Translator: AnubisTL
The primary significance of Civilization Broadcasts lies not in disseminating information, but in preserving a permanent backup within the cosmos.
This was evident in the present moment.
Chen Mang only received the Good Cat Civilization's surrender broadcast, transmitted several days earlier, upon reaching their core territory—shortly after annihilating the Extreme Evil Civilization.
This could be considered a clever tactic.
Had he not come to the Good Cat Civilization, the broadcast would have taken nearly a million years to reach the Niya Star System, remaining unheard. But by arriving, he not only received the message but also learned that it had been sent long ago.
A sincere gesture.
Chen Mang narrowed his eyes at the image on the Doppler Radar screen, suspecting a stalling tactic or some other scheme. After all, in terms of civilization strength, the Good Cat Civilization surpassed the Extreme Evil Civilization.
That is, if one discounted Satan, the wild card.
In his Future State, Satan's power rivaled that of a Fifth-Tier Civilization, far surpassing the capabilities of typical Fourth-Tier Civilizations.
Moments later, a remarkably plain train ascended from the Good Cat Civilization's Political Mother Planet. As it slowly approached the Stellaris, it launched several projectiles into deep space. The projectiles detonated, their fiery bursts forming massive characters:
"Welcome Human Civilization to Visit."
Visit?
In a sense, it was a visit.
The train radio received another message.
"Do not fire! Do not fire!"
"The Good Cat Civilization wishes to surrender, a complete and unconditional surrender."
"Please follow the train to the planet. The Leader of the Good Cat Civilization has prepared a banquet for our esteemed guests from afar."
Subsequently, the train began to turn around, heading toward the planet while repeatedly signaling for him to follow.
Are they setting up a trap inside the planet?
Chen Mang remained seated in his train, showing no intention of following. He couldn't determine whether the Good Cat Civilization's surrender was genuine or if they had prepared a decapitation trap on the planet, waiting for him to walk right into it.
He had complete confidence in his train.
With Tier 1000 armor, he was certain the Good Cat Civilization posed no threat whatsoever.
Yet his innate caution prevented him from even considering attending the banquet.
Instead, he replied via the train radio.
"Stellaris Train": Within three minutes, I want to see the Leader of your civilization appear before my train.
The initiative lay with him.
Naturally, he had no intention of following the other party's arrangements.
The other party made no further response.
The guiding train didn't wait for him either, returning to its own planet.
Three minutes later, instead of the Leader of the Good Cat Civilization, he received another private message.
"Please do not fire, please do not fire."
"The Good Cat Civilization will surrender unconditionally. Our civilization's rule is that the king does not ascend to the skies, and our leaders cannot travel into space. We hope our esteemed guests will understand. Our king has prepared a lavish banquet of fine wines and delicacies, awaiting your arrival on our planet to discuss all matters."
Chen Mang glanced at the Doppler radar again. The radar detected no threats on the planet, but it did confirm the existence of a fully prepared banquet. If he had been only thirty percent suspicious before, his suspicion had now risen to seventy percent.
What kind of rule?
What kind of rule could compel a civilization's leader to adhere to it even as their civilization faced annihilation?
He found it far more plausible that this civilization had set up a decapitation trap on the planet, waiting for him to walk right into it.
He said nothing further.
Instead, the Arcanon Light Energy Main Cannon atop the train began to slowly charge. The patterns on its barrel flickered to life. Without hesitation, Chen Mang pressed the red button on the control panel.
A searing beam of light, like divine retribution, erupted from the cannon's muzzle.
The beam struck the Political Mother Planet of the Good Cat Civilization head-on.
The universe fell silent.
Just seconds later, the azure planet suspended in the cosmic depths suddenly exploded, countless fragments hurtling into the void at tremendous speeds. One strike, and the planet was shattered.
His patience had worn thin.
In the next moment—
The train suddenly lurched uncontrollably toward the epicenter of the explosion. No, it was gravity!
At the heart of the planetary destruction, something strange was taking shape. Countless rays of light, unable to escape the gravitational pull, were being sucked inward, distorting space itself.
It was a black hole!
A newly born black hole!
Though invisible, its presence could be inferred through its gravitational effects on surrounding matter.
To the naked eye, it appeared as a luminous ring-like structure, still nascent, with an utterly black shadow at its core.
The Stellaris train, caught in this immense gravitational pull, was plummeting toward the black hole's depths at breakneck speed.
