Cataclysmic Era: I can unlock the tech tree

The third day after the strange black circle was discovered.

Xuan Nu No. 1 re-entered the Earth's atmosphere and slowly landed at the Xia Kingdom's National Aerospace Research Institute.

A series of rock and black circle samples excavated from the moon were immediately sent to the institute's laboratory for testing.

Lu Yongchang looked at the black substance on the lab table in front of him, a hint of amazement flashing in his eyes.

Under the light, the black substance reflected a slight sheen.

"I have to say, this thing is actually quite nice-looking," Lü Yongchang said in a low voice.

Cao Liangcai leaned closer, glanced at the black substance on the lab table, and nodded slightly: "It is indeed quite beautiful, but..."

"Both are Hall thrusters, but ours doesn't seem to achieve the same effect, does it?"

Hearing this, a hint of helplessness appeared in Lü Yongchang's eyes.

Of course it won't reach that level.

If the same effect could be achieved, Xuan Nu No. 1 could probably fly out of the solar system.

"Old Cao, help me determine when this thing was formed."

Cao Liangcai was slightly taken aback.

"When did it form? Why are you researching this?"

"Shouldn't the most urgent task now be to investigate the composition of this black substance?"

Lu Yongchang stared intently at the glassy substance before him, and said softly, "I need to model it and reverse engineer where this aircraft went!"

……

"The results are in."

Cao Liangcai's eyes held a hint of horror: "You might not believe it, but this thing was actually formed five years ago!"

"It's hard to pinpoint the exact time, but there's an approximate timeframe, which should be around December 2025."

Upon hearing this crucial timeframe, Lü Yongchang's heart skipped a beat.

five years ago.

It is precisely the time when travelers leave the solar system.

Could it be that unlucky... that two Voyager probes were picked up by two different civilizations?

Thinking of this, a bitter expression appeared on Lü Yongchang's face.

This is truly...

"What's wrong?"

Seeing the bitter expression on Lü Yongchang's face, Cao Liangcai frowned and asked in a low voice, "Is there anything special about this time?"

After a moment's hesitation, Lü Yongchang told Cao Liangcai his guess.

"Holy crap..."

"Damn, the solar crisis was caused by the US?" Cao Liangcai's face instantly turned bright red. "No way, we have to settle accounts with them!"

"Come on, this is just my guess," Lü Yongchang said with a shrug, "Besides, how do you want to settle this?"

"Given the current situation, even if Xia Guo has a technological monopoly, we cannot easily take action against other countries."

"We only have 15 years left. We can't afford to spend a year or two fighting amongst ourselves, can we?"

"Moreover, no matter how trashy they are, on a cosmic scale, we are still human civilization."

Cao Liangcai chuckled sheepishly and scratched the back of his head: "I didn't think that much about it... I just felt that as long as our Xia Kingdom could distance itself from the situation, what did the other countries have to do with us!"

Lü Yongchang slowly shook his head.

"You can't say that."

"Whether from a genetic or evolutionary perspective, keeping them will only be more beneficial to our Xia Kingdom."

As he spoke, a profound look appeared in Lü Yongchang's eyes: "After we evolved from apes into humans, our evolution stagnated."

"To adapt to the universe, we must begin the process of evolution once again."

"The genes of different races can only be beneficial to the Xia Kingdom."

"To go far in this dark universe, it is absolutely impossible to remain stagnant."

Cao Liangcai nodded thoughtfully.

That makes some sense.

"Of course." A cold glint flashed in Lü Yongchang's eyes. "All of this is under the premise that Xia Kingdom is in charge."

"If anyone dares to cause trouble at a time like this, I'll show them what despair truly means!"

Cao Liangcai's eyes twitched twice, and he quickly changed the subject: "Ahem! We've gone off on a tangent."

"The data is available; we can now begin modeling and working backwards."

Lu Yongchang snapped out of his daze and looked down at the data in front of him.

After inputting the data into the model I created, the computer quickly gave a conclusion.

"hiss……"

Lu Yongchang gasped, "How...how could this be..."

The simulation results clearly point in the direction of Proxima Centauri.

In other words, the alien civilization that used Hall thruster technology came from Proxima Centauri, which is only 4.22 light-years away from Earth!

4.22 light-years!

On a cosmic scale, this is an extremely small distance.

They're basically like neighbors separated by a wall!

A cold sweat broke out on Lü Yongchang's back.

This... Humanity has spent so much time searching for extraterrestrial civilizations, little did we know that the real extraterrestrial civilizations were right next door!

Cao Liangcai, who was standing to the side, was also horrified when he saw the result.

"This result... can't be wrong, right?" He swallowed slightly and said in a low voice.

Lu Yongchang didn't say anything, but simply lowered his head and quickly checked it over.

After the second simulation yielded the same result, Lü Yongchang sighed deeply.

"It should be correct."

"They're right next to us."

Lu Yongchang's face was extremely ugly.

What's even more terrifying is that they don't even know when this civilization will fully enter the solar system!

"What...what should we do?"

Faced with Cao Liangcai's question, Lü Yongchang fell into a long silence.

What should I do?

How did he know what to do?!

This is a combination of natural disaster and man-made calamity!

A start that's down to hell!

Hiding in the solar system is definitely not a way to survive.

Leaving the solar system, Proxima Centauri, at a distance of 4.22 light-years, is another necessary choice.

Trans-galaxy travel is not like intra-galaxy travel.

Beyond the stars lies an endless "blank space".

It is fair to say that in such interstellar space, humanity would receive no supplies.

Therefore, the target of the first intergalactic voyage could only be Proxima Centauri, the closest star.

As for Alpha Centauri, which is 4.3 light-years from Earth... there are no planets in its star system.

(This setting is for the sake of plot development; in reality, there is a high probability that an Earth-like planet exists in the habitable zone of Alpha Centauri.)

Until humanity acquires the technology to convert energy into matter, planets will always be an indispensable source of resources.

Gas planets can provide hydrogen and helium, providing energy for the next interstellar journey, while solid planets can provide essential elements for various carbon-based life forms, such as carbon and oxygen...

His brain was working frantically, sorting through all the information that was currently known.

Suddenly, his eyes lit up!