At the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope (FAST) facility in Guizhou, China, researchers were diligently at work.
FAST, the world's largest aperture radio telescope was situated in an enclosed depression, covering an area equivalent to about thirty football fields. This facility boasted remarkable sensitivity and was a crucial tool for astronomical research in China.
“Anything new, Old Chen?”
The director approached one of the observatory’s chief observers with a cup of tea in his hands and inquired.
As the chief observer, Old Chen had a good rapport with the director. He took the teacup, blew on the tea leaves on top, and replied in slightly accented Mandarin, "There's nothing new, Director. It's perfectly normal not to have any new discoveries for even a year."
The director nodded his head at Old Chen’s words.
Despite being one of the world's largest radio telescopes, FAST didn't generate much economic benefit given the current state of Earth's scientific and technological capabilities. Its primary purpose was to prepare for the future.
In addition to observing galaxies beyond the solar system through various means, FAST searched for potentially habitable exoplanets, explored uncharted star systems, and received signals that might originate from extraterrestrial sources.
However, the latter, such as receiving signals from outer space, was more of a distant hope. If they ever received specific information, it could imply the existence of extraterrestrial life. The reaction on Earth wouldn't necessarily be one of excitement; it might also encompass fear, as the intentions of extraterrestrial life were highly unpredictable.
As for finding habitable planets for humanity, those planets were usually measured in light-years away from Earth. Therefore, within the next hundred years, it was unlikely that humans would personally explore these distant worlds.
That’s why these kinds of observatories were not said to research the present but to research the future. They were the perfect tools once humans began venturing out into the vast expanse of the universe.
“Old Chen, we’ve received new orders from the higher-ups. They told us to keep our eyes peeled and try to find any potential sources of signal in space.”
After receiving this directive, Old Chen turned serious, and the director lowered his voice to say, "In recent years, numerous supernatural events have been occurring. I have a feeling that the higher-ups issued this order because they might have discovered the existence of extraterrestrial beings, perhaps even confirmed it."
Old Chen curled his lips and responded, "I've always been skeptical about the existence of extraterrestrial life, even as the chief observer. But with all these gods, dragons, and demons appearing on Earth recently, I'm starting to believe."
The director nodded and sighed, “That’s right. I already stopped doubting the existence of extraterrestrial life. My son even lectured me about some Cuthlhu mythology. Previously, the monsters that appeared in Japan seemed to be from this mythology. He explained that extraterrestrial life is plenty in that mythology and that there are many extraterrestrial life forms on Earth.”
"...Maybe the higher-ups have recently discovered the presence of extraterrestrial beings, which is why they've given us these orders. Hey, do you think the United Nations might form an organization like the 'Men in Black' to manage extraterrestrial beings on Earth?"
The director suddenly became excited and said, "Manage extraterrestrials? Do you think humans can manage creatures like the ones that appeared in Tokyo?"
Old Chen rolled his eyes, leaving the director somewhat embarrassed. Indeed, managing such entities would be a near-impossible task.
"Beep, beep, beep, beep—"
Suddenly, an alarm sounded within the FAST research facility. Both the director and Old Chen were taken aback, and their expressions turned serious.
“Holy shit!!”
Old Chen cursed, and then he quickly stood up. The other staff members in the research facility also began bustling around. The director returned to his workstation with a stern expression, ready to coordinate their response.
“What’s happening? Why is the alarm blaring!!”
The director shouted.
“Director, we’ve detected a mysterious object flying toward the solar system!”
“It’s flying very fast and has already entered the solar system!”
“According to our calculations, this thing is headed toward Earth!”
"It doesn't resemble a celestial body; celestial bodies wouldn't have such speed. Moreover, its trajectory is incredibly precise, unaffected by any gravitational forces!"
“It had already reached close to Pluto!”
“......”
The research facility was filled with various voices and information. Many details were relayed to the director.
The director furrowed his brows and asked, "Why is the data so accurate?”
With their current technology, real-time observation of objects outside the solar system or near Pluto should have been impossible.
“Energy! It’s energy! Its energy levels are off the charts. It’s like another sun has appeared in front of us. As long as you’re not blind, anyone could see it. I feel like I'm seeing things, but this is a genuine high-energy reaction!"
A young researcher shouted in fear.
“How high is that thing’s energy?”
“Once it hits Earth, it would penetrate through it, causing the destruction of the planet!! To be honest, I find these calculations hard to believe. Is this some sort of planetary destruction cannon from an alien civilization?”
"Could it be that the universe is like what Liu Cixin wrote in his book, 'The Dark Forest'? And could it be that Earth has been exposed, so now they want to destroy us?"
"At least it's not a dual vector foil, right?"
"If it were dual vector foil, how could we even observe it?"
"Stop the nonsense! This thing is too fast, unbelievably fast! Earth is about 6 billion kilometers away from Pluto. Even light takes nearly two hours to cross that distance. But this thing... this thing will hit Earth in just fifteen minutes!"
"It's surpassing the speed of light, do you all realize? This is completely unscientific; even Einstein would be crying right now! And our instruments are somehow measuring a high-energy object that's faster than light. I can't even believe it myself!"
"Fifteen minutes to cover 6 billion kilometers?! Are you kidding? Is today April Fools' Day?"
“Come and see for yourself. Maybe the equipment is malfunctioning?”
The researchers expressed some hope, wishing that everything was just a malfunction in the system.
“......”
At this moment, the institute's director was on the phone. After he hung up, he addressed the others, "Our instruments are not malfunctioning. The Arecibo Observatory in the United States and the Peterberg Observatory in Germany have also detected this mysterious object. Their directors called me just now to confirm that their equipment is working correctly."
"Comrades, continue monitoring. I need to report this immediately. Let's hope Earth won't be destroyed in fifteen minutes."
"This thing is indeed unscientific, but maybe it's something even more terrifying than the extraterrestrial meteorites we saw several months ago!"
The director sighed and prepared to leave to contact the higher authorities. In just fifteen minutes, given the current state of Earth's technology, it would be impossible to escape even into outer space, especially if the entire planet were to break apart. The nearby celestial bodies would also be affected. With Earth's current knowledge of astrophysics, it would be impossible to get far enough away in that time.
In other words, if this mysterious object were to land on Earth in fifteen minutes, all traces of humanity would vanish, and even the space stations in outer space would be gone.
"Hey, it seems like we accidentally captured a photo of this mysterious thing!"
Someone suddenly shouted.
The director paused momentarily and then anxiously exclaimed, "Show me!"
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