Chapter 351 The Arrival of Mountain Civilization

Crisis Era Year 496.

Time passed swiftly, and in the blink of an eye, more than two decades had slipped away like a fleeting horse.

During these twenty-odd years, human civilization and dinosaur civilization saw a deep integration of technology, and humanity once again experienced a technological explosion. Now, humanity had truly become a near 1.4 level civilization, with all four fundamental technological routes nearing perfection, presenting an unprecedented scene of prosperity.

Currently, the most eye-catching scientific project in the human technological sphere was the exploration and construction of the Great Unification Theory. According to expert predictions, within thirty years, humanity hoped to complete the construction of this grand theory, thus officially stepping into the realm of a 1.4 level civilization.

In these same twenty-plus years, dinosaur society also underwent earth-shattering changes and a baptism. This revolution, both profound and cruel, was nothing short of the law of natural selection.

Dinosaur society went through a comprehensive screening and reshaping, and those individuals who were unable to adapt to the demands of the new era and contributed little to the progress of civilization had to face a fate of being marginalized or even eliminated.

As for those dinosaurs who staunchly opposed change and were set in their ways, the upper echelons of dinosaur society took special measures. Every dinosaur was encouraged to maximize their potential, with competition and cooperation prevalent everywhere, igniting the overall vitality of dinosaur society and prompting individuals to continually break their own limits.

Moreover, a large number of excellent young dinosaurs were sent to human society to learn human knowledge, and the first batch of educated dinosaurs had not yet returned. When they do return, dinosaur society may undergo even deeper changes.

...

Trisolaran world.

The Human Expedition Fleet had set out from the Solar System since Crisis Era Year 305, nearly 200 years ago.

With the rapid development of human technology, warships of the same model as those in the expedition fleet had already been completely retired in the human world of today. However, the expedition fleet was not forgotten; the Solar System Alliance frequently dispatched some interstellar transport fleets to replace advanced weapon systems for the fleet and replenish its scarce resources.

After defeating the dinosaur civilization, in order to completely eliminate the residual resistance forces in the Trisolaran Star System, the Alliance dispatched another 800 human neutron star warships to speed toward the Trisolaran Star System, preparing to deal a fatal blow to the last stronghold of the Trisolaran Civilization.

If it hadn't been for the sudden conflict with the dinosaur civilization, this group of warships could have arrived 20 years earlier, and the fate of the Trisolaran Civilization might have already been settled.

Worldly affairs are unpredictable; in some ways, the dinosaur civilization intended to contend with the Trisolaran Civilization, but their emergence ultimately became an unexpected lifeline for the Trisolarans.

Today, these 800 neutron star warships had arrived in the Trisolaran Star System, poised like gleaming blades in the galaxy, ready to strike.

In the face of the relentless advance of humanity, the Trisolaran Civilization had fallen into a hopeless situation, struggling to find a sliver of survival against humanity's overwhelming assault with their own power. Now, facing such a dire situation, they could either choose to surrender and strive for the same treatment as the dinosaur civilization or perish in the dark universe, becoming dust among the stars.

Over the past 160-plus years, humanity had continuously explored and attacked nearly ten thousand Mist Zones in the Trisolaran world. All the military forces in the Sophon Blind Zones and Mist Zones had now been thoroughly investigated. Even without the reinforcement of the neutron star warships, the Trisolaran world would likely find it difficult to hold on for another 20 years.

With the command of the Expedition Fleet Commander, the 800 human neutron star warships, like arrows released from their bows, lunged directly at the last thousand Mist Zones in the Trisolaran world, setting the stage for the ultimate confrontation that would decide the fate of the Trisolaran Civilization.

...

In a location 80 astronomical units away from the Trisolaran world, 2000 vanguard warships from the Mountain Civilization quietly arrived. These warships had outstanding stealth capabilities, as they remained undetected by human warships despite being only 80 astronomical units apart.

The Mountain Civilization had also sent neutron star warships, and their warships had a very peculiar design, with the overall structure longer than that of human warships.

The bow of the warship was particularly notable for its highly asymmetrical large ellipsoid shape, while the midsection of the warship consisted of a gigantic flattened disc that occupied the majority of the entire vessel.

Overall, the warship resembled a stretched and optimized gourd shape, but unlike traditional gourds, the bottom sphere was flattened. This unique design was undoubtedly for a significant purpose, though it remained unknown at present.

However, what's surprising was that the volume of the Mountain Civilization warships was estimated to be less than a quarter of the human neutron star warships, appearing quite slender in comparison.

The size and volume of a warship are not better the bigger they are, but rather the result of a comprehensive consideration of technological level, resource utilization efficiency, weapon system effectiveness, defense performance, power systems, and other factors.

