Chapter 13: Kepler 22b

With Li Hao as this unexpected surprise, Zhou Naiyi's "operation" could finally be considered off the ground. Aside from their own team, Gao Yunfeng's team remained a hot favorite. Although their performance last time was poor, that was only by comparison; overall, they still represented the standard of Tianjing Mecha, and it was generally believed that having experienced a setback, they had also accumulated experience.

Of course, given Principal Long's personality, he wouldn't put all his eggs in one basket.

There was an Interstellar Geography class in the morning.

Li Hao yawned repeatedly; he had shaken off three curious babies early in the morning—men had their own troubles too.

Not long after, Ma Long arrived and sat directly beside Li Hao. "Hao Ge, let's continue our deep discussion from yesterday. I'm telling you, your chance has come; Ye Tong clearly has a good impression of you!"

"Don't talk nonsense. We knew each other before; it's just old friends reuniting, a bit emotional, that's all."

"What's there to explain? You should be glad you have a brother like me. Don't I know you? What kind of daydream are you having? Of course, it's just a little bit of a good impression, but the problem is, what you did back then clearly left a deep impression on her. Girls, especially beauties, only remember what they care about. Otherwise, let alone a fake brother, even a real brother would be useless. We're four brothers for life; don't blame me for not warning you. With a beauty like this, if you don't make a move, she'll be gone in less than a month."

Li Hao shook his head.

Ma Long watched, feeling anxious. "You, Wuzang, and Zuo Xiaotang are all hopeless cases. Especially you—Wuzang is the passive type, suitable for matching with mature women; Zuo Xiaotang is a two-dimensional enthusiast. Only you—even an expert like me can't figure out your pulse. But no matter who you like, Ye Tong is the ceiling of your life. A son-in-law of the Nangong Family and the Ye Family—wow, I'm counting on clinging to your thigh in the future..."

Li Hao covered Ma Long's mouth; this big mouth really could spout anything. Zuo Xiaotang and Wuzang could only laugh; if he didn't talk about Li Hao, he would talk about them anyway. It was a waste of talent for Ma Long not to be a matchmaker.

After shaking off Ma Long's pestering, Li Hao started to doze off. He had been truly worn out by Ma Long yesterday; he didn't know where this guy got so much energy.

Today was Dr. Yan Nan's class. Teacher Yan Nan never took attendance, and he had the best temper.

"... Currently, the NUP's total economic volume and technical level are already number one in the Solar System Alliance, but we in the USE still hold the right to speak in many fields, especially in space route rights, including the development rights for several extrasolar planets. These are all things the Moon Federation will compete for next. Looking at past history, this situation is often accompanied by war. The better thing at the moment is that the ROM's attitude is ambiguous, but they aren't doing it for Earth; they just don't want the Moon to dominate alone. In these years, not only the NUP, but the ROM's development is also not to be underestimated. In terms of foundation, I am more optimistic about the ROM—superior geographical location and rich mineral deposits. Of course, population is one of their flaws..." Dr. Yan Nan took a sip of water.

"Li Hao!"

"Here!" Li Hao, who had just entered dreamland, stood up with a jerk. The whole room burst into laughter; dozing off in Dr. Yan's class was a unique feat.

"Do you think there is a possibility of civil war in the Solar System Alliance?" Yan Nan asked. He had an impression of this student, mainly because he always attended but dozed off a lot. This time, it was truly a bit unbearable.

"Professor Yan, actually, whether or not there is fighting within the Solar System isn't that important. Our main enemy is external," Li Hao said.

Yan Nan was slightly stunned. "Tell me about it."

"We opened up Kepler 22b, and the harvest was very rich, but we also encountered attacks from alien creatures for the first time. Those insects came mysteriously; I think there is a conspiracy. Humans stepping foot on Kepler 22b is equivalent to opening Pandora's Box. Now, the biggest threat comes from the outside."

Li Hao said. Kepler 22b was the greatest harvest of the human interstellar expedition. Before humans had even developed the Moon, this fertile Earth-like planet was already on many people's minds. By their generation, it was finally captured. Kepler was even better than imagined, but not long after landing, the human vanguard almost suffered a devastating blow from a swarm of Silicon-based Giant Insects that appeared out of nowhere.

This was a large lecture with over two hundred people. Almost as soon as he finished speaking, laughter erupted, especially since Li Hao's serious expression made it even funnier.

Before Yan Nan could speak, someone stood up. "Li Hao, I think you're sleeping in a daze. Our human technological level is now absolutely second to none in the Yinhexi. Completely occupying the Yinhexi is only a matter of time. Kepler 22b is a gift given to us humans. As for those insects, they are no match for us at all; wiping them out is just a matter of time. You're too cowardly."

"That's right, this world belongs to the brave. Outside is the sea of stars and infinite opportunities. What is our generation working hard for? Isn't it to realize the value of humanity!"

Everyone chimed in, and their sense of pride soared. What alien civilizations were like, humans now knew, but overall they were still disappointed. They had some combat power, but facing the combined land and air attacks of humans, they only had the fate of retreating. And if they really wanted to use top-tier civilization, they wouldn't have to wait until now. Where are they?

