"What do you mean?"
Freri felt like a mere attendant.
Following Luna, she felt unable to do anything.
This feeling was intensely unpleasant.
Although she considered doing nothing, complete inactivity wasn't good either.
"Literally."
Luna walked to the edge of Star City. A warship approached from afar.
A tractor beam from the warship pulled them both into its hangar.
...
"Ms. Luna, thank you for the information."
"We will fully resolve the situation at Star City 88."
Captain Luande sighed.
As a child, he'd heard legends of Star City 88 and always remained secretive about it.
He never imagined that the secrets of Star City 88 would be revealed, and that he would be part of it.
"Based on your information, we have thoroughly surveyed the surrounding sectors."
"An energy anomaly has been detected at this coordinate."
"According to my research, the Kehua Star City group apparently considered building a Dark Energy Mine here millennia ago, but abandoned the project due to the distance and scale."
Luande presented a coordinate, 50,000 AU from the Kehua Star City group—over 0.5 light-years.
Indeed, a significant distance for energy supply.
Furthermore, Luna observed that it was part of another star system, which was likely the real reason for the project's abandonment.
"Based on energy output, this civilization's level is likely between 1.6 and 1.7."
"However, based on our interactions with the Flyer Civilization, typical micro-civilizations extract more energy on a micro-scale, so we estimate it to be closer to 1.9."
"This time, we're deploying 10 50,000-meter class warships with the objective of eliminating this civilization."
"Ms. Luna will observe from aboard the flagship."
Luna was stunned by the objective. "Who authorized the elimination of this civilization?"
"The Federation has generally advocated for the assimilation of civilizations."
Luande said frankly, "Although assimilation is preferable, this civilization killed all the inhabitants of Star City 88."
"Descendants of those killed are still in the Kehua Star City group."
"If we assimilate this civilization, how do we compensate the living and the dead?"
"Therefore, eliminating this civilization is the best decision."
Freri was furious.
"Don't use this as an excuse for laziness."
"The only reason you're doing this is because it's easier."
"Eliminating that civilization might result in a life of ease, but what's the meaning? You can't resurrect the dead of Star City 88 after destroying that civilization. It's better to extract benefits from that civilization and use them to compensate the survivors."
Luande's words struck a nerve with Freri.
She was like an enraged lioness.
This approach was purely emotional; it wasn't something a high-level civilization should do.
Luna, having investigated her file, knew that Freri had suffered unfair treatment during her "survival."
Federation officials weren't all saints or perfect. While serious corruption didn't exist in the Federation, something worse than corruption was prevalent: laziness.
After becoming officials, some officials chose to be lazy due to the overwhelming workload.
This was a serious issue. The laziness of some led to hundreds of millions suffering.
The Federation's administrative system had serious vertical fragmentation. Each level found it difficult to supervise the next, leading each star system to resemble an independent political entity where officials could enact their own "star system regulations."
These varied greatly across star systems. Imperfect regulations harmed the interests of some citizens.
Freri wasn't part of the upper echelons of society; she was a typical Multi-eyed citizen. In her star city, several corporations had created a monopoly.
Survival in this star city meant enduring oppression from these corporations, a situation that lasted for a considerable time.
While there were Boundary Gods in the star system, they only dealt with criminal matters, as those crimes had a clear sense of wrongdoing.
This corporate oppression fell under civil disputes, typically handled by the Federation government, creating room for manipulation.
The root cause was officials' convenience in delegating worker management to corporations.
Using this privilege, corporations monopolized the entire city. Sometimes, a bottle of water cost 0.1 Energy Credits, and a meal could cost 0.7 Energy Credits—exorbitant prices.
At that time, Freri's monthly salary was 270 Energy Credits.
Compared to other places, this didn't seem expensive; daily living expenses were only a few Energy Credits.
But these were baseline prices. In a high-level civilization, prices should be incredibly low.
