Chapter One: Do Not Turn Back!

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Day 65 since losing contact with Earth.

Approximately 15 billion kilometers from the Sun, orbiting the dwarf planet Luoshen, inside the Deep Space spacecraft, Li Qingsong slumped powerlessly against his seat, staring blankly at the final message received from the human world.

Deep down, he had to admit that he would likely never be able to return to Earth.

Twelve years ago, he had traveled here aboard the Deep Space, becoming the first human in history to leave the heliosphere.

The high-energy charged particles released by the Sun blow a "giant bubble" into the interstellar medium; this bubble is the heliosphere. Because of the Sun's presence, the interstellar medium is unable to penetrate the interior of this bubble.

He had worked here in solitude for two years, successfully completing the scheduled scientific research mission on the dwarf planet. Afterward, he had finalized all preparations for the return journey, waiting only for the Earth team of the "Deep Space Scientific Research Project" to upload the return trajectory data to the ship so he could finally return to the home he had been away from for so long.

Everything had been normal until 65 days ago. But on the day the return trajectory data was supposed to be uploaded, Li Qingsong did not receive any data from the Earth team. Instead, he received only one sentence:

"Do not return! Do not come back!"

Following that, Li Qingsong lost all contact with Earth. No matter how many messages he sent, there was no response.

Something must have happened on that distant home world. It was so urgent that the Earth team could only manage to send him that single sentence.

"My family, my friends, my fellow citizens, are you still there? Is our civilization... still there?"

Li Qingsong stared blankly toward the direction of Earth outside the porthole.

Because of the immense distance, he could not even see Earth. Even using the optical telescope equipped on the ship, he could only make out a faint, blurry speck of light. He could not glean any useful information from that dim point. At this moment, he could not even be certain if human civilization still existed, let alone understand what had transpired on Earth.

"Did you really need to warn me? If you don't give me the return trajectory, how could I possibly go back..."

Gazing out at the vast sea of stars, the colossal Deep Space spacecraft and the even larger dwarf planet Luoshen below seemed as insignificant as a drop in the ocean.

Boundless loneliness and terror washed over Li Qingsong, causing the hallucinations that had previously been suppressed by medication to resurface.

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Years ago, perhaps because he had left the heliosphere, stepped out from the Sun's protection, and been exposed to some unknown radiation, Li Qingsong had inexplicably begun to suffer from hallucinations. He constantly felt as if his consciousness could extend into the minds of others and even control their actions.

The medical team on Earth could not explain these strange hallucinations. After all, Li Qingsong was the first human to ever leave the heliosphere; there were no others to compare him to. Fortunately, the psychiatric prescriptions provided by the doctors were effective. After taking the medication carried on the ship at regular intervals and dosages, these hallucinations had not appeared for a long time.

But now, they had returned.

Feeling the sensation of these inexplicable hallucinations, Li Qingsong smiled bitterly: "Across tens of billions of kilometers—no, perhaps across the entire solar system—I am the only one left. Who could I possibly control?"

He struggled to get up and take his medicine, but the hallucinations did not fade. He stopped paying them any mind and forced himself to calm down, trying to think about what he should do next.

But this reflection lasted only a few minutes before it ceased. The answer was staring him in the face: nothing.

Without the help of the Earth team, he could not return to Earth. To attempt a forced return would only result in drifting lost in space once his energy was exhausted. Given that, he might as well conserve his energy. Yet, no matter how much he economized, the ship's energy and supplies could only sustain him for another 15 years at most. After 15 years, he would die regardless.

Could he find a way to survive on Luoshen, this dwarf planet so far from the Sun? It was impossible. He was only one man; his strength was far too meager.

His fate was sealed. There was nothing he could do, nothing he could change. The only thing left was to accept his destiny, drift through his days on the ship, and wait to die once his supplies or energy ran out.

"Fine, that's fine..."

Looking at the vast starry sky outside the porthole, Li Qingsong muttered: "When the critical life-support supplies are down to the last day, I’ll have a hearty meal and then jump out into space to end it myself. At least it will save me from a painful death."

For the next period, Li Qingsong completely abandoned his previously strict schedule and began to live a life of reckless indulgence. At first, he found some pleasure in this dissipation, but after only two months, he lost all interest.

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He lay motionless on his bed, unwilling to move even an inch, even as his stomach burned with hunger.

The hallucinations grew increasingly intense.

Li Qingsong finally struggled to his feet and made his way to the flora and fauna cultivation room. There were several sets of animal cloning equipment here. Most were small, but one was large enough. It had originally been intended for cloning large mammals like cattle, horses, or donkeys for experimental purposes. In theory, using it to clone a human was possible. It was just that the ethical and moral risks of cloning a human were so great that no one in human civilization had ever dared to do it.

But now, Li Qingsong no longer cared about such things.

He extracted a cell sample from his own body, reprogrammed it into induced pluripotent stem cells, used gene-editing tools to modify some DNA sequences, and finally, placed the sample into the largest cloning device.

Six months later, Li Qingsong’s clone would be fully grown, not as an infant, but in the same adult form as he was now.

"Since these hallucinations keep pestering me, I’ll just create someone and see what happens!"

Six months later, inside the cultivation tank, another Li Qingsong, identical down to the shape and position of the moles on his skin, had finished developing.

He removed the clone from the tank, laid it on the bed, and waited in silence for it to awaken.

After a long while, the clone slowly opened its eyes.

"Hm... no self-awareness, only biological instincts. Normal."

After a thorough examination, Li Qingsong gritted his teeth and, following the guidance of his hallucinations, extended his consciousness outward.

The next moment, Li Qingsong’s eyes widened in shock.

He felt as though he possessed two brains and two bodies! Moreover, he could control both brains to think and both bodies to act simultaneously!

It was not a hallucination!