With the star as a shield and the speed of light as a trump card, there should always be a chance to escape.
So why did Homura Saigo say that escaping was meaningless?
"If we're just talking about escaping the Earth's starburst crisis, then of course there's no problem."
Homura Saigo corrected their misunderstanding.
"If worst comes to worst, we can launch the satellites now and have the survival bases leave before the End Emptiness arrives. Even without the sun's shielding effect, the escape plan wouldn't be affected."
The escape plan itself was sound. No matter how large the starburst's range, as long as they left before it happened, they wouldn't be affected.
"What I meant by 'meaningless' is that even if we successfully escape, with our current resources, it would be difficult for humanity to continue on as a civilization."
"While the Third Stellar Particle can solve the energy crisis, it can't yet interfere with the material cycle. With our current technology, we can only simulate a basic, small-scale ecosphere. And due to the law of entropy, even with external energy input, a small ecosphere would struggle to maintain long-term stability."
The Biosphere 2 experiment proved that Earth's ecosystem is, for now, still one of a kind.
It's impossible to guarantee a perfect material cycle simply by inputting energy.
Therefore, no matter how complex the ecosystem they built on the satellites was, or how similar it was to Earth's biosphere, it could never achieve the same level of diversity and stability.
If this problem couldn't be solved, it meant that after escaping, humanity would have no way to establish a new paradise in interstellar space.
They wouldn't be like the Europeans of the colonial era finding their coveted India, but more like people with oxygen tanks during a world-ending flood.
While they might not drown immediately like those who were unprepared, their survival was by no means guaranteed. Once their oxygen tanks ran out, their fate would be no different from those who drowned.
"In the end, a fugitive humanity would only be living on borrowed time."
Homura Saigo concluded calmly.
"At that point, to survive, they would have no choice but to rewrite their own genes. But such artificial modification would inevitably lack environmental adaptability and genetic diversity due to over-specialization."
"If they encounter any disaster, like a stellar helium flash, humanity could easily write its genes into a dead end."
"Even Divinity holders might develop photophobia to adapt to the environment, eventually taking on the form of vampires, wandering the cold universe, their entire race on the brink of extinction at any moment."
It was as if he had learned much from the Absolute Demon Lord's memories. Homura Saigo's tone was calm and regretful, as if he had personally witnessed humanity's path to ruin, the end of the line being the vampire route.
"Vampires... you mean like Lady Leticia and the others..."
Hearing Homura Saigo's concern, the group exchanged glances, immediately thinking of Su Mo's head maid.
By now, they were well aware that whether it was themselves, their former teachers, or the people around Su Mo, none of them were simple characters.
If Kudou Asuka symbolized the pinnacle of the deification era, then the vampire clan represented by the Leticia sisters was likely another state of human development—or perhaps even the end of the deified.
"So, you're saying that even if we escape successfully, if we can't build an ecosystem that can sustain human life in the interstellar age, destruction is still what awaits us?"
Izayoi finally understood Homura Saigo's meaning.
Whether in myths or sci-fi movies, people often tend to focus on the process of humanity surviving a world-ending disaster.
But few ever explore what life is like after humanity overcomes the disaster and escapes.
The vast majority naively believe that with humanity's subjective initiative and a large enough population, they can sooner or later build a paradise suitable for human survival.
But they fail to realize that being able to construct an ecosystem is a scientific problem, not a question of attitude.
In space, even if all of humanity works together without internal conflict, they still might not be able to create a space that can support human civilization.
After the home planet is destroyed, humanity would need to construct a simulation of it to sustain themselves, but they may not have that ability.
"Exactly."
Homura Saigo nodded heavily.
Just as the key to escapism in the world of The Three-Body Problem was light-speed spacecraft, the key to escapism in the crisis they faced was the construction of a small-scale ecosystem.
"On that front, I'm arranging for the powers of various nations to build new biospheres for research, hoping for an unexpected breakthrough."
"However, until this problem is solved, the escape route clearly cannot bear the task of continuing human civilization. Considering the complexity of the ecosystem, I think we should prioritize figuring out how to deal with the End Emptiness!"
Since they couldn't run, they had to face the core of the problem.
"But isn't the reason we're temporarily supporting escapism because we couldn't find a way to fight it?"
Percher raised her hand and asked.
"...That is indeed the case."
Having the crucial point laid bare, Homura Saigo seemed a bit deflated.
"That's why I called this meeting. On one hand, to update you on our current progress, and on the other, to seek some inspiration. Do any of you have a good way to deal with this?"
Fight or flee—for a leader, the natural choice is to prepare for both.
With the escape route facing a setback, the path of confronting the disaster naturally became all the more important.
To this, the group's responses were:
"I don't know anything!"
Percher quickly shook her head, her gaze clear and foolish.
Although she had thoroughly caught up on the common knowledge of this era through tutoring, asking her to provide any constructive opinions was still too much to ask.
Homura Saigo wasn't surprised by this. He shifted his gaze to the others.
"I don't have any good ideas either. According to the Demon Lords, my Prestige is ineffective against the End Emptiness."
Kudou Asuka spread her hands, also indicating she was powerless.
"The Star Sword of the Zenith Phase won't be destroyed by the End Emptiness, but it can't harm it either."
Kudou Ayatori also shook her head.
"? Want something to eat?"
Kasukabe Yō, who was nibbling on snacks like a hamster, tilted her head. Though she said this, she didn't offer the snack in her hand, instead looking rather protective of her food.
"No, thank you."
Homura Saigo's mouth twitched. Finally, he and Izayoi exchanged a look.
The twin brothers' gazes met, and they both let out a sigh.
"Sigh..."
Leading this group of 'geniuses,' how were they supposed to overcome the apocalypse!
They shouldn't have held out any hope for these guys from the start.
Just as they thought the meeting would end without any results and were about to adjourn...
Suddenly, the conference room door was pushed open, and a small figure entered.
The rabbit-eared little girl twitched her cute ears and spoke with an air of mystery.
"Good morning, all you Problem Children! If you're having some trouble, why not come and ask the smart and adorable Big Sister Black Rabbit?"