Chapter 43: Abandoned Thoughts

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In the boundless reaches of the universe, somewhere within the AS-996 nebula, a spaceship from Earth floated quietly in the void. Inside the cabin, a team of scouts stared, dumbfounded, at the screen before them. The display revealed a group of celestial beings who looked exactly like themselves—inhabitants of the Sky Dome planet.

These Sky Dome people, in both their physical structure and facial features, were indistinguishable from humans on Earth. Such an astonishing resemblance plunged everyone on board into profound shock and confusion.

The camera slowly panned, capturing every detail of the Sky Dome people. Their individual features were remarkably similar to those of the yellow-skinned race on Earth. This uncanny similarity left the hundred or so crew members in silent awe, their minds stalled, unable to form words.

After a long silence, someone finally found the courage to ask, voice trembling: “Why... why do they look exactly like us?”

This discovery detonated like a bombshell, causing a stir in the cabin. At that moment, the camera swept past a row of text, catching the attention of Albert.

“Go back to their writing, quickly!” Albert urged, his voice alive with excitement.

The camera rewound with haste, finally settling on the sign of a relatively luxurious shopping plaza. Not only did Albert recognize the characters, they were intimately familiar to him.

“Starlight Shopping Plaza...”

“Major Lu Hongfeng! Those are your simplified Chinese characters!”

Albert read each character aloud, his eyes widening with every syllable, his voice brimming with shock and disbelief.

Everyone aboard the ship was utterly bewildered. A wild idea, unbidden, surged through their minds: Could the aliens on this planet actually be Earthlings?

“When did your country's people arrive here?” Unable to restrain himself, Albert turned to Lu Hongfeng, who frowned deeply, his gaze full of confusion.

This revelation had brought an unprecedented shock to their immigration mission. They might have uncovered a hidden secret.

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And this secret would forever change humanity's understanding of the cosmos.

Lu Hongfeng shook his head helplessly. Even the stern major could not keep a tremor from his voice: “How should I know? I can’t make sense of any of this.”

On the giant screen, images flashed relentlessly, as if documenting a condensed version of another world’s civilization. Sleek bullet trains sped along the rails, vehicles moved slowly along the roads, some powered by new energy sources. Steel leviathans traversed the seas, connecting the continents. On the dim side of Sky Dome, city lights twinkled like distant stars, illuminating the brilliance of human ingenuity.

“According to calculations, the technological development of this planet is roughly equivalent to mid-21st-century Earth,” came the broadcast, as if assigning a temporal coordinate to this newly discovered world.

“Population measurement in progress...”

Data on the screen refreshed rapidly, finally settling at [2,688,214,723].

“After calculations, the total population of this planet is approximately 2.7 billion, with a margin of error of around 100 million…”

Few paid attention to the broadcast. Whether soldier or scientist, everyone present wore expressions of deep puzzlement and incomprehension. They exchanged glances, but no one could offer an answer.

According to current scientific assumptions, in the vast universe, only among billions of star systems might a higher intelligence arise. Though they had not witnessed countless planetary civilizations, they had a general understanding of the extraterrestrial societies they had observed.

Among all known alien civilizations, none had ever exhibited such an extraordinary resemblance to Earth and its people.

Yet here, in a supercluster adjacent to Virgo, there existed a planet identical to Earth in environment—even inhabited by intelligent life forms identical to humans.

This series of coincidences seemed to surpass mere chance, defying even the notion of miracles.

Amidst this scene, Professor Albert found a question growing ever more urgent in his heart. Uneasy, he turned to Major Lu Hongfeng: “Major Lu, we… we won’t be going to exterminate the humans on this planet, will we?”

The question seemed to touch something tender within Major Lu. If the life on this planet were like other alien civilizations, bearing no similarity to Earth or its people, Lu would have felt no qualms about carrying out orders.

But confronted by these natives who might share humanity’s origins, and their use of Chinese—

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Even Lu Hongfeng felt an unprecedented hesitation and inner conflict.

He looked at Albert, lost and helpless, and replied in a grave voice: “Let’s report this to Commander Wei Wensu first.”

…

The news quickly reached the vanguard fleet, stationed on the edge of the Sky Dome star system in deep space.

While all members of the vanguard were busily preparing for planetary immigration, the scout ship’s report arrived, packed with shocking information—texts, images, and videos.

Within the fleet, Commander Wei Wensu and his crew seemed to hold their breath as they absorbed the data. Their eyes were riveted to the screen, which showed a planet astonishingly similar to Earth.

“When did Earth’s civilization ever reach this planet?”

“Are these beings descendants of Earthlings?”

“If they truly are, what path should we take?”

Upon seeing the materials, some crew members began to murmur, their voices echoing through the silent cockpit. These questions coursed through every heart like an electric current.

The idea of slaughter now seemed utterly powerless, discarded without mercy. At this critical juncture, any act of violence would be a desecration of civilization, sure to incur the wrath of the United Nations back on Earth.

Wei Wensu drew a deep breath, weighing countless possibilities in his mind.

After a moment, his voice rang out once more:

“Dispatch a reconnaissance team to land and investigate every aspect of this planet.”

“I want to understand their origins, their culture, their technology, and any possible connection they have with us.”

“Report to me only when you have uncovered all the facts.”

His words carried unquestionable authority, yet also betrayed a respect for the unknown and a reverence for life.

At this decisive moment, every choice could affect the future of two planetary civilizations.

Wei Wensu needed more information.

Only then could he make the wisest decision.