Chapter 61: Lightning Strike on Tau Ceti

Log Entry:

Year 192.

Another lonely journey, and every time I think of this number, I feel a sense of dizziness. After all, it has been 192 years, an incredibly long time for humans.

The decades on Earth seemed to be a constant push forward.

Elementary school, middle school, university, and society—it felt like there was an invisible hand pushing me from behind.

But now, hundreds and thousands of years are just a fleeting moment for me. The vast universe has slowed down everything.

This year, my fleet finally reached our destination, Tau Ceti.

I will lead the army and conquer this system with absolute military might.

...

At some point, Yan Xia developed the habit of keeping a journal.

It's a form of entertainment in this lonely journey.

I've lived far too long.

Yan Xia glanced at the clock by the bed, identical to the one on the Hope, which only displayed the year.

It is now the year 7260, 5223 years since leaving Earth.

Yan Xia closed the paper diary, placed the pen in the porcelain pen holder next to him, and a holographic image appeared before him, showing a scanned map of the Tau Ceti system.

The main star of Tau Ceti has only 78% of the Sun's mass, and its brightness is 45% dimmer than the Sun. It is a very young star with a lifespan of only about 580 million years.

Within this stellar system, there are five planets visible, all of which are rocky planets, and the smallest is twice the mass of Earth. Planets b, c, and d (a is usually the main star) are not suitable for life due to their close proximity to the star.

If compared to the Sun's system, these planets are all within Mercury's orbit. Even though Tau Ceti is smaller than the Sun, this distance is still too close.

Moreover, from the holographic projection, the entire system is filled with numerous small dots.

These dots are asteroids.

Tau Ceti has an asteroid belt similar to the Kuiper Belt in the Solar System, with more than ten times the number of asteroids. These asteroids are located at the edge of Tau Ceti's habitable zone, causing the planets in the system to be subjected to frequent asteroid impacts.

Yan Xia's focus was elsewhere.

He zoomed in on the holographic projection and observed planet e of Tau Ceti.

This planet, the most likely to support life, has an inconspicuous ring, and the entire planet has a bluish-yellow hue, resembling Earth during autumn.

"Ella, is the war over here?"

Yan Xia hoped for some peace within Tau Ceti, as it would make management easier.

"It has come to a preliminary end, and the Purple Thorn civilization has emerged victorious."

"The civilization on this planet is too young; they were colonized before they could develop any technology."

"Despite the previous resistance, they merely hijacked the Purple Thorn civilization's spacecraft for the attack and were constantly suppressed."

This civilization was originally only at a 0.4 to 0.5 level, and it was gradually supported to reach level 1.

However, the gap between them and the Purple Thorn civilization remains significant.

"Have we detected the current strength of the Purple Thorn civilization?"

The previous probe had lost contact, and Ella subsequently sent several more ships to gather information, each time openly announcing their presence instead of hiding.

"Based on the current situation, the Purple Thorn civilization here does not possess their most advanced warships but rather the second-tier ones."

"The technology of these warships is on par with ours, and after years of war, they do not have the capability to manufacture these ships. They currently have only 67 such warships."

This was not unexpected.

Those left behind are unlikely to be the core of the nomadic civilization and may even be of a lower class.

These classes do not have access to the most advanced technology. If such technology were left with these people, they might develop and become independent.

After all, even within the civilization of higher beings, there is no absolute unity.

Yan Xia pondered.

"Let's make this a swift battle. Our energy is limited, while they can continuously draw energy from the star."

This was a disadvantage for Yan Xia and his fleet.

However, this disadvantage was not significant.

The number of enemy warships was insufficient to convert all that energy into combat power. Overall, the Purple Thorn civilization remained at a disadvantage.

Of course, Yan Xia would not repeat the arrogant mistake he made with the Purple Thorn civilization in the past.

Neither he nor the main ship Tian Gong went to Tau Ceti, and they also left 30 warships behind to guard against any ambushes in deep space.

The remaining warships all set off towards planet e of Tau Ceti.

"The enemy's interstellar defense network has started construction. They know we're here."

Ella constantly monitored the system for any news.

The Purple Thorn civilization dared to engage in a defensive war, which meant they had some advantages.

The entire Tau Ceti system had been overdeveloped by them, and a complete defense system was in place, with numerous interstellar fortresses throughout the system.

Each fortress was only a few hundred meters long and wide, but their numbers could create a certain level of obstruction.

Each fortress had an independent weapon system that could harass incoming enemies, and when combined, they could form a simple 'wall' to resist attacks.

However, at this point, these 'walls' could no longer hinder Yan Xia.

A large number of neutrino weapons were deployed, and within just seven years, the enemy's defense network was swiftly crushed, with 10,783 interstellar fortresses destroyed.

"The enemy's warships are retreating to planet f of Tau Ceti."

This planet was the base of the Purple civilization. Due to their disadvantage in warships, they did not choose to leave the planet and engage Yan Xia's fleet directly but instead retreated into the planet's interior.

They had set up numerous orbital cannons outside the planet, and with their warship numbers, they were indeed a tough nut to crack.

However, upon receiving this news, Yan Xia felt relieved.

"The enemy's command lacks experience in interstellar warfare."

"Although there are extensive defenses on the planet, there is even more room for maneuvering in interstellar space."

"Their most correct decision should have been to leave Tau Ceti in the very beginning, turning their passiveness into proactiveness."

"But they are unwilling to give up this small territory, and under our absolute numerical advantage, their maneuvering space will continue to shrink, leading to the current situation."

"Now, we don't even need to worry about them. We can continuously use asteroids to collide and consume their energy."

Yan Xia's greatest fears were twofold.

One was the enemy escaping,

And the other was the enemy detonating the star for mutual destruction, which could halt Yan Xia's offensive even if it was a feint.

But the enemy failed to capitalize on either of these.

In the few years that they retreated to planet f of Tau Ceti, Yan Xia had already unilaterally declared victory.

The entire battle lasted only 18 years,

Easier than Yan Xia had anticipated.

The fleets never engaged in direct combat.

At this point, Yan Xia could confidently take over the civilization on planet e of Tau Ceti.