Chapter 479: Humans aren’t humans
Translator: _Min_ Editor: Caron_
It was a strange feeling. It felt like his consciousness was dragged into a vacuum by that tentacle and was floating in the endless universe.
[Spiritual connection?]
Jiang Chen didn’t know why these words would appear in his hand, but once he thought carefully, the word seemed accurately describe everything he saw.
Gradually, the universe brightened up.
Everything around him was covered in color. The world made out of nothingness began to fill up. It didn’t feel like virtual reality, but it was similar.
Yes, it was just like watching a hologram movie.
Suddenly, behind the clouds, Jiang Chen saw a magnificent scene.
It was a vertical building or a rectangular shape that pierced through the clouds. People were busy working below with hovercars moving around it, operating all kinds of equipment while building this ma.s.sive skysc.r.a.per.
White paint in 12 languages described the same word.
It was like an inscription.
The s.p.a.ce colonization s.h.i.+p based on the G.o.d of creation in India’s legends belonged to the PAC. It was launched from Sri Heligida Island.
It was just like watching an animated CG of a game. The stabilizer holding the skysc.r.a.per began to detach as Jiang Chen watched it ignite, rise, break through the atmosphere, and head away from the blue planet.
Away from the solar system.
Like Noah’s Ark engraved in the “Genesis” at the top of the Roman Sistine Chapel, it carried the hopes of one-sixth of mankind. But it wasn’t heading into a monstrous flood but rather it was en route to the boundless galaxy.
With regrets for past hatred and best wishes for the remaining survivors on land, the pa.s.sengers waved goodbye to the planet.
Top speeds were one-tenth of the speed of light and it had a capacity of 27,000 pa.s.sengers. The pa.s.sengers were mostly from the elite cla.s.s of different fields in addition to the constructors of the s.h.i.+p.
The plan was that the Braham would form a fleet with two other s.h.i.+ps at the synchronous...o...b..t around Neptune before heading to the wormhole 6400 astronomical units away from the sun.
Although humans hadn’t set foot in this area, 22nd-century theories already proved that a singularity point existed here. All parameters of physics were twisted in this place. As long as they pa.s.sed through this area, they could traverse hundreds and even thousands of lightyears away.
And behind that wormhole would be mankind’s new home!
Before they entered the wormhole, everyone would lie in the hibernation chambers. Of course, while they envisioned the best for the future, they were also prepared for the worst.
Fortunately, the G.o.ds they believed in didn’t abandon them as they pa.s.sed through the wormhole safely.
A year pa.s.sed before the survivor with code 01 came out of hibernation. When he woke up from hibernation, he was ecstatic to discover that he was still alive. The s.h.i.+p was in auto-exploration mode, floating in boundless s.p.a.ce.
According to plan, he entered the c.o.c.kpit and proved to the system that he was healthy. He woke all the other pa.s.sengers in the hibernation chamber.
They held a huge celebration party and cheered for the rebirth of mankind in the merciless galaxy.
Astronomers looked at the star map and confirmed that the s.h.i.+p was still in the Milky Way, but it was 20.5 light years outside the Libra near the planet Gliese 581g.
This 581g planet was located in the red dwarf Gliese 581’s “habitable” zone, 0.15 astronomical units away from the star.
The planet was similar to Mercury in the solar system with one side always facing the star. One side of the planet was permanently under the star’s light while the other side was permanently in the dark, known as tidal locking.
Although it was hard to imagine, this particular formation stabilized the planet’s climate.
In addition, people also learned that the planet revolved around itself in 37 days with a thick atmosphere. There was water on the surface. The planet’s diameter was 1.3 times that of Earth, so its gravity was similar.
It was a planet suitable for habitation.
Because of their unexpected happiness, the crew began to cheer just like when Columbus discovered the new continent.
Unfortunately, they lost contact with the other two s.p.a.ce colonization s.h.i.+ps; they couldn’t share their joy with anyone else.
The s.h.i.+p ended its automatic exploration mode, changed courses, and headed to planet 581g.
On the way, the crew began all forms of preparation for colonizing the new world including checking the status of the colonization model and voting to see who would be the first to step onto the new land.
Just as everyone was working toward their new life, the physicist on the s.h.i.+p made another astonis.h.i.+ng discovery.
The cesium atomic clock they brought appeared to have backtracked.
The backtracking phenomenon could not be explained with physics. It was like everyone knew that atoms decayed, but no one would believe that atoms would return to the state before decaying under normal circ.u.mstances.
There was only one explanation – when they pa.s.sed through the wormhole, they not only pa.s.sed through the twisted s.p.a.ce but they also pa.s.sed through twisted time.
To put it in simple terms, they returned to the past.
Based on the calculations from the quantum computers, the cesium atomic clock showed that the time was 120 years B.C.
It was the third year into the Han dynasty under Emperor Yuan and 634 years since Rome was first built. This year, the Han Dynasty sent envoys to Alexandria and the ancient Greeks built the Pantheon.
If the s.h.i.+p returned to earth, the earth would be in a primal stage.
It was an odd feeling – it was as if your parents weren’t even alive, yet you were born into this world.
The physicists had multiple explanations for this phenomenon.
They suggested that if the multi-world theory was true, they might have reached a world distinct from the previous world. And the previous Earth was a distinct world from this Earth.
This theory was accepted by everyone to some extent.
Their 22nd-century selves couldn’t believe that three-dimensional people could move vertically on a four-dimensional plane as this would lead to a time paradox. The only thing that could explain this was probably that they jumped to a parallel world and their old world had nothing to do with this.
It was an obscure feeling.
Just like being born as a baby and having your umbilical cord cut off.
The universe not only cut them off in terms of distance but also their spiritual sense of belonging.
In the next three seconds, everyone became quiet.
Someone suggested that if they changed course to return to earth, they could use the power on the colonization s.h.i.+p to conquer the earth in the Bronze Age. Even with a distance of 20.5 light years, with a maximum cruise speed of one-tenth of the speed of light, they would only need 400 to 500 years. The worst case would be that they could encounter Huns cavalry.
But this proposal was quickly shut down.
No one could be certain that in this parallel world, the history of the world would follow the same track as in their previous world. Perhaps writing was invented a thousand years earlier? Perhaps Columbus was born 500 years earlier? Perhaps the first industrial revolution started 200 years earlier? Perhaps nothing happened yet.
Relative to the entire human race’s 400,000 years of evolutionary history, it would only take a small disruption to create earth-shattering changes. The only thing they could be certain of was that the world was certainly different from their previous world.
Perhaps when they returned to their original earth of this world, they would face a civilization far more advanced. Perhaps they would be the ones getting colonized like primal people.
It was an odd thought. While they were 20.5 light years away from earth, everyone shared the same thought.
War.
Because of their fear of the unknown, everyone settled down and retrained their focus on the colonization of planet 581g.
Two other thoughts began to take shape in everyone’s head at the same time and ultimately influenced the development of the newborn civilization.
“Earth is not home.”
“Humans are not humans.”