Hu Yu strode into the main control room of Polaris No. 5 with heavy steps, followed by a large group of military officers and senior officials.
The public had been calmed for the time being. Having weathered great upheavals, the people had grown very resilient, and it had become much easier for the decision-makers to make major arrangements. Although a large number of their compatriots had now gone their separate ways, several hundred million remained with them, so public sentiment had not fluctuated much.
The officers and officials waited quietly for Hu Yu's orders. There were too many matters that needed discussion and resolution, especially their destination. Choosing a suitable route alone was enough to give everyone a headache.
"Comrades, the leader suggested that we travel along an orbit at our current distance from the galactic center, but we still need to work out the details. After all, our supplies and energy are limited, and we must replenish them in a nearby star system whenever possible. More importantly, our combat strength is very limited. Once we find a suitable system, building up our combat strength must be our priority. Only then can we continue forward."
"General, there are too many civilizations in the Milky Way at present. We have no way of knowing whether the route ahead is safe. When two civilizations meet, we have to assume a one-hundred-percent chance of combat. I suggest we first launch a batch of high-speed probes and keep the fleet at least half a year's travel behind them. That way, we'll have room to maneuver. It won't be hard to do," Academician Zeng Zhaoyuan said.
"Academician Zeng makes a good point. Academician, where should we choose for our first stop? Do you have any suggestions?" Hu Yu asked. As an authority in physics, Academician Zeng had profound expertise in both astrophysics and high-energy physics.
Academician Zeng lowered his head and pondered for a few seconds. "General, we should go to Tau Ceti. It's about twelve light-years away, and we have enough energy to make it. According to past observations, Tau Ceti has at least five planets. Regardless of whether they're habitable, the system can at least serve as a stepping stone and provide us with enough matter and energy to replenish our supplies."
"Twelve light-years? That would take about forty years. The fleet does have enough energy to make it, but what if there are other civilizations in Tau Ceti? I'm afraid a system with multiple planets like that would be a prime target for competing civilizations," Hu Yu asked, somewhat worried.
"There's no way to guarantee it one hundred percent. But given our level of technology, we must find suitable planets to replenish our supplies. You could say this is a risk we have to take," Academician Zeng said.
"Academician Zeng, I have a feeling our previous observations of the Milky Way may have been seriously inaccurate. Stars may have far more planets than we observed. Otherwise, there couldn't possibly be the tens of billions of civilizations the Destroyer spoke of."
"Perhaps. If we can't go to Tau Ceti, we can immediately change course for UV Ceti. The two are relatively close together. If both planetary systems are occupied by other civilizations, we'll have to find another solution and head for a different star system. At that point, we may have to endure some lean times."
"All right, then we'll go to Tau Ceti. There's no point in sitting here making plans in isolation. We can only find a way forward by venturing out. We'll find a way when we get there. What does everyone think?"
"Agreed."
"Agreed."
The others voiced their agreement.
"Notify the fleet to get ready. Prepare to depart," Hu Yu ordered.
The others left to make preparations, leaving only Hu Yu, Academician Zeng Zhaoyuan, and Academician Xiao Yi.
"Academician Zeng, I'm still a little worried. What if..."
"General, this isn't like the man you were back then. I remember when you were just a minor regimental commander, but you had the courage to charge into battle. How come you're so much more hesitant now?" Academician Zeng said with a laugh.
"Academician, back then I was just a soldier. At worst, I'd lose my own life. But now, every step I take feels like standing on the edge of an abyss or walking on thin ice. Otherwise, there are hundreds of millions of people who would die with me. I finally understand how hard it has been for the leader."
"General, you'll be an excellent leader. But there's no need to worry so much. Unless our luck is exceptionally bad, Tau Ceti should be safe. According to the Destroyer, there are currently about a hundred million civilizations distributed across half the Milky Way. But of those hundred million, at least eighty million are planetary-level civilizations, which means they're at least hundreds to thousands of years behind us, possibly even tens of thousands. After all, the speed at which civilizations develop varies enormously. So even if we encounter them, we have nothing to fear. There are another twenty million advanced civilizations, which seems like a great many, but half the Milky Way contains at least a hundred billion stars. With such a large base, there is only one advanced civilization for every five thousand or more stars on average. So our chances of encountering one are still very small."
"Mm, let's hope our luck isn't too bad. Also, Academician Xiao, what do you suggest regarding the use of the immortality gene?" Hu Yu asked.
"General, I suggest that as soon as the fleet departs, we immediately begin genetically modifying the entire population. There are three reasons. First, these people are our seeds. We've been through so many disasters together, and they are outstanding bearers of the Chinese Nation's heritage. Our descendants will still need them for guidance and education in the future. Second, although the fleet appears stable now, people are bound to have all sorts of thoughts. Giving them an enormous surprise at this time will make them identify more strongly with our leadership system. Third, we're desperately short of talented people. The death of any one of them would be a loss we couldn't afford. That's the most important point, so genetic modification is imperative."
