"Interstellar dust clouds?"

It was originally just a very ordinary piece of news, so ordinary that almost no one would pay attention to it. Dust clouds are so common in the universe that millions of recorded dust clouds have been observed, ranging from hundreds of light-years to less than a light-year. In the escape journey of human civilization after leaving the solar system, it has passed through hundreds of dust clouds.

They are the breeding ground for stars and the progenitors of all macroscopic celestial bodies. The greater the number of dust clouds in a river system, the more vigorous it is and the more new stars are born. But when it comes to the dust cloud itself, it really doesn't have much value to look at.

But combined with the situation he is facing, a bold idea was suddenly born in Wang Hao's mind.

"Perhaps, the predicament we are facing now may have something to do with this cloud of dust."

As soon as this idea was born, it grew like weeds after the rain in Wang Hao's mind, and in an instant, more ideas were born based on this idea: "Atypical gene mutation syndrome, all the patients who have been observed so far have left the star system for space voyage, and the strong stellar wind is enough to "blow" all the thin interstellar dust clouds, so that the dust clouds cannot enter the interior of the star system, at least not within the star circle. ”

"This seems to explain why there has never been a phenomenon in which cases have ever been found inside a star system."

"Interstellar dust clouds also have their movements. In the process of their movement, due to the interaction with other celestial bodies, there must be uneven distribution in their interior, some places are denser, some are low, and there may even be some cavities and cavities. And this could explain why some spaceship crew members got sick and others didn't. ”

"It's possible that the Nimbus spacecraft passed through a place with a high density of stardust, while the blue Danube, which did not have a single case, passed through its cavities and cavities."

"While it's strange to have lethal radiation on top of an interstellar cloud of dust, it's not uncommon for strange things to happen in the vastness of the universe. In any case, this is at least a possibility, and it's worth verifying. ”

There has been no harvest for a long time, and any hope is enough to make Wang Hao excited. At this moment, all Wang Hao's tiredness and sleepiness disappeared, and he immediately picked up the phone, intending to contact the observatories to get some detailed information about this cloud of interstellar dust. But suddenly, another thought pops into my mind, and all the excitement that comes from the possibility of the truth is extinguished.

"It's enough to call it a dust cloud, and it has at least a span of light years. If it has completely covered the Phoenix Galaxy, doesn't that mean that we can't escape from any direction until it's gone? No, it doesn't have to be. If my speculation is true, and the Blue Danube ship did just happen to pass through the stardust cavity so that there were no cases, our fleet would only need to pass through the cavity and be careful to avoid the dust cloud coverage to avoid its effects. The most critical question now is to find out whether it has anything to do with the disease. ”

After thinking for a moment, Wang Hao pressed the call button.

The coordinator stationed at the Institute of Biochemistry immediately contacted the astronomical observation base according to Wang Hao's instructions, but did not send back the information Wang Hao wanted, but told Wang Hao something else.

"It's not really news. Astronomers have observed this cloud of interstellar dust a long time ago, long before we left the solar system, but because it has no scientific value, astronomers only roughly measured its volume, density, coordinates, direction of motion and other information and recorded it, and then did not pay attention to it. As for why it has been turned out again, it may be that some small media are too lacking in news materials. The people at the observatory told me that because the time is too old, the old data is no longer accurate, and if you want accurate information, they will re-observe and calculate this dust cloud, but it will take a little time. ”

Wang Hao immediately asked, "How long will it take?" ”

The coordinator whispered a few words to the others before replying: "In order to ensure the accuracy of the data, they need to cooperate with several observatories to make observations and make repeated calculations." It is expected to take about a month. ”

Wang Hao raised his head and looked at an old-fashioned calendar on the table. There was a number clearly displayed on it: one hundred and thirty-five.

This means that there are now one hundred and thirty-five days left before the return time announced by the Führer. If there is nothing left, the human fleet will set sail for the solar system on time.

