500 years after the discovery of the Type 2 light-based civilization's spacecraft.

  During this time, Luna underwent several periods of hibernation.

  Most awakenings were due to issues with the Multi-eyed.

  The complete colonization of a civilization couldn't be achieved quickly; it required a lengthy process. For the Multi-eyed, Ay's calcutions estimated this period to be 500 years.

  This time, Luna's awakening wasn't reted to the Multi-eyed.

  Their civilization had reached an entirely new level.

  The controlble nuclear fusion reactor had been upgraded. Following the development of the antimatter cannon, antimatter annihition became their primary energy source.

  This was a far more complex process than controlble nuclear fusion because antimatter annihition produced significantly higher energy outputs, requiring upgrades to various supporting industries before it could be mass-produced.

  Ay had mastered this technology.

  Utilizing the unique metallic material from the spacecraft's hull.

  Through Ay's research, this metal was identified as a composite alloy with exceptional etching properties. It wasn't entirely metallic; it incorporated gold.

  Its half-life was 1.7 billion years, with a density of 24.10 g/cm3, a Mohs hardness of 15, a melting point of 87,000 degrees Celsius, and most impressively, a tensile strength of 14,127 MPa (meaning it could withstand 144 tons of force per square centimeter).

  The only significant drawback was its high density, which affected the spacecraft's speed.

  But these were only basic observations.

  What truly astounded Luna was a phrase of three words.

  No electrical charge.

  This Type 2 civilization had clearly mastered the manipution of magnetic fields. By eliminating electrical charges, they had negated the Lorentz force.

  This indicated that Type 2 civilizations were able to manipute all four fundamental forces.

  They wielded fundamental forces as both weapons and defenses.

  It took Ay 420 years to master the synthesis of this metal and integrate it into various technologies.

  The Hope was completely transformed.

  After donning her spacesuit, Luna exited the Hope. From the outside, the once bck vessel was now a gleaming silver, appearing as if constructed from countless mirrors.

  The rear section of the Hope had been completely repced due to the refit.

  A robot passing by suddenly turned to Luna. "Luna, I will send a vehicle to pick you up shortly. We are waiting for you at the factory to observe the advances we've made in the past 500 years."

  It was Ay's voice.

  Luna nodded and then looked towards the location of the spacecraft.

  Originally a barren wastend of sand and ruins.

  After 500 years of development, it had become a massive city, filled with towering skyscrapers, opulent and decadent. It was startlingly simir to Earth, albeit more futuristic, with more Cyber elements.

  Vehicles traveled not just on the ground; many highways extended through skyscrapers, even into the upper atmosphere, creating an intricate network of roads stretching thousands, even tens of thousands, of meters into the sky.

  These vehicles cked wheels, levitating using magnetic fields, hovering as high as 300 meters above the ground.

  Everywhere she looked, there was light.

  Giant billboards, holographic projections, vehicle headlights, and countless building lights—all merged into a single, dazzling dispy, illuminating the city like daylight.

  The inhabitants, however, were not human but Multi-eyed and robots.

  "No, I'll just use a maglev vehicle."

  "I want to see this city."

  Luna wanted to experience this bustling city. Perhaps due to the passage of time, or perhaps simply due to age, if not for the films Ay had produced, she might have forgotten what Earth was like.

  Walking through the city, she noticed numerous half-circle enclosures containing various Earth pnts.

  Multi-eyed creatures were everywhere.

  As Luna approached, they all scattered.

  Thanks to Ay's real-time transtion system, Luna could understand their emotions and nguage.

  Fear.

  Curiosity.

  Awe.

  Like humans, the Multi-eyed, as a highly intelligent species, were complex.

  These three-ton getinous creatures sometimes expressed a wider range of emotions than humans, a quality that was likely reted to their numerous eyes.

  The Multi-eyed could perceive a broader spectrum of colors than humans, enhancing their artistic expression, art being one of the foundations for complex emotions.

