Chapter 323: Little Brats. |
Kasa Civilization, Gemini Star, Polar Night City.
Chen Mang once again appeared in this familiar city, the one that had brought him a massive windfall. That very opportunity had allowed the Stellaris Train to fully upgrade all of its components to level 200.
Looking across the entire Kasa Civilization, and even the Mechanical Civilization.
A train like the Stellaris Train.
Was entirely unprecedented.
He had poured the resources of an entire civilization into forging a single train. This was an approach no other civilization could replicate. After all, not everyone possessed an infinite supply of Murphy Stones like he did. He never had to worry about running out of them; as long as he had enough resources, he could upgrade indefinitely.
Once upon a time.
He had thought that the unique traits of the Zerg Civilization were absurd, bug-level cheats.
But...
The inability to be in two places at once.
Once his civilization's territory expanded, he could not possibly spend all his time rushing from one crisis to another. If an enemy civilization launched a multi-pronged assault, it would leave him overwhelmed. Fortunately for him, however, his entire civilization's territory was stuffed safely inside his train, perfectly self-contained.
"..."
Chen Mang walked down the familiar street, gazing at the pedestrians ahead while deep in thought. Originally, he had never considered such a move, but ever since he learned that the Android Pirate Group was planning to hijack the massive stockpile of resources being collected by the Kasa Civilization...
A fierce greed had ignited in his heart.
If others could rob them, why couldn't he?
He wanted a piece of that pie too.
The only major problem was figuring out the exact transportation route for those supplies. He could not possibly have Xiao Ai constantly monitor the precise movements of every single train belonging to the Kasa Civilization within the entire Kasa Civilization Federation, could he?
Of course he could.
In fact, that was exactly what he did.
The price was that he had not spoken to Xiao Ai in quite some time. All of Xiao Ai's computational power was poured into the task, leaving not even a fraction to spare for conversation. Yet, this was still not foolproof. Who knew if the Kasa Civilization might use different trains to transport this batch of resources?
Right at that moment—
Xiao Ai suddenly transmitted a message directly into his mind.
-
"Tier-1 Civilization 'Kasa Civilization' has successfully advanced to a Tier-2 Civilization."
-
"..."
Chen Mang froze for a moment before realizing what this was. This had to be the Ascension Ripple from when the Kasa Civilization advanced to a Tier-2 Civilization a long time ago. However, the Kasa Civilization's mother planet must not have been in this sector back then; it had to have been much further away.
After an unknown amount of time had passed.
Only now had this Ascension Ripple finally reached this area.
"The lag in this universe is seriously long,"
he muttered with a helpless sigh. It felt like living in the 2G era. By the time a message finally reached him, God knew how much time had already passed. The Kasa Civilization was currently a third-level civilization, yet he was only just now receiving the Ascension Ripple for their promotion to the second level.
This sense of unreality left him slightly dazed.
However.
In the next moment—
Xiao Ai transmitted another message into his mind.
-
"Captain, I have detected a special entity. It is difficult to explain in just a few words. Would it be convenient for you to return to the train and take a look?"
-
"Looks like you still have some processing power left."
"Processing power is like time. If you squeeze hard enough, you can always find a little extra."
Inside the Stellaris Train.
Chen Mang sat in his chair, staring at the rather bizarre image displayed on the Doppelganger Radar screen.
Was that a... turtle?
No, to be precise, it looked more like a Black Tortoise. It was somewhat similar to the mythical beast from his previous world, the Black Tortoise, yet slightly different.
It had the body of a turtle and the tail of a snake.
It was silently soaring through the universe.
Its size was enormous. While far smaller than Xiao Lu's devouring form, it was still equivalent to the surface area of two or three Water Blue Stars combined. Like a colossal behemoth, it drifted quietly through the pitch-black canvas of the cosmos.
Its speed was not particularly fast.
It was traveling at roughly one-tenth of the Stellaris Train's maximum speed, which was still undeniably much faster than a standard train.
"Captain,"
Xiao Ai's voice echoed through the cabin. "While monitoring all trains bearing the Kasa Civilization's mark within the Kasa Civilization Federation, I discovered this entity. It may be a Star Beast. There are billions of living beings on its back."
"Its stealth level is incredibly high."
