Cataclysmic Era: I can unlock the tech tree

As the probe reached the vicinity of Ross 154, the massive amount of probe data began to be transmitted to the quantum supercomputing center of the Earth.

After zero-level processing, most of the useless information is eliminated, while some useful or uncertain information is retained.

Finally, all of this data was presented to Lü Yongchang.

Inside the deep-sea cabin, Lü Yongchang's eyes, which were covered with dark circles, widened as he carefully examined the data in front of him.

carbon.

And a small amount of interstellar dust.

This is the composition of a black dwarf.

No light, no radiation...

It looks like a giant solid planet.

If he hadn't witnessed it with his own eyes, Lü Yongchang would never have believed that not long ago, this was a star radiating endless heat!

With a serious expression, he meticulously organized the data in front of him, categorizing it and placing it within the astronomical system known to humankind.

……

The central region of the Milky Way.

The Cleaners' Civilization Galaxy Branch.

As usual, Cleaner 9527 listlessly flipped through the data transmitted back by the detector.

"Sir, three more suspected stars have been discovered."

The subordinate's voice came from the side.

9527 responded softly, then used its tentacles to drag the light screen beside it, casually examining it for a moment.

The next moment, he casually pressed a button on the light screen next to him.

The button has only one function.

Launch the star-devouring device.

As Cleaner 9527 moved, a strange ripple appeared beside the absolutely still artificial planet.

It's like a pebble being thrown into a lake.

The ripples spread slowly.

Three star-devouring artifacts, gleaming with a dark light, slowly emerged from the center of the ripples.

When the three Star Devourers were fully revealed in the universe, the ripples gradually disappeared, and the universe returned to its original state.

After a brief pause, the three Star Devouring Devices entered a warp state and disappeared from sight.

"Sir, the number of Star Devourers in the microcosm is running low."

The subordinate's voice rang out again: "Should we manufacture another batch?"

9527 frowned, its tentacles twitching casually, and the external memory storage device next to its brain flickered with light.

"Need not."

There's no need to waste resources.

"I remember the first batch of planet-devouring devices launched have already completed their missions; they should be back soon, right?"

The subordinate quickly replied, "Yes, sir."

"Currently, more than twenty Star Devourers are on their way back."

9527 nodded casually: "Remember to extract the energy from it."

"Don't underestimate the small amount of energy a single star devourer may have, but when there are many of them, the energy becomes quite considerable."

"It can at least support us in fighting a small-scale war."

The subordinate quickly agreed.

"But...we haven't found any trace of the painting yet," the subordinate said after a moment of hesitation. "Could it be dead?"

"After all, its core was directly hit by the four-dimensional shock grenade, so the damage must be considerable."

When faced with his subordinate's question, Cleaner 9527's expression stiffened slightly.

But soon, it said in a low voice, "Even if it's dead, we still have to find where it died!"

"The mother civilization is making every effort to overcome two-dimensional technology."

"Whether it's dead or alive, it has an extraordinary purpose for us!"

A thoughtful look appeared in Cleaner 9527's eyes as his mind raced, considering the possibility of this happening.

Its core was destroyed by a four-dimensional shock bomb...

Perhaps this two-dimensional creature really did die in some remote corner?!

Thinking of this, a hint of panic appeared in Cleaner 9527's eyes.

These two-dimensional beings are a key focus of the mother civilization!

If it goes wrong...

The tentacles of Cleaner 9527 suddenly paused: "Release all the detectors!"

"Conduct a thorough search of the Hunter's Arm!"

"I refuse to believe we can't find this cunning two-dimensional creature!"

……

Twenty-five years later.

Earth year 2300.

A fleet whose surface is marked by the passage of time is heading toward its destination at 25% the speed of light.

Inside the starship, six billion humans are in deep hibernation.

1 AU away from the Earth.

A spherical detector, about one meter in diameter, with green indicator lights flashing on its surface, patrols and probes along a route with zero planning.

Suddenly, the camera on the spherical detector stopped rotating.

From the camera's perspective, a square probe with a dilapidated surface and many exposed circuits slowly emerges from deep space.

Inside the [Earth] Quantum Computing Center.

The bright red warning lights flashed incessantly, and the piercing siren blared wildly!

The CPU utilization rate jumped by 10 percentage points from zero.

At the same time, the emergency response plan was activated!

……

Outside of 1AU.

Dozens of detectors surrounded the square detector, which was not human.

The red indicator light on the surface of the square detector flashed slowly, seemingly puzzled by the behavior of the spherical detectors around it.

After the emergency plan was activated, a pre-set message was sent to the square detector.

The information is very simple.

It is just a sequence of prime numbers.

If the other party is a civilization with which communication is possible, this sequence of prime numbers is sufficient to indicate humanity's inclinations.

……

Inside the Earth.

One by one, the lights near the hibernation pods turned on.

"An unknown civilization's creation has been detected."

"Activate Type I Emergency Response Plan."

"Executing a wake-up task..."

As the sound of "Zero" rang out, a small holographic image appeared above the selected hibernation pod.

……

A familiar feeling came from all directions of my body.

Lu Yongchang frowned subconsciously and opened his eyes with difficulty.

The pupils contract rapidly when exposed to strong light.

He subconsciously tilted his head and looked away.

Upon seeing this, the robot next to it turned off its small flashlight.

[Pupil light reflex is normal]

A line of Chinese characters flashed quickly in the holographic image.

The next moment, the robot held up three fingers, and a voice emanated from its body: "Professor, please answer, what number is this?"

Having just woken from hibernation, Lü Yongchang's vision was still somewhat blurry.

After blinking hard, the scene in my eyes gradually became clear.

"three……"

He answered in a hoarse voice.

The robot quickly changed its gestures.

"Five..." Lu Yongchang said with a forced smile.

Although I was a little impatient with the process, it was ultimately for the health of the hibernators.

Therefore, he could only cooperate with the robot by answering a few pre-set questions.

[Conscious and in good condition]

In the holographic projection, a line of faint Chinese characters flashed again.

"Professor, welcome back to your senses."

"We're in trouble."