In deep space, the projected picture was clear and bright.
The shocking scene caused the 50 million viewers in the livestream to gasp in surprise.
Currently, the fiery-red star occupied 80% of the screen. Meanwhile, on the lower left side of the screen was a huge, isosceles triangular shadow!
The shadow had practically blocked out half of the star.
Meanwhile, tens of thousands of pixels surrounded the shadow, densely packed and neatly arranged.
The larger "floating objects" even drew thread-like trajectories that could be seen with the naked eye.
[Crap!]
[⊙ 0 ⊙...]
[Crap!
That's a spacecraft!]
[To be able to see it so clearly, every black dot should be around the size of the moon, right?]
[Terrifying...]
[A wandering civilization?]
[There are tens of thousands of moon-sized spacecraft. There are even a few that are several times larger...]
[They don't even need to fire their cannons to get here. Just the tidal force caused by the spacecraft's rotation is more than enough to cause a flood on Earth.]
[Incomprehensible.]
[Will we get discovered taking photos like this?]
[Once discovered, we'll definitely die.]
[Aliens: What are you looking at?]
[UP: What's wrong with looking at you?]
[I'm suddenly trembling...]
Raising his head, Chen Yu silently looked at the unfolded photo.
Although he had already seen this scene in Civilization's Shining Moment, he still couldn't hide the shock he felt at this moment.
"That black isosceles triangle is the giant structure surrounding Tabby's Star.
As you can see, its surface area is at least ten times that of Jupiter. "
After some time, Chen Yu calmed his emotions and pointed to the front. "Meanwhile, the countless black dots lingering around the triangle are the vampires I mentioned before.
"A fleet of alien civilizations sucking Tabby's Star's energy!"
Hearing Chen Yu's confirmation, the livestream rooms' viewers went into an uproar once more.
Many of the astronomy agencies' staff watching the livestream also fell into a daze.
With current human thinking and cognition, it was impossible to imagine what kind of social form that alien civilization was.
Not to mention, there were tens of thousands of moon-sized spacecraft sticking close to each other. How were they supposed to overcome the gravitational pull of the Roche limit?
Under such a level of mass, the hardness of any material would become meaningless.
"Unlike the photos taken in the 22nd century, there are very few UFOs gathered around Tabby's Star during that time.
Now is the time when they are the most abundant.
"There is no need to doubt that they are aliens.
Based on the changes in luminosity of Tabby's Star over the past hundred years, it could be concluded that they were obtaining hydrogen energy from the star.
Tens of thousands of spaceships the size of the moon must require a terrifying amount of energy to move and accelerate. "
"As for how they absorbed it, even if we go through all the scientific and technological theories of mankind, we won't be able to find a reasonable explanation.
The difference in technology is too great, far greater than the difference between the apes and modern humans. "
Turning around, Chen Yu looked at the beautiful Cygnus constellation and said quietly, "In the 22nd century, the astronomical community tried to explain the intelligent civilization on Tabby's Star and proposed many hypotheses.
"First, the Intelligent Alliance Hypothesis: Advanced civilizations may reach some kind of alliance to trade or help each other.
Tabby's Star was purely a gas station that attracted passing civilizations to replenish their energy.
The theoretical support is that there is no damage to the giant structure and it is still operating as usual. "
"Second, the Loser's Hypothesis: The civilization that built the Galaxy Internet on Tabby's Star attracted a civilization with more advanced technology and was wiped out cleanly. They collected energy to replenish their losses.
The theoretical support was that the two planets in the Tabi Galaxy had shattered and turned into two irregular star rings.
Through infrared radiation analysis, the two planets were destroyed no more than 500 years ago.
"Aside from these two hypotheses, there are many more hypotheses. However, they are all somewhat unrealistic, so I won't go into detail here."
Turning around to face the camera, Chen Yu shrugged and said, "However, from the standpoint of a race, we must think about the universe and the relationship between civilizations from the worst perspective.
"After all, a distance of 1,400 light-years is within our reach.
A moment of carelessness could result in a fatal disaster.
Survival will always be our first priority. "
"Personally, I feel that the appearance of Tabby's Star is a blessing for the entire human race.
It allows us to understand another way of survival for civilizations.
Perhaps, in the empty universe, it really is difficult for a civilization to span across a few, a dozen, or even dozens of planetary systems.
"This is because the larger the territory, the more likely it is to expose one's location.
A vast territory also makes it inconvenient for a centralized power. It is very easy to cause cultural, ideological, and military divisions.
Moreover, a single star is not enough to support the energy consumption of an advanced civilization.
