Those who face the wall, but are in the Nascent Soul stage.

Chapter 255 First Fleet Yun Tianming (5k)

The war between the expeditionary fleet and the Great Ring of Devouring is being analyzed by various parties.

Sixty hours later, all three fleets received reports of the "Great Expedition Victory" from the "Paradox Engine," along with a large amount of war data and related numerical data transmitted via electromagnetic signals.

Based on information from these front-line battlefields, a series of operational plans targeting the Great Ring were rapidly developed with the assistance of MOSS and the Digital Republic.

The Solar System Fleet then dispatched approximately 150 stellar-class warships and 2600 planetary-class warships to support the 5000 planetary-class warships stationed 300 astronomical units away.

These warships will become the first line of defense in intercepting the Devouring Ring and the remaining fleet.

Subsequently, each of the three fleets dispatched 200 stellar-class warships, bringing the total number of stellar-class warships to 600, which entered the forward phase. These stellar-class warships will head towards the region of the four dwarf planets in the Kuiper Belt, at a distance of about 90 astronomical units from Earth, where they will become the second line of defense for the solar system.

Of humanity's remaining 40,000 planetary-level warships, half were deployed to the vicinity of Neptune, Uranus, and Pluto, serving as mobile and secondary defensive forces. The remainder were responsible for protecting the Jupiter orbital base and important human outposts on Mars, Mercury, and Earth.

Apart from the 500 star-class warships that needed repair in the expeditionary fleet, and the other hundreds of star-class warships undergoing upgrades and iterations in Jupiter's orbit, each of the three fleets organized a mobile main force consisting of 1000 star-class warships.

The three fleets, with a total of 3000 star-class warships, are ready to launch another surprise attack on the Giant Ring.

Unlike the small-scale expeditionary fleet, this human main force, which is six times the size of the expeditionary fleet, will launch a flanking attack after the giant ring breaks through the first and second lines of defense, directly bombing the engine on the back of the giant ring.

(Note: The number remains unchanged at 500, because the Luo Qing warship was carried back by the enlarged White Emperor Holy Sword, and Luo Qing would not allow this warship, which shares the same name as himself, to be the only one lost in battle.)
While the Earth United Government and Fleet International were making their operational deployments, they eagerly awaited the expeditionary fleet's triumphant return after crossing 500 astronomical units.

The vanguard fleet of 12 warships was the first to return to the home port on Jupiter, where they received an extremely warm welcome. They made unparalleled contributions to humanity's defense of the solar system.

These 12 meritorious warships were immediately upgraded and repaired using the latest technologies from Fleet International.

Besides humanity reviewing the battle and making the next battlefield deployment, the Trisolaran civilization, the Trisolaran First Fleet, and the Trisolaran Second Fleet are also conducting their own reviews.

The information between the Trisolaran civilization and the Trisolaran Second Fleet was basically shared. The biggest highlight of this battle was not the feat of humanity throwing out 20,000 stellar hydrogen bombs and the shuttle ring, but the defensive array of the blue-light giant shield that appeared when the 1,000 stellar hydrogen bombs were used in the early long-range bombing, and the [time freeze] field that appeared when the Paradox Engine entered the field.

However, this time-stopping field did not restrain Sophon. Sophon moved freely in this molecular-level static field, observing all the van der Waals forces that were directly suppressed by some unknown force. The Trisolaran scientists quickly learned the truth through the data transmitted by the proton.

Isn't the principle behind this time-stopping field a variant of the incomplete and misleading technology—the molecular-level force field generator—that the Trisolarans transmitted to Earthlings?
Using a strong force field, all intermolecular forces of matter are fixed, making the matter extremely strong at the molecular level, with a strength far exceeding that of the most advanced nanomaterials.

Under the influence of this flawed technology, humanity has developed unique devices, such as the so-called "Iron Curtain Device" based on a strong molecular force field generator. However, these Iron Curtain Devices are extremely fragile in the eyes of the Trisolaran civilization. The so-called molecular-level Iron Curtain Force Field, painstakingly developed by humanity, can be easily shattered by strong interaction materials.

