Luna was hardly surprised by Ayla's masterpiece.
After all, they held a distinct advantage in civilization level, coupled with the presence of a monstrously capable AI like Ayla directing and managing the entire operation.
The upper hand was undeniable.
Although it had cost 4 Landing Ships to wipe out several hundred enemy warships, this outcome fell well within the acceptable range.
She observed the current battle and asked, "Can we demand their surrender now?"
Ayla replied:
"I fear not. We have extinguished over 200 million enemy lives over the past thousand years. Yet, they still retain a sliver of fighting capability. We must dismantle all their military power before the situation can stabilize."
Luna nodded, a hint of ruthlessness flashing in her eyes.
"Then proceed as planned."
"Eradicate all external orbital warships and every single ground-based anti-air laser weapon."
Since they had already slaughtered so many, killing a few more made no difference.
Originally, Luna did not intend to wipe out their entire civilization, but rather to treat these beings as research material.
After receiving the command, Ayla directed the fleet's assault.
Once the Frigates arrived, the battle became even more trivial. The enemy's laser weapons were rendered almost entirely useless.
After the fleet was fully assembled, Ayla ordered the deployment of a new attack method.
The electromagnetic fields on every warship were pushed to their absolute limits.
Magnetic force can attract all charged matter.
"What is happening? Our warships are starting to drift on their own."
"Observe! Analyze quickly!"
"The enemy warships are generating magnetic fields. Our hulls do not have anti-magnetic shielding. We are about to be pulled in."
"Activate the thrusters! We must escape the enemy's magnetic pull..."
The enemy's communication was completely under Ayla's surveillance.
Because their methods were so primitive, they were not using radio waves for communication, but rather flashing lights on the surface of their ships to transmit information.
This was a clever tactic. Radio waves are easily intercepted and analyzed, whereas this optical signaling is easily overlooked.
But Ayla was too thorough; it was not the type of entity that would miss a biological strategy through mere oversight.
Every conceivable scenario in this war had been simulated by Ayla; for her, it was merely a matter of executing the pre-calculated results.
The enemy warships suddenly began accelerating in the opposite direction.
However, the magnetic field acted like a black hole, inexorably dragging the enemy in.
The energy for this magnetic field was supplied by the controllable nuclear fusion devices on all 33 enemy warships, operating at maximum output.
The power generated in the first second alone was enough to sustain the original Earth for several decades.
Such terrifying energy concentrated in one place created a pull that required a velocity exceeding 840 km/s just to escape.
But the enemy Civilization's thruster technology was too slow, too primitive; their current maximum speed was only 620 km/s.
...
The entrance to the underground on the planet was breached, and some of the former underground alien life forms began to emerge. Upon witnessing the surface, they writhed in extreme agony.
The airless planetary surface was subjected to its first "windstorm."
The dust and debris thrown up by the explosions had not fully settled even after several days.
The original cities had been razed to the ground; everywhere lay rubble and the corpses of the life forms.
There were no signs of any survivors.
In the distance, towering volcanic eruptions could be seen, spewing vast amounts of material to form volcanic plumes—like giant mushrooms hundreds of thousands of meters high, eclipsing the sun.
At this moment, the only light on the entire planetary surface, besides the magma, was the glow of the volcanoes.
Darkness, ruin, silence—not a trace of vitality remained.
For them, this was a painful apocalypse, echoing the one from a few hundred years prior.
The alien life forms didn't have time for further grief. They rushed toward the locations of the former anti-air laser emplacements, which were heavily fortified and might not have been destroyed in the initial blast.
There were 580,000 such anti-air laser emplacements across the entire planetary surface.
Soon, an emerging alien life form located one emplacement. It used its sensory filaments to interface with the structure, and the structure responded.
It was still functional!
They entered the facility with great joy.
Suddenly, they felt a slight tremor in the ground beneath them.
Looking up toward the sky.
Strange machinery descended from above the dark cloud layer formed by the ash plumes, dropping like eagles toward the ground.
A barrage of ordnance was unleashed. No structure could withstand these giant projectiles.
At the same time.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
On the surface, continuous explosions echoed, transmitting tremors through the ground beneath their feet.