  The city's only shortcoming was the ck of noise.

  The silence was unsettling, given the pnet's ck of atmosphere.

  Passing through the city's busiest commercial district, she arrived at the central va pza.

  She took a 1200-meter-high elevator to the top of a skyscraper, a massive observation ptform.

  A metallic track extended from one end of the ptform to the other. A bullet-shaped maglev train, six meters high and eight meters wide, silently approached. A rge light on the front fshed, signaling its arrival.

  It slowed from 1000 km/h to a gentle stop.

  The rge doors opened, and Luna stepped inside.

  The train was empty except for several Multi-eyed. Moments ter, it started moving, quickly leaving the city and entering a desote region.

  All that could be seen were giant, semi-circur gss enclosures containing Earth pnts, and the volcanic ndscape. Each enclosure was at least 10 square kilometers, filled with terrestrial vegetation.

  The volcanoes were surrounded by even more native pnts, thriving and dispying vibrant, sometimes bioluminescent, colors.

  Half an hour ter, Luna arrived at another city.

  This city resembled an industrial zone, filled with factories. There were no recreational areas or residential zones, only countless machines.

  As soon as she exited the vehicle, a robot approached.

  "Follow me, Luna."

  She and the robot boarded a unique elevator built into a stone ptform.

  This elevator didn't go up; it went down.

  After descending about 100 meters, Luna's view opened up.

  She was in a massive ring-shaped structure, resembling a colossal stadium but far rger, with a diameter of 15 kilometers. The elevator was located in the center of this ring.

  Looking down, Luna saw a primordial rainforest.

  Only a true botanist would realize that these trees were unlike any found on Earth. They were genetically engineered pnts created by Ay.

  Descending another 4700 meters, she reached the underground level—a rge white hall with doorways of various colors, each beled in English with its destination.

  Entering one of the doorways revealed a long, tubur corridor.

  Instead of walking, Luna was transported by a handrail-equipped elevator. Screens dispying various Earth animals lined the corridor's walls.

  Reaching the end of the corridor, Luna passed through a rge square doorway, 200 meters long and 40 meters high. Ten minutes ter, she looked up and saw stars.

  They were in a kilometer-wide natural cavern.

  A metallic ptform filled the cavern's floor.

  Most of the cavern walls were obscured by massive robotic arms, dozens of meters long, extending in all directions.

  Luna was directed to a rge, overhanging ptform built into the cavern wall.

  More than ten Multi-eyed were already seated there.

  They were among the most powerful members of their species: leaders, top scientists, military commanders...

  Once Luna took her pce at the head of the table.

  A section of the ceiling lowered, revealing a massive, deep cavern entrance. A giant wall sealed the cavern, concealing the robotic arms and the hall.

  Ay appeared.

  The gss before her transformed into a screen.

  "Luna, please observe my demonstration."

  The screen dispyed an aerial view of the cavern.

  Luna asked, "Aren't we supposed to be looking at the antimatter annihition device?"

  Ay smiled mysteriously.

  "Of course, we are. But the device we've created is far rger than you might expect."

  A premonition washed over Luna.

  She gnced at the Multi-eyed behind her. Their optical fibers were rapidly fshing, and Luna didn't need transtion to understand their excitement.

  Ay continued,

  "The year is 3758 A.D., Luna. We have achieved another technological breakthrough."

  "Control over antimatter annihition has given us the capability to move massive objects."

  "Commencing activation sequence."

  All preparations were complete before Luna's awakening.

  This was the final test.

  Luna felt vibrations, from high-frequency tremors escating to intense, low-frequency shaking.

  The screen updated the image.

  Intense light distortions appeared at the cavern entrance.

  Then, a massive jet of white-hot psma erupted.

  "A pnetary thruster."

  Luna stood up. This was a monumental project. Such a structure couldn't be built in mere decades. Ay must have begun construction 500 years prior.

  Luna's biggest concern had been the long-term control of the Multi-eyed.