No one knew what awaited them within the black hole's abyss.
But it certainly wasn't good.
"..."
Chen Mang sat at the control panel, pushing the throttle to its maximum. Inside the Stellaris's core, the artificial star began burning fiercely, while scorching violet-blue flames erupted from the train's tail jets, providing immense thrust.
The Stellaris's maximum speed was 98.77 million kilometers per hour—roughly one-tenth the speed of light.
At this velocity, the train could theoretically escape the gravitational pull of most celestial bodies in the universe.
But against the gravitational force of this nascent black hole, even this speed proved utterly insignificant. Despite pushing the train to its absolute limit, it remained unable to resist the pull, continuing to plummet deeper into the black hole, though at a slightly reduced rate.
A black hole's gravity is irreversible.
Unless...
Unless one could exceed the speed of light.
Otherwise, no entity could escape a black hole's gravitational grip. Even the divine race—a God-Tier Civilization created by the Cosmic Rules themselves—remained trapped within the black hole's depths, unable to break free.
If survival within a black hole were possible, it would become an absolutely inescapable prison. Once imprisoned, escape would be forever impossible.
Fortunately,
Chen Mang took a deep breath and gazed at the control panel screen, where the Seven-Colored Grade Accessory "SPY-7 Doppler Tail Jet" was displayed. After consuming 1 quadrillion units of iron ore, he instantly upgraded it from Tier 500 to Tier 1000!
Without hesitation, he then spent nearly another quadrillion units of iron ore to upgrade the acceleration accessories "Nitrous Tailpipe" and "Super Energy Tailjet" to Tier 1000 as well!
The Stellaris train's speed surged dramatically!
He didn't even have time to examine the overpowered effects of the upgraded accessories.
Inside the Stellaris's "Stellaris Cabin," the rapidly burning star provided an endless supply of energy to the train's tail jets. Finally, the Stellaris could resist the gravitational pull and escape the black hole's depths at a speed that wasn't particularly fast, but at least prevented it from being sucked in further.
After fleeing into the depths of space for twelve hours, and the surrounding environment gradually stabilized, he finally left the train, transformed it into a brooch, entered the refrigerator, and used it to escape the zone.
"Phew..."
In the locomotive cabin, Chen Mang exhaled softly. He had arrived in the Niya Star System, temporarily home.
He hadn't immediately left the train. While escaping the black hole's gravity through the refrigerator granted him the defensive strength of the train's armor, it didn't grant him its speed. Even at full throttle, the train had barely avoided being sucked into the black hole.
If he had left the train without any counteracting velocity, he would have been instantly pulled into the black hole's singularity, leaving him no time to reach the refrigerator. The distance to the black hole wasn't far.
He glanced at the time displayed on the control panel screen and murmured, "Xiao Ai, has the time flow changed?"
Time dilation occurs near black holes. If they were close enough, a day inside the train could correspond to a year outside.
In truth, he still found it hard to believe he had escaped. He hadn't fully recovered from the ordeal. Logically, even upgrading all acceleration accessories to Tier 1000 shouldn't have allowed him to overcome the black hole's gravity.
He had even considered ejecting all the planets from the train, hoping their combined gravitational pull might create a chaotic period to counteract the black hole's gravity and give him a chance to escape.
"Yes."
Xiao Ai's voice echoed through the train: "Our entire escape process took 12 hours, but seven years have passed in the outside world. The same seven years have passed for the people on the planets within the train."
"The personnel in the carriages remain unaffected."
"During these seven years..."
"The train and all the planets within its carriages, including Aquablue Star, were disconnected from the outside world. Old Pig and the others on Aquablue Star were unable to contact the train and sent a total of 38,920 communication requests during this period. Should we respond now, Train Conductor?"
"Yes."
Chen Mang leaned back in his seat, gently massaging his temples. "Tell everyone we're safe and respond to them. So, seven years have also passed for the Good Cat Civilization, right?"
"Correct. According to data analysis, the primary time dilation occurred when we were unexpectedly pulled into the edge of the black hole. Only 17 seconds passed for us, but four years had elapsed in the outside world."
"Since then, the time dilation has gradually decreased as the train escaped the black hole."
"We should be grateful, Train Conductor, that you didn't choose to land on that planet. The planet's explosion alone wouldn't have been sufficient to create a black hole. The Good Cat Civilization had secretly concealed a black hole seed—let's temporarily call it that—within the planet beforehand."
