Rebirth of the Super Battleship
Chapter 219: The Contradiction Trap

Xiao Yu deeply wished that the civilization under his command could display such loyalty and moral integrity when faced with a desperate situation. However, when it came to enemy civilizations, such integrity became extremely annoying. This meant that aside from that flagship, Xiao Yu would no longer be able to capture even a single enemy vessel.

“These were all wealth, after all,” Xiao Yu thought with great regret.

After issuing the order for a full-scale assault, the firepower besieging those ships intensified once more.

Nearly five hundred thousand ships participated in this battle, while the Molian Civilization had only just over one thousand vessels remaining. On average, each Molian ship faced the onslaught of over four hundred of Xiao Yu’s vessels. No matter how formidable their ships were, they simply could not withstand being outnumbered by hundreds of times.

Under such circumstances, the ships of the Molian Civilization were rapidly decreasing.

The intense battle raged on for a full ten hours. With the explosion and disintegration of the final City-Class Molian vessel, the battle was declared over. In this star system, all that remained were countless ship fragments drifting through space. Some of the debris, having absorbed enough energy during the explosion of their mother ships, would break free from the gravitational pull of the star and begin a long journey into the dark depths of the universe. However, most of the fragments would be captured by the gravity of the nearby gas giant or the star itself. In the ages to come, some would orbit these two celestial bodies, while others might simply crash into them.

To annihilate the ten thousand ships of the Molian Civilization, Xiao Yu paid the price of over one hundred thousand ships. However, the vast majority of these were small vessels, and the large ships equipped with Four-Dimensional Shields remained virtually undamaged.

This outcome was entirely due to the formidable strength of the Four-Dimensional Shields and Xiao Yu’s outstanding command and coordination. Without these two factors, even with a fleet of five hundred fifty thousand ships, it was entirely possible that Xiao Yu’s side could have been defeated by just ten thousand Molian ships.

Such was the vast disparity between a Level 4 Civilization and a Level 5 Civilization.

Over three hundred thousand ships began heading toward the inner star system, while Xiao Yu stationed a force of over one hundred thousand ships to intimidate the remaining Level 4 Civilizations still loitering in the distance, refusing to leave.

“These annoying flies, now that I’ve eliminated the bulk of the Molian Civilization’s forces, they still want to sip some soup and grab a piece of the pie? Or… in the final battle, try to fish in troubled waters?” Xiao Yu pondered. “Since your intentions are malicious, don’t blame me for being rude. If the opportunity arises, I don’t mind robbing you as well. While I may not care about your ships, your biological units could still prove quite useful once captured.”

As he mulled over this, Xiao Yu directed the offensive fleet to continue its advance.

Up ahead, another battlefield remained. The five hundred Molian ships that had come to reinforce were still entangled with Xiao Yu’s twenty thousand ships, unable to escape.

Toward these Molian beings with such high cohesion and unwavering loyalty, Xiao Yu had completely lost interest in persuading them to surrender. He simply maneuvered his fleet of over three hundred thousand ships forward and, relying on sheer numbers, swiftly wiped them out.

“The forces they left in this star system should be around one thousand five hundred ships. Ground defenses can be ignored. In other words, once these forces are eliminated, it will be time to reap the rewards. What a pity, the strength of the Molian Civilization was still too weak. The fifty thousand ships I had stationed here in advance weren’t even needed.”

“But there’s no rush to use those fifty thousand ships now. Let them continue lying in wait. They might come in handy,” Xiao Yu thought, issuing orders to Luka Two to maintain its concealment while beginning a minor probe against the Molian Civilization.

“Esteemed Molian Civilization, I wonder how that Predator Civilization from outside is doing now? Have they been eliminated?” Luka Two, following Xiao Yu’s instructions, began testing the waters with the Molian Civilization.

“Oh, my guest, there is no need for concern. We, the Molian Civilization, possess sufficient strength to handle the matter.”

“Is that so?” said Luka Two. “The citizens within our civilization have already expressed deep indignation toward this invading Predator Civilization. If you require, we could dispatch a fleet to assist you in battle.”

“No, that won’t be necessary,” replied the Molian Civilization lifeform. “Although our fleet has suffered some setbacks and incurred certain losses, the defensive forces at our base are more than sufficient for us to hold out until reinforcements arrive. If this Predator Civilization retreats now, it might still have some chance of survival. But if it dares to attack the base, then it means their extinction is not far off.”