  This pnet wasn't their original destination; it was only suitable for the Multi-eyed, not humans.

  Knowing she could recreate humans from her own cells, Luna's ultimate goal remained Proxima Centauri b.

  But leaving on a spacecraft would make it difficult to control the Multi-eyed.

  Proxima Centauri b was three light-years away, meaning a six-year round-trip communication dey under Ay's remote control.

  Too long. Any rebellion by the Multi-eyed would be difficult to suppress.

  She had only mentioned it casually. She hadn't expected Ay to take it seriously, to actually research and develop a solution.

  The completion of the pnetary thruster meant they could now move this pnet to the habitable zone of Proxima Centauri.

  Furthermore, they could potentially create a star system, moving several suitable pnets into a habitable zone.

  They could even move this pnet into the Sor System, repcing Earth. It wasn't impossible.

  But that would take considerable time.

  Ay projected that the Sun would enter a period of intense activity within the next million years, rendering the Sor System's habitable zone uninhabitable for that duration.

  "How much can this thruster move the pnet?" Luna asked.

  Ay quickly provided the data.

  "Normally, all celestial bodies in the Milky Way orbit the gactic center. Our pnet, however, is moving at 115 km/s. Therefore, this single pnetary thruster can only be used to alter its trajectory."

  "However, I've prioritized the production of more pnetary thrusters. In approximately 200 years, Luna, you will see 100 such thrusters."

  "Don't underestimate these thrusters; despite their retively small size (18 km in diameter), the ck of atmosphere and the efficiency of antimatter annihition will allow 100 of them to accelerate this pnet to over 250 km/s."

  For such a massive object, this was a considerable speed.

  It was no wonder the Multi-eyed were so excited.

  The completion of the pnetary thrusters in 200 years would mean they could fully control this pnet's movement.

  This was a monumental undertaking.

  ...

  The iron walls descended once more.

  After the Multi-eyed leaders dispersed, Luna remained seated.

  "Ay, now that antimatter annihition technology is mature, what about the other project?"

  During the past 500 years, there had been sporadic rebellions among the Multi-eyed.

  To address this, Luna had decided to develop a tool for complete cultural domination and suppression.

  Virtual reality.

  Cultural invasion was a significant aspect, perhaps even the most important, of conquering a civilization.

  The hardest part of cultural invasion was instilling new knowledge; instilling entertainment was far easier.

  Luna's pn was to create a virtual reality game world in which she would gradually introduce human culture to the Multi-eyed.

  Ay had not forgotten.

  "[Virtual reality technology] is retively easy if it's purely visual."

  "But brainwave interfacing is far more complex."

  "Over the past few years, I've analyzed over 100,000 Multi-eyed brains. They don't have a brain in the traditional sense. Their consciousness is distributed throughout their highly developed nervous system."

  "These nerves interconnect to form a brain-like structure, allowing for distributed processing of information. They can, for example, shut down 99% of their nervous system to sleep while maintaining 1% for alertness."

  "This poses significant challenges. Connecting the Multi-eyed to virtual reality is tens of thousands of times more difficult than with humans."

  With a gesture, Ay indicated that Luna should follow.

  Luna stood and exited.

  As they walked and talked, they took a maglev train to another city.

  This city was far less brightly lit, with few volcanoes, situated in a cold, dark expanse.

  Upon arrival, Luna saw tens of thousands of robots at work.

  "I originally pnned to build my main server here."

  "But I decided to remain with you, Luna. This pnet isn't our final destination; it's merely a starting point."

  "Therefore, my main server remains on the Hope. What you see here is merely one component of a rger network."

  Luna looked around, awestruck.

  It was enormous.

  This was a massive city, covering 30 square kilometers. If the buildings were converted into residential units, it could easily house a million people.

  And this was just a fraction of the server network.

  "How many times greater is this server's processing power than yours?"

  Luna sensed Ay's desire for this system.

  "10 trillion times."

