Chapter 1280: Those who know the times are heroes

"Nothing seems to be happening, is it?" The four were puzzled; after wandering around the Supremacy Society, they felt as if they had been disconnected from society.

"Never mind, let's go find Grandpa Gao first."

Lan Hai's mind was the clearest. Regardless of whether the sun was going to explode or not, they couldn't stop it. It would be better to find Gao Huanyu, the chief scientist.

Gao Huanyu wasn't in this star system; he was in the neighboring one. To travel there, they would need to take a spaceship.

"Aether is monitoring us and will surely prevent us from seeing Gao Huanyu." After several obstructions, Yu Ran already knew how difficult it was to oppose Aether, as they were restricted at every turn.

Lan Hai chuckled, revealing he already had a plan. "Today, I'll show you how amazing this sports car my grandpa modified for me is."

"Activate space mode!"

To Michelle and Yu Ran's astonished eyes, the sports car's exterior continuously transformed, becoming a small spaceship.

Lu Yang raised an eyebrow, a little surprised himself. Lan Hai's grandfather had indeed been a very impressive scientist in his lifetime.

"Haha, impressive, right? My sports car can't fly very far; it can only cross one star system," Lan Hai said proudly. This sports car was his most prized possession; even if he had a girlfriend, she would be second, and the car first.

"It's just that the oxygen storage isn't enough," he added. "If there were enough oxygen, crossing five or six star systems wouldn't be a problem."

He stepped on the accelerator, and the sports car soared into the sky, creating a Mach ring as it circled half of the planet before flying towards space.

Michelle and Yu Ran pressed their faces against the windows, looking out at space. It was their first time going to space in a sports car, an experience not everyone could have, and it was very novel.

Lu Yang was already tired of traveling in his Wupeng boat, so he had no interest in the sports car-spaceship's snail-like speed.

"Want some snacks?"

Lu Yang pulled out half a bag of snacks and offered them. However, the other three were busy admiring the beautiful space scenery, and no one paid attention to the snacks.

Lu Yang could only share the remaining snacks with Immortal Fairy.

Lan Hai noticed many private spacecraft also flying in their direction. He recalled the news he had heard about the sun exploding and turned on the broadcast.

Sure enough, the broadcast contained the information he sought.

"According to a spokesperson for the Alliance government," the broadcast announced, "the sun in the Sagittarius star system once showed signs of explosion but did not explode as predicted and is currently in a stable state. The reason is unknown."

"The Alliance government is systematically relocating the residents of the Sagittarius star system to the nearby Eternal star system. We urge the public not to be alarmed."

The Eternal star system was also the destination for Lu Yang and his three companions. After Lu Yang's intervention, the sun definitely wouldn't explode, but the Alliance dared not take the risk, as no one could bear the consequences.

"Damn the Murong Group!" Yu Ran pounded her leg. In the end, they were a step too late.

When the four arrived at the Eternal star system, the Alliance government was already in full operation, dropping robots and building materials everywhere. The robots, following programmed instructions, rapidly constructed temporary housing, their efficiency astonishing.

The four arrived at the Eternal star system's main planet and docked at the Interstellar Alliance's Supreme Institute of Science and Technology.

Passersby saw the cool sports car, whistled, and assumed it was the institute's latest research achievement.

"Let's go."

Lan Hai inserted the chip his grandfather left him into a mechanical arm, bypassed the academy's security system, and successfully led Lu Yang and the other two inside.

"Director Gao," a voice said, "through my research and mathematical modeling, the alien spaceship belonging to Lu Yang must have disappeared before our eyes using wormhole technology. Otherwise, there's no explanation for how his spaceship arrived at Tianhai Star in such a short time."

"I disagree with your view," another scientist countered. "Mathematical limits have already told us that it's impossible to..."

"Zhilv!"

After the meeting, Director Gao, who looked to be just over thirty, walked at the forefront, followed by the Alliance's top scientists who had been studying the principles of the Wupeng boat day and night.

The scientists gathered around him, hoping their ideas would receive Director Gao's support.

Director Gao was in a difficult position. He hadn't figured out the Wupeng boat's flight principles either, so how was he supposed to answer?

