Cataclysmic Era: I can unlock the tech tree

Although warp drive was a first for all the academicians.

After the novelty wore off, everyone entered hibernation one by one.

The lights on the Earth gradually dimmed, and the previous hustle and bustle slowly returned to tranquility.

In the depths of space, protected by the warp bubble, the fleet sped toward its first destination at ten times the speed of light.

Over there, the fleet briefly paused to replenish its nearly depleted antimatter reserves.

Everything was done autonomously by the zero-control robot.

According to the preset procedure,

Zero will only awaken all researchers upon reaching its destination, the Kepler 452 galaxy.

……

Earth year 3605.

Inside the dimly lit command center of the Earth, a bright blue holographic projection light shone once again.

[Current distance to the target galaxy: 1 light-year.]

[Reaching warning distance, the fleet is exiting warp drive...]

……

It is located 1 light-years away from the Kepler 452 galaxy.

This is a vast, empty area between star systems.

In the desolate universe, apart from a few scattered starlight, there are only a handful of tiny meteorites.

suddenly.

The peaceful spacetime began to violently turbulent.

The next second, a massive fleet suddenly appeared in this open area.

The cluster of miniature meteorites at the front of the fleet seemed to have been attacked by some unseen force, instantly turning into countless tiny powder particles that dissipated into the visible universe.

As the turbulent spacetime gradually calmed down, the fleet's operational status gradually stabilized, and the intensity of the gamma rays released by the tail antimatter engine slowly decreased.

A few minutes later.

The side hatch of the giant flagship located in the center of the fleet slowly opened.

A large number of probes lined up in neat rows and filed out of the hatch.

After a brief pause, they activated their antimatter engines, accelerating towards the galaxy ahead.

……

"Professor, welcome to Earth year 3608."

The synthesized electronic voice rang in Lü Yongchang's ears, awakening his not-yet-fully-recovered senses.

"3608..."

Lu Yongchang closed his eyes slightly and murmured softly.

He coughed up the remaining deep-sea fluid, took a deep breath, and asked in a low voice, "Where is the fleet?"

"Current distance to the target star system is 0.01 light-years," Zero quickly replied.

Upon hearing this, he suddenly opened his eyes, a deep sense of shock flashing in the depths of his gaze.

Wow, that's really fast!

In just 308 years, the human fleet has traversed distances that were previously unimaginable!

"Were there any unexpected incidents during the voyage?"

As Lü Yongchang struggled to get up from the hibernation pod, he asked in a low voice.

"According to the plan, all energy refueling points are in planetless star systems," Zero answered Lü Yongchang's question meticulously. "Therefore, no trace of advanced civilizations was detected during the voyage."

Lü Yongchang nodded in understanding.

Also normal.

Since the earth-shattering battle between the Cleaners and the Pastoralists, this remote corner of the Milky Way has become almost a silent place.

Advanced civilizations naturally dare not "speak out" rashly.

And as for lower civilizations, there's not much more to say.

This is one of the reasons why Lü Yongchang dared to risk crossing 1539 light-years.

"Have the other academicians woken up?"

After receiving a positive reply from Zero, Lü Yongchang got dressed and walked towards the door: "Tell them to report to the command center immediately."

"receive!"

……

Inside the command center of the Earth.

Lü Yongchang and a group of academicians carefully examined the various data transmitted back by the probe.

He waved his hand and retrieved the basic information of the Kepler 452 galaxy from the data in front of him.

A high-resolution image of a planet appeared in a giant holographic projection.

"This is basically consistent with He Bilin's initial observations."

"The Kepler 452 system consists of six planets, including two gas giants, one iron planet, one ice giant, and two rocky planets."

"The primary star is an orange dwarf. Compared to the Sun, it is relatively small in mass and size, and its stellar activity is relatively slow and mild, which is enough to provide us with a good living environment."

(The Sun is a yellow dwarf star. Orange dwarf stars are larger than red dwarf stars but smaller than yellow dwarf stars.)

"The first planet, Kepler 452b, is a rocky planet with a surface gravity of 2.03g."

"Preliminary surveys indicate that the amount of liquid water on the surface is relatively low."

"However, the probe has discovered several comets containing abundant water resources within the Ganges system, so there is no need to worry about water resources."

At this point, Lü Yongchang paused slightly.

The atmosphere is composed of carbon dioxide, oxygen, and nitrogen.

"According to the calculation formula, Kepler-452b has a similarity of 0.91 to Earth!"

As he spoke, Lü Yongchang pulled up a surface image of Kepler 452b.

"So tall?!" Fang Xu exclaimed in a low voice beside him.

Planetary similarity is determined by a comprehensive assessment of various factors, including atmospheric and geological conditions and gravity.

With the planetary terraforming technology that human civilization has mastered today, any planet with a similarity of 0.7 or higher to Earth can become a candidate for colonization by human civilization.

A similarity score of 0.91 means that with only simple modifications, this planet could become the best place for humans to settle!

After a brief moment of astonishment, Fang Xu immediately asked, "Have any signs of life been discovered in the Kepler 452 star system?"

Such a livable environment has a very high probability of developing into a civilization!

A synthesized electronic voice quickly announced: "The dispatched probes have completed detailed exploration of the six planets."

"To date, no signs of life have been found on the surfaces of any of the six planets."

"but……"

Lu Yongchang's eyes flickered slightly, and he stopped looking up the data.

"But?" He frowned slightly and asked in a low voice.

"A year ago, the probe discovered traces of biological activity and fossils in the Kepler 452b strata."

"Hiss!" A collective gasp rippled through the command center.

"A biological fossil?!" Mao Zhengzhi excitedly stood up from his seat and asked eagerly.

"Has it been tested? What era did this creature come from?"

"Preliminary test data shows that these organisms lived 500 million years ago."

"...Five hundred million years ago?"

Zero's answer poured cold water on Mao Zhengzhi's enthusiasm.

Five hundred million years.

It's been too long.

It grew long enough to extinguish any illusion.

"What's the reason?" Fang Xu's expression gradually turned serious. "What caused their extinction?"

"I think it's the greenhouse effect."

Lu Yongchang stretched out his finger and gently tapped one of the data points in the holographic projection.

Carbon dioxide concentration.

"It's a bit like Earth that's becoming Venusian."

Lu Yongchang gently stroked his chin and said softly.

P.S.: Thanks to Solar Leap for the amazing certification!