"If we had landed on the planet, we would have instantly been pulled into the black hole's center."
"There was no escape."
"The current outcome isn't too bad. It's already the best possible scenario."
"Moreover, this black hole must be an incomplete one. Otherwise, even with the train's upgraded accessories, we wouldn't have been able to escape its gravitational pull. Since we weren't at the black hole's center, the gravity wasn't too strong, which allowed us to survive."
"Mm."
After a moment of silence, Chen Mang said softly, "Handle all matters within the train, then make another trip to the Good Cat Civilization."
"Yes, sir."
He had originally suspected the Good Cat Civilization might have planted explosives in the planet's core, detonating them when he left the train to kill him. He had thought, with the train's defenses, how could they possibly kill him with explosives?
He never imagined they would resort to such a method.
It was clear.
The Good Cat Civilization understood human civilization well. They knew the Stellaris train was humanity's primary military asset. By destroying it, they could cripple human civilization's fighting capabilities.
Normally, such extreme measures wouldn't be necessary to deal with a single train.
Seven years.
During those seven years, Aquablue Star had completely lost contact with the train. Zhang Yiren, who used to frequently travel to the train, suddenly discovered that the passage to it had been sealed off. He had been waiting ever since.
"Lord Mang..."
Old Pig, sitting in his office at the Taiping City Law Enforcement Bureau, gazed absently at the calligraphy hanging on the wall and murmured, "What could have happened to Lord Mang? We've been out of contact for seven years now."
"I don't remember any major enemies seven years ago."
"When I came to Aquablue Star, Lord Mang was planning to travel to the Good Cat Civilization."
He was the second-in-command of the Stellaris train.
Lord Mang's most trusted confidant.
Yet he had been out of contact with Lord Mang for seven long years. Initially, to maintain morale, he had concealed the truth from Zhang Damei, Zhang Yiren, and the others, claiming he could still contact Lord Mang and that there was nothing to worry about.
But as time passed, everyone realized he had no way to reach the train.
The only certainty now was that the train had encountered an unimaginable crisis.
"Don't worry too much."
Seated at her desk, Zhang Damei remained remarkably calm, processing documents while glancing at the briefcase resting on the nearby cabinet. "Our planet is located within a carriage of the Stellaris train. If the train encounters any problems, our world will be annihilated instantly."
"The fact that we're still alive and well means the train hasn't suffered any catastrophic damage."
"It might be a tricky situation."
"But not fatal."
The briefcase on the cabinet had once contained her personal mech. But since becoming Director of the Law Enforcement Bureau in Taiping City and abandoning martial pursuits for administrative duties, she hadn't used it in years.
Too many signatures.
She felt a pang of nostalgia for her days on Aquablue Star, when she patrolled the night in her mech, battling hordes of zombies. Though those times were harsh, the memories somehow tasted sweet.
"I'm well aware of that," Old Pig said, his expression complex as he gazed out the window. His concern stemmed from the unique nature of human civilization: all power was concentrated in Lord Mang. In other words, human civilization existed solely because of Lord Mang.
Without Lord Mang, the human civilization would cease to exist.
And now,
They had been out of contact for a full seven years.
This was enough to cause widespread panic. Ordinary citizens rarely interacted with the "train" and were unaware of the situation, but those who knew were deeply alarmed. Even on Aquablue Star, Lord Mang's stronghold, the situation was dire.
What, then, might have happened to the other assimilated civilizations during these seven years of isolation from the train? No one could know.
This was the truly pressing concern.
Just then—
Old Pig froze in place, staring at the Iris Chip that had suddenly appeared before his eyes. The long-dormant Xiao Ai notification flashed across the panel, a sight he hadn't seen in ages. He had almost forgotten he still had the Iris Chip implanted in his pupil.
Reading the message, he leaped to his feet and strode out of the office, preparing to return to the train.
Lord Mang had returned!
Meanwhile—
Inside the Stellaris train:
Biaozi, Old Pig, and other high-ranking train administrators had gathered in the locomotive cabin. Chen Mang leaned back in his chair, quietly reviewing the seven-year development reports for all the planets he had received from Xiao Ai. After thoroughly examining the data, he spoke softly.
"Actually, this special incident is a good thing. At least it's accelerated the development of Aquablue Star and the other planets."
"I've noticed that many cities on Aquablue Star have improved significantly in appearance."