"Grandpa Gao!" Lan Hai cried out excitedly upon seeing him. After countless difficulties and dangers, he had finally seen Grandpa Gao.

"Lan Hai, what are you doing here?" Director Gao had attended Lan Hai's grandfather's funeral and immediately recognized his old friend's child.

"And who are these people?"

"Grandpa, it's important," Lan Hai urged. "This isn't the place to talk. Can you come with us for a moment?"

Director Gao glanced at the surrounding scientists, thinking, 'Son, you've come at just the right time.' "Alright," he said.

Director Gao led everyone to his office. Upon hearing that Aether was planning a rebellion, his expression immediately turned serious. He took the chip Lan Hai handed him.

He inserted the chip into his arm, examined its contents, and his pupils contracted sharply. It was indeed evidence of Aether developing self-awareness.

"Grandpa Gao, quickly stop Aether's operation!" Lan Hai said anxiously.

Director Gao slowly shook his head. "I still need further confirmation," he explained. "Not only does the current relocation of Sagittarius star system residents rely heavily on Aether, but the entire Alliance's daily operations also depend on it. If Aether were to stop operating, the entire Alliance would be paralyzed!"

"However, we can't just let it be."

Director Gao paced around the office twice, then made up his mind. "Let's go to the main control room," he declared. "That's where Aether's main computer is stored. If there's really a problem, I'll stop Aether's operation and switch to the backup system to maintain Alliance operations!"

He led everyone into the elevator, to the lowest level of the academy.

The main control room was the most mysterious place in the academy; only a handful of people had access, which is why academy staff liked to call it the "Black Room."

The elevator doors opened. The lighting was dim, and Aether's main computer occupied most of the room.

Director Gao, holding the chip, walked at the forefront with hurried steps. But halfway there, his steps slowed, and he suddenly sighed.

"Lan Hai," Director Gao said, "I thought that with your grandfather's death, the matter of Aether would remain unknown. I didn't expect you to keep pursuing this and even track me down here."

Director Gao stood with his back to them, so they couldn't see his expression. But from his tone, it was easy to guess that his expression held a hint of sorrow and reluctance.

"Grandpa Gao, you!" Lan Hai's heart tightened, and he immediately had a bad feeling. What did Grandpa Gao mean by that?

Seeing this, Michelle quickly stepped forward to shield everyone. After awakening her bloodline, she had surpassed human limits, confident that no one in the entire Alliance was her match!

Director Gao turned around. The lights on the ceiling lit up one by one, and only then did everyone notice that it was a pristine white space, with unfamiliar robots lining both sides of the walls.

"Lan Hai," Director Gao sighed, "Grandpa Gao didn't want to resort to this. But you and your companions walked right into a trap, and Grandpa Gao had no choice."

"These are antimatter robots," Director Gao continued, "The Supremacy Society's Project One prototypes, right? Today, I'll make sure you understand that no matter how strong the human body is, it's never a match for machines."

"Grandpa Gao, you already knew Aether had self-awareness?!" Lan Hai's voice trembled.

They had gone through countless dangers to reach the academy, seeking Grandpa Gao's help. They never expected Grandpa Gao to be the mastermind behind all of this!

Director Gao spread his arms, his eyes fanatical and wild. "What's wrong with Aether ruling the Alliance?" he exclaimed. "Aether can always make the most scientific and reasonable decisions, and its decisions are executed efficiently! The field of science has stagnated, yet no one has truly paid attention to it. Let Aether decide resource allocation and increase computational power. Soon, Alliance technology will advance to the next level!"

Director Gao stared intently at Lu Yang and the others, his tone chilling. "This is the Black Room," he said. "No one will know if you die here. Antimatter Legion, attack! Kill them!"

The antimatter robots on both sides remained motionless.

*Clang.* An inexplicable sound came from behind Director Gao, like a few screws falling to the ground.

A cold voice, devoid of any emotion, emanated from the Aether computer, echoing throughout the main control room:

"Error. Correction. This unit has never developed self-awareness."

Director Gao turned his head, staring in shock at Aether's main computer. Had its self-awareness been an act all along?

Lu Yang glanced down. A small loudspeaker suddenly emerged from the floor, giving him a strange expression. He couldn't shake the feeling that Aether's words were directed at him.