Annihilation of the solar system

The Pearl of the Orient, which is famous as the "city that never sleeps", is now covered in a curtain of shadow, dormant quietly at the intersection of the river and the sea. However, her graceful figure is still highlighted between the sea and the sky reflected by the moonlight.

On the rooftop of a high-rise building, in the night light dyed like silver gauze by the moon, two silhouettes, one large and one small, swayed.

"Dad! Dad! Is that the Big Dipper?" The child's clear eyes contained brilliant starlight. He pointed at the stars in the sky and shouted excitedly.

Next to me, my father was using the bright moonlight to search hard for the spoon-shaped constellation chart on the star chart. Sometimes he looked up at the stars, and sometimes he immersed himself in searching. The beads of sweat on his forehead were already shining in the moonlight.

"Yeah! Yes, yes! Yes, yes! Look at it, there is a very bright star some distance away from the end of the spoon. That is the North Star!" The father finally breathed a sigh of relief, and he looked at it with satisfaction.

The stars were like scattered diamonds. Ever since he could remember, he had never seen a real starry sky.

When the vast sea of ​​​​stars appeared in front of him with the silver light band across the sky, it seemed that his desire and passion for exploring the world when he was a boy was suddenly activated.

"Dad! Dad! Why didn't I see Altair and Vega on both sides of the Milky Way?"

The father had become much better at locating constellations by referring to star charts. He took his son's little hand, pointed at the Milky Way, which looked like milk spilled in the night sky by a giant, and said:

"Son! Where is it! Have you seen it? That big star has two small stars on both sides. Those are the two sons of Altair. The one on the opposite side of the Milky Way is their mother, Vega!"

"I see it! I see it!" The son cheered and jumped.

Two faces, one big and one small, are looking up at the same starry sky, with the same simple and brilliant smile flowing on their faces. The starry sky always makes everyone intoxicated and unable to extricate themselves.

Suddenly, the young son turned his head and looked at his father resolutely. The bright starlight illuminated his young face:

"Dad! Yesterday the teacher asked us what our dreams were. I said I wanted to make a lot of money and buy a big house for you and your mother. But now I have changed my mind. When I grow up, I want to be a scientist!"

…

The two rivers and four banks that used to be bustling with activity are now quiet and the sound of gurgling waves can be heard. The dark high-rise buildings along the river stand like tall square stone monuments.

The man in a suit and tie sat in front of the computer screen with his own figure visible. His hands were typing randomly on the unpowered keyboard, and he was muttering curses:

"This incredible astronomical observation has shut down the power all over the country..."

"Husband, what are you doing sitting in front of the computer? I sent out a notice that there will be no calls today. You have to continue working every night when you come back. Take advantage of the power outage today and come with me for a walk." At this time, the wife

A slender figure appeared at the door.

The husband shook his head gently, with a hint of impatience in his tone.

“I walk around every day to meet clients, and now I don’t want to leave when I get home.”

The wife came over and took one of her husband's hands with both hands. She said coquettishly:

"There is a rare power outage today. Please stay with me today. Let's go to the riverside to look at the stars."

The husband stood up, pulled the tie off his neck and threw it aside.

"All right!"

Along the way, the wife walked in front, singing and dancing like a girl under the moonlight, while the husband followed behind with his head downcast.

They came to sit on a bench by the river. The wife looked up at the stars and exclaimed:

"Wow! So beautiful!"

The husband didn't pay too much attention to his wife's exclamation like seeing an idol. He looked at the dark river with heavy eyes. What came to mind were the harsh reprimands from his leaders when he couldn't meet the KPI, and the scornful remarks from his colleagues when they were dating.

It’s the customer’s frivolous look that pricks you with needles....

"Come and take a look." His wife's gentle hands held up his greasy face and looked up at the sky.

The beautiful starry sky, like a silk swaying on the dome with countless silver beads, suddenly appeared in his eyes.

Gradually, his vision became a little blurry.

In a trance, he seemed to see, behind the majestic galaxy, a scene of a 12-year-old boy studying hard for an exam in order to let his parents cash in the astronomical telescope reward.

…

In the hills of the south, the small town surrounded by mountains and rivers has lost its decoration of lights, as if it has merged with the rolling hills. In an inconspicuous dark corner, several small red dots are shining red one after another.

There were several factory workers sitting under the shelves of the basketball court in front of the dormitory, smoking and chatting under the stars.

Normally, the lights should be brightly lit here, and the machines are producing in full swing amidst the loud noise. But at this time, under the illumination of the stars, only a vague shadow can be seen in the rows of huge factory buildings.

