CH 23

In one way, the assumption that "Li Qi has a solution to the existing predicament" is the premise of all discussions. If this assumption is true, then there is still hope; if the assumption is false, then there is no need to continue the discussion, and the entire human society will directly give up the struggle and put all hopes of preserving civilization in the City of Life.

The second case has no meaning to continue the discussion, so the entire human society, including Zhao Huasheng, can only discuss and explore under the premise that the assumption is true.

It is obvious that the hypothesis that "K2-level civilizations have placed a Dyson sphere around the Sun" is in contradiction with the hypothesis that "Li Qi has a way to solve the existing dilemma,"  which is the point that Zhao Huasheng was discussing. Zhao Huasheng does not want human society to put too much energy and resources in the wrong direction because, to some extent, this means suicide.

"Of course, I don't have much assurance to make sure of this," Zhao Huasheng sighed, "but under the current situation, we can only pin our hopes on this."

"The Research Department will hold a general meeting to discuss your opinion, and when the meeting is over, I will inform you of the discussion results," said Wang Tang.

"Okay, I'm waiting for you." Zhao Huasheng said.

Wang Tang was silent for a moment, but he didn't hang up the call. After a moment, Wang Tang finally said, "Hm... Zhao Huasheng, I heard you're in a relationship recently? With Li Qi's little sister, Li Wei?"

"Yes." Zhao Huasheng replied indifferently, "Psychologists have told me that positive emotions can help my work, expanding my thinking breadth and making my thinking more agile. Just so happens, Li Wei is a very nice girl and I'm happy to have something with her."

"That's not going to make the girl very happy," Wang Tang sighed. "But it looks like this situation is actually quite useful for your work. You've never been able to come up with such an inspiring statement before. Alright, goodbye; I'm going to report this to our superiors in the scientific research department, and we'll have a meeting later."

"Goodbye."

After the call was disconnected, Zhao Huasheng again directed his attention to Meng Zhuo: "Tell me again, what progress have the psychologists working under the research department made regarding Li Qi's psychological research?"

"Not much progress," Meng Zhuo replied. "They still can't figure out the exact time Li Qi underwent a change and what exactly caused him to take interest in you. However…after a lot of references and analysis, the psychologists proposed a new theory."

"As you know, Li Qi is often referred to as 'the son of the sun' due to his almost unimaginable contributions to stellar physics. But the majority of his major discoveries that shook the world were only made within the past two years. This time frame coincides with several other events such as 'Li Qi's conversation with a mysterious person', 'Li Qi's personality change', and 'Li Qi's secret interest in you'. So, the psychologists speculate that the reason Li Qi was able to make such great contributions might not be due to his own remarkable nature. In other words, they suspect that Li Qi's contributions are related to the mysterious presence behind him."

This in turn has increased the credibility of the claim that Li Qi had contact with an extraterrestrial super civilisation. But if you don't think such a super civilisation exists, then I don't know how to explain this," said Meng Zhuo.

"There will be an explanation," Zhao Huasheng nodded, "Trust me, I can unlock all the mysteries...What is the view and analysis of the Research Department regarding the mysterious entity hidden behind Li Qi?"

Meng Zhuo said, "There is not enough data to analyze anything. Currently, there are two main views. The first view is that the presence is an extraterrestrial civilization, and the second view is that the presence is some mysterious Earth human. Among the second view, some people believe that we have complicated this matter, and the person Li Qi talked to was just an ordinary person, and the conversation was just a normal daily exchange, but we have made an excessive interpretation of the conversation record due to the lack of context and the influence of the current mysterious atmosphere."

"In short, in order to make more specific analysis, we must get more information," Meng Zhuo emphasized.

Zhao Huasheng said, "I understand. Now please tell me more about the situation of human society today."

The situation isn't so good. The recent weather anomalies have finally caught the attention of ordinary people, and those who are knowledgeable, such as meteorology enthusiasts and exo-astronomers, have gradually spread news close to the truth to the entire society. Nowadays, the human society is in chaos. All kinds of conspiracy theories are rampant, and we have counted at least three hundred different ones. Among these conspiracy theories are claims that the government is conducting secret weapon tests which lead to the darkening of the sun, alien invasions, the government's plan to reduce solar radiation to cleanse humanity, and the ridiculous rumor that the government is colluding with aliens to sell out the earth and its people in exchange for their own interests.

In addition to the rumors, various cults have also become popular. The doomsday theory has been rekindled, and numerous people who claimed to be saviors or messengers from the gods are actively developing their followers. The crime rate has increased fivefold, hedonism has become popular, and there is a risk of social order collapsing ...

"I'm not interested in these details." said Zhao Huasheng.

"Among the remaining two billion three hundred million people, more than six hundred million have expressed their refusal to evacuate. The subsequent mobilization is under way. Due to the limitation of transport capacity, the remaining one billion seven hundred million people are being evacuated in batches according to the plan. The agricultural sector is developing low-temperature planting technology and marine and mountain planting technology, and the reserve grain has started to be transported. However, due to the unknown timing of when the technology will make a breakthrough and how long the disaster will last, a strict grain rationing system has been implemented in the Equatorial City, and people need to participate in the construction of the Equatorial City to exchange for the materials needed to maintain their own survival."

"The military has begun to expand its recruitment, and the police force, reserve forces, militia, joint defense forces, etc. are all beginning to organize on a large scale. The government is doing its utmost to maintain order in Equatorial City."

After incomplete statistics, at least ten million people have died abnormally due to the continuous extreme low temperatures, large-scale migration, various upheavals, illegal crimes, etc., since the outbreak of the Sun Crisis. This number is still increasing rapidly. The initial construction of Life City has been completed, and the first to be qualified to enter are scientists from various fields. In Life City, they can conduct their research without interference and threats. The originally planned large-scale solar exploration program, including at least thirty solar explorers and a manned solar observation spacecraft, has been put on hold due to the speculated existence of a K2 civilization.

Meng Zhuo maintained his tone without any fluctuation, as if he was reading, and spoke out the messages one by one. The more Zhao Huasheng listened, the heavier his heart became. 

This was something that had never happened in human history. Such a large-scale migration, such a large-scale construction, and various other complicated matters, really involved every individual in the entire human society. It was like a powerful vortex that attracted everyone, and no one could be excluded.

"What will be the future of our human civilization?" A question popped up in Zhao Huasheng's mind, but unfortunately, no one could answer it.

"Everything is ready, we can leave now." At this moment, a report came from outside the tent. Zhao Huasheng nodded and walked out with Meng Zhuo.

Still on the plane to Equator City with Meng Zhuo and Li Wei, Zhao Huasheng's thoughts were still a bit scattered. The vast Siberian land was still flat and pristine, the scenery still beautiful, but Zhao Huasheng had no mood to look at those things now.

Not knowing how long had passed on the plane, Zhao Huasheng's communication device suddenly received a communication request. Zhao Huasheng pressed the answer button, and Wang Tang's voice came through.

"The meeting is over," Wang Tang said. "A total of 137 scientists from various fields participated in the discussion of your opinion."

"Oh, what is the result of the discussion?"

The final result is that the scientists have only partially accepted your statement. Moreover, the possibility of the existence of a K2 civilization has decreased from ninety percent to fifty percent. This means a lot of manpower, material resources, and scientific research resources will be shifted from dealing with K2 civilization issues to other scientific research. Also, with the approval of the head, the science department has decided to restart the Solar Exploration Program.

"When will it start?" Zhao Huasheng asked.

"From now on," Wang Tang said without hesitation, "we don't have any time to waste. But...before the Solar Exploration Program is restarted, we plan to send out a message to the vicinity of the Sun first."