Chapter 56: Stellar Gravitational Collapse
Another eleven years have passed.
Yan Xia has long since left Proxima Centauri and is heading towards the Hundred-Eyed Star.
He has already made contact with Ella.
At the same time, he received news ten and a half years ago about the destruction of the Hundred-Eyed fleet by the purple thornbush-like civilization's fleet.
1000 warships.
What kind of terrifying civilization was this?
However, Yan Xia's plan wouldn't be abandoned due to the unexpected number of warships; he had made up his mind to fight to the bitter end.
He had already invested so much.
Using all the technology developed over a thousand years to crush a single warship of the enemy.
How could they turn the tables?
This was a question that Yan Xia and Ella had pondered for a long time.
The answer they finally arrived at was close to the ultimate method they could use, and it would be a game.
"Has the Kate tribe of Proxima Centauri C started to move?" Yan Xia asked.
"Yes, the first batch has been transferred, and the second batch is still on the way," Ella replied.
Ella's main body has been teleported over, and it currently leaves its attachments on the Hope in the void of South Gate 2A.
It also transmits a large amount of information to the Hundred-Eyed Star to prevent data loss.
Yan Xia looked at the two bright stars in sight.
"Live as long as you can. No matter how many lives die, time will restore them again."
"Even if all species become extinct, we still have the Kate family's gene pool."
He was waiting for news.
If he fails, he will take Ella to set sail again and wander further into the starfield.
Now that they have discovered the existence of 'strings,' they won't need a few hundred years to advance to a Level 2 civilization.
"May it succeed!"
The first half of the plan was to eliminate the purple thornbush-like civilization's warship in the Barnard's Star binary system, and this has been accomplished.
This was the most crucial part.
The second half of the plan was relatively simpler: they just needed to make the purple thornbush-like civilization believe that they were hiding inside Barnard's Star A.
...
At this time, in the Barnard's Star system.
A large number of spaceships approach Barnard's Star A.
The Kate tribe no longer resembles the original Kate tribe; each one has a different appearance, which is simply strange.
This is what the purple thornbush-like civilization has done to them.
Now, they have no intention of joining the purple thornbush-like civilization. In these decades, they have been hunted like prey.
Hatred is rooted in their hearts.
But they also have doubts.
Can they really be protected here?
Then they look at the shattered remains of the enemy warship between the two stars.
Astonishment.
The warship that left such a deep impression on their civilization has actually been destroyed!
A glimmer of hope ignites in their hearts.
"The Federation has arrived. Our saviors are here!"
"We are saved!"
For the past hundred years, most of the Kate tribe believed that the Federation didn't exist. Otherwise, why would they, as a member civilization, not receive the Federation's help?
Now, there seems to be a turning point.
What was once considered false might be real after all.
"The Federation has come, and those purple creatures are finished. The Federation will defeat them."
"Now, we just need to enter the protection of the Federation, inside this star."
"According to our calculations, there is a large cavity inside this star, which is the Federation's stellar research facility."
The former officials of the Kate tribe send out messages.
All the spaceships start heading towards the interior of Barnard's Star A.
A tunnel has been opened for them to enter.
They fly in and witness the scene inside.
Astonishment!
Awe!
What kind of civilization could create such a vast space inside a star?
Their confidence grows.
Just then, a message comes from outside, informing them of the arrival of the purple thornbush-like civilization's warships. Initial observations indicate hundreds of them, identical to the ones destroyed outside.
Another message follows.
Proxima Centauri C has been destroyed, just like Proxima Centauri B, blown to pieces.
Decades of fear of the purple thornbush-like civilization cause them to panic.
Then, a member of the Kate tribe kneels and prays towards the energy mass in the center of the cavity.
"Oh, noble Federation, we beseech you to resolve this crisis for us."
He uses the Church Prayer from the 'Divine Revelation.'
The other Kate tribe members follow suit, and soon, this act of prayer spreads to the other spaceships, with millions upon millions of the Kate tribe praying.
...
In space.
The purple thornbush-like civilization's warships draw closer.
They approach the Barnard's Star binary system.
Observing the countless ships entering the star.
1000 warships prepare their laser weapons and begin their attack.
These ships, inferior even to the lowest-level warships, are as fragile as paper in the face of the lasers.
