Chapter 10: Chronicles of Heroes Across the Cosmos

Words : 1556 Updated : Sep 12th, 2025

Leaving the Jupiter system, Xiao Yu felt an unparalleled sense of relief. Although he had experienced a few scares earlier, he believed they were entirely worth it. The value of these peculiar radiation sources went far beyond simply enhancing material properties. The most significant value lay in understanding the mechanism behind these changes. In other words, why did exposure to these radiation sources lead to substantial improvements in metal performance? If Xiao Yu could uncover the underlying principles, he could develop even stronger and more advanced materials. This was the true value of these radiation sources. Without a doubt, researching this issue required immense computational power—a resource Xiao Yu possessed in abundance. The capabilities demonstrated by the fusion of human consciousness with computers were not as simple as one plus one. A true electronic life form’s research ability could rival that of an entire human civilization. Supported by nearly infinite learning capacity, computational power, creativity, and precision beyond human reach, Xiao Yu’s strength was undeniable, a synthesis of the best qualities of humanity and machines. As Jupiter grew smaller and more distant in his view, Xiao Yu directed his gaze toward a bright star in the distance—Saturn. After analyzing the positions and data of several neutron stars in the universe, Xiao Yu confirmed his location. He was currently 700 million kilometers away from Saturn. Determining one’s location in the vastness of space was a daunting task. However, humanity had made advances in this area, effectively solving the problem through pulsar navigation. When a massive star reaches the end of its life and undergoes a supernova explosion, if the remaining core mass is less than the Tolman-Oppenheimer-Volkoff limit, a neutron star forms. Its stability is maintained through the balance between gravitational pull and neutron degeneracy pressure. Pulsars are a type of neutron star that spin at incredible speeds and emit powerful, highly stable radiation from their poles, acting like bright beacons in the universe. By observing the parameters of a few pulsars relative to one’s position, it is possible to estimate one’s location. Of course, this method required prior knowledge of the locations of these neutron stars. Before fleeing Earth, Xiao Yu had copied all of humanity’s astronomical data onto his hard drive, which naturally included pulsar data. The journey through space was long and monotonous. Six months passed in the blink of an eye. As Saturn loomed larger in front of him, Xiao Yu felt a surge of excitement. If not for the need to decelerate upon nearing Saturn, the journey could have been shortened by about a month. During those six months, Xiao Yu processed the new data obtained from Jupiter, revising his earlier theories. He now had even greater confidence in mastering controlled nuclear fusion technology. Moreover, over these five months, Xiao Yu conducted detailed studies on the peculiar radiation source confined in a metal container. For convenience, he had named this strange Jovian organism “Specimen One.” Naturally, Xiao Yu did not dare release Specimen One. Doing so would instantly melt the interior of his spacecraft. Studying it through the thick metal casing was akin to scratching an itch through a boot—better than nothing. Even so, Xiao Yu had gleaned substantial data. He had preliminarily determined that Specimen One was indeed a form of life—a peculiar one. Although it had no tangible mass, it exhibited all the characteristics of living organisms. For instance, when Xiao Yu emitted an extremely high-frequency electromagnetic wave at it, Specimen One displayed signs of irritation and unrest, and its radiation intensity slightly decreased. However, no matter how Xiao Yu manipulated the parameters, he could never increase its radiation output. After extensive experimentation, Xiao Yu determined that Specimen One’s intelligence was roughly equivalent to that of an ancient trilobite. In other words, it was still in the early stages of evolution. During this period, the metal material composing the container had been further enhanced, with performance indices nearly tripling their initial values. However, once reaching this level, no further improvements occurred, as if Specimen One’s enhancement effect on the metal had a ceiling. Correspondingly, as the metal’s performance improved, Specimen One’s radiation intensity decreased by 0.03%. Xiao Yu estimated that to double the performance of one ton of metal, Specimen One’s total radiation output would decrease by 0.01%. This meant that Specimen One’s radiation strength could enhance the properties of up to ten thousand tons of metal—enough to construct the framework of a medium-sized starship. For context, before Earth’s destruction, humanity’s heaviest aerospace structure—the International Space Station—had a mass of less than 500 tons. Even Xiao Yu’s starship, fully loaded with