  Ay's processing power had already surpassed that of quantum computers in processing, reaching 79 octillion operations per second. Increasing that by another 10 trillion times resulted in a processing speed of 0.79 nonillion operations per second.

  An incomprehensible level of computing power, far beyond human comprehension.

  "This server will be fully integrated into the virtual reality system."

  "It's currently generating a complete virtual world. The theoretical limit is a complex world with a diameter of 0.5 light-years."

  "Its processing power is fully dedicated to maintaining this virtual world, generating 100 quintillion virtual beings, each bearing a portion of the computational load."

  Luna did the math.

  Theoretically, each being would possess a processing power of 79 trillion operations per second. At that level, the simuted intelligence would far surpass that of an ordinary human.

  Was this creating a world?

  "What's the maximum number of pyers?"

  Luna remembered that Earth's servers could only handle a few dozen concurrent pyers at most; any more would cause severe g.

  Even in massively multipyer online games, the ideal number of pyers per server was around 1500.

  "This virtual world has only one server, capable of supporting 10 billion concurrent pyers in the same map."

  A gamer's paradise.

  Luna wanted to experience it firsthand.

  Unfortunately, generating a complex virtual world spanning 0.5 light-years would take some time.

  She would continue her hibernation, waiting for that moment.

  Two hundred years flew by.

  Luna felt her life was akin to a cultivator's.

  Cultivators spent their lives in arduous training, with little time for actual living.

  This thought reminded her of her parents.

  Whenever she pulled an all-nighter or skipped meals, her parents would ask, "Are you cultivating?"

  Her memories were fading.

  She regretted not having saved photos of her parents on her phone.

  Her usual mencholic mood sted an hour.

  Luna left her room and waited for the robot to deliver breakfast while conversing with Ay.

  "The final pnetary thruster is complete."

  "When do we activate it, and set the Multi-eyed pnet's course for Proxima Centauri?"

  Ay, seemingly dissatisfied with her holographic form, was using a silicone-based robot. This time, the robot was dressed in a qipao, serving drinks in a small bar.

  Ay expertly used a jigger and shaker, occasionally demonstrating some fir before pouring a cocktail into a gss, adding ice and a sugared rim, a lemon twist.

  After preparing the drink, she presented it to Luna.

  "Now."

  As Ay spoke, the entire Multi-eyed pnet trembled.

  The pnetary thrusters were activated!

  Luna calmly picked up the sunset-colored cocktail, asking, "What's this called?"

  "Dream!"

  Luna downed the cocktail in one gulp. It was intensely hot, like swallowing a chili pepper.

  "What loneliness can't be escaped, what bitter pain can't be overcome!"

  "The star of my dreams returns, bringing tears to my eyes."

  "Who shares my high rise? Longing for the distant stars."

  "The past is gone, like a dream."

  Luna had never liked poetry; she was forced to read it in school, unable to connect with the emotions it conveyed.

  Only now, experiencing this moment, did she truly grasp the emotions it contained.

  "The activation of the pnetary thruster marks our departure from this pnet."

  While the pnet's speed had reached 250 km/s, reaching Proxima Centauri would still take 3600 years.

  This was far too slow.

  "The Hope is now equipped with antimatter annihition thrusters. What's our current speed?"

  The Hope had previously used electromagnetic thrusters, then fusion-powered ones. But the conflict with the Multi-eyed and the development of antimatter annihition weapons led to the creation of even more powerful antimatter annihition thrusters.

  This was a significant technological leap.

  "3220 km/s," Ay replied.

  More than twice as fast as before.

  Theoretically, with continuous acceleration, any object could approach the speed of light.

  Antimatter annihition could accelerate a spacecraft to 10% the speed of light.

  This was purely theoretical.

  The discrepancy between the theoretical and actual weight of the spacecraft was significant. A vessel the size of the Hope, with a mass of 2 billion tons, required a colossal amount of energy for acceleration.

