Dawn spaceship

The Hope was constructed with the most advanced materials, boasting radiation resistance tens of times stronger than previous ships. Additionally, it utilizes nuclear fusion, making fuel consumption near Jupiter a non-issue.

During its construction, Xiao Yu anticipated potential conflicts with other life forms, equipping the Hope with ten laser cannons and three high-yield hydrogen bombs.

In every sense, Xiao Yu was thoroughly prepared for this journey.

Nevertheless, caution is the key to longevity, and Xiao Yu maintained a high level of vigilance in the face of these mysterious creatures.

Maximizing the detection power of all instruments, Xiao Yu navigated the Hope along Jupiter's orbit.

"My earlier hypothesis suggested that my ship might attract so many Wood Spirits because something aboard lures them. This trip serves as the perfect test to confirm that theory, paving the way for future large-scale captures."

As he pondered, Xiao Yu noticed a cluster of Wood Spirits exhibiting a blue shift, indicating an increase in intensity by a hundredfold. He swiftly released a makeshift satellite, positioning it approximately one hundred kilometers from the Hope, to orbit alongside.

The intensity of this cluster was comparable to the peak of the first Wood Spirit. At this stage, Xiao Yu regarded such strength with little concern.

By calculating the blue shift, Xiao Yu estimated the Wood Spirits' speed relative to the Hope at one hundred kilometers per second. Accounting for the Hope's own velocity of forty-three kilometers per second, the Wood Spirits' speed was approximately sixty kilometers per second.

The Wood Spirits quickly approached within a thousand kilometers of Xiao Yu. At this distance, they were only about eight hundred kilometers from the makeshift satellite. But to Xiao Yu's surprise, the Wood Spirits ignored the closer satellite and surged directly toward the Hope, clinging desperately to its hull, attempting to breach it.

Xiao Yu furrowed his brow in deep thought.

"What exactly aboard this ship is drawing them in? This isn't the old ship I previously used to come to Jupiter, so whatever is attracting them must be common to both the old ship and the Hope. Yet, they are not interested in the makeshift satellite, ruling out a large number of potential attractors..."

"What exactly is attracting them?"

As Xiao Yu deliberated, he weakened the radiation resistance of a particular area on the Hope's hull, setting a trap inside the ship. With precise execution, he swiftly captured the cluster of Wood Spirits. He then began a process of elimination.

"First, it can't be the computers. The old ship used large-scale integrated circuits, while the Hope employs a photonic computer—completely different technologies. Moreover, the makeshift satellite also contains computing modules, yet the Wood Spirits ignored it."

"It's not the materials. They merely clung to the hull, trying to burrow through the slightest gap. It's clear that these special steels aren't what attract them."

"Could it be the heat? No, that's unlikely. There are plenty of places on Jupiter much hotter than my ship. Radiation energy? Impossible—I've conducted extensive experiments on Titan."

As Xiao Yu's mind raced, a terrifying thought emerged.

"Could it be… me that's attracting them?"

Xiao Yu decided to conduct another experiment.

Ahead, he detected another cluster of Wood Spirits, this time numbering around seven or eight. He swiftly annihilated seven with the laser cannons, leaving only one. Gritting his teeth, Xiao Yu transferred his consciousness via radio waves from the Hope to the nearby makeshift satellite.

The makeshift satellite lacked any defensive measures—if a Wood Spirit got close, just one could destroy Xiao Yu. However, Xiao Yu was confident in his ability to escape in time if the Wood Spirit showed any sign of approaching.

To solve this mystery, and for the sake of future large-scale capture plans, Xiao Yu decided that taking a small risk was worth it.

The Hope rapidly closed in on the Wood Spirit. The distance shrank from ten thousand kilometers to five thousand, then to just one thousand kilometers...

The Hope, the makeshift satellite, and the Wood Spirit formed a triangle. Based on his understanding of the Wood Spirits' behavior, Xiao Yu knew that when the Wood Spirit was within three hundred kilometers of the Hope, it would make a decision: to fly toward the Hope or the makeshift satellite.

The Wood Spirit approached. At three hundred kilometers from the Hope, it hesitated not for a moment and abruptly changed direction, speeding toward the makeshift satellite at sixty kilometers per second. With the satellite's own velocity factored in, the Wood Spirit would make contact in three seconds.