"It's also helped us weed out hidden troublemakers. In just seven years, thirteen planets have already declared independence, and another sixty-seven show signs of small-scale secession."
"Biaozi."
"Present!" Biaozi rose to his feet in the locomotive cabin, responding with military precision.
"Have Xiao Ai grant you firing authorization. Lead the team yourself and eliminate all these troublemakers."
"Yes, sir!"
He spent 380 billion units of iron ore to upgrade the "Built-in Security System" accessory from Tier 200 to Tier 500, unlocking a new Overpowered effect.
[Built-in Security System: Light Energy Cannon, capable of rapidly destroying all living organisms within the train.]
The original Heavy Machine Gun had been replaced by a Light Energy Cannon with an extremely narrow caliber but immense destructive power. Normally concealed within the train carriages, it would extend outward when activated.
This level of weaponry was more than sufficient to deal with any threats within the train.
Most importantly, after upgrading to Tier 500, the cannon would not only appear within the train carriages but also within every space gate, functioning like a satellite cannon capable of delivering precision strikes to any corner of any planet.
Its power could be controlled, making it perfect for handling unstable elements.
Afterward, Chen Mang turned to the Pavilion Master of the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion, who was sitting in a corner, and smiled. "Black Tortoise Star has performed exceptionally well this time, even better than Aquablue Star. There wasn't a hint of panic."
"We were out of contact for seven years."
"During those seven years, your loyalty has been demonstrated. I am deeply gratified."
"Not just seven years, but even seven centuries, Black Tortoise Star will forever remain loyal to Lord Mang," the Pavilion Master of the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion declared solemnly from his corner, his expression earnest.
In truth, however, his heart was pounding with anxiety.
He had been completely unaware of this situation, only learning about it upon arrival. He hadn't even realized they had been out of contact for seven years, having been in secluded cultivation all this time.
When one is in secluded cultivation, time loses all meaning.
What was so remarkable about seven years of seclusion?
The top-tier powers on Black Tortoise Star had enjoyed remarkable peace in recent years, with no conflicts to speak of. Everyone was in seclusion, with nothing to do, so no one even noticed the seven-year communication blackout.
Oh.
Those who traded with Aquablue Star likely knew about it, but their knowledge was useless.
Within the Cultivation Civilization, class distinctions were extremely rigid. Without sufficient cultivation, even if you dared to lead a rebellion, no one would follow.
If the top-tier powers didn't speak up, the lower ranks wouldn't dare utter a peep.
This resulted in Black Tortoise Star maintaining absolute silence during the seven years of communication loss with the train. There were no attempts to test the waters, such as probing whether Lord Mang was dead or if the train had changed conductors.
It was the epitome of loyalty.
A stroke of luck, really, that their incompetence had inadvertently worked in their favor.
"Everything else seems to be in order," Chen Mang said softly, setting down his tablet and glancing at the group. "Return to your posts. Old Pig, stay behind and work with Xiao Ai to draft an Emergency Response Plan."
"If the train ever experiences a similar communication blackout again, we need to establish emergency protocols to maintain maximum stability."
"Understood," Old Pig replied quietly. After grasping the full situation, he turned to Biaozi with a sigh.
Biaozi was on the train.
In Biaozi's mind, they had just met yesterday.
But in reality...
His memories of Biaozi's face had already begun to fade. Seeing him again felt like encountering an old friend in a foreign land, like reuniting with a long-lost comrade after many years.
"What are you looking at?" Biaozi noticed Old Pig's gaze and instinctively took a few steps back, asking suspiciously, "Why are you staring at me like that?"
"Nothing."
Everything returned to normal.
Chen Mang decided to rest for a day, settling all urgent matters before resuming his journey to the Good Cat Civilization.
This time, he would be far more cautious.
First, he would scour the planet with the light energy main cannon. Then, he would slowly discuss matters with the survivors amidst the ashes.
Meanwhile, elsewhere...
In the Good Cat Star System, the former location of the Political Mother Planet had been transformed into an elliptical black hole, though it appeared relatively small, like a juvenile version.
The Leader of the Good Cat Civilization sat in his office, gazing at the black hole displayed on his radar. Zooming in, he could clearly see a train struggling to escape the black hole's gravitational pull, desperately trying to break free.
The man behind the desk couldn't help but smile faintly.
He chuckled softly.
"This is the greatest flaw of the One-Train Civilization."
