News of the Valiant Legion's annihilation spread rapidly throughout Proxima Centauri.

Fear gripped all three civilizations.

They had assumed that even if the legion couldn't win, it could sustain a war for years, even decades.

How long had it actually lasted?

How much actual fighting time had there been?

Was the enemy truly that powerful?

Panic spread through the Federation.

The only thing that remained was Luna's fabrication—"Galactic Federation."

For years, besides the Multi-eyed and humans, the Kate hadn't seen any evidence of other member civilizations.

The extreme right-wing factions, previously operating in secrecy, emerged, spreading the "Non-existent Federation" narrative.

Panic ensued, mirroring the earlier response to the tower.

Escape!

Some Kate boarded ships and fled Proxima Centauri.

But they couldn't escape.

A massive containment field had enveloped Proxima Centauri.

Within this field, the three fundamental forces (excluding gravity) were completely neutralized. Any ship entering this region would disintegrate into subatomic particles. Even light couldn't pass through.

The entire civilization was trapped.

Even the Celestial Shield was rendered useless.

Panic!

The panic intensified.

Some began to pray, to surrender.

Luna ignored this. Panic would cause societal chaos, but in a war of this scale, the actions of ordinary citizens wouldn't affect the outcome.

The news had been deliberately released—part of the plan.

Demonstrate weakness!

Panic would lead the enemy to believe they were vulnerable.

Unfortunately, the enemy didn't follow the script and instead blockaded the entire star system.

"With such power, why not directly attack the star system?"

Luna remained in Ayla's research facility, not even entering hibernation. This wasn't her invading another civilization; it was the other way around. This hibernation might be her last.

Ayla wasn't present; she had left a copy of herself—a "Copy 01" subordinate.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

This subordinate answered Luna's question. "Manipulating matter using fundamental forces requires massive amounts of energy."

"To blockade the entire Proxima Centauri system would be beyond the capabilities of a nascent Type 2 civilization."

"It's far more energy-efficient in the vacuum of space, where matter is scarce."

This subordinate had access to the same database as the original Ayla.

But for some reason, Luna felt that this copy lacked the original's dynamism.

Luna nodded.

"That makes sense, but it's still incredibly powerful."

"You can't contact the original Ayla, right?"

The original Ayla wasn't on Proxima Centauri but elsewhere.

Inside Alpha Centauri A.

Luna had instructed Ayla to search for strings, a process requiring immense energy. Ayla had planned to use the completed Dyson swarm for this.

But there wasn't time.

Ayla had to use Alpha Centauri A's energy.

Luna and Ayla had previously avoided these energy sources.

There was no way to know if the third civilization had installed sensors or other monitoring devices in Alpha Centauri A.

News of any intrusion might already have reached the third civilization.

This urgency didn't faze Luna.

She had lived for centuries, longer than anyone in human history. She had seen, learned, and experienced more than anyone. She was a seasoned veteran; unflappable in the face of adversity.

Ayla's subordinate replied, "Indeed. The electromagnetic field can't penetrate the blockade."

"Our communication is blocked."

Luna nodded.

She wasn't worried about Ayla.

During the construction of the Dyson swarm, Ayla had subtly adjusted the Alpha Centauri binary system's barycenter. It was now perfectly stable, making it unlikely the enemy would detect the anomaly within Alpha Centauri A.

"When do you think they'll attack?"

Ayla's subordinate performed calculations.

"The highest probability is within 20 years!"

Luna shook her head, somewhat disappointed. The subordinate clearly lacked the original's capabilities; she wondered if the original Ayla had limited the subordinate's functions.

"I think it will be 100 years."

"Their blockade of the Proxima Centauri system indicates hesitation; they are proceeding cautiously."

"The difference between us isn't as vast as we think. They won't rush; they'll wait for us to suffer resource depletion, weakening our civilization."

"They haven't destroy Alpha Centauri. I suspect they'll seize control of it, studying our biological structure, social systems, and technology via the Dyson swarm."

"I've already planted a piece of code there—a weak force field is just the first step. It contains additional information, including their initial exposure."

"The barrier is strong, but it still relies on the four fundamental forces. It allows stable matter to pass through."

"This is crucial. Theoretically, creating a temporarily stable high-energy particle could breach their barrier."

"Of course, this wouldn't destroy them, but it would force them to reconsider their strategy."

"Wait or attack? They'll wonder if I possess other advanced technologies."

"This is a game of interstellar strategy."

A subtle influence.

Of course, Luna wasn't sure if this would work.

She never put all her eggs in one basket.

The Multi-eyed planet was preparing to attack the neutrino civilization; Luna was willing to sacrifice them to delay the enemy's advance.

From her perspective, the neutrino civilization would logically attack and eliminate the Proxima Centauri civilization first.

But the neutrino civilization was considering the big picture, not just individual gain. The Multi-eyed would become part of the Federation, shifting their focus. Luna was using the Multi-eyed as a diversion.

Cruel?

Perhaps, from the moment she enslaved them, their fate was sealed.

Now, it was a matter of whether the neutrino civilization would act decisively.

Ayla, meanwhile, was assisting the Multi-eyed in technological advancement, ensuring they wouldn't be easily overwhelmed.

"There's nothing more I can do."

"Time for hibernation."

Luna stood.

The intense urgency had passed; now, it was a delicate game of strategy.

Luna valued her life, so she had her hibernation pod built deep underground. Even if the neutrino civilization destroyed the Proxima Centauri system, she would survive, unless they targeted the entire planet.

Ultimately, even the entire galactic federation was inconsequential to her. Destruction would simply mean starting over.

This hibernation would last 100 years.

Not only because she predicted the neutrino civilization wouldn't act for 100 years, but also because Ayla had promised that, with sufficient energy accumulation, they would be able to observe strings within that time.