Death of the Universe

For many billions of years, humans-having conquered the curse of aging-spread throughout the entire Milky Way. They are able to live all their dreams, but to their great disappointment, no other intelligent species has ever been encountered. Now, humanity itself is on the brink of extinction because the universe is dying a protracted yet inevitable death. They have only one hope: The 'Rescue Project' was designed to feed the black hole in the center of the galaxy until it becomes a quasar, delivering much-needed energy to humankind during its last breaths. But then something happens that no one ever expected-and humanity is forced to look at itself and its existence in an entirely new way.

The new heart of the Milky Way is a quasar, enclosed by a huge shell. It will provide energy to humankind for a long time. But then one maintenance probe after another disappears. Is someone trying to manipulate the quasar to destroy our galaxy in a giant explosion? Or is it just a few outlaws who are trying to steal some of the quasar's energy for themselves? Kepler and Zhenyi, with the help of some unexpected friends, discover that the stakes are much, much higher. They encounter new and at the same time ancient foes that they never dreamt of in their worst nightmares. Finally, they face a lonesome decision that could make them traitors to humanity forever.

In the 1980s, physicists at a lab in the Soviet Union find traces of strange data in the cosmic background radiation. Because powerful forces in the military believe these findings can be turned into a weapon for use in the cold war, the information gleaned by the physicists is kept under strictest secrecy. The scientists are limited to primitive 1980s' technology, but what they find has roots in much, much older times. They finally try an experiment that they hope will win the world over for communism. But will they be able to maintain control over an enormous power that has its own, dangerous plans?