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yu stirred internally. Luka Two understood the signal and immediately asked, “Currently, some rumors have begun circulating among the citizens within our civilization, which has put considerable pressure on our public security. I wonder if you could tell me when your reinforcement fleet will arrive?”

“Oh, that’s no secret. I can tell you, our reinforcements will arrive in ten days.”

“Excellent. That will surely ease the concerns within our civilization,” Luka Two responded.

“And one more thing, we might as well tell you that we’ve already deployed a trap along the advance path of that Predator Civilization, using peak-level technology of a Level 5 Civilization… If they continue along their current route, they should be quite surprised.”

“Is that so? The technological strength of a Level 5 Civilization truly is formidable.”

Upon hearing these words, Luka Two felt a jolt inside but maintained a calm surface as he flattered them.

“Mhm, just wait patiently. If we lacked the strength, the Molian Civilization would not have come here to establish a market…”

“Indeed, your civilization is truly a great one,” Luka Two praised sincerely.

After severing communication with the Molian Civilization, Luka Two immediately reported to Xiao Yu. “Master, did you hear our conversation?”

“I heard everything,” Xiao Yu replied. “What do you make of it?”

“They’ve already begun to suspect the connection between the our ships,” said Luka Two.

“Yes, I came to the same conclusion,” Xiao Yu said, manipulating his projection as he nodded slowly. “This is both a probe and a trap.”

“Then, how do you plan to respond?”

“A trap, is it?” Xiao Yu silently pondered.

This conversation revealed two crucial pieces of information. First, that the Molian Civilization’s reinforcement fleet would arrive in ten days, and they seemed confident in their ability to hold the base for that duration. Second, that they had laid a trap along Xiao Yu’s current trajectory using peak Level 5 Civilization technology.

So, the first step was to assess the authenticity of this information.

But before analyzing the truth, there was another question that needed addressing. Why did the Molian Civilization lifeform tell Luka Two these things? What was the point?

Of course, it could’ve just been casually revealed during conversation, but Xiao Yu instinctively felt it wasn’t that simple.

He suspected that after the Molian Civilization’s failed resistance against Xiao Yu’s digital realm attacks, they had likely begun to suspect the fifty thousand warships now under his control. Hence, they initiated this test.

Xiao Yu theorized the Molian Civilization might be thinking: “If those fifty thousand warships have some connection to this ‘Predator Civilization,’ then this information will certainly be relayed to them. Upon learning of the trap ahead, they’ll naturally change course to avoid it.”

“If those warships have no connection to the Predator Civilization, they’ll stay on their current trajectory and head straight into the trap.”

Xiao Yu considered this highly probable. In fact, the Molian side might not even have needed to set up an actual trap, just leaking such information and observing the Predator Civilization’s reaction would be enough to determine whether there was a link between the warships and that faction.

This put Xiao Yu in an awkward situation, because he didn’t know whether the trap truly existed. If it did, how much damage could it cause? Would the losses outweigh the value of the fifty thousand warships?

If the trap was fake, but Xiao Yu reacted to avoid potential losses, he’d sacrifice those fifty thousand ships unnecessarily.

If the trap was real, and powerful enough, yet Xiao Yu chose to press forward in order to preserve Luka Two and those ships, he might lose more than just fifty thousand vessels.

In short, if there was indeed a link between those warships and the Predator Civilization, then no matter how the Predator Civilization reacted, they would fall into the Molian Civilization’s scheme.

“So then, what’s the right decision? Should I decisively abandon the fifty thousand warships and steer clear of this trap? Or should I risk even greater losses to preserve Luka Two and the fifty thousand ships and charge through it?”

Xiao Yu found himself caught in a dilemma.

Luka Two, too, waited anxiously for Xiao Yu’s decision, its own fate hanging in the balance.

“An entire civilization truly cannot be underestimated. Within any civilization, there will always be brilliant minds. For example, the one who set this trap… With just a simple tactic, they’ve placed me in such a predicament.”

Only fifteen minutes of travel remained before they reached the possible location of the “trap.”

Xiao Yu had to make a decision within the next fifteen minutes.

Should he preserve Luka Two and the fifty thousand warships, or save the rest of the fleet?