Chapter 414: Can't You Hear It?_1

Leaving Stellar New Year City, Cheng Xin realized a key issue, "The space cities of the Solar System State aren't hiding behind Jupiter?"

Cao Bin replied unperturbed, "That's right."

Regaining his composure, he said with profound meaning, "The Solar System State has more than once declared that in times of hardship or danger, they would not cower behind planets, quivering in fear."

Cheng Xin looked back at the gradually distant Stellar New Year City with some reluctance, "When the Dark Forest Strike comes, many people will die!"

Cao Bin looked at Cheng Xin with a hint of disbelief, "In your eyes, is Jiang Yu really that reckless?"

Cheng Xin was taken aback at first, but then she had to admit, "No, his plans are always thorough, and his preparations are always ample."

Cao Bin let out a long sigh, "In the Solar System Federation, many people also say that the citizens of the Solar System State have been brainwashed by militarism.

"But what they don't know is the level of advancement that the research in the Solar System State's academy of sciences has reached!"

He paused and then continued, "Weide has always instructed me and Bi Yunfeng to have more contact with the people from the academy, to foster good relations, and then see if we can purchase some advanced technology, or perhaps ask them for some guidance.

"I have had quite a lot of contact with the people from the academy, and from their hints and comments, I guess they have either conjectured or already know of at least one type of Dark Forest Strike that can destroy the entire Solar System, one that Jupiter can't possibly block.

"Because what they have been defending against has never been a photonic strike!"

Cheng Xin asked curiously, "What kind of strike is it then?"

"I have some guesses..." As he said this, Cao Bin suddenly chuckled, "Forget it, it's impossible!"

He changed the subject, "Anyway, you should know that we have received a lot of support from the academy, which has advanced our research by at least a dozen years!"

Cheng Xin said with some confusion, "If the academy has so many advanced technologies, why don't they disclose them so that all of humanity can benefit?"

Cao Bin was suddenly stunned, "I don't know how to answer that question, but I do know that to publicize this technology would be a massive disaster.

"Perhaps Weide can explain it to you more clearly, or you could ask Jiang Yu directly."

Cheng Xin nodded, feeling that perhaps she had been thinking too simply.

The next visit was to Himalia City, built on Ganymede. The colonial city looked somewhat outdated from the outside, but entering the city gave Cheng Xin a pleasant surprise.

The huge colonial city was very tall, roughly one to two hundred meters high by estimation, but most buildings inside were no more than about ten stories tall!

High above, there were images of blue sky and white clouds, and the gentle sunlight felt comfortable on the skin.

Because the top of the city was so high, the sky here looked even more like the real thing.

Unlike the colonial cities of the Solar System Federation, the ground of this city was not flat; there were many gentle hills.

The streets were designed with great elegance, and the style of the buildings was somewhat retro, making Cheng Xin hardly feel as if she was in Jupiter Orbit, but rather in a city on Earth.

The first thing Cheng Xin saw was the residential area surrounded by greenery.

Most of the houses here were bungalows, not with many rooms, just about four or five, but each had a small courtyard.

Walking along, she saw a brawny middle-aged man with a cigarette in his mouth grilling in his yard.

Beautiful women were pruning the flowers and plants they were growing in their gardens.

A few kids were in a yard, working together on something resembling a space skateboard.

Harmony!

Fulfillment!

These were Cheng Xin's impressions of the city.

In the city center, only a few buildings stood taller, likely places of work, with many people bustling in and out of the high-rises.

Cheng Xin saw groups of people sitting at outdoor cafes, chatting over coffee, some in a rush, seemingly with urgent matters.

The two of them also took a break at a coffee shop, ordered a cup of coffee, and enjoyed the comfortable afternoon.

Just then, a screen on a building suddenly lit up, and a news anchor announced:

"According to the latest information received by our agency, Earth has once again observed a wandering comet about 0.3 light-years away from the Sun, or over nineteen thousand astronomical units."

"This is the fifth comet Earth, now receding from us, has observed, and Earth Province is currently discussing how to capture a small comet for comprehensive research."

"As is well known, this research is aimed at proving some of the Academy of Sciences' theories about the origins of life."

"Many scholars believe that a comet's orbit can easily escape the Sun's gravitational pull and enter interplanetary space."

"If this comet is captured by another star, after a long journey, it's very likely to appear inside another star system."

"Scholars speculate that this could be a pathway for the spread of life."

"Finding evidence in the comet that it originated from another star system would provide significant support to this hypothesis!"

"It is reported that Deputy Director Cheng Ping is willing to assemble a professional team to handle this task, after going through…"

Cheng Xin sighed and said, "I still find it hard to accept that Earth is now nearly twenty thousand astronomical units away from the Sun.

"Wouldn't all the life forms on Earth freeze to death in such a cold environment?

"And why didn't the Solar System State take more people with them when Earth left?"

Before Cao Bin could respond, an elderly gentleman sitting at the next table, who seemed quite old, said first, "Miss, you must be from the Solar System Federation, right?"

Cheng Xin nodded, "Yes, can you tell from our clothes?"

"No, from your conversation." The old man smiled amiably, "Only people from the Solar System Federation would have such naive thoughts.

"A fact is before us, we live at the very bottom of a cold and ruthless universe.

"It's enough to harbor kind thoughts towards our compatriots, but when it comes to survival, we must become as ruthless as the universe itself!

"Humanity's current circumstances don't afford us the luxury of being kind.

"This is a simple truth, but you pretend not to hear it."

The old man sipped his coffee slowly and continued, "As for Earth's current population, it's the result of careful calculations; Earth can only support so many people!"

Cheng Xin asked puzzled, "But didn't Earth's population once reach ten billion?"

"Miss, that was when it was beside the Sun!" The old man reminded her, "But now, Earth is on a long journey with no chance of replenishing resources, only capable of sustaining eight hundred million people!"

Cheng Xin nodded and then asked, "What do you think about those eight hundred million people?"

"What do I think?"

"They left the Solar System ahead of everyone else. Don't you feel like your own right to survive has been impacted?"

The old man was taken aback for a few seconds before saying, "Their lives are much harder than ours, and besides, we have our own mission!"

He shook his head with a smile, "I apologize, I shouldn't be talking about this with you, because you can't hear it!"

After saying that, the old man turned his head away, no longer engaging with Cheng Xin.