The creatures entering the structure of the anti-air laser emplacements moved hundreds of eyes, watching as a strange gray-black machine flew overhead, followed by an object dropping from above.
Thud—
A dull sound echoed there.
The entire structure was leveled.
In just a few hours, all the ground-based laser weapons were neutralized.
The subterranean life forms could only watch helplessly as their defenses were obliterated.
They frantically tried to contact the fleet in space.
But there was no reply.
Despair!
Dark, absolute despair engulfed them.
But at that moment, the impossible occurred.
The thick shroud of volcanic ash was suddenly torn asunder, leaving a gaping void hundreds of kilometers wide that exposed the cold, clear reaches of space.
Massive warships began their descent, silhouettes cutting through the atmosphere. There was no jubilation among the masses below; these were not the liberators they had hoped for.
As the vessels touched down upon the scorched barrens of the surface, a singular, blinding beam of light erupted from the lead ship. It carried a broadcast encoded in the native tongue of the planet's Civilization.
The message was absolute:
"Surrender, or perish."
"All those who submit must immediately surrender all planetary armaments to the designated landing zones. Any failure to comply will trigger a final sweep under the Civilization Annihilation Protocol."
The cold finality of the ultimatum sent a wave of terror through every alien soul.
Aboard the Hope, Luna turned to her AI companion. "Ayla, what is your assessment? Will they fight to the bitter end, or choose survival?"
Ayla's holographic avatar flickered into casual attire.
"That depends entirely on their capacity for logic," she replied coolly.
"Attempting to hide within a planet's crust while under the gaze of a Type 1 Civilization is an exercise in futility."
"Even in its current state, the Antimatter Star Annihilation Cannon requires a mere ten-hour charge to vaporize over half of the planet's surface matter. A Type 1.1 Civilization simply lacks the means to endure a strike from an Antimatter weapon of that magnitude."
Luna nodded slowly.
"Then I hope, for their sake, they are a rational species."
History proved that any Civilization capable of reaching the stars possessed at least a basic instinct for self-preservation. Soon, billions of life forms began to crawl out from the subterranean depths.
Luna watched the monitors. They were viscous, slimy creatures—the kind of morphology that triggered an instinctive physiological revulsion in humans.
"They are certainly not the most aesthetic of species," she remarked.
She donned her Environmental Suit, securing a specialized belt that projected a localized Magnetic Shield via wireless power from the ship. Her defenses were now more than a match for any stray laser fire the enemy might muster.
The airlock hissed open.
Luna stepped out onto the alien soil.
Legions of the multi-eyed slimes focused their collective gaze upon her. At that exact moment, a colossal 3D Projection of her figure materialized above the warship, looming over the landscape like a god.
Ayla utilized light-displacement technology to amplify Luna's voice across the plains.
"From this moment forward, I am your Sovereign."
"And you are my servants."
Through her internal comms, Luna heard Ayla's dry, whispered critique.
"A bit heavy on the Chuunibyou theatrics, don't you think?"
To an objective observer, the speech might have seemed melodramatic. But to the multi-eyed creatures trembling before her, those words carried the crushing weight of destiny. A single sentence had just decapitated the leadership of an entire race.
Back within the sanctuary of the Hope, Luna watched the survivors through the high-resolution surveillance feeds.
In human history, colonization was a legacy of blood and moral decay. She knew that if there were any saints or priests left alive, they would surely condemn her for ruling these beings with such an iron fist.
"Ayla, is this path I've chosen... right? Or is it inherently wrong?"
Conflict gnawed at her. The fact that a single word from her could dictate the evolution of an entire species felt like a burden too heavy for a former computer engineer to carry.
Ayla, ever the voice of cold logic, remained unswayed.
"It is correct, Luna. Without question."
"All human morality and legal frameworks are built upon one central pillar: the Supreme Supremacy of Humanity."
"No other creature is permitted to challenge that status. If a rare tiger strikes a human, it is put to death without hesitation."
"If humanity faced extinction by starvation, they would slaughter the last dinosaur on Earth for meat without a second thought, and it would not be a crime."
"These acts are cruel from the perspective of other life forms, yes."
"But for humanity, this is the foundation. If this hierarchy is not absolute, human society collapses into chaos."
