Interstellar inheritance

In the century leading up to the year 2112, human development had made tremendous progress. One of the most notable advancements was spurred by a crisis: by 2060, the world's oil reserves, which had been overexploited, were completely depleted. During the final stages of oil extraction, global tensions ran high, and the threat of war loomed large.

However, necessity is the mother of invention. Before oil reserves were fully exhausted, humanity's efforts to develop new energy sources were hindered by various interests and the resistance of those benefiting from the existing system. The efficiency of these efforts remained low. 

Once oil was completely depleted, numerous highly efficient, innovative energy solutions emerged across many countries. Among them, solar and nuclear energy had already played significant roles on Earth even before the oil reserves were exhausted. 

When oil supplies ran out, several technologically advanced nations quickly introduced high-compression batteries. These batteries, combined with existing nuclear power plants, allowed these nations to recover from the crisis and return to normalcy after only a brief period of turmoil. For countries lacking the technology to develop such batteries themselves, they could purchase them from other nations once production was saturated—but at a higher price. 

Moreover, advancements were not limited to battery technology; solar panels also saw groundbreaking improvements. It is well-known that the low efficiency of solar energy conversion has been a major barrier to its widespread use. Some might argue that regional differences in sunlight availability play a role—some areas receive abundant sunlight for long periods, while others have shorter or less intense exposure. 

Nevertheless, even with limited sunlight, the amount of energy reaching Earth from the sun is immense. While it is impossible to harness all of this energy, combining solar power with nuclear plants provided a practical solution for maintaining people's standard of living. Furthermore, new integrated solar panels could still absorb可观 amounts of energy even on cloudy or rainy days. 

This near-perfect resolution of the energy crisis not only avoided an impending world war but also calmed the anxieties that had gripped humanity during the final stages of oil depletion... 

However, peace was short-lived. In 2080, a breakthrough invention shattered the calm: a Jewish-American scientist developed an ultra-stable nuclear fusion energy generator. As is well-known, both nuclear fusion and fission are based on Einstein's equation E=mc² (where c is the speed of light and m is the mass lost in the process). However, while both processes rely on this formula, nuclear fusion produces vastly more energy than fission per unit of fuel. 

The reason lies in the periodic table: elements with lower atomic numbers experience a much greater decline in average particle mass as their atomic number increases compared to those with higher atomic numbers. While several countries, including China, had already achieved stable nuclear fusion reactions, these technologies were not yet mature or practical for widespread use. 

What made this invention groundbreaking was its fuel source: instead of using deuterium or tritium (commonly used in nuclear fusion), it utilized hydrogen extracted from water and completed the fusion process with exceptional efficiency. The byproduct of this reaction was iron, which has one of the lowest average particle masses on the periodic table. 

This discovery sent shockwaves through the international community. The raw material—water—is virtually limitless on Earth, and the energy output was extremely high. Although nuclear energy could last for a long time, its fuel sources were still finite. After experiencing the previous energy crisis, nations sought to prepare for future challenges. The European Union, China, Russia, and other major powers united in pressuring the United States to share this technology. 

The situation grew tense: the scientist behind the invention was not affiliated with the U.S. government but worked for a powerful conglomerate. Once the U.S. government learned of the discovery, they quickly secured the scientist and his research materials, relocating them to a secure location. However, the news could not be contained. 

If the energy crisis had still been unresolved, even a superpower like the United States would have hesitated to monopolize such technology. But with the crisis already resolved, convincing the U.S. to surrender this breakthrough proved extremely challenging. The countries pressuring the U.S. were determined, while the American superpower, controlling nearly 50% of global resources, was equally unwilling to relinquish its advantage. 

If the energy crisis had persisted, the U.S. might have shared the technology to prevent desperate nations from resorting to extreme measures like nuclear war. But now, with the crisis averted, the U.S. could stand firm. However, the situation took an unexpected turn when the scientist's conglomerate announced that they held a backup copy of the research. 

The conglomerate's leadership was furious—they had exhausted their resources developing this technology only to have it confiscated by the U.S. government before it could be celebrated. After much deliberation, they decided to sell the backup copy to other nations in exchange for guarantees protecting their assets. 

The countries that had pressured the U.S. were eager to acquire the technology, and America was left with little choice but to swallow its pride. If the U.S. refused to share the data and war erupted, it could be portrayed as an act of aggression by other nations, potentially leading to widespread public backlash against the government. 

As countries around the world began implementing ultra-stable nuclear fusion technology, their development entered a golden age. With energy concerns finally alleviated, production capabilities soared—especially in China, which had previously relied heavily on manual labor. This leapfrog development propelled China's GDP to surpass half of the United States', making it the second-largest economy and the first country since Japan (in the 1990s) to achieve such a milestone. 

... 

On August 9, 2112, in P City, J Province, China, an individual climbed onto the 107th-floor rooftop of a building. A young man, around seventeen or eighteen years old, placed a chair and lay down, gazing at the night sky. Others were doing the same—this was not uncommon. 

Four months earlier, NASA's Hubble-II telescope had detected a massive astged life, he often felt isolated—his relationships with others were shallow, and he struggled to find true connections. 

As he lay on the rooftop, staring at the stars, Li Xuan pondered his existence. What was the purpose of his life? He had achieved everything one might desire: wealth, education, and a successful career in artificial intelligence. Yet, these accomplishments brought him little fulfillment. There was an emptiness within him that neither material success nor social status could fill. 

The night sky was clear, offering an unobstructed view of the heavens. Li Xuan's thoughts drifted to his parents. He had always wondered what they would have been like had they lived longer. What wisdom or advice might they have imparted? Their absence left a void in his life that no amount of success could fill. 

As these musings occupied his mind, he was suddenly struck by an intense white light. It enveloped him entirely, and the last thing he felt was a sense of calm before everything dissolved into darkness...