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Starlink Cannon
墨書 Inktalez
"We must have talked about it during our graduate studies, the Cosmic No-Hair Theorem. Have you heard of it? No? How did you manage to get through graduate school without knowing that..."
Today is my father's birthday, as well as mine. There is a thirty-five-year difference between us, a coincidence that occurs only in a few million cases. If today were also my mother's memorial day, it would be a one in a hundred billion chance. Yet, this series of coincidences has happened to me. So every year on this day, anticipation and heaviness always intertwine—my good friends prepare various gifts for me, and I must prepare blessings for my father. Once everything is done, my father and I have to rush to the cemetery before dark to visit my mother.
This technology classroom is specifically open for PhD students, and as an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, my doctoral advisor Lian Hongbo can always secure this classroom for our theoretical courses. This is due both to respect for his status and because our research direction—String Theory—has only been proposed in recent years. He has only five students under his guidance.
At this moment, he is explaining the general framework of M-theory in String Theory as usual. I, who often interrupt him during lectures, am rarely sitting at the back today, burying my head in my phone as I quietly arrange today's schedule in my notes.
"So over twenty years ago, there was already a complete conjecture about Cosmic String Life abroad. But after all, it's just a conjecture; if they really exist, they would be beyond our imagination. Currently, the only thing we can agree on is that Cosmic String Life also has spiral DNA. Isn't that fascinating? Because we have actually observed DNA-like nebulae through space telescopes. Cosmic Strings are truly remarkable; they suggest many possibilities. Children, String Theory will undoubtedly be the super guide leading humanity into the universe in the future, and you are the new pathfinders."
Lian Hongbo paused for a moment without glancing at me, but his finger pointed toward my location. "Tan Fengqi, stop playing with your phone; you seem off today."
Sure enough, after class, Lian Hongbo called me over and asked what was wrong with me today. I showed him the notes I had written on my phone and explained that today was a special day.
Lian Hongbo remembered; he had a student whose birthday coincided with their family memorial day but had forgotten that it was me and that it was today. He no longer seemed upset with me and let me leave campus. However, before I left, he asked me a question that troubled me until disaster struck when I finally realized its meaning.
"Fengqi, do you ever feel like you are the chosen one at this time every year?"
"What chosen one? It's just coincidence stacked upon coincidence that makes it seem extraordinary enough for others to remember."
"Do you think it's also a coincidence if extraterrestrial civilizations discover us?"
"There's some element of coincidence in that too; after all, the universe is vast. Do you think we've been discovered?"
"No, I'm just speculating because a few days ago, the satellite agency reported that they found a sphere about the size of two moons on the sun's side. I'm an enthusiastic believer in extraterrestrial life; you know how it is."
"So do you think we could be friends with them?"
"Not likely."
"Then are they enemies?"
"Not necessarily. Happy birthday, Fengqi."
I stared at him in astonishment because in my mind, there seemed to be only those two choices for answering his question. Lian Hongbo walked away on his own while I remained in the corridor reflecting on his unfinished words.
My close friends left gifts at my dormitory door. After receiving them, I picked out the Phoenix Flower that I thought my father would like most and planned to give it to him.
The school is not far from my home; it's just a ten-minute drive. After returning home, my father and I briefly celebrated our shared birthday together. However, the most important part of the day was still ahead—visiting my mother's grave at the cemetery on the outskirts of the city.
Whenever I think about this final task, I find that this birthday has become rather tasteless for me. My mother was diagnosed with late-stage liver cancer during my sophomore year of undergraduate studies. The doctor told my father and me that her chances of survival were less than five percent; at most she could accompany us for one more year from her hospital bed. I said five percent is still a probability; there’s still a chance she could survive—I believed in miracles. But reality hit me hard; not everyone can be favored by miracles. If they could be, then it wouldn't be called a miracle—this truth became clear to me only after watching my mother close her eyes before me.
My mother's passing became my birthday gift; thus this birthday turned into one of the most complicated days of my life—every joy ultimately gets overshadowed by sorrow until nothing remains by the end of it all—and today was no different. My father and I remained silent as we got out of the car and approached my mother's tombstone. We placed my father's beloved Phoenix Flower and her favorite wine side by side as we stood waiting for the sunset to disappear.
However, today's sun felt different to me; there was an unsettling tension prickling at my back. When I turned around, I noticed that today's sun indeed looked unusual because on either side—about fifty centimeters apart—there were symmetrical white reflections resembling airplane contrails. But how could they form a closed loop? They clearly resembled a pair of eyes.
“ Xiao Feng, it's your turn to talk to your mother.” My father made room for me, and when he turned around, he saw me gazing at the sky, so he looked up as well.
