Chapter 322: An Intelligent Mechanical Calamity?

At this moment, Li Qingsong’s Flying Star still had considerable mass remaining, so his material supplies were not a concern in the short term.

The Abyssal Civilization before him had clearly adopted a strategy he himself had once used. They were entrenched around three large planets, attempting to use their more abundant supplies to exhaust his own and, ultimately, defeat him.

‘You are indeed a powerful civilization, and this strategy is certainly effective. Any other Strong Core Civilization would probably have a difficult time. A pity you ran into me…’

With war now a certainty, all communication between the two sides ceased.

“Primordial, it’s up to you!”

“Understood.”

Countless Unmanned Warships—mixed with innumerable Mine-Layers, Mine-Sweepers, missile ships, communication ships, interstellar fortresses, and Cannon Platforms—broke away from the main fleet and charged toward Planet Two.

Planet Two appeared to be the world the Abyssal Civilization valued most. They had concentrated the majority of their defensive forces in its vicinity.

‘But… that’s exactly why I’m striking your most heavily defended planet!’

Aboard the Eye of the Abyss Spaceship, the Grand Commander’s visual organs narrowed slightly as he observed Li Qingsong’s massive unmanned combat force.

‘Those all appear to be unmanned vessels. Why aren’t they deploying any Manned Warships?’

‘Perhaps… this isn’t a conventional sapient civilization, but an Intelligent Mechanical Calamity?’

‘If it is an Intelligent Mechanical Calamity, its value is even greater than that of a normal sapient civilization. The main AI of an Intelligent Mechanical Calamity is nurtured using the fate of an entire civilization as sustenance. If our own main AI were to devour it, its performance would increase exponentially!’

“Excellent. Excellent. In that case, we have all the more reason not to let you escape… This is an Intelligent Mechanical Calamity Fleet! I order a full-scale assault! Defeat them!”

“Yes!”

Flashes from the explosions of countless artillery shells, Interstellar Mines, Missiles, and bombs instantly enveloped Planet Two. In a single moment, an unknown number of manned and Unmanned Warships were destroyed.

Within the Supercomputer Mother Ship, arrays composed of tens of thousands of super Quantum Computers, powered by even more nuclear fusion plants, operated and calculated at maximum capacity.

The code born from the fusion of the two great AIs, Wukong and Red Dog AI, controlled this hardware with all its might. In an instant, it generated a massive volume of data, which was then transmitted via the Super-distance Communication network to every spaceship, Missile, radar, and satellite on the front lines.

On Li Qingsong’s side of the battlefield, the number of smart chips was in the tens of quadrillions.

A single Missile might contain over a thousand smart chips, precisely controlling each of its modules. A small Unmanned Warship could have over a hundred thousand chips. Even the most inconspicuous Interstellar Mine was equipped with at least five.

Through the Super-distance Communication network, these tens of quadrillions of chips were all connected to the Primordial AI. Each chip sent and received data in real time. In that instant, they coalesced into a colossal network of unimaginable scale. The Primordial AI resided at the very core of this web, controlling every part of it as effortlessly as moving its own limbs, completely unimpeded.

Li Qingsong even felt that, in this moment, his countless unmanned combat assets on the battlefield had coalesced into a single, tangible “person.”

The satellites and observation equipment were its eyes, the Primordial AI was its brain, the warships were its body, and the Missiles and cannon shells were its weapons…

It was a truly unified entity, perfectly integrated from the microscopic to the macroscopic.

Under these circumstances, even though he had only deployed his unmanned forces without a single Manned Warship, his side could still fight on even footing. On this vast interstellar battlefield, facing the entire combat strength of a civilization on the verge of becoming a Strong Core Peak Civilization, he was not at a disadvantage!

‘As expected,’ Li Qingsong thought, ‘after integrating the Red Dog AI, my unmanned combat capabilities have seen a massive boost.’

Li Qingsong was filled with elation.

The Primordial AI’s true caliber was being proven in this very moment.

Inside the Eye of the Abyss Spaceship, the Grand Commander’s expression was grave.

‘This Intelligent Mechanical Calamity’s combat strength is far beyond what I imagined!’

‘I originally assumed that since it was an Intelligent Mechanical Calamity, its tactics would be rigid and its methods inflexible.’

‘And while that is true—I can clearly perceive the rigidity in the operations of these unmanned forces—the problem is that this rigidity is only relative to our own Manned Warships.’

‘Compared to our own unmanned forces, theirs are far too flexible and intelligent!’

‘Our unmanned forces are practically helpless against them.’

‘That means we have to use our manned forces to fight them. But that brings us to another problem: its overall command of the battlefield is far too absolute.’

‘From the micro to the macro, from a single Interstellar Mine to the overall strategic situation, the enemy’s war AI seems to be in complete control. This negates most of its disadvantages.’

‘Up to this point in the war, while we haven’t fallen behind—and even hold the advantage in some sectors—we’re only able to maintain the stalemate. As for achieving victory, I currently see no path forward.’

The Grand Commander ground his teeth in frustration.

After a long moment of contemplation, he spun around to face his subordinates and said in a grave voice, “Relay my orders. Initiate the Civilization Mobilization Directive. We must increase our industrial capacity by more than fifty percent in the short term. At the same time, conscript all second-line and reserve soldiers. Also, issue a general draft! Within one year, we will draft over one hundred million more soldiers, and they will be trained to initial combat effectiveness within three!”

Faced with the Grand Commander’s demands, his subordinates’ faces turned pale.

‘This… the impact on the entire civilization would be enormous…’

But they all understood that at this moment, they had no other choice.

“Yes!”

「Several years passed in the blink of an eye.」

Inside the Eye of the Abyss Spaceship, a subordinate delivered a report to the assembled attendees, his voice tinged with excitement.

“To date, our forces have gained a significant advantage in nineteen of the twenty-eight total combat sectors. In the remaining nine, the worst we face is a stalemate. We project that we will be able to achieve final victory in ten years at most!”

The large conference room erupted in fervent applause. Every attendee’s face was lit with excitement.

A long-absent smile appeared on the Grand Commander’s face.

‘All these years of painstaking planning, even going so far as to mobilize the entire civilization… Finally. We’re finally going to win this war…’

While the war raged on at the front, Li Qingsong was in the rear, still focused on conducting “human experiments” on Qing Lan to research the mysteries of Gravity.

Using the excuse that it was dangerous outside, Li Qingsong hadn’t allowed it to go home, keeping it here instead.

‘If I don’t seize this chance, I won’t be able to research this subject anymore…’

Meanwhile, the situation on the battlefield was also quietly shifting.

Li Qingsong noticed that the Abyssal Civilization’s combat strength was continuously, if slowly, increasing. By now, they had managed to completely suppress the Primordial AI and had gained the upper hand across most of the battlefield.

If things continued like this, it was only a matter of time before his opponent claimed final victory.

After a moment’s thought, Li Qingsong made his decision.

‘The Primordial AI’s capabilities have been tested. The Abyssal Civilization has served as a decent free sparring partner, and the combat data we’ve collected is more or less sufficient. There’s not much more to be gained by dragging this out.

In that case… it’s time to deploy the manned fleet.’