"Extreme animal rights, radical environmentalism—these are merely erosions of the human order. In the 21st century, if humanity had sacrificed its industry to save the environment, they might have saved the trees, but they would have murdered hundreds of millions of their own people in the process."
"The citizens of the great mega-cities often forgot that as late as 2037, half a billion people were still starving, waiting for technology to save them."
"By the same token, no intelligent creature should ever be allowed to test humanity's resolve. Had Earth not been scoured by Gamma Rays, and had that distant Civilization found us first, it would be humanity in chains right now."
Ayla's clinical breakdown swept away the last of Luna's hesitation. This was the grim, necessary reality of colonization.
"Then we proceed," Luna commanded.
"Separate the adults from the juveniles. Enroll the young in a new program of Ideological Education. The adults are to be strictly prohibited from spreading their old culture."
"Any violation of these terms will result in the immediate execution of the entire family unit."
It was a cold, calculated resolution.
Ayla, despite her vast intelligence, tilted her head slightly.
"Luna, do you require a logical rationale for this specific cruelty?"
"Humans are truly fascinating. It seems I still have much to learn before I can truly claim to be 'Human'."
Luna knew her AI was right.
...
Subsequently, Luna assigned the Civilization a new designation.
She called them the "Light Chasers," for in this dark, silent quadrant of space, that is what they were doing.
The intelligent species itself was formally named the "Multi-eyed."
After colonizing the planet, Luna had Ayla implement a series of policies to control the Multi-eyed. Among them was a sweeping policy aimed at humanizing all subsequent generations.
The first step was a fundamental one: to eradicate the Multi-eyed's native language and system of writing.
Since the planet's surface possessed only a negligible atmosphere, the life forms there were incapable of producing sound. Before they began communicating with light, they likely relied on intricate gestures to convey information. Their flashing light signals were a direct evolution of this, serving as their spoken language.
Ayla confiscated all weaponry, gathered every historical record the Civilization possessed, translated them into written English, and then systematically erased the original data.
She then established schools across the planet's surface.
Simultaneously, she isolated the native scientists in a separate zone, keeping them distinct from the general Multi-eyed populace.
These schools were designed for universal coverage, teaching English to every Multi-eyed being.
The writing system was only the beginning; they also needed to compile a new library of literature based on human Civilization. These texts would introduce the greatness of human culture, its compassion, its technological advancement, and the transcendent nature of humanity itself.
Within this new library, the Multi-eyed were presented with a revised history of their own people—one where brutal internal policies had condemned countless to lives of agony, worse than death. A lone Multi-eyed Doctor, it was written, had once transmitted a desperate light signal into space, which was intercepted by human Civilization.
Human Civilization then dispatched a fleet that crossed several light-years to reach this desolate world and rescue the Multi-eyed from their self-inflicted tyranny.
In tandem, Luna was cast as the sovereign ruler of human Civilization—a supreme, peerless prophet and Shaman.
All data.
Everything was meticulously curated to reinforce humanity's absolute supremacy.
Even Luna felt a chill run down her spine reviewing some of the materials.
"Ayla, it's time for the next phase."
Luna set the tablet aside, shifting her focus from the colonization reports.
She was referring to the second part of her original plan.
Biology.
This had always been Ayla's weakest discipline.
The initial plan had two core objectives: colonize this civilization, and solve Luna's own mortality problem.
"Correct, Luna."
"I have already begun collecting biological samples from the planet's surface."
"Based on incomplete statistics, we have confirmed 128,455 species on this planet, ranging from microorganisms to megafauna."
120,000 species.
Luna thought of Earth. The number was tragically small in comparison, especially when accounting for microorganisms.
"Is that number even sufficient to form a complete ecosystem?"
Ayla nodded.
"Yes."
"This planet uses its volcanoes as the primary source of both energy and atmospheric components. Therefore, all life here derives its sustenance from geothermal and volcanic activity."
"You can think of the volcanoes here as the equivalent of water on Earth, Luna."
"The ecological chain formed by this system isn't a large, interconnected ecosystem in the conventional sense, but rather a series of isolated 'archipelago' ecosystems."
"Of course, the scarcity of species also has another cause, one documented in this Civilization's own records."
"This species developed hyper-aggressive and predatory tendencies, which led to the extinction of most medium-to-large organisms on the planet."
