Chapter 905: Observational Contradiction |
Ignoring those violent rays, radiation, and energy fluctuations, the scenery here was actually very beautiful. Although a quasar was indeed the most violent energy-releasing celestial body in the universe, it was also indeed extremely beautiful.
It was like a hazy, brightly colored iron disc. In the center of this disc there were two bulges, and a more splendid jet pierced straight through it along those bulges, extending all the way into infinite distance. Looking at it as a whole, it was also somewhat like an oversized spinning top. Amid its high-speed rotation, countless gorgeous colors flowed within it.
Viewed from different wavebands, it revealed different scenes. This was how it appeared in the visible-light band, and in infrared, X-ray, gamma-ray, and other bands, it likewise possessed an extremely gorgeous and magnificent appearance.
But although this thing was beautiful, Xiao Yu was not in much of a mood to appreciate it right now. This quasar had appeared far too strangely, and Xiao Yu urgently wanted to figure out what exactly had happened in the process.
Most importantly, Xiao Yu wanted to determine whether this was an accidental event, or whether some existence had planned it in advance and created this situation to achieve some purpose. If it was an accidental event, that would be one thing. But if someone had done this deliberately, then many things might be hidden within it.
At this moment, Xiao Yu’s heart was in exactly this somewhat uneasy state. During the process of approaching this quasar, Xiao Yu had produced many guesses, but none of them could be verified. It was amid this unease that Xiao Yu once again arrived beside this quasar.
What appeared before Xiao Yu was still this familiar scene. Xiao Yu was already familiar with the scenery here beyond all measure, because he had remained here for a full year and observed every aspect of this quasar. So when Xiao Yu emerged from curvature space and saw this quasar at first glance, he immediately confirmed it.
Yes, that was right. Even though he had been continuously moving away from this quasar, for some unknown reason, he had once again arrived beside it.
Xiao Yu began thinking in silence.
There were many possible answers. Xiao Yu himself could even create this phenomenon for a Level 6 Civilization or below. It was a very simple matter. It would merely require using Level 7 Civilization technology to distort space, causing a fleet advancing through space to unknowingly trace a great circle and then return to its starting point, just like circumnavigating the Earth.
But Xiao Yu was now already a Level 7 Civilization. In terms of space technology, Xiao Yu had extremely profound understanding. Xiao Yu could confirm that during the process of leaving this quasar, aside from some disorder and violence in space caused by the quasar’s influence, there had been nothing abnormal.
“Could it be an application of four-dimensional technology here?” Xiao Yu silently considered this question. The current Xiao Yu had also dabbled somewhat in low-dimensional and high-dimensional technology, but his understanding was not deep. According to Xiao Yu’s understanding, if four-dimensional technology were used, it indeed could create this phenomenon. However, the phenomenon he had observed did not match the phenomenon that would be produced by the application of four-dimensional technology.
Xiao Yu silently shook his head in his heart and temporarily stopped thinking. After remaining beside this quasar for a short while once again, Xiao Yu chose to leave again. The difference this time was that Xiao Yu chose another direction.
Xiao Yu once again experienced the same process as before. Space gradually stabilized in Xiao Yu’s observations. The quasar behind him grew farther and farther away, and its brightness also gradually weakened…
By observing the angles formed by the lines connecting his fleet and various celestial bodies in the celestial sphere, Xiao Yu could measure his own position with great precision. This technology was like placing many stones around a person, then drawing a line between that person and each stone. The many different lines would form many different angles. As the person moved forward or backward, or rose or descended, the angles formed by those connecting lines would all change. Xiao Yu used the measurement of these angle changes to determine his position in the universe.
Of course, celestial groups in the universe, whether galaxies or stars, were not stationary. Their motions would also cause changes in the angles of these connecting lines. But Xiao Yu had long since obtained the movement data of those target celestial bodies. With some corresponding calculations, he could eliminate the effects caused by their motion.