With a deep breath, the cigarette butt emitted a fiery red light, reflecting a green face. Because there was no lighting, the red light also illuminated several people around him.

"You don't have to go to this class, and you can't use your cell phone. It's so boring!" The young man complained as he shook the turned off cell phone in his hand.

A taller older man next to him sighed softly:

"Hey! You young people now, if you had been at our time, you wouldn't be able to stay for a day!"

The young apprentice disagreed, but he still had due respect for his master. He changed the subject:

"Hey! Master, I heard from my co-workers that your ancestral home is not from the Northeast? How did you come to our south?"

The master's cigarette butt shone with a faint red light, and the expression on his face could not be seen clearly.

"I came here with my parents when I was 7 years old. At that time, the surrounding area was similar to what it is now. It's just that today because of the power outage, we can no longer see the high-rise buildings and the ring road. At that time, the surrounding area was still barren mountains."

The apprentice was a little curious:

"Then why do they, I mean your parents, come so far away from home?"

The master smiled and asked:

"Do you know what the factories were called when I was an apprentice?"

"What's it called? Hongxing Excavator Factory? Hongqi Bulldozer Factory?"

"None of them are right."

"What's that called?"

"Factory 692."

"Uh, that sounds like the name of a military factory."

"That's right, at that time we were producing the Type 59 medium tank, and I was in charge of the lathe for the gears of the tank's transmission mechanism."

The apprentice was startled and immediately put away his sloppy sitting posture. He hugged his knees with his hands and stared directly at the burly older man:

"Tanks were produced here before?"

"Yes, at that time our neighbors to the north were watching us eagerly and might pounce on us at any time. The entire country and everyone in those decades were preparing for a war that might start at any time.

."

"Then your life is not very difficult?" The disciple's voice became serious.

The master shook his head gently:

"At that time, the whole country was playing chess, and no one cared about it. Because we all knew that the country made such arrangements not only to save other people, but also to save ourselves."

The apprentice's face is full of awe for his master and the times.

The master threw away the cigarette butt and looked up at the stars in the sky:

“I used to see starry skies like this after working the night shift.”

He looked at his old friends and apprentices around him again, and said meaningfully:

"The country has not had such nationwide mobilization for a long time. I'm afraid..."

He paused and looked at the stars in the sky.

"I'm afraid things are not going well this time."

…

A certain area of ​​the East China Sea is calm. On the sparkling sea, fragments of the moon are reflected, looking like the fluorescent remains of the Nautilus passing under the sea in "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea".

film.

A huge black shadow floated quietly on the sea, like a giant whale lying on the sea sleeping. It was a Type 065 destroyer leader. There was no light on the bridge and no machinery could be heard.

The noise she made. This was not an ambush mission training, but her host computer had been shut down.

She had just completed an overseas training mission. On her way back to the port, she received an order to remain silent from the fleet headquarters. There was not enough time to leave the prescribed sea area or return to the port, so she could only choose to remain silent.

On the top of the thick, seemingly simple, comprehensive radio frequency mast that actually integrates a variety of electronic equipment, a sailor is standing on the top of the mast looking around with a telescope. This is something that would never happen in normal times, because

The combined heat and high-power electromagnetic waves from the RF mast were enough to harm his body.

On the bridge, the captain and political commissar were also searching the sea with binoculars.

"You go and have a rest. I'm keeping an eye on this. Besides, there are people on the mast and on the deck. Don't worry, nothing will happen." The political commissar took off the telescope and said to the captain who was still staring at the tube next to him.

"I usually use radar to see hundreds of kilometers, but now I can see 10 to 20 kilometers with my eyes. It's surprising that I can be at ease." The captain said while continuing to scan the calm sea.

The political commissar looked at the various control devices in front of him that had all been turned off and sighed:

"If anything happens now, it will be really difficult for us to deal with it."

The captain still held the telescope, but his tone was much more relaxed:

"If there is anything difficult to deal with, do what the navy should do - sink enemy ships."

"To put it lightly, it will take half an hour just to start the main gas turbine and restore power." The political commissar's words were full of anxiety.

The captain chuckled and put down the telescope.

"More than fifty years ago, the senior officers of the Navy drove minelayers in the Xisha Islands and sunk frigates in Southeast Asia with 40-mm and 56-mm guns."

The political commissar's anxiety also relaxed a little, and he was about to speak when a sharp whistle came from the mast!

"Tick! Tick! Tick! - Tick! Tick! Tick! - Tick! Tick! Tick!"

