"...Recently, the 'Seeker 1' unmanned exploration spacecraft carrying the longing for the starry sky has successfully reached a position 21 billion kilometers away from us."

"Although the nuclear power battery it carries can only work for another 42 years, it can still maintain contact with us during this time and continuously transmit the scenery in space back here!"

"I believe that although this is a small step for our country, it will be a giant step for the world!"

"..."

"——Beep!"

The TV that was still broadcasting the news was suddenly turned off, which also caused dissatisfaction among viewers.

"Dad, what are you doing! You stopped your son's great progress, which is something worthy of celebration by the whole world!"

Although the spectators were clamoring, but seeing his father's increasingly gloomy expression, he immediately ran back to his room without looking back.

I just heard him yelling, "I remember I still have homework to do!" Then I heard the sound of the door being locked, and I didn't know if he was really doing homework inside.

But he made a phone call and seemed to be asking someone to meet. Then he walked for a long time and finally arrived at a hidden tavern.

The man called "teacher" didn't care about this person's tone, but said seriously:

"You're very good at concealing information... Even after all this time, you still haven't revealed the slightest clue?"

When this man who had not used his name for a long time was called out, a look of recalling the past flashed across his face, but he quickly became firm again.

"...Teacher, calm down first. I know you think your 'Dark Forest' theory is correct, and I deeply agree with your research. But you see, if the institute wants to get more funding, it naturally needs to have

A big enough discovery..."

At this time, the people in the Astronomical Institute were in a mess. Countless people were nervously calculating something, and their heads were covered with sweat.

The Star Scholar's eyes were very hot, as if he must get the answer to this question, staring at his students making them feel uncomfortable, and he had no choice but to admit:

"Before I left, didn't I repeatedly tell you not to reply to any messages and just be a quiet listener?! Why should I reply to messages from those 'alien civilizations'?!"

On the way, he was still thinking in his mind: "That string of alien signals from about five light-years away was discovered by me twenty years ago, but it took another five years for the Astronomical Institute to respond..."

A staff member who had just been urgently recalled from get off work was a little confused when he saw this, so he quickly caught one person and asked what was going on.

"Confused! What a confusion!" The Planet Scholar said with sorrow on his face, "How dare you assume that the other party must have come with good intentions? Our strength, our country, and our civilization are far from enough to deal with a space attack.

!”

"About 15 years ago? That was not long after you left, teacher..."

Everyone else in the tavern looked over because of the strange behavior of Planet Scholar, which made him realize that he was too excited and had to sit down again.

"But you also know that the transmission of information takes time. Since I took the initiative to reply -"

"But twenty years have passed, and I haven't seen any relevant reports, nor have I heard any information. I want to know, does the institute really pay attention to the discovery I mentioned?"

This man seemed to know some inside information. After reading the newspapers, he stood up directly, left a note saying "make dinner by yourself", put on his coat and hurried out.

The father looked at his son's naughty appearance and could only sigh helplessly. Then he turned his attention to the newspaper on the table and looked at the various news about "space exploration" on it, showing a serious expression.

He sat down at the table and began to flip through the newspaper page by page, frowning from time to time because of the various celebratory reports above.

The planetary scholar rushed back home, but failed to notice that some of those who were supposed to get off work seemed to have received some urgent news and ran back in a hurry. Their target was the unique landmark building in the distance - the Astronomical Observatory.

"——What!?" After hearing this paragraph, the scholar of the Planet suddenly stood up, and his voice was even slightly distorted due to the huge incomprehension.

"You shouldn't be here, but you still come here. This shows that I, as a 'teacher', still have some weight in your heart."

"...Huh, teacher, you should know that the work I do is strictly confidential, and your identity is... quite special. For the sake of your student's future, can you not come to me again in the future?"

I saw him speak directly: "There is no need for small talk. I must have something important to discuss with you. Ever since the Institute of Astronomy fired me, I have been worried about that discovery."

"Of course, after all, you are the famous 'scientist of extraterrestrial civilization' - a scholar of planets. If you have something to ask for, students will naturally come."

"...No, that's not right. Preparing weapons also takes time. The attack hasn't happened yet. Maybe I still have time..."

The student once again tried to persuade Scholar Doubtful Star, but Scholar Doubtful Star was already stamping his feet on the spot in a hurry. He didn’t care about the strange looks from the people around him and asked directly:

"When was your earliest response?"

"If the information transmission time is also calculated as five years, the blow should have come five years ago. Why not? Is my theory wrong?"

"...In fact, your discovery did attract the attention of everyone in the institute at first. This matter even alarmed some big shots, and made the people in the institute work overtime for a long time..."

And not long after he sat down, another man also wearing a coat hurriedly came here and sat directly in front of him.

As soon as this person sat down, he was full of complaints, but from his words, it could be heard that they were actually very familiar with each other.

Before he could continue to ask, his student replied helplessly:

"This is the only clue to communicate with extraterrestrial civilizations. Of course, the institute cannot give up this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. In any case, the first contact is necessary, and this will affect our strategy..."

The streets were as usual, with people hurriedly getting off work and students returning home from school. Among this group of people "walking back", a rebel like him seemed a bit out of place.

However, they saw that the scholar from Puzzle Star ran home immediately after hearing the time, and did not hear what the student said behind him at all.

After hearing the reason, the staff member was so shocked that he broke into a cold sweat and joined in the intense work.

Because he heard an incredible answer:

"The latest information returned by 'Seeker 1' shows that a beam full of huge energy is approaching, and the target is...our star!"

It was also at this time that the "Seeker 1", which was advancing 21 billion kilometers away, was accidentally hit by a thick beam of light and disappeared in the light in an instant.

Countdown to disaster: 19 hours.
Chapter completed!