"It can only be detected by a Level 200 radar. If our radar wasn't such a high level, we would never have spotted it."
"I see."
Chen Mang narrowed his eyes as he stared at the scene on the Doppelganger Radar. He could now confirm one thing: neither the Zerg Civilization nor the Kasa Civilization possessed a Level 200 radar.
Otherwise, it was impossible for them to see this sight and remain completely indifferent.
He had originally assumed that the Kasa Civilization knew there was an Arkanon Light Cannon blast continually gathering power deep within the Dark Abyss, hurtling toward their sector, and that it simply would not arrive for another eighty thousand years.
Which was why they were entirely unconcerned.
Eighty thousand years was enough time for a lot of things to happen.
He had thought that was how the Kasa Civilization viewed the situation.
As it turned out, the Kasa Civilization simply did not have a Level 200 radar and was completely oblivious to the news. For a third-level civilization, they were doing quite miserably. Were Murphy Stones really that difficult to obtain?
He still remembered the sheer power of that cannon blast. Its energy output was equivalent to a level 4987 prismatic-grade firepower component. Once it fully detonated, the entire Kasa Civilization would be instantly reduced to ashes.
Every living being in this sector would be buried along with them.
"Let's go take a look."
Although he didn't know the exact situation, Chen Mang decided to investigate. Opportunities had to be seized with one's own hands, not waited upon at home. Perhaps a stroke of fortune awaited him. As the saying goes, 'boldness stems from skill'. Relying on the high level of his train components, he didn't believe the other party could pose a fatal threat that he wouldn't be able to counter.
Three hours later.
The Stellaris Train had entered space and was rapidly approaching the Star Beast Black Tortoise soaring through the cosmos. The entity was drifting effortlessly right through the interior of the Kasa Civilization Federation, yet apart from them, no one had noticed it.
Although the territory of the Kasa Civilization Federation spanned tens of thousands of light-years.
The actual inhabited planets and star systems occupied only a tiny fraction of that space, not even a hundred-thousandth of the total territory. As long as one evaded radar detection, they could pass through at will without anyone ever noticing.
Just as he was about to close in.
A voice suddenly echoed in his mind.
"Mysterious Excellency, have we unintentionally offended you?"
"We are merely traveling and bear no ill will. If we have caused offense, please state it plainly."
"..."
Chen Mang raised an eyebrow. The languages of every civilization were entirely different. Generally speaking, communication between different civilizations relied on translators. However, the reason he understood this message was not because of any translating device.
His logic told him that these words were extremely obscure and rather difficult to comprehend.
Yet for some reason, he perfectly understood their meaning.
He could even clearly grasp the emotions embedded within the sentence.
This method was quite miraculous.
It was just that...
He wanted to reply, but didn't know what method to use. He had never seen the other party's technique before, and if he responded using some ordinary method, wouldn't that make him appear weak?
He was just about to toss Xiao Lu out.
When the colossal Black Tortoise directly ahead slowly came to a halt. At such a close distance, he could finally see that the beast was enveloped in a thin layer of clouds and mist. It allowed one to vaguely discern the Black Tortoise's outline, but obscured any clear view of what lay upon its back.
At that moment, an opening appeared in the mist.
A young woman stepped through the void. In a mere matter of seconds, she arrived in front of the Stellaris Train. Offering a highly respectful bow, she spoke in a soft voice, "My master invites our esteemed guest to meet face-to-face."
Her voice was incredibly gentle and soothing, echoing slightly muffled outside the train.
It seemed this young woman did not possess the ability to transmit sound directly through the vacuum of space.
She was human.
A perfectly standard human, without green onions or cilantro sprouting from her head.
"..."
Chen Mang narrowed his eyes, studying the young woman blocking the path of the Stellaris Train. It seemed he had encountered something akin to a cultivation civilization. The Black Tortoise hovering in the cosmos appeared close to the train, but in reality, it was still quite a distance away.
Despite the vast distance, this woman had crossed the void in just tens of seconds.
Her speed was even faster than that of the Black Tortoise itself.
And she had appeared in the vacuum of space just like that, without wearing any protective gear.
"Let's go take a look."
