Capítulo 25: Chapter 25: Arrival at Proxima Centauri, Discovery of Civilization
283 years passed, and in the virtual world of 'Divine Revelation,' a top-tier cultivator of the Divine Period, a famous swordsman in the martial world, a black-robed wizard living in a tall tower, a silver-armored knight leading an army in battle, a wise ruler of a prosperous country, a top-tier assassin lurking in the shadows, the chief adventurer of the Adventurer's Guild, a magician capable of summoning thunder, a dragon-slaying hero, a totem master awakening ancient powers...
All of this was real or virtual.
When Yan Xia opened his eyes, he immediately detached himself from these identities.
"What a fulfilling 283 years."
Compared to the past, when he would sleep for hundreds of years, wasting precious time, spending this time in a virtual world was much more meaningful.
He sat up, and his nose and mouth began to emit white vapor.
The robot that had been standing next to the hibernation pod for 283 years spoke up, "The hibernation pod's liquid evaporates at temperatures above 50 degrees Celsius, turning from a liquid to a gas."
"This helps in expelling waste from the body."
"Welcome back, Yan Xia."
Looking at the robot in front of him, Yan Xia felt a huge difference.
After all, the Ella in the virtual world was so cute, obedient, and even playful.
Yan Xia ignored Ella and left the hibernation pod, then got dressed and headed towards the cockpit.
"Yan Xia, why aren't you responding to me?"
"Is it that after so much time together, you've gotten tired of me?"
"Or has the liquid damaged your vocal cords?"
"..."
Ella followed behind him, constantly asking questions, even though she already knew everything.
With Ella's current intelligence, it was easy to deduce that Yan Xia simply didn't want to acknowledge her.
But Ella didn't choose that answer; instead, she made a decision more in line with human behavior - to keep asking until she got a response.
Upon entering the cockpit, the screen was already displaying what Yan Xia wanted to see.
Two giant stars, one slightly larger than the Sun with a similar spectrum, appearing as a yellowish-white color, and the other slightly smaller, with a yellowish-orange hue.
These two stars were Alpha Centauri A and Alpha Centauri B, also known as the Southern Gate Stars.
Arriving here meant that they had entered the constellation of Centaurus.
Proxima Centauri b was not a planet in this binary star system; it was currently hidden in the glow of the two stars.
It was a small red dwarf star with only 12.2% of the Sun's mass, orbiting the center of mass of Alpha Centauri A and Alpha Centauri B. This star was called Proxima Centauri, or Alpha Centauri C.
To illustrate this, imagine Alpha Centauri A and Alpha Centauri B holding hands and spinning in the middle of a playground, while Proxima Centauri orbits around them, like a runner on a track.
The distance between the two stars is only 23 astronomical units, which is equivalent to having a star in the Solar System between the orbits of Uranus and Neptune.
Proxima Centauri is 0.2 light-years away from the center of mass of the two stars, and it has three companion stars: Proxima Centauri b, Proxima Centauri c, and Proxima Centauri d.
Among them, Proxima Centauri c is a giant rocky planet with seven times the mass of Earth, but it is 1.5 astronomical units away from Proxima Centauri.
This distance would be just right in the Solar System, but as a red dwarf, Proxima Centauri has a much lower surface temperature of only 2,800 degrees Celsius, compared to the Sun's 6,000 degrees Celsius.
As a result, the temperature on Proxima Centauri c is as low as -230 degrees Celsius, similar to the surface temperature of the Hundred-Eyed Star, and without abundant geothermal heat, it would be difficult for life to form.
Although Proxima Centauri d is the last in the sequence, it is actually the closest planet to Proxima Centauri, at less than 500,000 kilometers. If a railway were built, it would take only a year and a half to reach the surface of Proxima Centauri d using Earth's high-speed rail technology from the 21st century.
Its surface temperature can reach around 100 degrees Celsius, especially since it has only 26% of Earth's mass, making it very small. It is highly unlikely for life to form on such a planet.
Only Proxima Centauri b is located within the habitable zone of this red dwarf star system, making it the most suitable planet for human habitation and the most likely to give birth to civilization.
"Let's stop here."
Yan Xia didn't plan to land on the surface of Proxima Centauri b right away.
After all, it was still uncertain if there was any civilization present.
"Dispatch the Falcon for reconnaissance, and make sure it's done discreetly without approaching the planet's surface."
If a planet has a highly developed civilization, there will be numerous buildings on its surface, which can be easily seen with a high-magnification telescope.
"Ella, analyze Proxima Centauri b. What do you think is the probability of civilization on this planet?"
Even a planet like the Hundred-Eyed Star, which is not very suitable for life, can give birth to a Level 1 civilization.
Therefore, the probability of civilization on Proxima Centauri b, which is much more suitable for life, is at least tens of thousands of times higher.
"13.72%."
"Proxima Centauri b is 1.52 times the size of Earth, slightly larger than previously predicted."
"Its greater mass has resulted in a thicker atmosphere, and although it is tidally locked to Proxima Centauri, causing one side to be too cold and the other too hot, the atmosphere can distribute heat more evenly across the planet's surface, allowing the entire planet to share the heat."
"As a result, the predicted temperature on the daylight side of Proxima Centauri b should only be 46 degrees Celsius, while the temperature on the dark side should be -82 degrees Celsius."
"The average temperature in the twilight zone is around 10 degrees Celsius, making it the most suitable for survival."
"Additionally, Proxima Centauri b has an eccentricity of only 0.17, and its orbital resonance ratio is only 3:2, making it relatively stable overall. Its surface civilization birth probability may even be higher than this estimate."
In short, the chances were very high.
After 12 days of travel, covering a distance of 57 astronomical units, the Falcon was finally only 4 astronomical units away from Proxima Centauri b.
Here, the Falcon's reconnaissance head detached, and a 3-meter-wide telescope aimed at Proxima Centauri b, capturing the first ultra-clear image of Proxima Centauri b in human history with a resolution of 700 billion pixels.
After another 19 minutes, the Hope received the image.
Ella processed it and displayed it on the screen.
On the dark side of Proxima Centauri b, numerous bright spots were evenly distributed.
Yan Xia felt his scalp tingle.
If each bright spot represented a cluster of buildings, then the level of development on Proxima Centauri b was incredibly high.
"Falcon, transmit the second image."
Ella spoke up at this moment and displayed the second image, which was of Proxima Centauri c.
There were also numerous bright spots on Proxima Centauri c.
At this point, it was clear that the level of civilization on Proxima Centauri b was no lower than Level 1.
"Ella, scan all interstellar dust within 10 astronomical units and dispatch the reconnaissance machine to a distance of 30 astronomical units to ensure that there are no warships belonging to this civilization."
"All battleships, prepare to activate defense systems and enter combat mode."
"Retrieve the Falcon and do not act rashly."
"The entire fleet will remain silent for one month to ensure that the civilization on Proxima Centauri b does not detect our presence."
Yan Xia issued a series of commands.
He had to be cautious; if they had observed the civilization on Proxima Centauri b, it was likely that the civilization had also observed them.
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