Chapter 354: Chapter 353: Arriving at… 187j3x2!

Wang Junpeng smiled slightly, knowing well what their intentions were. Permissions, personal freedoms–for these, they would give ground step by step.

In virtual space, could the others really make any waves?

Even if they staged a jailbreak, it would just be in virtual space. Even if they managed to seize control of the Kunlun Mountain in virtual space, it would be meaningless…

He continued, “This is our thought, we seek closer cooperation. We are a young civilization, with much common sense to make up for and we urgently wish to reach the level of a third-level civilization.”

“In any case, the compensation will definitely satisfy you.”

After Prince Bart agreed, a group of experts was urgently assembled, informed of the major transaction with humanity.

Eventually, some highly esteemed experts shook with excitement upon seeing the paper on Super Magnet-A. It was simply unbelievable!

Following that, they all sighed, bowed their heads, regardless of how things turned out. The biggest bargaining chip had suddenly disappeared. Proving their worth was always better than being sold at the market.

…

“Ding!”

While chatting with Lin Xuanyuan, Zhang Yuan suddenly received a message.

[As per the current negotiation, the Badit people have agreed to work for the human side.]

This good news unexpectedly brightened his mood.

“What’s up?”

“A piece of good news,” Zhang Yuan laughed heartily, unable to contain his excitement. “It seems, upon reaching our target constant star, we are in for another…”

“Fast development!”

…

A year went by in the blink of an eye…

The Kunlun Mountain finally approached its destination, the constant star “187j3x2”, a bluish-white Blue Dwarf Star.

It was expected to carry out a series of resource replenishments and spaceship overhauls here.

The stars in the night sky are actually colored, but as these constant stars are too far from humans, it’s hard for human eyes to distinguish their faint colors, making most appear similarly colored.

Through the astronomical telescope, it’s easy to find the romance and mystery that come from the universe.

For instance, “Nian Dao Zeng Qi” located at the head of the Swan Constellation Seat. What’s most interesting about this binary star is the very distinct color contrast between the two stars.

To the naked eye, it appears as a third-magnitude star; people with poor vision might not even be able to see it clearly. However, with just a low-powered telescope, one would realize it’s actually a binary star– the brighter one is yellow, the dimmer one is blue.

Such a pairing gives the two stars a vivid contrast, much like two large diamonds.

Just like M57, a beautifully ringed nebula that currently appears as three overlapping galaxies from our perspective–one being a nebula about one light year wide, another a delicate but dim outer ring filled with blazing hydrogen atoms, and the third, a very distant background galaxy.

NGC6543 resembles a cat’s eye and is one of the most intricately structured nebulae known. There are significant discrepancies in the results concerning the chemical mass of the nebula, the reasons for which are still unclear.

NGC2392 looks like tufts of dog fur on the brim of a hat, likely cast off by strong stellar winds from the core star, with an outer disk area featuring many odd, orange, finger-like structures one light year in length.

Hence, due to all these mysteries, the Observatory has always been a bustling place in Kunlun Mountain. Here, children grasp the mystery and vastness of the universe, and astronomy is a beloved required course from elementary school through university. Children who often gaze at the starry sky usually develop a broader heart.

Lovers also enjoy whispering sweet nothings here, and if they discover an unknown planet, they can name it after themselves and gift it to each other. There could be nothing more romantic than confessing love with the Milky Way as a witness…

But at this very moment, almost everyone’s gaze was drawn to the star “187j3x2”!

In all public places, the screens suddenly switched to the same TV station. Kunlun Mountain Captain Zhang Yuan was addressing all the citizens through the spaceship communication system.

“Ladies and gentlemen, the first stop of our interstellar journey is almost upon us, and we have already selected a planet to land on, arriving in three days.”

“The central star, 187j3x2, is a blue dwarf star with a high luminosity, 1.88 times the mass of the Sun, and an age of 400 million years.”

“Being relatively newly formed, it is still a very young star, and the planets nearby have just been born. Geologic activity is vigorous, making the birth of complex life forms unlikely. Of course, we will conduct a detailed safety survey, then proceed with planetary surface development.”

Zhang Yuan paused slightly, then continued, “The main reason for organizing this interstellar journey was for scientific investigation, including the fusion process of massive stars, the evolution of terrestrial planets, and if we could find the most primal forms of life on these young planets, it would undoubtedly significantly advance life sciences.”

“After all, we humans still don’t know what the origin of life is–whether it evolved by complex chemical changes naturally, came from a meteorite, or was seeded by aliens…”

Many nodded in understanding. Scientific investigations were indeed paramount as the current technological system of our civilization was vast, almost reaching human limits. Staying in one corner struggling to make progress was akin to climbing a steep mountain.

If we really found the origin of life, the evolution of species and protein language might both advance to some extent. Even a small step would be worthwhile.

And yet, our goals as humans were not limited to that. This included using cosmic strings for long-distance travel, some improved methods of acceleration due to gravity–these experimental data all had to be sent back to our base.

Speaking to this point, Zhang Yuan’s expression gradually became serious: “But this interstellar journey has encountered an unexpected event. Eleven years ago, during our journey, we were robbed by a cosmic civilization, leading to the first true interstellar war!”

“This war gave rise to a host of brave warriors who fearlessly fought. With the collective efforts of our soldiers and scientific researchers, we won the final victory…”

“However, the losses, both in terms of the spaceship itself and personnel, were the heaviest in history.”

“Despite our victory in this war, I am reflecting on ourselves–are we humans truly mature enough for interstellar travel?”

“The answer is uncertain; we may, like this time, seize opportunities for rapid development, or we may just as easily vanish into this dark universe. We are the vanguard of humanity, enjoying the thrill of exploring the unknown, but we also face the greatest risks.”

“So, here, we offer everyone a chance to choose again–we will convert a spaceship into a civilian transport ship for those who wish to leave.”

Years may have softened the pain in people’s hearts, but the stories that have already unfolded still have an impact on people’s minds.

Thus, those who wish to leave will leave, and those who choose to stay will stay; this is also the best way.

Just 5 light years away, with current technology, crossing it using gravitational acceleration is quite straightforward.