Volume One: The First Glint of Brilliance

Chronicles

At the end of the 21st century AD, Earth's petroleum resources gradually dried up, environmental pollution became increasingly severe, and the population, unchecked, rose to 10 billion. Nations around the world were plagued by energy and population crises. In this situation, the major powers all began their own interstellar immigration programs.

In the year 2113 AD, under the leadership of Dr. Helen Grant, and with technical and financial support from Earth's seven major powers, the Mars terraforming project achieved great success, sparking a wave of Mars immigration on Earth. In the same year, with the consent of all humanity through a global vote, the Common Era ended, and the Galactic Era began.

In Galactic Year 72, while researching helium-3 reactors, Earth scientists discovered a particle—the Minovsky particle. This particle has zero rest mass and carries either a positive or negative charge. Due to the mutual conversion of electromagnetic and gravitational forces between particles, it automatically forms a cubic lattice similar to sodium chloride molecules. In regions where Minovsky particles are dispersed, electromagnetic waves are severely disrupted, causing radar and other detection systems to fail, and rendering traditional guided weapons ineffective. Over-the-horizon weapons officially withdrew from the stage of war, replaced by humanoid mobile combat armor (mecha for short), which are mobile weapons for direct identification and close combat.

In Galactic Year 74, ultra-compact, radiation-free helium-3 fusion reactors were developed, temporarily resolving the energy crisis that had plagued humanity for over a century. At the same time, space vessels powered by these reactors, due to the freeing up of large amounts of space, saw a leap in cargo capacity, speed, and endurance.

In Galactic Year 93, some scholars began experiments to modify human genetic factors and succeeded. The first batch of gene-adjusted individuals displayed talents far superior to ordinary people in all aspects. However, due to the high cost, this technology did not become widespread; initially, only a few wealthy individuals and some middle-class families had their children genetically adjusted.

In Galactic Year 132, the total population of gene-adjusted individuals reached 12 million, and they controlled 64% of the world's wealth. This aroused strong dissatisfaction among the lower classes and some religious groups.

In Galactic Year 134, due to social inequality and under the guidance of certain parties, a worldwide anti-adjusted movement broke out. The vast majority of gene-adjusted individuals, after being stripped of their property, were exiled to some of the harshest regions of Mars.

In Galactic Year 157, the gene-adjusted individuals rebelled and took control of over 80% of Mars, officially starting the twenty-year-long Martian War. In this war, a total of 1.2 billion people lost their lives, and Earth's economy suffered a severe blow, only gradually recovering thirty years later with the advent of the First Great Space Age. It is also worth mentioning that after the war, all Earth nations declared genetic modification technology illegal.

In Galactic Year 184, the first privately funded transport ship, capable of reaching a speed of 100,000 kilometers per hour, held its maiden voyage at the Apollo Space Dock in the United States. From then on, the journey from Earth to Mars took only 500 hours, officially ushering in the First Great Space Age.

In Galactic Year 234, a Chinese space probe accidentally discovered a space-time jump gate, capable of instantly reaching a location 3.5 light-years away. This discovery caused a worldwide sensation and was hailed as the greatest discovery in a hundred years. Subsequently, more space-time jump gates were discovered by various countries.

In Galactic Year 276, the first full-scale extraterrestrial war broke out between the United States and Russia over the ownership of Planet Carl-3.

In Galactic Year 374, ancient martial arts originating from China experienced a revival on the Chinese colony Nuwa-3, 34 light-years from Earth. On this planet, whose atmospheric composition closely resembled that of Earth's Middle Ages, practitioners of ancient martial arts progressed rapidly. Some martial artists who reached extremely advanced levels, though not capable of moving mountains and overturning seas as in novels, possessed excellent physiques and remarkable longevity. Although the so-called ancient martial arts they practiced could not compete with modern beam weapons, their life-extending effects were recognized by the global medical community and promoted worldwide.

By the end of the 4th century of the Galactic Era, the total number of Earth's colonial planets had exceeded three thousand. However, due to the lack of progress in spaceship speed and communication technology for two centuries, some planets farther from Earth had gradually begun to break away from the control of their mother countries.