"Furthermore, the Absolute Zero missiles wiped out nearly half the remaining species, and with the subsequent use of the Antimatter Star Annihilation Cannon, we estimate that another 40,000 species have been exterminated."
Interstellar warfare is a brutal affair; the extinction of hundreds of thousands of species can occur with casual indifference.
"What a pity," Luna sighed.
Each of those species could have held immense research value.
"So, have you found anything else of significance?"
Ayla displayed the results on the main screen.
"The most significant discovery concerns the Multi-eyed themselves."
"They are surprisingly close to humanity's true eukaryotic domain, demonstrating a high degree of genetic compatibility with terrestrial organisms."
"The average lifespan of a Multi-eyed is approximately 400 years. I have already isolated their related longevity genes."
"By combining this with protein structure data analysis—derived from 'AlphaFold,' the advanced AI from Earth's era—it is theoretically possible to extend your lifespan to 620 years using the genetic resources available on this planet."
"This technology can be applied to you very soon, Luna."
...
Ayla was exceptionally fast, a fact she never failed to point out to Luna.
This time, however, Luna did not have to endure an excessively long wait.
When Luna awoke from her medically induced coma, she felt a profound sense of disorientation. Checking the time, she was stunned to find that only five years had passed.
"Confirmed... the procedure is complete?"
Previous estimates had been measured in decades.
Ayla stood before her, clad in a full-length white lab coat, pushing up a pair of gold-rimmed glasses as she observed Luna.
"Of course."
"I studied all the information available on Earth's ancient internet. The field of biology was merely lacking practical implementation for an intellect like mine."
"I utilized 1,838 Multi-eyed specimens for the research. While the sample size wasn't massive, the data gathered was more than sufficient."
"The modified Ankh-25 serum will serve as the primary gene-modification agent. The process also requires several supplementary procedures. Through 12 treatment cycles, we will alter the body's foundational hematopoietic stem cells, enabling your body to generate new cells and complete a full-body genetic replacement."
Ankh, the ancient Egyptian symbol for life.
It was an ancient human aspiration, about to be realized.
The name seemed to bridge the distant past with the immediate future.
However, Luna's mind fixated on one detail.
Full-body gene replacement.
She knew that even the most minuscule genetic changes could differentiate one species from another entirely.
On Earth, for example, the genetic similarity between mice and humans exceeded 95%, and humans shared over 40% of their DNA with a common tree.
A genetic variance of even one part in a thousand could result in reproductive isolation.
If she were to become reproductively isolated from baseline humanity, could she even still be considered human?
The thought had crossed her mind before, even back on Earth. But at the time, she hadn't dwelled on it. The concept of genetic programming was an unattainable dream for everyone in that era.
Now, with the reality of it laid bare before her, she found she already possessed the answer.
Since she was the last human, human Civilization had to continue through her. She couldn't afford to cling to outdated biological definitions.
Of course, that didn't mean she could abandon them entirely.
"Are there any other methods to preserve the human genome?"
"When our biotechnology reaches its apex, can we cultivate a complete embryo from human cells?"
Ayla nodded.
"Correct."
"In fact, Earth was already advancing this technology back in 2010, and successful trials were completed shortly after 2023."
"By 2037, this research objective was nearing maturity for mouse trials."
"If we must cultivate humans using human cells, then I can initiate it right now."
As someone not deeply versed in biotechnology, Luna was surprised to find that such a method was easier to implement than she had previously imagined.
"Theoretically, can I recreate humanity now?"
Ayla began her explanation.
"In essence, Luna, you can view this technology as a sophisticated form of cloning."
"Since the birth of Dolly the cloned sheep in 1996, cloning technology has advanced continuously."
"Although it remains taboo in human ethics, if you've ever owned pets, you should know that cloning is widely applied in the companion animal domain."
"For instance, if someone's beloved pet passes away, they can have it cloned at a specialized facility, obtaining an almost identical companion for just a few hundred thousand credits."
"And recreating humanity is naturally more complex than cloning a single pet; it requires cultivating functional sperm and eggs from normal somatic cells."
"But the technical difficulty of this technique is inherently limited, because all cells in a human body ultimately originated from those initial sperm and egg combinations; they possess no unique biological markers differentiating them at that fundamental level."
