Chapter 355: Moon’s Secret and the Tur Fleet’s Gamble

Beside Du Qiu was a holographic projection of First Fleet Commander Song Yuanting.

“Boss, this red dot marks the position where our Winged Dragon Mark II has received the second signal. Calculated from this position, the Tur Fleet’s second transmission should reach us in less than three years.”

Song Yuanting reasoned that the Winged Dragon Mark II formation was gradually expanding its patrol range.

Since no prior transmission had been detected, it indicated that this radio wave had only just begun its journey.

Unlike the first signal intercepted six months ago—in fact, later analysis showed that even Earth had received some echoes of that transmission.

In other words, the first signal had long since entered the Solar System, bouncing off various planets and asteroids, amplifying as it spread throughout.

It was mistaken for a natural radio emission, and thus went unexamined.

“That means the Tur Fleet is highly likely to be near White Spot. Our deductions about White Spot must be correct.”

Du Qiu said as he then asked Stardust to relay the message.

Stardust promptly replied, “The message reads: ‘To the civilizations within the Ge Ya Civilization Bastion, if you receive and decode this message, please uphold the spirit of alliance by opening the Bastion and coming to our aid.’”

“Our previous transmission mentioned that we had conducted a reckless probe which yielded minimal feedback, revealing that your civilization is still at a Level 1 stage.”

“If you’re unable to open the Bastion, simply follow our instructions and it will be unlocked.”

“Our warship can no longer support voyages exceeding 3 light-years. We are in desperate need of your assistance.”

“We can help advance your civilization, as per the Ge Ya Alliance’s mutual aid clause. Trust us, we mean no harm—we are allies.”

“The Ge Ya Alliance is a coalition of all intelligent life in the galaxy. You must be aware of the Ge Ya Civilization, the Alliance’s leader, who has protected many weaker civilizations with the Bastion.”

“Our common enemy is the Dominant Civilization—destructive AI entities that are the archenemies of natural intelligence.”

“Finally, as allies, please go ahead and open the Bastion. We eagerly await your rescue.”

After hearing Stardust’s translation, Song Yuanting laughed, “Do you think the Tur Civilization is that naive? Knowing we’re so feeble, how could they expect us to follow their instructions to open the Bastion after realizing they’re far stronger?”

Du Qiu, however, fell silent in contemplation.

After a pause, he finally asked, “Stardust, what exactly is the Tur Fleet’s procedure for opening the Bastion? With current Earth technology, is it truly feasible?”

“Sir, the method involves obliterating the designated area on the Moon with nuclear bombs totaling an explosive yield of 1 billion tons, which will unlock the Civilization Bastion.”

Stardust replied while projecting an image of the Moon and marking the specific region.

Seeing the mark, Du Qiu thought to himself, ‘As expected.’

The marked area was the same magnetic anomaly originally discovered—a region rich in titanomagnetite deposits.

It had been completely secured by Du Qiu and was now enveloped by the Moon’s Defense Fortress.

“Hey, isn’t that the very center of our Moon Defense Fortress? Could it be that the Tur Fleet’s Meteor Warship has detected our fortress and now expects us to destroy it ourselves?”

Having seen clearly where Stardust pointed, Song Yuanting blurted out his concern.

Du Qiu sneered, “The Tur Fleet wants us to neutralize our own defenses. Opening the Bastion shouldn’t require such a violent act.”

“Even if that area is intimately linked with the Bastion, using nuclear bombs to destroy it would render the Bastion useless, wouldn’t it?”

“That would allow the Tur Fleet unfettered access to the Solar System. Even if they don’t exterminate us outright, they could easily subjugate us.”

Song Yuanting agreed, “I suspect there might be a control room deep underground. Their plan to use nuclear weapons may actually be aimed at demolishing that control room, making the Bastion disappear.”

Du Qiu had already come to share Song Yuanting’s view. Earlier, the superconducting imaging device had been interfered with, preventing it from probing more than 5,000 meters beneath the Moon’s surface.

A series of subsequent events led Du Qiu to halt further exploration of that area. It now seems that more investigation is required.

Perhaps, as Song Yuanting suggested, there really is a control room underground?

Unexpectedly, the Moon did indeed harbor a great secret.

“You make a good point. I’ll arrange for an immediate investigation of that area.”

“Boss, should we just ignore this message then?”

Du Qiu nodded, “Yes, there’s no need to pay it any heed. Didn’t they claim that their warship couldn’t support voyages beyond 3 light-years?”

“If that’s true, their warship likely can’t perform faster-than-light travel anymore.”

“Based on the timestamp of the second transmission, they’ve been lingering near White Spot for nearly three years.”

“Furthermore, their meteor ship is capable of communication. When we destroyed that ship nine months ago, they would have received its report.”

“Even earlier, the construction of the space city on Mars would have been detected and reported to the Tur Fleet by the meteor ship.”

“By that logic, the Tur Fleet will receive this information in just over two years, at which point they might resort to coercive measures.”

Song Yuanting said, “Boss, your calculations seem spot-on. Once the Tur Fleet gets these signals, they’ll realize that Earth’s civilization is advancing rapidly—from Level 1 to Level 2, even Level 3.”

“They will either violently dismantle the Bastion or send additional meteor warships to invade the Solar System and obliterate the Moon!”

Du Qiu mused, “Yes, if there truly is a control room on the Moon, they might send disguised meteor ships into the Solar System to personally destroy the Moon.”

“However, it’s still unclear what class of warship the Tur Fleet can covertly deploy, or what type of warship the Bastion can repel.”

Song Yuanting commented, “I suspect the Bastion’s defenses are indeed formidable—otherwise the Tur Fleet would have already broken through.”

“Judging from the size and appearance of the meteor warship, the meteor disguise is likely the key to deceiving the Bastion’s barrier.”

“In short, the Bastion’s function is to block all non-natural spacecraft and electromagnetic waves.”

“That means any ships they send in can’t be overly large; otherwise, they wouldn’t mimic a natural meteor phenomenon.”

“If they send in vessels the size of the meteor warship—even if thousands are deployed—we won’t have cause for concern. I guarantee they won’t breach the Kuiper Belt.”

“Regardless, your First Fleet must intensify patrols outside the Kuiper Belt, and the Ninth Planet Defense System must be placed on high alert to strike any invaders at a moment’s notice.”

“Yes, Boss.”

As Song Yuanting’s projection faded, Du Qiu felt confident. The First Fleet now boasted 300 main warships and 300 escorts.

All were second-generation warships, equipped with high-speed capabilities and preliminary electromagnetic shields.

Indeed, after six months of research, progress had been made with electromagnetic shields, even if energy shields had proven elusive.

This breakthrough was inspired by a magnetic field generator from the material purification facility, allowing Du Qiu to create a powerful, closed magnetic field around a warship.

Once activated, this magnetic field would completely envelop the ship, delaying and even triggering explosions upon external physical attacks.

This type of electromagnetic shield is standard among Level 3 civilizations, whose weaponry typically includes electromagnetic cannons that fire high-explosive alloy shells.

The electromagnetic shield easily neutralizes these shells by intercepting and detonating them.