The Captains executed the orders unconditionally.
Chu's initial motivation might have stemmed from emotion, but the others acted based on clear rationale. They, too, had compelling reasons to obliterate Star City 4.
While no personnel from their own faction remained in Star City 4, the enemy intelligence later publicized by Star City 5 clearly indicated the threat resided within the super-microscopic realm. Consequently, destroying the Star City was also tantamount to destroying that sub-microscopic world.
Although rebuilding a Star City was no simple feat, they dared not tolerate any lingering risk.
Following Chu's command, all warships commenced action.
Countless shells began to be unleashed wantonly.
One wonders what Hossie would think if he witnessed this scene.
He had previously conjectured that the Star Nation would certainly deploy forces, but he never imagined the command would come from Chu.
Had it been anyone other than Chu, no one would have dared issue the order to annihilate Star City 4. Every soldier entering the Star City was supposed to search for his location and ultimately discover the data he had meticulously collected—accumulated over hundreds or thousands of years—within a specific building.
With these materials, those who followed might have gained crucial new guidance.
But it was Chu who arrived—exceptionally reckless.
Starting with dismantling the Star City, and now proceeding directly to its complete destruction.
Hossie, upon seeing this, would likely be beyond tears of frustration.
However, perhaps this constituted a blessing in disguise.
...
At this precise moment.
Within the super-microscopic world, a realm difficult even for Chu to observe.
The real excitement had just begun.
Hossie finally managed to guide [The Predator] toward the vortex.
Upon making contact, [The Predator] immediately recognized its destination and frantically burrowed into the vortex.
That vortex was remarkably small, while [The Predator]'s form was massive. Hossie initially presumed that even entering would be difficult for [The Predator].
Unexpectedly, however.
That vortex, much like a black hole, instantly consumed [The Predator] entirely.
"What exactly is this vortex?"
Due to his premature departure, Hossie was entirely ignorant of the Star Nation's subsequent research concerning the enemy.
At this juncture, he didn't even realize he was currently situated within the super-microscopic world.
He could only surmise that the interior of that vortex perhaps concealed an independent space, but he was utterly baffled as to how such a space could manifest.
Because in the macroscopic world, there could be no conceivable discussion of vortex space. How would that differ from common spatial manipulations like bags of holding or simple storage dimensions?
If such perverse technology truly existed, wouldn't it allow for the direct creation of entirely new worlds?
But had he known it originated from the super-microscopic realm, Hossie would have instantly grasped that the vortex was, in fact, a curled-up dimension.
At this moment, [The Predator], or perhaps Damoro, entered this tightly coiled dimension.
Although this dimension was small in scale, its internal space was comparatively vast because it represented a higher-dimensional structure.
When a three-dimensional being achieves dimensional ascension to four dimensions, although dimensional ascent is complete, it does not imply that a cube transforms into a hypercube in four dimensions.
While the fourth dimension technically exists, its extension is nearly negligible.
A four-dimensional advanced Civilization can exploit this minute fourth-dimensional length for offensive maneuvers. If it were a slightly lower-tier four-dimensional Civilization, they might not even be able to locate the fourth dimension of an ascended three-dimensional being without the aid of advanced microscopy.
Only in its native four-dimensional configuration, such as a perfect hypercube, would all four dimensions be fully extended.
Therefore, regardless of whether [The Predator] or [The Grazer] entered this curled-up dimension, it would be virtually impossible for them to occupy or fill it entirely.
Generally, these curled-up dimensions are considered six-dimensional or even seven-dimensional constructs.
When Damoro entered this curled-up world, his immediate sensation was akin to being folded.
Because his three spatial dimensions were too extensive to fit naturally, they needed to be compressed.
This was comparable to folding an A4 sheet of paper to fit inside a 2cm small box; because the height of the A4 sheet is sufficiently thin, it can be folded and inserted.
However, the folding Damoro experienced was conceptually different.
Because this involved the manipulation of space and dimensions, Damoro, now an intangible entity, being folded in three dimensions should behave like water—merging seamlessly regardless of how many times it is folded.
But in this moment, Damoro felt his folded state was more akin to that A4 sheet of paper stacked upon itself.
In reality, this was merely a misinterpretation by his sensory input. His true state was like water, merging; yet, his perception registered as layered sheets of paper.