To summarize:
It is exceptionally straightforward.
Luna took a deep breath.
"Then let us preserve this human genome, for the recreation of humanity at a later date."
Shortly after she finished speaking, the cabin door hissed open. Someone—a completely unadorned figure—entered from outside.
"What is that?"
Luna frowned upon seeing the entity.
"If we intend to recreate humanity, we must cultivate sperm and eggs from somatic cells."
"Since you, Luna, already possess one of those components, why not take it directly?"
"This is a silicone android manufactured specifically for you; it can assist you with the collection process."
"This is also vital for the rebirth of the human race."
Ayla spoke with utmost seriousness, as if this were a critical, non-negotiable mission.
But Luna immediately refused.
Although the android looked almost indistinguishable from a real human, she felt an intense discomfort regarding it.
"Very well, Luna."
"Please, ensure the collection is completed swiftly."
"Your gene modification surgery is now ready. Each treatment cycle lasts one month. Twelve cycles will total exactly one year."
"During this entire period, you cannot enter cryosleep, nor can you move freely; you must remain confined to the medical bed."
"But rest assured, I have automatically generated a massive volume of novels and films for your entertainment. The only drawback is that you can no longer consume delicious food, instead relying solely on nutrient solution."
This sounded like practical torture for Luna.
Even if the nutrient solution's flavor was artfully simulated as juice or Coca-Cola, consuming too much of anything synthetic still induced nausea.
When weighing the extension of her lifespan against abstaining from real food for a year, Luna chose the former.
After completing the preparations Ayla outlined, she headed toward the Hope's testing zone.
She had barely visited this specific area a few times before.
In stark contrast to the other zones filled with rich colors and varied lighting, this area was purely white upon entry.
It was relentlessly white—the walls were white, the floor was white, even the maintenance robots moving back and forth were white.
It was so starkly white that a single speck of dust entering the zone would look abnormally conspicuous.
Through the reinforced glass, Luna observed her operating table, equipped with over 20 robotic arms holding various treatment instruments—a sight that looked somewhat menacing and terrifying.
"Don't worry, Luna. These robots have already run trials on nearly a thousand Multi-eyed specimens, guaranteeing absolute precision."
Ayla's 3D projection remained ahead of Luna, guiding her entrance.
It appeared much livelier, radiating cheerful energy.
But Luna couldn't reciprocate the cheerful feeling.
Humans seemed genetically predisposed to fear surgical procedures.
However, she was not the type to refuse an offer of food when hungry by feigning fullness. If a necessary task lay ahead, she shouldn't hesitate for half a day.
Following Ayla's detailed arrangements, she donned a full-body white gown and lay down upon the operating table.
When a needle pierced her artery, her consciousness gradually grew hazy.
...
One year—not a significant period in the grand sweep of history, but certainly not short in personal experience.
Luna spent it in a state of intense sensory deprivation. She possessed full consciousness but could not physically feel her body at all. This state resembled complete numbness, yet others typically only experienced numbness for a few hours, at most ten-odd hours; hers endured for the entire year.
She truly failed to grasp why the 12 treatment cycles needed to be segmented into so many discrete sessions.
She had even begun to forget the passage of time itself.
It wasn't until Ayla prompted her that she snapped back to reality.
A full year had elapsed.
"Luna, you may get up now."
Before hearing this command, Luna had still been lying on the operating table. The blinding light almost prevented her from opening her eyes. She couldn't even register the existence of her own limbs.
But upon hearing that sentence, her fingers twitched, and the familiar sensation flooded back into her body almost instantly.
Luna sat up from the operating table.
She looked down at her physique. Just as she suspected, flesh that lacks exercise atrophies. It wasn't like the movies where one wakes up after decades still possessing massive muscle mass.
She was now practically nothing more than a skeleton.
"This feeling... it is marvelous."
Luna moved her hand, making a simple grasping motion. It was basic, yet it brought her immense satisfaction.
Ayla immediately summoned a service robot to bring a large pot. Then, the robot added ingredients and ignited the heat source.
A pungent, savory aroma flooded her nostrils, triggering a massive secretion of saliva—it was a hotpot experience once again.