Now, the Wallfacer has expanded this molecular-level force field to the size of an Earth, achieving large-scale molecular confinement within this region and creating an effect similar to time freezing...

Although the Trisolaran civilization could understand the principles behind this technology, the method employed by the Wallfacers still exceeded the imagination of the Trisolaran scientists.

Amid the turmoil in the Three-Body scientific community, the Three-Body civilization quickly confirmed a relatively reassuring fact: this pseudo-time freeze based on molecular force fields could not imprison the strong interaction force detector in a neutron degenerate state.

Both proton and strong interaction force detectors can easily travel freely in this confined space of the universe.

The scientific community of the Trisolaran civilization can finally breathe a sigh of relief.

However, unlike the Trisolaran civilization and the Second Fleet, which felt reassured, the Trisolaran First Fleet had a rather ambiguous attitude towards this space war that broke out on the outskirts of the solar system.

Similarly, the First Fleet made a different judgment than the Trisolaran civilization and the Second Fleet, but this judgment was not transmitted back to the Trisolaran main civilization through the sophon.

...

Edge of the Oort cloud.

Unlike the vast expanse of deep space, the cosmic background here is not pitch black. Occasionally, extremely sparse interstellar clouds cast faint shadows in this space, obscuring starlight from tens of light-years away.

This also makes the stars in the universe appear to twinkle at an exceptionally high frequency when viewed from within the Oort Cloud. This scene of millions of stars blinking at the same time often fascinates the only human in the fleet.

In this deep cosmic expanse shrouded in wispy clouds, the First Fleet, like scattered diamonds on black velvet, trudged arduously toward the solar system.

Unlike the 'Golden' expeditionary fleet, which charged at 15% of the speed of light and fought the Great Ring for three hundred rounds, the real 'expeditionary' fleet, which was now stumbling across a distance of two light-years, did not have the indomitable momentum of the human fleet.

In the First Fleet's formation, the foremost ships were leaning precariously, like crumpled tin foil, with the spacing between them expanding dozens of times from the initial standard distance. Some trimaran warships had even deviated from their course by tens of thousands of kilometers. The midships were even more chaotic, with the cruise exhaust flames of several warships displaying a sickly orange-red hue, clashing horribly with the surrounding eerie blue glow. As for the stern ships, they were no longer in their original orderly formation, scattered sparsely, with many warships severely lagging behind.

The First Fleet set sail very early, in human time, in 1982 AD. At that time, Earth was in the aftermath of the height of the Cold War between the US and the Soviet Union, and was unaware of the impending crisis. Similarly, the Trisolaran civilization was in a chaotic period following its initial technological explosion.
The First Fleet's departure was very hasty. After receiving Ye Wenjie's first reply, the Trisolaran civilization did not even conduct any interstellar expedition tests. They did not even conduct a few proper interstellar travel tests before urgently issuing the order for the voyage.

The First Fleet, which had just been born from the mother body, was thrown into the solar system, beginning the Trisolaran civilization's, and also the First Fleet's, maiden voyage.

The universe is cold, a fact that the Trisolaran civilization did not realize at the time.

The First Fleet is like a newborn baby, which has not yet stood firm but has immediately crawled towards the solar system. The pain and damage it suffers along the way can only be endured and resolved by the baby itself.

Unlike the Second Fleet, which is technologically advanced, well-prepared, and even possesses a complete ecological cycle system, all 1000 warships of the Second Fleet are constructed using precious high-interaction materials. The First Fleet, on the other hand, still uses older materials reinforced with electromagnetic technology.

Although electromagnetic hardening makes armor far stronger than human-made nanomaterials and impervious to electromagnetic projectiles, the First Fleet is not always in a "high-electric-hardened" state due to energy limitations.