I pulled my father and thought that as an astronomer, he should recognize this astronomical phenomenon I had never seen before. I asked, “What are those things beside the sun?”
“Hmm, I'm not sure.”
I was surprised by my father's answer, but just as I was about to kneel down and take one last look at the sky, those eyes disappeared.
“Mom, are you okay over there?” I threw paper money into the fire my father had started and said, “Mom, I miss you so much, but injuries and disasters always need a few victims. We aren't lucky enough, but please rest assured that this won't stop me from living well. You know, I've been accepted into a doctoral program! I'm now one of Lian Hongbo's most valued students; I can even consider myself his disciple because we are both fascinated by the concept of Cosmic String Life. Although I'm not sure why he is so obsessed with it, my obsession stems from the hope of finding new forms of life. I want to tell myself that maybe you are living in a new form; we are within reach, just like when I reach out to pluck the moon hanging in the sky. I've never given up on searching for your presence.”
Lian Hongbo is a wonderful person, just like you—approachable and knowledgeable. I often mistakenly think you've returned because I see your shadow in my mentor. Mom, please take care over there and promise your son that I will live on with your hopes and live well.”
“I always thought your actions were absurd.” After I stood up, my father spoke.
“I know; you've always said that.” I replied, carefully observing him and noticing more white hair than before. “But we must have faith in miracles, right? Maybe they really exist.”
“You've had enough!” My father sighed as if shouting. “Where do miracles come from? Be more pragmatic, child. You've seen it all; this is the price we pay for believing in miracles. Although String Theory isn't a mature theory, I don't oppose you pursuing this doctorate, but please don't let personal feelings guide you.”
“But I've come this far with personal feelings,” I countered. “I believe life has different forms; it will surely appear when we least expect it. At that time, I'll be able to see my mother again, just like every year on this day.”
My father fell silent because he knew he couldn't sway me. By the time we descended the mountain, it was nearly seven o'clock; the sky had darkened, and streetlights illuminated our path winding toward the distant city. On the way home, my father received a call from the observatory. When he hung up, he began to curse under his breath. “I have to work overtime tonight,” he said. “They say something incredible has been discovered by the space telescope at headquarters; all personnel must return urgently.”
After briefly explaining how to heat up some leftovers for me, my father drove off to his workplace while I was left alone in the house. Holding a bowl of carrot stir-fry rice and a small piece of birthday cake, I sat on the sofa and turned on the television. Initially intending to casually pick a show to watch, no matter where I flipped, today’s news seemed to have something significant constantly displayed on the screen's edge. Annoyed, I clicked on it; the gist of the news was: A space telescope had captured a new celestial body near the edge of the solar system that maintained a parallel orbit with Neptune.
“I’m afraid after all this they’ll find out it’s Pluto,” I scoffed and prepared to exit the news broadcast. However, what followed piqued my curiosity.
“At five forty this afternoon, thousands of witnesses across the country and even abroad claimed to have seen a pair of eye-like air currents in the sky; currently, no experts have provided an explanation for this phenomenon. Our reporters are interviewing academicians from Chinese Academy of Sciences, hoping they can offer us a reasonable explanation.”
The scene switched to a live broadcast where I sat up straight upon seeing my mentor Lian Hongbo carefully examining some patterns behind the interviewer’s camera. “This situation is being studied by atmospheric experts; please be patient,” said the interviewee. “We will definitely provide a perfect explanation for the public.”
This was originally a rather disappointing answer for viewers; however, Lian Hongbo suddenly spoke up behind the camera as if talking to himself: “This isn’t research needed by atmospheric science; this could very well be a biological entity.”
His words intrigued the reporter, and I put down my chopsticks ready to delve deeper with the camera's focus; however, the interviewee stated that recording inside their facilities was inconvenient and did not allow reporters further access. I lowered my head and randomly pressed some buttons until I returned to the sci-fi drama I had been watching.
Biological entity?
I looked at those alien creatures often depicted as hideously ugly by humans in the drama and became lost in thought as once again morning's answer from Mentor Lian echoed in my mind: not necessarily. Whether it is a biological entity is uncertain; if it is one, whether it can coexist peacefully with us is also uncertain—this entire uncertainty layered together constitutes a miracle.
So if it is one, could it possibly be what I've been obsessively pursuing—the Cosmic String Life?
That would indeed be a miracle among miracles.
I set down my bowl and quickly walked out onto the balcony to gaze at the night sky; those eyes were still there but appeared simply against the night sky without framing the moon this time. In addition to those eyes, there were two spherical entities slightly larger than moons appearing beside both the sun and Neptune. This inexplicable phenomenon was not just an illusion seen by me alone; my father and all other witnesses confirmed that there were eyes in the sky watching Earth while two spheres had quietly entered our solar system.
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