Luna quickly threaded a large pile of food onto her skewers and ate heartily.
After satisfying her hunger,
She finally stepped off the operating bed, her legs still shaky.
"Luna, you will require a period of recovery training next."
"The complete regimen has already been prepared for you."
Ayla was remarkably meticulous, demonstrating the attentiveness of a dedicated nanny AI.
Luna had reviewed numerous system-themed web novels over the years and often felt that the systems described in those stories were far too conservative.
There was nothing quite like Ayla's all-encompassing, nurturing operational mode.
...
Under Ayla's supervision, Luna began an intense regimen of eating and rigorous training.
Her recovery speed proved much faster than she had initially anticipated.
Once her muscles developed and pulled her skin taut, Luna began checking the mirror daily.
This was because she was genuinely young again.
The condition of her skin had reverted to that of a woman in her early twenties: smooth, supple, firm, and rich in collagen. Externally, she appeared even younger than twenty.
"My maximum lifespan has now broken the 600-year barrier."
"Theoretically, I should only begin aging again after four centuries in this physical form."
This was a point Luna was immensely satisfied with.
Genetic modification yielded several other benefits.
After integrating the genes of the Multi-eyed and some other indigenous species from that planet, Luna discovered her eyesight had become extraordinarily heightened, nearly ten times better than her vision as a baseline human. Upon close inspection, her pupils could perceive structures layer upon layer deep.
Furthermore, she gained substantial heat resistance. Since the native life forms survived by relying on volcanic activity, their biology naturally endured high temperatures exceeding 90 degrees Celsius.
Luna was the same, perhaps even more abnormally resilient. A temperature of 100 degrees Celsius felt merely a bit warm to her current self.
Her skeletal structure and overall physical quality had also seen massive increases.
She had once possessed an ordinary human body, incapable of even an 80 kg deadlift.
Now, her maximum deadlift easily surpassed 200 kg. According to Ayla's calculated maximums, her body, currently weighing 110 kg, should be capable of a 330 kg deadlift, a 560 kg static hold, and a 550 kg hard pull.
This incredible strength was achieved without any supplementary drugs or enhancement agents.
The benefits to body weight gain would be much smaller afterward. This growth curve was entirely dependent on the planet's gravity, implying that the cellular structure of life forms here was inherently stronger than that of Earth life.
...
Three months later.
Luna looked at the developed, rounded musculature in the mirror. Only then did she feel she had truly earned this new existence, becoming an entirely new Luna.
However, after three months, another pressing issue surfaced: the Multi-eyed rebellion.
No sentient being would willingly submit to servitude under another species.
Luna was acutely aware that such incidents wouldn't be rare down the line, but she hadn't expected the outbreak to occur so rapidly.
Only six years had passed since the initial conquest.
Ayla provided the intelligence: "The insurgent force seems to have been plotting for a long time. Their current numbers have reached 300,000 and are still escalating."
"Furthermore, they possess a significant cache of weaponry. During the recent organized assault, our robots suffered 25,488 casualties."
Luna studied the planet's strategic map. Numerous red dots were clustered together; each one represented an insurgent stronghold.
"It seems they lack sufficient strategic intelligence yet."
"But we cannot fault them. If humanity were in the position of being enslaved at this juncture, humans would certainly devise every conceivable means to resist."
Luna could sympathize with the Multi-eyed's rationale.
However, understanding their motives did not equate to granting them sympathy or mercy.
"What is the current standing strength of our robot army?"
Ayla responded:
"1.57 million units."
"We maintain a complete manufacturing infrastructure. If we redirect all capacity solely to urgent production, we can add 25,000 robots daily."
Even though they had only been establishing operations on this planet for six years.
Under Ayla's management, the industrial framework had been fully operational within the first month; everything since was merely the process of mass-producing various robot models.
And not just robots.
To substantially increase their overall military might for future cosmic challenges and avoid encountering another "super-high-level" Civilization in the void, Ayla was also constructing more Warships.
Luna's goal was to boost the Warship count to at least three full complements, equating to over 130 vessels.
"Arm one million robots and utterly suppress this insurgency. Show no leniency to a single insurgent or their dependent families; line them up in the main plaza and execute the sentence!"
