"Shoot down the Bates Ball..." General Wang's tone immediately turned calm. "We haven't reached an agreement yet. Some comrades think we have to shoot it down and take a look, while others think we should be cautious and not attack first. Before, we had almost no means of hitting the Bates Ball, so this dispute remained purely theoretical. But now that Piercing Clouds has matured... this matter needs to be brought into the conference room for serious discussion."
"The reason there's a dispute is that we don't know whether the Bates Ball is friend or foe. After shooting it down, we can't be sure whether it might turn into an enemy or an ally, right?" Song He asked.
"That's right. The Bates Ball is no more than two meters in diameter, a small sphere that a person could wrap their arms around, yet it often travels at fifty or even seventy Mach. We still can't understand this kind of technology. The civilization that created the Bates Ball is definitely far more advanced than us. Many comrades are worried that shooting it down would be seen as a provocation or an act of war by the civilization behind it. That would cause serious trouble. Since the Bates Ball hasn't shown any aggression so far, there's no need to attack it."
"But some comrades believe that the Bates Ball is very likely nothing more than a probe used to observe Earth. Shooting down a probe doesn't necessarily mean starting a war. Besides, the Bates Ball often dodges. The civilization controlling it from behind must understand that this kind of sneaky, long-term reconnaissance is itself an infringement upon Earth. It would only be reasonable for Earth's native civilization to shoot it down."
"Some comrades even believe that shooting down the Bates Ball could