Inside the office.
As the shrill alarm sounded, the holographic projection in front of Lü Yongchang turned blood red.
At the same time, a top-priority message overrode all other information and popped up before his eyes.
"Professor, an unidentified craft has been detected 4.2 light-years away."
"Preliminary assessment puts the probability that this craft is an alien civilization's probe at 99%."
An image from 4.2 light-years away appeared before his eyes as well.
"4.2 light-years?"
That familiar distance stirred something in Lü Yongchang's heart.
Back then, the distance between Earth and the Proxima Centauri System had also been exactly 4.2 light-years.
What had once been an impassable gulf now seemed like a shallow ditch on their doorstep.
The thought filled Lü Yongchang with countless emotions.
Looking at the somewhat battered Ellipsoidal Probe in the holographic projection, he raised his eyebrows slightly and immediately set aside his work.
"This is..."
As he studied the exceedingly familiar engine design at the rear of the Ellipsoidal Probe, the delight in Lü Yongchang's eyes instantly intensified.
"A Hall Thruster?"
"How fast is it traveling?" Lü Yongchang asked Zero, his voice slightly urgent.
"Its current cruising speed is 0.35c."
Lü Yongchang sprang from his seat and rubbed his hands together excitedly. "That's a very typical cruising speed!"
"It should be a probe sent by a level two or level three civilization."
"Yongchang!!" Fang Xu's shout came from outside the office.
Whoosh.
The office door slid wide open.
Fang Xu rushed into the office, his face eager, and shouted, "Yongchang, did you see it?!"
"It's here! It's finally here!"
"The School of Sociology just sent me a message, asking when I..."
"Hold on." Lü Yongchang interrupted Fang Xu. "Don't celebrate too soon."
"Have you forgotten the lesson we learned back then?"
"You mean... this probe could