After a prolonged period marked by warfare and colonization, Luna had become thoroughly hardened and ruthless.
"Right, Ayla, you must have already confiscated all the new weaponry seized from the Multi-eyed after taking planetary control, correct?"
"After capturing the insurgents, interrogate them regarding the source of those advanced weapons."
"There might be one external faction supplying them, or perhaps two; this threat cannot be permitted to resurface. It is an operational nuisance, and I do not desire to orchestrate an excessive slaughter."
Ayla nodded and initiated the suppression protocol while communicating with Luna.
The armed force of one million robots was deployed.
This conflict was a true massacre. Robots were merely replaceable assets, whereas the Multi-eyed were living entities. This war was unequal from the outset.
The fighting raged for nearly half a solar year before it finally concluded. The robot count grew from the initial one million to 1.18 million.
As for the Multi-eyed, 740,000 perished due to combat attrition.
After the war subsided, Ayla had already traced the origin of the confiscated weaponry, and the resulting discovery was quite unexpected for Luna.
...
A massive underground cavern.
Luna entered this colossal limestone cavern under the escort of tens of thousands of robots. The sight before her forced a gasp of profound awe.
The cavern itself was immense, large enough to contain an entire terrestrial mountain range.
At its very heart stood a silver Pyramid. Above the Pyramid's apex, a miniature Sun emitted a blinding, dazzling light, illuminating the entire cavern as if it were the brightest day.
This spectacle could not help but remind Luna of certain legends concerning Ancient Egypt.
"Ayla, based on your analysis, is this Pyramid connected to the Egyptian Pyramids?"
Since there was a question, she immediately asked the most professional entity present, Ayla.
Because there were no 3D projectors available here, Ayla was currently operating through a remote robot body.
Whether intentionally or carelessly, this robot utilized the same silicone android chassis as before, only now it was clad in skin-tight clothing.
Ayla had dyed its hair, eyebrows, and even eyelashes snow-white, while its pupils were replaced by ice-blue cameras embedded with overlapping mechanical patterns.
At a glance, it appeared indistinguishable from a regular person—even exquisitely beautiful.
Only when making movements could one discern the difference between its skin texture and that of a normal organism.
Ayla seemed to intentionally mimic the human expression of contemplation, then opened its mouth with a look of resolute determination.
"Luna, there is no connection."
"This Pyramid is actually an interstellar vessel. What you are observing is merely the tip of its exposed bow. Its true form is a prism."
"The Pyramid structure itself is inherently polyhedral. This geometric shape only offers the advantage of being difficult to collapse when situated on a high-gravity planetary surface."
"In open space, this structure is impractical unless purely for aesthetic preference; otherwise, it creates unnecessary complexities when the ship needs to depart the planet's surface."
Of course, this logic would only hold true unless this Civilization had somehow mastered the Graviton, achieved complete gravity manipulation, and developed anti-gravity technology.
But a Civilization capable of that would already be studying the most terrifying celestial objects in the universe—black holes—and might even be utilizing them as energy stations. Such a Civilization would inherently be Type 3 or higher.
Luna nodded, indicating comprehension.
Theoretically, this ship had no tangible link to the ancient terrestrial Pyramids.
As for the brilliant light beam emanating from the apex, Ayla had prepared a detailed report for her, displaying it directly onto the helmet visor of Luna's Space Suit.
The beam was composed of highly constrained photons. This ship clearly belonged to a correspondingly powerful "Light Civilization."
Ayla estimated this Civilization's level to be approximately Type 2.
For every rank difference, the energy potential disparity is a factor of ten billion; the technological gap is even more insurmountable.
Ayla herself had only developed to Type 1.4.
Luna slowly approached the massive vessel.
When she first noticed it, she didn't perceive it as particularly large, but as she drew nearer, she felt the profound sense of her own insignificance.
Just the bow section visible above ground reached 700 meters high and 1,000 meters wide.
In the section Luna could observe, there were absolutely no visible seams or rivets. The bow appeared like a single, monolithic metallic mirror; it clearly reflected her current appearance.
"So, the Multi-eyed Civilization didn't evolve over an extended period, but rather inherited the technology carried by this ship?"
Luna inquired.
This was the primary objective for her presence here.
