Chapter 714 - 690: Deja Vu_2

"I always thought that cosmic civilizations should treat other races with the simplest means to achieve the most direct purposes. The higher the level of civilization development, the more this is the case, unless they just want to play with us."

"Instead of worrying about how to defend against this black stone, we should be more concerned about the signal on Mars. It may not have the same origin as ’Karst,’ nor does it mean that it’s harmless. Even if the original owners of it are harmless, it could still attract other threats."

"So you mean, you’re not just worried about the civilization that placed the transmitter, but also about other unknown alien civilizations."

Zhang Shoucheng’s words exactly matched Lin Ju’s thoughts, who immediately expressed his own conjecture.

"That’s right, this signal doesn’t conceal its intelligent characteristics at all. Any capable intelligent civilization that receives it will know what it is.

Either the owners of the transmitter don’t care about this, or it suggests that such things are common in the universe. I think by now none of us should doubt the existence of other intelligent civilizations out there."

Zhang Shoucheng looked around, and everywhere his gaze landed, there were nodding heads.

It was easily convincing; if there was one other intelligent civilization, there must be countless similar ones. Since Earth had been visited by an alien civilization, there certainly must have been numerous similar contact events throughout the universe.

"That’s it. Since we believe there are many intelligent civilizations in the universe, what follows is unpredictable.

Even if some conventions have been formed over a long span of time, not all civilizations may adhere to them. Of course, it’s more likely that there are no rules due to the limitations imposed by the speed of light."

In the face of the unknown, we can only assume the worst. After all, strengthening our own power is always the right move.

Moreover, we must immediately land on Mars and Titan to gather more information; what can be found on Earth has already been done by Xinyuan for us."

All eyes were once again focused on Lin Ju and his colleagues, many of whom only now recognised the significance of Xinyuan’s existence.

Ye Changsi simply spread his hands:

"We actually didn’t do much due to our limited capabilities, and strictly speaking... if the word got out, we might even be considered traitors to humanity."

Zhong Cheng nodded, and then shook his head:

"But you are not traitors to your motherland, instead, you’re extremely loyal. We have no doubts about Xinyuan, or rather, all of your devotion to your motherland.

Regarding the matter of alien civilizations, Xinyuan should have complete access to information. Any suggestions should be made boldly and should be treated as a top priority to address."

His attitude was very sincere with no pretense, and this was also the first thing established by his superiors the previous night: to clarify attitudes and to trust Xinyuan Company more, rather than to doubt them.

Without a clear strategy for response, the next steps would be hampered or just a mess.

First of all, simply stating all origins was already like a charm against evil, with the backdrop of alien civilizations, there was nothing more to nitpick;

Second was the issue of the source of advanced technology. Although everyone considered this to be a poisoned gift, the sugar coating was too tempting for anyone to dare suggest cutting off this source.

The directives from superiors were very clear: continue as usual.

Xinyuan was already a top-level national defense contractor with very high authority; maintaining the status quo was already indicative of many things.

Assuaging Lin Ju was also an important mission for Zhong Cheng’s trip; Lin’s importance had completely risen to a new level compared to before. It was safe to say that anyone could be spared except for him; no one wanted to see any accidents again.

Such an attitude immediately soothed the people at the base a lot; their identities were very sensitive at the moment, and it was troubling to be on guard everywhere.

Once reassured, Lin Ju became much bolder and raised two fingers, saying:

"Then since that’s the case, we actually have two tasks coming up:

Carry out extraterrestrial exploration with all our might. The Mars and Saturn missions should commence immediately, but the Moon is not to be neglected.

The lunar development mission is not only profitable in itself but, more importantly, it represents technological accumulation, figuring out how to construct extraterrestrial bases;

At the same time, we must work hard to assimilate the technology we have obtained, especially the fusion technology. Although we didn’t get the complete technical data, with this guidance we should already have high hopes."

When he got to the second mission, he looked across at Fu Mingdong, who nodded in agreement:

"That’s right, if the advanced unified equations are confirmed, then replacing electromagnetic force with weak force, or their fusion, offers hope to solve the control problems caused by ultra-high temperatures. Coupled with the promising ignition technology we already have, as long as we have full support from above, I am confident we will make significant breakthroughs within three years."