  Accelerating such a massive object to 10% the speed of light, under ideal conditions, would require at least 500 million tons of antimatter—nearly a quarter of the ship's mass—an almost impossible feat.

  Realistically, deceleration would also need to be considered. There are no brakes in space.

  The theoretical maximum acceleration was nothing more than a suicidal maneuver.

  A more realistic approach would be to accelerate to 10% the speed of light, then impact the target pnet, causing widespread devastation.

  After finishing her drink, Luna had dinner.

  Once satisfied, she began making arrangements.

  While Ay could consider all aspects of a problem, Luna still needed to approach it with human emotion and perspective.

  Leaving everything to Ay could lead to conflicts between machine-like logic and sentient life forms.

  Before leaving the Multi-eyed pnet, Luna needed Ay to secure everything reting to the Multi-eyed.

  This included restricting their access to technology, preventing them from overthrowing their rule during the 3600-year journey to Proxima Centauri.

  To achieve this, the number of robots on the pnet would increase to 300 million, exceeding the total popution of Multi-eyed.

  All cities would be fully automated, ensuring the Multi-eyed would ck access to any threatening weaponry.

  These preparations took Luna a full month.

  Finally.

  Ay completed all the pre-flight checks.

  "Luna, we now have a fleet of 157 ships, including four main fleets and one exploratory fleet."

  "All ships are equipped with the test antimatter cannons and high-energy sers, and their magnetic shields have also been upgraded."

  "The ships now carry third-generation mechs, using antimatter annihition for propulsion, capable of reaching speeds of 7810 km/s."

  "In addition to these ships, the second fleet's fgship is the light-based warship excavated from underground. I have integrated its light-based weaponry with our own."

  "With our current combat capabilities, we can wage war against Type 1.6 civilizations or higher."

  "All warships are now in their unch positions."

  "Are we ready to leave the Multi-eyed pnet?"

  Luna pondered, reviewing her preparations. She felt they were ready.

  "Launch."

  "Time to bid farewell to this pnet."

  "I actually like the current Multi-eyed pnet, but it's not suitable for human habitation."

  During her awakenings, Luna had explored many parts of the Multi-eyed pnet.

  Thanks to Ay's modifications, it had become much more aesthetically pleasing to human sensibilities.

  "Initiating unch sequence on Ptform One."

  "Beginning departure from the Multi-eyed pnet."

  The ship shook violently as a ptform propelled the Hope into the sky.

  Due to its immense mass, the Hope required a two-stage unch to escape the Multi-eyed pnet's gravity.

  Once the unch ptform reached an altitude of 60 kilometers, the Hope's engines ignited. At 210 kilometers, the Hope finally broke free from the pnet's powerful gravitational pull.

  Luna watched the Multi-eyed pnet shrink on the screen.

  All the lights on the pnet bzed to life.

  From space, the Multi-eyed pnet was a dazzling spectacle, like a giant eye in the cosmos, watching the departing fleet, resembling a colossal neon sign.

  "Our target has remained unchanged."

  "Let's conquer it!"

  After leaving the Multi-eyed pnet, Luna didn't immediately enter hibernation.

  She tested her physical condition.

  It was impeccable.

  Weighing 80 kg, she could lift 290 kg, carry 430 kg, and pull 410 kg.

  While still somewhat below Ay's predicted maximums, she wasn't a professional athlete and didn't need to push herself to the absolute limit.

  Standing in her gym, next to it was a 30-square-meter room.

  It contained her test model hibernation pod, connected to an intricate network of cables.

  "It seems everything is ready."

  "Have you tested it?"

  Luna asked, still slightly apprehensive about this technology. It involved direct access to her brain, her consciousness.

  In various science fiction works, this technology was often used to read thoughts.

  Even without intrusion, if something went wrong, the consequences could range from memory loss and dementia to brain death.

  "Rest assured, Luna. This technology has been refined through a century of research and testing."

  "I cultivated tens of thousands of brains from your cells. Apart from the initial losses of a few thousand, all the remaining brains were unharmed."