Wang Hao knew that before the fleet really set sail, he had to find the answer to his question. Either completely rule out the possibility of dangerous radiation in interstellar space, or find tangible evidence to prove it. The will of the Führer will not change because of his own delay, and now, time is running out for himself.

"Let them as soon as possible."

"Okay."

In the midst of his heart, Wang Hao finally fell asleep. No new ships or passengers arrived the next day, but there were still many specimens being examined here.

These specimens are not from the crew of the Nimbus returning to the Phoenix System after the Nimbus incident, but before the Nimbus ship. In Wang Hao's speculation, the Nimbus spacecraft incident was not the beginning of everything, and there should have been people suffering from this disease before it, but it was not taken seriously for various reasons. Now, Wang Hao is testing this idea.

Although fewer and fewer ships have returned from the rest of the galaxy in the three years before Nimbus, the total number of specimens and accompanying health data from all over the galaxy still exceeds 4,000. This keeps all the staff in the lab busy.

The results of the examination appeared in batches five days later. Among the first batch of 500 samples, about 80 samples were analysed with varying degrees of genetic mutations. But they don't get to the point where they trigger obvious manifestations.

"Sure enough, there were already people affected by this radiation before the Nimbus spacecraft. It's just that it doesn't get our attention. ”

Among the second batch of 500 samples, a sample of a military test spacecraft caught Wang Hao's attention. There were thirteen people in the ship, and records show that when the ship arrived in the Phoenix system, all the crew members showed some serious symptoms of physical discomfort, and received treatment after arrival. But the treatments didn't work, and the people died between six months and a year.

The causes of death shown on the medical records are varied, but Wang Hao knows that behind those causes of death, there is a common reason hidden behind them.

Atypical gene mutation syndrome.

Within a month, all specimens had been analyzed. Wang Hao made a statistic and found a phenomenon.

"The first recorded case was recorded a year and a half ago by the ship's doctors, and it started with a steady stream of patients. This seems to mean that the mysterious cause of the disease appeared a year and a half ago. And a year and a half ago, did anything happen? ”

Wang Hao searched casually, and with some surprise, he really found something that happened a year and a half ago.

"Two neutron stars, numbered PSR B1509-A and PSR B1509-B, have merged into a single black hole. The data shows that one of its poles is facing the Phoenix Galaxy on exactly one side, which means that a gamma-ray burst will hit us directly. But because it's so far away, you won't be able to observe any signs of the collision except in the lab. ”

"Did the neutron stars collide?" Wang Hao checked it slightly, and then closed the page: "This is too far away from us, and it is unlikely that it will have a relationship with us." ”

Aside from this incident, nothing of interest occurred during that time period. Wang Hao searched for it, and finally had to give up this idea.

"It seems that the search for the cause of the disease has to be found from the cloud of interstellar dust that has enveloped us. It's been almost a month, and I guess that the information should be sent to me soon. ”

Just as Wang Hao expected, the next day, Wang Hao received information from an observatory.

"Designation: Cloud XY-AA5, unofficially known as the Bread Nebula. Longest point: 107.36 light years, widest point: 59.52 light years, thickest point 73 light years, relative velocity of 369 kilometers per second, total mass of about 3,700 solar masses, average density of 370,000 particles per cubic meter, classification: dark nebula, composition: 73 percent hydrogen, 21 percent helium, 6 percent remaining elements......"

In addition to a description of the physical properties, an image of the nebula is attached at the end of the document. It was a rectangular shape overall, but slightly raised in the middle, making it look like a loaf of bread. The image also specifically indicates the location of the Phoenix Star, which is located in the lower left of the Bread Nebula and is completely covered. According to the scale conversion, it is about 20 light-years deep into the Bread Nebula.

"Twenty light years?" Wang Hao was slightly stunned. With a simple mental calculation, Wang Hao calculated that with the relative speed of the bread nebula, that is, 369 kilometers per second, it would take 16,000 years from touching the Phoenix Galaxy to covering the Phoenix Galaxy for 20 light years.

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