Zhang Yuanshan's fleet has been gone for four days now. Since yesterday, Hu Yu and a group of generals have been staying in the command room every moment, maintaining constant contact with Zhang Yuanshan.
This is two light-years away from Earth Two. Zhang Yuanshan has ordered the fleet to break away from warp drive and switch to conventional engine propulsion, reducing the speed to 100 kilometers per second. On a cosmic scale, this speed is not much different from that of a snail. As the distance gets closer, the speed of Zhang Yuanshan's fleet continues to decrease.
What appeared before Zhang Yuanshan were clusters of gas clouds, the most common material in Nebula Region, mostly composed of hydrogen and helium, remnants of stellar explosions.
These gas clouds may have formed from recent stellar explosions or originated from the distant beginnings of the universe. They are the products of the end of a star's life and the raw materials for its birth, perfectly illustrating destruction and rebirth.
Zhang Yuanshan stopped, recorded everything here, and maintained real-time communication with Earth Two. They were still 10,000 kilometers away from the accident site. Zhang Yuanshan had reduced the speed to 10 kilometers per second. At this time, they were less than 8,000 kilometers away from the accident site. Everyone's heart was in their throat. Everyone was watching everything around them through the big screen. Even if a mosquito flew by, it would not escape everyone's eyes.
"No abnormalities found, General."
" Yuanshan, watch out! You're going too fast. Slow down!"
"Commander-in-chief, stop every minute to ensure safety before continuing the exploration," Wen Zhonghua reminded.
"General, Chief of the General Staff, rest assured, I know what I'm doing."
Zhang Yuanshan continued forward. He did not notice that, in addition to the various substances absorbed, each of the Wind Master had an extremely thin cloud of gas hanging on its surface. This cloud of gas was like a wad of cotton hanging on the warship, and no matter how the warship maneuvered, the cloud of gas showed no signs of being dispersed.
The gas cloud was too thin; all the detection equipment, including the countless sensors on the surface of the Wind Master, did not detect anything unusual. In the processors of these devices, the gas cloud was a normal phenomenon and would not trigger the alarm system.
These gas clouds not only clung to the surface of the Wind Master without showing any sign of detaching, but were also slowly seeping into its Wind Master. The Wind Master's thick armor seemed to be non-existent in the face of these gas clouds, which directly penetrated the core of the Wind Master and repeatedly severed the connection between the Wind Master and Earth Two. Hu Yu and Zhang Yuanshan learned of the situation immediately.
" Yuanshan, return to port immediately! Return to port immediately!"
"General, don't come any closer, don't..."
This was the last message Hu Yu received from Zhang Yuanshan. Immediately afterward, Zhang Yuanshan's Wind Master also lost contact. Bang! Wen Zhonghua slammed his fist on the table, drawing blood from his knuckles.
" Old Hu, I'm going to rescue Zhang Yuanshan!!!"
"Calm down, calm down! We haven't figured out the reason yet, going there will just be suicide!"
"Are we just going to stand by and do nothing about Zhang Yuanshan?"
" Zhonghua, Yuanshan already knew about this outcome when he went there, but unfortunately he lost contact with us before he could tell us the details."
"So what do we do now?"
"We can't take any action now. Our spaceships and warships from several directions have all lost contact. We can't even escape until we figure out the specifics. Now we can only wait for news from the academicians; maybe they can find the reason."
"Let's go find Academician Zeng now."
"No, we're going to the Biological Underground City to find Academician Xiao."
"Why? This has nothing to do with Academician Xiao, right?"
"Let's go, you'll see when we get there. I already have some guesses."
Unlike the Science City where Academician Zeng is located, the Science City is a small town in reality. Although it is not as large as a city in the Earth era, its population density is indeed comparable to that of a city in the Earth Two. The Biological Underground City is actually a biological ship. For safety reasons, the biological ships, like the Deep Blue, were all buried thousands of meters underground in Earth Two. The biological ships are naturally well protected, and even the Deep Blue has been well maintained. Although the Deep Blue is very outdated by the current level of technology, such a large ship is very suitable for use as a transport ship.