Chen Mang ultimately agreed. Slowly pushing the control lever, he guided the train to follow the woman through the mist and land on the Black Tortoise's back. He then stepped out of the train, accompanied by Biao Zi and the others.
Outside the train.
The young woman was already waiting for them, and standing in front of her was an elderly, hunchbacked man with a head full of white hair.
"Esteemed guest, right this way?"
"Alright."
Chen Mang nodded slightly. But soon, he noticed a trace of confusion in the hunchbacked elder's eyes. After a brief silence, the elder asked, "You cannot understand my words?"
The confusion in the elder's eyes deepened.
It wasn't until Biao Zi handed over a translation device.
That the two parties could finally communicate effectively.
"To think Your Excellency possesses such formidable strength, yet has not learned the Cosmic Language. Please, come this way."
Chen Mang led Biao Zi and the others behind the elder, gazing at their surroundings. The train had landed on a plain completely devoid of any industrial atmosphere. Farmland stretched as far as the eye could see. Standing there, one would never imagine they were on the back of a Black Tortoise; it felt exactly like setting foot on an actual planet.
Looking up.
He could even see a sun.
God only knew where that star had popped out from.
Soon—
He followed the elder all the way to a small wooden cabin built amidst the farmland. Inside, the sound of boiling water emanated from a stove. The hunchbacked elder sat down and poured a cup of tea for Chen Mang and his group. Then, with a hint of confusion in his murky eyes, he spoke in an old, raspy voice.
"Let me introduce myself first."
"We are the Starlight Civilization, a third-level civilization. A peaceful, neutral, and nomadic civilization."
"I am the Guide of this civilization."
"Normally speaking."
"Given the civilization levels in this region, it should have been very difficult for anyone to discover our presence. May I ask which civilization you all belong to?"
Chen Mang sat in his chair, taking in his surroundings before meeting the hunchbacked elder's gaze. After a brief pause, he replied softly, "We all hail from the second-level Human Civilization. I am its leader."
"Seeing an unknown entity passing through here, we came specifically to investigate."
"Human Civilization?"
The hunchbacked elder was slightly taken aback. He instinctively straightened up to look at Chen Mang, his years of being hunchbacked almost instantly cured. Upon realizing that Chen Mang did not seem to be joking, his mouth opened and closed slightly, at a loss for words.
After a long time, he murmured.
"Your Excellency, that civilization name is rather prone to attracting disaster. Unfortunately, once a civilization's name is set, it cannot be changed."
"It's no matter."
Chen Mang shook his head, then glanced at the young woman kneeling to the side. "Is your civilization's format... a cultivation civilization?"
This was the third third-level civilization he had encountered.
The first was the Mechanical Civilization, the second was the Kasa Civilization, and the third was this current Starlight Civilization.
However, this Starlight Civilization did not seem to possess the same oppressive aura as the other two. Putting everything else aside, its territorial scale was vastly inferior. This was clearly a third-level civilization that had fled here from elsewhere. He was very eager to learn more about other civilizations.
It would give him a deeper understanding of the universe, and the structure of the various civilizations within it.
"No."
The hunchbacked elder shook his head and said slowly, "We are a deity civilization. Many years ago, our ancestors adopted the Star Beast, the Black Tortoise. When our civilization faced an apocalyptic crisis, it was the Black Tortoise that carried us away and saved us from that disaster."
"Since then, we have lived upon the back of the Black Tortoise, revering it as our god."
"Having obtained massive amounts of our Power of Faith, the Black Tortoise's upgrade speed increased drastically, developing many powerful mutations. And through our faith in the Black Tortoise, we are able to borrow a portion of its strength."
"The power of a Star Beast is apocalyptic. Even if we only borrow a sliver of the Black Tortoise's strength, it grants us earth-shattering abilities."
"From then on—"
"The Starlight Civilization has been in a perpetual state of wandering. We love peace and fear settling down. Thus, we constantly roam the cosmos without a fixed home."
"A deity civilization..."
Chen Mang repeated the words silently. This was yet another civilization format he had come into contact with. Among all the civilizations within the Kasa Civilization Federation, he had truly never heard of one adopting a deity format.
Gaining power through faith.
It sounded incredibly simple.
There was no need for cultivation; as long as the level of faith was deep enough, the power they could invoke became stronger.