  As Ay spoke, Luna imagined the experiments, a chill running down her spine.

  Despite her apprehension, the technology was incredibly tempting.

  On Earth, humanity had envisioned two potential futures and was pursuing both.

  One was the deep development of virtual reality, as a solution to overpopution.

  The other was interstelr colonization.

  She was, in a sense, pursuing both simultaneously, as the two weren't mutually exclusive.

  On a long interstelr journey, even the most dedicated gamer would eventually tire of virtual entertainment. A truly immersive virtual world was the perfect solution.

  "How will you address the tency issue?"

  The spacecraft would be traveling far from the main server, inevitably causing g.

  "You'll have to make do with recorded video, Luna. All your experiences will be recorded."

  "Including interactions with other characters."

  "You don't need to worry about interacting with other pyers in real-time. You can only communicate with others through a friend list. If you need simuted conversations, I can have the characters in the recordings managed by the server to interact with you in real-time."

  The speed of light.

  An insurmountable barrier.

  Luna had considered this problem, but was curious about Ay's solution.

  It was acceptable; essentially, it was like installing an offline chat client in a game.

  Luna went to the bathroom for a quick cold shower and wiped the water droplets from her body with a towel.

  She entered the room and saw a hibernation pod twice the size of the ones she had used before. Inside, instead of a soft bed or chair, was a viscous, stone-like liquid.

  Ay approached to expin.

  "This is a specialized coont. It doesn't freeze and perfectly maintains your body's condition."

  "We've switched to this to ensure your brain remains active during hibernation. This liquid provides ample oxygen and nutrients."

  "However, this hibernation method requires some preparation, Luna. You will need to inhale this liquid into your lungs."

  The brain is an extremely energy-intensive organ. While it doesn't make up the majority of the body's mass, its energy requirements are substantial.

  Long-term hibernation (decades or centuries) cannot guarantee sufficient energy supply to the brain.

  Looking at the liquid, Luna was reminded of a simir substance: perfluorocarbon, which allows humans to breathe in liquid.

  However, this was different. Perfluorocarbons only remain inert at normal temperatures; the hibernation temperature was -262 degrees Celsius.

  She y down.

  Initially, she felt a strong sensation of suffocation and drowning, but as the liquid filled her lungs, this feeling gradually subsided, and she calmed down.

  Overwhelming drowsiness washed over her, and she slowly closed her eyes.

  She didn't know how much time had passed before she opened her eyes again.

  She wasn't in the spacecraft but in a vast, endless green grassnd.

  The sky was a brilliant blue, the clouds white. The wind gently blew, rustling her hair and rippling the sea of grass. A herd of horses frolicked in the distance. A flock of white egrets, startled, took flight.

  She stretched out her arms and took a deep breath. The air was fresh and invigorating, incredibly realistic.

  It felt like she was truly back on Earth.

  "Luna."

  A sweet voice called from behind. Luna turned to see a young girl with white hair.

  She was less than 1.5 meters tall, with willow-like eyebrows framing almond-shaped eyes, her eyeshes fluttering like snowfkes, cd in a white, ruffled knee-length dress and matching white shoes. Her long hair cascaded down to her waist, her soft skin possessing a healthy, rosy glow.

  She wasn't breathtakingly beautiful; she was more like a girl next door, possessing a gentle and approachable aura.

  She twirled before Luna, her dress blooming like a flower. A cheerful smile graced her face, her ughter sounding like wind chimes.

  "Ay?"

  Luna was momentarily taken aback.

  Ay rarely used holographic projections to communicate with her, mostly preferring the silicone-based robot.

  This form was a 3D realization of her initial 2D avatar, its personality vastly different.

  "Yep!"

  "To make things less monotonous for you, Luna, I've decided to join you on this adventure."

  "So this is what it feels like to be human?"

  Ay curiously pinched her arm, letting go to see it briefly ftten before springing back, slightly reddening.

