This chapter is composed of Hao Guangyi's speech at the seminar.

……

First of all, I don't think it's a real problem that is confined to the third dimension in which we live, but a chance encounter that is different from any previous form of "invasion".

It's just that from the perspective of time, our earth ancestors and the "factor" met earlier, and the feelings generated by the two sides after falling in love at first sight are also more profound.

On the contrary, we, the descendants of Gaia, who claim to be the new humans, have become arrogant frogs at the bottom of the well, so we are so at a loss after learning that the "factor" is the culprit that caused the complete destruction of Kui's civilization.

This is a very surprising, or rather, unacceptable fact.

I'll call it "the Atlantean plot of humanity" for now.

……

You ask me what is the "Atlantean plot of humanity"?

Not......

I think if you think carefully about the human race and the legendary "Atlantean civilization", it is not difficult to understand the meaning of this kind of plot.

Just as humans once thought that the pyramids were alien starports, because according to the level of productivity of ancient Egypt at that time, it was impossible to build such a magnificent and epic structure in the desert, and there was more than one.

But then we all know that the pyramid is indeed not left by aliens, it is a condensation of power, a miracle created by mankind.

In other words, even if the ancients did not have mobile phones, it does not mean that they did not have contact with each other.

The difference is only in this time!

Just like the "post station" that appeared in the history of Chinese civilization during the earth period, in order to speed up the transmission of some important information, the official post will select high-class horses with fast running and strong endurance for the messenger to use.

When a major event such as an enemy attacking, the beacon can also play a good role.

In short, when we question the past, or reverse the mythological past, and use our imagination to depict an "Atlantean civilization" that is far beyond the existing level of civilization but has been swallowed by the sea, we are not actually facing the problem squarely, but trying to satisfy our curiosity about the unknown through some kind of almost "reasonable" explanation.

In other words, it's just to stop racking your brains to think about it, as long as the blind break can be established.

That's what I'm talking about, the so-called "Atlantean plot of humanity." ”

……

So what does this have to do with factors? I said that I played a bunch of them, and it seems to have completely deviated.

Am I going off track?

Of course not, the factor is a scientific problem that needs to be solved urgently in front of us today.

Because we already know how terrible it is!

It has destroyed Kui, whose level of civilization is much higher than ours, and it still has remnants on Gaia, and if we don't take precautions, or if some unscrupulous people preemptively uncover its secrets, then the order society we have tried so hard to build may be over.

It's like during World War II, if Germany was the first to develop a nuclear bomb, or Japan, or even Italy, then the outcome of World War II might really be an unprecedented genocide!

Because the careerists who like to grow beards in the middle of the people can't wait to do it before they achieve real victory.

Therefore, the factor is the "nuclear weapon" of the era of star civilization, at least until we fully understand it, it has such a deterrent effect!

……

In order to perpetuate human civilization, our "Father" unleashed a "factor bomb" and destroyed Kui's civilization.

As his heir, I am not qualified to judge this destruction of civilization.

But I must realize that the destruction of civilization is far less difficult than it seems.

It's like that World War II thousands of years ago, a war was fought back and forth, and at the end, it was found that it could take 100,000 rounds of bullets to kill a person.

Does this mean that our internal war is still under control? Should we comfort ourselves that all the destruction is still bearable?

Of course.

Even today, I think all of you, except for the relatively young ones, have all experienced the defeat of the Empire, the fall of the Golden Birdcage, and the Curtain of the Center.

All of the above can be said to be super disasters that have never occurred before in the history of mankind.

Even the war between the Empire and the Coalition, with the lowest death toll, killed 2.3 billion people, and wounded countless more.

Catalyzed by these wars, the fastest development of mankind is not the spacecraft that explores outer space, which is already more distant galaxies, but a variety of exoskeletons and battle mechs.

But like I said earlier, so what?

Our civilization is still alive and well, and Gaia will not be destroyed by these struggles.

And it is foreseeable that even if we could one day create a terrifying destroyer weapon that would destroy the planet with one blow, we might just lose a dome as we do today, and humanity would still exist.

