Super Mothership
“…Could it be that the other side is so intent on expanding the wormhole because they need something massive to pass through? Something that could settle everything in one blow?”
Arthas’s earlier speculation suddenly resurfaced in Girard’s mind, causing his expression to change repeatedly.
At the same time, Nie Yun was staring in astonishment at this strange celestial body emitting white light, information about white dwarfs flashing through his mind.
Such celestial bodies are actually not uncommon in the universe.
After passing through the main-sequence stage of their life cycle, medium- and low-mass stars expand into red giants—just like… the Sun!
Billions of years from now, the Sun will leave the main-sequence stage and expand into a massive red giant. It will swallow Mercury, Venus, and even Earth.
The intense heat will turn Earth into a molten wasteland, a dead zone for life. At that point, we would have only two choices: migrate to another planet, or wander through space with the Earth…
In its red giant phase, the Sun’s core will continue to contract while its outer layers burn. Through a series of thermal pulses, it will shed its outer material, forming a magnificent nebula around it.
And the final remnant left behind… is what we see now—a white dwarf!
White dwarfs are typically composed of carbon and oxygen. During their formation, rapid gravitational collapse crushes atoms, creating degenerate matter made up of atomic nuclei and electrons, which gives them astonishing density.
Even this “miniature” white dwarf before them, with a diameter of only 180 kilometers, possessed far greater mass than ordinary celestial bodies.
Only about 3% of all stars are white dwarfs, and they are usually very far from the solar system. This was Nie Yun’s first time witnessing one up close.
“What is this thing… what exactly are they trying to do?”
Like everyone else, this was Nie Yun’s first thought.
Anyone with basic intelligence could tell that the Jinlok Consortium had gone to great lengths to expand the wormhole—it definitely wasn’t just to send over a “flare” at the most critical moment of the battle.
So the key question now was: what exactly was the purpose of this giant, lightbulb-like object?
“Could this also be some kind of battle star? A degenerate battle star?” Nie Yun speculated, but quickly shook his head with a wry smile.
While its ultra-high density granted it incredible defensive power—making it nearly impervious to ordinary attacks—it also meant extremely strong gravity.
Let alone living beings, even high-strength alloy steel would be flattened into thin sheets on its surface. Not to mention the temperatures exceeding 8,000 degrees, enough to melt most materials.
“If it can’t carry weapons, are they planning to use it as a battering ram? But that speed is painfully slow… wait! Could it be…?”
As realization dawned, Nie Yun’s expression suddenly changed.
“Immediately order the Fallen Angel to maneuver at full speed and take cover behind the Dreadnought Battle Star! Also… notify Isabel and Reno…”
…
Just as Nie Yun took action at the first moment, the entire battlefield was thrown into confusion by this unexpected intruder.
The Gemini side grew tense, fearing that the white dwarf was some kind of superweapon that could unleash a “Genesis” strike at any moment. Meanwhile, the Ryan clan was baffled.
There had been no notice from above that such a thing would join the battle.
So… what exactly was this?
Just as the battlefield fell into brief chaos, an order from the Ryan clan’s old patriarch finally broke the stalemate.
“Retreat immediately. At all costs, withdraw back into the wormhole at maximum speed!”
The order was extremely puzzling, and every soldier could hear a trace of urgency in it.
And so… the Gemini warriors, who had been fiercely exchanging fire with the enemy, watched in astonishment as their previously fearless opponents suddenly reversed their thrusters and surged back toward the wormhole like a receding tide.
They didn’t even leave behind any rear guard—it looked like a sudden, complete rout!
Many, not understanding the situation and having received no new orders, even pursued them, intending to strike the fleeing enemy.
“Not good! Order all fleets to stop pursuit and fall back immediately!” Girard shouted, sweat forming on his forehead.
If he had only a vague suspicion when the object first appeared, the enemy’s abnormal retreat now greatly increased the likelihood of that guess.
Though he was not an astrophysicist, as an experienced fleet commander he was well-versed in various celestial phenomena.