This discrepancy caused him extreme psychological discomfort.
This discomfort was amplified to its zenith by his inherent chaotic nature.
His entire being moved erratically within this confined dimension.
As he moved chaotically, since this was, after all, a dimension curled up within the microscopic world, even accounting for the supplementary dimensions, the internal space was not vast. Consequently, Damoro quickly made contact with [The Grazer].
This unexpected touch.
Both entities were instantly startled.
Then, the dynamic shifted immediately, like a wolf encountering a defenseless lamb.
Devouring commenced.
[The Grazer] had not anticipated Damoro rushing in. The moment it made contact, it tried to flee towards the dimension's exit.
And outside, Hossie watched as a colossal monster instantly blanketed the vortex. [The Grazer] was bursting outward.
Hossie felt intense anxiety.
If [The Grazer] managed a clean escape, controlling [The Predator] to give chase would become exceedingly difficult.
But fortunately, his apprehension was premature.
Because the vortex space was finite, the initial interface between [The Predator] and [The Grazer] occurred across a substantial boundary area.
In three-dimensional space, only a single surface might overlap. But within a curled-up dimension, the area of contact involved an unknown number of surfaces meeting simultaneously.
With such a large contact area, [The Predator] acted as a parasite embedded deep within. [The Grazer] did burst out of the vortex, but it dragged [The Predator] along with it.
One could observe [The Predator] clinging tightly to [The Grazer]'s body, continuously consuming it.
Hossie then finally began comparing the relative sizes of the two entities in earnest.
He realized he had severely overestimated [The Predator]. [The Predator]'s actual size wasn't even one hundred-thousandth that of [The Grazer]'s.
Yet, [The Grazer] was terrified of [The Predator].
As [The Predator] began to devour its form, [The Predator]'s size visibly expanded.
The transition from one hundred-thousandth to one ten-thousandth happened in an instant.
Then one-thousandth.
One-hundredth.
One-tenth.
[The Predator] eventually grew to be as massive as [The Grazer].
No—even larger.
Wait, [The Grazer], now resembling a tiny peanut, was swallowed whole by [The Predator], vanishing without a trace.
It's over!?
Hossie, even witnessing the entire sequence, could hardly process it.
It ended so abruptly and easily!
After regaining his composure, Hossie completely calmed down.
"In this manner, the Star Nation is safe!"
"I estimate I won't be able to return!"
As he processed this thought, his body suddenly trembled. At the very spot where he stood, a vortex materialized.
No.
Countless vortices appeared around him, so numerous that Hossie found it impossible to count them all.
It could be a million, perhaps even ten million.
Each vortex was identical to the one where [The Grazer] had previously concealed itself, and emerging from these tears in space were colossal monsters, each one matching the appearance of the [The Grazer] from moments ago!
Innumerable [The Grazer]s appeared, shocking Hossie as profoundly as an ant suddenly facing thousands upon thousands of charging elephants.
To Hossie, each [The Grazer] represented a macro-entity.
One must understand that his own size, relative to [The Predator], was infinitesimally small.
It wasn't merely the difference between an ant and an elephant; it was the difference between a dust particle and a planet, and [The Grazer] was effectively a star.
Just as Hossie was frozen by the scene unfolding,
Hossie's body began to move on its own volition.
This was his first genuine action.
He suddenly realized that he himself was positioned precisely at a vortex entrance.
It was simply that [The Grazer] had employed some unknown method to mask the vortex, simultaneously preventing him from entering it.
At this moment, Hossie finally understood why he was present here, and why he had survived.
"It turns out the vortex closed, preventing me from being consumed by the The Grazer within the vortex behind me."
"And I was consequently halted in this space."
This appeared to be mere coincidence.
But the reality was far more complex than Hossie had imagined.
The reason the vortex sealed, tracing it back to its origin, was Damoro's arrival.
Damoro's entry triggered the Star City's massive tremor, leading Hossie toward the Star City's core, which in turn led to his discovery by the consciousness behemoth hidden within the super-microscopic dimension. His body was instantly destroyed, and his consciousness was yanked directly into the super-microscopic realm.