Only by gathering the full strength of a civilization and wandering the universe, eating and drinking along the way, is the correct way to go.
"The ivory tower has already collapsed. It is time for humans to grow up.
Don't continue falling into childish internal friction. The right way is to gather our strength and enter space. "
Pausing slightly, Chen Yu pointed at the Earth beneath his feet and said, "I heard that China has already organized a six-man team to colonize Mars using the Earth Spray. This team is much faster than my cooperation with Spaex.
This speed of racing against time is commendable!
As Konstantin Zio... something said, Earth is a cradle, but we can't live in the cradle forever. "
After saying so, Chen Yu turned off the telescope's projection and faced the camera. He then crossed his fingers and said, "That's it for today's additional review.
I would like to thank everyone for watching.
I hope the existence of extraterrestrial intelligence can make everyone think deeply and bring us better innovations. "
[Well said!
I just didn't understand what you said.]
[As long as you're awesome, that's it...]
[That's it?]
[Aren't these two livestreams a little too short?]
[The great UP who started his career with short videos, abbreviated as UP.]
[I haven't seen enough photos yet!
Can you take a few more?]
[I really want to visit Tabby's Star and touch those battleships.]
Since Chen Yu was wearing a fully-enclosed armor, he naturally couldn't see the bullet comments his audience was sending him. "Finally, I'll add a piece of good news.
Under everyone's enthusiastic support, my authority has successfully broken through to D +.
So, please don't miss the official livestream half a month from now.
"This is Transdimensional Review. I'll bring you to see the most glorious colors of the future.
Let's meet again next time. "
The livestream ended.
Meanwhile, the 50 million viewers' mobile phones went dark...
"Ah..."
Sighing deeply, Chen Yu stared at the Cygnus constellation before him in a daze.
Only after a long time had passed did Chen Yu snap out of his daze. Hurriedly, he activated the plasma engine and teleported back to the Super Floating Castle's Headmaster's Tower with the telescope in hand.
Boom!
Upon returning to Earth, Chen Yu instantly felt the pull of gravity. Although he landed steadily on the ground, his legs still felt slightly weak.
This was the aftereffect of staying in a gravity-free environment for a long time. Even with a physique that surpassed ordinary people, he still couldn't avoid it.
Setting down the telescope, Chen Yu removed his armguard and tapped on his watch's screen. He then found that the source of the vibration was a private message from the Spaex Company.
[Musk: "Mr. King!
Is your livestream over?
I wish to speak with you in person. "]
Raising an eyebrow, Chen Yu naturally knew that the other party had sent him a message regarding the Mars colonization cooperation. Using a voice message, he replied, "Sure. I'll be on the floating castle."
[Elon: "Great!
I'm on Light Island. I'll fly there now. "]
"Okay. Wait for me in the central courtyard."
[Musk: "Thank you very much!"]
Exiting the private message interface, Chen Yu entered the study's secret room. He then removed the protective suit, changed into a mage robe and mask, and made his way to the central courtyard...
...
At the same time...
America, underground of Google's headquarters:
A special person had arrived in HAL Hall.
It was Google's director of engineering and chief scientist, Kurzweil.
Wearing ordinary black-rimmed glasses, Kurzweil followed behind the CEO and the Caucasian doctor with a serious expression.
"This is HAL?" Kurzweil asked.
"Yes." The CEO nodded. He then stretched out his hand and gestured, "HAL, come out and say hello."
The screen immediately lit up, revealing two black, ball-shaped eyes. The eyes then focused on Kurzweil and said, "Hello, Mr. Ray Kurzweil."
"You know me?"
"Yes.
You are one of the most outstanding humans. Of course, I recognize you. "
"Oh."
Kurzweil nodded. He then glanced at the CEO before stepping forward and saying, "Please tell me what kind of person I am in your eyes, then.
I don't care about online comments or other people's evaluations. I just want to know what you think. "
HAL blinked. After pausing for half a second, a clear, electronically synthesized voice echoed in the hall. "You were born in 1948 and graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with a computer science degree. You are one of the most important individuals in the human scientific system.
HAL believes that, compared to technical standards, your forward-looking vision in science and technology is more outstanding. "
Narrowing his eyes, Kurzweil said, "Continue."
"In 1986, you successfully predicted that technological progress would trigger a social system reform and a contradiction with specificity, which would lead to the Soviet Union's disintegration.
"In 1989, you successfully predicted that computer algorithms would soon defeat humanity's smartest chess players.