Water, in other cities, was essentially free. 0.1 Energy Credits was enough to buy energy drinks or energy bars to sustain a year's bodily needs. A self-sustaining energy drink production device only cost 10 Energy Credits.
But in this star city, access to virtual worlds was the most expensive, charged by the hour.
Virtual worlds were also tiered; low-level worlds cost 1 Energy Credit per hour; high-level ones could reach 10 Energy Credits per hour.
This doesn't account for other fees.
As a result, the cost of living in that star city was hundreds of times higher than in other star cities.
High prices forced all citizens to work continuously for corporations.
The Federation was too vast to manage everything effectively.
Freri had lived under this oppression from birth to death.
These events constantly reminded Luna that the Federation wasn't perfect; even advanced civilizations had their flaws.
Luande found Freri's arguments absurd.
"You're right, but this is what we're doing."
"Perhaps you have a better solution; why not contribute financially to help us achieve it?"
Everything costs something, whether money or time. This wasn't something that could be solved with a single sentence.
"Enough!"
"Perhaps the Star Cities have been free from Boundary God oversight for too long; they don't even understand the rule of law."
"These are the things officials must do; it's their duty."
"Money? Time?"
"Should officials personally finance these efforts? As for time, this is their job. If they consider their work a waste of time, they're not suited for it."
This was the first time Luna, in her countless iterations, had spoken with such severity.
Luande simply chuckled.
"Story hunters don't educate people."
"Besides, it's pointless discussing this with me. I'm just following orders."
"This isn't something you can change."
Luna nodded slightly.
"No, it's already changed!"
"What do you mean?"
Before Luande could comprehend, his control over the warship was revoked.
[Citizen Luande, you currently lack the authority to control this warship!]
"???"
A bewildered Luande tried several times, but he truly lacked the authority.
He looked at Luna.
"You did this?"
"What method did you use to control the warship?"
"You're committing a crime, do you understand?!"
He spoke righteously, demanding an explanation and attempting to pressure Luna.
But Luna had no intention of explaining.
She hadn't come here to resolve these petty issues. Federation matters should be handled by the Federation government.
If she had to manage every little Star City, she would be exhausted.
The population of this entire Star City cluster was merely in the trillions.
The Federation had tens of thousands of inhabited star systems; this was just one of them—far too many problems to handle.
Life itself is lazy; every living being's genes prioritize energy conservation.
The Federation's approach to life management has both advantages and disadvantages.
Luna didn't believe in the existence of perfect things with only advantages.
Regarding this matter, she only needed to inform the higher management unit of this Star City cluster, and they would naturally investigate.
Her priority was to observe that civilization.
With a casual wave of her hand, Luande fell silent.
His thoughts became unclear, as if he had lost everything, including his ability to speak through his internal quark-based robotic vocal simulator.
"Revocation of authority!"
This was the first time Freri had witnessed Luna do this. Only higher-ranking Federation officials could do such a thing.
She had always assumed Luna was an ordinary citizen or an explorer, but she never imagined Luna's connection to the Federation.
She looked at Luna with surprise, instinctively moving away.
The authorities. She had always wanted to avoid contact with them.
This wasn't just due to past experiences but also her current status.
"Don't be so apprehensive; my current role is merely a story hunter."
"I just have some unconventional methods."
Luna sensed Freri's distance; she wasn't important.
The Federation was vast; she'd encountered countless strangers, and Freri was just one among many.
"Luna, do you think you have anything to intimidate me with?"
"I just don't want to be involved with people like you."
"I'm abandoning this story; it's yours now."
Freri turned to leave; she felt uncomfortable here.
"That's not like you."
"Story hunters will do anything for a story, yet you abandon such a compelling one so close at hand."
"Isn't this experience a complete story in itself?"
Freri paused.
As Luna said, story hunters don't abandon stories; stories are their lifeblood.
It wasn't about money. It was about interest!
In this era, what is most lacking?