"Where did you come from?"
Chen Mang asked. It seemed the other party was not opposed to cross-civilization exchanges. However, he already had a vague guess in his heart. It was highly likely they had come from the other side of the Dark Abyss.
"That is a very distant place, and it happened a very long time ago."
The elder spoke slowly. "Ever since the Starlight Civilization suffered that near-extinction event long ago, we began our wanderings. Our divine beast, the Black Tortoise, periodically tears open a random wormhole and dives in. This is how we have roamed the universe."
"We ourselves no longer know where we came from."
"We have forgotten our place of origin."
"Let alone knowing where we are now."
"I had assumed it would be the local third-level civilization that discovered us. I never expected a second-level civilization to find us instead. Being able to bear such a civilization name indeed proves you possess something extraordinary."
"It's just that..."
"Seeing your train brings back a long-lost feeling. A long time ago, the Starlight Civilization's format was also a train civilization. But after that incident, we gradually transitioned into a deity civilization."
"As far as I know," Chen Mang said softly, "all civilization formats fundamentally utilize Core Energy through different methods. A deity civilization does not seem to fall under this category?"
"It is the same."
"There is no civilization format that does not utilize Core Energy. Our divine beast, the Black Tortoise, normally absorbs vast amounts of Core Energy scattered throughout the cosmos and devours Ore Stars. It then uses our faith as a conduit, allowing us to directly wield the power of that Core Energy."
"What is this Cosmic Language you mentioned earlier?"
"It is a universal language within the cosmos. Communicating in this language, regardless of race or civilization, allows one to instantly and clearly comprehend the exact meaning and emotions of the speaker. It is a foundational aspect of cosmic civilizations. A device like a translator cannot accurately convey the emotions behind the words."
"Which leads to certain communicative errors."
Thirty minutes later.
Chen Mang left the Black Tortoise and returned to his seat in the Stellaris Train, watching as the massive beast flew off into the distance. This simple interlude had marked his first contact with a civilization from another region.
At this moment, he could personally feel what the former leader of the Mechanical Civilization must have experienced upon encountering an individual from a fifth-level civilization.
Learning about the countless profound mysteries of the vast universe.
Realizing that he was nothing more than a frog at the bottom of a well.
But being entirely unable to leap out of that well and truly grasp the outside world anytime soon.
This disparity brought immense anxiety. If he had remained ignorant, he wouldn't have felt so anxious or pressured.
He had gleaned a wealth of information regarding cosmic civilizations from the hunchbacked elder.
The other party was indeed a peaceful civilization.
They truly loved peace.
From beginning to end, they only drank tea and chatted with him for half an hour. They did nothing else. Even knowing that his civilization format was a train civilization—and that a captain leaving their train was at their absolute most vulnerable—the elder showed no intention of striking.
He naturally had his own trump cards.
But for the other party to maintain peace without knowing what hidden cards he possessed was genuinely a rare sight in this universe.
Their particular sector...
Was officially classified in the cosmos as a "Low-Resource Zone."
Just as the name implied.
Resources in this area were incredibly scarce, making it almost impossible to foster a fourth-level civilization. There was only one way: a civilization had to monopolize all the resources in the region and embark on a deep-space voyage. If they managed to discover a High-Resource Zone, there would be a possibility of advancing again.
However, High-Resource Zones were usually already occupied by numerous civilizations.
An unknown civilization trying to claim a slice of the pie would inevitably trigger a war.
If luck was poor.
And their deep-space voyage found nothing, they would be trapped in a Low-Resource Zone forever, perpetually losing the chance to become a fourth-level civilization. After all, not every civilization was destined for a smooth and seamless ascent.
Aside from that—
Before they parted ways.
The hunchbacked elder had explained the combat methods of external civilizations and reiterated that the name "Human Civilization" was highly dangerous. If the Human Civilization ever entered other High-Resource Zones in the future, it would definitely be met with a storm of blood and gore.
Incidentally.
Upon leaving, the hunchbacked elder had gifted him some local specialties of the Starlight Civilization, supposedly quite delicious. In return, he had gifted the elder a Level 200 Refrigerator.
It was a fair trade.
