Chapter 300 – Humans Are Dumb (1)
After stepping through the portal, Chen Yu was greeted by the sight of the cold and deep s.p.a.ce.
Under his feet was the blue planet called Earth.
Above his head was the dazzling sun.
While standing at the intersection of the three “worlds” and listening to the ringing sound in his ears, Chen Yu inwardly admired the loneliness and desolation of his surrounding environment.
However, when he shifted his gaze and looked toward the Milky Way’s Cygnus constellation, a thrill of excitement replaced the loneliness and desolation in his heart.
Over there, just 1,400 light-years away from Earth, existed an intelligent civilization over 2,000 years ahead of human civilization in terms of technological standards.
Were they looking over here too?
Or…were they already on their way here?
Taking a deep breath, Chen Yu stopped his random thoughts and faced the camera. He then pointed at Cygnus and explained, “The cross-shaped pattern you see there is the constellation Cygnus. There are 191 sixth magnitude stars and 22 fourth magnitude stars in the constellation. So, in summer, even if the Milky Way is shining, you can still spot Cygnus at a glance.
“Meanwhile, star number KIC 8462852, or Tabby’s Star, which we are going to observe now, is located around the ‘neck’ of Cygnus.”
After saying so, Chen Yu held up the white delivery box in his hand and removed its seal.
“Tsss!” Chen Yu dubbed the tearing sound effect.
Without the restraint of gravity, the box’s lid unfolded along with the tape’s pulling, revealing the spherical product inside the box.
Reaching out and grabbing the orb, Chen Yu observed it in detail for a while before displaying it to the camera. “This is the Point Hubble s.p.a.ce Telescope that was launched in 2105. It looks like a magnified gla.s.s...o...b.. and it’s hard to tell which side is the front and the back. However, the orb came with instructions, so let me take a look.”
After placing the tape and empty box into his backplate’s storage compartment, Chen Yu began reading the electronic manual carefully. He then drew a cross with his finger on the orb.
Immediately, the orb lit up with a blue glow.
With the instruction manual’s help, Chen Yu completed all the preparations and parameter settings. Once that was done, the Point Hubble s.p.a.ce Telescope automatically adjusted its angle toward Tabby’s Star, which was 1,400 light-years away.
“The positioning method this telescope uses is fascinating. Simply put, its internal database has a lot of pulsar coordinates, and it can aim at the selected star according to the position of the surrounding pulsars. This positioning method is somewhat similar to the s.p.a.cecraft navigation seen in science fiction movies.
“It’ll take at least half an hour for the telescope to further improve its accuracy, capture images of the target, and simulate the images. To avoid wasting time, we’ll use this time to do another thing.”
While advancing forward slowly with the help of the plasma engine, Chen Yu pointed down at Earth and said, “I’ll help NASA clean up its mess and stop its two Voyagers…”
[Voyagers 1 and 2?]
[Smash them!]
[I heard they flew out of the solar system already. Can you stop them?]
[Nonsense! You think they can fly out of the solar system after just flying for several dozen years? How small do you think the solar system is?]
[NASA really is stupid for launching such dangerous things into outer s.p.a.ce. They’re going to drag all of humanity down with them.]
[It’s not that serious. It’ll probably take 100,000 years before the two Voyagers will even reach Proxima Centauri. By then, humans might not even exist anymore.]
[The problem is that the two discs...o...b..ard contain too much information. If aliens get their hands on them, they can gain a full understanding of humans.]
[What’s written on those discs?]
[Discs: Anyone there? Come and play!]
[…]
[Amazing…]
“In my opinion, today’s livestream is very meaningful.”
While manipulating the Interstellar Portal’s console, Chen Yu said, “It has allowed us to know two things. One, human beings are not alone, and the existence of intelligent life in the universe is normal. Two, the distribution of intelligent civilizations across the universe may be very dense. Perhaps, there would be an intelligent civilization with high technological prowess located no more than 1,400 light-years away. On the scale of the Milky Way, 1,400 light-years is a considerably short distance.
“Meanwhile, the possibility of there being lower lifeforms is even higher. For example, there are at least two planets in our solar system that hosts life. Oh, yes, most viewers should still be ignorant of this matter.”
After establishing the spatial link, Chen Yu pointed at the distant Jupiter and said, “Last time, I set off a large fountain on Europa. Meanwhile, through the water sample collected, the Chinese government has confirmed that the water contains single-celled organisms with carbon-based structures. There are also bacteria and viruses present in the water.
“This also proves that organic macromolecules will form specific DNA sequences under the right environment and then give birth to life forms that we humans can understand.
“Originally, this information wasn’t allowed to be spread. However, now that we’ve discovered even intelligent life, there’s no need to keep the discovery of lower lifeforms a secret.”
After saying so, Chen Yu flew through the portal and appeared outside the heliosphere. He then flew forward at full speed in a particular direction, the metal arch disappearing from his sight in the blink of an eye.
“There are a total of two Voyager probes, both of which were launched in 1977. I will first intercept Voyager 2, which is the closer of the two probes.
“According to the information I collected on NASA’s official website, Voyager 2 is now behind me. Yet, why am I flying forward? Because the probe is currently moving at an extreme speed of 17 kilometers per second. If I wish to intercept it successfully, I have no choice but to maintain a relatively close speed with it.”
Chen Yu continuously narrated his actions to his audience while advancing forward at full speed.
After some time had pa.s.sed, when his travel speed had reached 16 kilometers per second, the silver Voyager 2 slowly “caught up” with him from behind.
“It’s here!”
Looking back at the horn-shaped probe, Chen Yu adjusted his speed and flight trajectory based on the information provided by his helmet’s intelligent system. He then slowly veered toward the probe.
“This is the legendary Voyager 2. It officially arrived at the heliosphere’s top in 2018, entering an area of interstellar s.p.a.ce that humans have never set foot in. The so-called top of the heliosphere is the farthest distance the sun’s solar winds can reach.
“However, this does not mean that the Voyager has escaped the solar system because the solar system’s effective gravitational range reaches up to the Oort Cloud. Only when the probe reaches there can it be regarded as truly exiting the solar system.
“Meanwhile, with the probe’s current speed of 17 kilometers per second, it would need another 30,000 years before it can exit the solar system.
“Like I said before, the universe is so ma.s.sive that it could instill despair into any civilization.”
Amidst his narration, Chen Yu managed to match his relative speed with the probe. Under his audience’s gaze, he then decisively rode on the probe’s metal frame supporting the antenna.
“Some friends might ask if it is even necessary to stop the Voyager probes if they need another 30,000 years to fly out of the solar system.”
Raising a finger, Chen Yu said sternly, “Of course it is necessary. We must maintain a cautious att.i.tude.
“After human civilization entered its 22nd century, we have gained the ability to capture clear images of sceneries that are 1,400 light-years away. Who can guarantee that alien civilizations wouldn’t notice and acquire the two Voyager probes using means beyond human imagination? No matter how small the possibility of exposure is, it is definitely not as safe as zero probability.
“Some may argue that the fact that the alien civilization over at Tabby’s Star has built a Milky Way Internet proves that the civilization is willing to initiate friendly communication with others. However, there are bound to be hostile and aggressive civilizations existing in other parts of the Milky Way as well.
“It hasn’t been easy for humans to survive until now. From now on, keeping a cautious att.i.tude toward the universe is a way of being responsible for our ancestors and children.”