Chapter 275 The Battle of Dust Begins

In the 270th year of the Crisis Era, the Kuiper Belt, the six major human war zones.

The overall shape of the Kuiper Belt resembles an inflated disc or a doughnut, starting from the orbit of Neptune (about 30 astronomical units from the Sun) and stretching nearly 50 astronomical units outward. On this vast and cold battlefield, stealth and attack became the main theme of the war.

At this moment, 600 Trisolaran warships have quietly approached these six major war zones. They are only a short 10 astronomical units away from their targets, and humanity is completely unaware, with the tension steadily mounting.

Although the icy world of the Kuiper Belt provides a secretive environment, its openness also means that any large fleet is hard to be completely concealed. Theoretically, within a distance of 10 astronomical units, if warships conduct targeted scans, it is possible to detect the Trisolaran Interstellar Fleet. However, humans have failed to notice the looming threat.

Firstly, Trisolaran warships are far superior in stealth capabilities compared to human ones, even able to mimic the background of cosmic microwave radiation. Even from 4 astronomical units away, it is difficult for humans to detect them.

Secondly, the current human war situation has become increasingly clear. The Long-Livers are preparing to launch a total assault on the Naturals, hence humanity's attention is almost entirely focused on the warship battle zones. This makes it even harder for them to notice the distant Trisolaran warships, as their gaze and defensive forces are concentrated on the immediate conflicts.

The other 600 Trisolaran warships took advantage of the humans' surveillance blind spots and have also covertly deployed 600 more warships in hidden positions on the inner edge of the Kuiper Belt. They lie in wait quietly, ready to launch a swift attack on the human's Bunker Base once the timing is right.

Currently, the Trisolaran Interstellar Fleet is about 35 astronomical units away from the human Bunker Base; it would take approximately 4.8 hours from launching an attack to striking the Bunker. And if the Trisolaran ships travel at 10% of the speed of light, it will take them 48 hours to reach the Bunker Base.

At this moment, the Trisolarans are patiently waiting, closely watching the dynamics of the war between the Naturals and the Long-Livers. The Trisolarans are waiting for the war to reach its most intense, as that will be their optimal moment to strike.

...

After two weeks of travel, the 3000 human warships of the Wallfacer Camp divided into six columns and entered the Kuiper Belt's six major war zones, poised to join this unprecedented interstellar war.

The conflict between the Naturals and the Long-Livers grew fiercer and fiercer, to the extent that even before the Wallfacer's warships had reached the main battlefield, the starry sky was already ablaze with war, and both sides had descended into a frenzied, heated struggle.

The fleet battles of both factions resembled a mode of engagement between columns of warships, unfolding huge battle lines across the vast expanse of space. Countless warships tumbled in the sea of stars, like massive dragons racing through the milky way, unleashing a stupendously grand interstellar showdown.

With an advantage in the number of warships, the Long-Livers' Camp built up layers upon layers of battle lines, attempting to suppress the Naturals' Camp with a dense web of firepower. Although the Naturals lacked numbers, their warships demonstrated greater maneuverability and a more versatile tactical setup.

In the vast battlefield of the Kuiper Belt, the warships of both sides sometimes scattered for guerrilla attacks, sometimes assembled for charges. With each exchange of fire, the destruction of warships and the sacrifice of crew members were inevitable.

The intensity of this interstellar war far exceeded anyone's expectations. In the starry sky, debris and fragments of destroyed warships were scattered all around, composing a tragic and desolate panorama of war. Strategic-minded military leaders had realized that in this vastly unequal battle, the Long-Livers were already showing fatigue and could almost not turn the tide of defeat.

As the war grew increasingly fierce, the mindset of the Long-Livers was also quietly changing. Their warships, though highly automated and intelligent, actually had their command systems more controlled by the upper echelons—meaning that the captains did not have complete control over their vessels.

This condition made it difficult for the Long-Livers to escape during a crisis. They had no choice but to witness their own warships neatly aligning and charging into battle. Such scenes undoubtedly caused immeasurable shocks and impacts deep within their souls.

Perhaps it was the mechanism of civilization's immunity taking effect. The Long-Livers, who originally treasured life above all else, seemed to have undergone a subtle shift in their views on life and death at this moment.

The long lifespan fostered within them an indescribable loneliness and emptiness. Deep within their hearts, they might have longed even more to find a great mission that they could invest in wholeheartedly, or even sacrifice themselves for.

At the most brutal, bloodiest moments of the war, when the struggle between life and death cruelly unfolded before their very eyes, the Long-Livers, who usually avoided the topic of life and death, had to reassess it.

Perhaps in an instant, immortality became a thing of the past, and immortality was not all there was to life; living in the present, they sought another meaning and destination amid the void and emptiness.

Perhaps the Long-Livers could see through life and death more clearly than the Naturals; immortality was no longer void, dedication became mission, and life thus shone brighter because of it.

As the Long-Livers faced their moment of rebirth, the intensity on the battlefield also peaked. For the Trisolarans lying in wait, this was undoubtedly a once-in-a-millennium opportunity.

...

The Trisolarans possessed a total of 1200 warships, neatly divided into two massive fleets.

Currently, the 600 warships of the first fleet were battle-ready; their main cannons were prepared and uniformly aimed at the distant Bunker Base.

The 600 warships of the second fleet each precisely targeted their unique objectives with their main cannons, ready to launch a deadly strike at any moment.

With a stern command from the Military Governor, all of the Trisolaran warships vibrated as if simultaneously, as if an invisible force burst forth from the vessels. Something seemed to happen, and yet nothing appeared to have happened in front of the main cannons.

If not for the accompanying equipment of the main cannons still glowing red-hot, it would have been almost imperceptible that these warships had just completed their firing mission.

Meanwhile, aboard the human warship formations, soldiers were deeply engrossed in battle, unaware that a lethal attack was silently drawing near.

Over an hour later, almost instantaneously, all the Faster-Than-Light Communication Stations in the six major battlefields lost their signals at nearly the same time.

When everyone in all the combat zones checked this sudden event, they were shocked to discover that where the huge Faster-Than-Light Communication Stations once stood, there was now nothing left.

As if a mysterious force, invisible and irresistible, had in an instant swallowed up these massive stations whole, with no warning, no sound, only endless darkness and silence.

This was certainly an attack by some unknown force; humanity's precise instruments hadn't even detected any massive energy fluctuations. In human technological understanding, any form of attack would always be accompanied by the release of energy, yet this time, everything seemed to have occurred in complete silence.

Silent... deathly silent!

The atmosphere of the battlefield changed abruptly; the deafening cannon fire and intense battle cries gradually subsided, replaced by an eerie stillness and panic, as crew members looked at each other frantically, their eyes filled with confusion and fear.

Humanity's second battle with the Trisolarans began amid this bizarre and tense atmosphere, and posterity would call this battle the Battle of Dust.