Zhang Yuan said wistfully, "But I still don't think the case for deep-space colonization is strong enough. A Dyson Sphere sounds terrifying, sure. But it also proves outright that truly powerful alien civilizations exist in the universe. Civilizations can reveal themselves."
"It also proves that the universe isn't a dark forest, and that communication is possible. It's not as dangerous as we imagined."
Back in the twenty-first century, before anyone had proved it was a Dyson Sphere, scientists had already eagerly sent electromagnetic signals in that direction. Scientists did things like that all the time, anyway.
Those signals represented humanity's "warm greetings" and its "yearning for peace."
It was ridiculous, of course, to talk about "yearning for peace" when humanity would fight two world wars in the twenty-second century. But it had happened all the same.
There were always plenty of optimists in the world who believed that humans could communicate amicably with aliens. If they actually succeeded, human civilization would undergo a dramatic transformation!
"How can you be so optimistic? Powerful civilizations can reveal themselves, sure, but what about the weak ones? Earth will end up being toyed to death by them. Why would humans help monkeys?"
Li Zhendong laughed. That kind of bullshit happened so often that he was used to it.
Even now, there were people sending electromagnetic signals toward KIC 8462852, hoping the "alien god" would help them escape their misery.
People secretly sent out electromagnetic signals, and the government had no way—and no ability—to stop them.
Zhang Yuan joked along with him. "Who knows? People in South America might eat monkeys, but people here really do help them. If they see a sick monkey, they'll even rescue it and give it food. The monkeys even brazenly steal things, and if you hurt them, you get fined..."
"Maybe the aliens will come to Earth and drop off food before long."
"Yeah, that'd be lovely... Just don't tell me 'it actually tastes great' when the time comes."
Fortunately, electromagnetic waves traveled only at the speed of light, so it would take more than 1,200 years for them to reach KIC 8462852.
On top of that, electromagnetic waves attenuated severely in space, and cosmic radiation interfered with them. By the time they reached somewhere 1,200 light-years away, they would have become nothing but gibberish.
So there was no need to worry too much. Ordinary consumer devices couldn't possibly transmit signals that far.
No one knew whether Earth had been exposed.
Perhaps they had observed primitive humans tens of thousands of years ago and simply didn't care about the native monkeys.
After gazing up at the stars, Zhang Yuan started to feel a little sleepy. He yawned, then suddenly seemed to get a burst of energy and clenched his fist. "So we have to study!"
"Only by becoming stronger can we evolve from monkeys into humans."
"Fighting! Come on! Work hard!"
"..."
Li Zhendong was on the verge of tears. They'd only rested for a few minutes, and this guy was itching to study again!
What was he supposed to do? Asking for help online—urgent!
But soon, Zhang Yuan dismissed the idea himself. "Never mind. It's too late, and I won't be very productive. I'd better rest first. If I squeeze out time, I'll just have to make up the sleep later. I might as well keep a regular schedule."
Li Zhendong felt relieved.
"I'll go report to Xisha Aerospace City tomorrow."
Li Zhendong tensed up again. "Why? Your leave is mandatory. You're not allowed to end it early!"
"There's nothing to do at home... I've finished all my books."
Zhang Yuan shook his head and explained, "Buying ebooks myself is way too expensive. I can read for free at the university there. And there are lots of papers I can look up for free, plus professors and experts I can ask for help. It's not good to work things out all by myself."
This era placed great importance on intellectual property. Reading pirated books was illegal, and anyone caught doing so would face a massive fine.
Professional books and papers cost even more. At the rate Zhang Yuan was reading books and papers, he'd have to spend hundreds or even thousands of yuan a day.
"So here's my plan: two books and five papers a day, for twenty days straight. Tens of thousands of yuan is still money... I might as well save some and donate it to the Deep Space Foundation."
Li Zhendong felt as if his head was about to explode. He nearly collapsed on the spot.
Two books a day...
Two books...
Two...
Are you a dog? Are books chew toys?
He felt completely overwhelmed and blurted out, "You really are a rich dog!"
"That's that, then. I'm going to bed."
As Zhang Yuan went into his room, Li Zhendong drew a deep breath.
Thinking about how he'd spent his vacation chasing girls, playing games, and teasing his silly little sister, while Zhang Yuan had been reading and working hard, made him feel inexplicably guilty.
Then he picked up the copy of Complex Semi-simple Lie Algebra that he'd only read halfway through and started reading again.
Damn it.
He'd been forced into it. There was nothing he could do...
Early the next morning, Zhang Yuan got up and said goodbye to Li Zhendong's parents before returning to his own city.
Though it pained him, he bought a set of the latest electronic devices, then copied all the materials his father had left behind onto ten external hard drives.
On a three-thousand-year interstellar journey, nothing could be relied on, especially not electronics. His tablet might stop working one day without warning. The only way to reduce the risk was to spread the materials across multiple devices so they would last.
Even though none of it would be worth anything three thousand years from now, Zhang Yuan still wanted to preserve it.
He checked everything over several times. "That should be all of it."
The Deep Space Planning Bureau allowed each astronaut to bring twenty kilograms of personal belongings. His suitcase held some spare clothes, a few keepsakes his father had left him, and all sorts of miscellaneous electronic devices, including the latest photonic chips and storage devices. There shouldn't be anything major missing.
"Ah, I'm about to leave this place..."
Zhang Yuan looked at the home he'd lived in for more than ten years. Every detail was so familiar.
He'd laughed here, cried here, been mocked by his father here, and sulked alone in his room... So many things had happened here, so many stories.
It was like his mother. Just being here made him feel the warmth of a harbor.
Unfortunately, he would have to leave it one day.
He'd go and never return, with no chance to regret it.
He cleaned the place, wiping every surface until it was spotless, and threw away all the rubbish that needed to go.
When he shut the door with a bang, the deep attachment in his heart only grew stronger.
He turned around and bowed.
"Goodbye."
"Goodbye!"
As he bid farewell to what was and to the past, a tear slipped down his cheek despite himself.
Zhang Yuan wiped it away with his sleeve and headed for the elevator.
A man had to set out for distant places eventually. He wiped away his tears and tried not to dwell on it.
He dragged his suitcase to the entrance of the residential compound. There was a familiar park there, but the weather was so hot that hardly anyone was inside.
He remembered playing there often when he was little.
One day, he suddenly tripped and fell on the ground.
Then a thought struck him, and he started crying in a corner, unable to stop.
His father asked what he was doing. Zhang Yuan said, "I realized that I'm going to die eventually, so I started crying. I won't die now, but even if it takes a long, long time, I'll still die. It makes me sad."
A child had suddenly grasped the concept of "death" and couldn't make sense of it for a while. He felt awful and could only keep crying.
It was both ridiculous and completely real.
Death—what an awful thing, and yet everyone's final destination.
"So that's it..." His father said coolly, "So what if you die? What's the big deal? Do you know the meaning of being alive? If you don't, why are you afraid?"
"Being alive means eating!" Zhang Yuan said through his tears and snot.
"Hahaha, that makes sense!" His father just laughed, but, unusually, didn't offer any comment.
Even his clever father couldn't answer a question that fundamental, could he?
Before you continue