章 47: Chapter 47: Casualties in the Billions, The Ghost Civilization
Yan Xia did not leave the research institute to avoid being infected by the epidemic.
With his expertise in biology, he could easily guess that this epidemic was likely a "disease" in itself.
It was impossible for a virus, whether targeting the genetic or cellular level, to simultaneously infect three entirely different races.
Unless this epidemic was not caused by a universal virus but something else.
No matter how much they speculated, it was still just speculation. Ella immediately mobilized all available resources to investigate the source of the epidemic.
The initial cases originated from the newly named "Long Snake Starfield."
This starfield was not extensive, consisting of only two stars, but between them floated numerous asteroids.
These asteroids were believed to be remnants from the early stages of the two stars' formation, held in place by their gravitational tug-of-war, forming a long, snake-like shape, 4 light-years in length, extending almost to the vicinity of Proxima Centauri, with a forked end resembling a snake's tongue.
The incident occurred here.
Due to the abundance of metal mineral resources on these asteroids, the Long Snake Starfield was a popular destination for interstellar explorers.
While it might not make them rich overnight, the metal deposits provided a steady income, making it a preferred location for more cautious explorers.
The first infected individual was a member of the Kate tribe, initially experiencing only a mild fever.
It thought it could recover with some rest.
However, soon after, not only did the fever persist, but its body also developed numerous pustules that visibly grew and burst, spraying out foul-smelling gray pus.
When it realized something was wrong, it immediately left the room to find a doctor, coming into contact with many other explorers along the way.
Upon reaching the clinic, due to the lack of advanced medical equipment in space, its condition could not be diagnosed and isolated promptly.
In the clinic, it came into contact with unprotected doctors and nurses, and over time, the pustules turned into gaping flesh pits, oozing blood that could not be stopped.
It experienced excruciating pain, akin to a slow and painful death. In its final moments, it was recorded as screaming and wailing in agony.
In its post-mortem photo, it had impaled itself with its own tentacles, tearing out its internal organs.
The intense pain and the nature of the illness had driven it to a state of mental confusion, causing it to hallucinate.
Soon, other explorers at the outpost began to exhibit similar symptoms.
They were terrified, desperate, and in pain...
Some explorers chose to hibernate and return to Alpha Centauri in their ships, hoping to receive treatment.
When the first returning ship arrived at the spaceport, it was eerily quiet. The inspectors forcibly opened the ship and discovered the explorers in a state of cryogenic hibernation, dead.
The inspectors were shocked by the scene; the explorers' skin had been completely decomposed, leaving only fragments of tendons and bones. The hibernation chamber was filled with a "soup" of flesh.
Despite wearing protective suits and undergoing decontamination upon exiting the ship, several inspectors developed the same symptoms the next day.
Their contacts suffered the same fate.
This was the context of the entire incident.
After receiving the information, Yan Xia immediately instructed Ella to isolate herself and ensure that all direct and indirect contacts, as well as contacts of contacts, were quarantined.
The second step was to identify the cause of the disease and find the pathogen.
Third, a spaceship was dispatched to the Long Snake Starfield to confirm the situation and pinpoint the exact source.
A three-pronged approach.
The first step, isolation within Alpha Centauri, took two and a half years to complete. With 1.6 billion deaths among the Kate tribe, the epidemic was finally brought under control.
During this time, the human population in the Special Zone also plummeted from 420,000 to 180,000, with numerous casualties. None of Yan Xia's friends at the Yan Huang Academy survived.
This was the cruelty of the vast cosmos!
Being powerful did not guarantee protection; there were still many unknowns in the universe.
In the first seven months, Ella received news from Baiyan Star.
The epidemic was spreading on Baiyan Star as well, and due to the lack of Ella's overall coordination, it was even more rampant. Baiyan Star's population of 1.6 billion had plummeted to less than 400 million in less than a year, a mortality rate of nearly one-third.
If not contained, the Chasing Light Civilization might face extinction.
Fortunately, Ella immediately copied herself via light-speed information transmission to Baiyan Star's main server, stabilizing the situation within three years.
In the sixth year, Ella observed the culprit of the epidemic through a super-microscopic tunnel microscope.
It was a ghost particle!
Or, to be more precise, a life form the size of a ghost particle.
Ghost particles are neutrinos, one of the fundamental particles of the universe, with a mass and size one-millionth that of an electron. At this microscopic level, the existence of life is seemingly impossible.
The smallest life form in Ella's database of natural life was at the particle level, which, compared to a ghost particle, was like an ant to a blue whale.
But Ella was certain that what she observed was a life form.
Such a life form could not exist under natural conditions; its cellular structure might be composed of strings.
Strings again!
Yan Xia's head hurt just thinking about it; he had encountered too many challenges related to strings.
He spoke to the screen in front of him, "It seems we're not dealing with a universal super virus but an advanced civilization?"
Even though they had speculated, when the conclusion became the only option, Yan Xia's expression turned grave.
Ella's virtual image nodded on the screen.
"Yes, Yan Xia!"
"The battleship I sent to the Long Snake Starfield has lost contact, which is highly unusual."
"There's an 82.61% chance that we've been attacked by an unknown civilization."
"The attack method involves these ghost-sized life forms."
"Fortunately, I've been exploring the microscopic realm for hundreds of years. Otherwise, these ghost life forms could have wiped out the Kate Civilization, the Chasing Light Civilization, and the humans you worked so hard to revive."
A silent war had begun.
This civilization had a significant advantage in the microscopic realm.
Yan Xia thought for a moment.
"Since the enemy civilization is still in the Long Snake Starfield, they might be natives."
"Ella, fire high-energy light-speed weapons at the Long Snake Starfield, leaving nothing behind."
"If they are not natives, their continued presence there might be a strategy to exhaust us with the ghost life forms before coming to harvest us."
"In that case, send a fleet to the Long Snake Starfield and launch a suicidal attack, letting the enemy civilization know that we are still fighting, even in our dying moments. This will buy us some time."
"Be careful not to expose our most advanced weaponry, and leave no battleship debris for the enemy to study."
"The fleet should also collect as much information about the enemy as possible. Knowing ourselves and the enemy is crucial to winning every battle."
"During the bought time, Ella, you must accelerate your exploration of the microscopic realm. After the completion of the second phase of the Dyson Cloud Project, use the available energy to explore the microscopic realm and quickly achieve grand unification or near grand unification to observe strings."
Yan Xia did not know the enemy civilization's endurance threshold.
He was providing the best plan given the limited information.
In a war between advanced civilizations, information and technological weapons were crucial.
Even the slightest breakthrough could change the course of the battle.
He could afford to wait for a century in battles against the Chasing Light Civilization and the invasion of the Kate Civilization.
However, he did not know how long this enemy civilization could endure. From this moment on, they must focus on microscopic research and energy development.
Yan Xia hoped to stall the enemy's progress.
The first battle of the Civilized Federation had begun.
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