Faced with Luka Two’s question, Xiao Yu did not answer directly, but instead countered with a question of his own. “This relates to the next issue we need to discuss. What are your thoughts on how to deal with this crisis?”

He was still using the New Dictionary approach with this question. Its surface meaning concealed an entirely different implication.

At this question, the Luka scientists all fell silent, unable to respond.

This Specter was simply too powerful. Its strength had far exceeded Xiao Yu’s expectations. Even though it had aged to its current stage, it was still not something Xiao Yu could handle.

“Then, allow me to present my plan first.” Seeing the silent Luka scientists, Xiao Yu spoke slowly, “My plan is quite simple. Since our technological level is insufficient to deal with this Specter, perhaps we can try seeking external assistance. What about the Molian Civilization? Perhaps they might know how to handle a Specter.”

“That plan is unrealistic.” Luka Two was the first to object. “The Molian Civilization is only a Level 5 Civilization. Though they are formidable enough compared to us, they are no match for this Specter. Even one that is aging and near death is not something any civilization below Level 6 can handle. Have you forgotten about that White Dwarf Alien Beast? When the Micron Civilization was fleeing in desperation, that Beast, though it was a pinnacle Level 5 Alien Beast, still lost half its body in one collision. The Molian Civilization, which hasn’t even fully mastered negative matter cannons, is nothing more than a half-baked Level 5 Civilization. What chance would they stand?”

“I’m well aware of all that,” Xiao Yu replied. “In a direct confrontation, neither we nor the Molian Civilization are a match for this aged Specter. But… why must we confront it directly? Why can’t we leverage the natural environment, say… this star?”

“What exactly do you have in mind?” the young Luka scientist named Jason asked somewhat urgently.

“There’s something you younger scientists might not know, but Luka Two, you should still remember.” Xiao Yu paused, as the image of Tianyuan IV, the first star he reached on his interstellar journey, resurfaced in his mind. “After I left Tianyuan IV and began my escape, the Guardian Civilization arrived near that star. Upon realizing I had already fled and was untraceable, they used some method to detonate Tianyuan IV.”

“First, one thing is certain, Tianyuan IV’s mass was insufficient to support a supernova. And yet, it still ended its life in a massive explosion. If, and I emphasize if, we can detonate the star where this aged Specter resides, would the tremendous energy released by the explosion kill the aging Specter that clings to it?”

“I once conducted strength tests on this aging Specter. During those tests, I attacked it with gravitational bombs, antimatter bombs, and negative matter cannons. As a result of the negative matter cannon strike, its film-like body was pierced, leaving a large hole. Based on my calculations, the energy released per unit area by a stellar explosion would not be less than that of the negative matter cannon. That’s my plan: to trigger a stellar explosion and eliminate it through the blast.”

After Xiao Yu finished explaining his plan, he once again looked toward the several Luka scientists.

One of the Luka scientists shook his head and expressed his opinion.

“This plan holds no meaning for us. First, though I am not a scientist from the Science and Technology Division and do not fully understand our current technological capabilities, I do know that we do not have the ability to detonate a star. Perhaps you intend to use the probe sent to the Molian Civilization fleet to establish contact with them and acquire such technology from them. However, this leads to two further issues. First, does the Molian Civilization even possess such technological capability? Second, even if they do, why would they share it with us? Do not forget that we are currently in a hostile relationship.”

Jason continued, “I also oppose this plan. In addition to those two points, I have one more concern. Even if we overcome both of those hurdles, the Molian Civilization possesses this technology and is willing to share it with us, a weapon capable of destroying a star would undoubtedly be enormous. Its construction process would be extremely complex and time-consuming. During this process, how would we maintain secrecy? How could we possibly conceal this from the aging Specter?”

These three issues were very simple yet struck at the heart of the matter.

Xiao Yu thought for a moment and then gave his response.

“As for your three concerns, the first one… we can only gamble on it. We gamble that the Molian Civilization possesses such technological capability. Regarding the second issue, how to get them to willingly share this technology with us, isn’t that your job? Don’t forget, you are the four most outstanding individuals among the thousands of psychosocial sciences scientists. If this plan is to proceed, your task will be to come up with a solution. Whether through deception or incentives, I don’t care about the method. In short, you must find a way to swindle their technology from them.”

“As for the third point…” Xiao Yu paused and said, “I am not confident that we can keep it hidden. I can only do my best. But… this plan is the only solution I can think of. After all, it represents our only slim chance for survival. Carrying it out is still better than simply waiting to die.”

“It is indeed as you say. If this plan truly goes forward, finding a way to make the Molian Civilization share that technology would be our responsibility. But… have you considered another possibility? Do we… actually need to do anything at all?”

Previously, Luka Two had seemed to be pondering something deeply. Now, it appeared that it had finally figured something out.

“What do you mean? Tell me,” Xiao Yu asked urgently, his mind flashing with possibilities.

“I don’t know if you’ve ever conducted research in psychology, but the current situation we face reminds me of a case I encountered before…” Luka Two carefully organized its words and spoke slowly. “Back then, for a study on how intelligent lifeforms choose between death and enduring painful existence, I encountered such an intelligent being.”

“It was suffering from constant illness and pain. With our technological abilities at the time, we could not cure it. At most, we could only prolong its life through various means, keeping it alive in suffering. The research team I led studied its psychology and reached the following conclusions.”

“The conclusion was: in such situations, intelligent lifeforms gradually come to terms with life and death. Although driven by survival instinct, they still desperately cling to life, and even the tiniest hope for survival will drive them to fight for it with everything they have, even if they know that hope would only extend their life for a short while, they still would not give up. However, once they clearly understand that there is no chance of recovery and that salvation is impossible, they will instead calmly accept the arrival of death. Most importantly, when death truly approaches, they suddenly let go of many things, hatred, love, and so on. The saying ‘a dying man’s words are kind’ is just like this.”

“This patient’s situation shares some similarities with the aged, dying Specter we now face.”

Luka Two continued, “First of all, this aged Specter’s death is inevitable. It’s only a matter of time. In this situation, eliminating your companion Specter is its only hope for survival. No matter how slim that hope may be, it will exhaust all its efforts to pursue it. In truth, deep inside, it has already accepted that death is its ultimate fate. All its current efforts are simply the result of survival instinct.”

“Then what you mean is…” Xiao Yu pondered, his mind racing.

“What I mean is, if we do nothing, if we don’t seek a way to kill it, and your companion Specter does not appear, even if its initial true purpose was to use you as bait to lure your companion Specter, when it ultimately faces death fifty years from now, having seen no hope of killing your companion Specter, will it really drag you down to die with it in its final moments?”

“Don’t forget, there exists a certain special connection between you and the Specter. In all your past interactions, there has never been any mutual hostility or attacks. This situation is very different from what happened with the White Dwarf Alien Beast you encountered. That Alien Beast fiercely battled you before its death and thus held deep hatred toward you even in its final moments.”

“Furthermore, both you and the Specter’s origins are tied to certain hidden secrets of the universe. This shared experience creates a special sense of belonging. Since it was born earlier than you, it also fosters a kind of ‘senior-junior’ mentality. These two psychological factors both work greatly in your favor.”

“That is my conclusion,” Luka Two said. “In a situation where there is no hope of survival, when it truly faces death, it may not necessarily drag you down with it. On the contrary, there’s even a possibility that it might leave its legacy to you, helping you become stronger.”