A Colossus rushes in at the start

Chapter 113 The War Changes Too Rapidly

"Civilizations continue to grow and expand, but the total amount of matter in the universe remains constant," Lu Shang murmured to himself.

Although they are currently at war, the civilization in the other universe doesn't seem to be doing very well. Apart from using a black hole to absorb the neutron particles that the bee swarm had released into the other universe, there has been no other activity.

It's unclear whether the civilization in that other universe was killed or is preparing for some new strategy.

Within the swarm network, a planetary being asked curiously, "Is this a new strategy?"

Lu Shang habitually shook his head and replied, "No, it was just a spontaneous remark."

As he spoke, Lu Shang fell into reminiscence and said to the planetary creature, "In the main universe, the swarm started from the Vorsotis star system and has continued to grow and expand as it has developed, gaining more and more dominion over cosmic matter exponentially. Now it has begun to plunder matter from other universes. I really don't know what the swarm will look like in the future."

Although it has been a few years, Lu Shang feels as if it all happened yesterday. As a direct participant in the rise of the Babel bee swarm, Lu Shang has witnessed how the swarm grew from an insignificant planet to what it is today.

Based on the trajectory of bee colony development, it can be inferred that the more advanced a civilization is, the larger the area it occupies and the more material resources it controls.

The planetary creature said, "I oppose the idea that mass remains constant."

"If the mass remains constant, then where did the initial mass come from? This makes no sense at all."

If everything never existed in the first place, then where did everything we have now come from?

This leads to two possible conclusions.

The first possibility is that everything has existed from the very beginning, without reason, cause and effect, or sequence. All matter naturally exists in the universe. Asking why matter exists so abruptly is like asking why the universe was born.

The second possibility is that everything originally did not exist, there was absolute nothingness, and then existence was born from that nothingness. Then, the original existence gave birth to everything we have today.

Clearly, the planetary beings believe in the second one: that everything originates from nothingness.

This was a simple logic problem, and Lu Shang understood it all very easily.

Lu Shang said, "Are you saying that mass can be created out of thin air? That the conservation of mass can be broken? Is there any evidence to prove your point? I don't like making things up; it's meaningless."

The planetary being replied: "Evidence is still being searched. If negative mass can be found, the hypothesis that 'nothingness creates everything' will be confirmed."

"Tell me if you need anything. If your hypothesis is verified, then the swarm's future strategic policy will need to be changed," Lu Shang said.

As the saying goes, "If I hear the truth in the morning, I can die content in the evening." Lu Shang's greatest pleasure is to lift a corner of the skirt of the universe's rules and then stick his head in to see what secrets are hidden inside.

Why was the universe born? Why did life appear? What is the meaning of life? Can an individual's will gain absolute freedom after death? ...

Studying these issues is far more interesting than getting bogged down in love, hate, and grudges.

Just as Lu Shang was lost in thought, an alarm about the anomaly was once again issued within the swarm network.

Alert! An anomaly!

The civilization in the other universe retaliated.

This time, there was a clear difference from the last time: the neutron matter that the swarm sent into the alien universe using psionic energy was mysteriously disappearing.

Lu Shang frowned, not rushing to a conclusion, but instead asking the planetary beings for information: "Show me the data on the gravitational wave fluctuations."

Before long, Lu Shang obtained gravitational wave data from the alien universe from the planetary beings.

Although the laws governing matter are different, the matter in the other universe is similar to dark matter to the Babel Tower swarm, and the information that can be obtained is extremely limited. However, some information can still be obtained through gravity alone.

Judging from the significant reduction in the size of the gravitational waves, those neutron particles that entered the alien universe have truly disappeared.

It is not the annihilation of matter and antimatter. Matter annihilation is when two particles meet, and the particles with opposite charges neutralize each other, sink into the quantum sea of ​​emptiness, and then replace each other with a pair of high-energy gamma photons. It is a way of completely releasing mass and energy.

The mass of matter does not change when it is annihilated; it is simply converted into energy. The spacetime curvature that occurs when one gram of matter is converted into one gram of energy is still one gram.

However, now, the neutron particles from the other universe have vanished without a trace, and the mass of one gram has suddenly become zero.

"What should we do?"

"Don't panic. It's probably that a civilization in another universe has taken away all the neutrons and transformed them, changing the quark structure of the neutrons and turning them into protons. Let's give it a try."

Question: How can we make quality disappear in a certain area?

The answer is simple: if you remove the mass, the mass in that area will cease to exist.

Although Lu Shang didn't understand how the unknown civilization from another universe managed to break free from the control of the neutrons protected by psionic energy on the planetary life forms and transfer them away, the logic should be pretty sound.

Before Lu Shang could think further, he suddenly received a report from the planetary creature that maintained the spacetime structure of the microcosm.

The report states that the mass of the planetary life form, which serves as a bridgehead for attacking other universes, is continuously decreasing!

"What happened? How did the mass disappear?" Lu Shang immediately asked the planetary creature that had reported.

The information contained behind the decay of the small universe's mass is too terrifying. It means that the other universe is plundering the mass of the universe like a swarm of bees. However, the swarm is plundering the other universe, while the unknown civilization in the other universe is plundering the small universe that the swarm is using as a bridgehead for attack!

"I don't know. The decay of mass is observed through changes in the spacetime of the microcosm."

……

In an alternate universe, a tiny light source rests on the edge of a region that is constantly devouring matter.

Although this area seems to be expanding at a faster-than-light speed as the mass it devours increases, a tiny light source is always able to remain at the edge of this area.

In the void, diffuse quanta are pulsating, and distant life forms are asking questions of the light source.

"Disaster type..."

[Racial invasion from outside the stable zone.] This is how the light source responded.

"Disaster structure..."

The life form on the other end sent another inquiry to the light source, which replied: [Cooperation Mode: At least one race is disrupting the structure of the stable zone. A final decision has been requested from the Elders: Zero-based strike…]

The distant life form gave its approval: "The Elders have approved it. Act quickly and leave no trace. The turmoil in the Void Sea is growing more intense."

Quantum Leap, having obtained approval for its light source application, contacted the Zeroing Device drifting in the sea of ​​floating clouds, and handed over the collected coordinate information and the Elders' Council's executive approval to the Zeroing Device.

The Zeroing Device responded: [Resolution accepted...Resolution executed...Zeroing Strike Proposal initiated...]

[Coordinates detected...Coordinates confirmed...Coordinates double-checked...Locked...Zeroing strike in progress...Entering the countdown phase...]

(End of this chapter)