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墨書 Inktalez
"This is just my guess," Lian Hongbo shrugged and said, "No one wants to believe me, and of course, I don't expect you to believe me either."
"I believe!" I said. "The key is that we need to let everyone know the consequences. If we let this evolve unchecked, the entire solar system will be doomed!"
However, we overlooked one thing: there are two such mysterious spheres in the solar system. The team led by Lian Hongbo is conducting real-time observations of the changes in both spheres. From the current observations, the sphere maintaining a parallel orbit with Neptune is shaping at a faster rate, and just as Lian Hongbo predicted in his modeling, the Cannon Barrel has already begun to take shape. During the days I assisted Lian Hongbo at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, we observed these two spheres, their Cannon Barrels growing at a speed of three hundred thousand kilometers per hour, while the sphere towards Neptune is growing even faster. According to monitoring data, it is expected to accelerate to four hundred thousand kilometers per hour. As time goes on, Lian Hongbo's voice has gained more authority within the team because everyone realizes that everything is progressing just as he said. As his assistant, my current task is to consider how to announce this information to society. The newspaper collaborating with the Chinese Academy of Sciences for information release has been extremely strict with my article. After nearly two weeks of revisions and discussions, the truth about these two spheres in the solar system was finally presented to society.
Soon, due to the previous astronomical enthusiasm surrounding the observation of the two mysterious spheres, my article acted like a fuse; news that "the solar system has attracted attention from extraterrestrial visitors" spread throughout the streets. When I returned home for the weekend, I could hear children from my neighbor's house discussing aliens, while their guardians, those elderly women, seemed indifferent and continued talking about rising pork prices at the market. I opened the door to find my father had prepared dinner and was sitting at the dining table waiting for me.
"Did you write this article?" My father asked as he showed me his phone screen. I nodded, and he handed me chopsticks with a sigh, saying, "The Chinese Academy of Sciences really should have left such information alone."
"Don't worry, Dad. I've calmed down and assessed it; it's definitely going to be like the Tunguska Event—loud but little impact. Throughout history, many small meteoroids have passed through our solar system." I said, "If it weren't for that six hundred yuan manuscript fee, I wouldn't have bothered writing it."
"But this isn't just any asteroid hitting Earth," my father replied. "Besides those two elongating spheres in the sky, what else? Have you forgotten?"
"The pair of eyes?"
"It seems you haven't forgotten. Your father has been working overtime at the satellite bureau for so many days; we still can't determine what astronomical phenomenon they belong to, which means they are not naturally occurring."
I paused chewing and looked curiously at my father. His unique calmness as a middle-aged man shone in my eyes as he sighed and said, "Your fantasies are about to come true; aren't you happy?"
The sudden shift in topic left me confused as my father continued, "Perhaps we will really see your mother."
No matter how much I pleaded, my father refused to continue on that topic. I was forced to talk with him about my future career aspirations. After leaving the dining table, I sat in front of my computer in my room without turning on the light, staring blankly at the screen in darkness while news continued reporting on my article. This was my first time receiving a manuscript fee, but I didn't feel particularly happy—less so than when Lian Hongbo made me his assistant. I felt more like a deep-sea bomb ready to explode; time would prove that my father's words were correct: it was best to keep all these secrets hidden until everyone knew the outcome before speaking up.
As events unfolded, my school life was completely altered; I never imagined I would be suspended for a year due to an arbitrary decision from the school. Upon hearing this news, I rushed to Lian Hongbo's office to find out what had happened. However, when I opened the office door, I was stunned: about five or six people dressed in military green uniforms had their backs turned toward me and surrounded Lian Hongbo at his desk while someone sat across from him. This scene scared me into quietly closing the door again; after a moment's pause, I opened it once more only to find all the soldiers turning their heads to look at me.
"Let me introduce you; this is my student and assistant, Tan Fengqi," Lian Hongbo stood up and gestured for me to join them in front of him as the soldiers surprisingly parted ways for me.
"He's Tan Fengqi," a loud and penetrating voice came from a chair opposite Lian Hongbo. Following the sound, I saw an elderly man dressed differently from the other soldiers smiling kindly at me; his face was lined with deep wrinkles from years of hardship—but that wasn't why I immediately felt respect for him—there were two stars on his left chest!
