Homo sapiens

Galaxy Year 382.

More than two hundred and seventy Earth years have passed since Artificial Earth No. 34 left the Superstar Colonial Branch.

In order to reduce the consumption rate of resources during the voyage, the Red Heart Group, adapted from the Red Heart Legion, adopts a shift system. Usually only 10% of the members are on duty, and the remaining members all enter the absolute zero sleep cabin.

At this time, the average life expectancy of new humans has reached about 1,258 years. If combined with absolute zero freezing and hibernation technology, the survival time can be further extended.

Gao Long, who had just participated in the 27th (held every 10 years) Science and Technology and Cultural Exchange Conference, looked a little unhappy at this time.

As soon as he exited the virtual world, he immediately summoned the core scientific researchers from the Scientific Division of Chixin Group.

As one of the heads of the Scientific Business Department of Chixin Group, Gao Long was responsible for leading the delegation to participate in five exchange conferences, but this exchange conference shocked him very much and also brought some bad news.

After nearly three hundred years of continuous foreign development by New Humanity.

Currently, the new human civilization controls quite a few planetary systems.

It includes 32 stars including the Proxima Centauri galaxy (including the Centauri AB star), which is 4.2 light-years away from the solar system, the Barnard Galaxy, which is 5.9 light-years away, and Lutan 726-8AB, which is 8.7 light-years away.

Among a series of planetary systems occupied by humans, the most distant planetary system from the solar system, the origin of human civilization, is the Lutan galaxy 12.4 light-years away.

The reason why these planetary systems can be reached is partly because the overall technology of human civilization is constantly improving.

For example, four-neutron materials and six-neutron material series have been synthesized one after another, and eight-neutron materials have been developed.

The emergence of these neutron materials has brought rapid progress in energy, shield and thruster technology.

At present, human technology can increase the safe navigation speed of spacecraft to 18.6% of the speed of light.

Although a mothership of the level of Artificial Earth certainly cannot increase its speed to 18.6% of the speed of light, this allowed the Chixin Group to obtain a colony in advance.

The Chixin Group transformed spaceships and space battleships, and then sent these spaceships to their destination in advance - the Lakai 9352 galaxy.

The Lakai 9352 galaxy is 10.7 light-years away from the solar system and about 8.6 light-years away from the giant nebula.

According to the previous sailing speed of Artificial Earth No. 34 (the speed of light is 1.8%), it will take about 480 Earth years.

However, using an improved version of the spacecraft, it will only take about 46 years to reach the Rakai 9352 system.

The Lakai 9352 galaxy is a single main sequence star, its star is a red dwarf, and its resources are okay.

The branches of human civilization that have spread around the solar system have found traces of life in basically every galaxy.

However, among the planetary systems with civilizations, apart from the solar system and the giant nebula, among the 32-star planetary systems, only two galaxies have intelligent creatures, and both of them are rookies among zero-level civilizations.

If the Six-Clawed People hadn't picked the wrong opponent, they probably wouldn't have ended up being exterminated.

Various sub-civilizations with a large number of colonies have also begun to catch up with the technological level of the parent company of the solar system little by little in the past hundred years or so, and no longer rely solely on the parent company's technology transfusion.

It is precisely because of this that at this technology and cultural exchange conference, the Sirius Group from the Sirius galaxy inadvertently researched some mysteries about the soul.

This achievement stirred up waves with just one stone.

It immediately shocked the entire scientific community of human civilization.

After all, the development of human civilization over the past three hundred years has not been smooth sailing.

One of the most troublesome issues is life span.

You know, human beings now claim that the average life expectancy can reach thousands, but the first generation founders of human civilization were only more than 400 years old at most.

The so-called life expectancy is nothing more than an assessment of the body.

Even in Galaxy Year 236, Li Qingye led the scientific research team to complete the cosmicization of human genes, reshaped human genes, and truly established reproductive isolation between new humans in the universe and natural humans.

And this technology has also allowed the average life expectancy of new humans to reach thousands of years.

But while everyone was immersed in this great achievement, a crisis was quietly brewing.

It wasn't until Galaxy Year 331 that the hidden crisis finally gradually spread.

The terrible disease "neurasthenia syndrome" first appeared this year. The characteristic of this disease is that the body is very healthy without any abnormalities, but the person's spirit will continue to be weak, and then memory confusion and loss will occur. , and finally became a living dead.

Any new human being who is over 360 to 370 years old will suffer from sage syndrome.

There is currently no cure for this disease. The various sub-civilizations are doing better because there are not so many elderly people. However, the problem is very serious in the parent company of the solar system.

At this stage, only conservative treatment options can be adopted, and all new humans over 300 years old will be sent into absolute zero cryo-sleep chambers.

All company veterans, including Li Qingye, have now entered a state of long-term dormancy.

But this time, Gao Long, who came back from participating in the exchange conference, heard bad news. Cryogenic hibernation can only slow down the decay of the soul, but it can only delay it by three times at most.

Take Li Qingye as an example. He had frozen himself for a long time due to genetic modification problems, but it turned out to be a blessing in disguise. His soul life span is now about 124 years.

Coupled with cryo-sleep at absolute zero, if he remains in cryo-sleep state, he can last up to 372 years.

If within this time limit, human civilization does not develop the technology to cure soul decay, then Li Qingye will lose his soul.

Gao Long, as the second generation of new humans of the Red Heart Group, is 233 years old and is actually approaching the end of soul decay.

Previously, he wanted to delay the time to thousands of years through the absolute zero freezing hibernation chamber.

Thinking about it now, he was too optimistic.

He suppressed the helplessness and unwillingness in his heart and looked at everyone present: "Everyone! I believe you already know about this exchange conference."

These members of the Scientific Division of the Chixin Group are all top scientists. They also participated in this exchange conference, so they naturally know what Gao Long means.

"Minister! We don't have much time left. We have to develop a treatment plan in a short time. It's difficult!" A bald scientist shook his head.

"Perhaps this is the limit of life in the universe!"

Obviously, none of the scientists present had any hope.

Like Li Qingye, they benefited from long-term frozen dormancy, and they still have a lot of time now.

Judging from the information obtained at the exchange conference, they only know that the soul may be composed of dark matter and dark energy.

Dark matter and dark energy are so mysterious that even after hundreds of years of development of human civilization, they are still in a state of being elusive.

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