10 thousand kilometers up in the sky.

A delta-winged aircraft was cruising through the air at a high velocity.

Its all-glass cockpit had a good field of vision. A clear blue sky, clouds as white as cotton, land as green as emerald, a long, silvery stream… every image that came into sight could be used as a wallpaper.

“A world with nobody is actually so beautiful.”

This wasn’t the first time that Chen Jin had said this. He truly acknowledged what some scientists have said: Human beings are indeed like cancer cells that only unceasingly take and destroy.

If there were no humans, the beauty of nature would be unfathomable.

“Master, beauty is born of sensibility, but the essence of this world is rationality. Nothing is immutable. Only by becoming stronger and grasping more truths can we protect that beauty everlasting,” said Nuwa.

“I’m aware of that.” Chen Jin nodded. “But standing in the shoes of this recovered planet, in any event, it is clear that it would never hope for human beings to live on it, to once again multiply to a population in the billions. How terrifying that would be.”

“So, what are your plans for this world, master? Should it always exist as your personal territory and be kept in this original state?”

“That’s what I figured. It must not be trampled upon a second time. Why don’t we turn it into a ‘paradise’—a paradise that only allows short visits, and no long settlements. It wouldn’t get destroyed again if it were so.”

Chen Jin had a rather selfish idea in his heart. After all, he could not bear for the beauty that he had painstakingly created to be ruined once again.

The city below was gradually drawing near.

At its center stood a tower-like landmark, a building with a height of eleven kilometers that was emitting a beam of green light upwards. At night, it was as beautiful as a lighthouse shining its dazzling gleam over a thousand miles. In fact, the building was indeed a “lighthouse” which acted as guidance under low light conditions. But it was also an anti-gravity propeller that could extend a gravity-free track to transport large amounts of materials to spaceports in the outer sphere. In addition, it was a data communication tower, similar to a cell tower, but with data transmission rates far beyond imagination. Besides, it also had the regional broadcast function which allowed the timely broadcasting of various news. Hence, this building was named the “Central Tower.”

Swiftly, the aircraft landed on a parking platform at the edge of the Central Tower.

Upon disembarking, the magnetic rail elevator stopped right in front of them. Chen Jin went in and the magnetic rail elevator sent him directly to the 100th floor of the Central Tower.

He entered an office hall that spanned an area of 300 square meters.

This was the place from which he controlled everything.

The circular console in front of him was made up of several large, transparent screens. Occasionally, a realistic stereoscopic holographic projection would emerge into the air. There was also a red leather wing chair that was designed in correspondence with each part of Chen Jin’s body. The comfort it provided for him was unparalleled.

“Whoah…” He sat comfortably in his chair.

The handle of the chair on his right automatically rose with a cup of steaming black tea on it. He could reach the cup with just a meager stretch. As his palm was feeling the pleasant warm temperature, he lifted the cup to his mouth, had a gentle sip, and the best-tasting tea ever slid down his throat.

But Chen Jin wasn’t here for tea. There was something that he had to deal with.

“Alice, Nuwa.”

“Yes, master.”

Two figures appeared on the display in front of him, the artificial intelligences Alice and Nuwa.

“How is the Ultimate Neutrino Plan going? Have you successfully manufactured the neutrino that I want?” Chen Jin asked.

“It has succeeded, master,” Alice said. “The most advanced fifth-generation neutrino has acquired success recently and has achieved mass production.”

“Do all aspects of its performance meet the requirements?”

“Certainly. The results we have attained constitute the coalescence of the finest of human intelligence.”

Chen Jin nodded. “That being the case, it’s time to officially take the first step. The days of the ‘planet otaku’ are almost coming to an end.”

So what was this “first step” that he was talking about?

The universe.

Naturally, he was talking about taking the first step into the universe, as humanity should not always remain in a single galaxy.

It was almost time to get out of the beginners’ town.

Of course, the cosmic environment was extremely dangerous. Without being fully prepared, rushing out like a headless fly, it was easy for one to bump into trouble and even lose one’s life.

In reality, there was no infinite revives.

Being cautious was the number one priority. Before going out, it was best for one to know what was going on around them. This was also the so-called approach of “collect intelligence, case the joint beforehand.”

The Ultimate Neutrino Plan had been going on for more than 50 years with the purpose of developing a remote monitoring device to be launched into the surrounding stellar systems, similar to that used by the Crystal Brainers. It allowed one to fathom the surrounding situation before making plans for the next step.

In the virtual game Galaxy Era, if players that focused on expansion wished to increase their territory, the first thing they would have to do was also monitoring, studying everything in their surroundings. Launching a monitoring device was the most common practice. Moreover, with the vastness of the universe, even if one were to launch a huge device with a diameter of more than ten meters to a certain galaxy colonized by a civilization, it would still be difficult for the other party to find out in time, as too many blind angles and neutral gaps exist. Even higher-level civilizations could hardly prevent some low-tech prying, such as disguising a monitoring device as a meteorite or the like. As long as it did not radiate a suspicious signal, it would basically fly under the radar.

In the almost infinitely large universe, no matter what civilization it might be, a monitoring device could easily become invisible.

However, in order for the monitoring to be effective, the device should be made as small as possible and as fast as possible. As for its information transmission rate, the quicker the better.

“Master, the fifth-generation neutrino is only the size of a marble, with a mass not exceeding 10 grams. It can be accelerated to 0.65 times the speed of light through the acceleration pipeline of the giant space particle collider, and could be launched towards nearby galaxies.”

An extremely small device appeared on the display.

“Despite the small size and lightweight nature of the neutrino, it is a unification of unimaginable technology. It is best to describe it as ‘mythical technology.’ Its internal quantum communication device has a maximum range of 50 light-years, an information transmission rate of 100 kilobytes per second, and a service life of over one hundred years.”

“With the fifth-generation neutrinos we manufacture, their volume still doesn’t allow them to interfere with the particle collider without being discovered, but their comprehensive technological level is not low. Moreover, there will be no need to send spy personnel specifically, as the neutrino can accomplish various kinds of work all by itself. The 50-light-year radius around planet Haierfa will soon become a familiar place to us.”

Figuratively, the tentacles of planet Haierfa would extend outward for fifty light-years.

“Nuwa, the ‘Blue Spaceship,’ which the survivors of Hairfa are on and which is heading towards the Walf Galaxy, is only 14 light-years away from us, right? So, with the speed of our neutrino monitors, could we catch up to them in about… 20 years?” said Chen Jin abruptly, having thought of something.

“Yes, master. It will only require 21.5 years.”

“Should the Blue Spaceship be arriving at that galaxy soon?” Chen Jin said while holding his chin.

“They should’ve arrived, as long as nothing unexpected has occurred.”

“Launch the neutrino monitors, then. Prioritize launching them to the Walf galaxy.”

“Yes master,” Nuwa said.

Immediately, in deep space, a giant electromagnetic acceleration device took aim at thousands of star systems and ejected batches of neutrino monitors like a pea shooter.