Especially after he fully explained the functions of the Level 200 Refrigerator. For the first time, the elder revealed a rare expression of sheer shock. Upon confirming that it could grant instant transit no matter the distance, even across hundreds of millions of light-years, he noticed a flicker of temptation in the elder's eyes.
That temptation was not the desire to attack him.
It was...
The urge to transition back into a train civilization!
The Starlight Civilization was a thoroughbred nomadic civilization. They had no permanent territory of their own, and due to their past trauma, they harbored an extreme fear—or perhaps hatred—of settling down. Generation after generation, they chose to drift through the cosmos. Their encounters with other civilizations were always brief and fleeting.
There was neither hatred nor friendship.
After all, friendship required time to maintain. How could someone you only met once be considered a friend? The universe was so impossibly vast that crossing paths again was virtually impossible.
But—
With the Refrigerator.
The Starlight Civilization had its first friend: the Human Civilization.
The two could communicate and interact in real time.
He didn't mind making a few more friends, especially a peaceful civilization endlessly drifting through space.
And through the hunchbacked elder, he had also learned about the combat methods of other civilizations.
The most classic was the signature move of a fifth-level civilization: the Spacetime-Transcending Strike!
They would seek out a Dark Abyss in the cosmos and settle near it. This way, no matter what civilization threatened their territory, they could simply create a Time Fissure, return millions or even tens of millions of years into the past, and fire an Arkanon Light Cannon deep into the Dark Abyss.
Then, this light cannon would travel for tens of millions of years, its power continuously compounding until it thoroughly annihilated the enemy in the present!
Of course.
This tactic surely had plenty of drawbacks.
For example, one had to find a Dark Abyss that had existed for a sufficiently long time. Otherwise, if they traveled back tens of millions of years through a Time Fissure only to find the Dark Abyss hadn't even formed yet, it would be utterly useless.
A formation time that was too short would also render it meaningless.
There were many other factors as well. For instance, there had to be a certain margin of error. Being off by a dozen years or so would be completely normal. It couldn't take effect immediately, nor could it turn the tide of a battle at a moment's notice.
Moreover, it required extreme positional precision.
If the enemy wasn't located on the other side of the Dark Abyss but was attacking frontally, one would first need to create a Time Fissure leading millions of years into the past, then forge a wormhole to the opposite side of the Dark Abyss, and fire the cannon from that side toward their own base.
This scenario would consume an immense amount of resources.
On the other hand...
Once the cannon fired, their own civilization would inevitably be destroyed alongside the enemy.
Therefore, this was not a conventional method of attack. It was a bottom-of-the-box strategic trump card, intended primarily as a deterrent. It was rarely used for retaliation or invasion. In theory, it was highly effective for invasions—one shot and the hostile civilization would be completely erased.
But in the vast majority of cases, the purpose of invasion was to plunder resources, enslave populations, and seize technological planets.
If a single shot vaporized everything, what was left to invade for?
Wouldn't that be sheer idiocy?
Alternatively—
According to the Starlight Civilization, wars between first-level to fourth-level civilizations were the most abundant and frequent. Civilization wars at these tiers lacked such strategic weapons of mass destruction.
They were battles that could be fought head-on.
But for the higher-level civilizations, wars were practically nonexistent. They only engaged in two activities regarding one another.
Concealing themselves as thoroughly as possible.
To ensure even more advanced civilizations could not discover them.
And if their concealment failed, maintaining the strongest possible deterrence.
Signaling to nearby civilizations: Whoever dares to touch me, I can absolutely drag you down to hell with me.
Concealment and deterrence were the two arts that higher cosmic civilizations spent their entire lifespans mastering.
This was especially true given what the hunchbacked elder had shared: he had once seen a Dark Abyss with a diameter of roughly ten trillion light-years. It was the scar left behind after an all-out war between two apex civilizations, a war that resulted in mutual annihilation.
The hunchbacked elder had specifically recounted this tale.
Solely because...
Both of those civilizations were Human Civilizations, and neither would yield to the other.
At first, Chen Mang was curious. Even if neither recognized the other's legitimacy, couldn't they temporarily coexist if their strengths were matched?
The elder had simply shaken his head.
He said he didn't know the specifics, only that one should try their hardest to avoid duplicate names when naming their civilization.