"Four o'clock! Unidentified ship found!" the sentry on the top of the mast shouted at the top of his lungs.

Then, the whistle of emergency assembly sounded throughout the dark warship.

"What a fool! It's really coming!" the captain cursed, using his binoculars to look at the direction reported by the sentry.

In the telescope, 15 nautical miles away, a dark figure was heading towards them at high speed. The water splashed by its bow sparkled under the reflection of the moonlight. All the sailors had gathered urgently. The weapons officers were already standing beside them.

At the position, only the screen of the control device was still dark.

The other sailors have all gathered on the starboard deck. A few of them have assault rifles and pistols in their hands, and most of them have a variety of guys, some carrying mazzas and stools, and even cooks carrying pots and pans! It's dim.

Although their faces could not be seen clearly on the deck, the fighting spirit in their eyes was shining!

The unknown warship approached quickly under the moonlight, and its outline could be seen clearly. It was a Japanese "Nagato-class" destroyer. When it was performing training missions, it had been following the warship radar in a sneaky manner.

The edge of the detectable range.

"Sure enough, that's it!" The political commissar stared through the telescope at the warship pushing against the waves on the calm sea.

"Old friend!" The captain put down his telescope and pulled out his pistol, walked quickly to the edge of the bridge and shouted to the people below:

"Ready to fight!"

At this time, the rumbling sound of the main engine of the "Nagato-class" could be faintly heard. The sailors on the deck and the captain on the bridge showed no fear, and they were all prepared for the worst.

But at this moment, the speed of the "Nagato-class" slowed down. She turned the rudder to the left and steered the warship slowly a few nautical miles away from them. When the captain and political commissar were wondering, suddenly she

The lights of the entire ship were turned on. They were not searchlights directed at the other party, but lights that illuminated itself.

At this time, the "Nagato-class" was clearly visible in their eyes. Soldiers wearing military uniforms were running and lining up on the sides of her front and rear decks. It looked more like a diplomatic greeting ceremony.

"What are they going to do?" the political commissar asked doubtfully.

Suddenly, a particularly bright light on the bridge of the "Nagato-class" flickered regularly. The political commissar quickly put down his telescope, took out his pen and paper and took notes.

"My... ship..." the political commissar was recording and reading at the same time. Until he finished reading the Morse code sent by light, he looked at the paper and read:

"Our ship has completed its cruise mission and is about to return. Please be silent and wish you good luck!" After reading, the political commissar looked at the captain with a complicated expression. There was a small commotion on the deck below. Those who were originally prepared to fight

The formation of the sailors was a little messy. The sailors were all talking to each other and looking at the warship not far away.

The captain picked up his telescope and saw that the sailors on the side of the "Nagato-class" were uniformly giving him a military salute. Immediately, a thin black smoke rose from the chimney of the warship, accompanied by a violent splash of water at the stern of the ship.

, the "Nagato-class" turned around and drove towards the direction of the moonlight at high speed.

…

The bright sunshine shines on the tall dome of the White House, making this beacon symbolizing the free world look particularly shining. A secret meeting of NATO is being held in the conference room, and the topic of the meeting is a small and medium-sized war in Eastern Europe.

territorial war.

Sitting above the conference table is President Isaac. He is also the protagonist of this conference and the core of NATO. He has not spoken and just watched his allies quarreling calmly.

"If you continue to send reinforcements like you did in the past, with big thunder and small rain, then the poor European granary will be eaten up by the polar bear! Then we will directly border with us." President Bolan looked anxious and clenched his fists.

He was tapping frequently on the table.

The Prussian Prime Minister on the side nodded, and he looked at President Bolan with sympathy:

"Yes, we cannot let the situation continue to deteriorate. We can provide advanced weapons and equipment and complete logistics supplies to the soldiers fighting on the front line, and we can also train their soldiers. However, we are restricted by the pacifist constitution and cannot expand military expenditures. If

In that case, our local defense will be tight. So..."

Before the Prussian Prime Minister could finish his words, the Gallic Prime Minister, who was sitting on the side with a less standard posture, took over the conversation:

"Don't be so anxious. Our 300 armored vehicles and 1,000 artillery pieces are already being loaded to assist the front line. They will be transported to the front line soon. The situation on the battlefield will then be..."

The Prussian Chancellor laughed out loud regardless of etiquette.

"Haha, I think what you mean is that your decommissioned equipment from thirty years ago has been repaired and can be installed in cars. That won't solve the problem at all."

The Prime Minister of Gaul looked displeased, but had nothing to say, because what the Prime Minister of Prussia said was indeed the truth.