"I agree with Academician Xiao, General. We also need to launch a talent-training program immediately. The various branches of the Central Academy of Sciences were disrupted when we separated, and we must rebuild them now and begin training technical personnel. That way, once we reach Tau Ceti, we can immediately get to work and develop our capabilities."
"All right. There are more details for everyone to discuss. Academician Xiao, sorry to trouble you with the genetic modification work. Begin as soon as the fleet departs."
"Certainly, General. Rest assured," Academician Xiao said with a smile.
"Then I'll let you two get back to work. I'll start preparing for departure."
Academician Zeng and Academician Xiao left and walked side by side toward their offices.
"Mm, not bad. He bears quite a resemblance to the leader back then," Academician Xiao said to Academician Zeng on the way.
"You mean General Hu Yu?"
"Yes. Oh, you didn't see the leader when he was expanding our territory in the Solar System. His situation was much like General Hu Yu's now, and he faced many difficulties too. But in the end, the leader overcame every obstacle and built the powerful Space Force system single-handedly. He struck our opponents with thunderous force time and again, and from then on, no one in the Solar System dared challenge China's might." Academician Xiao was in his eighties, while Academician Zeng was only in his sixties, so there were many things Academician Zeng had not experienced.
"When I first met General Hu Yu more than ten years ago, he was only in his twenties, yet he was already a colonel and regimental commander. I have to say, he's an outstanding young man. Since the leader appointed him, we should trust the leader's judgment and our own. I believe he'll be an excellent leader just like the leader. The nature of our civilization has changed, and in the future, everything must be led by the military and science. We don't need to worry about military matters; he'll take care of everything. But we'll have to put some thought into science and technology and support him with all our might. Otherwise, we'll have failed the leader and the hundreds of millions of people."
"Mm, that's certain. The two of us must shoulder the burden of science for the sake of our nation."
As they walked, the two decided on the direction of their future work. If Hu Yu knew that these two towering figures of the scientific community were taking such pains, he would surely be deeply moved. If no one was truly willing to shoulder the burden of science, the development of civilization would be difficult at every step.
In the main control room, the AI set the course, speed, and other relevant data, then submitted them for a second check by humans. This was extremely important. No matter how advanced an AI was, it could still make mistakes. Moreover, the star chart data came entirely from previous observations and was imprecise, with a very large margin of error. The AI often encountered various data conflicts during setup, so humans had to check its work and correct unsuitable parameters before handing it back to the AI for execution.
After half an hour of intense work, the data was finally set. Hu Yu sent the route to the leader and requested permission to depart.
The leader smiled faintly and nodded, saying only two words: "Take care!"
Hu Yu said goodbye with tears in his eyes. The fleet spewed enormous blue flames and slowly departed. Hu Yu understood how the leader felt. Those two short words held the leader's reluctance to part, worry, concern, and reliance... From then on, Hu Yu would lead these one hundred Polaris ships toward the depths of the distant starry sky.
The fleet began accelerating once more. It would take nearly ten years to reach 0.3 times the speed of light. At the strong insistence of Hu Yu and Luo Zhigao, the entire escort formation of J-85s had been left with the leader. Now the fleet's only defensive force consisted of the eighty thousand J-90 fighters carried aboard the Polaris ships. As they traveled through the void, the fighters did not conduct patrols, partly to conserve energy and partly because there was little need. Even so, Hu Yu launched several small probes in their direction of travel. The probes carried enough energy to accelerate to 0.5 times the speed of light, allowing them to reach Tau Ceti more than ten years ahead of the fleet and investigate the situation, giving the fleet ample time to react.
For the time being, apart from waiting quietly, there were the fleet's internal affairs to handle. First and foremost was the Chinese Academy of Sciences, which had to be established immediately. But Hu Yu had never considered his fleet independent; he was merely carrying out the important task entrusted to him by the leader. Only an academy aboard the leader's fleet was entitled to be called the Chinese Academy of Sciences. At Hu Yu's strong insistence, Academician Zeng Zhaoyuan and Academician Xiao Yi did not press the matter, and everyone finally agreed to call it the Academy of Sciences.
The Academy of Sciences had multiple divisions under it, including biology, physics, materials, weapons, and warfare. Each division was further divided into numerous branches. The physics division, for example, had hundreds of branches, including celestial bodies, energy, particles, and electromagnetism. As the ranks of scientific and technical personnel grew, these branches would be divided even more finely.
Aside from the Academy of Sciences, the second most important matter was genetic modification. When Hu Yu released the news through official channels, the entire fleet erupted. However, Hu Yu did not intend to hand out the genetic medicine so easily. Why not take this opportunity to undertake some study for improvement?