When the Galaxy Falls

In 2183, astronomer Lin Yuanyang discovered an anomaly at the edge of the Milky Way that should not exist: the evolution rate of more than two hundred stars was 0.27% Slower than theoretical predictions. This tiny deviation was ignored by everyone and dismissed as "noise" by the authorities. But Lin Yuanyang discovered that the deviation was increasing and the abnormal area was spreading—spreading toward the solar system at a rate of 0.1 Light-years per year. One year later, humanity's farthest outpost, the "Lighthouse," loses contact with Earth. After the rescue team arrived, they discovered the suffocating truth: all three thousand residents survived, but were "frozen" in time. Their heartbeats are less than once an hour, their eyes can see the outside world, they are conscious but unable to move - time slows down ten thousand times for them. This is not death, but a captivity more terrible than death. Lin Yuanyang realized that the lighthouse incident was directly related to the anomaly he discovered. The Milky Way is experiencing a "dimensional collapse" - the space-time structure itself is collapsing, and the edge of collapse is approaching the solar system at an accelerating rate. The time left for mankind is far less than anyone imagines. When the stars begin to extinguish and time begins to freeze, where will mankind go? Should he sit back and wait for death, flee his home, or fight to the end against the end of the universe itself? This is a story about discovery and questioning, about science and faith, and about tiny humans facing disasters on a cosmic scale. When the Milky Way goes out, will we still have the courage to look up at the stars?