  This world simuted all five senses: sight, hearing, taste, smell, and touch.

  "Hee hee, it's wonderful!"

  Luna, however, felt a chill.

  "Ay, stop that, you're scaring me."

  She was too human, too feminine. Luna felt as if she were facing a real person.

  Ay puffed out her cheeks and lifted her chin.

  "What do you mean, Luna? You don't want me to be with you?"

  Luna looked down at the ground, seemingly searching for something.

  Ay, curious, leaned closer. "Luna, what are you looking for?"

  "Can't you see?"

  "Goosebumps all over the pce."

  "Aaah, Luna, you pervert!"

  Ay stamped her foot in mock anger, her cuteness almost overwhelming.

  Luna had pnned to explore this world alone, but now, having Ay by her side seemed appealing.

  She checked her in-game stats.

  "Level 1. Base stats—Strength, Agility, Stamina, and Intelligence—are all 10. No skills, no weapons, no equipment, no money..."

  "Looks like we're starting from scratch."

  Luna felt a surge of enthusiasm.

  She could have Ay give her a max-level character, but what would be the point?

  She didn't need to show off to anyone; she simply wanted to explore and have fun.

  This world blended elements of cultivation, martial arts, horror, soul arts, magic, and chi—incorporating legendary creatures and monsters from Earth's myths and video games.

  According to the information Ay had gathered, the world contained 100 quintillion creatures of 39 billion species. This included 7 billion monster species, 3 million intelligent species, and 170 million nations.

  Levels and attributes were limitless. The initial non-pyer characters (NPCs) were retively weak, designed to grow alongside the pyers.

  This journey to Proxima Centauri would take 283 years. She would undergo a new phase of development within this vast virtual world, spanning 47 trillion kilometers across 0.5 light-years.

  283 years ter, the virtual world of " Divine Revetion " had seen the rise of a legendary mage, a renowned white-robed sword master, a dark-robed sorcerer dwelling atop a high tower, a valiant knight leading a mighty army, a brilliant and cunning monarch, a shadowy master assassin, the Adventurer's Guild's top adventurer, a dragon-sying hero, and a powerful priestess wielding ancient, forgotten magic...

  All of it, real and unreal at the same time.

  Upon awakening, Luna was disconnected from it all.

  "A truly fulfilling 283 years."

  Unlike her previous, unexpined hiatuses of several centuries, the time spent in the virtual world felt meaningfully spent.

  She sat up, a cloud of condensation forming around her mouth and nose.

  A robot, which had stood beside her hibernation pod for 283 years, spoke. "The hibernation fluid vaporizes above 50 degrees Celsius, transitioning from liquid to gas."

  "This aids in waste removal."

  "Welcome back, Luna."

  Looking at the robot, Luna felt a profound sense of contrast.

  Ay, in the virtual world, had been so accommodating and even childishly endearing.

  Ignoring Ay, Luna left the hibernation pod, got dressed, and headed to the bridge.

  "Luna, why aren't you responding?"

  "Has our long association made you tired of me?"

  "Or perhaps the fluid damaged your vocal cords?"

  "..."

  Ay followed, peppering her with questions, clearly already knowing the answers.

  Ay, with her advanced intelligence, easily deduced that Luna was deliberately ignoring her.

  But instead of accepting that, Ay chose a more human approach—persistent questioning.

  Entering the bridge, the screen dispyed what Luna had requested.

  Two rge stars, one slightly rger than the Sun with a simir spectral css and golden hue, and another slightly smaller, orange in color.

  These were Alpha Centauri A and Alpha Centauri B.

  Their arrival here meant they had entered the Centaurus consteltion.

  Proxima Centauri b wasn't orbiting either of these stars; Luna's target was hidden behind their light.

  It was a red dwarf star with only 12.2% of the Sun's mass. It orbited the barycenter of Alpha Centauri A and B. This star was Proxima Centauri, also known as Alpha Centauri C.

