Deep Space Wandering Fleet
Chapter 491 - 289: Major Project

Chapter 491: Chapter 289: Major Project

After discussing these matters, all the physicists and astronomers had accepted a new mission: the physicists would continue to validate the feasibility of the scheme, and the astronomers would attempt to find neutron stars that might collide or be possibly devoured by black holes.

Set against the scale of the Milky Way, such astronomical phenomena are not considered rare, and are bound to occur once or twice over thousands or tens of thousands of years. But the best scenario would be one that is visible and tangible; if it is too distant, and humans need millions of years to travel there, then there’s little point.

Take, for example, the neutron star collision discovered in 2017, which was a whopping 150 million light-years away from humanity! Even if they strained every nerve and had the firmest of wills, it was simply impossible to get there.

On the other hand, how to effectively protect a spaceship near a neutron star and how to observe it had become a major problem that needed to be considered first.

The "Radiant Galaxy" simply couldn’t withstand the massive gamma radiation produced during a neutron star collision. If it were any closer, the aftermath of the impact would be enough trouble for humans. This ship certainly couldn’t approach a black hole—joking aside, even neutron stars can’t withstand the tearing of black holes, let alone human spaceships.

But if observation was conducted from a great distance, and the distance wasn’t close enough, the data would be insufficient and all their efforts would be in vain. Since the meeting had already been going on for quite some time and these technical problems couldn’t be solved immediately, the Captain simply announced the end of the meeting.

"Ladies and gentlemen, regarding Curvature Technology, it indeed is a highly difficult technology that would consume thousands of years. We can’t rush it. All laboratories should start discussing the feasibility of their various tasks..."

After the meeting, a crowd of people rushed out of the room, the chatter as lively as a marketplace. Despite the lengthy discussions, their enthusiasm hadn’t waned.

"There simply cannot be any material that could withstand such a strong magnetic field! Approaching a neutron star with a spaceship is too risky; an electromagnetic pulse might just paralyze it!"

"Indeed, what can be done about this? And what about the humans on the spaceship? Observing a neutron star up close? That’s suicidal."

Some experts voiced their worries, but their actions and expressions showed extreme excitement; they were almost ecstatic.

Zhang Yuan saw an old professor with graying hair showing a frenzied look, loudly arguing with his colleagues, "If all else fails, we’ll just have to build a Planet Fortress! As long the mass of the planet is sufficient, there shouldn’t be a problem defending against electromagnetic pulses!"

"Mr. Simonsen, you really dare to dream. Do we have the production capacity? And humans have to hide inside a Planet Fortress?"

"This... I haven’t fully considered it yet."

"...If we really discuss this plan, we will also have to change all of our targets for purchase in the interstellar trading market. We need to buy nano-robot technology and more production lines. I wonder if our 2000 plus Amoeba Points will be enough."

"Hey, this is begging... Mr. Zhang Yuan!" The old professor saw Zhang Yuan and his face lit up with a smile as if he’d seen a first love, hurriedly reaching out to shake hands with him.

It made Zhang Yuan’s skin crawl, almost leaping out of his wheelchair.

Simonsen exclaimed loudly, "Mr. Zhang Yuan, this plea... the news is too important! Simply life-saving news! You know, in the past, even if such an idea occurred to us, we would never actually act on it; we would definitely be called fools by others..."

"This project is too big; even our New Human Civilization can’t afford it."

Yes, this news was too important!

The old professor was right; because of the immense difficulty of implementing this scientific project, even though many third-level civilizations had some suspicions, they wouldn’t actually proceed to execute it.

Because it would cost an entire civilization thousands or even tens of thousands of years of effort!

"Ha ha ha! Now it seems like a straightforward matter, doesn’t it? After getting the hint, it certainly became much simpler." The old man named Simonsen, saying this, grabbed Zhang Yuan’s hand and shook it vigorously.

They did not doubt the veracity of the information brought back by Zhang Yuan. From a theoretical standpoint, the energy level produced by the fragmentation of colliding neutron stars was indeed greater than that of the Solar System Ring Accelerator.