"A Dark Abyss with a diameter of ten trillion light-years."
Chen Mang sat calmly in the Stellaris Train, gazing at the data flashing across the screen. This number was simply too massive—so gargantuan that he couldn't even fathom what kind of offensive capability could hollow out such an unimaginably vast Dark Abyss.
It meant that every star, every planet, and every civilization within that sector had been reduced to cosmic dust because of that war.
A suffocating sense of crisis welled up in his heart once more.
He had to elevate the strength of both the Stellaris Train and the Human Civilization as quickly as possible.
He could accept going to war with another civilization, being bested, and seeing his civilization wiped out while dying at the hands of the enemy. Though he would be resentful, he could accept it. If you sat at the gambling table, you had to be prepared to lose. But what he absolutely could not accept was minding his own business, only to be caught in the crossfire of other civilizations' conflicts and dying a miserable death.
He needed to boost his power, fast.
Three days passed.
During these three days.
Every civilization belonging to the Kasa Civilization Federation was embroiled in a monumental, sweeping resource handover.
No matter how much resentment they harbored inside.
After seventeen first-level civilizations voiced public protests and were subsequently eradicated without a trace, no one dared to drag their feet any longer. They desperately scraped together every possible resource to hand over as tribute.
These seventeen first-level civilizations shared the same star system. They had originally believed that the law did not punish the masses, hoping their sheer numbers might pressure the Kasa Civilization into taking slightly fewer resources. The result made it painfully obvious: their numbers were far from enough.
Especially—
When the Kasa Civilization issued its latest decree, declaring that the bottom one hundred civilizations in terms of resources surrendered would be forcibly wiped out. Over the past few days, the leaders of every civilization had resorted to every conceivable measure, squeezing out every last ounce of their strength to hoard resources.
In an instant.
Untold quantities of resources were amassed and shipped toward the Kasa Civilization in a grandiose convoy.
This was the true foundation of the Kasa Civilization Federation!
While it deeply pained many of the civilizations, one had to admit that with this influx of resources, the Kasa Civilization Federation might genuinely be able to fend off the two-front war and completely crush both Zerg Civilization domains.
If that happened, the Kasa Civilization Federation's territory would expand even further, seizing even more resources. Once victorious, the Kasa Civilization might even reimburse them for their contributions.
Over ten thousand civilizations.
Even if the vast majority were only first-level civilizations.
The terrifying power of such a colossal number of civilizations being fully mobilized was simply awe-inspiring!
"Have we still not found them?"
Chen Mang sat on the Stellaris Train, scrolling through the latest news from various daily reports. Unable to hold himself back, he asked, "With so many resources, it's impossible for there not to be a single trace, right?"
"The Kasa Civilization doesn't have a Refrigerator. If they want to collect all these resources, they can only rely on trains and wormholes for transportation. Is there truly any other method?"
He was thoroughly green with envy!
If all these resources fell into his hands, he could blast his way to the other side of the Dark Abyss by next year and personally interrogate whatever classless bastard had dumped an Arkanon Light Cannon into it!
Absolute animals.
He turned his head to look at the massive Doppelganger Radar screen on the right side of the cabin. On the display, every single train branded with the mark of the Kasa Civilization appeared as a floating green dot.
Over the years, the Kasa Civilization had continuously absorbed numerous civilizations.
Yet he still couldn't detect any relevant, actionable intelligence.
He suddenly realized that compared to the Kasa Civilization, he was still far too soft. If this federation were his, he would struggle to pass a decree ordering the mandatory execution of the hundred lowest-contributing civilizations.
"Wait!"
Chen Mang's expression shifted slightly. His brows furrowed as he stared at the myriad of trains on the screen. The display showed that the expeditionary army... was retreating?
They had already pulled back from the front lines via wormholes, returning deep into Kasa Civilization Federation territory.
And there seemed to be no intention of sending reinforcements to plug the gap.
The front lines were suddenly empty, leaving only the Zerg armies.
The battlefield was abruptly deserted?
"Something's wrong."
"The Kasa Civilization has absolutely no intention of fighting a decisive battle. They're making a run for it!"
