Chapter 426: Hot Spring Bath
After checking various universal constants, such as the speed of light, the fine-structure constant, and various physical laws, and confirming they were no different from the three-dimensional universe, Tom immediately began assembling a massive scientific research fleet and informed the Moraise civilization of the current situation.
"...While it cannot be definitively confirmed yet, I believe it is highly probable.
The current situation is unclear, and for you and me to survive, we must work together.
Let’s observe this universe and first confirm the current situation."
"Alright."
After reaching an agreement, both scientific research fleets quickly left the solar system and extended towards the surrounding solar systems. At the same time, various large-scale deep space detection devices were immediately put into operation, beginning to probe the surrounding space.
Some distant stars were beyond the range of super-distance communication. However, it didn’t matter much, as they were independently controlled by Primal and the Moraise AI.
Before the detection and scientific research spacecraft could reach the nearest solar system, Tom’s deep space detection system discovered a slightly terrifying scene.
Through observation of these 125 "blueprint" stars, Tom found that their orbits were not chaotic like ordinary open clusters or globular clusters, but rather followed a unified orbit.
All these stars were orbiting an invisible point in the void. As if there was a star there, and these stars were currently orbiting it like planets.
If stars are the masters of solar systems, then that point seemed to be the master of this entire Nation.
From gravitational calculations, there seemed to be a supermassive black hole there!
However, further detection showed that there was no black hole there at all!
One scientific research fleet had already set off towards the core, several light-years away, but had not yet reached its destination.
Another scientific research fleet had already arrived at the nearest solar system.
After silently infiltrating, Tom discovered an astonishing scene.
This solar system contained a total of 5 large planets, both gaseous and rocky. But regardless of their form, Tom saw some peculiar life forms on them.
Star Beasts!
One by one, these powerful Star Beasts, different in appearance from those that had previously besieged the Moraise civilization, but equally massive in quality and clearly at the gravity stage of "technology"!
Their numbers were extremely large, at least in the tens of millions.
These numerous massive and ferocious Star Beasts freely roamed the vast void, traversing back and forth between planets, or frolicking on the surface of rocky planets, or soaring through the thick clouds of gas giants. Some Star Beasts even moved between the photosphere and chromosphere of stars, and some even directly immersed themselves in the scorching plasma of stars.
Watching this scene, a thought naturally emerged in Tom’s mind: "Are these Star Beasts perhaps taking a hot spring bath?"
Dismissing this somewhat absurd thought, a slightly heavy conjecture emerged in Tom’s mind: "A Nation with gravity-level Star Beasts... I heard the Cloud Civilization say that the space-level entities in the Milky Way might include a Star Beast Disaster, so... is this Nation the Star Beast Nation?
If it’s the Star Beast Nation, why would they attack me? Could it be... that the higher-level entity behind the Star Beast Disaster I previously destroyed is actually a Space-level Star Beast?
Has it tracked me down to... avenge that gravity-level Star Beast? But why did it bring me into the Star Beast Nation and then ignore me, even allowing me to conduct reconnaissance?"
At this moment, Tom still had too many questions and uncertainties.
At this point, Tom’s detection spacecraft entering this solar system seemed to have attracted the attention of those Star Beasts. Some massive Star Beasts quickly flew over and initiated an attack from hundreds of thousands of kilometers away.
The next moment, the image disappeared, and communication was lost.
Tom thought for a moment and did not stop the detection of other solar systems. Thus, in one distant outer solar system after another, furthest from the invisible core, Tom saw groups of Star Beasts, all different in appearance but equally ferocious and massive, and all at the gravity level.
Combining with the Moraise civilization’s detection, Tom finally determined that within this Nation, a total of 110 solar systems in the outer regions were all occupied by gravity-level Star Beasts!
Continuing to probe inward, Tom finally saw some different sights.
The inner 15 solar systems were also occupied by Star Beasts, but the "technology" level of these Star Beasts seemed to be higher.
Their bodies were even larger, and their tonnage was significantly higher than those of the outer Star Beasts. Furthermore, they possessed some abilities that Tom temporarily could not understand or know the principles of.
Previously, his detection spacecraft were destroyed, merely encountering the effects of missiles, bombs, projectiles, lasers, and gravity—all technologies Tom had already mastered.
But here, the way the detection spacecraft were destroyed seemed somewhat inexplicable.
At this moment, the nearest Star Beast was still hundreds of thousands of kilometers away, and Tom had not detected any tangible or intangible attacks, but the next moment, this detection spacecraft suddenly disappeared.
There was no explosion, no wreckage, no reaction; it just vanished instantly and silently, as if it had been instantaneously stripped from the current universe.
Tom still didn’t understand, and was once again greatly shocked.
"Are these Dark Energy-level Star Beasts? Is this attack method... based on Dark Energy-level technology?
It seems this is the only possibility.
So... the outermost layer has gravity-level Star Beasts, and the inner layer has Dark Energy-level Star Beasts. And the solar systems where these gravity-level and Dark Energy-level Star Beasts reside are all orbiting the innermost, invisible point. So, at that point... could there be a group of Space-level Star Beasts?"
Tom pondered for a moment, then finally made up his mind to continue sending detection spacecraft towards that core.
For some reason, as long as Tom’s detection fleet did not enter a solar system, those Star Beasts would ignore him.
So, surrounded by countless stars, one of Tom’s detection fleets finally arrived at that location.
Only then did Tom see that there was actually something there, a star.
A non-luminous star, extremely small compared to a sun, but still absolutely massive in volume, like a rocky planet.
As if sensing Tom’s arrival, that "planet" gradually began to stir.
Before, it seemed to have merely been curled up, thus appearing as a planet. But now, it gradually unfolded.
Seeing this scene, Tom even temporarily stopped breathing.
He clearly saw that although the size and mass of this Star Beast were much larger than those that had previously besieged the Moraise civilization, its appearance was remarkably similar!