Rebirth of the Super Battleship-Chapter 563: The Despairing Black Hole

This was an interstellar refugee group that had endured countless hardships. Since leaving their capital planet, they had encountered innumerable difficulties during their interstellar journey. Although energy supply was not a problem, the lack of an industrial base made it impossible for them to manufacture large quantities of instruments or increase the number of ships. This meant they could only crowd into cramped warships or industrial vessels. The bleakness of the future subjected them to immense psychological pressure at all times. Among these one billion refugees, there were always people who suffered mental breakdowns because they could not bear it.

That was only the pressure on ordinary people. As the highest leader of this group, the pressure borne by the leader was undoubtedly even greater. He had to face everyone with confidence. He had to lead his people through one difficulty after another. The populace could collapse, could grieve, could vent, could drown their sorrows in wine. He could not. He had to be optimistic, strong, and fearless. He had to lead these remaining kin to find new hope.

But this blow nearly made him collapse as well. Their already weak heavy industrial base had been completely destroyed by this disaster. Half of the populace and ships were lost. Most of the remaining ships were also damaged. The situation had reached its worst.

Yet he soon learned there was an even worse situation waiting for him.

After the ship underwent a violent jolt, he quickly received a report from the subordinate scientists.

“Leader, I have very bad news to report to you. We are in trouble, in very great trouble.” the current Chief Scientist said, his face ashen and full of pain.

A vague sense of foreboding rose in the leader’s heart, but he still maintained a calm expression. In a firm, unhurried voice he said, “What has happened?”

“A black hole.” the Chief Scientist said in a low voice. “The energy of the pair-instability supernova explosion was too great. As a result, this black hole was affected, altered its orbit, and came to our fleet’s side. Because of the pair-instability supernova’s influence, our observation instruments failed to give early warning. This black hole, with a mass roughly thirty-seven times that of our parent star, arrived by our fleet without any omen. At present it has already swallowed more than thirty thousand ships, and more than two hundred fifty million citizens have perished.”

Hearing this, the leader felt a slight sense of relief. More than thirty thousand ships and over two hundred fifty million citizens. Although the loss was great, it was still bearable.

However, what the Chief Scientist said next made the leader’s heart sink to the bottom.

“If it were only this, it would not be a problem. The most important thing, the most important thing is this.” The Chief Scientist covered his face with his hand, his voice beginning to choke. “At present, within our fleet, there remain altogether roughly a little over one million ships of various types. Now a full more than eight hundred thousand ships have been captured by the gravity of this black hole. In the pair-instability supernova’s outburst, our ships suffered severe damage. Although the conventional propulsion systems can still barely function, their power is too low to break free of the black hole’s gravitational binding. The curvature engines are barely intact, but near the black hole the gravity is too strong. We have no way to use the curvature engines.”

The leader felt darkness before his eyes. He knew very clearly what this meant.

The lack of various industrial foundations, the existence of a technological break, the shortage of professionals, and the scarcity of materials meant they were basically unable to repair the conventional propulsion engines of the ships. If those engines could not be repaired, then these ships would have no way to break free of the black hole’s gravity. Ultimately they would only fall into the black hole under its gravity after circling it again and again.

“Those ships have less than three days. After three days, the tidal gravity of the black hole will fully affect the structural integrity of the ships. The ships will be twisted and torn apart. All instruments inside the ships will be destroyed. All citizens inside the ships will die.” the Chief Scientist said weakly.

The leader’s expression was grim and he said nothing. He quickly walked into the great conference hall and watched the distant scene on the large screen.

“Fortunately, the flagship we are aboard has not suffered too much. Some resource ships still remain. The community of scientists has not suffered too great a loss either.”

“But what about our citizens? Among those more than eight hundred thousand ships captured by the black hole’s gravity, there are as many as more than three billion citizens. What will happen to them, what will happen to them?” The leader looked at the scene before him and muttered.

Presented before the leader was a truly terrifying scene.

