In deep space.
A massive planet is wandering, moving at a speed of 115 km/s in the universe.
The planet possesses a huge amount of geothermal energy, nurturing a multitude of life forms, including fungi and plant-like organisms similar to Earth's algae.
At the edges of each volcano, a small and unique ecological chain is formed.
After billions of years of development, intelligent life emerges and becomes the dominant species on the planet.
They do not resemble any known life forms on Earth, including the domains of prokaryotes, fungi, plants, or animals.
If they were to be classified, they could be loosely categorized within the eukaryotic domain, as their cells also contain a nuclear envelope.
However, their forms are difficult to describe, resembling more of the microbial domain of life.
Their bodies are covered with hundreds of eyeballs.
Their bodies are like mucus, resembling a mass of frog eggs, with each mass measuring 2 to 2.4 cubic meters, making them gigantic.
On the planet's surface.
The structures they build emit a gentle light, illuminating the entire planet when viewed from space.
But their true core lies deeper underground, in the hotter regions.
Deep within the underground structures, resembling tunnels created by larvae, dozens of extraterrestrial beings are connected by crystalline tubes, communicating through light signals.
Each of them has a peculiar screen in front of them, allowing them to observe with hundreds of eyes.
On the screen is the image of the Hope spacecraft.
They seem to be analyzing the spacecraft's flight trajectory while speculating about its origin.
This communication has been ongoing for nearly 200 years.
For this species, 200 years is not considered a long time.
In the next moment.
The screen in front of them flashes brightly, exceeding its maximum brightness.
They are filled with terror.
After the screen dims, an unidentified cylindrical object appears on it.
They quickly order the ships to intercept it.
They release laser weapons.
But the lasers cannot penetrate the object.
Its entire body is silver-white, with a surface so smooth that it reflects light like a mirror. Most of the energy from the lasers is reflected, and only a small amount of energy creates insignificant holes on its surface.
Chaos ensues among the creatures on the planet.
In their world, there has never been a weapon that light cannot counter.
They continue to deploy superlaser weapons on the planet's surface, targeting the missiles, but with little effect.
They cannot allow that thing to land!
In an instant, all the creatures on the planet make a decision and send numerous ships to intercept it using their hulls.
But the missiles, traveling at a speed of 1,000 km/s, are unstoppable. The ships in their path are instantly dismembered into countless fragments upon impact.
They are unaware that Ella, in order to ensure the missile's strength, has turned the entire warhead into a solid iron lump.
A terrifying metal warhead with a thickness of nearly 200 meters. What can break through such a thing?
The Absolute Zero missile is approaching the planet, now just 10 million kilometers away.
Suddenly, a force affects the missile itself, causing it to deviate from its course.
It's magnetism!
Being the easiest force to master among the four fundamental forces, it is obvious that this Type I civilization has mastered it. Although it is not enough to control nuclear fusion, it is sufficient as a weapon.
Using magnetism to change the missile's direction is very clever.
The creatures on the ground become excited when they see the missile being deflected, and the fiber-optic cables on their heads become very bright.
However, in the next moment.
To their astonishment, the missile automatically corrects its course and continues toward the planet.
During the development of the first missile, Ella simulated and considered billions of scenarios, taking everything into account.
Magnetism, the force most likely to be mastered by a Type I civilization, was naturally within the scope of consideration.
After exhausting all possible options, the creatures decide to use signal shielding or signal deception to stop the missile.
But it proves to be ineffective.
Because the missile itself is not equipped with a highly intelligent system to prevent intrusion, it is equipped with a simple heat sensor... the largest heat source in this pitch-black deep space being the planet itself.
After trying everything.
Two and a half hours have passed.
The missile is now outside the planet's outer layers.
There is no time left!
In 12 minutes, the missile will collide with the surface.
All the creatures on the planet are in hysterics, but they can only watch the starry sky above their heads.
They have no idea what this incoming object is, but they sense a tremendous threat.
12 minutes later...
The missile directly impacts the planet's surface, and its tremendous weight and the kinetic energy it carries cause the massive missile to pierce through the planet's crust instantly.
It penetrates the planet effortlessly, like a needle through tofu, encountering no resistance whatsoever.
