Super Copy of Great Power Technology

They thought this time everything was foolproof, but the attack came more frequently, faster, and more unexpectedly. In the probe's transmitted images, more than ten flashes appeared simultaneously, followed by a dozen silver objects of varying lengths, suddenly appearing in different locations and rapidly approaching the camera. A few seconds later, the screen went black, the signal was lost, and clearly, the second unmanned probe had also been destroyed by enemy space weapons. Compared to the first probe, the second probe had a much shorter lifespan, being destroyed less than ten minutes after leaving the starflow channel, resulting in very few usable images and videos.

After watching the final images transmitted back by the second unmanned probe, the researchers present remained silent. Finally, Academician Liu broke the silence, stating his deduction: "Based on the encounters of the first and second unmanned probes, it's clear that the indigenous extraterrestrials in the Sirius system have mastered the function of the stellar flow channel and pinpointed its exact location. To defend against potential alien probes or spacecraft, they have deployed numerous automated space weapons near the stellar flow channel's exit to block it. Currently, this blockade appears to be three-dimensional and comprehensive. It will be difficult for our unmanned probes to evade these space weapons and penetrate deep into the Sirius system for reconnaissance and photography."

"The situation is indeed quite dire. Despite our intervention, the second unmanned probe, flying in a completely different direction from the first probe, still couldn't evade the enemy's space weapons' scanning and attacks. If you observe closely, you'll see that the weapon attacking the second probe in the footage was likely an electromagnetic kinetic energy weapon, and there were at least a dozen of them, coming from different directions and distances. And that's just the weapons that appeared within the camera's view; there were many more that weren't. This proves that the aliens' blockade of the Starflow Channel exit is comprehensive and without blind spots. As long as our probes appear near the Starflow Channel exit, no matter which direction they fly, they will become targets, with no chance of survival."

"I remember that all the deep-space unmanned probes we launched were painted black and had undergone stealth treatment. What I want to know is, in the pitch-black space, how did those alien space weapons detect the unmanned probes?"

"As you said, our unmanned probes have undergone simple stealth treatment, but that is only designed for visible light detection and radar detection waves. If the enemy's space weapons use other methods to detect and locate targets, such as infrared detection, instead of radar or optoelectronic devices like those we invented, then our unmanned probes may be as conspicuous as fireflies in the dark in front of their equipment."

"Infrared detection? That's quite possible. In hibernation mode, our unmanned detectors only maintain the operation of a few basic devices, generating very little heat. However, once the unmanned detectors sense light, they automatically turn on, and all devices enter working mode, generating a huge amount of heat. It's perfectly normal for them to be detected and locked onto by enemy equipment such as infrared telescopes."

"If it's confirmed that infrared radiation revealed the location of the unmanned probe, then the solution is simple. Just send a remote command to the sixth probe as it exits the starflow channel. Even if it detects starlight, it shouldn't activate; instead, it should remain dormant and fly silently in space for a distance. This will allow it to evade the aliens' blockade of the starflow channel's exit. The real concern is that the alien space weapon might be equipped with other detection devices, such as gravitational disturbance detectors or long-range metal detectors. Even if our probe remains dormant, it will still be difficult to escape being detected and locked on."

"The Sirius system is too far away, and there aren't many measures we can take. Right now, we can only try the plan of protecting against infrared detection. We can only hope that the space weapons that aliens use to block the exit of the starflow channel are limited in size and energy, and have limited detection capabilities, making it difficult for them to detect the dormant unmanned probes."

"When will Probe 6 fly out of the Starflow Channel? This is our only hope. Should we take some measures?"

"Probe 6 was the last to enter the Starflow Channel, at least a dozen hours later than Probe 1. Based on this, it's estimated that Probe 6 will not exit the Starflow Channel and appear in the Sirius system for at least ten hours. As for the measures to be taken, I suggest sending a remote command to Probe 6 to guide it into a deep hibernation state. In this state, the unmanned probe will not emit any wireless signals, will have minimal operational equipment, and will appear as a solid rock from the outside, making it ideal for deceiving the enemy and evading detection."

"I do not recommend putting the unmanned probe into deep hibernation. In this state, most of the equipment needs to be turned off, including the quantum communication equipment. In other words, once this state is activated, the No. 6 unmanned probe will be completely out of contact. At that time, we will have no idea whether the probe has entered the Sirius system or whether it has evaded the detection and attack of enemy space weapons. It will be difficult to wake up the probe again. What difference is there between having it and not having it?"

"After shutting down the quantum communication module, it is indeed impossible to remotely wake up the probe. However, when initiating deep hibernation mode, a countdown of twelve hours or one day can be set. Once the countdown ends, the deep hibernation state ends, the probe restarts, and enters normal working mode. If the No. 6 unmanned probe is lucky enough, it will have already passed through the enemy's space weapon defense perimeter and moved away from the starflow channel exit. Even if the probe emits a large amount of infrared radiation and sends out a large number of detection waves, it will be difficult for the enemy to detect it."

"Alright, what you said makes some sense. Let's proceed accordingly. Hopefully, Number Six will be lucky enough to break through the encirclement and suppression of the alien weapons."

After some discussion, a final execution plan was determined. The operator immediately sent a signal to establish contact with the No. 6 unmanned probe flying in the Starflow Channel, sending deep hibernation and timed wake-up commands. The interior of the Starflow Channel is a special multi-dimensional space, which interferes with quantum communication signals and severely limits transmission bandwidth. However, establishing simple contact and transmitting some short commands is still not a problem.

Upon receiving the command, the No. 6 unmanned probe immediately shut down several of its basic functional devices and entered deep hibernation. The green flash representing the No. 6 probe on the monitoring screen completely went out. (End of Chapter)