Chapter 65: Main Fleet
While isolating and interrogating these over 1,000 captives, Tom also dispatched hundreds of Clones to attempt to operate the electronic devices used by these aliens, and to search for relevant data and intelligence from within those devices.
The writing used by these aliens was quite peculiar.
Each of their characters occupied a 4x4 grid, with each grid divided into 16 smaller squares. Each small square had two states: either containing a small black dot or not.
Thus, the 16 small squares could exist in a total of 2^16 states, with each state corresponding to a character.
Among the total of 65,536 characters, some also had multiple meanings and pronunciations, making the system extremely complex.
However, it didn’t matter. Tom had now completely mastered this system of writing and language.
He checked the data while conducting the interrogations.
In the interrogation room of the highest-ranking alien currently alive, a Clone, separated by a glass wall, coldly asked, "Who are you?"
His voice was translated into the alien’s language by a hastily made translator.
The alien seemed extremely agitated. He did not answer the Clone’s question, but instead struggled fiercely in the interrogation chair, roaring, "Despicable, shameless! A bunch of vile scoundrels!
Do you only know such despicable and shameless tactics? Can you only rely on such tactics to win?
If you have the guts, fight us fair and square!"
Tom unconsciously scratched his head.
Even he himself felt that his previous tactics were indeed a bit shameless.
But... so what? Shameless is shameless, as long as he could win.
He controlled the interrogating Clone, who sneered again, "Does your civilization not have a corresponding war culture? On the battlefield, there’s no such thing as shameless or not shameless; winning is everything!
Now you’ve lost, and instead of reflecting on your own mistakes, you’re blaming us for being shameless. What a huge joke.
You weren’t without a chance to win. If you had been more cautious, less arrogant, and less dismissive of your opponent, if you had realized it was a trick when my first batch of ships departed, and then decisively annihilated us, how could we have had any subsequent opportunities!
Ultimately, it was your own arrogance and pride that led to your defeat! Yet you’re still here blaming us. Don’t you feel ashamed?!"
After this rebuttal, the alien stopped speaking, merely glaring fiercely at the interrogating Clone.
The interrogating Clone sneered, "Still resisting stubbornly? No matter, if you don’t confess, your compatriots will eventually confess. I can also find relevant information from your database.
It’s just that you’re going to suffer greatly. From your database, I seem to have found some information about punishments..."
A look of terror appeared on the alien’s face, and he blustered, "Our main fleet will arrive soon!
You defeated us by a fluke, but it doesn’t matter. We are merely an environmental reconnaissance vanguard, and the ships you destroyed weren’t even proper warships, just some armed scientific research vessels!
When our main fleet arrives, even a small detachment will be able to wipe you out!
If you don’t want to be wiped out, you’d best show me some respect. Perhaps I can put in a good word for you and let you suffer a little less!"
Tom’s heart stirred.
This was entirely new intelligence.
An environmental reconnaissance vanguard... and a main fleet to follow?
His heart couldn’t help but grow heavy, but his face showed a look of regret: "Since you’re unwilling to cooperate, then you’ll just have to experience your own punishments."
Two Clones in spacesuits entered his room, carrying specially made stunners.
The alien struggled in terror, screaming continuously.
After a long time, he slumped in the interrogation chair, as if exhausted.
Although his expression was still ferocious and defiant, he no longer dared to talk back.
The interrogating Clone began to question again, "Who are you?"
The alien weakly said, "We are the environmental vanguard of the Blueprint Civilization migration fleet. I am Momolans, head of the security department. Our vanguard is responsible for arriving at the Solar System in advance to survey the environment of various planets in the Solar System.
But upon entering the Solar System, the mothership had an accident, and we had to temporarily dock near God-Enemy Star, intending to repair it before continuing with subsequent reconnaissance missions."
"Where do you come from?"
"We come from the Lantuke Star System."
After searching for information in the mothership’s database, Tom determined the location of the Lantuke Star System they spoke of.
It was a red dwarf star with a mass of about 0.4 times that of the Sun, approximately 21.3 light-years from the Sun.
Humans had already discovered this star and numbered it Gliese 625.
"Gliese 625 star system, huh..."
Tom pondered the answer silently, continuing to control the interrogating Clone, "Why did you invade the Solar System?"
The Blueprint Civilization alien, who called himself Momolans, looked at the interrogating Clone with some confusion and retorted, "Invade?"
The interrogating Clone coldly said, "Unauthorized deployment of a fleet into 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 too?"
This answer made Tom slightly stunned.
Momolans continued, "You must have also migrated from another star system, right? Looking at your current state... the damage during migration should be even more severe than ours.
Where is your main fleet? If I’m not mistaken... it should be gone, right? If it still existed, why would your technology be so backward.
But our fleet is still largely intact. In at most a few hundred years, our main fleet will arrive, and then, you... hahahaha!"
Momolans burst into a wild, arrogant laugh.
Tom coldly said, "Why did you choose the Solar System as your migration target?"
Momolans looked at Tom with some sarcasm, "Do you still need to ask me this question?
For the same reason you did, we did. We just didn’t expect that another civilization would choose the same target as us."
Tom did not hesitate and electrocuted him again. Only when he was half-dead and couldn’t even scream did Tom coldly say, "If you don’t want to be tortured again, it’s best to answer whatever I ask.
Now, answer me, why did you choose the Solar System as your migration target?"
Momolans weakly said, "Our... our scientists detected that there... there is a life-bearing planet here in the Solar System. Its environment roughly... roughly meets our needs, and that life-bearing planet also... also has no intelligent civilization, so we... we came..."