After the initial engagement concluded, the enemy fleet, having taken a blow to the head, found its over three hundred warships clustered together, showing no signs of movement.
This outcome was truly unexpected, as the main force of the human fleet remained hidden, with only a little over two hundred ships deployed in plain sight.
The enemy's inaction was a good thing. At this point, the "Three Giants" were already regretting their decision and wished they had been more cautious given the results.
Based on the previous engagement, where two hundred warships had seemingly transformed into a thousand, it was perfectly normal for the enemy to hesitate in attacking. For them to charge forward recklessly would have been the truly bizarre scenario.
Unfortunately, the Flame-class was humanity's only main battleship model. If given a choice, deploying a batch of non-combined warships might have prompted the enemy to attack by now.
Yes, it was only after achieving victory in the first battle that everyone hoped the enemy would launch their assault sooner rather than later. Otherwise, it would have been a grim situation, with countless brave warriors sacrificing their lives in a desperate attempt to take the enemy down with them.
Shan Qiuyu remarked with profound emotion, "After all these years, we finally have some strength. We can finally defend Earth."
Everyone present agreed wholeheartedly, their hearts filled with a complex mix of emotions.
In the past, a single alien warship could bring the entire Earth to its knees. Had it not been for the intervention of the Prophet, humanity would have either been exterminated or enslaved by alien civilizations. How could they have dreamed of such a moment of pride today?
"That's not entirely accurate," Zhou Guangyi stated with great clarity, not letting himself be swayed by the victory. "Our current strength is still far from sufficient, and the road ahead is long and arduous. But that's no longer our concern, us old fellows."
"Indeed, we've done our part. The future is for the younger generation," Mu Xingyu added.
"What? Are you two planning to retire and babysit?" Shan Qiuyu asked in surprise. "Haven't you considered continuing to contribute your expertise?"
Zhou Guangyi stretched, shifted his position, and got more comfortable. "We're old bones now, what more can we contribute? It's time to retire, time to step down, and give the younger generation more opportunities."
Shan Qiuyu was silent for a moment, then spoke with a hesitant tone, "Have you two ever considered changing your bodies?"
"What do you mean?" Zhou Guangyi asked, surprised. "Are you planning to switch to mechanical bodies?"
"I do have that thought," Shan Qiuyu admitted, nodding. "We've finally caught up to this era, not only leaving Earth but also the solar system. Yet, after all these years, which one of us has truly left Earth? Forget about visiting other galaxies, we've barely even been to the moon a few times! It was one thing to lack the conditions, but now we have the means!"
He tapped the table with his finger, lamenting, "I want to go out and see the world, not be confined to my home!"
Zhou Guangyi blinked, then suddenly pointed at Shan Qiuyu and laughed, "Old Mu, look at this guy! His ambitions have grown too big. This tiny solar system can no longer contain him!"
Mu Xingyu also laughed heartily, "Indeed! At his age, he's like an old steed longing to gallop a thousand miles!"
"Hey, what's with the two of you? Isn't there a saying that life is not just about the present struggles, but also about poetry and the distant future? The universe is vast, is it wrong for me to want to explore it?"
"Yes, yes, yes, you're right, who dares to say otherwise?" Zhou Guangyi's smile faded. "But Old Shan, have you really thought this through?"
"Hmph, is there anything to think about?" Shan Qiuyu feigned nonchalance. "I'm a few years older than you. My health has been declining in recent years, and I reckon my time is drawing near. But to go and meet Old Ma like this, I'm not reconciled!"
Mu Xingyu was silent for a moment. "Hearing you say that, I've started to have some thoughts too. How about after we retire, we team up and go explore together?"
"That would be wonderful! With mechanical bodies, we can travel with the immigrant fleets. We can watch the younger generation take root and flourish on new planets, and if they need it, we can offer them some advice."
Zhou Guangyi suddenly became very serious. "Speaking of which, I actually remember something. I heard that Xingzhou Base has developed consciousness transfer technology, the kind that directly writes data into the brain. It can transfer a soul from a robot back into a human body."
Shan Qiuyu asked with curiosity, "What? You want to clone a new body and have a second spring? Are your ideas this avant-garde, does your wife know?"
"You old pervert, what nonsense are you spouting!" Zhou Guangyi's face turned dark. "What I mean is, we must legally restrict consciousness transfer. If anyone can transfer or clone at will, wouldn't that lead to chaos?"
