Chapter Four: Dyson Sphere?

Of course, it was hardly surprising that Zhang Desen was so astonished upon hearing about satellites that encircle the sun, for wasn't that essentially a Dyson Sphere? Especially since at that moment, General Li Guoshou had also brought up the concept of a Dyson Sphere. Yet, it seemed this was not a complete Dyson Sphere, for Zhang Desen felt the structure could not be fully realized yet; current technology shouldn't allow the construction of a true Dyson Sphere—otherwise, it would be simply unbelievable.

After all, humanity had not yet reached the level of a Type II civilization. The Dyson Sphere is, in fact, the most definitive symbol of a Type II, or stellar, civilization. In theory, a civilization that attains this level can control and utilize all the energy output of its home star system. At such a stage, interstellar travel would be a trivial task, and perhaps even methods of faster-than-light travel—like the theoretical "warp drive"—would have been mastered.

Scientists estimate that humanity is still at least a millennium away from ascending to such a height. As for the Dyson Sphere itself, simply put, it is an artificial celestial structure that envelops a star to harvest its energy. In other words, it is a vast construct that almost completely surrounds a star, utilizing advanced technology to capture nearly all of its energy output. Such a structure would allow an entire civilization to fully and efficiently exploit this power, perhaps even enabling the whole of civilization to reside within the Dyson Sphere itself.

Still, as Zhang Desen sensed, this was merely a Dyson Sphere-like apparatus, an application inspired by its principles rather than a true Dyson Sphere.

When General Li Guoshou asked Zhang Desen whether he understood the concept of a Dyson Sphere, and Zhang replied as above, Li Guoshou confirmed his conjecture.

Li Guoshou said, "Indeed, this is not a real Dyson Sphere. With humanity's current level of science and technology, building a true Dyson Sphere is still purely theoretical."

Then, General Li Guoshou exclaimed with excitement, "However, the energy collection method for our Multiverse Travel Machine was indeed inspired by the Dyson Sphere concept. The energy required to travel to a distant universe is immense, and the Dyson Sphere's method of energy collection is extremely helpful for our multiverse travel project."

Turning to Zhang Desen, Li Guoshou continued, "Since you know of the Dyson Sphere and its theory, you must have some understanding of the underlying principles. In that case, you can probably imagine the scale of energy required, can't you?"

"Yes," Zhang Desen replied.

Li Guoshou went on, "Therefore, we performed the most precise calculations regarding our energy needs. We discovered that even if we pooled all the energy resources on Earth, it would not suffice for a single journey. What’s more, our nation conducts these experiments in secret, so it is impossible to gather all the planet’s energy for this one task."

After taking a sip of water, Li Guoshou continued:

"Thus, drawing upon the Dyson Sphere concept, we devised a plan to deploy energy satellites around the sun. We began this deployment a decade ago, sending one satellite after another to encircle the sun."

"When the time comes for multiverse travel, activating just half of the sun-orbiting satellites simultaneously will provide enough energy to transport a human or object to another universe," Li Guoshou said, his excitement barely contained.

Zhang Desen, somewhat perplexed, asked, "Only half? Then why deploy them around the entire sun?"

Li Guoshou smiled. "Who can say in which direction the target universe lies? By deploying them all around, we are always ready to travel in any direction, to any universe."

Zhang Desen slapped his forehead and said, "Understood. But I’d like to ask: what kind of spatial distortion will I experience?"

Li Guoshou answered, "That’s nothing for you to worry about. Our previous experiments have taught us how to use this energy safely to send people or objects to a specific universe."

Zhang Desen pressed on, "Here’s another question: if this machine can warp space, is it possible for it to warp time as well? In other words, could it accidentally send someone into the past or future instead of another universe?"

Li Guoshou replied, "That’s a very good question. We have been concerned about that exact issue and conducted many relevant experiments. The results show that as long as we keep the energy and spatial distortion within certain limits, the machine functions solely as a multiverse travel device."

"So, if the energy exceeds the preset range, the machine could also act as a time machine, sending people into the past or future for time travel. Is that correct?" asked Zhang Desen.

Li Guoshou nodded. "Yes. Some of our researchers even claim it could send people to other realms—such as the fourth dimension."

Zhang Desen was taken aback. "The fourth dimension?"

Li Guoshou confirmed, "Exactly. But let’s not delve into that now. Your journey will be perfectly safe."

He then pointed at the machine. "As for its time travel function, that is something we may explore in the future. Every new discovery brings new, unforeseen risks along with it. Therefore, even if we do gain the ability to open the doors to unknown realms, we must prepare thoroughly before stepping through. That is the only way to ensure safety—safety first!" Li Guoshou added earnestly.

"I understand. When do I depart?" Zhang Desen asked.

"In three months," Li Guoshou replied. "You’ll stay here during that time, and I’ll provide you with materials covering important precautions. Remember, we will try to choose universes that are relatively safe for exploration."

Then General Li Guoshou’s tone grew grave. "But those are unknown worlds. No one knows how many will be similar to ours, or how many will differ. No one knows what you might encounter."

He softened. "So you must always be ready to adapt. But that is your specialty, for you are an outstanding special forces soldier!"

"Understood!" Zhang Desen answered at once.

Afterward, General Li Guoshou personally escorted Zhang Desen to his quarters for the pre-departure period.

Of course, there was more training to come, but since Zhang Desen was already a special forces operative, he found the regimen quite manageable—except for the addition of spaceship piloting. He would be at the helm of a highly advanced spacecraft, which was a novelty. There were also sessions on extravehicular activity.

After all that, the only thing left was the day of departure, three months hence. What kind of world awaited him on the other side?