Chapter 412: The Significance of Lisbon City_1

The Science Academy immediately established a huge project team to occupy the shell of Venus and further study the First Epoch life forms.

The Strategic Department was making plans to prevent a surprise attack from Venus, considering his speed was too fast. Moreover, he appeared and disappeared unpredictably, and at present, no spacecraft weapons of the Solar System State could catch up with him.

If he were to suddenly appear in the Jupiter Civilization Circle, the consequences would be unimaginable.

However, based on deductions, with Venus's current state, such a mode of movement could not be used for extended periods or each use would exact a price too steep for Venus to bear.

If Venus had pulled such a move over twenty years ago, the Solar System State would undoubtedly be defeated, and even humanity might completely lose control within the orbit of Jupiter.

Although the probability of Venus making a desperate counterattack was small, caution was still warranted against him gambling with his life.

After all, Jiang Yu had initiated both battles, and the Strategic Department analyzed that both had likely disrupted Venus's recovery plans, necessitating precautions against desperate actions.

The failure to retain Venus within the Solar System left Jiang Yu somewhat disappointed and regretful.

Humanity's power was still too weak, still lacking high-end countermeasures!

But now everything was centered on escaping the Solar System; there was no option to invest heavily in other projects.

With regrets and some concerns, Jiang Yu once again entered hibernation.

When he awoke again, it was already the 3rd year of the Shelter Era.

After getting to grips with the new era, Jiang Yu realized that his presence had shortened the Broadcasting Era.

He remembered that the original Broadcasting Era should have been around 60 years, but now it had only lasted 46 years before leaping into the Shelter Era.

This was due to the Solar System State's powerful productivity, which took only about thirty years to build the over one hundred and sixty Space Cities that PDC needed on the backside of each Gas Giant Planet.

As a result, PDC and Fleet International entered the Shelter Era ahead of time, and they were fond of modifying eras, thus a new era began.

And the Solar System State seldom opposed such matters, so the Shelter Era officially started.

...

In the 5th year of the Shelter Era, March, Asian Number One Space City.

After being awakened, Cheng Xin was quickly taken by Cao Bin to visit many shelter worlds, and on the last day, the tour included two Space Cities of the Solar System State.

On the spacecraft, Cheng Xin asked Cao Bin, "Is Jiang Yu still the helmsman of the Solar System State? Why haven't I seen him in the news since I woke up?"

Cheng Xin had mixed feelings about Jiang Yu; she couldn't bring herself to hate him, but she certainly didn't have a good impression either.

However, she still admired Jiang Yu for not being as extreme as Weide and for always emanating wisdom, seeming to always make the right choices.

Cao Bin replied, "Jiang Yu has become a symbolic figure for the Solar System State. Although the Solar System Federation is reluctant to admit it, after decades of consolidation, he has also become a leader for humanity."

After entering the Shelter Era, PDC merged with Fleet International to become the Solar System Federation.

There are now only two political entities in the Solar System: one is the Solar System State, the other is the Solar System Federation.

The people of the Solar System Federation believe that humanity has fully entered the Solar System Era, a brand-new era, a significant progress in human activity in the universe.

The Governing Council of the Solar System State has never commented on this, but some netizens from the Solar System State mercilessly exposed these self-aggrandizing claims:

More than a hundred years ago, the Solar System State began to vigorously develop outer planets such as Saturn, Neptune, and Uranus.

Over ninety years ago, the Solar System State had already built military fortifications in the Kuiper Belt.

To these statements, people from the Solar System Federation chose to either ignore them or criticize them as warmongering development, not at all the same as the self-motivated and voluntary development that brought humanity into the Solar System Era.

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Nobody in the Solar System State's online community was willing to engage in such a ludicrous debate any longer.

Thinking of these things, Cao Bin couldn't help but let out a long sigh, "According to information publicly available from the Solar System State, Jiang Yu is in hibernation, but it's said that someone has seen Jiang Yu in Jupiter City."

Cheng Xin then asked, "Isn't the Solar System State different from the Shelter World?"

"Completely different," Cao Bin sighed. "Actually, it doesn't matter whether you visit the space cities of the Solar System State or not, because it seems that the Solar System State has no intention of getting involved in the internal conflicts of the Solar System Federation."

"But to help you understand the entire human world, I'll still take you to see it!"

Cheng Xin could tell that Cao Bin's mood was very complex at this moment.

Cao Bin continued, "For the past twenty years or so, the Solar System State has been very low-key. Living in the Shelter World of the Solar System Federation, one might even feel that the Solar System State is a non-existent realm!"

Cheng Xin was stunned, "Is it really as some commentators have said, that they emptied their entire nation during the 'Wandering Earth' project?"

"It's best not to express such poor arguments in the space cities of the Solar System State," Cao Bin warned. "You'll be laughed at!

"The planning and action capabilities of the Solar System State are very strong. How could they allow themselves to be put in such a passive situation?

"Once you arrive at the Space City of the Solar System State, you'll know how ridiculous these commentators who spout nonsense are."

Cheng Xin asked, "So, what are they..."

"Weide speculates that the Solar System State must be brewing a plan as grand as the 'Wandering Earth' project!" Cao Bin said seriously. "Moreover, we suspect that the Solar System State has already mastered curvature lightspeed craft technology.

"Their experimental base is probably located beyond six thousand astronomical units, in a space city named 'Lisbon.'

"I only learned a few years ago when I visited the Solar System Early Warning System that this warning system was built with the help of the Solar System State; it is very advanced, but there's a blind spot that completely obscures the direction of Lisbon City.

"After that, I immediately looked through all of the Solar System Federation's astronomical telescopes and, to my surprise, for twenty years there has not been a single observation report in the direction of Lisbon!

"So even if the Solar System State has conducted trial flights of curvature spacecraft, we would be kept in the dark!

"The most crucial point is that this lone city, six thousand astronomical units away, is called 'Lisbon'!"

"Lisbon?" Cheng Xin didn't remember such a famous city.

Cao Bin responded with a wry smile, "That's a port city in Portugal that once set off the prologue to the Age of Discovery!

"Such a name is enough to illustrate the ambition of the Solar System State!

"We all speculate that none of the Solar System Federation's telescopes can observe Lisbon because the Solar System State intentionally conceals it — they must be hiding an earth-shattering secret!

"That secret is likely to be the trail of curvature engines!"

Cheng Xin was somewhat surprised. Had the Solar System State already achieved what Yun Tianming's intelligence had taken half a century to partially decipher?

This was somewhat unbelievable, as Cheng Xin knew how difficult the research and development work for aviation engines was, and a lightspeed spaceship was an even more unattainable project, not something that could be accomplished within a few decades.

At that moment, the spaceship arrived at Stellar New Year City of the Solar System State, and Cao Bin did not continue the topic.

As soon as she entered the city, Cheng Xin was stunned by the scene before her.

In the center of the immense space city floated several "islands" enveloped in green trees and vibrant flowers.

The residents stood on various cuboid structures, moving between "islands" or between "islands" and the external walls of the space city.

The vista reminded Cheng Xin of an animated movie called "Castle in the Sky."

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