Cloning, for present-day humanity, was no longer a technical problem. The key reason for not applying this technology was tradition and ethics.
There was no need to elaborate further; the widespread emergence of clones would inevitably disrupt the existing family structure.
Not too long ago, the human world strictly prohibited any form of cloning. Only the cloning of organs was legal. However, interstellar migration required cloning technology, leading to a compromise: immigrant ships were permitted to clone a limited number of humans upon arrival at new planets to bolster the population.
Moreover, cloning was not done haphazardly. The original donor must consent, and the clone must be registered to prevent ethical issues.
Humanity had already engaged in extensive thought and discussion on the issue of cloning, particularly in science fiction works. Therefore, when the military made this decision, they did not categorize clones as a separate group. Instead, they granted all clones the rights and treatment they deserved under the law, with no distinction from ordinary humans, thereby minimizing the gap between the two groups.
However, limited cloning for population augmentation was one matter, while cloning a new body to transfer consciousness for a second spring was an entirely different affair.
Shan Qiuyu asked with curiosity, "What are your thoughts? Just say them."
Zhou Guangyi replied, "As you both know, we've already placed necessary restrictions on consciousness transfer, with only a select few able to switch to robotic bodies. Personally, I believe this could be relaxed slightly; having more robots with human consciousness wouldn't be a bad thing. However, there must be limitations on the robotic bodies themselves, such as power output, to keep them comparable to ordinary people."
"Furthermore, military robots could be given some leeway, allowing for built-in weaponry. Detailed regulations should be established. However, after switching to a robotic body, unless there are extremely special circumstances, one should not be allowed to switch back."
Shan Qiuyu raised an eyebrow. "What constitutes extremely special circumstances? Are you worried that I'll get a cloned body for myself after leaving Earth?"
"Do I have that much free time?" Zhou Guangyi felt the urge to roll his eyes. "For instance, if someone suffers from a terminal illness, should they be allowed to switch to a cloned body? Refusing would be inhumane, but if allowed, what kind of body should they get? A seventy or eighty-year-old person switching to a twenty-something body? That doesn't seem appropriate, does it?"
Mu Xingyu hesitated, "After all the effort to switch, forcing them to take on a seventy or eighty-year-old body doesn't seem right either."
"Therefore, strict legal limitations are essential," Zhou Guangyi stated.
"I think I understand your point," Shan Qiuyu nodded thoughtfully. "You're concerned that cloning might become rampant and disrupt the existing social order, right?"
"Exactly!" Zhou Guangyi nodded.
"I, however, feel there's no need to be so sensitive," Shan Qiuyu chose his words carefully. "Technology, with every advancement, brings innovation and progress. Many things we're accustomed to are broken or discarded. No matter how strict the regulations, once the door for cloning is opened, illegal cloning will inevitably occur, and on a significant scale. By then, if a person has already been cloned, we can't exactly drag them to the execution ground, can we?"
"But doesn't that bring us back to the original problem?" Zhou Guangyi countered. "We can allow cloning technology with restrictions, but we must strictly limit consciousness transfer technology to fundamentally prevent its proliferation."
Shan Qiuyu savored the words. "Old Zhou, it's not that I'm pouring cold water on your ideas, nor am I disagreeing with your suggestions. But I believe it's a case of either not opening up the technology at all, or not imposing so many useless restrictions. Isn't there a saying that the wheels of history are rolling forward, and trying to stop them is futile?"
"Futile?" Zhou Guangyi sounded a bit displeased. "Isn't that what you call pouring cold water?"
"I truly don't mean it that way. I just feel that the restrictions you propose might be effective initially, but over time, they are bound to cause problems," Shan Qiuyu's expression grew increasingly serious. "Cloning due to illness is understandable, it's akin to medical treatment. But what about a young person who dies in a car accident or some other unforeseen event, and their parents clone a new one? How should that be handled?"
He spread his hands, immediately providing his own answer: "A white-haired parent sending off their black-haired child. Emotionally, I sympathize infinitely, but from a legal perspective, how should this be accounted for? If they can clone a body but not transfer consciousness, you see how that could lead to conflict?"
Mu Xingyu added, "I think Old Shan's concerns are valid. Once Pandora's Box is opened, the consequences are beyond our prediction and control. We should proceed with caution on this matter... Hey, weren't we discussing robots? How did we get onto the topic of clones?"
Zhou Guangyi and Shan Qiuyu both froze, then burst into laughter simultaneously.
