Chapter 143

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye another year had passed.

Yanhuang Guo is like an awakened giant dragon, bursting forth with unprecedented vigorous vitality.

At this moment, the Solar System has long since shaken off its former icy vacuum state, replaced by a bustling, noisy scene.

Countless spacecraft shuttle back and forth, like flowing starlight, dense and numerous, outlining the ever-expanding grand blueprint of Yanhuang Civilization.

Around Blue Star's near-Earth orbit, the massive port glows with lights, swallowing ships from all directions.

The Moon, once a distant neighbor hanging high in the sky, has now become a vibrant second homeland.

Guanghan City is no longer a sci-fi fantasy but a towering metropolis that has risen from the ground.

Beneath the dazzling energy dome, over a million Yanhuang citizens live and work in peace; on the lunar surface, anti-gravity trains shuttle ceaselessly, aerial gardens are lush with greenery, and children play in specially designed gravity zones.

Moreover, other lunar city clusters are also being built in full swing, with bases of various functions extending along the planned routes.

The scattered mining points operate day and night, fully automated drilling equipment delves into the lunar regolith, continuously transporting vast amounts of helium-3 isotopes and other rare minerals back to Blue Star,

providing inexhaustible precious resources for Earth's construction and development.

The tremendous vitality of the "Lunar Economic Circle" is vividly displayed in the vast expanse of space.

The enormous starfleet port is massive, docked with mighty interstellar warships; beside it, the warship production line runs busily, mechanical arms swinging as new warship skeletons take shape at astonishing speed.

Not far away, the space agriculture base is lush with greenery; under artificial sunlight, high-yield crops grow vigorously, solving the food supply problem for interstellar voyagers and base personnel.

Further out in the asteroid belt, countless automated mining fleets work day and night, like diligent bees, devouring metal- and ice-rich asteroids,

Enormous wealth and strategic resources flow back to Yanhuang Guo like a tide.

Gazing beyond the Moon, the focus shifts to Mars.

This red planet is currently undergoing a tremendous transformation.

Legions of intelligent robots bustle on the Martian surface, efficiently leveling terrain, erecting modular structures, and repairing the atmosphere.

One after another, military bases and resource mining sites spring up like bamboo shoots after rain; the barrenness of Mars is being replaced by the imprint of civilization.

The frontier of human civilization is expanding outward at an unprecedented speed, and the Solar System is gradually becoming the internal territory of Yanhuang Civilization.

All of this is thanks to the game "Interstellar Construction Era," which cannot be overlooked.

It has been fully integrated into daily life, becoming the main avenue for the populace to learn and practice interstellar knowledge.

People complete real-world space construction tasks in the game, earning precious labor points that can be exchanged for attractive real-world rewards.

From eligibility to purchase lunar property to permits for operating space enterprises, even direct Yanhuang coin rewards.

Every Yanhuang citizen is full of vigor; they sweat in the virtual world, reap real benefits, and tightly link personal value with the nation's grand strategy.

All are soldiers, all are workers; everyone is a pioneer and builder of the interstellar age.

Meanwhile, the former world hegemons are mired in a quagmire, their situation forming a stark contrast with Yanhuang Guo.

Yingjiang Guo, the OZ Alliance, and other so-called developed nations are currently experiencing an unprecedented economic winter and social turmoil.

Capital flees en masse, unemployment remains high, and social contradictions grow increasingly sharp.

Even more deadly, the loss of talent is like a flood breaking through a dike; their top scientists and engineers, even outstanding technical workers,

are willing to give up everything, rushing into Yanhuang Guo just to be able to participate in the construction of that vibrant, hopeful sea of stars.

They watch helplessly as Yanhuang Guo advances from Earth to the Moon, to Mars, to the entire Solar System, their hearts filled only with endless despair and numbness.

Their former pride and ambition have long been shattered by reality.

Yanhuang Guo's capital, Lao Luo's office.

Old Luo, together with Qin Hao, Zhang Yunfeng, Cheng Haitang and other core leaders, stood in the center of the spacious office, overlooking the bustling scene of the entire Solar System through a huge holographic sand table.

Planets, satellites, starfleet harbors, transport routes—everything was vividly displayed before their eyes.

"Xiao Qin, take a look at this magnificent sight."

Old Luo's voice carried satisfaction as he gazed at the countless lunar bases and newly built cities on Mars on the holographic sand table, his eyes brimming with pride,

"We turned the entire Solar System into our backyard in less than two years. In the past, we wouldn't even dare imagine it."

Zhang Yunfeng and Cheng Haitang also nodded repeatedly beside him, their faces filled with joy.

However, Qin Hao's expression remained calm, showing no trace of pride.

He stared at the deeper, still-unexplored region on the sand table.

"Old Luo, this is merely the result of the initial stage."

Qin Hao replied lightly, his words slightly cooling the joyful atmosphere in the office.

"The Solar System is merely a small cradle of our civilization. The true challenge lies in the far deeper space."

Old Luo's brow twitched slightly as he directly asked, "Do you have any new discoveries?"

Before Qin Hao could respond, Zhang Yunfeng beside him spoke up, pointing his finger at a certain point beyond the Solar System on the sand table:

"Recently, the Ministry of National Defense reported that our newest deep-space probe, at the edge of the Solar System, captured a faint yet abnormal signal."

"Its source is unknown, but according to signal characteristic analysis, it is not a natural phenomenon."

As Zhang Yunfeng moved, a barely perceptible red dot flickered on the holographic sand table in the darkness beyond the Solar System.

"What Old Zhang said is correct; relying on the heightened perception from my superhuman gene enhancement, I keenly sensed that behind this signal lies some danger."

Qin Hao's expression was full of solemnity.

Upon hearing this, Old Luo looked at that faint red dot, his face showing worry.

Yanhuang Guo's dominance in the Solar System is unshakable, but the danger posed by an unknown civilization is of utmost importance.

"It seems humanity is about to encounter its first contact with an extraterrestrial civilization, and it will likely be unfriendly. In that case, we must also prepare in advance."

"I will report to the superiors, have them send people down to launch a full-scale detection of the signal source, and find out exactly what it is!"

Thus this task fell to the Ministry of National Defense, landing on the head of Minister Zhou Shaoqing.

National Defense Center.

"The signal strength is very low, but its characteristics definitely do not belong to any known natural or man-made band."

A researcher responsible for data analysis reported to Zhou Shaoqing.

Its spectral structure is extremely complex; preliminary analysis shows that its technological level far exceeds the range we can currently understand.