This general lived up to his name; Lian Hongbo instructed me to call him General Long. Later I found out online that his full name is Long Ming and he is a serving brigadier general in our army. "It seems this child doesn't know what is about to happen," General Long teased Lian Hongbo. I cast a puzzled glance at Lian Hongbo; he then explained everything that had led up to this moment:
"Your news article originally didn't have a significant impact; public opinion didn't shift much. However, among young people it became a major topic influenced by these students' discussions and support. Additionally, since the Chinese Academy of Sciences had already appointed me as a representative to report upwards, now word has reached military ears."
"You mean..." I turned stiffly like a robot and surveyed all around me at the soldiers, "They are here looking for me?"
"They're looking for both of you," General Long stood up. "Don't worry; your education will be guaranteed by us military personnel; after one year there will be no issues! During this time we will do our utmost to meet your requests—the only requirement is that you and your mentor represent the scientific community in collaboration with our project."
"The scientific community?!" I exclaimed.
Thus began this inexplicable day where I became an unexpected representative of the scientific community; this collaboration was not something I could refuse. Sitting in a military vehicle provided for transport while watching my school recede into distance behind me brought forth a sense of nostalgia in my heart—like spilled milk that could never be restored again.
I leaned back against my seat but noticed Lian Hongbo looking at me with an expression tinged with guilt; after making eye contact with me he placed his hand gently on my leg and softly said, "I'm sorry for getting you involved in this turmoil."
Feigning ease, I smiled and replied: "When my mother passed away that year, I told my father that I've never regretted being your son; now I'd like to say I've never regretted being your student either. First off this isn't necessarily bad—a cosmic surprise left unattended without anyone taking responsibility would be worse; everything thus far has been fate—if not for my mother's passing away, I wouldn't have become fascinated by so-called new life forms."
I noticed that the sound in the car suddenly disappeared, and even General Long in the front seat put down his phone and looked at me in the rearview mirror. However, I felt no fear at all; instead, I took a deep breath like an elderly man reminiscing about the past and said, "Secondly, and lastly, I am very grateful for the opportunity you have given me to understand that there are people in this world who believe in miracles just like I do."
After two hours of driving, I finally saw the military base under the sunset before dark. The five-star red flag perfectly obscured the sun behind it, creating a solemn atmosphere. As I approached the flag, General Long explained to me about the collaborative project I was about to participate in: "If everything you said is true, we have every reason to believe that those two spheres are brought by extraterrestrial life. We need to negotiate with them directly to find out what they want. Fortunately, our independently developed 'Beijing T-1' class fusion engine manned cosmic Armed Airship has completed its first test flight. This time we have decided to send it to Cosmic Space for a peaceful dialogue with those visitors from beyond."
"Is the fusion engine enough for us to fly? Also, can we find them in such vast space?" I asked two questions in succession.
"I can assure you that we have solved both of these issues." General Long did not speak; instead, a bespectacled soldier walking behind us answered. I turned around and concluded he was a researcher from the military. "The artificial intelligence installed at our lunar base reported back to us that their electromagnetic wave frequencies were completely intercepted on their way back to Earth. There was a spatial gap along the path that closed a few days later, allowing them to successfully respond. We then ordered a full coverage electromagnetic wave frequency to be launched around Earth and marked it. There are three such spatial gaps, which correspond exactly to the times and locations of those eyes appearing."
"Is it a perfect match?" I received his nod of affirmation. Then I looked at my mentor Lian Hongbo, who seemed even more excited than I was because this meant that the universe's String Theory might indeed be correct; such dimensions truly exist! Our passion was not just empty talk!
"The three spatial tear points—this is our temporary name for them—are all located vertically along three-quarters of the distance to the moon. We have reason to believe that the next tear point, which is when the eyes will appear again, will also occur along this vertical line," General Long said. "Are you two happy? It's your turn now to show your skills."