Originally, the consciousness behemoth had been constantly active throughout the super-microscopic domain, but Damoro's arrival prompted the behemoth to choose evasion, resulting in the current strange arrangement.
One could describe it as a cruel twist of cosmic irony.
Hossie watched as a [The Grazer] burst from the vortex immediately behind him, poised to strike, but very quickly, [The Grazer] shifted direction, fleeing to the opposite side. This was because moving toward Hossie meant confronting [The Predator].
However, a few [The Grazer]s, due to the extreme crowding of the surrounding space, were forced to collide with [The Predator], leading to them being consumed even more rapidly than the first one.
At this juncture, [The Predator] was overwhelmingly massive, standing out like a giant among common fowl even amongst the ranks of [The Grazer]s.
"These [The Grazer]s are incredibly bewildered. [The Predator] devouring one [The Grazer] shouldn't yield this outcome. Something else must have transpired."
Hossie was still deep in conjecture.
But very quickly, he no longer required speculation.
Because a fierce, vast energy instantaneously erupted directly before him, incinerating his current location.
Fortunately, at this critical moment, the density of [The Grazer]s surrounding him was overwhelming. Several [The Grazer]s inadvertently shielded him from the downward thrust of this terrifying energy wave.
Then the entire space was repeatedly forced into a pause—a momentary cessation of action.
All [The Grazer]s froze mid-movement.
Their bodies began to emit an incredibly brilliant, multicolored light.
Hossie felt himself instantly shift from physical space into a dreamlike, abstract world.
Emanating from within [The Grazer]'s collective forms, a wave of energy radiated outward toward the vector of destruction. This energy spread out in the distance like a protective umbrella, enclosing and shielding all of them within its boundary.
This spectacle was quite astonishing to Hossie's eyes.
Of course, this was partly because he was so minuscule in comparison now.
"The attack is coming! [The Predator] was merely the vanguard; the Star Nation has truly arrived!"
Despite facing the imminent threat of annihilation, Hossie was now unusually exhilarated.
He had no idea of Damoro's origin, so he could only presume Damoro was an agent Luna dispatched to Star City, having arrived in the current world through some legitimate and fortunate confluence of events.
And the current assault was being launched by Damoro's allies.
"All [The Grazer]s, perish!"
"It absolutely cannot be halted!"
If [The Grazer] forces could not be contained, Hossie himself would also perish, but he did not necessarily need to intervene.
At this moment, he conceived a tactic: to continuously focus his thoughts on that particular sound, drawing the attention of the [The Grazer]s.
He succeeded.
A contingent of [The Grazer]s was indeed diverted by him, actually ceasing their defensive maneuvers, intent on moving towards him to consume him.
Because they paused their support, the defensive layer grew thin; one could even observe countless fissures spreading across it.
Those [The Grazer]s who had been fixated on Hossie dared not remain negligent and hastily resumed reinforcing the protective perimeter.
Subsequently, regardless of what methods Hossie employed, he could no longer sway these [The Grazer]s.
However, compared to him, there was another true source of disruption present.
[The Predator] seized this opportunity to frantically harvest the [The Grazer]s.
The [The Grazer]s, true to their name, were utterly defenseless against [The Predator].
This was nothing short of a systematic slaughter.
And with this relentless massacre, [The Predator]'s advantage continued to expand exponentially.
"It seems I don't need to lift a finger."
"These [The Grazer]s will eventually all be consumed, and then this world will follow suit in destruction."
Hossie grew calm.
Quietly waiting for everything to conclude.
Also, waiting for the end of his own existence.
But fate seemed determined to mock him further. [The Predator]'s colossal form, while voraciously consuming everything, was suddenly struck by an incredibly terrifying energy assault. [The Predator] was instantly obliterated.
Hossie directed his gaze toward the source of the attack; there was something present that fundamentally should not exist in this location.
A gigantic mechanical entity!
It was immensely, overwhelmingly large.
The [Grazer]s resembled mere ants in comparison to it.
It descended like an inescapable judgment. Hossie then watched as all the [The Grazer]s surged toward this mechanical device.
The closer they approached this apparatus, the smaller the bodies of [The Grazer]s appeared.
Thousands upon thousands of [The Grazer]s, upon entering the proximity of that device, became so minuscule that Hossie could no longer discern them visually.