Moreover, the difficulty of obtaining observational data was also significant, which subtly proved something... Otherwise, Level 4 Civilizations would be as common as cabbages on the streets of the Universe!

How many civilizations would be willing to spend such vast resources to gamble on an uncertain tomorrow?

What if they gained nothing at all?

It would all be in vain!

This was also the implicit threshold for advancing to a Fourth-level Civilization.

First, one must come up with the idea, and secondly, they must invest enough manpower and material resources, and spend enough time...

Civilizations lacking in initiative certainly couldn’t achieve it.

Zhang Yuan quickly insisted, "Confidential, everyone must keep this information confidential! This news absolutely cannot be leaked, we’re still in the trading market!"

...

After bidding farewell to all the frenzied experts, Zhang Yuan finally had some time to be alone. Having relayed all the information he knew, he finally breathed a sigh of relief, no one could understand just how anxious he had been these days, he almost suffered from internal injuries due to the pressure!

He returned to his room and wiped the sweat from his face. All his relatives and friends had gone to work, leaving the room quiet and still.

He activated his electric wheelchair and moved in front of a computer.

Each faction within New Human Civilization had its own division of labor, and Zhang Yuan didn’t intend to meddle too much in what they would choose next. An individual could do very little, and to achieve more, one must trust in others and rely on them.

Of course, there was still one matter that was his own professional duty, and that was the complex world he perceived...

"The Superdimensional Perception Laboratory, huh..."

While pondering, Zhang Yuan turned on the computer.

This brand-new laboratory was in the midst of preparations, and experts from the "Magnetic Field Perception Laboratory" had already shifted over and extended an invitation to him.

Even the "Magnetic Field Perception Laboratory" was a relatively young institution, established following the exchange of papers with wise species from the interstellar trading market, like the Tos Civilization, who possessed the Magnetic Field Sensing Ability. Since people wanted to study stronger perception abilities, it made sense to start from this angle.

He then flipped to the most foundational content on brain topology and began to study in earnest. He was not sufficiently versed in this area and would need to catch up on years of study to keep up with current cutting-edge knowledge.

"...Ah, humans have Virtual World Technology and can improve their intelligence as simple as anything. Certain experiments concerning wise lifeforms are no longer inhumane or difficult to conduct as they were before..." Zhang Yuan couldn’t help thinking of some issues related to "human ethics and morality."

Ethics and morality are, in a way, indispensable to humanity.

In the 20th century, a medical professor invented a procedure called "lobotomy" that became all the rage. A doctor named Moniz discovered that after hammering a screwdriver to break open a patient’s skull, stirring inside the brain, and destroying the cerebral white matter could actually treat mental illnesses and make some aggressive mental patients become quiet and docile.

This astounded people, who then emulated the procedure to treat mental illnesses, while the capitalists of the time hyped up the surgery to make a profit. As a result, many parents sent their unruly children to the operating room, where a little stirring in the brain immediately made the kids obedient.

In reality, it merely left the children idiotic and retarded.

This guy even won a Nobel Prize, a complete farce, and a huge tragedy!

Of course, such a nonsensical situation would be absolutely impossible now.

Several hours passed, and suddenly, there was a "knock knock knock" at the door.

"Come in!" Zhang Yuan lifted his head and said.

A few young men and women entered, whom Zhang Yuan recognized; they were psychology experts from the Unreal Laboratory who would come to conduct specialized psychological surveys every few months.

With so much time having passed, and everyone being essentially "peers," they had long since become friends.

"Mr. Zhang Yuan, do you have time for a survey now?" The young man leading the group was named Jin Kangyi, even a college classmate of his, and sometimes they would play games together over the weekend.

Zhang Yuan casually shut down the computer and said, "Ask away. Anyway, I’m still on sick leave and don’t have any proper work. I’m just idly reading here out of boredom."

The group of experts sat down in earnest, still treating the session with the seriousness it deserved as part of their work.