In the next moment—
On the Doppelganger Radar, a core planet belonging to the Kasa Civilization suddenly vanished. Simultaneously, a massive number of Kasa Civilization trains hastily retreated to nearby core planets.
One after another.
Planet after planet completely disappeared.
Even on the stellar map, every trace of these planets was entirely erased.
In just a little over ten seconds.
The entire screen was suddenly devoid of blips. Every single Kasa Civilization train and planet had vanished without a trace. Not a single one remained within a radius of a hundred thousand light-years, their destination entirely unknown.
"..."
Chen Mang remained silent for a long time, speechless. A veteran third-level civilization truly possessed far more tricks up their sleeve than he had anticipated. Not only was he clueless as to how the Kasa Civilization had transported their resources, but he was also completely in the dark about how they had executed this sudden escape.
And managing to flee while taking so many planets with them.
Could it be that the Kasa Civilization also possessed a Level 200 Space Portal?
The Kasa Civilization had run away.
Leaving behind a colossal mess.
How on earth were a massive pile of first-level civilizations and a few hundred second-level civilizations supposed to fend off the combined assault of two Zerg Civilizations? Especially when their resources had been practically bled dry.
Where could they possibly run?
"I'm going to get some sleep first."
Chen Mang stood up and walked to the shower room to wash up. Emptying his mind, he lay down on his bed and quickly fell asleep. Better to get some rest first and assess the situation once he woke up.
Over the past few days.
He had practically inspected every train bearing the Kasa Civilization mark that was en route to other civilizations. He had even hijacked a few, only to find them completely devoid of resources.
Since things had already reached this point.
All he could do was sleep.
Worst comes to worst, he would just run away too.
The next day.
A piece of news dominated the headlines of every daily report, with the sole exception of the Kasa Daily.
"The Kasa Civilization Has Fled: What Do We Do Now?!"
The Kasa Civilization had completely deserted them, absconding with all their hoarded resources.
Leaving behind an unsalvageable disaster.
Endless despair instantly descended upon the hearts of every civilization. They had originally clung to the hope that, upon victory, the Kasa Civilization would return their resources. Now, it was blatantly clear that such a thing was impossible. But the real problem was: Kasa could run, but where could they go?
They couldn't just abandon their planets and flee into the lonely void of space. What difference was there between that and a slow, agonizing suicide? They might as well embrace a quick death here.
However...
It wasn't entirely without good news.
For example—
The Kasa Civilization had not taken the time to tally which civilizations had submitted the fewest resources, so no civilizations had been executed as a result. Those weaker civilizations no longer needed to tremble in fear; they could finally breathe a sigh of relief.
Secondly.
The Kasa Civilization's departure had been far too hasty. They had left all their wormholes behind.
Every single one of them.
This vast network of wormholes represented the Kasa Civilization's painstaking efforts over an extended period. Unable to take them along and lacking the time to detonate them, they simply abandoned them intact.
"Phew..."
Having enjoyed a wonderful night's sleep, Chen Mang stretched lazily and comfortably. He then lit a cigarette and settled back into his chair in front of the console, a smile playing at the corners of his lips as he browsed the information across the various daily reports.
After a good night's rest.
His mind was much clearer.
For him, it seemed this situation brought only benefits and no drawbacks whatsoever.
First of all—
Every single Kasa Civilization wormhole was perfectly visible on his Wormhole Radar. Even the strategically concealed ones. Given enough time, he could inherit this entire network and transform this sector into his own personal stronghold.
Building such a massive quantity of wormholes from scratch would have cost a staggering amount of resources.
An amount he could not afford to spend.
Secondly.
Every civilization within the Kasa Civilization Federation had been abandoned. Right now, they were drowning in despair and terror. If a civilization were to step forward at this exact moment and shield them from this crisis, that civilization would be hailed as their savior.
They could smoothly and legitimately usurp the Kasa Civilization's former throne.
By simply being slightly less tyrannical, they would be viewed by the other civilizations as benevolent rulers.
Not to mention it would be the Human Civilization taking the helm.
There would be no need for a federation format.
They could be absorbed directly. They would return to the orthodox Human Civilization, undergoing a true Returning to the Ancestral Clan. After all, sixty to seventy percent of the civilizations in the Kasa Civilization Federation were comprised of humans.
The influx of such a massive population.
