Chapter 135: Too Frightening!

The radio waves emitted by humanity this time did not employ a variety of complex encryption methods. To try and hide their signal behind heavy encryption in such a situation would only make them look petty and suspicious; Jason and his team certainly weren’t going to make such a rookie mistake.

Instead, the humans used a very conventional method of information encoding that wasn’t difficult to decrypt, but they chose to transmit it in a relatively difficult language: English!

They chose this language not because it was the dominant language aboard the Noah, but simply because of its sheer difficulty. English is notoriously complex, filled with numerous contradictions, idioms, and irregular grammar rules. They aimed to use this to delay the aliens’ decoding speed as much as possible, thereby highlighting humanity’s own “advantage” of lightning-fast decryption!

A faster response implies a more powerful computer system, that is a universal truth. While the humans hadn’t even managed to translate a single word of the alien tongue yet, the Viridian Civilization was completely unaware of that fact.

Every little detail can be used to build a psychological advantage. When accumulated, these small advantages can snowball into a winning hand!

All the top executives of the Viridian Empire were focused intently on the data coming from their Astronomical Observatory.

“How long did it take for the other party to receive our radio waves and send a reply?” Fario asked casually, as their own computers were still struggling to decode the message.

“A little over two hours… less than three hours!” a scientist from the Viridian Civilization replied hurriedly. (All time units have been converted to standard human hours for clarity.)

All the high-ranking officials felt a cold wave of unease. Their native language, spoken by the Viridians, was actually quite difficult to parse; it was derived from the complex sounds of leaves rubbing against each other.

Less than three hours… which meant the actual translation time was even shorter! After receiving and translating a message, a civilization still needs time to hold meetings and make diplomatic decisions. Even without knowing the strangers’ political structure, the Viridians knew their own government simply couldn’t match that kind of efficiency.

“We need to hurry! Decipher it as soon as possible!” Fario roared, clearly understanding the implication. The speed of a response directly reflects the overall strength of a civilization!

However, no matter how anxious he was, he couldn’t speed up the process. They were still inside a warp bubble, and their computers needed to restore and correct the corrupted radio wave data before proper deciphering could begin. When the Viridians originally sent their signal to the Noah, they had to drop an extremely durable black box out of warp space; only through this relay could the signal be transmitted normally.

Jason and his team were clever; they first sent a simplified version of an “English Dictionary,” followed immediately by a brief diplomatic message.

Slow, way too slow… Many Viridians cursed inwardly. From reconstructing the data to actually deciphering it, a full 12 hours had passed. This speed was simply unacceptable. All the Viridians were on pins and needles. Their spaceship continued to drift forward, terrified that the strangers might misunderstand their silence and launch an unprovoked attack.

“The other side is very likely a more advanced civilization… no, it definitely is!” Mal and Fario shared the exact same thought. They were completely unaware that humanity’s own radio waves were inadvertently leaking their true technological state.

After witnessing the other party’s anti-gravity technology and extremely fast response time, their remaining doubts vanished. What a civilization cannot fake is its foundational technological progress. This is the primary way interstellar civilizations gauge each other’s level.

Anti-gravity technology is undoubtedly a milestone that fundamentally transforms a society. It signifies a massive breakthrough in both scientific theory and engineering! So far, the Viridians had not been able to master anti-gravity; in fact, they didn’t even have a theoretical starting point.

The fact that the strangers used low-grade metals for their outer hull wasn’t seen as a weakness. If low-grade metals could get the job done, why waste high-grade ones? It was purely a matter of cost-efficiency and economics… Fario and his peers had easily rationalized this detail away.

Finally, the translated information appeared:

“…This planet has been designated as our military territory. Leave immediately, or you will face the consequences!”

These were Jason’s exact words. Humanity truly had no other choice but to maintain a hardline stance. The longer they played nice, the greater the chance their bluff would be called. Therefore, regardless of what the Viridians had to say, humanity needed to draw a firm line in the sand first!

