Wandering Meteor
Chapter 59: Supernova Fizzles Out

Chapter 59: Chapter 59: Supernova Fizzles Out

It turns out that the earlier commotion was caused by a sudden nuclear fusion at the planet’s center.

Because Lu Chen had been constantly absorbing the high-temperature hydrogen from the supernova, his own temperature was also skyrocketing insanely.

When the planetary temperature reached five million degrees, the enormous energy caused the electrons within the atoms to break free from the atomic nuclei, and at that time, both the electrons and the atomic nuclei were in a state of high vibrational motion. There was a certain probability that atomic nuclei would collide with each other. When two highly vibrating atomic nuclei collided and fused, a new element would be formed, releasing a vast amount of energy!

This process is the nuclear fusion reaction.

Just now, when Lu Chen’s core temperature reached five million degrees, there were hydrogen atomic nuclei that collided, causing a nuclear fusion reaction; that’s why his planetary body suddenly experienced shaking and explosive sounds.

"Now I’m only at ten thousand planetary masses, still in the super planet stage, but the Hydrogen Element has already undergone nuclear fusion; could it be that I am the legendary Child of Destiny, superior in everything I do?"

Lu Chen started to mock himself gleefully.

However, Lu Chen’s thought just crossed his mind when he was slapped in the face by reality!

The nuclear fusion reaction at the center of the planet had stopped without any warning.

Lu Chen couldn’t help but feel utterly dumbfounded, puzzled, when suddenly, for some unknown reason, the Hydrogen Element at the core area once again initiated the nuclear fusion reaction!

This on-and-off situation made the nuclear fusion reaction seem like a naughty, capricious child, coming and going as it pleased, completely uncontrollable.

However, after repeated observations, Lu Chen gradually understood the reason behind it.

It must be because his planet’s mass had not reached the requirements for nuclear fusion. Although absorbing the supernova’s high-temperature hydrogen had barely brought the planetary temperature up to the minimum requirement for nuclear fusion, due to the insufficient planetary mass, the internal pressure was inadequate, and the probability of hydrogen atomic nucleus collisions was not high, naturally making it impossible to establish a long-term, stable nuclear fusion reaction environment.

Thus, the probability phenomena of sudden extinguishment and sudden initiation occurred!

Boom! Boom!

This situation seemed contagious as the supernova at the center of the Ant Nebula also started acting up!

That supernova had been undergoing Silicon Fusion within its interior, but suddenly it also became unstable. At one moment the nuclear fusion burst forth fiercely, and at another, it weakened, going on and off repeatedly.

It was like the ebb and flow of the tide, always undulating!

However, a supernova is not the tide. Such behavior often signals violent temperature and pressure changes within the star core, highly likely indicating an impending supernova explosion!

Realizing this, Lu Chen immediately stopped plundering hydrogen gas and prepared to retreat quickly.

Because, after this period of plundering, Lu Chen’s harvest had already been substantial. Moreover, the earlier abnormal pulsing of the supernova had ejected most of the material from the surface of the Constant Star, leaving behind only the products from billions of years of nuclear fusion within the supernova.

These products were all heavy elements.

Lu Chen did not need them, and naturally, there was no reason to stay.

Just as Lu Chen had just retracted his gravitational pull, the supernova ahead suddenly burst forth with an unrivaled force of energy, as if the supernova explosion had already started ahead of schedule!

However, unexpectedly.

The legendary supernova explosion turned out to be nothing more than a violent quiver of the star core, only forming a faint Constant Star Wind without spewing out a significant amount of energetic material, resembling a dud firecracker.

Bright flames had been shooting forth, yet in the end, they fizzled out to mere whispers!

Lu Chen was both amused and frustrated. He was so tense just moments ago, only to face such an anticlimactic outcome. What a joke!

Seeing this from a distance, the Wandering grew exceedingly puzzled and asked, "Big brother, are you alright? Was that a supernova explosion just now? It doesn’t seem quite like what I imagined. And that supernova up ahead looks like it’s completely dead. I can feel the temperature around us dropping rapidly!"

"I’m not entirely sure myself at the moment, but one thing is certain, that supernova seems to be truly dead!" Lu Chen surveyed the scene before him with great puzzlement.

The once bright and star-like supernova quickly dimmed, leaving behind nothing but a darkened star core.

With the loss of light and heat from the constant star, this patch of the Ant Nebula had become a dim and cold nebula group. The nebula was filled with various materials and gases that clung to each other through feeble gravitational and frictional forces, but without a strong gravitational bond, they only formed a loose nebula group.

Eventually, under the influence of other gravitational forces, this loose nebula group would break apart into dozens of pieces and scatter slowly into the universe.

Of course, that was a matter for the future. Now, in order to find out why the supernova fizzled out, Lu Chen was slowly heading towards the star core with the Wandering.

Since the supernova had died unexpectedly, the constant star wind also ceased, hence the flight for Lu Chen and the Wandering became much easier. Before long, they had crossed two astronomical units and arrived near the supernova’s star core.

The star core left by the supernova was about one million meters in diameter, with a mass about twenty times that of a planet.

Such a small diameter, yet with such immense mass, one could imagine that the composition of this star core was extremely unique, incredibly dense!

"Big brother, I can feel that this star core is 90 percent iron element!" exclaimed the Wandering with excitement.

Lu Chen noticed it as well.

He started to analyze it in his mind.

Connecting the dots between cause and effect, he finally understood the reason for it all.

The real reason was none other than himself – he was the main culprit behind all this!

Normally, a supernova would accumulate sufficient Iron-56 during its final life stage through silicon fusion, then explode immensely under great gravitational pressure.

However, Lu Chen had barged in out of the blue and had been recklessly plundering the supernova’s mass.

The supernova was at its life’s end, with heavier elements participating in the fusion reaction requiring increasingly high conditions. It was already at its last gasp when Lu Chen plundered nearly ten thousand planet masses, causing the supernova’s mass to decline too quickly. Its internal pressure and temperature began to decrease, and it could no longer sustain silicon fusion. As a result, the nuclear fusion halted and ceased.

But by this time, there wasn’t enough Iron-56 accumulated, which is why the final explosion fizzled out!

"So that’s how it is!"

Now that he understood the reason, Lu Chen finally felt relieved.

He immediately instructed the Wandering to start absorbing the supernova’s remaining star core.

After all, 90 percent of the star core was iron element. As long as the Wandering took some time to expel the remaining 10 percent of impurities, it could obtain this ultra-dense metallic star core.

And seeing that the Wandering was to gain something from this, Lu Chen was naturally overjoyed for it!

He also felt very fortunate about his own actions. If he hadn’t risked intruding, not only would he have gained nothing, neither would the Wandering. The current outcome was a win-win!

Suddenly, at this moment, a light appeared within the nebula, which had already dimmed, triggering high alertness from Lu Chen.