fuel, weighed only a few thousand tons, with no more than 2,000 tons of metal used in its construction. Xiao Yu was filled with anticipation for what Specimen One could achieve. Despite devoting time to researching controlled nuclear fusion and studying Specimen One, these tasks occupied less than 10% of Xiao Yu’s computational capacity. Over the past five months, the majority of his energy had been dedicated to discovering new stars and supplementing existing stellar data. Xiao Yu was compiling a comprehensive catalog of all stars. Of course, this project was still in its infancy. For humans in the past, such an endeavor would have seemed almost impossible due to the sheer number of stars in the universe. In the Milky Way alone, there are between 100 and 400 billion stars. To make this manageable, humans had compiled numerous catalogs that classified stars by type, such as HD, SAO, and BD. However, Xiao Yu disregarded these classifications. His plan was to create a unified catalog that included all types of stars, nebulae, star clusters, white dwarfs, neutron stars, black holes, and galaxies. Thanks to his nearly limitless storage and retrieval capabilities, the colossal scale of this project posed no obstacle for Xiao Yu. Over the past few months, utilizing the advanced detection systems aboard his spacecraft, comparable in power to the Hubble Space Telescope, combined with preexisting human data, Xiao Yu had cataloged over 5 million stars. Each entry included detailed observational data such as mass, volume, age, absolute magnitude, spectrum, metallicity, angular diameter, rotational speed, orbital velocity, and positional information. This catalog was dynamic, evolving over time to reflect changes in the properties of celestial bodies as they moved through the cosmos. “Such a magnificent catalog deserves an awe-inspiring name,” Xiao Yu mused. “Let’s call it the Chronicles of Heroes Across the Cosmos. ‘Cosmos’ represents the universe, and ‘heroes’ are the stars that populate it.” “Chronicles of Heroes Across the Cosmos!” Xiao Yu repeated the grand name aloud, brimming with pride. The star numbered first in the catalog was, unsurprisingly, the Sun. The Sun held special significance for Xiao Yu. As Saturn drew nearer in his view, the magnificent planet, encircled by its spectacular rings, appeared like a graceful celestial dancer of unparalleled beauty. Saturn’s rings possessed extraordinary physical characteristics. They were vast yet remarkably thin. With a radius of about 110,000 kilometers, the rings were only about 20 meters thick and primarily composed of meteoritic debris and ice particles. Saturn’s structure was similar to Jupiter’s, meaning the resources available around Jupiter could also be found here. Furthermore, Titan, Saturn’s largest moon, was just as resource-rich as Europa, Jupiter’s icy moon, if not more so. Slowing his velocity relative to Saturn to 30 kilometers per second, Xiao Yu entered orbit around the planet. He gradually adjusted his speed, reducing it to 2 kilometers per second relative to Titan, successfully achieving orbit around the moon. At this point, there was much to be done. With his current technology, Xiao Yu could not take off directly from a celestial body without using a rocket. This limitation applied even to a small celestial body like Titan, whose escape velocity was only 2.6 kilometers per second. In other words, once Xiao Yu landed, he would not be able to move for a while. Thus, it was crucial to choose the most suitable landing site. The location needed to be on solid land, near a methane lake for energy, and close to an area rich in iron for construction materials. Xiao Yu began an extended orbital survey of Titan. Over tens of thousands of orbits, he gradually mapped a detailed three-dimensional representation of Titan’s surface. The map included features such as mountain ranges, volcanoes, iron-rich regions, silicon-rich regions, lakes, and landmasses. After careful analysis, Xiao Yu finally selected a landing site. The Shangdu Region, also known as Shangri-La, was a highly reflective area located on Titan’s leading hemisphere, roughly the size of Australia. Traditional theories suggested that this region was a massive methane lake, but Xiao Yu’s observations disproved this hypothesis. Through the thick atmosphere, the surface conditions of the Shangdu Region came into focus on Xiao Yu’s monitors. What appeared before him was a fascinating world. The region featured solid ground and lakes, though not large ones. There were also rivers composed entirely of liquid methane flowing gently, resembling Earth’s rivers. Geological surveys revealed an exceptionally rich iron ore deposit in one part of the Shangdu Region. After weighing his options, Xiao Yu decided to make this area his landing site. Carefully calculating orbital trajectories, Xiao Yu gradually decreased his altitude and velocity, approaching Titan’s smooth surface at a controlled pace.

Chapter 10: Chronicles of Heroes Across the Cosmos

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