As the countdown to the stellar cannon’s firing ticked down, an inexplicable anxiety grew in Xiao Yu’s heart. It felt as though a tremendous danger lay ahead, waiting for him, making it impossible for him to remain calm.

“Is it the threat from the aging Specter? At this point, everything is already out of my hands. If it has discovered my plan and intends to stop me, there’s nothing I can do.”

Xiao Yu thought with a hint of self-mockery.

Decades of struggle, working day and night without rest, countless moments of frustration, countless times on the brink of giving up, yet Xiao Yu had endured it all, making it to the completion of the stellar cannon.

Now was the moment to test the result of those decades of effort. Feeling a bit nervous at a time like this was perfectly normal. Xiao Yu consoled himself with that thought.

Wisdom is not omnipotent, or rather, Xiao Yu’s wisdom was not omnipotent. The intelligence of an individual or even a group always has its limits. Perhaps some god in the void could possess infinite wisdom, but certainly not Xiao Yu.

Reaching this point was already the limit of what Xiao Yu could achieve. Even if he were to repeat this process a thousand or ten thousand times, he could not have done it any better than he had now.

Do one’s utmost and leave the rest to fate, though helpless, it was inevitable.

Now, Xiao Yu had done all that he could. What came next would be left to fate’s judgment.

All preparations were complete. Every spaceship had already taken off, hiding on the side of the planet facing away from the star. After the stellar disaster occurred, this planet would serve as the strongest shield, just as Mars once saved Xiao Yu during the Jupiter-Moon Collision, once again providing him with the most reliable protection.

Though there were still personnel remaining in the ground base, they were all hidden inside fortified underground shelters and could safely survive the star’s fury.

After all, this would not be a true supernova explosion. It was a destruction mechanism similar to a supernova, but relatively speaking, the energy released by a star destroyed by the stellar cannon was far less than that of a genuine supernova.

When the countdown reached twenty, Xiao Yu suddenly received a warning message from Luka Three and Luka Four.

“Master, you cannot fire the stellar cannon! Absolutely cannot! If you do, we’ll die, all of us will die, no one will escape!”

The desperate screams of Luka Three and Luka Four echoed in Xiao Yu’s mind.

Confused, Xiao Yu asked, “Why? Why can’t we fire the stellar cannon? Haven’t we worked so hard for so many years exactly for this day?”

As they spoke, the automated system once again issued its broadcast:

“Stellar cannon preparing to fire. All modules operating normally. Countdown: eighteen… seventeen…”

“Immediately stop the firing sequence! This is not just a stellar cannon, it’s a giant bomb! The Molian Civilization has betrayed us! The Molian Civilization wants us dead!” Luka Three shouted.

From this statement, Xiao Yu sharply caught a few key words: Molian Civilization, betrayal, bomb.

The ominous premonition in Xiao Yu’s heart grew stronger.

“What… what is going on?” Xiao Yu’s voice even trembled slightly at this moment. “We are in great danger. The aging Specter could strike at any moment. If we stop the firing now, we may never have another chance to activate the stellar cannon. Give me an explanation, one that I can accept, quickly, quickly!”

“Stellar cannon firing countdown: thirteen… Warning: once countdown reaches ten, it will enter the irreversible phase.”

Luka Three and Luka Four, overwhelmed with anxiety, could no longer speak properly, their vocal organs distorting their speech.

“There’s no time! Master! Stop the stellar cannon immediately! We’ll explain everything afterward! Otherwise, we’ll die right now! For the sake of the Luka Civilization’s unwavering loyalty to you all these years, trust us this once!”

The countdown reached eleven.

There was only one second left before entering the irreversible phase. One second was enough for Xiao Yu to think.

At that moment, Xiao Yu’s immense computational power was running at full capacity. Countless pieces of information streamed through his mind. In that instant, Xiao Yu not only analyzed the technical aspects, but also reflected on the Luka Civilization itself.

“Judging from past behavior, the Luka Civilization is trustworthy, especially Luka Three and Luka Four. Now that our fates are tightly bound together, it’s highly unlikely they would betray me. Their expressions don’t seem faked. Perhaps, as the two greatest scientists, they truly have discovered some urgent intelligence.”

