X122-level solar storm, flying out of the solar system

The Hope spacecraft travels through deep space.

After 12 days, it coincidentally encounters Jupiter.

The sight of the enormous planet is truly awe-inspiring, even up close. The turbulent atmosphere churns with gusts that could blow away the Earth.

The rumored giant storms on Jupiter's surface make Yan Xia unable to resist taking pictures to remember the moment.

However, there is no social media platform to share them anymore.

Yan Xia looks at some celestial bodies around Jupiter and suddenly has an idea.

"Ella, let's make a brief stop and launch a probe drone into Europa."

Europa is an icy moon with a thick layer of ice covering its surface.

Scientists on Earth speculate that beneath these ice layers, there might be a vast liquid ocean. Based on Earth's experience, where there is water, there is a possibility of life.

Europa could potentially harbor life.

Yan Xia decides to launch the unmanned drone for two simple reasons.

First, to collect samples of potential life forms on Europa.

Second, to replenish the spacecraft with a large quantity of liquid water.

The food supplies on the spacecraft were long depleted, and Yan Xia has been surviving on synthetic proteins, oils, carbohydrates, sugars, and other substances produced by Ella.

Everything comes down to technology and resourcefulness.

The abundant liquid water can be used for a water recycling system and maximize the utilization of the 18% agricultural space on board. Yan Xia also remembers having some seeds left.

The spacecraft hovers in the outer space of Europa.

Thirty drones depart from the ship and land on the moon's surface. Yan Xia watches the landscape of Europa through the cameras.

Indeed, it is a snowy expanse.

The drones start digging deep into the ice and eventually break through after reaching a depth of 57 kilometers, entering a water world.

Through electromagnetic scanning, it is discovered that the ice layer and water depth on Europa are 113 kilometers, which is 102 kilometers deeper than the deepest ocean on Earth.

The drones collect a large amount of water and return to the spacecraft using the descent ropes dropped from it.

All these operations take only 10 days.

In the time scale of the universe, it is negligible.

The collected samples are studied, and Ella's virtual avatar displays a surprised expression.

"Yan Xia, life indeed exists extensively in the universe."

"We found traces of microorganisms in Europa's water, which are completely unknown in my database."

A photo appears on the screen.

It shows a microorganism resembling an overgrown insect, only ten times larger in size.

This is already a highly complex life form, and if conditions permit, intelligent life may emerge on Europa in a few hundred million years.

After spending ten hours, 5,000 tons of water have been stored, which is likely sufficient.

"Ella, let's activate the cultivation area and plant those seeds."

Yan Xia's words receive no response.

After a while, Ella appears with a grave expression, and a video starts playing on the screen.

The Sun suddenly becomes extremely bright within a short period.

He knows.

It is debris from Earth falling into the Sun.

A powerful solar storm arrives, rapidly reaching X-class levels. The numerical value on the screen jumps from X1 straight to X122 and keeps increasing.

Under the specialized energy monitoring lens, the dim Sun turns into an orange-yellow color, releasing a series of terrifying energy that spreads throughout the surrounding universe in the blink of an eye.

Within the span of 10 seconds, this solar storm releases an energy equivalent to the simultaneous detonation of 150 billion hydrogen bombs, an unprecedented event.

It sweeps through everything like a cosmic sandstorm, mercilessly destroying anything other than celestial bodies that gets caught in its path.

"Ella, maximum speed, now!"

"Understood, Yan Xia!"

The only silver lining is that the main material of this invisible and terrifying scythe has a speed of only 679 km/s.

...

After the Hope spacecraft enters its flight mode, Yan Xia once again enters the cryogenic hibernation chamber.

This time, it is the second-generation chamber with significantly improved safety, eliminating the need to consume anti-freezing agents.

Into sleep.

Eternal slumber.

This time, it will be longer, so long that he himself doesn't know when he will wake up.

Ella manages everything within the spacecraft alone, utilizing all its processing power to calculate the cutting-edge technologies.

It uses the immense gravity of Jupiter for acceleration.

The speed increases from 758.2 km/s to 815 km/s.

Apart from facing some radiation, it escapes the proton impact of the solar storm.

...

88 days later, the Hope spacecraft reaches the orbit of Pluto, which is 41 astronomical units away from the Sun.

This dwarf planet, once considered the ninth planet of the solar system, carries the stories of astronomical advancements.

