233: Chapter 233 Alien Radio Waves

The others couldn't understand it.

"Sirius is so dazzling in this surrounding star region that it's bound to be a popular area, so... it's very chaotic there!"

"That's true, but we don't stand a chance against any real Four-Dimensional Civilization right now!"

Gao Gan said.

"I know. With our current capabilities, the Polaris Civilization only needs to wait for us in the surrounding star regions. It's impossible for us to escape, right?"

Gao Gan was reluctant to admit it.

But it was the truth.

"So, to truly escape the Polaris Civilization, we must take risks. Sirius is a good place. If we fly toward Sirius, we might be discovered as soon as we enter within one light-year..."

"And then?"

Someone asked.

"Then we turn around and head here! Tau Ceti in Cetus. It takes twenty years to fly here from Sirius!"

"But what's the point of that? Why don't we go directly to Tau Ceti?"

"Of course there's a point. If we appear near Sirius, the Polaris Civilization will definitely go there to wait for us. Since Sirius is a popular area, Polaris won't be the only one there. So... once the Polaris Civilization fleet arrives in force, do you think other civilizations will attack them? Any civilization that can gain a foothold in Sirius is no pushover, so once a battle starts, Polaris's chances of winning are slim... while we turn around and fly toward Tau Ceti! There are over twenty star systems around Sirius!"

Liang Yi nodded.

"This is indeed better than going directly to Tau Ceti... As soon as we appear, the Polaris Civilization's focus will inevitably be placed here. Once they are tied down, we can head for Tau Ceti!"

"But isn't Tau Ceti a single-star system?"

Gao Yuan smiled.

"Yes, most people think Tau Ceti is a single star, but our probes previously observed that Tau Ceti has a companion star. It's just that this companion is extremely dim and small—at most an oversized, ignited version of Jupiter. However, that hot Jupiter is indeed a self-heating star, just with very little heat and located far from Tau Ceti... If there's a companion star, then Tau Ceti isn't a single-star system but a true star system. Furthermore, the dust in the Tau Ceti region is ten times that of the Solar System. Even if we are pursued there, it'll be conducive to our hiding! The thick dust layers can block detection waves!"

"No matter how you look at it, Tau Ceti is our most suitable base at the moment. At Tau Ceti, I will recuperate and convert the technological achievements of these years into combat power. After that, we can leave!"

The others were convinced by Gao Yuan!

So the fleet began to turn...

On this expedition, it would take the Human Fleet sixty years to reach their true destination—Tau Ceti!

Navigating the vast universe, humans were lonely.

Six months after turning toward Sirius, the forward probes detected a set of strange radio waves.

Soon, the head of the monitoring system came to find Gao Yuan.

"Marshal, these radio waves are definitely not naturally occurring in the universe because there are continuous and regular repetitions within the bands. However, the transmission was very short. Just as our probes detected it, the other party hid before we could determine the source! I suspect we've encountered another civilization!"

Hearing this news, Gao Yuan's expression grew solemn. This was the first alien civilization encountered since leaving the Solar System.

Perhaps there would be a great battle.

"There are no stars nearby. Why would there be a civilization?"

"Marshal, last month, we encountered a rogue planet during our flight. Our probes explored it at the time and found no artificial traces. Moreover, that planet is huge and was a billion kilometers away from us. If our fleet were caught by its gravity at such high speeds, we might have been torn apart... so we left directly!"

"A rogue planet? How far are we from them now?"

"About 100 light-hours!"

Gao Yuan's heart began to grow heavy.

It's been a month. If this civilization really came from the rogue planet we encountered earlier, they've been tracking and monitoring us for at least a month.

It's been so long, yet I've only just discovered it.

This indicates that the other party's technological level at least crushes our own.

Thinking of this, Gao Yuan gave a bitter smile. Which true Four-Dimensional Civilization didn't crush them?

But...

There was one point Gao Yuan couldn't figure out...

They've been in the dark for so long without launching an attack. What does that signify?

Could it be that they are kind-hearted?

Impossible...

The struggles between civilizations are more cruel than those between nations.

Since the other party hasn't attacked, it means at least one thing: they aren't certain of victory!

Thinking of this, Gao Yuan felt slightly more at ease.

"Decipher that segment of radio waves first!"

Gao Yuan sent the head of the monitoring center back to work.

He immediately ordered the fleet: all vessels were to shut down their engines and proceed using inertia, turn off all external lights, and all weapons on the warships were to enter a state of combat readiness.

The mechas were also to prepare for battle.

The enemy is in the dark, while we are in the light...

Now that they were in silent mode, the Human Fleet was like a cluster of meteorites flying through the universe.

Gao Yuan believed the other party definitely hadn't locked onto them. If they had, it would be impossible for his side not to detect any radio waves or rays.

Since they weren't locked on, entering silent mode now meant that in the universe—where a single second accounts for tens of thousands of kilometers and a few minutes for tens of millions—the other party would likely lose track of them.

This way, he would be in the dark just like the opponent.

Gao Yuan remained on high alert, but for several days, there was no movement at all.

Just as he thought it might have been an illusion...

The monitoring center intercepted another radio wave, with the same frequency and band as before. This time, the center successfully located the transmission point: 5 million kilometers behind them. Their speed was roughly the same as his own!

Gao Yuan was stunned...

This fleet is also flying in this direction?

Where are they going? Are they following us, or just happening to be on the same path?

There are two star systems closest to here: one is Sirius, and the other is Barnards Star! But Barnard's is a single-star system, so there's a high probability that the fleet behind us is also heading for Sirius.

They actually aren't from that rogue planet?

Gao Yuan didn't quite understand!

If they were just passing by, it wouldn't make sense. For such long-distance voyages, proper Four-Dimensional Civilizations use Space Jumps; flying directly like this takes too long.

If they aren't just passing by, then they are chasing us.

Gao Yuan's heart jolted. Could they have been sent by Polaris to find us? Only a large-scale search would involve flying like this.