【Earth】
The office was dark, with the lights off.
Only the faint, deep blue light of the holographic projection illuminated the surrounding environment.
A faintly visible figure sat quietly behind the desk, elbows propped on the desk, silently watching the rapidly flashing text in the holographic projection.
suddenly.
Perhaps because the Earth's position had changed slightly, a beam of light from the host star Gliese 555 shone directly onto the office window.
Through the porthole, the warm light instantly dispelled the cold darkness in the office.
"Professor, the final candidate has been selected."
Meanwhile, synthesized voices echoed throughout the office.
"good."
The figure behind the desk stirred and managed to squeeze out a syllable.
Then, the office, which had become slightly brighter under the light of the main star, fell silent again.
Lu Yongchang stared blankly at the names slowly scrolling across the holographic projection, then closed his eyes in pain.
"Professor, Academician Su Yutong has arrived."
"Let her go back," Lu Yongchang's weak voice rang out. "Don't open the door..."
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
A dull knock on the door interrupted Lü Yongchang's words.
"Go back now." Lü Yongchang took a deep breath, mustered his spirits, and shouted loudly.
"No!" Through the heavy hatch, Su Yutong's voice trembled slightly. "You've been in the office for three days already!"
"..."
There was no response.
Inside the office, Lü Yongchang was still staring blankly at the names on the holographic projection, trying to memorize them.
However, even with his enhanced brain, managing a billion names would be a daunting task.
"Don't forget, you are the chief scientist of the All-China Academy of Sciences!"
The voice outside the door suddenly turned stern: "If you fall, what will happen to the remaining billions of humans?!"
Lu Yongchang trembled slightly, but still did not speak.
"...I'll leave the food at the door. No matter what, you have to eat something."
Su Yutong's voice softened slightly: "The Human Alliance still has hope."
"I...I understand."
Lu Yongchang's eyes reddened slightly as he murmured softly.
"Professor, Academician Su Yutong has left."
The moment the synthesized voice sounded, Zero's virtual image slowly appeared beside him: "Your food is left at the door."
"...Please bring it in for me."
Lu Yongchang's eyes dimmed, and after sighing again, he said in a low voice, "She's right, there's still hope for the People's Federation."
"We cannot let down the sacrifices of these one billion people."
"Click".
The sound of the door opening rang out, and a robot, under Zero's control, walked towards the office door.
Just as Lü Yongchang reached out and gently patted his cheeks to cheer himself up, a message popped up in front of him.
[Communication Request]
"Professor, a communication request has been sent from the direction of Proxima Centauri."
"Accept?"
Lu Yongchang put down the food he had just opened, his brows furrowing slightly.
"A communication request from the Proxima Centauri civilization?"
As he watched the rapidly flashing information on the holographic screen, Lü Yongchang felt a jolt in his heart.
It seems like one problem after another is brewing.
At this critical juncture, I wonder what kind of situation has arisen for the human civilization on Proxima Centauri.
A barely perceptible hint of worry flashed across Lü Yongchang's eyes: "Connect it."
...
17.55 light-years away, Proxima Centauri.
The light of the primary star, Proxima Centauri, is extremely dim, struggling to dispel the darkness in this star system.
Proxima Centauri b.
It gradually became a silvery-white frozen planet starting hundreds of years ago.
Satellites silently revolve around this planet.
In the distance, a massive [Skewer] starship slowly approached.
It comes from the gas giant planet in the Proxima Centauri system, and is used to replenish the fusion fuel for the few remaining surface cities on Proxima Centauri b.
Time is like a knife; hundreds of years have left deep marks on the [ray].
But it still follows the original procedure, tirelessly traveling back and forth between the two planets.
Proxima Centauri b, Central City.
The city's roads, facilities, and buildings are all shrouded in a sense of weight brought about by the passage of time.
The central city has remained unchanged for hundreds of years.
Not only the central city, but also the surrounding cities have remained virtually unchanged over the past few centuries.
The Human Parliament Building on Proxima Centauri.
"Ren Feng, you were looking for me?"
A familiar voice came from an office deep inside.
Behind the desk, a middle-aged man with gray hair, a faint bitter smile on his face, waved his hand gently and said, "Zhengqing, sit down."
Do you remember what I said to you back then?
Zhang Zhengqing's breath hitched slightly, and the relaxed expression on his face instantly turned serious.
He was silent for a moment, then nodded slightly: "Of course I remember."
Zhang Zhengqing looked at the middle-aged man in front of him, whose face was full of fatigue, with a complicated expression: "You...have you thought it through?"
Ren Feng did not respond to Zhang Zhengqing's question immediately, but instead raised his hand and operated the holographic projection next to him.
"Take a look."
He skillfully pulled up a document and showed it to Zhang Zhengqing.
"This is the latest document from the Human Alliance Fleet."
Zhang Zhengqing glanced at Ren Feng suspiciously, then focused his attention on the holographic projection in front of him.
The moment he saw the title, his eyes widened in shock.
"The 'cut-off...cut-off plan'?"
These four words immediately gave rise to a bad feeling in his mind.
He didn't have time to think or ask any questions; he simply swiped the holographic interface and began to read carefully.
"..."
"He's gone mad! Professor Lü has gone mad!"
Zhang Zhengqing's hands trembled slightly as he murmured, "A billion people, that's a billion people!"
"Just like that, we sacrifice them?!"
"For the survival of more people." Ren Feng smiled with relief and said in a low voice, "That's what they did back then."
Zhang Zhengqing's voice suddenly stopped.
He understood what Ren Feng meant by those words.
More than two hundred years ago, when that disaster struck and the surface cities of Proxima Centauri were in chaos, those elderly people also voluntarily gave up their chance to survive.
Recalling the scene, Zhang Zhengqing's stiff face softened slightly.
"Why……"
"Perhaps this is the inheritance of humankind."
“It’s a pity…” Zhang Zhengqing murmured with a sigh, “In today’s Proxima Centauri civilization, there are probably not many people who possess this kind of heritage.”
Ren Feng was silent for a moment, then spoke in an extremely firm tone.
"It doesn't matter."
"We have enough."
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