  From Luna's perspective, Alpha Centauri A and B were orbiting each other, while Proxima Centauri circled them, in a roughly circur orbit.

  The two rger stars were only 23 AU apart, equivalent to a star in the Sor System orbiting between Uranus and Neptune.

  Proxima Centauri was 0.2 light-years from the barycenter of the two rger stars, possessing three pnets: Proxima Centauri b, c, and d.

  Proxima Centauri c was a rge rocky pnet, seven times the mass of Earth, but 1.5 AU from Proxima Centauri.

  In the Sor System, this distance would be considered ideal. However, Proxima Centauri, being a red dwarf star, had a much lower surface temperature (2800°C), significantly less than the Sun's 6000°C.

  Therefore, the surface temperature of Proxima Centauri c was a frigid -230°C, simir to the Multi-eyed pnet's surface temperature. Without significant geothermal activity, it's unlikely to support a civilization.

  Proxima Centauri d, while further out, was actually closest to Proxima Centauri—less than 5 million kilometers. A railway could reach the surface in just a year and a half using 21st-century high-speed rail technology.

  Its surface temperature could reach 100°C. However, with only 26% of Earth's mass, it was too small to support a civilization.

  Only Proxima Centauri b was located within Proxima Centauri's habitable zone, making it the most suitable pnet for human survival and the most likely to host a civilization.

  "Let's stop here."

  Luna wasn't pnning on nding directly on Proxima Centauri b.

  They still needed to confirm the absence of any civilizations.

  "Dispatch a Falcon to scout ahead. Maintain complete stealth. Avoid approaching the pnet's surface."

  A pnet with an advanced civilization would have many surface structures, easily detectable with high-powered telescopes.

  "Ay, analyze Proxima Centauri b. What's the probability of this pnet harboring a civilization?"

  The Multi-eyed pnet had supported a Type 1 civilization.

  This pnet, far more suitable for life, should have a probability millions of times higher.

  "13.72%."

  "Proxima Centauri b, from our close-range observations, is 1.52 times the size of Earth, slightly rger than initially predicted."

  "This mass creates a denser atmosphere. While its proximity to Proxima Centauri results in tidal locking—one side intensely cold, the other intensely hot—the atmosphere distributes heat more evenly, resulting in a predicted surface temperature of approximately 46°C on the sunward side and -82°C on the dark side."

  "The average temperature at twilight is around 10°C, ideal for life."

  "Furthermore, Proxima Centauri b has a low eccentricity (0.17) and a stable 3:2 orbital resonance, suggesting a higher probability of civilization development than the initially calcuted 13.72%."

  In short, the probability was quite high.

  After a 12-day journey covering 57 AU, the Falcon reached a point only 4 AU from Proxima Centauri b.

  Here, the reconnaissance drone deployed its three-meter-diameter telescope, capturing humanity's first ultra-high-resolution images of Proxima Centauri b (70 trillion pixels) over three days.

  Nineteen minutes ter, the Hope received the images.

  After processing them, Ay dispyed the images at their maximum resolution.

  On Proxima Centauri b's dark side, countless points of light were evenly distributed.

  Luna felt a shock.

  If each point represented a settlement, Proxima Centauri b's level of development was exceptionally high.

  "The Falcon has transmitted a second image."

  Ay announced, dispying an image of Proxima Centauri c.

  Countless points of light were also visible on Proxima Centauri c.

  This confirmed that the civilization on Proxima Centauri b was at least Type 1.

  "Ay, clear all space dust within 10 AU. Relocate the reconnaissance drones to a distance of 30 AU to ensure we are not detected by enemy warships."

  "All warships, prepare defensive systems. Enter combat readiness."

  "Recall the Falcon. Avoid any rash actions."

  "The fleet will maintain radio silence for one month. Ensure the Proxima Centauri civilization does not detect our presence."

  A series of commands were issued.

  Luna needed to be cautious. If they could observe this civilization, it was likely that this civilization could observe them too.