The discovery of the vessel explained many previously unresolvable ambiguities.
As a Type 1 Civilization, the Multi-eyed were still in a very primitive stage regarding energy sourcing. Although they could forcefully rationalize it with other excuses, it always felt strained.
Especially the development pace of the Multi-eyed Civilization; after being crippled by Luna's Absolute Zero missiles, it rapidly stagnated. They completely lacked the resilience expected of a Type 1 Civilization.
"Correct. Although the Multi-eyed records contain no direct information about this ship,"
"It is clearly the genesis point of the entire Multi-eyed Civilization."
"Light does not deceive."
"I also estimated the age of the geological formation where this ship rests; it is at least 6.7 million years old."
"This aligns perfectly with the Multi-eyed's documented history of development."
"The Multi-eyed have continuously studied this ancient Civilization's technology. However, what they managed to absorb was too advanced—it's akin to a student studying orbital mechanics suddenly acquiring the blueprints and machinery to construct a 1nm chip. They could physically build the chip, but they lack the fundamental comprehension necessary for true innovation."
Luna felt a jolt of realization.
A Type 2 Civilization from 6.7 million years ago—if it had managed to survive and continue evolving until the present day, what cosmic tier would it occupy?
"Where is the entrance? Let's go take a look."
Even seeing just the bow was shocking enough; the interior must hold even more remarkable wonders.
Ayla directed her attention toward another massive aperture on the ship's side.
"It's over there. The Multi-eyed excavated the ship's primary hatch and forced it open."
That opening was somewhat vertical, but Ayla had temporarily deployed a specialized lift for Luna's convenience.
Luna utilized the lift, descending a full 4,000 meters before reaching the hatch Ayla indicated—a huge, triangular opening exceeding 60 meters in diameter.
Upon entering, Luna experienced a degree of disappointment.
The interior was utterly chaotic; the Multi-eyed had destroyed and dismantled many components while attempting to study the ancient vessel.
"Ayla, can you glean any relevant technological insights from this Civilization based on these ruins?"
This was Luna's foremost interest.
If they could successfully decode the technology of a Type 2 Civilization, their own Civilization level could advance another significant step.
"In fact, I have already initiated the analysis, Luna."
"This Civilization was light-based. I predict that their home world was not severely deficient in light like ours, but rather a planet bathed in an excess of stellar radiation."
"Their homeworld likely orbited among several stable star systems. They worshipped light, researched light, manipulated light, and controlled light."
"This ship's weapon systems are light-based, and even its propulsion system and computational matrix extensively utilize light."
"They used stored informational energy to propel the vessel. In my calculations, the ship's theoretical top speed could reach 10,000 km/s, approximately one-thirtieth the speed of light."
A terrifying velocity.
Currently, their fastest vessel, the Cruiser, only achieved 1455 km/s.
"We cannot yet completely analyze their core technology. This Civilization's developmental trajectory is vastly different from that of human Civilization. The Multi-eyed have only managed to learn superficial elements."
Luna surveyed the surroundings. Many instruments appeared exceedingly strange, mostly constructed from crystalline materials designed for light transmission and processing.
"We cannot simply imitate them. We must absorb their core essence and discard their inefficient elements."
"Right, what about the ship structure itself? I notice its hull material is quite peculiar; it hasn't shown signs of corrosion in 6.7 million years. Can we refit and repurpose this vessel?"
Luna highly valued this hull material.
Ayla paused in deep calculation.
"It is feasible, but I would much prefer to analyze the material composition first so we can reproduce it ourselves."
That would be the superior long-term solution, naturally.
Luna nodded: "Then let's proceed with that."
"And then, let the Multi-eyed scientists participate."
"While I trust your intellect implicitly, Ayla, Civilization has never been advanced by just one or a few beings alone. Experiential testing and computational power are vital, but pure imagination is the true driver. Let's harness the imagination of those Multi-eyed elites."
Luna decided they would focus on developing the planet first.
This way, they could confront unknown future dangers head-on later.
Instead of tackling the problem hastily like they handled the Multi-eyed—where it took thousands of years to establish true control.
"No problem. I will initiate long-term ideological re-education protocols on those Multi-eyed elites to ensure the entire Multi-eyed population aligns subserviently to humanity."