The computer translation produced by the Viridians was slightly clunky, but it clearly conveyed the original threat. Their translation technology was actually quite thorough. But this string of cold, uncompromising words ruthlessly shattered all the Viridians’ hopes, making their sap run cold and their leaves bristle!

Fario was stunned, and so was Mal. They never expected to be greeted with such a menacing ultimatum!

What did “…face the consequences” actually mean?

…

Jason was gambling with everything they had! Humanity had no way out; they had to play this deadly game of chicken to the bitter end. So what if it was all smoke and mirrors? They had to commit fully because there was no alternative!

He bet that in the face of such a tough stance, the aliens wouldn’t dare to start a war! Arthur Lambert had been absolutely right; the enemy might resort to desperate measures, but humanity couldn’t show weakness now. The terrifying beast portrayed by the Federation had bared its fangs. Even though humanity was secretly terrified, inwardly weak, and entirely unequipped for an actual space war, their outward will remained completely unshakeable!

The Viridians were paralyzed with fear. With the shadow of a devastating war looming, did they dare to strike first? Did they dare? When the other side displayed such a contemptuous, dismissive attitude, panic began to spread.

They didn’t dare to fight because that single sentence implied so much. The enemy was acting incredibly powerful; only a civilization leaps and bounds ahead of them would speak so casually of destruction. Considering all the evidence, this enemy was vastly superior!

The Viridian spaceship was heavily damaged, with many core systems failing. Even if they managed to miraculously defeat this strange space fortress, it would only invite the wrath of the entire advanced civilization behind it!

What could they do? Large amounts of white mist began to rise from their bodies in stress, and several of the older Viridians looked ready to faint. Fario was at a total loss. He almost gritted his teeth to order an attack, but he hesitated. He couldn’t risk the total annihilation of his people, or he would go down in history as the greatest sinner of their race.

The Viridians simply didn’t know what to do. They were accustomed to bullying weaker species, but when faced with a true apex predator, they wavered and cowered.

“No, no, no, look at the wording! They’re talking about… this planet! That red planet!” Mal suddenly realized, shouting in relief. “Not the whole star system! Just the planet!”

“They only laid claim to one planet?!”

This was the exact loophole that Jason had deliberately left open, and the desperate Viridians grabbed onto it like a lifeline, frantically analyzing the text.

“…This planet has been designated as our military territory. Leave immediately, or you will face the consequences!”

At first, they thought their translation software had glitched. But after running the message through several different algorithms, the exact same text remained. It made them wonder: “Is this red planet their only military territory here?”

Was it really just one planet… and not the entire solar system?

“Look at this!” An orbital photograph of the red planet was pulled up, revealing a blurry, disc-shaped silhouette on the surface. It startled all the Viridians. Their experts immediately began to analyze it, coming to a chilling conclusion… could this downed spacecraft have been destroyed by the space fortress?

Due to the extreme distance, the images were grainy. All they could determine was that it was a UFO-shaped vessel, roughly five kilometers in diameter. As for the technological level of whoever built it… that remained unknown. There was simply too little data; it was shrouded in mystery.

The Viridians increasingly felt that this silent space fortress was steeped in eerie, lethal mystery.

“Are they currently at war with another advanced civilization…?” an elder Viridian whispered in dread.

“Since they took the time to send us a dictionary and a warning, they probably don’t intend to obliterate us immediately,” Mal reasoned thoughtfully.

“Exactly!” A conservative elder finally regained his composure. “…Why don’t we try talking to them again? I mean, let’s be fully honest and clarify our intentions.”

“We only need the resources of the star… or rather, just a place to park. Our request isn’t unreasonable. Besides, this advanced enemy likely already knows the critical condition of our ship. Such massive infrared heat leaks would be obvious even to a primitive civilization…”

The bridge fell totally silent. They were gripped by genuine terror. The conservative faction had now gained a decisive majority, and even Captain Fario was beginning to lean toward a peaceful approach. Their absolute top priority was to find out if this terrifying civilization might permit them to stay in the system, even if they had to pay a heavy price.

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