Meant he could sift through and select even more elites to recruit into the Stellaris Train and bolster his research teams.
It meant he would gain countless tentacles to help him explore the cosmos, scout for resources, and excavate Ore Stars.
It meant...
He would ascend to the throne left vacant by the Kasa Civilization.
He would become a true king.
Unlike the Kasa Civilization, he only required a small fraction of the resources to sustain his operations.
What's more—
There was an unspoken rule for advancing to a fifth-level civilization: one had to be situated near a Dark Abyss. As it happened, there was a Dark Abyss right in his vicinity. As long as he successfully swallowed everything the Kasa Civilization had left behind, assimilated the Zerg Civilization, and fully excavated all the Mechanical Civilization ruins...
Then he...
Would rise to absolute prominence, and do so at a terrifyingly rapid pace.
The Kasa Civilization had bowed out.
Leaving the entire stage to him.
It was as if the leading star of a play had fled, forcing the stagehand to step into the spotlight. The pressure was undeniably immense, but if he managed to pull off the performance, he would become the new leading star.
All of this hinged on a single requirement: the Human Civilization had to step forward and block the impending assault from the two Zerg Civilizations.
Time was extremely short.
The Zerg Civilization was still testing the waters. Unaware that the Kasa Civilization had completely deserted, they suspected a trap. The moment the Zerg Civilization realized the truth, their main army would descend in full force.
He needed a massive influx of resources.
A tremendous sum that could push the Stellaris Train into a near-invincible state. Then, utilizing the Level 200 Overlimit Effect of the Train Radio to broadcast the entire battle live, he would ensure that absolutely everyone witnessed the awe-inspiring might of his train.
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"Train Radio Level 200 Overlimit Effect: The broadcast distance matches the maximum range of detection components such as the Target-Acquisition Radar. Furthermore, it allows for a one-time live broadcast of the 'battlefield conditions' across the screens of every train within a hundred-thousand-light-year radius."
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As for where he would acquire this massive sum of resources, the answer was simple.
"Phew..."
Chen Mang slowly snuffed out his cigarette butt. Standing up and stretching, he looked back at Lao Zhu and smiled. "Let's go. Let's head back and see exactly where those bastards ran off to."
That's right.
The Kasa Civilization might have run away, but they hadn't run far enough.
He had a Refrigerator stationed on Gemini Star.
Where could they possibly escape to?!
No matter where they fled, he could track them down!
Though he hadn't discovered the Kasa Civilization's transportation route for the resources, it didn't matter. Those resources were undoubtedly stashed somewhere within the core of the Kasa Civilization now. He just had to waltz right into their inner sanctum and take a look. Their internal security was bound to be incredibly lax at the moment.
It was the perfect time to strike.
Originally, he had only intended to hijack a small portion. Now that he was making a move, he reckoned he'd just have to pillage the entire stash.
If they managed to pull this heist off.
Everything would be set in stone.
"Boss Mang."
Lao Zhu spoke up with a slight hesitation, "How about I go and act as a lobbyist to the Starlight Civilization? With their assistance, we'd have a much greater certainty of snatching this batch of resources from the Kasa Civilization."
"They've been wandering forever because the near-extinction crisis from their past left them too terrified to settle down. We can promise them that if they lend a hand this time, we will shelter them in the future and allow them to settle in peace."
"I'm confident I can convince them."
"There's no need."
Chen Mang shook his head. Striding toward the Refrigerator in the corner of the cabin, he said softly, "No matter how peace-loving a civilization is, it's hard to remain peaceful when staring at such a massive stockpile of resources."
"I really don't want to end up fighting a one-versus-four battle."
"Going to war with so many top-tier civilizations at the same time is a surefire way to lose."
"Let's go. First, we need to scope out the situation."
Gemini Star.
Chen Mang once again appeared on this familiar yet foreign planet. In Polar Night City, the surrounding architecture remained unchanged. However, the position of the sun had clearly shifted dramatically; it seemed much further away.
And it was still moving rapidly...
This meant that Gemini Star was currently rocketing through the cosmos at breakneck speed.
"They sure know how to run."
Chen Mang raised the Telescope in his hand, gazing at the starry sky above as he muttered, "Little brats."