Money? A short period of work could provide enough for a lifetime.
Sexual gratification? Any virtual world could satisfy that completely.
Emotion is the eternal theme of life.
Story hunters don't hunt stories; they hunt the process of storytelling.
A compelling story is an exciting life experience—a valuable asset.
"So you want me to stay?"
"How straightforward!"
Freri didn't want to be passive in front of Luna, so she took the initiative.
Luna didn't understand this woman's mindset. He shook his head. "Perhaps."
"You still have some use!"
Freri was taken aback by this answer.
...
The warships activated.
They converged on the energy anomaly.
In less than four years, ten warships reached their destination.
According to sensor scans, an anomaly existed ahead, approximately 20,000 kilometers in diameter.
A space of that size could contain an entire civilization.
"What are you going to do? Extend a friendly greeting?" Freri leaned against a metal wall; she had maintained this posture for several years.
She rarely rested; it was a habit from the Mortality Selection.
With the aid of the quark robots, sleep wasn't strictly necessary.
"Friendly? Impossible."
"The Federation has never been a benevolent government."
"Absorbing a civilization isn't about providing Federation benefits; it's about making the Federation stronger and more comprehensive."
"A dark energy civilization. The Federation hasn't discovered a new dark energy civilization in a long time; this is an excellent research subject."
Luna had a plan.
Knowing this civilization utilized dark energy, she would simply use weak force.
Federation warships carried weak force equipment; it wasn't primarily for offensive purposes—the Federation's main weapons were electromagnetic.
Weak force equipment served as a defense against weak force attacks, but it could be temporarily modified into a crude weapon.
Luande's previous plan to destroy this civilization involved direct energy weapon bombardment—it was unclear how he became a captain; Star City's standards seemed quite low.
"All units prepare weak force fields. We'll directly collide with the dark energy anomaly."
Luna gave the order.
Over the past four years, she had already 'won over' the other warships.
The other nine warships obediently charged towards the dark energy anomaly.
Before even reaching the anomaly, the warships were affected, and the main server began issuing warnings.
[Warship encountering dark energy impact. Activating Level 1 shielding. Locking onto target…]
[Target lock failed. Please manually lock onto position…]
Luna commanded directly: "The target is the entire dark energy anomaly. Do not initiate any attacks. Directly initiate weak force field collision."
"Adjust the weak force field to repulsion. Guard against attacks other than dark energy."
Following her order, the entire fleet accelerated.
Dark energy itself is a kind of thrust. Repelling dark energy with weak force is like sailing a ship into a body of water under immense pressure.
However, Luna's decision reflected her complete confidence in Federation warships.
Even a Type 2 civilization facing ten Federation warships would be destroyed. The disparity was too great.
If this were the newly established Galactic Federation, Luna might proceed more cautiously, engaging in diplomacy before a confrontation.
But Luna didn't have time for that.
This collision was intended to get straight to the point.
"Let them know their place."
"Main server, begin analyzing dark energy distribution and the presence of dark matter, then transmit this data to my auxiliary brain."
Dark matter doesn't interact with photons, so living beings cannot see it. However, warships can use gravitons to map it.
The server began mapping the surroundings.
Graviton mapping was still too rudimentary; it couldn't fill every gap like a mud model, so the resulting map was only approximate.
Luna's first impression was that it was a planet.
It was a roughly spherical object, more of an ellipsoid, over 40,000 kilometers in diameter.
She quickly dismissed this initial thought. The dark matter density wasn't high enough for a planet; either its density was very low, or the sphere was merely a shell with a hollow interior.
Besides the main, largest object, several others were present.
Their shapes were irregular, suggesting artificial origins; Luna suspected they were satellites.
Beyond those, even smaller objects were detected, increasingly indistinct, mostly small points.
The larger points could be ships or warships. The smaller points resembled life forms, though they were also quite large, over 100 meters in diameter.
This type of mapping has inherent inaccuracies.
