ebookland Chapter 206 The Code from the Stars (1)
Chapter 206 The Code from the Stars (1)
Humans have always been curious about the sky. From the US moon landing to the present day, it has only been a century since most countries have basic aerospace capabilities.
Gu Nanfeng had always thought that "Project Star" was just a human exploration program for deeper space exploration led by the United States. But from Jiang Xing's words, he realized how ridiculous his idea was.
In 2030, an organization called the Global Space Alliance in the United States proposed the "Star Project" at the European and American Allied Congress. This was the first time the "Star Project" appeared in front of the public.
In the early stages of this plan, China was excluded from the Western alliance because China was becoming increasingly powerful. The main attitude of the Western countries was that they were unwilling to include China in anything. Of course, China was not easy to bully. If you don't include us, we will start our own project.
Therefore, China was not included in the initial "Project Star," and several countries with relatively good diplomatic relations with China were also excluded. Of course, some secrets cannot be truly kept secret just because you want to.
The "Star Project" was transmitted to China through special channels, and this was the first time that Chinese scientists had seen such a crazy plan.
“We came into contact with Project Star around 2035. Actually, some local research institutes reported some information earlier, but we didn’t pay attention to it.” Jiang Xing took a sip of tea, trying to moisten his parched throat. Every time he thought about this, he couldn’t let it go.
In 2035, Jiang Xing was still a promising lieutenant general, the first of his kind in China. He accepted an organizational transfer and became a member of the Beijing Research Institute. Of course, this didn't mean he would become a researcher. As a soldier, even though he was a graduate of a regular university, his major was completely unrelated to his work at the research institute.
Jiang Xing's work at the research institute was part of his professional development; he would learn about any project that came within his purview. As a man, besides his dream of serving in the military, his greatest passion was aerospace, so Jiang Xing paid particular attention to the institute's projects in this area.
When Jiang Xing saw the East China Aeronautical Research Institute's report on the "Star Project" for the fifth time, he finally made up his mind to get involved in the scientific research project.
The East China Aeronautical Research Institute's report on "Project Star" was actually quite brief, only mentioning that they had participated in several joint aerospace conferences abroad, and each time they were asked to leave when this topic came up, they were not allowed to participate. Jiang Xing could understand this; after all, China's growing strength had clearly aroused the dissatisfaction of the major powers.
What made this research institute so interested in "Project Star"? It was an unexpected meeting. When they went to the US to attend the routine global aerospace conference, one day's agenda included "Project Star." The Chinese delegation, which had been repeatedly turned away, didn't even bother to argue this time.
The team led by the East China Institute of Aeronautics was headed by Li He, the institute's director. He is a highly accomplished aerospace scholar, both domestically and internationally, especially renowned for his insightful observations on deciphering the codes of space. He enjoys a very high international reputation. However, he is also a very opinionated 60-year-old man.
This "Project Star" discussion still refused to allow China to attend or participate, but the meeting's moderator, Claire Berger, a famous scientist from NASA in the United States, actually met with Director Li He privately the night before the meeting.
"They've extended an olive branch to Mr. Li He, hoping he can renounce his Chinese citizenship and switch to the US. They even said that if Mr. Li He agrees now, the people handling the relevant matters can immediately complete all the formalities for him," Jiang Xing continued.
In fact, Gu Nanfeng and Pei Sihao wouldn't really understand these words now. Although China had gradually become stronger in that era, it was still inferior to Western countries in some aspects. For many people who were engrossed in research and some people with wavering political stances, the invitation from the United States was very tempting.
However, Li He was not a person with wavering political stance. At that time, he was nearly seventy years old and had witnessed China's rise to power step by step. He had a deeper sense of national identity, so he did not accept Claire's invitation.
But perhaps Claire and her team were so desperate to help Li He that, after failing to persuade him, Claire resorted to violence. They took Li He away from the hotel where the Chinese team was staying that night, and he disappeared for over half a month.
The disappearance of such an important research institute director in Country M was a major stunt. The institute immediately notified the Chinese embassy in Country M, and the embassy contacted relevant departments in China and Country M to try and locate Li He. However, this may have been a conspiracy by Country M. It wasn't until two weeks later that the US police successfully rescued the near-death Li He, revealing that he had been abducted while out alone at night. They also dismantled a human trafficking ring in the process.
When Li He was rescued, he was emaciated, disoriented, and barely able to communicate. Even so, it took China nearly a month to coordinate and successfully bring Li He back to the country.
"Mr. Li is very righteous." Jiang Xing said, raising his teacup to toast the air. "After returning to China, under a period of conservative treatment, Mr. Li regained some consciousness. Later, when the doctors talked about it, they all said that Mr. Li forced himself into a state of chaos to protect himself, as if he had become a madman."
"He brought back secrets about 'Project Star'," Gu Nanfeng asked.
“Yes, the secret of ‘Project Star.’” Jiang Xing sighed and continued, “The ‘Project Star,’ spearheaded by the United States, has been underway for five years. During these five years, they have sent signals into space through various devices, some friendly, some declaring war, and some completely irrelevant…”
"In the first year, these signals received no feedback, but every human being believed that there were life forms on more than just Earth in space. There must be intelligent life forms like us in other places we do not yet know about. This was the initial goal of the 'Star Project': to search for other life forms in space."
"So, they received a reply." Pei Sihao recalled a joke he had seen when he was a child. There was a spherical radio telescope in China with the world's largest aperture. It had once received a signal from space. At the time, the scientists all said that they must not reply, so that other life forms would not know that there were people on Earth.
“Yes, they received a reply, which was about a declaration of war.” Jiang Xing nodded.