Chapter 3, The Quiet Earth

"Director Ji," the secretary hesitated to say.

Ji Hua has finally passed through this long and heavy night, and Ji Hua knows that she is not the only one sleepless during this night

Minister Horton’s voice remained calm. Before Ji Hua could speak, Minister Horton’s voice came through: "Ji Hua, I was just looking for you. I am officially notifying you to come to the capital immediately. The leader wishes to hear your report in person"

The dense night gradually faded away amidst the continuous busyness of Jihua. The warm sun rose from beneath the eastern horizon, once again casting light and warmth upon this beautiful land

I have dispatched a task force to take over the observatory, " Horton said. " They will investigate this incident. Furthermore, all gravitational wave and radio observatories have been designated as military control zones by the leader, and the military will also send personnel to intervene in the investigation.

Ji Hua walked to the window, completely relaxing her mind in front of the beautiful scenery outside, and closed her eyes.

The Earth is a quiet planet. The people living on this planet currently possess only the ability to listen, but do not have the ability to speak

Based on the available information, Ji Hua can provide a brief reconstruction of the events surrounding this incident

If it is not radio waves, then what could it be

Sigh... Ji Hua shook his head wearily, concluding his thoughts. He then approached the secure telephone once more and dialed Minister Houghton.

Oh? The Führer and Minister Horton exchanged glances, and Minister Horton said, "Please share your findings with us."

So... how did that person or organization manage to transmit the distress signal?

A few minutes later, the Führer said: "I heard Minister Houghton mention that you have made some new discoveries?"

Only radio signals of sufficient strength can be transmitted over long distances, however, first, humanity does not possess such technological means, and second, even if that individual had transmitted a distress signal with sufficient strength, it would have certainly been unable to evade the monitoring systems of human civilization

"I have already sent someone to verify what you reported, and they have confirmed the authenticity of the extraterrestrial communication incident," the Führer said. "Now, I need you to recount the entire sequence of events regarding this incident once again."

The journey lasted for approximately less than two hours, after which Ji Hua transferred to the remaining means of transportation, which took another half an hour. Then, under the guidance of the staff, they arrived at a spacious office.

Gravitational wave communication is undoubtedly capable of fulfilling the role of broadcasting distress signals, but there is one point... Humanity has yet to master the technology of communicating via gravitational waves, let alone sixty years ago. At that time, people had not even confirmed the existence of gravitational waves.

Ji Hua hesitated slightly, then said: "But the observatory here..."

The call was disconnected, and a series of busy tones began to emanate from the receiver

In the narrative, Ji Hua did not mix in any personal emotions or judgments, but merely regarded himself as an observer, recounting only the facts, and nothing more.

The development of science has long proven that only gravitational wave communication is capable of facilitating communication across vast expanses of cosmic space. This is due to its minimal attenuation; theoretically, if the detection precision and noise filtering capabilities are sufficient, gravitational wave detectors could even detect the orbital changes of a small stone billions of light-years away

Ji Hua was diligently contemplating this matter, but despite her efforts, her head felt heavy, and she ultimately gained nothing.

Minister Horton, tall and imposing in stature, with a stern countenance yet exuding an air of intellectualism, has been waiting here. In addition to Minister Horton, there is another person in the office. This individual, seated behind a large desk, is of a similar age to Minister Horton and also bears a similarly stern expression

This is determined by the laws of physics; as long as the scientific foundation of human civilization does not collapse, this will not change

Ji Hua was unable to determine how long the transmission of that signal lasted, but Ji Hua felt that this duration would not be less than ten years

"Yes," Ji Hua said, "In addition to this extraterrestrial message, I have filtered through and identified three other signals that share the same logic and structural pattern as this one, and I have deciphered them using the same method. Among these three signals, there is more information, and I believe... this will help you gain a more comprehensive understanding of this incident"

The sequence of events is actually quite simple, at least from over forty years ago—no, not just forty years ago, it should be even earlier, because forty years ago was merely the time when Earth received the first message from a super extraterrestrial civilization. Before this time, one must also account for the time taken for this signal to travel through the vastness of space, as well as the time it took for Earth to send information to the super extraterrestrial civilization. Since the transmission of signals cannot exceed the speed of light, in the face of the vast universe, the speed of light is not particularly fast. Before this time, one must also account for the time taken for this signal to travel through the vastness of space, as well as the time it took for Earth to send information to the super extraterrestrial civilization. The transmission of signals also requires a considerable amount of time

The scientific organization knows nothing about this, the human government knows nothing about this, and everyone knows nothing about this. If it were not for Ji Hua accidentally deciphering that gravitational wave signal, this past would still be buried in the dark corners of history, never to be discovered by anyone

After the last sentence was spoken, the office fell into silence. Neither the Führer nor Minister Horton spoke, and Ji Hua also remained quiet

Alright. Ji Hua nodded, then organized her thoughts and recounted the entire event from beginning to end in full detail.