The limited hydrogen and helium resources of the Trisolaran planet were far from sufficient to support a nuclear fusion engine and a adequate supply of nuclear fusion fuel. Using matter-antimatter annihilation as the main power system was, in fact, a helpless measure under extremely scarce resources.

Who doesn't like the wide-ranging, sweeping combat style of human fleets?
As the last surviving planet in the Trisolaran system, Trisolaris has undergone hundreds of rounds of development by the Trisolaran civilization, leaving it extremely impoverished in natural resources, with hydrogen and helium resources almost nonexistent. At its poorest, the Trisolaran civilization couldn't even produce a few stellar-type hydrogen bombs like those used by humanity! Even during their civil war, they could only fight with conventional weapons.

The Trisolaran civilization is like this, and the First Fleet is merely a microcosm of it. To conserve energy, the fleet is not always in a high-electric-hardened electromagnetic state. Only when traversing interstellar dust clouds will the fleet consume precious energy to enter a high-electric-hardened state to avoid the impact of the interstellar dust clouds.

This is one of the reasons why the Trisolaran fleet's speed decreases shortly after each time it enters 10% of the speed of light. As the fleet's speed gradually declines due to the impact of interstellar dust, it keeps its strong electromagnetic materials in a low-current state most of the time to reduce energy consumption, maintaining the warships at the level of ordinary material strength. However, the universe is not a vacuum, and even outside the interstellar dust cloud, countless tiny meteorite attacks occur.

The First Fleet's warships, having endured over 200 years of meteorite damage, have suffered extensive damage. The outer armor of some warships has been peeled away, revealing the dark metal skeletons deep within. These injuries were caused by meteorite impacts that occurred without strong electrical reinforcement.

These battered trimaran warships were among the better-maintained warships in the First Fleet.

The wreckage of many Trisolaran warships, which had lost power while traversing interstellar dust clouds, became scars on the formation. They tumbled aimlessly, these warships being the rotting, dying parts of this infant fleet.

Neither the Solar System Fleet nor the Devouring Ring could better understand the cruelty and despair of interstellar travel in the universe than the First Fleet.

Compared to the resource-rich Solar System Fleet, the massive Devouring Ring, and the technologically advanced Second Fleet, the First Fleet seemed to have been abandoned by all civilizations. If it weren't for the fact that it was the closest fleet to Earth for the Trisolaran civilization, even the Trisolaran civilization probably wouldn't have paid much attention to this chaotic and dilapidated fleet of its own.

Through the sophon intelligence shared by the Trisolaran civilization, the First Fleet was also fortunate enough to witness this interstellar war that broke out on the edge of the solar system.

This ancient interstellar warfare, filled with "spears and shields," thrilled the First Fleet, yet also filled them with deep sorrow.

The First Fleet didn't see the sheer power of the human fleet in the release of those 20,000 stellar-type hydrogen bombs; rather, it saw their luxurious resources and confidence. In the First Fleet's eyes, this war was simply a war of attrition, fighting the most expensive battle with the most outdated methods.

"Prophet, our fleet has collected enough antimatter particles. The funnel-shaped magnetic shields formed by the huge magnetic field have completed this stage of capture. Now the First Fleet has the ability to accelerate to 10% of the speed of light for a short time."

The First Fleet Commander was sitting opposite Yun Tianming, and the content displayed on his mind membrane was being continuously converted into lines of text through the electronic display screen.

Yun Tianming said, "Commander, let the spaceship continue traveling at a speed of 0.01c. There's no need to rush the acceleration process. Another 200 years will pass."

The fleet commander's meaning was direct: "Prophet, you are worried that Earth's civilization will be destroyed by the First Fleet, are you?"

Yun Tianming smiled calmly: "Commander, that's only part of the reason."

First Fleet Commander: "And the other part?"

Yun Tianming took a sip of the tea infused with malt tips and gestured for the commander to also drink some tea that he had personally brewed.

