Chapter 5, Survival and Genes
The massive government machinery began its frenzied operation on this sunny morning, as an undercurrent started to flow rapidly beneath the calm surface. Yet, human civilization remained unchanged; just like countless days that had passed, the streets were still bustling with traffic, entertainment venues continued to be filled with revelry, and commercial markets remained lively with the sounds of people.
Among various matters, some issues will also involve collaboration and coordination among multiple departments. A single department may simultaneously work with over a dozen other departments to address different issues. If any one of these matters is not handled properly, it could lead to chaos and affect the overall situation. These issues are complex and challenging, but human civilization must manage them effectively. To put it more seriously, this concerns the survival and extinction of human civilization.
Perhaps due to genetic mutations, there may be exceptions within certain populations, such as suicides and annihilators; however, they are ultimately just a minority, and there is only a very small chance that they can pass on their genes. Such dangerous genes will be purified from their own population over the passage of time
Genes shape individual humans and all living beings, while individual humans and all living beings serve as carriers of genes. Genes inherently possess the drive for survival, and all life thus prioritizes survival as its primary objective
The processing of existing intelligence based on sound logic is called inference, while the fabrication without logic or foundation is referred to as conjecture; these two are distinct from one another
For individual organisms, even death serves the purpose of gene survival. It is only through the continuous cycle of birth and death that living beings can evolve, adapt to their environment, and continue to survive
People are not only participating in history, but they are also creating history
1. This civilization possesses extremely advanced technology 2. This civilization claims to harbor good intentions 3. This civilization has a certain understanding of Earth civilization 4. This civilization took at least 40 years to reach Earth, not including the preliminary preparation time
The response strategies of various departments may differ significantly. For instance, sectors such as industry, commerce, and construction are likely to adopt conservative strategies, aiming to maintain stability during the period of alien arrival, with the fundamental principle of avoiding chaos. In contrast, the agricultural sector may need to be somewhat more aggressive, as food tends to provide a sense of security in the face of unknown threats, and the demand for food may increase substantially at that time. The departments responsible for public opinion guidance and control, as well as law enforcement and military sectors, will need to take proactive measures to prevent chaos that may be instigated by ill-intentioned individuals. This is because, in the face of unknown threats, food always brings a sense of reassurance, and the demand for food may significantly rise.
Ji Hua felt a mix of excitement and heaviness in her heart. However, all these emotions transformed into calmness after a moment. After replying with the four words "I understand," Ji Hua put her phone down again, tidied herself up, and then sat down beside her desk
The leader summoned all heads of various functional departments within human society and informed them about the matter of the extraterrestrial communication. The arrival of aliens is bound to impact every aspect of human civilization. Heads of departments such as industry, agriculture, commerce, finance, construction, public security, and the military must prepare in advance and formulate response strategies for their respective departments to address unexpected situations. The arrival of aliens is bound to impact every aspect of human civilization. Heads of departments such as industry, agriculture, commerce, finance, construction, public security, and the military must prepare in advance and formulate response strategies for their respective departments to address unexpected situations.
Ji Hua understood that there were still many tasks ahead that required her attention. Before confronting these matters, she must restore both her physical and mental state to the best condition.
First of all, one point can be established with certainty: all life forms prioritize survival as their primary objective
Even the scientists who live in the closed ecological system on the Moon and have no way to return to Earth have gathered in a confidential meeting room on the Moon under the arrangement of Minister Houghton. Shortly, they will participate in the discussion via video conference.
As the season began to rest, the Führer and Minister Horton were still busy. Minister Horton first drafted a preliminary list, which included the most outstanding leaders from various disciplines of human civilization known to him. With the cooperation of the transportation department and the military, these individuals gathered in the capital city in the shortest possible time
Everyone attending the meeting has the potential to become either a savior or a destroyer of civilization. If human civilization can continue to exist after this event, then every word spoken and every action taken during this meeting may leave a significant mark on history
Ji Hua casually picked up a pen and began to write and draw on the white paper in front of her. After a moment, several lines of text appeared on the paper.
Everyone involved in this matter must be busy, thought Ji Hua, only I took a nap at this time
In order to ensure the survival of genes, individual life forms that serve as gene carriers, whether they are animals or plants, or even humans, who are the most advanced beings, must learn to reproduce
These are four pieces of information known to Ji Hua regarding this civilization. After combining these four pieces of information with the previous guideline, some new ideas emerged in Ji Hua's mind
Until now, apart from those four pieces of information, human civilization has not had any communication with this extraterrestrial civilization. Relying solely on conjecture, it is naturally impossible to deduce their intentions; not only Ji Hua cannot do it, but no one can.
