With the unexpected surprise of Li Hao, Zhou Naiyi's "team" was finally coming together. Apart from their own team, Gao Yunfeng's team remained popular. Although their previous performance was lacking, it was only in comparison. Overall, they still represented the level of Tianjing Mecha Warfare, and it was generally believed that they had gained experience through their defeat.

Of course, with Principal Long's personality, he wouldn't put all his eggs in one basket.

They had interstellar geography class in the morning.

Li Hao yawned continuously, having already escaped the company of three curious individuals early in the morning. Men always had so many things going on.

Not long after, Malong arrived and sat directly next to Li Hao. "Hao ge, let's continue our profound discussion from yesterday. I'm telling you, your opportunity has come. It's obvious that Ye Tong has a good impression of you!"

"Don't make things up. We knew each other before. It's just old friends reuniting, that's all," Li Hao explained.

"What's there to explain? Just be grateful that you have a brother like me. I know all about it. What kind of dreams are you having? Of course, it's that slight attraction. The problem is, what you did back then obviously left a great impression on her. Girls, especially beautiful ones, only remember what they care about. Otherwise, being a fake brother or a real brother won't matter. Even if you were brothers for a lifetime, I'm telling you, if you don't make a move on such a beauty, she won't last more than a month," Malong emphasized.

Li Hao shook his head.

Malong became anxious, "You, Wuzang, and Zuo Xiaotang are all facing big challenges, especially you. Wuzang is the passive type and is better suited for experienced women, while Zuo Xiaotang is an anime enthusiast. Only you... even I, a master, can't grasp your preferences. But regardless of the type you like, Ye Tong is the ceiling for your life. Becoming the son-in-law of the Nangong and Ye families, wow, I'll rely on your connections in the future..."

Li Hao covered Malong's mouth. This guy really had no filter. Zuo Xiaotang and Wuzang were laughing, knowing that if Li Hao didn't say something, Malong would talk about them too. Having Malong as a matchmaker was simply a waste of talent.

Free from Malong's entanglement, Li Hao began to doze off. Yesterday, he had been exhausted by Malong's antics. He wondered where this guy got all his energy from.

Today was Dr. Yan Nan's class. Dr. Yan Nan never called attendance and had the best temper.

"...Currently, NUP's total economic scale and technological level are already the top in the Solar System Alliance. However, we, the USE, still hold significant influence in several areas, especially space routes and the development rights of several extraterrestrial planets. These are what the Lunar Federation aims to compete for in the next step. Historically, such situations are often accompanied by wars. Currently, the best part is that ROM's stance is ambiguous. However, they are not concerned about Earth but rather about preventing lunar dominance. In recent years, not only NUP but also ROM's development cannot be underestimated. I see more potential in ROM due to its advantageous geographical location and abundant mineral resources. However, population is a flaw for them..." Dr. Yan Nan paused to take a sip of water.

"Li Hao!""Yes!" Li Hao, who had just entered dreamland, almost stood up straight. The whole class burst into laughter. Falling asleep during Dr. Yan's class was truly one of a kind.

"Do you think there is a possibility of civil war within the Solar System Alliance?" Dr. Yan asked. He remembered this student mainly because he always attended class but often dozed off, and this time it was becoming a bit unbearable.

"Professor Yan, to be honest, whether there is a civil war within the solar system is not that important. Our main enemy is external," Li Hao replied.

Dr. Yan raised an eyebrow, "Tell me more."

"We have explored Kepler-22b and gained abundant resources. However, we also encountered the attack of extraterrestrial organisms for the first time. Those bugs came in a sinister manner, and I believe there is a conspiracy. Stepping foot on Kepler-22b is like opening Pandora's Box. The biggest threat we face now is from the outside."

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Li Hao explained that Kepler-22b was the greatest achievement of human interstellar exploration. Even before humans had colonized the Moon, this rich terrestrial planet had been on the minds of many people. Finally, in their generation, they had conquered it. Kepler-22b was even better than they had imagined. However, shortly after landing, the vanguard forces of humanity almost suffered a devastating blow from a swarm of silicon-based giant insects that seemed to appear out of nowhere.

This was a large class with over two hundred students, and as soon as Li Hao finished speaking, laughter erupted throughout the room. Especially Li Hao's serious expression made it even more comical.

Before Dr. Yan could respond, someone stood up, "Li Hao, I think you must have been half-asleep. Our technological level is undoubtedly the best in the galaxy. It's only a matter of time before we completely dominate the Milky Way. Kepler-22b is a gift to humanity. As for those bugs, they are simply no match for us. It's only a matter of time before we eliminate them. You're being too timid."

"That's right! The world belongs to the brave. Beyond this planet lies the vast expanse of the stars and endless opportunities. Why do we strive? Isn't it to realize the value of humanity?"

Everyone chimed in, their voices overlapping. Their sense of pride multiplied instantly. What kind of alien civilization was out there, humanity now knew. But overall, it was disappointing. While they had some combat capabilities, they were no match for the combined land and air attacks of humanity. And if they were talking about top-tier civilizations, they wouldn't have to wait until now. Where were they?