During this process of moving away from the quasar, Xiao Yu also began recording his positional information relative to those celestial bodies in the sky. Because Xiao Yu wanted to confirm, during this process, whether it was he who had moved, or the quasar that had moved.
An ultra-precision observational positioning instrument could detect the angular change caused by Xiao Yu’s fleet moving a distance of one meter even from several million light years away. It was just that under normal circumstances, Xiao Yu had no need for such precision. Adjusting the precision to such a degree required massive computational power and resources as support.
Now, Xiao Yu could no longer care about that. While precisely positioning the surrounding celestial bodies, Xiao Yu’s fleet began to move.
A huge stream of data immediately poured into Xiao Yu’s mind, and almost in the very next instant, Xiao Yu reached a conclusion, he really was moving. Because he had already detected changes in those angles, and these changes showed that he was moving away from this quasar at a speed of one thousand five hundred thirty times the speed of light. This data also matched the data given by his own instruments.
Everything seemed normal, so normal that Xiao Yu could not help but begin to feel somewhat doubtful. “Perhaps what I encountered before really was just an accident, caused by some mechanism I do not yet understand.”
While closely watching the data obtained from observing the starry sky, Xiao Yu continued controlling his fleet to move farther away. But after a period of time, roughly when Xiao Yu’s fleet had reached about the same distance as last time, Xiao Yu once again detected an abnormality.
The angles formed by those connecting lines were still changing at the same rate, indicating that he was still maintaining a stable speed. But for some reason, the rate of this change had become completely opposite to before. If previously the angle changes Xiao Yu had observed had been increasing at one trillionth of a degree per second, now they had become decreases at one trillionth of a degree per second. The speed had not changed, but the direction had changed, from moving away from this quasar to moving toward it.
A chill of shock ran through Xiao Yu’s heart. Xiao Yu knew that at this very moment, in that instant when he had believed everything was normal and detected nothing, the anomaly had already occurred. His movement away from this quasar had once again been altered, turning into movement toward this quasar.
Xiao Yu immediately controlled his fleet to withdraw from curvature flight and quietly hover in space. The angle changes of the connecting lines stopped at once, and Xiao Yu’s instruments also showed that he was in a stationary state.
At this moment, he was about 0.8 light years from that quasar. At this distance, that quasar was still extremely bright. Looking at it from here, it was tens of quadrillions of times brighter than the Sun seen from Earth. Countless streams of light flowed within it, magnificent beyond compare, dazzling beyond compare.
But in Xiao Yu’s heart, a chill was spreading wildly. Xiao Yu steadied his mind and began traveling by conventional navigation, while once again observing the other celestial bodies in the sky and carefully measuring the angle changes of the connecting lines.
But the result caused Xiao Yu’s mood to plunge into the abyss once more. Whether from the information given by the speed instruments or from the direct distance observations of this quasar, both indicated that Xiao Yu was moving away from this quasar. But for some reason, the observational results of the other celestial bodies in the sky showed that he was approaching this quasar.
These were two mutually contradictory observational results, and Xiao Yu did not know which one was more trustworthy. In this instant, Xiao Yu had already ruled out the possibility that this result was caused by a malfunction in his machines. But if his machines had not malfunctioned, how could his observational results be so contradictory?
“Perhaps… there is still another possibility.” Xiao Yu silently thought. “All the galaxies I am observing have already changed the direction of their movement, or at least the light they are transmitting carries information inconsistent with their movement. But… that is simply too unbelievable.”
It was like Xiao Yu was approaching something at a speed of one meter per second. But if Xiao Yu were instead moving away from it at one meter per second, while that thing itself approached Xiao Yu at two meters per second, Xiao Yu would likewise be unable to distinguish the difference between those two situations. Because there were no other reference objects here.
Only… for all of the targets he was observing, for so many galaxies, to all undergo this anomaly simultaneously at this moment, that was simply an unimaginable scene.