At its farthest point, Pluto can reach a distance of 49 astronomical units into the pitch-black deep space.

It serves as a milestone, standing within the Kuiper Belt, with only the Oort Cloud beyond it.

As the Hope spacecraft reaches the orbit of Pluto, Yan Xia wakes up from cryogenic hibernation. The view outside the spacecraft is mesmerizing, with Pluto's icy surface glistening in the distant sunlight. Yan Xia takes a moment to appreciate the historic achievement of reaching such a remote corner of the solar system.

Ella, the AI companion, greets Yan Xia as they prepare to explore Pluto and its moon, Charon. They launch a series of probes and rovers to study the geology, composition, and atmosphere of these distant worlds. The data collected will provide valuable insights into the formation and evolution of the outer solar system.

Over the course of several weeks, the probes transmit back stunning images and scientific measurements. Yan Xia and Ella analyze the data, discovering unique features on Pluto's surface, such as nitrogen ice plains, towering mountains of water ice, and even evidence of cryovolcanoes. Charon, too, reveals its own surprises, with vast chasms and intriguing geological formations.

As the mission progresses, Yan Xia and Ella make plans to continue their journey deeper into the Kuiper Belt. They set their sights on exploring other dwarf planets and small icy bodies, hoping to uncover more secrets of the outer solar system.

With each passing day, the Hope spacecraft ventures farther from the Sun, delving into uncharted territory. The mission's success depends on the ingenuity of Yan Xia and the tireless support of Ella. Together, they strive to push the boundaries of human knowledge and inspire future generations to explore the vast wonders of space.

And so, the Hope spacecraft continues its epic journey, traveling through the outer reaches of the solar system, driven by the curiosity and determination of humanity to unravel the mysteries of the cosmos.

...

After another 773 days had passed, the Hope spacecraft endured six shockwaves at the heliopause of the Sun, hoping to break free from the influence of the solar wind. This meant they were safe. In this moment, Ella received a signal. Using a telescope pointed in that direction, after extensive analysis, Ella identified a small black dot, inconspicuous in the vastness of space. It deduced that it was the "Voice of Earth." Attached to it should be Voyager 1, whose trajectory also led to the Proxima Centauri. This farthest human-made probe, now 168 years after its departure from Earth, had been caught up by the Hope spacecraft on this day in 2145. The probe's batteries had depleted, and Ella captured it, carrying with it humanity's aspirations for the universe.

On Earth, some had once expressed concerns about Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 being intercepted by other civilizations, which would then discover human civilization. However, this worry was entirely unnecessary. Voyager's arrival at the true edge of the solar system was estimated to occur in the year 42145 AD, around 40,000 years later. For advanced civilizations capable of interstellar travel, they could already detect the existence of Earth's civilization beyond the solar system. Voyager merely added to the confirmation of Earth's civilization by extraterrestrial beings. Ella made some minor modifications to the probe, installing a nuclear battery and launching it back onto the same orbit at its original speed of 17 km/s. It replenished its power supply. From then on, the probe would transmit its information back in the direction it came from every year. However, the probe was unaware that its signals would no longer be received by anyone. It had already reached a distance of 420 astronomical units from the Sun.

Nevertheless, the long journey had only just begun...

Nine years later, the Hope spacecraft entered the outskirts of the Oort cloud's core, also known as the Comet Cloud, where legends said comets originated. This region was filled with water ice, methane, ethane, carbon monoxide, and hydrogen cyanide. Ella collected some samples for research.

Another 279 years passed, and the Hope spacecraft departed from the massive core of the Oort cloud, entering the boundaries that stretched over 50,000 astronomical units.

288 years flew by in an instant, and the Hope spacecraft completely left the Oort cloud, surrounded by a silent black void. Looking back at the Sun from here, it blended with the backdrop of stars, becoming indistinguishable. The journey had lasted for 578 years, with a distance of 100,000 astronomical units from the Sun, approximately 1.58 light-years, marking the boundary of the Sun's gravity. The Hope spacecraft had truly left the solar system, signifying humanity's first escape from its home star.

After 86 years of departing the solar system and 664 years of cosmic travel, a bright beam of light struck the side of the Hope spacecraft.

"Alert!"

"Alert!"

"Extraterrestrial traces detected at 0.7 astronomical units. The spacecraft is under attack by extraterrestrial beings."

Yan Xia was awakened once again, greeted by the flashing red alarm.