Minister Horton arranged accommodation for Ji Hua in the capital city. After a brief wash-up, Ji Hua fell into a deep slumber. Having not slept for an entire night, Ji Hua was exceedingly fatigued; even with worries and unease in her heart, she still slept very soundly.
Ji Hua got out of bed and opened his phone. There were no unread messages or missed calls on the phone, and it was even quieter than usual. This struck Ji Hua as somewhat strange, but in an instant, he understood.
The similarity referred to here does not pertain to external aspects, nor does it refer to the sameness of society, culture, forms of existence, moral concepts, or any other external factors, but rather to a deeper and more fundamental similarity
Ji Hua believes that this point is beyond doubt and does not require proof. The desire for survival has long been deeply engraved in the genes of every form of life. It is precisely under the desire for survival that life has evolved various skills. In other words, all the skills of all life forms serve the purpose of survival, and the essence of survival is the replication and propagation of genes
Ji Hua understood that this would be an unprecedented large-scale conference in the history of human civilization. This conference would determine the strategies for humanity to respond to the unknown extraterrestrial super civilization. From another perspective, this conference would decide the fate of human civilization
This is merely a temporary meeting, and the leaders as well as the heads of various departments will not discuss too many specific matters during this meeting. The main purpose of this meeting is simply to prepare the department heads psychologically and to have them ready with the various data that their departments need to submit, as well as to formulate their departments' emergency plans. As for the overall response strategy of human civilization, it will be discussed in a subsequent plenary meeting. The main purpose of this meeting is simply to prepare the department heads psychologically and to have them ready with the various data that their departments need to submit, as well as to formulate their departments' emergency plans. As for the overall response strategy of human civilization, it will be discussed in a subsequent plenary meeting
All genetic entities that do not prioritize survival as their primary demand have perished, or are on the path to death. Those that have survived, and will ultimately continue to survive, are solely the genetic entities that prioritize survival as their primary demand
However, regardless of whether they choose life or death, they cannot break the principle that "the primary purpose of life is survival"
What Ji Hua is contemplating is why extraterrestrials, especially those with interstellar travel capabilities and mastery of gravitational wave communication technology, would come to the solar system
There is still some time before the meeting begins, and Ji Hua has ample time to contemplate certain matters
The dissemination of the message stops here, but the impact of this matter extends far beyond. Under the influence of these hundreds of individuals, more people have begun to get busy. Of course, these individuals will not know what exactly has happened; the orders they receive are merely for certain specific tasks.
And those heroes who are brave enough to selflessly dedicate themselves and make sacrifices, their voluntary sacrifices provide greater reproductive opportunities for the remaining individuals within the group, contributing to the continuation of the group's genes. This is precisely the greatness of heroes
With Minister Horton and the head of state as the focal points, the number of individuals informed about the extraterrestrial communication incident expanded to several hundred within just a few hours. Naturally, all these individuals were qualified to know about the matter, and each one received the strictest confidentiality orders upon receiving the news. The formidable oversight measures were sufficient to ensure that no one dared to leak the information.
If every significant event has a turning point, then the turning point of the extraterrestrial message incident is this conference. All the elites and high-level individuals within human civilization will contribute their wisdom at this conference, and the convergence of all this wisdom will form the guiding principles of human civilization in this event
The information screening previously conducted by Jihua was indeed too simplistic and crude, and it is highly likely that certain signals were overlooked by Jihua. The responsibility of these working groups is to identify those signals that may have been missed.
As the ruler of the entire civilization, the pressure on the Führer is undoubtedly the greatest. After all, each department head is only responsible for their respective areas, while the Führer must oversee the entire situation
However, Ji Hua is not making guesses out of thin air. Ji Hua's conjectures are based on certain principles.
In addition, dozens of working groups have been dispatched from the Department of Science to all gravitational wave observatories and radio telescopes, taking over all operations of the observatories. Aside from routine signal monitoring, all scientific activities and projects at these observatories have been halted. Subsequently, these working groups began the most stringent signal screening process
I believe that there must be many commonalities within this universe, and there must also be similarities between life and life, as well as between civilization and civilization
At that moment, a text message arrived on Ji Hua's phone. The sender was Houghton, and the content was: "A general meeting will be held at 8 PM, attended by all department heads, senior management, and all esteemed scientists from various disciplines. Please prepare yourself; someone will come to pick you up at 7 PM"
Ji Hua woke up at around 4 o'clock in the afternoon. This nap was not particularly restful, but it did provide a bit of vitality to her weary body and mind. Ji Hua still felt somewhat fatigued, but she could no longer fall asleep.