Without the slightest warning, the large-aperture optical telescope in Jupiter Orbit suddenly detected an anomaly in the starry sky.
During observation, station personnel first noticed that the brightness at a certain point in the sky had increased dramatically. The operators immediately sent remote commands to adjust the telescope's orientation toward the anomalous light source and quickly calculated its position.
That location was far too familiar to humanity, so much so that the station personnel recognized it at once.
It was the Centaurus Three-Star System, the Triple Star System composed of Alpha Centauri A, Alpha Centauri B, and Proxima Centauri.
"What's with this brightness? It's still rising—so fast! The telescope's going blind!" An anxious shout rang out through the observation station. They had never encountered anything like this before.
Yes, the optical telescope was about to go blind.
The moment the observer finished shouting, the station lost its signal from the optical telescope.
Immediately afterward, alarm after alarm sounded throughout the observation station.
"That sound..."
"It's the gamma-ray detector alarm."
The duty officer was no slacker. Just by hearing the sound, he could tell that it only occurred when dense gamma rays had been detected.
The gamma-ray detectors were connected to two gamma-ray telescopes, one in Callisto orbit and the other in Jupiter's orbital path. Both were specifically used to detect cosmic rays.
Now that a surge in gamma-ray radiation had been detected, it was certain that the rays came from space. Combined with the positional data confirmed before the optical telescope lost contact, the incident could be pinpointed to the Centaurus Trinary Star System.
What had happened there?
The duty officer had no time to think further and sent the news to Callisto Base. Then, just as he hesitated over whether to leave his post and report to his superiors, the detector's fluctuations suddenly grew exponentially before it, too, could no longer receive any signal.
At the same time.
Callisto Base.
Seven or eight people had already gathered before Yue Yuan. Aside from Zhu Pete, the assistant who had always followed him, the rest were all experts.
There were particle physicists, astrophysicists, and a government official who had rushed over in a panic, clearly having hurried here the moment she received the news.
"Base Chief, this is bad! All external communications have been cut off. We can't contact Yinghuo Base, we can't contact Guanghan Palace, and Earth..." The government official bounced her way over, looking as though the sky had fallen. But the moment she stepped into Yue Yuan's office, she choked off, apparently not expecting so many people to be there.
Gravity on Callisto was even slightly lower than on the Moon, so everyone bounced as they ran, as though walking through water.
In truth, Yue Yuan had received far more information than anyone present, so he knew the situation was far more serious than they imagined.
Just moments ago, he had received a message from Yinghuo Base. It was very brief because transmission had been cut off before it could be completed.
During this period, due to their orbital positions, Mars and Jupiter happened to be on the same side and relatively close together. Thus, communications sent from Earth to Callisto Base were generally relayed through the nearer Yinghuo Base.
The message came in several parts, each separated by several minutes. Its contents were as follows.
Callisto, Callisto, this is Yinghuo Base. We have received a message from Earth. The Xihe Solar Probe has observed a sharp increase in solar radiation, cause unknown. We recommend preparing in advance for a solar sunspot eruption.
Callisto Base, this is Yinghuo Base. According to the latest information, the Sun may undergo intensified activity in the short term for unknown reasons. The solar wind is strengthening and may cause interstellar communications to be interrupted. Please make the appropriate preparations.
Callisto Base, this is Yinghuo Base. The Sun is erupting violently for unknown reasons. Gamma-ray levels have already broken the historical record.
Oh God, it's over. The Sun... The Sun... bzzzt crackle crackle bzzzt...
During the intervals between messages from Yinghuo Base, Callisto Base also received an image transmission from Earth.
The computer-processed footage showed—
The Sun's surface suddenly twisted, as though a chunk had been bitten out of it. Then it spewed forth a flame hundreds of millions of kilometers long, like a solar prominence magnified hundreds of times over. The prominence continued expanding, making it seem as though some giant had taken a bite out of the Sun's surface. Countless torrents of flame and heat surged upward. Then the flames fell back, the Sun's luminosity abruptly skyrocketed, and the image turned into a sheet of blinding white before cutting off without warning.
At this point, Yue Yuan no longer cared about anything else. In a few terse sentences, he relayed the information he had received, keeping it as brief as possible without omitting anything important. Then he swept his stern gaze across the people before him and asked, "What do you think?"
Everyone present began discussing it at once. Most were experts in their respective fields and naturally understood the severity of the matter. They had probably all considered the worst-case scenario, yet not one of them was willing to say it first.
"Times are different now. Stop holding back whatever you have to say," Yue Yuan said immediately.
The moment Yue Yuan finished speaking, a voice accompanied someone entering through the door and reached everyone's ears. "A supernova explosion!"
Yue Yuan looked up and saw that the newcomer was around fifty years old, dressed in casual clothes. Sparse black hair covered his head, with mottled white strands clearly visible among it. Yue Yuan knew him well. His name was Gan De, the resident astronomer and astrophysicist of Callisto Base, responsible for several astronomical telescopes under the base's jurisdiction.
He had only arrived now, likely because he had observed the anomaly in the Centaurus Trinary Star System.
As Base Chief, Yue Yuan knew that the Centaurus Trinary Star System anomaly had actually been discovered later than the message from Yinghuo Base had arrived.
Otherwise, Callisto Base should have sent Yinghuo Base a warning about the anomaly in the Centaurus Trinary Star System first, not the other way around.
Gan De, who was usually exceptionally composed and calm, looked anything but calm now. Thinking Yue Yuan had not heard him, he squeezed between the others and continued, "A supernova explosion. A supernova explosion has occurred in the Centaurus Trinary Star System. According to data returned by probes we sent to the outer planets of the Solar System, it wasn't one—it was three. Alpha Centauri A, Alpha Centauri B, and Proxima Centauri. The anomalous brightness arriving from all three stars one after another has been confirmed."
"How is that possible? Alpha Centauri A and B might be one thing, but Proxima Centauri is a Red Dwarf Star. How could it possibly undergo a supernova explosion?" someone murmured.
"Under normal circumstances, it certainly couldn't. Not just Proxima Centauri—Alpha Centauri A and Alpha Centauri B wouldn't undergo supernova explosions under normal circumstances either. That's why this isn't normal," Gan De explained patiently despite his anxiety.
Then he continued, "This will be a disaster. The Centaurus Trinary Star System is only 1.3 parsecs from our Solar System—far too close. Earth's magnetic field cannot possibly withstand such an intense Gamma Ray Burst. Besides, external communications should already be completely down. We have no way to send this information back to Earth. All we can do now is pray that they receive the data transmitted back by those probes as soon as possible."
Gan De's voice gradually softened, because he knew that even if they discovered it, the remaining time would at most be enough for some people to hide underground. Most people, along with all life across the globe, would be unable to escape their fate.
Gan De thought this way because he had only just arrived and did not know that the Sun had suffered the same disaster.
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