu guessed that it was likely Taihao’s four-dimensional body projected into three-dimensional space.

“Little one, if fate allows, let’s meet again.”

After saying this, Taihao’s figure vanished without a trace. The moment Taihao disappeared, Xiao Yu detected a familiar spatial fluctuation ahead; space seemed to have been distorted.

“Please wait!” Xiao Yu quickly transmitted a message. “Perhaps you’ll need a witness to personally observe this magnificent event!”

“Little one, wars at this level are not something you can approach,” Taihao soon replied. “Our battle will affect a range spanning tens or even hundreds of light-years. Within that range, any existence, tangible or intangible, will be annihilated. If you don’t want to be caught up in it, you’d best stay far away. Hm, but you have a point once the battle concludes, I’ll send you a message summarizing the entire process.”

“Alright, that’s it. Goodbye.”

This was the last message Xiao Yu received. After that, Taihao’s presence completely disappeared; it was unclear where he had gone.

“Entered Faster-Than-Light travel?” Xiao Yu muttered, reflecting on everything he had experienced during this period it felt unreal, like a dream.

“I wonder who will win between Taihao and the Sweeper Civilization. Since Taihao values the Sweepers so much, perhaps their combat strengths aren’t that far apart. Taihao did mention the phrase ‘fight to the death.’ Hm, that’s basically certain.”

“But the outcome is unknown. And the Guardian Alliance they’ve been opposing the Sweepers for tens of millions of years. I doubt they would miss this opportunity. Perhaps… the end result will be Taihao joining forces with the Guardian Alliance to oppose the Sweepers?”

“It’s a pity I won’t be able to witness such a grand event with my own eyes,” Xiao Yu thought regretfully. “I should just focus on developing my own technology. Right, I must begin analyzing the information I collected from the information storm as soon as possible. Hopefully, I can find something useful.”

Xiao Yu divided his computational power into several parts, one part to survey the surrounding stars to determine his position, and the other part to begin analyzing the newly gathered data.

“There are too few stars here.”

After a simple scan of his surroundings with his observation instruments, Xiao Yu came to this conclusion.

Inside the Milky Way Galaxy, the distance between two neighboring stars usually didn’t exceed ten light-years. For example, around the Sun, within ten light-years, there were at least dozens of stars. In the Aquila Nebula, there were even denser neighboring stars that were often less than one light-year apart.

However, where Xiao Yu was now, the nearest star was more than 130 light-years away.

Seeing this, Xiao Yu instantly deduced.

“I seem to have reached the edge of the Milky Way Galaxy. Only the edge would have such sparse stellar density, and these stars mostly show signs of aging.”

“This should be the tail end of the Orion Arm of the Milky Way. The nearest star is over 130 light-years away… Well then, time to start moving. I’ll begin interstellar travel while simultaneously researching Faster-Than-Light travel technology.”

After making plans for the future, Xiao Yu buried himself in analyzing the information gathered from the information storm.

After some preliminary analysis, Xiao Yu found that most of the data was chaotic and indecipherable. Even the portion that could be deciphered was mostly useless. However, within that mess, Xiao Yu still discovered a small amount of valuable information.

“This… seems to be the process of a star’s formation… and it’s a star from within the Milky Way Galaxy.”

Xiao Yu imagined the scene.

After the black hole responsible for the information storm formed, it began collecting all available information from its surroundings. One day, a beam of light from a distant part of the Milky Way reached it. Although the beam had lost much of its detail due to the vast distance, on a stellar scale, it remained barely distinguishable.

The beam continuously flowed into the black hole, and over billions of years, the black hole accumulated all that information. Then, for some unknown reason, the black hole reached the end of its life. In one colossal explosion, it released all the information it had collected and a tiny fraction of that information ended up in Xiao Yu’s hands. Among it was data concerning that distant star.

Xiao Yu saw a massive red giant, which, after an unimaginably long time, reached the end of its life. In one violent explosion, it shattered, its core collapsing into a neutron star, while the rest of its matter formed a nebula, slowly expanding into space.

The neutron star inherited most of the original star’s mass and momentum. The scattered interstellar dust, however, did not drift away on different trajectories. Thus, the neutron star left its original grave, weaving its way through endless cosmic dust, embarking on its own journey through the universe, destination unknown.

This process alone had already taken at least several million years. In truth, the dust would maintain its expansion for even longer unless disrupted by outside forces, eventually dispersing into the void.

But after billions more years passed, another supernova explosion occurred near the nebula. The intense radiation disturbed the dust’s quiet rest, stirring it back to life and causing it to collapse inward.

Over time, the core’s matter density and temperature rose. As the core grew denser, it absorbed surrounding matter even faster, creating a positive feedback loop.

Finally, when the core’s temperature reached a critical threshold, it ignited. Nuclear fusion began at its core, radiating light and heat outward, it had become a protostar.

After the protostar’s formation, surrounding material continued to rain down upon it. Over time, the stellar winds grew strong enough to sweep away the remaining dust.

Thus, shedding its veils, the star’s true form became visible.

A new star was born.