Chapter 65: Main Fleet
While interrogating the 1,000-plus captives in isolation, Li Qingsong also dispatched several hundred Clones to try and operate the aliens’ electronic devices, searching them for relevant data and intelligence.
The writing system used by these aliens was quite strange.
Each of their characters occupied a 4x4 grid, which was divided into 16 smaller squares. Every small square had two possible states: either it contained a small black dot or it didn’t.
Thus, the 16 small squares had a total of 2^16 possible combinations, with each combination corresponding to a single character.
Among the total of 65,536 characters, some were polysemous and polyphonic, making the system extremely complex.
But that didn’t matter. By now, Li Qingsong had completely mastered this writing and language system.
He began the interrogation while simultaneously examining the data.
In the interrogation room of the highest-ranking alien survivor, a Clone spoke coldly from behind a glass wall. "Who are you?"
His voice was translated into the alien’s language through a hastily-made translator.
The alien seemed extremely agitated. He didn’t answer the Clone’s question. Instead, he struggled violently in the interrogation chair, roaring, "Despicable! Shameless! You bunch of vile scoundrels!
Is this shameless tactic the only thing you know? Can you only win by relying on such methods?
Fight us fair and square if you have any guts!"
Li Qingsong’s main body subconsciously scratched his head.
’Even he had to admit his previous strategy had been a bit shameless.’
’But... so what? Shameless or not, a win is a win.’
He had the interrogator Clone sneer again. "Doesn’t your civilization have a corresponding culture of war? On the battlefield, there’s no such thing as shameless or not. Winning is everything!
Now you’ve lost, and instead of reflecting on your own mistakes, you’re blaming us for being shameless. What a complete joke.
You weren’t without a chance to win. If you had just been a little more cautious, a little less arrogant, a little less contemptuous of your opponent—if you had realized it was a trick when my first batch of ships set out and decisively wiped us out, what chance would we have had later on?
In the end, your own arrogance and hubris led to your defeat! And yet you have the nerve to blame us? Don’t you feel any shame?!"
After this rebuttal, the alien fell silent, merely glaring viciously at the interrogator Clone.
The interrogator Clone sneered. "Still want to resist? It’s fine. If you won’t talk, one of your compatriots will. And I can find the information I need from your databases anyway.
It’s just that you’re in for a world of hurt. I happened to find some files on... punitive measures in your database..."
A look of terror flashed across the alien’s face. Trying to sound tough, he roared, "Our main fleet will arrive soon!
You beat us by a fluke! It doesn’t matter! We’re just an environmental survey advance team. Those ships you destroyed weren’t even proper Warships, just some armed Scientific Research Vessels!
When our main fleet gets here, a single squadron will be enough to wipe you out!
If you don’t want to be annihilated, you’d better show me some respect! Maybe I can put in a good word for you, lessen your suffering!"
Li Qingsong’s interest was piqued.
’This is new intelligence.’
’An environmental survey advance team... with a main fleet following behind?’
His heart grew heavy, but his expression was one of complete regret. "Since you’re unwilling to cooperate, I guess we’ll just have to let you sample your own punishments."
Two Clones in Space Suits entered his room, carrying specially made electroshock devices.
The alien struggled in terror, screaming continuously.
After a long while, he went limp in the interrogation chair, as if completely exhausted.
Although his expression was still full of defiance and ferocity, he didn’t dare to talk back anymore.
The interrogator Clone began questioning him again. "Who are you?"
The alien said weakly, "We are the environmental advance team of the Blutuk Civilization’s migration fleet. I am Molomans, head of the security department. Our advance team was tasked with coming to the Solar System ahead of the others to survey the environments of its various planets.
But our mothership had an accident upon entering the Solar System. We had to make an emergency stop near Enemy God Star, intending to repair it before continuing our survey mission."
"Where are you from?"
"We are from the Blutuk Star System."
After searching through the mothership’s database, Li Qingsong confirmed the location of the Blutuk Star System they mentioned.
It was a red dwarf with about 0.4 times the mass of the Sun, approximately 21.3 light-years away.
Humanity had discovered this stellar body long ago, designating it Gliese 625.
’The Gliese 625 Star System...’
Li Qingsong silently pondered this answer and continued speaking through the interrogator Clone. "Why are you invading the Solar System?"
The Blutuk alien, who called himself Molomans, looked at the interrogator Clone with some confusion and asked back, "Invading?"
The interrogator Clone said coldly, "Dispatching a fleet without permission to enter another civilization’s star system—is that not an invasion?"
"Even if it is an invasion, what right do you have to accuse us? Aren’t you invaders as well?"
This answer actually made Li Qingsong pause for a moment.
Molomans continued, "You must have migrated from another star system, too, right? Looking at your current state... the damage you sustained during your migration must have been even more severe than ours.
Where’s your main fleet? If I’m not mistaken... it’s probably gone, isn’t it? If you still had it, how could your technology be so backward?
But our fleet is still largely intact. Our main fleet will arrive in a few hundred years at most. By then, you... HAHAHAHA!"
Molomans burst into wild, arrogant laughter.
Li Qingsong said coldly, "Why did you choose the Solar System as your migration target?"
Molomans looked at the clone sarcastically. "Do you even need to ask me that?
It’s for the same reason you’re here. We just didn’t expect another civilization to have chosen the same target."
Li Qingsong didn’t hesitate. He had him electrocuted again. Only after the alien was on the verge of death, unable to even scream, did he speak coldly, "If you don’t want to be tortured again, you’d better answer what I ask.
Now, answer me. Why did you choose the Solar System as your migration target?"
Molomans said feebly, "Our, our scientists detected that, th-that the Solar System had, had a life-bearing planet. Its environment was a rough, a rough match for our needs, and that planet d-didn’t have an intelligent civilization, so, so we came..."