The commander poured the tea in front of him onto his body, which quickly absorbed the precious moisture. However, the tea stains still clung to his body, giving the First Fleet commander a faint aroma of malt.

Yun Tianming spoke up: "Another part is my concern for the safety of the First Fleet. I have developed a deep emotional bond with the First Fleet and do not want to sit idly by and watch everything in front of me be destroyed. Moreover, collecting antimatter particles along the way is too difficult. This amount of antimatter particles is only enough to keep the fleet accelerating for a short period of time. There is no need to accelerate and try to buy a few more years."

First Fleet Commander: "The slow collection of antimatter particles is a technical problem for the fleet. According to the Trisolaran Expedition Manual, once a certain amount of antimatter particles have been collected, they should be annihilated quickly to accelerate the fleet and shorten the time to reach Earth as much as possible. This is the general order of the Trisolaran civilization."

Yun Tianming took another sip of tea and said calmly, "You can report to the home planet that, due to insufficient magnetic field and the significant increase in positive matter near the Oort cloud, the First Fleet has not yet collected enough antimatter particles to accelerate the aircraft."

The commander of the First Fleet was slightly taken aback.

First Fleet Commander: "Prophet, I can do this, to deceive—"

Yun Tianming interrupted, "This is a tactical cover-up."

First Fleet Commander: "We can use tactical concealment, but please tell me your reasons for doing so."

Yun Tianming said, "It's just to reserve an extra trump card for the First Fleet. If the First Fleet really encounters danger, we can still escape at 10% of the speed of light, instead of crawling like a snail at 1% of the speed of light. I'm really doing this for the good of the fleet. After all, my life is tied to yours."

First Fleet Commander: "But do you really think that the level of war between humans and the Devouring Empire on the outskirts of the Kuiper Belt can threaten our fleet? In our eyes, that war was nothing more than two children fighting with sticks."

Yun Tianming gently shook his head: "What you see is the appearance of children fighting, but what I see is the intensity of war and limited victory under deliberate control. He doesn't even want humans and dinosaurs to suffer huge casualties at the same time so that a third party can take advantage of the situation... I really don't want the First Fleet to become a sacrifice before the Wallfacers ascend to godhood. Don't speed up, don't speed up, don't speed up."

Yun Tianming repeated the last four words three times.

First Fleet Commander: "You have always held the super-individual Luo Qing in high regard."

Yun Tianming shook his head again: "If you trust me, this prophet, then do as I say. Do you believe that after the ten strong interaction probes enter the solar system, this Wallfacer will demonstrate the power to 'just right' destroy the strong interaction? He might even deliberately leave a few strong interaction probes in the solar system for humanity to practice combat against. You don't understand, he comes from another world, and he can't shake his habit of being a teacher. He will constantly act as humanity's teacher... Ha."

First Fleet Commander: "Prophet, I trust you. This trust is bound to our shared interests."

Yun Tianming said, "Then listen to me. The fleet should not accelerate in a hurry. Capture and store as many antimatter particles as possible."

First Fleet Commander: "Okay, the fleet won't accelerate. So what's next? What should the First Fleet do next?"

Yun Tianming continued, "Wait for your home planet to complete the breakthrough in warp drive technology, and let the Second Fleet fight against humanity under the protection of the Wallfacers. Distance is the best protection for the First Fleet. If things go beyond expectations, then let the First Fleet deviate and head towards the nearest star system, DX3906. That's a star system I bought."

After saying that, he gave a self-deprecating laugh.

First Fleet Commander: "But this is rebellion! A betrayal of the Trisolaran civilization! Moreover, the First Fleet's ecosystem is not perfect; it doesn't even have the ecological material cycle to sustain it for thousands of years. We don't have enough food!"

Yun Tianming countered, "Didn't we also store 200 million dehydrated Trisolaran bodies? Those are also food reserves."

The commander of the First Fleet looked at Yun Tianming in disbelief.

"Remember to soak it in water before eating; it will make you feel fuller," Yun Tianming said casually.

(End of this chapter)