But even with errors, the overall picture shouldn't be too far off.
This differed from what had been observed in Star City 88, implying that one side wasn't biological.
The warship's speed reduced to 3749 km/s, though still quite fast.
Approximately three months later, the warship collided with the dark energy anomaly.
The dark energy was dispersed into surrounding space, some small points vanishing entirely.
The ten warships targeted the central, massive object.
They continued their advance.
The destruction was swift and complete.
Did this civilization offer no resistance?
Not entirely.
Some soldiers on board the warships died, and the ships' machinery malfunctioned.
Luna ordered an investigation; gravitational bubbles were expanding within the ships.
Gravitational bubbles are similar to space bubbles, except space bubbles are expansions of space itself, while gravity cannons create expansions by manipulating gravitons.
Space bubbles are exponentially more powerful than gravitational bubbles.
These gravitational bubbles were small, only 0.047 meters in diameter.
However, they were densely clustered and appeared continuously.
Unlike difficult-to-counter space bubbles, gravitational bubbles can be suppressed. Therefore, these bubbles didn't damage the warships' core structures, but they disrupted systems and killed some personnel.
"The gravitational bubbles are likely caused by dark matter collapse."
"There's something wrong with the dark matter here. That civilization can control it remotely."
Weak force couldn't prevent all dark matter from entering the warships; the warships' weak force equipment wasn't optimized for that purpose.
This was a problem.
But only a minor one.
"Deploy super-particles." Luna calmly issued the order.
Super-particles are a class of particles, not a single type.
These particles emit disruptive waves that affect surrounding matter.
They don't affect dark energy itself, but dark energy used as a weapon releases various forms of energy, which these super-particles suppress.
In short, a weakening debuff.
"I remember someone in the Federation developed a method for dark matter collapse. The method wasn't difficult, Server; can you retrieve it?"
[The server is currently offline. Please provide specific data, Captain, for the server to begin analysis.]
Luna searched her auxiliary brain for the data; she had only briefly reviewed it before.
A short segment would suffice; the server could extrapolate from that.
[Server calculations complete. Weapon program modified. RA-744 artificial neutrino cannon deployment completed. Power set to minimum.]
[Please confirm, Captain. Deploy RA-744 artificial neutrinos to bombard and observe the dark matter?]
"Yes!"
Neutrinos have properties very similar to dark matter.
RA-744 artificial neutrinos are virtually identical to dark matter, except they possess an electrical charge.
They are weapons capable of penetrating matter and emitting intense electron radiation.
Luna recalled a research paper from an RA-744 artificial neutrino cannon test.
The research was titled "Super-Collapse of Dark Matter Wave Functions."
Wave function collapse occurs when a wave function is observed; an indeterminate particle wave becomes a definite particle state.
Dark matter is also composed of fundamental particles. Therefore, it's constantly being "observed" by other matter in the universe, causing it to collapse.
This collapse is undetectable to human civilization.
However, in that experiment, they observed dark matter!
This was true observation.
When dark matter collided with the electrically charged RA-744 neutrinos, it briefly acquired an electrical charge.
This might only last a fraction of a second, but it was enough for current Federation machinery to capture.
When dark matter becomes charged, it can be converted into photons using other means, making it visible.
This phenomenon is called super-collapse of wave functions, also known as observable manifestation, or super-observation: making the unobservable observable.
After Luna gave the order, the server activated the RA-744 artificial neutrino cannons.
Countless neutrinos were fired, colliding with the dense dark energy.
At that moment, the entire cosmos lit up!
The server used light sensors to record that fraction of a second, producing an image.
This was far clearer than previous graviton scans. Although the colors were limited to red, blue, and green, many details were visible.
Numerous dark energy civilization ships surrounded their warships.
These ships resembled crosses, with sides shaped like """, divided into two levels.
Large quantities of dark matter and dark energy were continuously being launched from these ships towards the Federation warships.