All [The Grazer]s entered the interior of that mechanical entity. Then, the entity unleashed a surge of energy, forcibly opening a wormhole directly before it. The mechanical structure plunged into the wormhole and vanished without a trace.
That was unequivocally a wormhole. Hossie was absolutely certain.
He was profoundly shocked by this spectacle.
The sheer existence of ten thousand [The Grazer]s had already stunned him, but the object that now manifested completely shattered his comprehension.
His entire worldview collapsed the moment that entity appeared.
The singular word that flashed through his mind at that instant was — Farm!
How strikingly similar.
All [The Grazer]s were merely livestock deployed by some powerful Civilization within Star City 4. They were nurtured by slaughtering life, only to be harvested later by that dominant Civilization.
Could it be that everything the Star Nation endured, everything that plunged him into despair, amounted to simply this?
A Herder turning the entire Star Nation into their personal agricultural plot!
After the Herder spirited away [The Grazer]s, the defensive layer above shattered with a loud report. Endless energy once again poured downward, threatening to annihilate Hossie completely.
In Hossie's perception, this was an annihilation designed to erase his world.
Hossie braced himself to shut down his remaining senses. To be honest, he didn't know why he still possessed any sensory awareness, as he was convinced he no longer had a physical body.
He believed that to be the case.
But when the energy truly struck, he suddenly registered the existence of a body.
This was not just a fragment; it was a highly advanced technological artifact.
It did not originate from some unknown alien Civilization.
Instead, it came from the Star Nation, specifically from Star City 4.
...
Outside Star City 4.
Chu observed the wreckage of Star City, his emotions a turbulent mix.
Had all his efforts ultimately amounted to nothing?
This realization was undoubtedly painful.
But this feeling was primarily his own burden. The remaining Captains aboard the fleet were all survivors from Star City 5. Following the devastating events of Star City 5, they harbored no real expectation of success on this mission.
The enemy proved too formidable.
Perhaps if an unprecedentedly large fleet had arrived at Star City 4, there might have been a chance of success.
But the intelligence they possessed indicated that the Fourth Generation had arrived with only a single vessel. How was that any different from a suicide mission?
Chu shifted into a human-like form, taking a seat on a structure constructed from cuboid blocks.
At this moment, his mind was utterly blank.
"Ding-a-ling!"
A sharp sound broke the silence.
The main computer reported: "A log entry from a Qili-class warship that recently arrived at Star City 4 has been retrieved. It indicates that the previous fleet dispatched here was completely annihilated before reaching Star City 4."
"The only remaining possibility recorded is the existence of an [Unaccepted One] within the central processing system. It entered the super-microscopic realm. It is unknown if it survived within that microscopic dimension."
The main computer transmitted the retrieved data to Chu.
Chu accepted the access authority, and the profile information for the [Unaccepted One] was displayed.
It was Damoro.
"All deceased?"
"So, the only confirmed survivors remaining within Star City 4 are Hossie and the other five who made it from the Dancer contingent?"
"Stop! Stop this line of thinking!"
"There is still hope…"
Chu immediately transmitted a message to every warship in the fleet.
The Captains of the warships replied after a moment of heavy silence:
"The Third, there is no hope left."
"Even if the Fourth somehow survived, our current sustained bombardment of Star City 4 has already ensured the complete demise of the Fourth Generation."
They found it impossible to believe any form of life could withstand weaponry on the scale of a warship barrage—not even those developed from the Federation's forbidden gene enhancement programs.
They were merely exceptionally capable in other aspects, but that certainly didn't mean they could withstand a direct hit from a warship cannon.
Even Luna wouldn't be able to endure it.
Metacellular's energy absorption capability possessed a definite ceiling. A soldier's level might be manageable; a ship's level was marginal at best, but a full-scale warship's bombardment? Absolutely no chance.
"Damn it!"
Chu was currently consumed by immense regret.
Why had he acted with such haste?
How much better would things be if he had just spent a few more years investigating—even decades more.
But now, regret was a futile emotion.
His agitated state had barely subsided when the main computer transmitted another critical piece of intelligence.
[Preliminary assessment of Star City 4 is complete. Contact with the sound-originating entity, similar to that encountered at Star City 5, did not result in fatality. It has been confirmed that the immediate threat within Star City 4 no longer persists.]