It is impossible for radio waves; no radio waves of any frequency will suffice. Even if messages were sent into the universe using the highest intensity of radio waves that human civilization has mastered, they would only be able to travel a maximum distance of two or three light months. Beyond that, the signal would attenuate, the information it carries would disappear, and it would be irretrievable.

"Let's discuss it when you arrive in the capital," Horton interrupted Jihua's words, "Your flight will arrive in twenty minutes."

Ji Hua put down the phone and then walked out of the secure communication room. Ji Hua's secretary hurried over, took out a document, and handed it to Ji Hua, saying: "Director Ji, here is a maintenance checklist for equipment that requires your signature"

This is a number that makes Jihua feel somewhat cold. Just as people are busy along their own life paths, just as the technology of human civilization gradually develops and human society becomes increasingly prosperous, there exists such a person or group of people who have been continuously doing this for decades, and yet... no one has noticed.

This super extraterrestrial civilization utilizes gravitational wave communication to send signals to Earth, which also demonstrates the superiority of gravitational wave communication in large-scale cosmic communication.

Although she had not slept all night, Ji Hua did not feel tired. Ji Hua tried her best to empty her mind, and this effort had some effect, allowing her to feel a little calmer. However, when Ji Hua opened her eyes, those doubts once again flooded over her like a tide.

Ji Hua envisioned dozens of communication methods, even considering the possibility of transmitting information to outer space through variations in luminosity. However, Ji Hua ultimately had to admit that no concept could be realized. Not to mention the human civilization of sixty years ago, even now, humanity still lacks the capability for interstellar communication.

The leader remained in the same seated position as before, with his head slightly bowed and his body completely still. Ji Hua understood that the leader was contemplating the matter, so he continued to wait patiently.

This is a span of sixty years

At least since sixty years ago, a distress signal broadcasted by a certain individual or group on Earth began to propagate through this universe. Then, at least fifty years ago, a super extraterrestrial civilization received this signal and responded to Earth. Subsequently, this signal arrived on Earth forty years ago, where it was detected and recorded by a gravitational wave observatory constructed by humans. However, due to the overwhelming number of gravitational wave signals received from the universe, people at that time did not notice this particular signal. This signal arrived on Earth forty years ago, was detected and recorded by a gravitational wave observatory constructed by humans. However, due to the overwhelming number of gravitational wave signals received from the universe, people at that time did not notice this particular signal.

"All matters are to be suspended, awaiting further arrangements," Ji Hua stated, "I will be leaving here shortly, and someone will come to take over my work later"

Disregarding the puzzled gaze of the secretary, Ji Hua went directly to his office and residence, tidied up and dealt with some matters, and then proceeded to the helipad to wait. After five minutes, a helicopter emblazoned with military insignia landed, and several armed soldiers jumped down from the helicopter

The individual or organization that broadcast the distress signal has clearly not received a response from the advanced extraterrestrial civilization, as evidenced by the reply from the alien civilization. However, it is evident that the distress signals broadcast into the universe have been ongoing and have persisted for at least 43 years

However, there is a very important doubt regarding this matter, which is precisely the doubt that Ji Hua cannot comprehend no matter what. That is, how did that person or that organization broadcast a distress signal to the universe?

"Alright," Ji Hua said, "however, after filtering the observational data from all the observatories, I have made a new discovery."

Ji Hua shook her head and did not take over that document

After a brief conversation, Ji Hua boarded the helicopter. The helicopter then took off, flying over towering mountains, towns, and villages, heading towards the capital city ahead

In other words, at least fifty years ago, a super extraterrestrial civilization sent the first signal to Earth. Moreover, at least ten years prior to the transmission of this first signal by the super extraterrestrial civilization, there had been individuals on Earth broadcasting a certain distress signal into outer space. As for the specific content of this distress signal, it remains unknown, as the information received from the extraterrestrial civilization did not include this part.

Ji Hua understood that this was the helmsman of human civilization's progress. Ji Hua had seen him many times on television; compared to the screen, the leader in reality was somewhat less approachable and more imposing.