And so he knew that in the evolution of stars, a white dwarf is not the final stage…
Among the possible evolutionary paths that follow a white dwarf, there is one that leads directly to the ultimate “art”…
And if that were the case…
Girard didn’t even dare to imagine it. He could only madly order the fleet to retreat at full speed.
However… the withdrawal of thousands of warships was not something that could be accomplished in a short time.
Before all the Ryan clan warriors could even retreat back into the wormhole—with more than half still stranded on the battlefield—the white dwarf, which had just seemed as calm as a quiet giant lightbulb, suddenly became violently unstable!
Its light began to flicker erratically, and the surrounding magnetic field plunged into sudden chaos.
“G-General! We’ve detected a sudden and intense energy fluctuation inside the white dwarf. Our scientists say it is likely… likely carbon fusion!”
This news caused every officer in the command room to turn pale.
Under normal conditions, the carbon core of a white dwarf does not undergo nuclear fusion. In fact, a white dwarf is essentially a “burnt-out” star in its final stage.
But even a dying camel is bigger than a horse—stars have never been synonymous with “gentleness.”
If a degenerate star were to suddenly reignite nuclear fusion…
In astronomy, such a phenomenon has a very striking name… a supernova explosion!
“Boom!”
When the blinding light erupted before everyone’s eyes, Girard had already lost the ability to think. He could only watch in despair as that light—symbolizing death—rapidly engulfed his massive fleet…
The speed of a fleet’s retreat could never match the speed of light.
As the violent electromagnetic radiation struck the force-field shields, it didn’t destroy them immediately, but continuously drained their remaining energy.
“Boom! Boom! Boom!” Mechs and fighter crafts swelled and exploded one after another under such intense energy exposure.
The warships, with their stronger shields, were still barely holding on!
But being slowly worn down like this only deepened the despair of those inside…
“Boom!” Five minutes later, as the shield energy of a small warship was depleted and it vanished into the void, a chain of explosions followed one after another!
The larger warships, with thicker shields, continued to struggle. Under this level of energy bombardment, as long as they had sufficient energy crystals in reserve, they might have survived this most intense wave of the explosion.
But half an hour later, a more lethal attack arrived—shattering their last hope!
It was the stellar debris produced by countless explosions. Large amounts of iron and nickel were hurled outward, like countless swords, striking the shields at nearly one-tenth the speed of light!
The shields shattered… and then the armor was torn apart…
Even more devastating explosions erupted. The fleet of thousands of warships was almost completely annihilated under this wave of impact!
Fragments of warships floated everywhere in space, melting into twisted shapes under the searing heat…
And among the fleet, the most eye-catching presence was undoubtedly the massive “Dreadnought Battle Star”!
This colossal war machine, built with immense resources by Gemini and equipped with numerous superweapons, didn’t even get the chance to unleash its full power before suffering a devastating blow!
The side facing the explosion had already turned into a hellscape—fire and explosions engulfed the entire hemisphere, with crimson magma flowing everywhere.
The current Dreadnought Battle Star was like a branding iron, half-heated to a glowing red!
However, its diameter of over 3,000 kilometers also made this heavily damaged battle star the only “shield” in this region of space capable of withstanding the explosion!
Those who survived this disaster included the main command center—built deep underground on the far side of the battle star and equipped with an independent shield system—as well as some large warships that reacted quickly and took shelter in the shadow behind the battle star…
“Gulp…” Nie Yun swallowed.
This was undoubtedly the most dazzling “firework” he had ever witnessed in his life!
Compared to this scale of “art,” the “Pluto” plan he had been tinkering with in his own backyard felt rather insignificant…
He finally understood why the Jinlok Consortium, despite having the upper hand, had allowed a group of subordinate races to continuously wage a war of attrition against Gemini.
They had been waiting! Waiting for this side to gather the majority of its forces—so they could annihilate this massive fleet in one single stroke!
TL Note- War...
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