Inside the missile, a faint sound isheard, like the cracking of ice.
As it travels deeper into the planet, the sound grows louder and more intense, reverberating through the tunnels and chambers of the underground structures.
The extraterrestrial beings, who were desperately trying to understand and stop the missile, are now frozen in fear and awe.
They have never witnessed such power before.
The missile continues its unstoppable journey, reaching the core of the planet—a seething mass of molten rock and intense heat.
The moment the missile breaches the core, a cataclysmic explosion erupts.
The force unleashed is beyond comprehension, shaking the very foundation of the planet.
Massive shockwaves ripple through the crust, causing earthquakes and volcanic eruptions across the entire surface.
The peaceful and illuminated planet is now engulfed in chaos and destruction.
The creatures, with their hundreds of eyes, watch in horror as their world crumbles before them.
The underground structures collapse, the crystalline tubes shattering into fragments.
The once vibrant and interconnected society is now reduced to scattered remnants of life, struggling to survive amidst the devastation.
The planet's atmosphere is filled with dust and debris, blocking out the gentle glow that once illuminated the surface.
In the aftermath, the surviving creatures gather what little remains of their shattered civilization.
They mourn the loss of their world and the countless lives that perished.
Their bodies, once vibrant and full of life, have now become scarred and wounded.
But amidst the despair, a glimmer of hope emerges.
The creatures realize that they are resilient and adaptable.
They possess the will to rebuild, to forge a new future from the ashes of their fallen world.
With their unique abilities and collective intelligence, they begin the arduous task of restoration.
They construct shelters and cultivate new sources of nourishment.
They search for pockets of surviving life forms and work towards rebuilding their interconnected society.
As they embark on this journey of recovery, they also reflect on the events that led to their downfall.
They question their assumptions, their limitations, and their understanding of the universe.
They vow to explore beyond the confines of their home planet, seeking knowledge and wisdom from the vast cosmos.
In their pursuit of understanding, they strive to prevent such catastrophic events from happening again.
With each passing day, the creatures grow stronger, both individually and as a species.
They adapt to their new reality, embracing the challenges that lie ahead.
And as they look to the stars, they dream of a future where they can not only survive but thrive once more, reaching heights they had never imagined before.
A cold storm invaded the crust and reached the mantle, cooling the once glowing magma at an atomic level. All the scorching-hot molten rock instantly turned dim and icy cold.
This irrational cooling spread and expanded by 4,000 kilometers, breaking through the Gutenberg Discontinuity and reaching the outer core.
Meanwhile,
Cold!
That was what the organisms on this planet gradually felt in the following day. The magma in every volcano started to cool, and the planet's magnetic field weakened.
The coldness of the pitch-black starry sky gradually crept onto the planet's surface like a storm.
On this day,
It was doomsday for the entire geothermal civilization.
Looking from space, the once radiant planet appeared dull and lifeless, resembling a dead star.
Terrifying low temperatures descended, causing countless life forms dependent on volcanoes to wither away.
The organisms were frozen into ice sculptures in an instant, without any reaction time.
The ground was filled with life forms frozen in various poses, as if time had been paused.
The light above the heads of two conversing organisms was dissipating. They stared at each other, and the hundreds of eyes reflected a simpler form of love than that of humans.
...
One organism was calculating how much longer it would take to secure the desired position.
...
A maintenance worker was operating a machine to repair a spacecraft.
...
While civilizations may vary greatly, many aspects are similar.
These diverse life forms were dying at this moment.
The population that once reached 387 million on the entire planet had lost nearly one-third of its numbers in just a single day.
Fortunately, they did not solely rely on geothermal energy; they had also developed nuclear power in parallel. It was the electric supply from nuclear energy that protected most of the life forms from the onslaught of low temperatures.
After half a month, the entire planet began to emit a faint, flickering light—like a silent, mournful melody.
...
The distant Hope spacecraft had already moved to another tranquil corner of the cosmos.
Yan Xia hadn't thought about the catastrophic impact an Absolute Zero missile could have on a civilization.
He had been awake for two years straight.
His physical age had reached 43.
However, he was full of vitality at this moment because he and Ella had invented a new achievement.
This achievement could potentially elevate their civilization level by another 0.1 or even 0.2 points.