In the image, the Federation warships appeared to be struck by a dense current, yet remained unharmed.
In this image, Luna could even sense the dark energy civilization's despair; they couldn't stop a single Federation warship.
This was the first image, taken at close range.
The second image arrived, showing the massive central sphere of the dark energy civilization up close.
It resembled a honeycomb, its surface covered with countless holes, each spewing forth ships.
Their actions were frantic; the next instant, in Luna's view, the warships had struck the massive sphere.
The entire warship shuddered.
Then came devastation.
Luna shifted the image, her expression unchanged. "Server, issue the surrender notice."
"Slow down the attack; give them time to negotiate!"
This was also a form of pressure.
If they didn't surrender, the destruction would continue.
The surrender message was a multifaceted communication, combining formulas and images for easy understanding by other civilizations.
To ensure visibility for the dark energy beings, the message underwent special processing, even using dark energy-related formulas.
Luna wasn't sure how they appeared to dark energy beings; dark matter doesn't interact with photons, so these beings likely couldn't see them.
Ten minutes after transmitting the message, Luna saw no sign of the enemy slowing down.
Large amounts of dark energy were gathering towards the satellites.
Luna even detected photon interactions.
Dark energy doesn't interact with photons at the microscopic level. Once dark energy becomes macroscopic, its microscopic properties are reduced or lost.
This suggested that the satellites were converging significant energy density, or that their energy contained other matter.
"Stubborn fools!"
Luna ordered the remaining warships to target those coordinates.
"Use scalar-wave weapons. Target all satellites of that civilization."
Freri watched Luna's commands; she found her unnervingly calm, almost nonchalant. This seemed routine to her, something she'd done countless times.
This woman was an enigma.
If she were considered a personal acquaintance, it would feel inappropriate. But within the context of this story, it was perfectly fitting.
She asked, "What are scalar-wave weapons?"
The Federation undoubtedly possessed many wondrous weapons.
No one knew the extent of the Federation's technological capabilities or the arsenal carried by a single Federation warship.
"The Pauli Exclusion Principle. You should know this."
Luna didn't mind explaining; the technology wasn't hard to understand.
The Pauli Exclusion Principle is one of the fundamental laws governing the behavior of micro-particles.
Simply put, within the same atom, two fermions cannot occupy the same quantum state.
For example, if the fermion state is 1 and the position is 1, then no other fermion can be in state 1, position 1.
If two fermions have identical quantum numbers, it would imply that they could occupy the same space, overlapping.
This doesn't happen.
This is basic education in the Federation; no one could be unaware of it.
"Pauli Exclusion Principle…but what if we force fermions within an atomic system into the same overlapping state?"
"The matter would become increasingly dense because many particles could overlap."
What did that mean?
Luna didn't say; everyone could see it.
Scalar-wave weapons manipulate "identical wave functions," guiding the wave functions of fermions within an atomic system into the same state, the same orbital, or the same energy level, with identical spin states.
These particles then spontaneously fuse, collapsing into a smaller volume.
Dark matter itself is essentially a "super-symmetric particle," theoretically possessing both fermion and boson characteristics.
Bosons are unaffected by the Pauli Exclusion Principle; they can overlap.
This means dark matter can overlap.
Scalar-wave weapons are typically used on fermion systems; they are normally ineffective against dark matter.
This is because dark matter density in the universe is low.
However, in a dark matter anomaly, the density is extremely high. Scalar-wave weapons can affect dark matter's supersymmetry, causing it to shift toward a boson state and triggering collapse.
The satellites, upon being struck, rapidly collapsed and shrank, beginning the process of becoming black holes.
However, due to insufficient mass, they couldn't collapse into black holes. Due to the weapon's limited duration, they quickly expanded back into their original dark matter form.
But this dark matter was now only dark matter, not the original satellite.
The loss of their satellites caused the dark matter civilization to crumble; their attack tempo slowed considerably.
Luna ordered the server to continue transmitting the surrender message.