The purple thornbush-like civilization is like the Grim Reaper.
The destroyed warships have already sent back combat information.
The enemy was able to destroy them because they let their guard down, giving the enemy an opportunity.
Weak civilizations that resist will pay the price.
Their anger will burn across the stars.
This time, they will mercilessly wield the scythe of death over all life here, declaring the supremacy of the purple thornbush-like civilization.
The fleet clears the countless ships outside, then approaches the tunnel of Barnard's Star A.
Countless messages of despair are transmitted from the destroyed ships outside.
The atmosphere of fear intensifies, and they are like turtles trapped in a jar.
In the center of the cavity, a spaceship stands still.
Inside the ship, Ella's attachment analyzes the situation coldly and without emotion.
"All warships of the purple thornbush-like civilization have been found..."
"Confirm that the warships of the purple thornbush-like civilization have entered the designated area..."
"The star funeral plan has been launched..."
"Received the information from the original..."
"Information content: Goodbye, Hope..."
As the voice falls, Hope starts to crash into the terrifying energy mass in front of it.
This energy is extremely stable, but Ella has already made some modifications to Hope, turning it into a massive bomb.
Hope explodes upon impact with the energy mass.
The terrifying explosion has a strength of 300 billion tons of TNT equivalent.
Almost instantly, the entire energy mass is thrown into extreme chaos by the explosion, and then the surface of the ring in space begins to explode, releasing the restrained energy in a furious burst.
The released energy is almost equivalent to the total energy of a Level 2 civilization, approximately 1 x 10^36, which is close to the energy released by a star in 500 years.
The Kate tribe inside the cavity observes this phenomenon.
Some of the smarter ones have already guessed the truth.
They were just bait!
But even if they know, they can't escape now.
The energy stored in the cavity almost instantly explodes, engulfing them all within 10 minutes.
However, this is just the beginning.
Most of the released energy is precisely calculated to be directed towards the largest gap in the ring in space, which faces the core of Barnard's Star A.
This is the interior of Barnard's Star A, making it easier to disrupt the star.
The entire core of the star is disturbed by the energy, causing rapid changes. The energy spirals out of control, and the entire star undergoes a dramatic transformation.
The purple thornbush-like civilization observes this phenomenon from outside.
Their faces turn pale.
"Something's wrong. This is a trap!"
"The radiation pressure of this star is changing. We're observing gravitational disturbance. This star will collapse within 10 seconds!"
The star's collapse is extremely rapid.
Although Barnard's Star A is not very massive, it can only collapse into a white dwarf.
However, during the collapse, it will eject 30% to 40% of its mass, with a total energy of 4 x 10^43 joules.
The speed of this ejected energy is only 8,000 km/s, which the purple thornbush-like civilization's warships can easily escape at full speed.
But they can't do that now.
Their large ships need a long time to decelerate, brake, and turn due to their inertia.
If they were 20 million kilometers or more away from Barnard's Star A, they might have a chance.
But now, they are only 4 million kilometers away, practically on the star's surface.
Not to mention that the gravitational pull during the star's collapse will drag them towards the star's interior.
At such a close distance, they can only collide head-on with the ejected energy.
And this is not even the worst part.
The energy ejected during the star's collapse is scattered, and the total energy received by their fleet may only be one-hundred-billionth of the total.
One-hundred-billionth is a 32-digit number.
As a Level 2 civilization, they can produce 1 x 10^26 joules of energy per second, and the energy they face is just the total energy they can produce in a few months.
But having this amount of energy doesn't mean they have the same level of defense.
Their only option now is to release attacks to intercept the incoming energy.
However, it's still not enough to avoid destruction.
The gravitational waves from the star's collapse will render all their methods useless, like trying to create a splash on the shore against a 10-meter wave.
All their control over electromagnetic, strong, and weak forces is insignificant in the face of this.
The vast Level 2 civilization fleet, capable of striking fear into countless civilizations, is now so small and helpless.
In space.
They are like ants under a wheel, crushed mercilessly, becoming stardust, and then swept away by the material ejected from the star, becoming part of the magnificent Barnard's Star Nebula.
They can't believe they will die here, at the hands of a tiny Level 1 civilization.
Weak civilizations that resist will pay the price.
But arrogance will also pay the price!