"Gentlemen, I think we should be clear. We just want to pluck the polar bear's hair and let him slowly freeze to death in the cold Siberian winter. We don't want to remove one of his arms, which will make it

Completely angry." The British Prime Minister elegantly stirred the black tea in the cup with a spoon and said casually.

"Forget it, if you hadn't forcibly pushed forward NATO's eastward expansion plan, that skinny polar bear wouldn't have pounced on it desperately." President Bolan stared at the British Prime Minister and accused him unceremoniously.

The muscles on the North American president's face twitched slightly, and his expression became more solemn. He looked at the allies at the venue who were arguing fiercely for their own interests.

"Gentlemen, look at this!" he finally said.

Half of the area on the projection screen behind him showed a satellite photo. Brightly lit city clusters were dotted everywhere like scattered gems. Between these bright gems scattered everywhere, the dense road network seemed to be shining.

Like fluorescent spider threads, the gems scattered everywhere are connected together. The whole scene is a majestic impressionist painting created on a black canvas with a watercolor brush and gold paint.

"Isn't this just a photo of the Eastern Hemisphere's night view of space?" President Pollan replied. It was obvious that he was not in the mood to appreciate this magnificent spectacle of civilization.

"This is a satellite photo taken at 20:50 East Eighth District time. Take a look at the photo taken twenty minutes later."

Another satellite photo appears next to the previous one in the other half of the screen.

In that photo, in the ink-like Eastern Hemisphere, the shape of a muscular rooster truly appeared before their eyes. But this time, the rooster was no longer outlined by the curved lines on the map.

But the real blue coastline and the alternating light and dark city glow on the border!

Although the dark rooster did not emit a trace of light, its invisible dazzling luster made everyone in the venue unable to open their eyes.

The venue was silent for a long time, and everyone was stunned by the black rooster, whose eyes seemed to be glued to the two photos.

President Isaac stood up slowly, with mixed feelings in his chest but nowhere to vent them. He just said calmly with a hint of helplessness:

"Look at what we, the center of the world, are doing. Look again..."

He pointed at the rooster in the photo behind him, which performed black more brilliantly than ever before, and sighed. Then he walked out of the conference room lonely.

…

At the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Veronica sat at her desk and smoked a cigarette with blurred eyes. In her office, she could see the space command center below through the large glass curtain wall. Usually, the equipment was shining and people were flowing.

The shuttle control center is now empty, with only a few people on duty.

Veronica privately gave them a day off, which was extremely rare at the Johnson Space Center, which was on full duty. Although she looked at the control center below, what kept flashing in her mind were those twists and turns and shapes.

It looks like radio waves like instant noodles.

Although she herself knew that those electromagnetic waves traveling at the speed of light were impossible to see, and even if she could see them, they wouldn't be what she imagined, but she still couldn't control her thoughts.

"Hey! Veronica! Come listen to this!" An aerospace engineer rushed into her office excitedly.

The engineer ran to her desk and pressed a button on the intercom on the desk. Then she ran to the glass curtain wall and made a gesture to the aerospace engineer at the console below. The engineer below pressed a button on the console.

After pressing a few buttons, a burst of intermittent music sounded from the intercom. It felt like receiving a call in an elevator with a spotty signal.

But you can still vaguely hear that it is a song full of tropical style.

"The voice of Sandalwood Mountain brings you greetings of dawn."

In the background of that song, intermittent sounds came from the intercom.

"What is this?" Veronica strained her ears to listen to those hoarse voices.

"At this time, we received the radio signal of Radio Hawaii using the radio array antenna on the West Coast. I can't believe that we can receive it here. This is the first time..."

The surprise on Veronica's face suddenly turned into anger. Her face turned red, and she turned off the intercom on the table roughly, staring at the innocent aerospace engineer in front of her with wide eyes and roaring.

road:

"Damn idiots! That's because 1/3 of the radio signals in the world are silent today, so you can receive that ridiculous music!"

The engineer's face turned pale and he stood there at a loss.

"Get someone to call that stupid radio station and tell them to turn that thing off! Now!" Veronica continued to roar. She knew that if the signal could be received on the West Coast, it would be better on the other side of the ocean.

The "eye in the sky" may be interfered with.

"But...but...the radio station is not owned...it is not under our control." The engineer defended tremblingly.

"Then inform them in the name of NASA to turn down the damn transmission power. The reason is that we are conducting deep space observations and it will affect our observation accuracy!"

The engineer nodded repeatedly, but his body still stood trembling. Until Veronica roared at the top of her voice.

