Super Copy of Great Power Technology

The unmanned probe flew out of the stellar flow channel and arrived in the completely unfamiliar Sirius system. The optical sensors on board the probe immediately captured the light from the star. The main system, which had been in a dormant and energy-saving state, was immediately activated, followed by the power-on of various scientific payloads, which began self-testing and quickly entered working mode. These included the telephoto camera system, the infrared camera system, and the quantum communication module.

Numerous photos and videos of the Sirius system were captured by unmanned probes and transmitted back to Earth, 8.6 light-years away. This was made possible by the development of a quantum communication module by Rheda Aerospace, which allows for zero-latency communication regardless of spatial distance. This enabled the simultaneous transmission of images of the Sirius system to Earth, presenting them to scientists. Otherwise, using traditional radio communication systems, the signals would have taken eight years to reach Earth, assuming the radio waves had sufficient power to traverse the 8.6 light-year distance.

At the China National Space Administration's Deep Space Exploration Laboratory in Beijing, a group of aerospace experts sat upright, their expressions excited, their eyes fixed on the computer screens in front of them.

"Reporting to Academician Liu, we have just received information from the No. 1 unmanned probe. The data shows that the probe has flown out of the starflow channel, and all payloads are being activated and put into operation in an orderly manner. The real-time image transmission channel has been established, and video image reception is normal."

"Received. Project the images transmitted back by the unmanned probe onto the large screen in front, so that everyone can enjoy the beauty of the Sirius system up close."

"Great! The unmanned probe has finally reached the Sirius system, and all the mysteries are about to be revealed."

"I never imagined that the stellar passage between the solar system and the Sirius system would be so long. It took the unmanned probe nearly a year to reach the other side while traveling at full speed!"

"So the Sirius system really is a binary system. The brighter one in front is Sirius A, the main sequence star, and the dimmer one is Sirius B, the white dwarf star."

"Most star systems in the universe are binary systems, while single-star systems like our solar system are very rare."

"What I really want to know is how many planets are in the Sirius system, and whether any of them are habitable?"

"Don't rush. The unmanned probe has just entered the Sirius system and is still very far from Sirius A. Those small planets in the inner reaches of the system are likely buried in the starlight. Now is not a good time to search for planets."

"Oh no! The No. 1 unmanned probe has been attacked by an unknown kinetic weapon. The impact warning has been activated. The automatic avoidance system is loading, but loading has failed. The No. 1 unmanned probe has lost contact."

As the operator announced, a dark silver, rod-shaped object appeared in the live stream, rapidly approaching the camera until the image froze. The hearts of the researchers present involuntarily clenched; everyone knew what a signal loss and frozen frame during a live broadcast meant. It was highly likely that the No. 1 unmanned probe had been detected and locked onto by the enemy, and attacked by enemy space weapons, and was currently destroyed. "Ten minutes and twenty-three seconds later, the No. 1 unmanned probe flew out of the starflow channel. Just ten minutes and twenty-three seconds later, it was detected and destroyed by the enemy. Review the video and analyze what kind of weapon destroyed the No. 1 unmanned probe." Seeing this astonishing scene, even the usually optimistic and cheerful Academician Liu became unusually serious, his expression earnest and solemn.

The progress bar rewinds, and the video slows down from the first frame. The researchers stare wide-eyed, carefully observing the large screen, trying to find the location of the enemy's space weapon in the video.

"Stop, stop, stop. Zoom back to 7:35. In the upper right corner of the screen, did you see a dark red flash that disappeared in an instant? Immediately afterward, a silver-white object appeared in almost the same spot and quickly approached the probe. I suspect that the location of that dark red flash is very likely the location of the enemy's space weapon."

"Unfortunately, this is the edge of the Sirius system, too far from the star, and the light is too dim. Enemy space weapons are too difficult to spot, hidden in the black background."

"It's such a pity. The first unmanned probe was destroyed as soon as it appeared in the Sirius system. The video footage it captured was quite limited. It was a bad start. Fortunately, even without the first probe, there are still the second and sixth probes to come. In fact, in a few months, there will be a second and a third wave of unmanned probes arriving one after another."

This exploration of the Sirius system involved the launch of six unmanned probes, numbered one through six. Probes three, four, and five lost contact while traversing the stellar flow channel and are likely destroyed. Probe one has now been destroyed by a space weapon attack, leaving only probes two and six still operational. Due to a slight difference in their flight speeds, these two probes entered the stellar flow channel a few hours later than probe one and are currently still in the final stages of the channel. If all goes well, probes two and six should exit the stellar flow channel and enter the Sirius system within the next six hours.

"Near the exit of the star channel in the Sirius system, there are enemy-deployed space weapons. This information alone can reveal a great deal. First, the existence of these space weapons proves that there are indeed highly intelligent life forms in the Sirius system; let's call them the Sirians. Moreover, the Sirians' technological level is not much lower than that of humans on Earth. Second, the placement of these space weapons in their current location is definitely not a coincidence. The Sirians have likely already mastered the location of the entrance to the star channel leading to the solar system and the method of using the star channel."

"Neither of these two points is good news for us humans on Earth. I just wonder if the aliens in the Sirius system are the same species as the aliens discovered in Mexico recently?"

"The next probe to arrive in the Sirius system will be Probe 2, right? Around when?"

"Based on the order in which they entered the Starflow Channel, the next probe to enter the Sirius system is indeed the second probe. However, it's difficult to determine exactly how long after that. With our current technology, we cannot locate ourselves inside the Starflow Channel, nor can we perform velocity measurements. We cannot determine how much slower the second probe is compared to the first."

Two hours later, the second probe successfully escaped the stellar flow channel and entered the Sirius system. This time, the operator promptly input remote commands, adjusting the probe's flight path and intentionally avoiding the area where the space weapon had been previously detected. (End of Chapter)