"Stargate SH100079, initiating energy charge.
Charging complete, preparing to open the space warp channel.
"Countdown: five, four, three, two, one."
"The space warp channel has been successfully opened."
"Welcome to Planet SH100079, Mr. Fang Xu."
Fang Xu sat in his wheelchair, gazing at the massive hundred-meter-high metallic ring. The complex and intricate metal components flashed with arcs of energy, while the center of the ring rippled like the surface of a tranquil lake.
Soon, the ripples began to emit a faint blue glow, until a calm, shimmering blue "lake" appeared in the otherwise empty center of the ring. Thus, with that blue glow, two worlds were successfully connected by a massive circular gateway with a diameter of one hundred meters.
"Does the stargate's number correspond to the name of the planet on the other side?" Fang Xu asked.
"Yes, while many locals have their own names for their planets, for management convenience, humans uniformly use the stargate's number to name the destination planet," Nanyi explained.
"What if two stargates both lead to the same planet?" Fang Xu was puzzled.
"In general, a colony planet with two stargates would be a special and significant one. Such planets usually have another name besides the number, but the original stargate's number remains, based on the first stargate established on that planet," Nanyi continued to explain.
Fang Xu nodded.
As they talked, a variety of robots of different sizes began moving out across the square in front of the stargate. There were quadrupedal robots, hexapodal robots, and wheeled robots. The smaller ones were the size of spiders, while the larger ones were over ten meters tall.
Some drones flew into the stargate first. The world on the other side had been completely disconnected from Earth for tens of thousands of years. As a human, Fang Xu naturally wouldn't take the risk himself—noblemen don't risk their lives easily. Of course, various robots had to go first to confirm the safety of the other side before Fang Xu proceeded.
In front of Fang Xu's wheelchair, a holographic display projected by the wheelchair spread across his front and sides. It showed real-time video feeds from the drones and ground robots, as well as complex real-time data. Fang Xu could barely understand the data, only recognizing things like temperature, humidity, and air content. His main focus was on the video feeds since the scenery and culture of another planet seemed quite intriguing.
As for the data, Nanyi would analyze it. After all, Nanyi was a medical-care type biorobot, and with Fang Xu's current health, whether the world on the other side was suitable for him and how he should proceed needed to be confirmed by Nanyi.
"Minus fifty degrees? Is this for real?" Fang Xu looked at the video feed showing a vast white expanse covered in snow and double-checked the temperature reading, suddenly realizing.
"Planet SH100079 is an Earth-like planet. According to records, when it was first discovered 15,000 years ago, its temperature was suitable, with primitive vegetation and single-celled organisms naturally evolving. There shouldn't be such low temperatures under normal circumstances, and it looks like there's no sign of life at all," Nanyi said, puzzled.
"It seems something unexpected has happened. What do the monitoring data say? Can I go over there?" Fang Xu asked.
"It is recommended that you wear a powered exoskeleton for warmth," Nanyi replied.
"Understood," Fang Xu nodded.
Then, with a flash of thought in his mind, the command issued via brainwave was captured by the wheelchair. The wide wheelchair began to extend and transform, wrapping around Fang Xu.
Soon, a powered exoskeleton, encasing Fang Xu, stood on the ground. With the assistance of the powered exoskeleton, Fang Xu issued commands via thought, and the exoskeleton moved his body forward towards the stargate.
Nanyi quickened her pace to follow Fang Xu.
Soon, the two of them crossed through the stargate together. Fang Xu's footsteps finally set foot on alien soil.
At that moment, even though he was fully aware that his life was on a countdown, Fang Xu couldn't help but feel a bit excited. He looked up at the pitch-black sky and the countless stars, as well as the snow-covered white land. Since snow can diffuse light, the snowy ground didn't seem as dark as the sky.
"Is it nighttime here?" Fang Xu observed his surroundings.
"I've just connected to the SH100079 planetary base's signal and submitted a data update request. The basic information about this planet has been updated, and I’m afraid it may disappoint you," Nanyi said after a brief pause, seemingly having quickly read the incoming information.
"You managed to connect to the planetary base? That's great," Fang Xu said excitedly, then asked in confusion, "What do you mean by 'disappoint'?"
"It's not nighttime here; the star is being obscured," Nanyi replied.
"The star is obscured? A solar eclipse?" Fang Xu guessed.
"No, it's a Dyson sphere," Nanyi said.
"A Dyson sphere?" Fang Xu's eyes widened, and he looked up again at the pitch-black sky, without a single light source, as if the entire universe was engulfed in darkness.
"Haven't you always wondered what kind of energy Planet SH100079, the energy-collecting planet, gathers? I couldn't answer that question before due to insufficient data in my database. Now I can—the energy comes from the star," Nanyi explained.
"Was this Dyson sphere built by humans?" Fang Xu asked in a dry voice. Even though humanity had developed technologies to manipulate space and time, Fang Xu had no real sense of those advancements. But the sheer scale of a Dyson sphere made his scalp tingle just thinking about it.
"The Dyson sphere was constructed 15,000 years ago, taking 300 years to complete. It has provided energy for humans ever since, until 14,000 years ago when a better energy system was discovered."
"And there’s an even better energy system? At least leave me something," Fang Xu couldn't help but complain.
