Scholar’s Advanced Technological System

[My dear friend, thank you very much for the fossil you gave me. Although I feel you may have forgotten about me, I must express my gratitude.]

[Yesterday, the seminar I held at the University of Oxford came to an end. The clues I found in the fossils you gave me fully proved that there was a group of strong and intelligent cockroaches who once lived on Mars.]

[Different from the little guys who are active on Earth today, they were bigger, had longer tentacles, and lived on a planet with more oxygen than ours… And this also proves that Mars once had a prosperous past, only to be withered for some reason.]

[A civilization once existed on Mars, is there anything more surprising than this? The unfinished expedition from 100 years ago has now received a new explanation. We are not alone in the universe, and the remains of our neighbors are under our feet.]

[I have a sincere request, could you perhaps tell me, where did you find the fossil? We know that money and honor can no longer impress you, but in order to find enlightenment from a prehistoric civilization, I sincerely implore you to share the location of the fossil…]

Mars.

Star Sky Hotel.

Sitting in the study room, Lu Zhou read the email that Leonard had written to him. A troubled expression appeared on his face.

The fossil was found in the ruins of The Gates of Hell, and its current coordinates were probably at the deepest part of the Hiddell Mining Company’s mine, which was next to General Reinhardt’s ship.

However, Lu Zhou certainly couldn’t say that.

He couldn’t explain these things honestly, at least before moving the ship.

He understood Leonard’s impatience and curiosity at the moment.

This was the emotion that any scholar would have when facing the truth.

After hesitating for a while, Lu Zhou opened the dictation function on the screen. After sorting out his thoughts, he spoke in a clear voice.

“I’m terribly sorry, Mr. Leonard, I honestly don’t remember very clearly where the fossil came from. You’ve heard how chaotic the situation was, and you’ve even seen it in the documentary. The cave was collapsing, and I laid in a dormant cabin in a hurry. If the dormant cabin left by the prehistoric civilization wasn’t there, I am afraid I would no longer be in this world.

“There are only two clues I can provide you. In terms of what I have seen, the declining Martian civilization once prospered unprecedentedly, but because of the introverted culture and physical incompetence, instead of expanding into space, they chose to go deep underground.

“As for another clue, that is the demise of the Martian civilization, which is probably related to their excessive release of the thermal energy from Mars’ core, which caused the disappearance of the Martian magnetic field and the loss of the atmosphere…”

Lu Zhou double-checked the text written on the holographic panel.

Not to check for mistakes, but to check whether there was any important information missing, or if he revealed something that should not be revealed.

Then he clicked the send button, sending the email back, and got up from his chair.

He would go to the Milky Way ship in the afternoon to see his and Xiao Ai’s new home.

After a month of work, the latest warp drive had been installed by East Asia Heavy Industries.

Except for a few minor changes, the entire colonial ship was almost complete…

Today’s news was shown on the holographic screen on the shuttle headed towards the East Asia Heavy Industries shipyard.

[Professor Leonard, a well-known scholar of the North Sea Alliance, used fossil evidence to prove that a smart creature resembling a cockroach once existed on Mars billions of years ago.]

[So far, the research has caused a huge sensation in the academic community. Experts in related fields have not yet expressed their views on this incident. However, according to an unnamed scholar, the evidence is likely to be true, and this research may change the mainstream opinions on the ancient geological structure and ancient biological environment of Mars.]

When Zhong Ziyu read the news in the video window, he couldn’t help but speak emotionally.

“It’s incredible. I can’t believe those annoying little creatures built a civilization before?”

After hearing this, Lu Zhou smiled and did not reply.

He was also in disbelief.

He never thought that the fossil stone he put in his pocket would create such a huge reaction.

After ten minutes of sailing, the shuttle quickly stopped at the shipyard’s berth.

The gangway connected, and the group of people soon arrived at the shipyard. They came to the modified Milky Way under the guidance of the engineers.

Standing in the grand concourse, Zhong Ziyu looked around as he smiled and spoke.

“I feel like there is more space here than when I came last time.”

“That’s probably an illusion. This modification did not change the main structure of the starship, it only made some detailed adjustments to the internal space.” Lu Zhou looked at the surrounding layout and said, “Perhaps it’s because the space utilization has improved.”

Academician Yang Chongping was indeed worthy of being a leading engineer in the Mars aviation industry. His skills were quite unrivaled. Choosing him as the chief engineer was an extremely wise decision.

“Really? I thought you widened this colonial ship.” Zhong Ziyu smiled and continued, “Speaking of which, how fast is the warp drive on this ship?”

“It depends on the total mass of the target planet, the distance traveled, and the mass of the colonial ship.” Lu Zhou thought for a while and continued, “If it is Tau Ceti, it will take about 30 days.”

To be honest, the warp drive he designed was just the key to open the hyperspace channel, it couldn’t determine the attributes of the channel itself.

“Arrive at Tau Ceti in 30 days?” Zhong Ziyu’s expression was a little emotional as he continued, “What about Alpha Centauri?”

“About two weeks… Why?”

Zhong Ziyu smiled embarrassedly. He touched the back of his head with his right hand.

“I’m just asking casually… But after hearing you say this, there’s a chance.”

Lu Zhou: “…?”

A chance at what?

Just as Zhong Ziyu was about to explain his plan, a voice floated from above the empty hall.

“You came.”

The two men looked up at the same time but saw nothing.

A holographic beam fell from the sky and landed in front of the two of them.

Lu Zhou looked at the young man standing in front of him. He was slightly stunned, and a solemn expression appeared on his face.

“Lawrence…”

“Yes, my old friend.”

The young Lawrence smiled and continued in a gentle but cold voice.

“We meet again.”