Hu Yu possessed the highest authority in the fleet and could directly enter any location. However, getting into the laboratory was extremely troublesome, requiring multiple disinfection and clothing changes. The two arrived at a half-meter-thick window next to the laboratory, from which they could directly observe the situation inside. Academician Xiao was still conducting various bizarre experiments that challenged the limits of ordinary people's psychological endurance. In the experiments, various biological organs were placed haphazardly; in their eyes, these things were no different from a pack of cigarettes or a lighter. Seeing Hu Yu Wen Zhonghua outside the window, Academician Xiao stopped his busy hands among a giant biological organ, took off his outermost protective suit, and prepared to leave the laboratory.
Hu Yu was alright, as this wasn't the first time he'd seen something like this. Wen Zhonghua, however, was different. He was now tightly covering his mouth with both hands, his cheeks bulging to their limit. It was clear that the food in his stomach was undergoing reverse movement and had already reached his mouth, making its final impact. If he hadn't covered his mouth so tightly, it might have gushed out.
Wen Zhonghua had no choice but to turn around and run to the restroom at the end of the corridor to clean himself. Hu Yu could hear a "whoosh" from afar, followed by the sound of running water. Five minutes later, just as Wen Zhonghua finished cleaning, Academician Xiao came out. Seeing Wen Zhonghua's condition, Academician Xiao had already guessed what had just happened. This wasn't the first time Academician Xiao had seen this situation. Few people who came here didn't vomit. Even the dozens of academicians inside had to go through this hurdle at first. Those who could continue to stay could stay, while those who couldn't were transferred to other departments.
"Chief of the General Staff, are you alright?" Academician Xiao asked with a low laugh.
"It's nothing, it's nothing," Wen Zhonghua said, looking quite embarrassed.
" Academician Xiao, we've come to ask you something. Have you made any breakthroughs in your research on consciousness?"
"Let's go talk in the lounge."
Back in the JD3 Planetary System, Academician Xiao had already assembled a human being using molecular technology. This human being is fundamentally different from a clone. A clone grows naturally through cell division and has consciousness, but this human being was assembled by controlling individual molecules, like building blocks, except that the blocks were replaced by molecules. Academician Xiao spent more than a hundred years assembling this human being.
The only difference between this assembled person and a normal person is consciousness. This person's heart is beating, blood is circulating, air is being exchanged in the lungs, the brain has vital signs, and metabolism is normal. In every indicator, it is almost perfect, but it has no consciousness.
Strictly speaking, the composition of living organisms is not complex. Not to mention humans, even protozoa with extremely simple body structures have simple consciousness. Consciousness is just a combination of chemical or bioelectric signals. However, consciousness has a unique characteristic: it cannot be manufactured or replicated. The existence of consciousness can only be given by nature.
"General, why would you ask that question?"
"Academician, you're probably aware of the fleet's unexplained loss of contact. We've basically confirmed that it wasn't the work of the Fish Horse Star fleet, nor does it seem like it was done by any other civilization. Zhang Yuanshan's last message was filled with fear and surprise. Given his character, he wouldn't be so panicked unless he encountered something extremely terrifying or bizarre."
So you suspect something?
"Indeed, I suspect there might exist a species that isn't biological, but possesses consciousness, and it was this species that destroyed our fleet, like Nebula."
"The electrical signals in nebulae are extremely complex. I've actually studied your hypothesis before, and I believe it's entirely possible. It's just that we haven't seen it. If such a species really exists, we don't know what kind of beings they are."
" Old Hu, Academician Xiao, what you're saying is too far-fetched, how could this be possible?"
"Chief of the General Staff, it's not strange at all. Even protozoa, which lack brains, possess simple consciousness. This shows that consciousness isn't a very complex thing. Look at the entire Milky Way; how many civilizations and how many sentient beings are there? Take Earth Two, for example. At its peak, it had 15 billion people. Adding other animals, the total number of conscious beings exceeds one trillion. Consciousness is more common in the universe than celestial bodies. If that's the case, why don't other matter besides living beings have consciousness? Does it have to be a living organism to have consciousness? I think that's unreasonable."