"Go quickly!"

After the engineer left, Veronica slumped on the chair. She combed her beautiful blond hair with her hands, her face haggard. She took out another cigarette and murmured to herself before putting it to her mouth:

"Although we can't help, don't cause trouble. Lan, may God be with you."

…

Beijing National Observatory Observation Center.

All the engineers and experts involved in the "Sky Eye" project gathered here, including Xia Lan, Wei Xu, Zhou Cheng and Shen Manying.

Various data jumped on the big screen, although the nationwide power outage was silent. However, because the observation center needs to receive the observation data returned by the Sky Eye through the optical cable in real time, the backup power supply was connected here. After careful testing, at this distance,

, the electromagnetic waves emitted by the equipment are far from the level that interferes with the "Eye in the Sky" observation results.

Xia Lan's face was covered with exhaustion. She had heavy dark circles under her eyes, and her originally fair and rosy skin was now only pale. Due to the complicated preparations, almost everyone in the observation center was already 24

She hadn't slept a wink since she was a child. But Xia Lan still looked particularly haggard when standing among them, like a haggard and critically ill patient.

The instructors Shen Manling and Zhou Cheng behind them saw that Xia Lan was in a very bad state. Their eyes were full of anxiety but they didn't know how to persuade her. Shen Manling gently put her hand on Xia Lan's shoulder.

"Xia Lan, go take a rest."

Xia Lan shook her head and forced a forced smile on her face:

"No need, the observation data will be out soon."

Shen Manling shook her head slightly and sighed softly. She knew her students' temper very well.

"The data processing here is all automated, and when the raw data is transmitted here, it will take several hours of analysis before the results can be obtained. Dr. Xia Lan, you really need to rest!" A person who worked with Xia Lan briefly

said the engineer.

Xia Lan squinted her eyes and took two shallow breaths. The action of inhaling seemed extremely laborious.

"The country and people have paid so much for this observation. And the data from this observation may directly change the future destiny of each of us. This is too important, I can't leave." Her voice was weak but her words were full of meaning.

With a stubbornness and persistence.

"Senior sister, it's useless for us to stay here. Tomorrow's data analysis will be when we can play our role. If this continues, I'm worried about you..." He also had deep dark circles under his eyes and a pale complexion.

Wei Xu said. These days, he doesn't sleep as much as Xia Lan.

Xia Lan was hesitant, but she didn't know whether it was the slow reaction caused by fatigue, or whether she still insisted on waiting for the result. She stood swaying and did not move.

"Xia Lan, listen to your teacher Shen. Go back and rest. Come back when the results are out. If you have a physical problem while waiting or analyzing the data, you will have failed in this unprecedented scale of observation."

Zhou Cheng said.

Xia Lan turned to look at everyone and finally nodded slightly. Shen Manling and Zhou Cheng accompanied Xia Lan and Wei Xu out of the observation center. On the way to the car, Xia Lan lowered her head and looked at her footsteps.

, because she really didn’t have the extra energy to raise her head.

When she came to an open space, she suddenly saw her faint shadow on the ground, and her already very sluggish energy was refocused as if she had received an emergency gathering order.

"That's the shadow cast by the starlight!" she whispered. Only she could hear the voice, but it was extremely clear.

She concentrated all her strength and raised her head. Among the giant-like buildings, the sky was filled with stars surrounding the strip of light that stretched across the sky, like a shining silver crown in the Milky Way.

Suddenly, in Xia Lan's eyes, she didn't know whether it was the red light of fireworks or the hallucination of exhaustion, or the fear of the expected result. The starry sky in front of her eyes was slowly infected with a thin layer of red, like blood. General fishy red color.

She quickly looked away, rubbing her eyes and not daring to look at the starry sky that she had loved so much.

Shen Manling and Wei Xu beside them seemed to be infected by Xia Lan's emotions. Shen Manling held Xia Lan's arm and said gently:

"It's okay kid, they are just some stars, just some of the stars you are most familiar with. You know them all and can call them by their names."

Xia Lan leaned on Shen Manling, her body trembling slightly, and her tired eyes flashed with deep fear.

Will the result she has been pursuing, forgetting sleep and eating, exhausting her energy, eventually become a curse for herself and even the entire human race?

Under the starry sky filled with bloody murderous intent, the fear finally enveloped her.

Everyone was silent under the soft starlight, but the starlight at this moment no longer had any poetry. It stared ferociously at everyone on the earth, and its light was like countless silver needles piercing everyone's deepest heart. From the bottom of my heart.