Chapter 352 Attack of the Mountain Civilization

The Shan Civilization vanguard fleet commander issued an order, his voice carrying an unmistakable firmness:

"Order, activate the target accelerator, trigger the sophon control core. Attack target, set to Humanity's 800 Neutron Star Warships."

Then, addressing the subtitles, he said, "Our attack is equipped with simple guidance capabilities; the attack direction can be changed at any time after launch. The primary targets for the first wave are Human Neutron Star Warships.

"You're right, the other Human Expedition Fleets, no matter how many escape, will not have any substantial impact on the future course of the war."

In front of the Shan Civilization Warship, on that massive ellipsoidal structure, a miraculous tiny hole with a diameter of only tens of millimeters appeared. The small hole contrasted sharply with the ellipsoid's colossal volume, making it hard to believe that such a small orifice could unleash such immense destructive power.

However, for those Trisolaran scientists and engineers who understood its significance, this tiny hole represented the pinnacle of technology they had dreamed of, a crystallization of wisdom tirelessly pursued by countless generations.

Upon the fleet commander's order, the weapon systems of 2,000 Shan Civilization Warships were instantly activated. It was then revealed that the large disc in the midsection of the Shan Warships was actually a ring accelerator

Particles, energized as if by a torrent, surged into the front ellipsoidal structure of the warships, undergoing a series of mysterious and complex processes there. These processes, still unknown to Humanity, were undoubtedly a testament to the Shan Civilization Technological Power.

Finally, these processed particles were ejected from the tiny hole on the ellipsoid, carrying with them destructive power as they hurtled towards the Human Neutron Star Warships.

The particles, accelerated by the ring accelerator to near the speed of light, were like 2,000 beams of invisible death, cutting through the silent expanse of the universe, aimed at the distant Trisolaran Star System. Their target was unmistakably those 800 imposing Neutron Star Warships, representing the pinnacle of Human technology.

In this vast galaxy, an unprecedented showdown was about to unfold, and the Human Warships were facing an unparalleled crisis and challenge.

If any Human had witnessed this scene, their initial reaction would surely have been confusion, swiftly followed by profound terror.

Such a mode of attack completely subverted their conventional understanding of weapons' lethality and effective range. Such an accelerator might seem small compared to others in its family, and the particle beams it accelerated seemingly should not contain such immense power. Moreover, with the target being 80 astronomical units away, how could a particle beam be used effectively as a weapon at such a distance?

Yet, that was precisely the horrifying aspect. Such a means of attack was completely beyond Human comprehension, almost unfathomable. The truth was singular: this kind of attack was several levels beyond Humanity's existing means, and they might be facing a type of assault that they simply could not withstand.

In the course of inter-civilization warfare, what's unknown and misunderstood is always the most terrifying.

Of course, Humanity should indeed feel fortunate at the moment, as the Shan Civilization had seemingly arrived in the Trisolaran Star System early to relieve them.

If they had not first set their sights on the Trisolarans but had instead decided to directly attack the Solar System, the consequences would have been unimaginable. Unprepared for such a powerful adversary, Human Civilization might have been dealt a crippling blow, or even been pushed to the brink of extinction.

...

In the Trisolaran Star System, the battlefield of Humanity and the Trisolaran Civilization.

At this moment, the Human Neutron Star Warships were concentrating on executing their pre-set battle plans, aiming to destroy the Trisolarans' last Mist stronghold.

Yet they were utterly unaware of the imminent danger. The soldiers and commanders aboard these warships were perhaps still exhilarated by the victory within their grasp, not realizing that an unprecedented crisis was stealthily approaching.

As for the space-time binding well weapons that the Trisolarans relied on, they seemed feeble and ineffective against the robust defenses of the Neutron Star Warships, barely capable of inflicting any substantial damage.

Humanity had mapped out the full extent of the Trisolarans' Sophon-Blocked Zones, allowing them to anticipate these potential attacks and strike preemptively.

Moreover, combining the Dinosaur Civilization's Dark Energy Attack, Humanity had also found a way to prevent the space-time binding wells from activating, and these 800 warships had been dispatched for that very purpose. Now, the space-time binding wells couldn't even reveal the Trisolaran coordinates.

While the Sophon-Blocked Zones could not be detected through sophons, Human scientists ingeniously utilized the properties of quantum entangled state particles to develop a new type of detection device. This device was mounted on drones, which, upon entering a Sophon-Blocked Zone, would cause the quantum entangled state to immediately break down, accurately indicating the presence of the Sophon-Blocked Zone.