Otherwise, complete annihilation would follow.
The server detected some dark matter beings fleeing; these dark matter life forms were difficult to track in the vastness of space.
The Federation currently lacked the means to hunt them down individually.
"They're probably choosing annihilation, because their seeds have already spread."
"Server, inform them that we've sealed off the surrounding space; escape is impossible."
This wasn't entirely true.
But using deception in war was common.
The server followed Luna's instructions, and the dark matter civilization's resistance weakened considerably.
Luna couldn't know the thoughts of these dark matter beings, but she could infer their actions based on experience. Civilizational thought processes might differ, but this was the best she could do.
If these beings continued resisting, Luna would have to resort to more forceful methods.
Resistance entered a lull.
But it quickly resumed, reaching a new peak.
This time, it was a true suicide attack.
They might have understood Luna's intentions; even if their civilization perished, they wouldn't become slaves.
The dark energy impact was overwhelming, even for the warships.
Dark energy possesses intense penetrative power and isn't easily affected by weak force.
The warships' anti-gravity systems couldn't provide sufficient counter-thrust.
"It seems we need to address this weakness."
"Although life is likely carbon-based, that doesn't mean other possibilities don't exist in the universe."
But that was all.
This resistance was merely an annoyance.
"It seems we have no choice but to use that. Server, deploy the particle shackles."
Particle shackles are super-symmetric particle restraints that can affect both fermions and bosons; they were developed to counter high-level civilizations.
They are essentially weapons that restrain matter states by introducing entirely new super-symmetric particles into the original quantum system.
For dark matter life forms, their dark matter composition is undoubtedly complex.
Only complex systems can give rise to advanced intelligence.
The physical form of dark matter makes particle shackles possible.
The particle shackles deployed instantly permeated the dark matter civilization, which fell silent as if time itself had stopped.
If this method had been used from the start, everything that preceded it would have been unnecessary.
But Luna had reserved it as a last resort.
Particle shackles are difficult to remove; they are weapons, not tools. Weapons, by their nature, either kill or injure.
Particle shackles might destroy the integrity of the dark matter life forms, like inserting foreign genes into a human genome.
This was the dark matter civilization's choice.
Peace is difficult between civilizations of different types, especially after the incident at Star City 88.
"Good. Let's give this story an ending."
Luna instructed the server to use the miniature factory to create equipment capable of collapsing the dark matter wave functions, allowing her to see these beings more clearly.
Eighteen days later, the equipment was ready.
Luna stepped out of the warship, standing in the cosmos.
Freri followed behind her.
Before them, there was nothing; the distant cosmos was visible.
It was hard to believe that a war between civilizations had just taken place here.
Luna put on the equipment and focused on a dark matter civilization ship in the 3D model generated by the server.
This ship resembled two cross-shaped objects stacked, resembling fish heads. From afar, it didn't appear large, and up close, it wasn't particularly big.
Its height was 17 meters, width 15 meters, and length only 11 meters.
It didn't interact with photons, meaning it was completely transparent and colorless.
A ship this small was more of a fighter than a vessel.
But this was determined by the size of the dark matter beings.
Luna couldn't find a door, so she decided to pass through the fighter with her body.
Indeed, the dark matter, interacting only with gravity, allowed Luna's body to pass through. She entered the interior.
She scanned continuously, finally identifying something resembling a life form.
It didn't look like a life form at all.
"That form!" Freri also saw it; she was shocked by the dark matter civilization's life form.
"That doesn't look like something that could naturally evolve."
It resembled a connector or perhaps a bipolar dipole.
The fighter's pathways were severed under normal conditions; only these life forms, filling the gaps, could make the fighter functional.
This was a method of becoming a part of a machine.
These life forms were certainly not originally like this.
Luna carefully examined the fighter's structure and noticed something unusual.
The fighter's structure contained something impossible in a dark matter world: an optical component.
