In the year 2050 AD, the sun is affected by an unknown influence, and a helium flash is imminent!
Is Earth in danger?
It doesn't matter, I'll make a move!
The Trisolaran s...
"professor."
"Although a high-pressure environment can significantly improve the body's efficiency in absorbing oxygen."
"but,"
"According to the tests, the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere of Dawn is 1.14%. Even if it were all converted into oxygen, the oxygen concentration would not be enough to support normal human activities."
Fan Yi frowned and said, "I believe that in addition to relying on biological processes, large-scale atmospheric reform is still essential."
"Even if it requires a lot of resources, this is a step that cannot be skipped."
Lu Yongchang's lips curled up slightly, revealing a mysterious smile.
"Have you forgotten the layer of hematite covering the surface of Dawn Star?"
Fan Yi was momentarily stunned.
Suddenly, as if he realized something, his expression became excited!
He clasped his hands together and excitedly murmured to himself, "Yes, yes, and hematite too!"
"Carbon and iron oxide react at high temperatures to produce elemental iron and carbon dioxide."
"The carbon dioxide produced is then converted into oxygen through the photosynthesis of the nitrogen-fixing cyanobacterium Ross 154."
Fan Yi suddenly raised his head, staring intently at Lü Yongchang in front of him: "This, this is simply a perfect cycle!"
“You’re right,” Lü Yongchang said with a smile. “In this way, planetary terraforming not only did not slow down our development, but it even had a certain promoting effect.”
"As the various infrastructure projects are completed, the atmospheric composition of Dawn will gradually become closer to that of Earth."
"And all we need to do is wait a certain amount of time."
At this point, Lü Yongchang shrugged: "Of course, the whole process was definitely not that simple."
"Transforming the surface environment of the entire planet involves a lot of uncertainties."
"Our main task next is to build a complete planetary model, make all the necessary preparations, and wait for Nero's arrival."
"As for the modification of nitrogen-fixing cyanobacteria, the biological laboratory has already started the work."
...
The central region of the Milky Way.
Just like hundreds of years ago, the artificial planet belonging to the Cleaners civilization remains motionless in its original location.
There is no rotation, no revolution, and no gravity...
Aside from being visible to the naked eye, there is no other way to observe the existence of this planet.
It sits quietly in the central region of the Milky Way, like a virtual projection, asserting its sovereignty over the surrounding area.
Inside the artificial planet, there is a bizarre and fantastical scene.
Screens of light flickered, displaying information from every corner of the Milky Way.
Meanwhile, Cleaner 9527 was lounging lazily in a chair, surrounded by the light curtain.
"Sir, the detector has detected an anomaly in the target area."
A muffled voice echoed from inside the artificial planet.
"What?" Cleaner 9527's visual organs quickly looked in the direction from which the sound came.
“A black dwarf star.” The obscure voice rang out again.
"Oh?" A look of surprise flashed across the face of Cleaner 9527, who had been slumped in his seat. He straightened up and waved his tentacles to control the light screen in front of him.
"Black Dwarf..."
Have you searched for it?
Is it in our stellar database?
"No." After a moment of silence, the subordinate reported again in an extremely obscure tone, "The stellar database does not contain any black dwarfs in this region."
The voice paused for a moment, then spoke again: "At least within a range of one thousand light-years, there are no black dwarf stars recorded."
The tentacles of Cleaner 9527 waved unconsciously in the air.
This is how he expresses his excitement.
"So they can't hide it anymore..."
He rapidly moved his tentacles across the light screen in front of him, muttering to himself, "A black dwarf star has appeared out of nowhere. Are you preparing to absorb its energy and fight to the death?"
"Sir, you mean..." The subordinate's voice held a hint of doubt, "...that this was made of [painting]?"
Cleaner 9527 did not answer, but its tentacles waved more and more wildly.
Clearly, the information on the screen was making him increasingly excited!
"Found it."
"Star KZQXD771, a red dwarf, with an estimated remaining lifespan of 1.5 trillion years," Cleaner 9527 murmured excitedly.
"Sir?" The subordinate was even more confused. "Extracting and utilizing stellar energy should be an essential technology for a level six civilization."
"Although the Milky Way is a bit remote, there are still some Level 6 civilizations that exist there."
How can you be sure this is the act of "drawing"?
The Cleaner 9527's tentacles slowed down their movements somewhat.
He turned his head and looked at his subordinate with a strange expression: "Are you... sure that the technology possessed by a Level 6 civilization can turn a red dwarf into a black dwarf within two hundred years?"
"Let alone a level six civilization, even a star-devouring device would have a hard time achieving this."
"Two hundred years?!" The subordinate was stunned, then exclaimed in shock, "How is that possible?!"
Cleaner 9527 moved its tentacles slightly, dragging a screen of light in front of its subordinate: "The last time the probe observed star KZQXD771 was two hundred years ago."
"At that time, it was an incredibly young and healthy red dwarf star."
"To completely drain the energy of a red dwarf star within two hundred years..."
"The mother civilization's large-scale mass-energy conversion device can easily do this."
"But it's in our warehouse."
"Besides [the painting], I can't think of any other civilization in the Milky Way that possesses such power."
“But…” the subordinate hesitated, “why would it do that?”
“What I mean is, it could easily absorb energy secretly, instead of being so blatant…”
The cleaner's expression darkened.
"That's easy to guess."
"Perhaps its injuries are too severe, and it urgently needs a lot of energy to repair itself."
"Or perhaps... it has recovered from its injuries and is preparing for battle with all its might."
"Whichever one it is, it is what we hope for."
"After waiting for so long, this war can finally come to an end!"
At this point, Cleaner 9527 stood up from its seat, its tentacles once again sweeping across a screen of light.
"Order."
"All detectors within 1,000 light-years of star KZQXD771 have entered warp drive mode."
"I need to get all the data on that black dwarf star in the shortest possible time."
After a moment's thought, Cleaner 9527 said again, "Activate the planetary fortress and prepare for war."
As soon as he finished speaking, the atmosphere inside the artificial planet became solemn.
"yes!"
at the same time.
The artificial planet that was originally stationary in outer space began to slowly rotate.