In the control center of the Shadow Star spacecraft, there were a total of 23 Shadow People, all in a state of hibernation.
“The way they hibernate is really primitive,” the researchers from the research center couldn’t help but remark.
How should I put it? The appearance of the Shadow People made them feel a little strange. It was like a complete beginner player somehow stumbling into a high-level dungeon—hard to believe.
Lao San kept a straight face and translated the words of the only Shadow Person who had awakened: “His name is Britz. He is a pioneer of Shadow Star.”
Britz, the Shadow Person, stared eagerly at Lin Xiaohe and asked a string of questions.
“May I ask how vast the universe is? How was the universe formed?”
“May I ask what your civilization is called? Do you know of any other alien civilizations?”
These questions were like those of a child who had just stepped into the starry sky, full of curiosity and a thirst for truth.
Lin Xiaohe met his gaze, and something stirred in his heart. His eyes were very much like those of countless scientists on Blue Star.
Blue Star was also at the stage of just stepping into space, full of curiosity about the universe.
Based on this small sense of empathy, Lin Xiaohe rarely became a bit more patient: “Britz, tell us about Shadow Star.”
After listening to Lao San’s translation, Britz’s blue face actually showed a trace of nostalgia.
“Shadow Star is a very beautiful planet. I love it very much.”
“I was born into an extremely poor family. I dreamed of leaving that land of eternal drought. My hometown was a dark, wrinkled world. The little bitter water I managed to get was fishy, stinky, and bitter, leaving me unable to see any hope.”
“So I resolutely left that place. I wanted to go to the richer Central City and find a job that could support me.”
“Central City is the most prosperous city on Shadow Star. Everyone there is bright and glamorous, with clean water that never runs out.”
“I quickly found an ordinary job in Central City. The pay was not much, but it was enough to keep me clean and neat. I worked there for three years. I thought I would be happy and joyful, but my hometown always appeared in my dreams.”
“That small road swallowed by dust kicked up by the wind appeared.”
Lao San frowned impatiently. Who cared about hearing his story? Small figures like Britz could be found everywhere in the universe.
Lao San was just about to speak when Lin Xiaohe stopped him with a look: “Let him speak. After hibernating for so long during a lonely voyage, if he doesn’t talk about his own affairs, it will be hard for him to find his own definition.”
Britz waited for a while. Seeing that Lin Xiaohe and Lao San did not interrupt him, he continued.
“I often ask myself, what do I really want? How can I make myself feel satisfied? I thought about it day after day, until the Space Department released a grand plan for the ages. We were going to build a star of our own, Gliese.”
“Gliese is a red dwarf. Its light and heat will grow fainter and fainter. Scientists proposed building a huge reflector in Shadow Star’s orbit to cast Gliese’s light and heat onto Shadow Star. With it, Shadow Star’s climate and environment would undergo enormous changes. My hometown might even become as rich a land as Central City.”
Hearing this, the researchers in the research center whispered among themselves.
“This Shadow Person looks quite honest, but he’s actually very cunning. He talked for so long, and it was all about himself. He barely mentioned Shadow Star at all.”
“That’s normal. After all, he was chosen as a pioneer, so he definitely has strong guard up. If you were in his situation, you wouldn’t foolishly reveal everything either.”
“Ha.” The person who replied spoke with a tone full of envy and jealousy. “The extraterrestrial civilizations we’ve encountered were not as kind, peaceful, and friendly as us. They just start killing the moment they arrive. How could they patiently listen to us chatter on like Britz?”
The researchers were very impatient with Britz’s rambling. If it weren’t for the fact that he was from an extraterrestrial civilization, they would have stopped paying attention to him long ago.
Previously, the extraterrestrial civilizations they had encountered were all higher in level than humans and rarely revealed information about the outside world.
The Shadow People were different. Although their civilization level was low and most likely inferior to humanity’s, they were not as cunning as the Sui Star People. Maybe some extraterrestrial information could be revealed in their words?
For that slight possibility, everyone had to prick up their ears and listen.
Britz: “This great project did bring no small changes to Shadow Star. But the particle flow in the universe caused a qualitative change in the reflector surface. Its reflectivity decreased. At this rate, in just a few years, the reflector surface will completely lose its effectiveness.”
“In order to extend the life cycle of the reflector surface, the Space Department recruited experienced workers from outside to go into space and wipe the reflector surface.”
Britz curled the corners of his mouth, revealing a trace of a proud smile: “I was selected.”
From a low-level citizen who was nothing at all, after layer upon layer of screening, training, and assessment, he finally boarded space.
Britz thanked himself ten thousand times for having made up his mind back then.
Although the work of wiping the mirror surface was dull and exhausting, much harder than work on the ground, Britz did not regret it, because he had seen a broader sky.
When he stayed in his tiny hometown, he thought Central City was the whole world.
Later, when he arrived in Central City, he thought being able to go to space was the most meaningful thing.
But when he truly stepped onto the mirror surface with a diameter of more than 100 square miles, he truly saw how vast the universe was. Shadow Star was like a grain of sand.
He wanted more and more. That originally dim universe became real, and a powerful attraction made it hard for him to resist.
Shadow Star’s technology continued to develop over time. Thirty years later, the reflector surface was due to be retired.
Britz, who had always been diligent and dedicated, once again made the third major decision of his life. He applied to the Space Department, wanting to use the reflector surface as a spacecraft to explore the universe outward.
This was a journey with no return.
Together with Britz, 22 others also signed up.
The exploration of and longing for the universe are pursuits carved into the bones of every civilization.
In the research center, quite a few researchers began to yawn.
Britz spoke with great passion, but in everyone’s eyes, it was extremely boring.
Wasn’t it just exploring the starry sky and exploring the universe? Humanity had also come through this process. It really was not moving at all.
Their heads nodded like chickens pecking at rice, little by little, and then the next second, they suddenly woke up.
Because Britz said: “We approached Gliese as much as possible to obtain greater accelerated light pressure and a longer acceleration distance. Using the gravitational slingshot effect, we left the Gliese star system. Only then did we enter hibernation. According to the plan, we should have passed through Centaurus. So, are you a civilization from Centaurus?”
Lin Xiaohe: “No, we are in a black hole.”
“No, that’s impossible! We calculated that in our navigation chart, there are no black holes at all. The universe is expanding, and time expands along with the universe. The speed of our spacecraft cannot possibly exceed the speed of expansion.”
Clang.
A researcher seemed frozen in place, letting the water cup in his hand fall to the ground.
What? The universe is expanding? Time is expanding?