[Furthermore, during the spatial survey of the surrounding area, an abandoned interstellar laboratory was discovered adrift. This laboratory contains crucial records from Star City 4, including data detailing Star City 4's final counteroffensive against the enemy.]
Chu was startled by this revelation.
"Did Star City 4 not collapse instantaneously?"
In his initial recollection, Star City 4 had lost all contact almost immediately, suggesting zero resistance.
[Negative. Although Star City 4 eventually lost communication links with the other Star Cities, a significant number of survivors remained active afterward. They continued to resist tenaciously.]
"Transmit all available information to me immediately."
Chu felt a surge of intrigue.
Most importantly, he needed to understand precisely how Star City 4 had devolved into a dead city.
Previously, he had deliberately avoided accessing that particular data stream.
Now that the main computer had verified the initial threat was neutralized, and assuming the enemy situation was fully resolved, he could safely review the historical records.
The data was transmitted to Chu, who immediately began reviewing its contents.
[August 11th, 220417 CE. This is my initial log entry regarding the current crisis. Please forgive my lack of habitual recording, but I now desperately hope that everything I experience will be preserved for those who follow.]
[Should anyone arrive at Star City 4, they might be overwhelmed by excessively complex data. Everything I record here is intended to serve as a basic baseline, because this record is not solely mine, but a collective documentation. We call ourselves the "Survivors"—a very simple designation; this name represents our only hope.]
[The outbreak likely commenced around 220376. That is the earliest date I could establish after consulting with everyone. At that time, reports of unusual phenomena within the Star City were already surfacing. That aligns roughly with my own memory. Of course, the true genesis could date back much earlier, possibly to the 21xx years.]
[These precise timelines are ultimately unimportant. Upon discovering the nature of the threat, the 'Awakened' began paying intense scrutiny to every individual they interacted with (we refer to ourselves as the 'Awakened'; the reason why will become evident as you read further). If one isn't actively observing, most inhabitants wouldn't detect any subtle difference in the strangers passing by.]
[The majority of individuals can only maintain active awareness of a few people close to them, rarely exceeding five, perhaps increasing to ten within a tight social cluster, but never more. This limitation led to our initial, understandable narrowness. We couldn't grasp how many anomalous individuals were lurking nearby. But when we began to mobilize and investigate, we discovered the scale of the situation surpassed our wildest imaginations.]
[So many—an unimaginably vast number. Roughly four out of every ten people, or perhaps even five, exhibited abnormality. This was the unanimous consensus, confirming that Star City 4 was entirely populated by substitutes; they were no longer their original selves.]
[Inconceivable—to realize we had been living in such a horrifying reality.]
[By the time we pinpointed this reality and attempted countermeasures, it was tragically too late. Those substitutes began their coordinated action. Their objective was strikingly simple: to broadcast a specific frequency—a sound designed to cover all the Awakened, causing instant fatality for any Awakened individual who heard it.]
[We didn't grasp the underlying scientific principle initially. Please do not doubt this account; this is precisely what occurred.]
[The sole piece of fortunate news was that the substitutes appeared hesitant to directly attack or kill us. They seemed focused solely on utilizing that sonic attack. We quickly devised a countermeasure: constructing a vacuum sphere, then sealing ourselves inside to prevent the reception of any external information. Initially, everyone dismissed this as mere self-delusion, but who could have predicted—it proved to be the most effective defense.]
[If you are a successor unit, I sincerely hope you employ this method to avert danger. Of course, you might instead be a soldier within the military forces. In that case, I implore you to seek retribution for the countless lives lost across this Star City.]
[The preface concludes here, allowing me to detail our current status.]
[Undoubtedly, Star City 4 is currently in a desperate, terminal state. Mass casualty events are ongoing. The sound, transmitted through even the infrastructure's broadcasts, causes death merely by contact with walls or the ground. Some Awakened individuals, unable to withstand the unbearable psychological pressure, chose self-termination. Worse still, malicious actors intentionally broadcast the sound to others, escalating the death toll.]
[If this situation persists, we are all doomed to perish in despair. We gathered numerous scholars to commence intensive research on the enemy. The very first objective was to analyze the sound itself…]