“Alright, I’ll gamble this once and listen to them!”

In the final moment, Xiao Yu made his decision.

“Stellar cannon firing has been aborted.”

“What’s going on? What happened? Did something go wrong?”

The scientists stationed at their posts looked at each other in confusion after hearing that the launch had been aborted, exchanging questions.

“I don’t know. What happened? Did any component fail?”

The command hall was filled with murmurs.

For some reason, after the stellar cannon was aborted, the strange sense of impending danger in Xiao Yu’s heart disappeared.

“Give me an explanation.” Xiao Yu tried to steady his tone, speaking as calmly as possible. “Why was the stellar cannon launch aborted?”

“Here, take a look at this…” Luka Three spoke hurriedly, stumbling over his words. He picked up his fallen personal computer from the ground, rapidly operated it, and immediately transmitted a large batch of data to Xiao Yu’s mind.

In an instant, Xiao Yu fully understood the contents. But the information was so shocking that Xiao Yu stood there stunned for several seconds before reacting.

“Son of a bitch, those damn bastards of the Molian Civilization!” Xiao Yu even cursed outright, completely disregarding his usual composure. “They dared to set me up!”

“Master, you once taught us that when civilizations collide, what one civilization calls ‘despicable’ is the highest praise to another. Are you… praising the Molian Civilization now?” Luka Three said bitterly.

“Yes, I am praising the Molian Civilization,” Xiao Yu said with a bitter smile. “They are truly despicable. This was their plan, to kill two birds with one stone. Such a vicious scheme… I was still wondering why they were so willing to hand over technology to us. I thought they were simply scared by the information I provided. I didn’t expect… they were waiting for me here all along. So despicable. So ruthless. And… so brilliant!”

In front of Xiao Yu was a very short message, but the implications were anything but simple. The message contained some data revealing that the stellar cannon was not just a stellar cannon, it was also a planetary bomb.

Yes, it was a planetary bomb. After firing a tachyon torrent powerful enough to destroy a star, due to extreme energy overload and assisted by several devices whose purpose Xiao Yu still couldn’t fully comprehend, the cannon itself would then explode. At that moment, the 18.5 square kilometer energy supply module would instantly transform into a bomb capable of blowing apart the entire planet, which had a diameter exceeding ten thousand kilometers.

To shield themselves from the star’s destruction, Xiao Yu’s entire fleet was hiding behind this planet, and at extremely close range. If the planet suddenly exploded…

What would happen? What consequences would follow?

The explosion of an entire planet at such close range was not something Xiao Yu could defend against. To say nothing of smaller fragments, even a piece with a diameter of five hundred kilometers, equivalent to an asteroid, would be enough to smash Xiao Yu’s Beijing into pieces.

“So, the Molian Civilization’s generous transfer of technology had its own hidden agenda…” Xiao Yu said bitterly.

“We can’t blame them,” Luka Three said bitterly as well. “After all, didn’t you also plan to spread deadly viruses among their returned prisoners to wipe them out? In the struggle between civilizations, morality has no place. The only goal is to annihilate the other. What we call despicable is the highest compliment to the enemy.”

“You’ve saved me, and the more than one hundred civilizations under my command. After this is over, if we survive, I will grant you the highest honors and status. Hah… now that this crisis has been discovered, it is no longer a crisis. Instead, we can use their own plot against them, turn it to our advantage, and make the Molian Civilization pay dearly. Humph, you dare scheme against me? Unless I wipe you out completely, how will I ever calm this rage in my chest!”

Xiao Yu silently made up his mind.

“At this point, we have no choice but to take a risk. All of you, together with all the scientists, board the ships immediately and return to the fleet. Don’t worry, I already have a plan for this.” Xiao Yu ordered.

Luka Three and Luka Four bowed respectfully to Xiao Yu and said, “Since you already have a plan in mind, we are at ease.”

“All scientists, evacuate immediately. I’ve dispatched ships to retrieve you. Time is short. Bring nothing with you except yourselves, gathering must be complete within ten minutes. Stellar cannon, restart preparations…”