There was a mass of twisted space. No visible substance could be seen, only the starlight in the distance flickering there. The leader knew this was because the gravitational lensing caused by the black hole had rendered the black hole itself invisible.

The leader could no longer see those ships that had been captured by the black hole’s gravity, but communications were not yet entirely cut off. Through these communications, those ships could be located very clearly aboard this flagship. Thus a simulated three-dimensional animated image appeared before the leader.

The black mass in the middle represented the black hole. The scattered points of light around it represented those ships. At this moment, these ships had been accelerated to extremely high speeds and were frantically orbiting the black hole. But their orbits were not stable. Their orbital motion was like a mosquito coil. With every circle around the black hole, they moved a little closer to the black hole in the center.

Their speed grew ever faster and the distance to the black hole ever closer. When that distance shortened to a certain degree, tidal gravity would tear these ships apart.

“Patch me through to those ships’ communications.” the leader ordered.

Communications were quickly connected. The leader saw the scenes inside those ships. They clearly already knew what had happened to them and understood their current predicament. Countless citizens were crying in sorrow. Some were praying silently, but more wore ashen faces and sat there in a daze.

The leader’s lips moved a few times. He wanted to say words of comfort or to rally their spirits, but no words came out. At this point, what could he still say? Say that they would come to rescue them? Everyone knew that was impossible. Under such circumstances, rescue was meaningless. Rescue would only cause the ships not yet captured by the black hole’s gravity to fall into crisis as well.

“I do not have the ability to save you.” the leader closed his eyes and said silently in his heart.

It felt like a knife was being driven hard into his heart. He knew what this meant. He also knew that the Pegasus Civilization was finished.

After losing these more than three billion citizens, the entire Pegasus Civilization would be left with fewer than two hundred thousand dilapidated ships and fewer than six hundred million citizens. What could be done with so few people and so few ships? He already foresaw the future situation. Technological breaks would appear on a large scale. Even if they found a habitable planet, the Pegasus Civilization’s technological level would regress on a large scale. Whether they could even maintain a Level 4 Civilization’s technological level was uncertain.

“Why, why must we encounter such a tribulation?” An immense sense of powerlessness devoured the leader’s mind. He felt all strength leave his body.

What happened when they left the capital planet flowed through his mind case by case, scene by scene. Those calls and those words of encouragement echoed in his mind without cease.

“We leave the hope of survival to you. You must pass down our civilization. No matter what hardships or dangers you encounter, do not give up, do not give up. We are members of the Pegasus Civilization. Our civilization will ultimately leave its name in the universe.”

“I place upon you the responsibility of leading the entire civilization. Do not disappoint my expectations.” He still clearly remembered the words of the former leader before departure.

“But I have no way. I have no way. I cannot save our civilization. I have disappointed your expectations.”

“Issue my order. All surviving ships are to flee this region at maximum power at once. This place is dangerous. Every moment we remain here, we bear a little more danger.” the leader said very coldly.

“But what about the citizens on those ships bound by the black hole’s gravity?” the Chief Scientist cried out in terror.

“We have no capability to rescue them. I cannot allow our surviving citizens to suffer losses again. Execute my order at once, at once.” the leader shouted sternly.

In the face of relentless blows, the leader still made the wisest decision. At that moment, he was not merely himself. He represented the entire Pegasus Civilization. He had to stand in the position of a leader and consider the matter comprehensively.

For a time, the atmosphere fell to freezing point. Everyone was engaged in the most brutal inner struggle.

Just then, a guard hurried to the leader and reported in a low voice, “Leader, our detection system has detected a vast fleet approaching us from two light months away at a speed of forty-seven times the speed of light. It is estimated that we will encounter them in thirty hours. Through preliminary judgment, based on an assessment of the fleet’s technological level and the analysis of its shipbuilding style, we suspect that this fleet is the fleet of the Divine Ark Civilization that destroyed our civilization.

“This fleet has a total of roughly eighteen million warships, and a colossal planet capable of curvature flight.”