The Cosmic String Dimension theoretically belongs to a hidden part of the universe; if it were to connect with our three-dimensional universe, tearing open space would indeed be the best method. From that day on, my fantasies about Cosmic String Life began to occupy my thoughts extensively. I started searching for relevant papers in the military-authorized electronic library and looked at my abstract drawings on my phone while in the cafeteria of the military base. I aimed to combine text and images so that I could use a computer to illustrate what Cosmic String Life might look like and provide an introduction. However, while modeling, I failed to consider one thing: if those eyes in the sky belonged to them, how large would their bodies be? In my drawings, they were humanoid figures similar in size to us; just as Mr. Lu Xun once said, "Ghosts and gods are merely humans with a few extra arms and legs."
Meanwhile, Mentor Lian Hongbo joined the military's response center as they determined the time and precise location of the fourth spatial tear point's appearance; this would be crucial information for our fusion-powered Armed Airship's cosmic voyage.
A week passed quickly, and now it was undeniable that the spheres were extending into shape—the Cannon Barrel protruding from both spheres was becoming very obvious. The public's sense of panic was escalating, but alongside it was also a wave of anticipation from some people. According to calculations, Mercury and Neptune would be the first victims; the extension of the Cannon Barrel would reach their surfaces like skewers on a barbecue—a fact that could not be avoided. Sitting in my small room assigned by the military, like many others, I witnessed live footage from the satellite bureau as the Cannon Barrel penetrated Mercury. It drilled into Mercury like a boring machine, raising a cloud of dust that formed a conical smoke screen. Due to Mercury's extreme temperature differences, its surface cracked rapidly and violently; just one Cannon Barrel caused visible cracks across its entire hemisphere under space telescopes. A trace amount of helium and hydrogen was released as Mercury shattered, resembling lightning flashing across the sky. While commentators were still gasping in shock, I lowered my head, unable to bear witnessing such devastation. To me, Mercury had been a companion of Earth; now it was suffering while we as Earth's inhabitants cheered for its torment—suddenly I felt disgusted by my identity as a human being. How could they do this? It was akin to gathering around to watch a man brutally beat his wife on the street while taking pictures.
Neptune's fate was not much different from Mercury's; however, unlike Mercury which was pierced through its core, Neptune remained largely intact despite being penetrated at its center by about 30% off-center during its encounter with the Cannon Barrel. That night at dawn, both Zhu Lin and Mentor Lian Hongbo contacted me one after another. Zhu Lin sounded shaken: "My God! Two planets were just pierced like that! This is terrifying! What do they want?!"
"Calm down, Xiao Zhu; at least it's not our Earth yet," I could only comfort her like this. "Trust us; we will uncover all truths."
"I can't even think about our date anymore," she complained without hiding her disappointment.
I felt similarly; my date with Zhu Lin had been pushed aside as Mercury and Neptune were pierced right before our eyes. Anyone would feel this was like those from the Cosmic String Dimension using them as examples—fear had spread over all humanity's heads. Compared to Zhu Lin, Mentor Lian Hongbo appeared calmer. I took the initiative to call him and asked: "What do you think about this penetration?"
"It aligns almost perfectly with my calculations; we can basically conclude what they intend," Mentor Lian Hongbo replied. "The Cannon Barrel did not interfere with Mercury's or Neptune's orbital periods, indicating they want to utilize ' Seven Stars Aligned ' in our solar system one month from now!"
"What do they want?!" I asked what seemed like an echo of Zhu Lin's question.
"How could I possibly know?" Mentor Lian Hongbo sighed. "Right now there's nothing we can do; everything must wait until the Armed Airship launches into space before we have any chance of resolving this."
Both Mentor Lian Hongbo and I fell silent but did not hang up on each other. In my dimly lit room at dawn with only a bedside lamp on, weak light illuminated my profile as I gazed out of the window. In this silence so profound it nearly caused ear ringing, an image suddenly formed in my mind: a data cable cut into two pieces with very little distance between corresponding wires containing a mosquito stripped of its wings placed between them; when power is connected suddenly through its body linking both sides of wires—the arc instantly charred it until power was cut off leaving only smoke rising from its remains on the table.
"Mentor, I have a very unsettling thought," I trembled as I put down my phone and switched on speaker mode. "Is it possible that we are merely mosquitoes used for experimentation?"
I conveyed my imagined scenario as completely as possible to Mentor Lian Hongbo, but he added an even more chilling remark: "Experimentation? I'm afraid that's unlikely."
"What do you think then?"
"What if this is just a game created by some bored child seeking amusement?"
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