Hearing the question from beside him, Lü Yongchang let out a deep sigh.
The worst possible result was in.
The Sun's abnormal activity had indeed begun two months early!
Worse still, the Sun was clearly aging faster than it had in his previous life!
According to Lü Yongchang's calculations, the Sun would unleash another helium flash in roughly fifteen years.
The corner of Lü Yongchang's eye twitched.
They had lost five whole years!
"Professor Lü?"
Ye Nangeng's prompting voice came from beside him.
Lü Yongchang struggled to force his lips into a strained smile. "Something has gone wrong with the Sun."
Half an hour later.
Ye Nangeng stared blankly at Lü Yongchang.
"Impossible... how is that possible?!"
"The Sun has only existed for 4.6 billion years. According to our models, it should last at least ten billion years!"
"How... how could it already be entering old age?!"
Ye Nangeng's face flushed red, and the gray-white beard around his mouth trembled as he shouted, "That is absolutely impossible!"
"There must be an error in your calculations! The Sun cannot possibly enter its red giant phase in little more than a decade!"
Facing the distraught Ye Nangeng, Lü Yongchang felt a flicker of pity deep in his eyes.
In his previous life, countless scientists had broken down upon learning this inconceivable news!
Not a single person with a higher education had believed the conclusion!
Yet the truth had been right there before humanity!
The edifice of astrophysics, built with untold time and effort, had been toppled with such ease!
"Mr. Ye, calm down," Lü Yongchang said softly. "All the calculations are here. I've already explained every step you didn't understand in detail."
"Do you see any flaws?"
Ye Nangeng's expression froze.
It was precisely because he knew he could find no flaws in Lü Yongchang's formulas that he found all of this so hard to accept!
Mathematics did not lie.
In the mathematical model, the Sun was aging at a visibly discernible rate.
It would even enter its red giant phase in the near future!
He shakily raised his wrinkled hand and forcefully plucked out a tuft of his beard.
"Ah!"
Ye Nangeng sucked in a sharp breath and murmured to himself, "This... this is real..."
The next moment, he whipped his head toward Lü Yongchang and seized his arm with his thin, bony right hand. "Professor Lü! Then... what should we do now?!"
With a grave expression, Lü Yongchang said, enunciating every word, "Go see the Head Councillor!"
Capital City, inside the First Ring Road.
In the Head Councillor's office.
"Yongchang?" A faint smile appeared on Senator Li's face when he saw Lü Yongchang. "What brings you here? Shouldn't you be working on miniaturizing your fusion reactor?"
Bitterness filled Lü Yongchang's face. He slowly shook his head and said gravely, "Head Councillor, I have something extremely important to report!"
Seeing Lü Yongchang's serious expression, Senator Li gradually grew solemn as well.
He put down his pen and looked gravely at Lü Yongchang. "Go ahead."
Lü Yongchang drew a deep breath and slowly began, "Head Councillor, the Sun has already entered a phase of rapid aging!"
"According to my predictions, it will enter its red giant phase within ten years and unleash a helium flash within fifteen!"
"When that happens, human civilization will cease to exist!"
"..."
As Lü Yongchang's words faded, silence fell over the Head Councillor's office.
Only after a long while did the Head Councillor draw a deep breath.
"Hiss..."
His brows knitted tightly, and the knuckles of his right hand unconsciously tapped against his desk...
"Yongchang, what you just told me... are you certain it's all true?"
Seeing the deep skepticism in the Head Councillor's eyes, Lü Yongchang nodded helplessly. "Head Councillor, if you don't believe me, you can ask some astronomy experts to verify my predictions."
Senator Li shook his head with a bitter smile. "Yongchang, it's not that I don't believe you. It's just that this... is a little too far-fetched."
Lü Yongchang fell silent.
The Head Councillor was right.
Honestly, if he had not been reborn and personally witnessed the helium flash erupting, he would not have believed his own words either!
The Sun, still in its prime, would enter its red giant phase within ten years and unleash a helium flash within fifteen?
To be fair, the Head Councillor was already treating him well by not throwing him straight out!
"Head Councillor, Mr. Ye from the Xia Country Astronomical Observatory is just outside. Perhaps... I could bring him in, and you could ask for his opinion?"
When the Head Councillor nodded, Lü Yongchang hurriedly opened the door and pulled Ye Nangeng inside.
The Head Councillor frowned at Ye Nangeng, who stood beside Lü Yongchang. "Mr. Ye, how likely do you think Yongchang's prediction is?"
In response to the Head Councillor's question, Ye Nangeng nodded bitterly. "Head Councillor, I... I found no flaws."
Although he had anticipated Ye Nangeng's answer, the Head Councillor's pupils still shrank to pinpoints the instant he heard those words!
"Tap... tap... tap..."
The sound of knuckles tapping against the solid wood desk filled the office.
Despite his intense anxiety, Lü Yongchang waited patiently for the Head Councillor to make a decision.
After all, faced with a disaster of this magnitude, there was no way he could turn the situation around without Xia Country's help!
"Since both of you say so, I'll trust you this time."
The Head Councillor said gravely, "I'll convene a meeting immediately to verify this situation. If it proves true..."
"We may have to start considering a way out."
With that, the Head Councillor leaned back in his chair and sighed once more.
Lü Yongchang's gaze shifted slightly.
"Head Councillor, according to my predictions, extremely intense auroras will erupt in the skies all across the globe tonight!"
"That will mark the Sun's full transition into old age."
The Head Councillor's gaze shifted slightly.
As Head Councillor, he naturally knew some basic facts: auroras generally appeared only over the South Pole or the North Pole.
As for auroras erupting across the globe...
The last occurrence should have been in 1958, during an intense surge in solar activity!
The current level of solar activity was clearly insufficient to produce such a magnificent spectacle!
He therefore nodded lightly. "All right, I understand."
"If global auroras really do appear, I think... your prediction will be somewhat more convincing!"
As he spoke, the Head Councillor gave Lü Yongchang a meaningful look.
That night.
An emergency meeting attended by most of Xia Country's astronomers and physicists began in the Xia Country Great Hall.
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