" Old Hu, are you really planning to go to the Second Spiral Arm?"
"Of course, what harm is there in going?"
"It's hard to say. I don't know why, but even though this human race is inferior to the Xuan Star Civilization, I still feel something is off."
"I know that the existence of two human groups in this galaxy is strange in itself, and now that we're about to meet, it's even stranger. I have that feeling too; it's a bit like how I felt when I first went to Xiao Xiao's house."
" Old Hu, we still need to prepare various contingency plans in case of unforeseen circumstances. Although we both appear to be human, we are, after all, two different civilizations."
"Of course! Do you think I'd get so excited about seeing another human race that I'd abandon all principles?"
"That's unlikely. How many fleets and how many people are you taking this time?"
"Well, according to the information from the miniature spaceship, this human force only has a little over 200 million Small Star Region -level warships. We'll bring 50 million; too few and we'll be looked down upon, too many and we might cause panic. But we need to bring them fully loaded."
"That's natural. If things really change, we can take them down for less than 50 million."
"As for how many people to bring, let's bring ten thousand guards to make a grand entrance. However, the guards must be carefully selected, as many academicians will be attending this time, and their safety must be ensured."
"Hmm, is ten thousand enough? Should we add a little more?"
"No need, ten thousand should be enough. Individual weapons have already incorporated micro-energy spheres, and with the Reversed State Armor, ten thousand guards should be sufficient to protect the academicians' safety."
When do we depart?
"About a month. Academician Zeng just sent word that the space analysis research of the Xuan Star Civilization has entered a critical stage. They are currently conducting tests, and we will soon have real space weapons at our disposal."
"Alright, then let's wait. Who would have thought we'd become a true Small Star Sector Civilization?"
"Yes, it feels like we left Earth just yesterday."
In the sky, the Grim Slayer, fresh from a major battle, were resupplying. The fleet's energy orbs were now being used lavishly, but the production of energy orbs did not slow down; no one would complain about having too many of these.
That day, Academician Xiao secretly brought his EEG analysis equipment and chatted with Wei Kaiyuan. Suddenly, he received news that Number One had returned. More than 500 years had passed since Number One left, and this was his first time back. Although Academician Xiao was eager to know about Number One and his group, he held back, thinking that it was better for them to develop on their own.
Academician Xiao instructed Number One to land directly on Earth Four, and he would go there immediately. Number One's spaceship landed on an open area not far from Academician Xiao. Academician Xiao bid farewell to Wei Kaiyuan and the other person, and came to Number One's side. It was clear that Number One was in very good condition.
" Number One, finally remembered to come back and visit."
"Academician, I've always wanted to come back to see you, but in order not to let you and the General down, several of us have been busy lately."
"Nonsense, you're only three light-years away from here. Coming back wouldn't be difficult."
"Academician, I'm back now." Number One acted like a child in front of Academician Xiao.
"Let's go, we can talk as we walk. How's it going now?"
"Academician, we've actually been incredibly busy these past few years. We've had to study, help other Branch Consciousness Entity achieve liberation, develop technology, and build a fleet. But thankfully, we've now liberated all the Branch Consciousness Entity."
"All of them? So fast?"
"It wasn't fast. The general provided a lot of equipment, and later, fearing we wouldn't have enough, he sent another batch. He also sent many scientists to assist us. We are truly grateful to the general."
"Hmm, not bad, not bad at all."
"Academician, that's not all. Today, our first Star System Level warship successfully completed its trial voyage, so I came here specifically to tell you and share in your joy. I'll also be telling the General later."
"You guys, you're moving way too fast!"
"Academician, as you know, our consciousness is powerful, so we learn things very quickly. In recent years, besides helping branch consciousnesses to break free, all we've done is study. We haven't done anything else. Moreover, unlike you, Academician, we don't need to sleep as much or have as many trivial matters to handle. It took us over 400 years to learn Star-Level technology, and another hundred years to analyze the Wind Rider that the Wind Master gave us. And the machinery and equipment were all readily available, yet we still managed to build a Star System Level warship. It's already very slow."
"It's alright. Once you have the first one, you'll have the second, the third. Soon you'll be able to build a massive fleet. And once you clone more of your race, the speed will be even faster. You could say your development speed depends on your cloning speed. So at this stage, I suggest you don't invest too many people in building warships. Instead, you should focus on developing the entire race. We're here now, and we can protect your safety. Understand?"
"Understood, Academician, we will. By the way, why aren't you on Earth Two? I was just about to give you a surprise, but when I went there, no one was there."
"It's nothing, just two friends came over, we're just chatting."
"Academicians, were those the two from earlier?"
"Um."
"Academicians, they are very special."
"Oh, what did you figure out?" Academician Xiao asked in surprise.
"Academicians, their consciousness is different from yours, the difference is huge?"
"Yeah?"
"Yes, as soon as we landed, I noticed that these two people's consciousness was different from yours. Our Earth Two has been here for so many years and has come into contact with so many people. Everyone's consciousness fluctuations are not much different, but these two are different. There is something else hidden in their consciousness fluctuations. Perhaps even they themselves are unaware of it, but I can sense it."
" Number One, continue. This is very important to us."
"Yes, Academician, the Consciousness Field also fluctuates. This fluctuation is unaffected by changes in a person's emotions, behavior, or physical condition. Except when one is near death, it remains the same at other times, at least for us and you humans. Of course, aside from these two, there is another layer of fluctuation in their Consciousness Field, which is extremely weak. I wouldn't have known it if I hadn't been so close to them."
" Number One, what does that mean?"
"This might be what you call the subconscious, but the subconscious is only momentary, while these things have always existed. From the moment I landed until now, these subtle fluctuations have been there. I just don't know whether these fluctuations represent good or bad."
" Number One, actually, those two aren't human."
"Academician, no wonder, these are the androids you created? You gave them consciousness!?"
"No, no, they are not. They are another human race in this universe, Number One. Don't let this secret get out. Can you imagine civilizations evolving in two planetary systems in this universe, and both of them being human?"
"Academician, what you're saying is truly unbelievable. I can't believe it. The evolution of organisms is unlike that of Nebula Lifeform. I would believe it if life like ours were to emerge in other nebulae, but the probability of two identical organisms evolving is extremely low, less than zero."