Chapter 366: Breakthrough in Faster-than-Light Detection

While Du Qiu’s mind wandered, the ship’s AI had already analyzed the properties of the negative matter used in the faster-than-light detector and produced a detailed report.

Previously, Du Qiu hadn’t done this because he hadn’t fully understood how negative matter was generated. Now, by providing modeling parameters based on its principles, the AI could carry out the necessary analysis.

After reviewing the report, Du Qiu finally realized that negative matter is a collective term for many faster-than-light particles.

When negative and positive matter react and annihilate each other, there is a type of negative matter that doesn’t completely react. It leaves behind residual particles that are then reflected by unreacted positive matter.

The faster-than-light detector was developed by exploiting these peculiar particle traits.

Its operation is much like that of radar—only it uses waves of faster-than-light negative matter particles.

Understanding that there are various kinds of negative matter particles, the AI even simulated how to obtain them in its analysis.

Du Qiu committed all these details to memory and, upon waking the next day, immediately gathered his research team to begin experimental tests.

Progress went remarkably smoothly, and a brand-new faster-than-light detector was successfully built.

In its inaugural test, the detector effortlessly identified science-tech warships and spaceships traveling faster-than-light beyond the traditional bounds of the Solar System.

All these warships and spaceships were clearly displayed on the detector’s screen, leaving nowhere to hide.

However, it was unfortunate that when aimed toward White Spot, the detector registered nothing!

This outcome left the research team feeling somewhat dejected. Although the detector could spot faster-than-light vessels, it was originally designed to detect dark matter lifeforms, so its failure was a significant blow.

“Everyone, don’t lose hope. There are so many types of negative matter particles. Perhaps these ones might not be useful in detecting dark matter lifeforms now, but others might work,” he said.

Du Qiu began to encourage the team, once again explaining the link between negative matter and dark matter, urging them to find a solution from that angle.

Assuming the unknown enemy is a dark matter lifeform, detecting dark matter should reveal its presence.

Boosted by his motivation, the group regained their confidence and dove back into intensive research.

Sifting through countless particles to find one that could make a difference was tedious and time-consuming.

Having set the team on the correct path, Du Qiu refused to waste any further time on trivial details—this was the true spirit of independent innovation.

Moreover, he needed to continue replicating warship systems, weaponry, and energy equipment within Dreamland.

Progress in Dreamland was essential for him to further enhance the combat capabilities of the Dream Technology Fleet in reality.

To combat dark matter lifeforms, Du Qiu urgently needed to develop targeted weapons.

First, he needed to reexamine dark matter—a unique form of positive matter whose fundamental particles lack strong, weak, and electromagnetic forces, possessing only gravity.

This conclusion was drawn from the Grand Unified Theory.

Since dark matter lacks strong interactions, quarks cannot combine to form basic protons or neutrons, so conventional matter cannot be formed.

Fully composed of quarks—a diffuse ‘cloud’ of them—dark matter allows photons to pass through without hindrance due to the absence of electromagnetic force, rendering it invisible to all radiation.

However, its gravitational force enables it to bend light, creating gravitational lensing effects that can be detected.

At that moment, Du Qiu patted his head, realizing he had gone down the wrong path.

To confirm the existence of dark matter lifeforms, all that was needed was to observe Barnard’s Star behind the Tur Fleet formation facing White Spot.

If dark matter lifeforms were present, their ability to counterbalance Solar System gravity would inevitably produce a gravitational lensing effect.

Thus, by continually adjusting the observation angle, one could map the spatial configuration occupied by a dark matter lifeform and pinpoint its location.

Without delay, Du Qiu summoned the dark matter research team—a group experienced in selecting observation angles and originally tasked with exploring the origins of dark matter.

Everyone was immediately recalled from the Heritage Fleet, and one month later, they all boarded Du Qiu’s flagship, the Qinglong Mother Ship—the first of its class.

Since last year, Dream Technology’s space fleet had been rotating near Mars to begin their faster-than-light modifications.

Dream Technology’s space fleet consists of five primary fleets, each uniformly composed of Qinglong-class mother ships paired with main battle ships.

Meanwhile, cruisers serve solely on routine patrols; currently, both within and outside the Solar System, these vessels handle monitoring tasks.

The Second and Third Fleets first replaced their third-generation warships. The Second Fleet was sent to escort the Heritage Fleet, while the Third Fleet replaced the old Fifth Fleet to guard White Spot.

Du Qiu’s flagship fleet—the First Fleet—is directly receiving new warships, while older vessels are sent for upgrades.

The Fourth Fleet is currently stationed near the Ninth Planet, and the crew of the soon-to-be-formed Sixth Fleet is in training. They will soon receive upgraded First Fleet warships and then be stationed in the Kuiper Belt.

Once the Fifth Fleet completes its upgrade, it will swap with the Fourth Fleet; thereafter, the upgraded Fourth Fleet will depart for White Spot to form a pincer defense with the Third Fleet.

At present, the First Fleet has just accepted 2,000 new main battle ships. Although full strength will take time to achieve, Du Qiu’s objective this time was experimentation, not combat.

With a formation of one mother ship and 2,000 main battle ships, they would be more than capable of handling any unexpected emergencies.

As the First Fleet departed the Solar System at a steady 30,000 km/s, the mother ship’s crew began installing new astronomical telescopes.

After five days of normal travel, the fleet was 87 astronomical units from Mars—close enough to initiate faster-than-light travel.

The fleet then embarked on a short burst of faster-than-light travel at 40 times the speed of light, reaching a point less than 0.5 light-years from White Spot in just 23 days.

The entire fleet then exited faster-than-light mode, gradually decelerating to a stop.

Six main battle ships detached from the fleet to find optimal observation positions.

Researchers boarded these six battle ships and set up new astronomical telescopes to guide the warships in adjusting their orientations.

In the mother ship’s command hall, Du Qiu, Chen Guangnan from the Physics Research Institute, and Director Best from the Astronomy Institute watched the large screen with intense focus.

The screen was connected to six astronomical telescopes, each displaying the images they captured.

“Telescope 1 is online!”

“Telescope 2 is online!”

“Telescope 3 is online!”

…

All six telescopes were gradually activated and began their final orientation adjustments. Their shared target was the area of White Spot, focusing on distant Barnard’s Star.

In the open area before the screen, a holographic projection displayed an image identical to the Solar System view in the central control room.

After modifications made by Star Ocean to the central control room’s AI, everything there could now be directly controlled by Star Ocean.

In the holographic projection, the Tur Fleet at White Spot looked just as it did ten years ago. Every warship’s posture remained unchanged, except that several dozen cruiser-sized vessels were missing.

These missing vessels had been inexplicably transformed into Meteor Warships by dark matter lifeforms and deployed to the energy vortex of the Civilization Bastion.

Around the fleet, there was nothing else.

“Beep beep beep——”

“Telescope 1 has detected something!”

“Telescope 2 has detected something!”

“Telescope 3 has detected something!”

…

A continuous stream of reports filled the command hall as Du Qiu and the two institute heads fixed their eyes on the large screen.

Five of the telescopes were set to observe Barnard’s Star from five directions along the edge of the Tur Fleet formation at White Spot.

The sixth telescope was aimed directly through the center of the fleet.

In this configuration, the six telescopes formed a pentagram-like pattern that effectively covered the entire fleet.

At that moment, every image captured by the telescopes was displayed on the screen.

“My God!”

“Oh my, what is that!”

“It’s enormous!”

…