For example, if a warship's power system is too powerful, it could provide higher speed and stronger maneuverability, but would inevitably lead to a significant increase in resource consumption. And more resources would further lead to an increased mass of the warship.

Meanwhile, the maximum speed of a warship was also a critical factor to consider, as speed in interstellar warfare often determined a warship's survivability.

When designing a warship, one must weigh all these factors and arrive at an optimal size and mass ratio for the warship.

Firstly, they only needed to carry a very limited amount of resources to traverse the vast distance of 9 light years, showcasing their excellent resource utilization efficiency. This was undoubtedly a more profound level of resource utilization, comparable to the technological leap from steam engines to internal combustion engines.

Secondly, the level at which they utilized resources also profoundly revealed the sophistication of their weapon attack system. It can be speculated that the strength of their weapon attacks was very likely several times that of humanity's.

In the attack methods of interstellar warships, directed-energy attacks are a common tactic, which focuses more on energy density than the total energy of the entire attack. Hence, it's likely that the Mountain Civilization's warships hold extreme power when it comes to directed-energy attacks.

Interstellar warship design typically strives to be as small as possible while meeting the basic requirements of offense, travel, and defense. Smaller warships are harder to detect and have superior maneuverability, using relatively fewer resources as well.

Therefore, the small size of the Mountain Civilization's warships actually highlights their strength.

…

Mountain Civilization warship command center.

The Trisolaran Sophon unfolded in low dimensions and displayed the text of the Mountain Civilization. The language of the Mountain Civilization was simple, there were only three characters and it used ternary for computation, the same as computer language. But it was also difficult, as almost no humans could understand it without the help of a computer.

Subtitle: "Humanity is about to launch an attack on our last stronghold, and this time the attack will be by the Human Neutron Star Warship.

Facing such a formidable enemy, we are helpless. We have no means to cause substantial damage to the Neutron Star Warship, nor do we have any defensive measures to withstand its fierce attacks.

Under such attacks, the Trisolaran Civilization will struggle to survive even five days.

Are you now ready to launch the attack?"

The future of the Trisolaran Civilization seemed to hang by a mere thread, waiting for the hand of salvation from the unknown.

The Mountain Civilization vanguard fleet commander replied, "According to the information provided by the military intelligence agency, the Human Warships have almost blockaded the Trisolaran Star System and have launched an attack.

"But we are currently 80 astronomical units away, even if we initiate the attack immediately, it will take 11 hours for it to reach them.

"The Human Warships and the Trisolaran Interstellar Fleet are in a state of combat, constantly on high-speed travel, making it difficult for our attacks to hit.

"Furthermore, an extensive area around the Human Warships has been covered with Sophon-Blocked Zones, which will undoubtedly cause serious interference with our attacks.

"Hence, our first wave of attacks is expected to have a low hit rate, likely not exceeding fifteen percent. Such an attack, once launched, will also reveal our position.

"Most importantly, humans have strong analytical capabilities and rapid response times. Once they analyze our attack methods, they will surely choose to flee swiftly to avoid greater losses. Thus, our victory will have to be pursued in chase battles that follow.

"Although our warships are faster than those of humanity, the Human Warships are not easy targets—they can evade our pursuit by frequently altering their course and varying their speed.

"According to our estimates, humanity could flee with at least 4,000 warships.

"Trisolaran Leader, are you sure you want to initiate the attack now?"

Trisolaran Leader (No. 7) was firm and resolute:

"Confirmed!

Our civilization stands on the brink of annihilation; every moment of hesitation and delay only brings more loss to our civilization. The longer humanity's attack continues, the more risk of destruction we face, which is a burden we cannot bear.

As for the Human Expedition Fleet, even if they all escape, they're just returning to the Solar System.

Moreover, those warships are old models from 200 years ago and pose no substantial threat to our upcoming plan to launch an expedition to the Solar System."

In truth, No. 7 had more to say but left unsaid. Even if it weren't a moment of extreme peril for Trisolaris, No. 7 was reluctant to see the Mountain Civilization obliterate all 10,000 Human Warships, which would lead to a complete rupture with humanity and an irreparable state of war.

After the Dinosaur Civilization incident, No. 7 was considering that perhaps submission to Human Civilization might be an option.

Yet, hidden in No. 7's heart was a nagging worry that the Mountain Civilization might not truly be able to defeat Human Civilization.

Although this thought seemed absurd, if the Mountain Civilization really did face defeat in the end, No. 7 might make efforts to persuade the Mountain Civilization to submit to Human Civilization.

Of course, Trisolaris now had a choice, and if it were to submit, it would prefer the Mountain Civilization. Not because the Mountain Civilization was powerful, but because like the Mountain Civilization, it lacked craftiness, and The Mountain Civilization was worthy of their respect.