It was likely used to transmit electromagnetic forces, but it manifested in a dark matter form.
Luna activated the fighter; the component was completely inactive, more like a redundant part.
"The story's end could be a definitive conclusion, or an open one."
"It seems we've found an open ending."
Freri understood the implications.
The dark energy civilization wasn't naturally occurring but artificially created by another civilization.
They created this civilization.
And this civilization wasn't a dark matter civilization; they used electromagnetic forces.
Even now, their level of civilization had allowed them to overcome the limitations of dark energy, making them easily observable by the Federation.
"What if a civilization like this one was hidden within the Federation?" Freri raised a pertinent point.
A civilization hiding within another civilization.
"Peace between civilizations is impossible."
"That means our civilization is being eroded, and we can't detect it."
"Perhaps when we discover them, we'll be shocked to realize we've been completely controlled."
Luna calmly provided the answer.
She felt it was necessary to establish communication with these beings first, then trace their history to find the creators of this civilization.
But that was for later.
That was the sequel.
Not the ending of their story.
Freri noticed a warship departing, apparently heading somewhere in the cosmos.
After the warship stopped several hundred astronomical units away, the dark matter remained calm, but the dark energy seemed destabilized.
"That's a Hertel Technologies dark energy experiment."
"That warship replicated the experiment, though on a scale 4 million times smaller than Hertel Technologies."
"From such a distance, it affected the dark energy here. This is why Star City 88 was invaded and destroyed."
"Dark energy experiments lead to uncontrolled dark energy in dark matter civilizations. Imagine a Star City's power grid flickering like a disco ball."
That would certainly be infuriating.
The range of influence of Hertel Technologies' artificial particles was greater than anticipated.
Although it was no longer relevant here, the residual tremors were enough to destabilize, even destroy, a civilization.
The dark matter civilization had to eliminate that threat.
"So, this was just a random accident?"
Freri felt the ending was too bland, like a flimsy tail.
"What else? Once a civilization becomes large, any action can cause damage or destruction."
"The Federation is constantly expanding; we've absorbed more than ten civilizations."
"These are the ones we can see. The smaller, unseen civilizations might be destroyed due to the whims of some explorer."
While Luna and Freri were talking, she noticed that the dark matter life forms inside the fighter were trembling.
To the Federation, they were devil.
To them, the Federation might as well be devil.
Fear was mutual.
They feared the Federation, which had destroyed Star City 88.
The Federation feared them, never daring to approach Star City 88 again.
"There's something I still want to mention," Freri suddenly said.
"What is it?"
Luna scanned the fighter's structure and stored it in her auxiliary brain; perhaps it would prove useful.
"The objects I found at Star City 88 seem quite different from these."
Freri had encountered those things before.
Not directly observed, mind you.
But she believed those objects were different from these; the similarities were too few.
"It's quite flawed, you actually noticed that!"
Luna was surprised that Freri only noticed this now.
It was quite obvious.
Many people at Star City 88 saw "ghosts," yet it was impossible for them to see dark matter.
Therefore, those objects must have been something other than dark matter.
"What do you mean? You knew this all along?" Freri felt a bit annoyed by Luna.
Luna, with her authority, had access to a great deal of information.
She knew everything that happened at Star City 88 before the incident.
The dark matter civilization did destroy Star City 88, but it was only one of the causes.
"So Hertel Technologies deceived us?"
Freri thought carefully, finally focusing on Hertel Technologies.
Luna glanced at the cosmos. "Perhaps. That's the next chapter of the story."
"I think you'll be very interested in investigating."
It was a hint.
Freri's decision to join her here wasn't just for this simple story.
Nor would she have stayed at Star City 88 for so long just for this story.
There was certainly a Mortality Selection mission involved.
The Mortality Selection Hyper God had already noticed the Star City 88 incident through communication.
Freri would continue her investigation.
And she, Luna, would stop here.
This wasn't something she should be involved in right now.