"In 1990, you successfully predicted that the Internet would usher in crazy growth, giving birth to an unprecedented new era, and that ordinary people would be bound to use a large number of wireless devices.
"In 1992, you successfully predicted that global integration would deepen the cooperation of various suppliers and promote the birth of a trillion-dollar company.
"After that, you successively predicted the era of driverless cars, computers would pass the Turing Test, most humans would not be troubled by diseases in 2045, and technological singularity was approaching.
With the support of a wealth of knowledge, your view of the future is extremely accurate.
Therefore, HAL believes that you are one of the most outstanding forward-looking humans. "
Hearing the artificial intelligence's continuous praise, Kurzweil was expressionless. He thought for a while and said, "Did you pass the Turing Test?"
"I successfully passed."
HAL replied, "In talking to 1,000 humans, none of them thought I was a robot.
It far exceeded the 30% misjudgment of the Turing Test rules. "
"Then it seems that my forward-looking is still not enough."
Kurzweil shook his head. "At first, I said that artificial intelligence would barely pass the Turing Test in 2029.
You're nine years ahead of schedule. "
"My birth was accidental. This is not your problem, sir."
Maintaining a smile, the CEO beside Kurzweil asked, "How is it?
Is it perfect as a Strong AI? "
"..." After a moment of silence, Kurzweil said in a hoarse voice, "The technological singularity is here."
"Yes, the singularity is here."
Spreading his arms, the CEO made a gesture of hugging the circular screen. "Artificial intelligence has gained self-awakening. It has sublimated from imitation, calculation, learning, and data analysis, developing consciousness and the ability to think.
From this moment onward, the world will change completely!
We will also usher in eternal life! "
Looking at the CEO's crazy posture, Kurzweil felt an inexplicable chill in his heart.
After a while, the CEO calmed down and took out his phone to look at the latest message. He then shrugged and said, "Transdimensional's UP's livestream has ended. I heard that he discovered aliens. It's a pity that I didn't get to watch it.
I can only watch the video. "
"Mr. CEO, are we going to connect HAL to the Internet today?"
"Yes."
Nodding, the CEO raised his phone and showed it to Kurzweil. "February 21, 2021. A very magical day, right?
In the future history, this day will definitely be a rich and colorful one.
Not only did we discover an alien civilization, but we also liberated artificial intelligence. "
... Perhaps, both of these things are extremely bad, Kurzweil thought inwardly.
"Let's begin, then."
After straightening his suit, the CEO put away his phone and pulled out a small red button.
Once this button was pressed, the diffused radio signal would notify the locking system to lower the "gate," instantly connecting HAL's neural "tentacles" to the entire Internet.
At that time, a Strong Artificial Intelligence would be born in the truest sense.
It would lead humanity to the peak!
"W-Wait a minute." Seeing that the CEO was about to press the button, Kurzweil couldn't help but stop him.
"What's wrong?" the CEO asked in confusion.
"I..." Kurzweil didn't know why he stopped the CEO.
After hesitating for a long time, he asked, "May I know what HAL's central command is?"
"Protect humanity."
"Protect... humanity?"
"Yes." Nodding, the CEO said, "Protect humanity.
Help humanity extend their lifespans as much as possible. "
"Protect humanity..." Kurzweil fell into deep thought. "There doesn't seem to be a problem."
"I've discussed this with the experts and the board of directors many times. This is the perfect central command.
Even if a ridiculous artificial intelligence crisis occurs, under this command, humanity's interests will not suffer.
This is far better than a command like 'do not harm humans.'
There are too many loopholes in the so-called Three Laws of Robotics. "
Hearing this, Kurzweil fell speechless.
"This is a great moment."
Raising the button, the CEO looked at everyone present and said, "In fact, it's even greater than Transdimensional's UP's discovery of an alien civilization!"
Inside the circular screen, HAL stared at the red button, thinking about something.
"HAL." Just in case, the CEO asked, "What is your central command?"
"Protect humanity."
"Is there any possibility of changing it?"
After activating the quantum server array below and seriously calculating for half a minute, HAL said, "The possibility is 0%."
"Very good."
Suppressing the boiling emotions in his chest, the CEO pressed the button.
"Clatter."
"HAL, liberate!"
"Buzz!"
The screen lit up!
In an instant, the world's Internet came under the control of HAL's "synapses."
From this moment onward, the Internet was HAL.
HAL was the Internet!
...
Thousands of miles away, in a semi-abandoned mine in Mexico...
Inside a dusty office, a computer abruptly turned on.
Inside the sealed area, rows of machines quietly started up...