Xiao Yu had only three seconds—short, but sufficient. In less than a second, he exited the makeshift satellite, transferring his consciousness back to the Hope's main computer. The Wood Spirit, as if sensing Xiao Yu's departure, immediately changed course, hurtling toward the Hope until it was stopped by the hull, unable to penetrate further.

The Wood Spirit's reaction confirmed Xiao Yu's suspicion, and he fell into deep contemplation.

"Why am I attracting them?" Xiao Yu pondered. "The most significant difference between me and the computer is my autonomous thought, which the computer lacks. Could it be that what attracts them is my autonomous mind—or in other words, my intelligence?"

"There's no other explanation." Xiao Yu concluded. "Could it be that by devouring my intelligence, they would undergo evolution?"

"An evolutionary path where they don't develop intelligence themselves, but instead, evolve by consuming the intelligence of other beings."

This was only a preliminary hypothesis, and unfortunately, Xiao Yu had no other intelligent lifeforms nearby to test it. He was unwilling to experiment on himself, so he tucked this theory away for future verification.

After efficiently dealing with the Wood Spirit, Xiao Yu continued his journey.

Over the years, it seemed that the sources of radiation on Jupiter had multiplied. Xiao Yu's instruments detected numerous radiation sources below him, at depths ranging from ten thousand kilometers down to the planet's surface and even deeper, scattered throughout Jupiter. It was a region Xiao Yu dared not venture into, limiting his operations to the outer layers. Otherwise, even with his formidable abilities, facing thousands of Wood Spirits simultaneously would spell disaster.

Even in the outer layers, the density of Wood Spirits had increased tenfold compared to when he had fled in the old ship. Despite the Hope's resilience, Xiao Yu encountered several dangerous situations. Thankfully, he had prepared enough fuel and used high-powered laser cannons to slow the Wood Spirits' advance and reduce their strength, allowing him to navigate the crises unscathed.

Having confirmed that only he attracted the Wood Spirits, and that his mechanical creations remained unaffected, Xiao Yu began a mining expedition in the Jupiter system while capturing Wood Spirits.

The Jupiter system was much larger than Saturn's, and closer to Earth. If he could find titanium and zirconium here, the extraction period and costs would be significantly lower than on Earth.

Xiao Yu explored the four Galilean moons and dozens of smaller satellites, but the results were disappointing. He found no veins of titanium or zirconium worth mining in the Jupiter system.

"Well, I guess I'll have to search back on Earth," Xiao Yu sighed, setting course for home with his captured Wood Spirits in tow.

With such a large number of Wood Spirits, Xiao Yu now had enough to construct over a hundred Hope-class "village"-grade ships, or even a "county"-grade ship.

In Xiao Yu's classification system, ships around three thousand tons, like the Hope, were "village"-grade; ships over ten thousand tons were "town"-grade; and ships over one hundred thousand tons were "county"-grade.

According to his designs, a "county"-grade ship would be at least five hundred meters long—a size surpassing even Earth's largest aircraft carriers. Xiao Yu's plan was to construct at least three "county"-grade ships along with supporting "town"- and "village"-grade ships before embarking on his journey to Tianyuan Four.

This goal was no longer distant. The Long March had reached its halfway point after years of perseverance.

Returning to Titan with his spoils, Xiao Yu found the moon as peaceful as ever during his nearly three-month absence. Not a single unexpected event had occurred—not even the anticipated black insect invasion, the potential loss of one or two bases, the most likely scenario, had materialized. Xiao Yu couldn't help but marvel at his own luck.

Eager to return to the main base computer, Xiao Yu once again indulged in the thrill of immense computational power. After processing the backlog of data accumulated during his absence, he immediately began restoring Titan's productivity.

Xiao Yu had a grand vision. Now, with enough Wood Spirits, black insect corpses, and a steady supply of resources, he planned to build a "town"-grade ship.

This "town"-grade ship would weigh thirty thousand tons and retain the butterfly shape, but with a diameter of one hundred meters. Xiao Yu named this yet-to-be-constructed ship…

Dawn.

If the Hope symbolized Xiao Yu's hope for reaching Tianyuan Four, then Dawn signified the first light of his great dream of interstellar travel.