Should they stay in one corner because of some inexplicable fear? That would be waiting for death.

Li Hao's words suddenly stirred up everyone's enthusiasm. After all, this was Tianjing Mecha, where the Elite gathered.

This was also the mainstream of the entire Solar System Alliance. Humans were quite confident in their current strength. Li Hao wasn't afraid; he also agreed with going out, and they had to go out, but they had to be cautious. Being a frog in a well was truly undesirable.

Yan Nan smiled slightly, signaling everyone to be quiet. "Li Hao, stay after class. Let's continue. Calm your heart and return to the Mecha competition that just ended a while ago. The NUP pushed hard, even willing to bear most of the costs. From now, they won, but I think it's a good thing. Rather than hiding problems, it's better to throw them out, see yourself clearly, and face the challenges directly..."

"Hao Ge, you're too cowardly. What's outside? It's opportunity! I applied to the Starship Department hoping that one day I could pilot my own ship and take my crew to conquer the universe. This is every man's dream. Xiaotang, right!" Ma Long whispered. "In the future, maybe I can get a fief on Kepler and become a Leader. How wonderful."

"My dream is to watch an Arths concert. The ticket..."

"Forget it, look at your lack of ambition. Wuzang, we two should be the same, right?"

Wuzang looked at Li Hao. "Hao Ge, what do you think is wrong with my fighting? I pondered for a whole night and still feel I can't break through. Is there a flaw in my training method?"

Li Hao rubbed his nose. When was this? Wuzang's methods and foundations were all built very well, but his situation was relatively special and had no analogy. But he couldn't say that.

"Don't get stuck in a rut. Everyone's training method and style are different. Your family is professional; asking me is not as good as going back and asking your old man."

Wuzang nodded. Li Hao might be able to fight, but his guidance was a bit lacking; that required sufficient experience and a high level of vision.

Ma Long was speechless. Two idiots, are they crazy? In the technological era, fighting is useful, but it's not the main thing. Besides, even in the mobile forces, what's the use of one person being strong?

So he applied to the Starship Department. Mecha are cool and heroic, but not practical. Isn't it handsome to be a Captain?

Hmm, when the time comes, let Manman be his First Mate. A romantic interstellar journey, life...

Ding ding ding...

The bell rang for the end of class. Some were daydreaming, some were passionate; everyone was still a bit unsatisfied. Li Hao was also preparing to leave. He didn't expect Professor Yan Nan to still remember him and point at him. Li Hao could only follow along quickly; after all, the credits for this course were crucial.

In the tutor's lounge next to the classroom.

Yan Nan wiped his glasses and revealed a smile. "You, you're not old, but you're quite mature. I've read a few of your papers; they reveal a heavy sense of worry. Any reason?"

Li Hao shrugged. "Professor Yan, Kepler 22b, its diameter is 2.4 times that of our Earth, the temperature is around 21 degrees, it has oceans and forests—a large, perfect Earth. It also has several rare elements that we don't have on Earth. Even after developing the Solar System, we haven't encountered such a perfect place. The only constraints before were the 600 light-year distance and wormhole technology. But we only mastered wormhole technology a few years ago, and the flare flickering of the star Kepler orbits gave us the coordinates, allowing us to successfully complete our first wormhole jump. Not only that, Kepler is even better than we expected. Professor, all of this is too perfect. The appearance of the Giant Insects is also very strange, and they belong to Silicon-based Life. It's a bit strange. Could there be something we haven't considered? For example, another civilization is fishing?"

Yan Nan nodded. "Have you read the 'Interstellar Civilization Barrier' I published two years ago?"

"I have, Professor. I completely agree with this point of view. There may be some kind of Space Ability barrier between star regions, preventing high civilizations from invading low civilizations at will. The wormhole is like a fishing rod. When we arrived at Kepler, it was also when human coordinates were opened up. Since we have already taken this step, we cannot be too optimistic." This wasn't Li Hao being overly anxious, but the influence brought by Bleem, because in Bleem's dream world, there were many combat trainings related to Kepler 22b. Based on current understanding, Bleem was not shooting without a target.

Those low-level Giant Insect-type Silicon-based Life forms, which were generally recognized as not being able to be called a civilization, had left a deep impression on him. They were not low-level.

"Actually, there are quite a few scientists who hold this view, but Kepler's help to us humans is truly too great. I can see some internal materials. Let's put it this way: it can help us achieve a century-long leap in technological transformation. The NUP's current transformation is the best. The excellent performance of the new weapons this time also stems from Kepler's new element, K23, also known in the materials world as the God Element. That kind of madness is understandable. You can come to me to discuss it anytime if you have any thoughts."

Professor Yan Nan patted Li Hao. Overall, humanity was in a state of blind optimism and "Expansion"—this was the mainstream.

Li Hao nodded. If there really was an extraterrestrial civilization fishing, then the Solar System was a fat fish. If not, then humans were the chosen ones. The videos and situation of Kepler 22b were all hot topics; it was the kind of place you wanted to go to after one look.

If one had to find a suitable word to describe it, it would be—Heaven.

(New book on the road, friends, click for a small collection. PS: All scientific theories in the book are basically serious nonsense.)