Did they want to confine themselves out of inexplicable fear? That would be waiting for death.

Li Hao's words instantly ignited everyone's enthusiasm. After all, this was Tianjing Mecha Warfare, where elites gathered.

This was also the mainstream view of the entire Solar System Alliance. Humans were confident in their current strength. Li Hao wasn't afraid, and he also agreed with the idea of venturing out. It was necessary to venture out, but caution was also crucial. Being a frog in a well was absolutely unacceptable.Dr. Yan smiled slightly and gestured for everyone to quiet down. "Li Hao, please stay after class. Let's continue our discussion. Collect your thoughts and go back to the recently concluded Mecha Tournament. NUP made great efforts and even bore most of the expenses. From the current perspective, they won. But I think it's a good thing. Instead of hiding the problems, it's better to bring them to light, see ourselves clearly, and face the challenges..."

"Hao Ge, you're too timid. What's out there? It's opportunities! I joined the Starship Department hoping to pilot my own spaceship one day, leading a crew to conquer the universe. It's every man's dream, right, Xiao Tang?" Ma Long whispered. "Maybe in the future, I can have my own territory on Kepler and become a lord. How awesome would that be!"

"My dream is to attend an Arths concert. The tickets..."

"Alright, that's enough. Look at your ambitions. Wu Zang, the two of you are always the same," Li Hao replied.

Wu Zang glanced at Li Hao and asked, "Hao Ge, what do you think is wrong with my combat skills? I've been pondering over it all night, but I can't figure it out. Is there a flaw in my training method?"

Li Hao touched his nose. When did this come up? Wu Zang's techniques and foundations were excellent. It's just that his situation was quite unique and not easily comparable. But he couldn't say that.

"Don't overthink it. Everyone's training methods and styles are different. Your family is a professional one, so instead of asking me, you should go back and ask your old man."

Wu Zang nodded. Li Hao might be able to fight, but his guidance fell a bit short. It required enough experience and a broad perspective.

Ma Long was speechless. These two idiots, so clueless. In the age of technology, combat skills were useful, but not the main focus. Besides, even if you were part of a mobile unit, what good was it to be strong alone?

That's why he chose the Starship Department. Mechas might be cool and heroic, but they weren't practical. Being a captain of a starship wasn't bad, right?

Hmm, he would make Manman his first mate. Romantic interstellar travels, that's life...

Ding ding ding...

The dismissal bell rang, cutting short their daydreams and passions. Everyone felt a bit unsatisfied, and Li Hao was ready to leave. Unexpectedly, Professor Yan still remembered him and signaled for him to stay. He could only follow along swiftly because the credits for this course were crucial.

In the adjacent faculty lounge:

Dr. Yan wiped his glasses and smiled. "You, you're young, but quite mature. I've read a few of your papers, and they exude a strong sense of concern. Is there a reason for that?"Li Hao shrugged. "Professor Yan, Kepler-22b has a diameter 2.4 times that of Earth, with a temperature of around 21 degrees Celsius. It has seas and forests—a larger, perfect version of Earth. It also has several rare elements that don't exist on our planet. Even after exploring the solar system, we haven't come across a place as perfect as Kepler-22b. The only constraints we had before were the distance of 600 light-years and wormhole technology. But we've only recently mastered wormhole technology, and the flares surrounding Kepler's star provided the coordinates for our successful first wormhole jump. Moreover, Kepler is even better than we anticipated. Professor, everything is just too perfect. The appearance of the giant worms is also strange, especially considering that they belong to a silicon-based life form. Could there be something we haven't considered, like another civilization luring us?"

Professor Yan nodded. "Have you read my paper on 'Interstellar Civilization Barrier' from a couple of years ago?"

"Yes, Professor, I completely agree with that viewpoint. There may be some sort of spatial barrier between star systems, preventing highly advanced civilizations from arbitrarily invading less advanced ones. Wormholes are like fishing rods. When we arrived at Kepler and opened up human coordinates, it's like casting the line. Since we've taken this step, we can't be too optimistic." Li Hao's concerns were not baseless but influenced by bleem. In the dream world of bleem, there were many combat training scenarios involving Kepler-22b. From their current understanding, bleem was not aimless.

The giant worms, recognized as non-civilized life forms, left a deep impression on him. They were far from primitive.

"In fact, many scientists hold this viewpoint. However, Kepler has been immensely helpful to us humans. I have access to some internal information. It can be said that Kepler has brought us a century's leap in technological transformation. NUP's current transformation is the best. The outstanding performance of their new weapons is also derived from the new element K23 found on Kepler, which is dubbed the 'God element' in the field of materials. That kind of madness is understandable. If you have any thoughts, feel free to discuss them with me."

Professor Yan patted Li Hao's shoulder. Overall, humanity was in a state of blind optimism and "inflation." That was the mainstream perspective.

Li Hao nodded. If there really were extraterrestrial civilizations fishing, then the solar system would be a fat fish. If not, then humanity truly was the chosen one. The videos and information about Kepler-22b were all hot topics—a place that made you want to go after just a single glance.

If he had to find a suitable word to describe it, it would be... paradise.