"It just came up naturally!" Shan Qiuyu stopped laughing. "Look, if you ask me, whether opening up cloning is good or bad, and what the consequences might be, is uncertain. Since we can't make up our minds, it's best to maintain the status quo. Let time decide what happens."
Zhou Guangyi took a deep breath and exhaled forcefully. "Alright, we'll discuss cloning later. What about consciousness transfer?"
"We can transfer from human to machine, but strictly prohibit transfer from machine to human. Robotic bodies with restrictions, we've already discussed all that!" Shan Qiuyu said. "For now, let's leave it at that. We'll deal with the future in the future."
"Report!" the operations staff officer interrupted their idle chatter.
"Speak!"
"Another batch of enemy reinforcements has arrived, numbering one hundred and sixty warships!"
"Understood."
The operations staff officer saluted and left. Zhou Guangyi sighed, "That brings the total to five hundred and sixty. They're certainly making a substantial investment..."
"Report!" the operations staff officer returned, and in the time it took him to speak, another wave of enemy ships had arrived.
In just a few minutes, several waves of enemy ships appeared consecutively, pushing the total number of enemy warships to over eight hundred.
After accounting for losses, there were still over seven hundred.
Following repeated confirmation, the enemy possessed seven different models of warships, and each vessel bore the emblem of the Roer people. However, no one could ascertain their relationship with the Roer.
Just as the Three Giants were discussing whether the enemy had more reinforcements, the opposing side finally made a new move. The first batch of approximately sixty warships activated a wormhole, with the exit point located near Earth.
The human fleet, which had been prepared, immediately launched a countermeasure. The over two hundred Flame-class battleships preemptively released their sub-ships. As soon as the wormhole opened, the fleet had already assigned targets, and each ship immediately opened fire on the wormhole.
The Particle Disintegration Cannon had a sufficiently high rate of fire and long enough range, making bombarding the wormhole entirely feasible.
Before the enemy ships could approach the wormhole, they were met with blockade fire emanating from the wormhole itself, effectively preventing them from getting any closer.
Another batch of enemy ships activated a wormhole, this time numbering over a hundred, and the exit point was shifted to beyond lunar orbit.
The human fleet continued to maintain its fire blockade, though the firing frequency inevitably decreased.
The further the range, the more energy consumed; this was a natural law that no one could defy.
However, the human fleet also employed a clever tactic. Not all warships possessed such formidable firepower. The vast majority were merely making a show, using low-power artillery to blockade the wormhole. If the enemy ships dared to charge, they could pass through the wormhole without any damage.
The problem was that simply observing made it impossible to ascertain the power output of the Particle Disintegration Cannon, unless one risked the submersion of their warship to find out.
If these warships originated from a single civilization, they might send a contingent to act as a shield. However, this was a joint fleet composed of multiple civilizations. While their objective was the same, they each served their own masters. If no one else was willing to charge, why should they be the ones to bravely face the bombardment?
The result was that nearly a thousand warships were effectively immobilized by the human fleet's artillery blockade.
However, the enemy was also cunning and opened another wormhole with a subsequent wave of ships.
This time, they positioned the exit behind the moon, using the moon to shield their fleet's movements.
Because the human fleet was widely dispersed, only a few warships had suitable firing angles. However, Zhou Guangyi promptly issued orders, directing each ship not to fire upon the enemy vessels in the direction of the moon.
Consequently, the remaining enemy ships continued their advance, appearing successively behind the moon.
Following this, the enemy ships circled around the moon and opened fire on the human warships that came into view.
Admittedly, this was a highly effective method.
However, Earth possessed a comprehensive space defense system, so how could it have overlooked the obvious vulnerability of the moon's far side?
As all enemy ships passed through the wormhole, the anti-aircraft emplacements positioned on the moon's far side suddenly opened fire.
Caught off guard, and subjected to a saturation bombardment of formidable ground firepower, more than seventy enemy warships were eliminated in a single volley.
The enemy was immediately thrown into disarray. Before they could destroy the ground emplacements, the human warships had already jumped to the moon's rear, launching wave after wave of fierce attacks.
This time, not only the two hundred ships in plain sight, but an additional two hundred-plus Flame-class battleships were deployed. Nearly two thousand main and sub-ships unleashed a combined barrage, forcing the enemy into a chaotic retreat and inflicting heavy losses.
In the command center, Zhou Guangyi wore a constipated expression. "With such tactical skill, they still dared to set their sights on Earth? What a joke!"