These drones also possessed the capability to attempt reestablishing quantum entanglement; should reentanglement be successful, it meant that they had flown out of the range of the Sophon-Blocked Zone.

Of course, the Trisolarans wouldn't just sit by and watch; they would strike at such groups of surveillance drones at any moment, attempting to disrupt Humanity's surveillance plans. This was also why Humanity had not yet conquered the Trisolaran Star System after such a long time.

At this moment, whether it was Humanity's Neutron Star Warships or the Trisolaran Civilization's last elite fleet, both sides unleashed their full strength, engaging in an unprecedented battle.

This war had no deafening sounds, no blinding beams of energy, yet it was filled with tension and crisis, as if every moment was hanging on the edge of life and death.

The battlefield spanned across dozens of astronomical units, unfolding like a grand interstellar scroll. Under this starry sky, both Humans and Trisolarans exhibited incredible courage and wisdom, fearlessly throwing themselves into this decisive battle for their respective spaces for survival.

Trisolaran Warships ingeniously hid within the Mist Zones, lurking like phantoms, waiting for the approach of Humans. Their shapes flickered in and out of visibility in the mist, like hunters spying on their prey.

And when Humanity's Neutron Star Warships came close, these Trisolaran Warships would pounce from all directions, attacking the Neutron Star Warships in a frenzy, like wild beasts launching kamikaze attacks.

Neutron Star Warships were merely coated with a layer of Neutron Star Material Armor on their surface; not all the outer layers were made of Neutron Star Material, there were certainly weak spots, such as the Warships' engine exhaust ports. If the Trisolarans could find these weak points, they might have a chance to destroy Humanity's Neutron Star Warship.

Neutron Star Warships were not invulnerable. Although they had a layer of solid Neutron Star Material Armor on their exterior, this did not mean that all external layers were made of Neutron Star Material. Beneath this armor, there were undoubtedly weak areas, such as the engine exhaust ports of the Warships.

These areas were the Achilles' heel of the Neutron Star Warships, and also the breakthrough point for the Trisolarans to attempt to destroy them. If the Trisolarans could locate these weak points and concentrate their firepower on them, they might have a chance to destroy Humanity's Neutron Star Warships.

...

Time silently passed amid fierce clashes as if every second carried endless tension and anxiety.

Finally, for their own future and fate, the Trisolarans had persisted in this decisive battle for a full 11 hours. Their tenacity and perseverance were on full display at this moment.

Meanwhile, the attack from the Mountain Civilization was imminent.

Human Expeditionary Fleet Headquarters.

A warning message came from surveillance staff; it was an emergency alert from a human ultra-relativistic communication unmanned monitor, two astronomical units away:

[Alert! 2000 beams of unknown High-Energy Particles detected, energy intensity has breached detection limits!

Alert! It was detected that the unknown High-Energy Particle Beams can change direction! The target seems to be our Neutron Star Warships!

Alert! This situation is impossible; there is a serious error in the Sophon core program...]

These series of alarm sounds shocked everyone in the headquarters. They exchanged worried looks, their minds filled with confusion and fear.

No one knew whether this was a Trisolaran ploy, a false alarm from the unmanned monitors, or even more terrifyingly, that the worst hypothesis—a new enemy—had silently emerged in this region of space.

The energy intensity of the unknown High-Energy Particle Beams exceeded the detection limit of the monitors, which meant that such an energy level was far beyond the strength of the particle beam that cut The Waterdrop during Humanity's doomsday battle—by tens of thousands of times. Its power was simply unimaginable.

What was even more frightening was that these unknown High-Energy Particle Beams could change direction, a situation that was fundamentally impossible according to scientific principles. This abnormal phenomenon even caused the Sophon core program to fall into contradictory paralysis, unable to provide a reasonable explanation or response plan.

Facing such an urgent and critical situation, the Fleet Commander knew he could not continue to ponder; he had to act immediately and issued the orders:

"Command the Neutron Star Fleet to enter serpentine maneuver mode; all Human Warships to enter emergency maneuver mode. Each Warship should flexibly determine their response strategy according to their own situation; we may have encountered a new enemy.

"Surveillance department, immediately detect the source of the unknown energy particle beams; we must quickly find their launch position.

"Communications department, immediately alert the Solar System Alliance Headquarters of the warning, so they can also prepare for response."