Because of what?

Because it's a step-by-step, mutually reinforcing process, we have plenty of time to deal with it.

But the factor bomb is different.

It surpassed Qui's civilization level too much, so when it was thrown to Gaia, Qui didn't even have time to resist, and disappeared from this world forever.

Only a few remnants remain to prove that they existed.

……

Having said all this, one is that I am personally aware of the threat that "factors" pose to me.

Because it's completely conceivable that today I am here to talk freely with you, and tomorrow it may not exist.

I will disappear forever without knowing it, without pain.

It doesn't sound painful, but living in such an anxiety is even more torturous.

So I had already envisioned several possibilities before I came, which might help our scientists to explore the secrets of the "factor".

First, I asked myself a few questions.

Does the "factor" really exist? Where is it? What does it look like? What color?

Does it exist?

Of course, this is true on the record, and the fact that the "Father" destroyed Kui with it is proof of this.

Isn't it?

I think......

No, at least not rigorously.

Because it's like that classic story.

Two men saw a goat, and one said that the goats in this place were all black.

And the other person said, you are not right, it should be said that at this moment, there is a goat in front of us, and from our point of view, this side of it is black.

Perhaps these things are still confined to the human realm, but I think that this rigorous attitude is eternal even if it transcends dimensions and cognitive levels.

Therefore, I told myself that perhaps the "factor" we saw, or we knew, did not exist, it was just a counterfeit, a destructive weapon with the characteristics of the "factor" that our earth ancestors copied through their own research after accidental contact with the "factor".

It's like the "singularity grenade" that our soldiers always have by their side.

Anyone who knows a little bit of scientific knowledge should know that the singularity is a terrible thing, it is the essence of black holes, if we really create a "singularity grenade", then at the same time it is detonated for the first time, we will have followed Gaia Star and even the entire galaxy to be swallowed up by this singularity.

So, do you know what I mean?

"Factors" may or may not exist.

……

However, we will not consider the possibility that the factor "does not exist" for the time being, because it is meaningless, at least on Gaia, everything we are worried about now is unfounded and scaring ourselves.

Therefore, we focus on the "presence." ”

If it exists, it must have its shape, its color.

This is the usual concept.

Just like me at this moment, I am 1.75 meters tall and weigh 85 kilograms, I am average, sloppy, and my skin is still a little dark.

This is my form and my color.

But the factor must have a shape and a color?

Seriously, I'm not so sure, because that's a three-dimensional concept.

In the three-dimensional world, shape and color are almost inevitable elements.

However, this also proves in passing that if a factor exists and can be perceived by us, then it should have a three-dimensional structure, that is.

It may be rectangular, it may be round, and it may even sit between you and me at this moment, in the form of intelligent beings, it may be.

Because what we see today are its footprints, the traces it left behind.

As for the color......

I think that since there are so many color-changing masters in the biological world, if the factor is so powerful, it will be easy for it to want any color.

So the factor in my imagination is a naughty child, it can be turned into a big beauty, it can also be turned into a vehicle, with colorful colors, and it can even become a cloud, a word, a note, a sentence, a thought!

……

Is such a conjecture useful for scientific research?

I don't know, because I'm a writer who likes to daydream, divergent thinking is my forte, and I don't want to be bound by a framework.

Therefore, the factors in my cognition also have the characteristics of jumping out of the frame.

But the quest for absolute freedom is also a framework in itself.

Therefore, I think the factor may have self-awareness.

That is, the factor is not dead, it is alive.

At this moment, it may be drinking in the tavern, experiencing the life of a mortal.

Or maybe you're in outer space, sitting on a satellite and observing the world.

Or, it already knows that we are looking for it, trying to reach it, and it is thinking about whether to talk to us again, or rather......

Connect with humans.

……

That's my conjecture, it's a bit of a, but I have a hunch that maybe we think the most unlikely, the most absurd, is the closest to the truth.

Those who think they are strong and complacent are the ones who are truly stubborn.

That's my understanding of the factor, and it makes everyone laugh.