"Two years."

The moment the words left his mouth, Zhang Shoucheng’s voice rang out as he raised his hand and said:

"I will join in on this, too. There will definitely be a major turning point in two years. These discoveries are almost like laying the stepping stone for controlled nuclear fusion right in front of us. Let’s not bother verifying it first—just go ahead and do it. I have an intuition that it’s correct, and if our teacher saw it, he would think so, too."

The advanced unified equations (Yu Qian Formula) are a significant development of the Yang–Mills gauge field theory, and Zhang Shoucheng felt a natural familiarity with it, almost completely accepting it as soon as he saw it.

Of course, another reason was that proving the advanced unified equations was very complex, and Zhang Shoucheng already had a sense of urgency.

Zhong Cheng did some quick calculations in his mind: even if a breakthrough were made in two years, and practical applications were realized in five, that would mean that by the year 2025, fusion-powered spacecraft could be in use—a truly epoch-making advancement.

"Then let me add a third point. I can somewhat represent the military perspective now, and we need to start considering the issue of interstellar defense. Don’t wait for the future; do as much as we can now," he said.

He looked toward Lin Ju, whose company Xinyuan had the most say in this matter, especially since laser weapons were most related to space weapons, and Xinyuan was already the world leader in this area.

The materials provided in the briefcase revealed that Xinyuan’s laser technology was even more mature than what had been displayed by the ’Blazing Sun’, and the technical specifications of Thousand-Jun Stick No. 1 were actually somewhat conservative.

"Xinyuan can provide very powerful laser weapons, especially with the enhancement of ’Trampoline’ technology," Lin Ju first acknowledged, then immediately brought up a challenge:

"But what about the impact on the world? Such powerful laser weapons, once created, definitely can’t be concealed. How do we explain it?"

In fact, the domestic front is currently negotiating with America about the laser satellite "conciliation", and it seems to be leaning towards a pacifying attitude. But what if suddenly we accelerate the development of an even bigger and more terrifying device, would that provoke a strong reaction from America, leading to an even greater conflict?

Even without knowing the upper echelons’ opinion, the base’s scientists and the CSR Group unanimously believed that causing conflict within Earth was not a good thing; any warfare would be detrimental without a single benefit.

Precious energy should be devoted to addressing the extraterrestrial crisis, with every internal friction adding to the risks of the future.

It’s not just domestically; the White House and the Pentagon also adopted similar opinions from think tanks, willing to covertly allocate a part of the military budget to support NACA’s space program, sharing a fairly similar viewpoint.

The proactive compromise by America on the laser satellite had also been driven by these factors.

Similarly, the secrecy policy regarding extraterrestrial civilizations went unmentioned by Zhong Cheng, which meant that he was not going to throw this issue out to the United Nations, clearly anticipating the potential chaos it could cause.

In some cases, keeping secrets is also a way to protect many people.

Allowing the five permanent members, or even just three, to confer had little significance; this was no different from making it public.

But if it was decided to secretly and actively develop space armaments, the risk of a major backlash must be assumed, as the "Outer Space Treaty" was still very much in effect.

This huge dilemma had only just come to the attention of those higher up the previous night, and naturally, Zhong Cheng didn’t have any good strategies to deal with it either. But there was no way the military would stop preparing; to do so would be irresponsible towards strategic security.

The atmosphere fell into the silence Lin Ju had anticipated, but unlike Zhong Cheng, he knew more and thought more, with a vague idea forming in his mind.

The so-called external pressures, after delving into the details and peeling away the layers, boiled down to just a handful that really qualified to apply pressure, not more than a handful.

Moreover, now he knew that the biggest among these potential pressures was also caught in a difficult situation similar to the one at home.

Don’t forget, Office Thirteen also believed that America was carrying the secret of the "extraterrestrial signal" on its own, forcing America to press ahead with gritted teeth.

If the world’s two most powerful forces were to reach some sort of compromise, then the so-called external pressure would naturally fade away. The rest combined would not be qualified to voice objections.

But such a move was immensely difficult to execute and full of risks. It was just a tentative thought stored in his heart.