A One-Train Civilization is one that concentrates all its resources into building a single, immensely powerful train. While this train often possesses formidable strength, its inherent weakness is glaring: if the train is destroyed, the civilization's combat capabilities instantly plummet to near zero.
This trap...
He had originally prepared it for Satan.
Long ago, he noticed an anomaly within a particular planet. After consulting the research institute, he learned that the planet contained a black hole seed that could spontaneously activate. Any external pressure, however slight, would trigger its transformation into a full-fledged black hole.
The exact mechanism remained unknown, but it bore the hallmarks of artificial manipulation, as if someone had deliberately planted it there.
Subsequently, he designated this planet as the "Political Mother Planet," the Good Cat Civilization's center of power. While countless policies emanated from this world daily, he himself never set foot there, leaving only his doppelganger to maintain a constant public presence.
He had long coveted the resources of the Extreme Evil Civilization, eyeing it like a predator ready to devour its prey. Yet Satan's existence had proven a formidable obstacle.
He could only wait.
Wait for Satan to strike, to arrive at his Political Mother Planet, and to stumble into his meticulously laid trap.
What he hadn't anticipated was that instead of Satan, it was human civilization that ultimately arrived.
"How peculiar," the Leader of the Good Cat Civilization mused, glancing at the Doppler Radar screen beside him. This Tier 500 radar could clearly detect civilizations within a million light-years.
Human civilization had emerged only in recent years.
Its rise had been meteoric, rocketing from obscurity to a Fifth-Tier Civilization in what seemed like the blink of an eye.
And it had all begun in the Niya Star System—that resource-scarce zone.
Could a Fifth-Tier Civilization truly arise from such a desolate place?
He shook his head, dismissing the thought, and smiled warmly at the Stellaris train, now positioned at the center of the black hole on the screen. No matter, he thought. It's all over now. Over the past few years, he had made all the necessary preparations to visit the Niya Star System and uncover its secrets.
When he learned that human civilization had destroyed Satan, he had been genuinely terrified.
His confidence in confronting Satan had rested on the premise that Satan would come to his territory and reach his Political Mother Planet, falling into his traps. Facing Satan in his own domain was a prospect he lacked the courage for. He truly feared this civilization.
But it seemed... rather ordinary.
Just then—
The office door swung open, and a young woman in professional attire entered. Following the man's gaze to the screen, she spoke with a hint of regret, "It's a pity that the train didn't actually land on the planet seven years ago."
"Otherwise, it would have been perfect."
"It's already quite good," the Leader of the Good Cat Civilization said with a smile. "A civilization that rises so quickly should, by all logic, have a leader who is arrogant. It's human nature—uninterrupted success inevitably breeds a sense of invincibility, leading to hubris. Their caution is truly unexpected."
"But the outcome is still favorable."
"Is your side ready?"
"Fully prepared. We can invade the Niya Star System at any moment."
"Good."
However, in the next instant!
The influence of the "train" at the center of the black hole on the screen suddenly began to fade. The Leader of the Good Cat Civilization paused, then, as if struck by a sudden realization, rapidly tapped on his tablet, activating the Tier 500 Doppler Radar.
Almost immediately—
The Leader of the Good Cat Civilization fell silent, finally speaking after a long pause: "Halt the invasion. That train has escaped and may return for revenge at any moment. Alert all units to prepare for retaliation."
"Escaped?"
The woman blinked in surprise, then said in disbelief, "How is that possible? Even though this black hole isn't fully formed, it's still a black hole. How could any train escape its gravitational pull? What kind of speed would that require?"
"Enough," the Leader interrupted softly. "The fact remains that it happened. Stop asking 'how is that possible?' and issue the orders."
"Executing orders."
The woman left, closing the door behind her.
The middle-aged man remained alone in the office.
"...".
He sat in his chair, staring at the black hole's image on the control panel screen, silent for a long time.
For years, he had lived in constant fear of Satan.
After the human civilization destroyed Satan, he began fearing them instead. He had hoped for a period of peace, but now it seemed...
If Hell truly existed in the cosmos,
He should be reunited with Satan soon.
Given Satan's power, his return this time wouldn't be like the last. The firepower he would face would be utterly terrifying.
Could the Good Cat Civilization truly withstand it?
It seemed hopeless.
If things got too dire, perhaps he should just surrender this time. He was ready for retirement anyway.
TL/N: Guys, if you are liking this story, don't forget to leave a review and vote using powerstones.
(End of the Chapter)
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