A mid-size airliner roared from the cramped, dark gray cement tarmac and flew for several hours above the monitoring point in Texas, USA. The ground was pitch black, there were no navigation signals and no track lights, and in this case, there was no possibility of the plane landing. However, with Nanyi's father here, there is nothing to worry about. The seats at the back of the cabin were occupied by cheese brought from town two days ago, and Ian and Sanjay, who had nowhere to sit, simply lay down on the cheese and slept, and when they woke up, the airliner was already landing in a safe vertical landing...

Dawn in Texas came unusually early, the nighthawks were still chirping, and a thin morning mist began to wander across the steel-blue sky. In the lobby of the T-shaped steel structure of the monitoring station, the clutter of computers and instruments is as depressing as the satellite tower that has become a pile of scrap steel not far away. I thought I was going to do a big job, but when I arrived, I found that the situation was very different from what I imagined. It was indeed attacked by a group of unidentified men in camouflage uniforms and heavily armed, and the satellite receiving tower was blown up. But the attackers were not surprised to see Brian, but politely invited everyone into the station lobby and respectfully offered coffee and pastries. When they saw the pastry, even the most emotional Sanjay threw off his armor, and Ian had no reason to fight. Brian seemed to have guessed the identity of the other party, and his frown loosened. Since everything was safe, Nan Yi said goodbye to Brian and left, leaving Brian with Avery and Ian to continue waiting. Everyone drank tea and felt like they were waiting for a scientific research seminar.

Brian whispered to a few hairy young men at the monitoring station, and after a night of tossing, Ian was tired and dozed off in his chairs one by one. Only, Ciceli waited at the window with a blank expression...

About half an hour later, several helicopters outside the hall roared down, and the camouflage uniforms who had been waiting for a long time stepped forward, and a group of people surrounded several people and entered the monitoring station directly from behind. After a while, a tall, erect man, apparently heavily trained in military training, entered the hall, glanced at him with a quick glance, trotted over to Brian's side, and after a courteous salute, he bent down and whispered in Brian's ear. Brian frowned, looking a little annoyed, but he still stood up and followed the man to the office behind the hall.

"I'm so sorry! Friends! As soon as Brian entered the office, Auston reached out with an ape-like arm to hug him.

"Bauer! You're a vulture in the night, is there something here that attracts you? Brian walked around Alston and walked straight to Ball, who was pouting with his hands on the desk. Auston had no choice but to let his swarthy hands, which had been neglected, soothe his gray hair.

"Oh, dear doctor, what are you kidding? You know me best, I have always been indifferent and self-willing, not to mention that I am old now and in poor health, if it were not for Mr. Minister forcing me with a gun today, I would never have left the warm bed. ”

"If you could have taken pity on those poor girls, you wouldn't have to stand here with your ass open." Auston joins them in the joke in an attempt to ease Brian's irritation.

Bauer twisted his fat ass like a clown, and on his vulture-like nose, a pair of cunning little eyes glanced at Auston in a flattering manner. "Minister, don't laugh at me. Doctor, how can you, the new humans who have evolved, understand the pain of a species like ours that is about to be eliminated? You see, just a small hemorrhoid will make me restless, what's the use of money? After a lifetime of hard work, I can't even solve such a small problem! It seems that modern medicine has come to an end. ”

"Oh-no! It's not me who is alarmist, I'm afraid it's the whole human race, all of us, who will come to the end! Alston took the opportunity to take Ball's words.

As long as Alston and Ball stand together, the picture is dramatic, with one being a long black pillar and the other a large sturdy white ball. But they are a good pair, since they met eighteen years ago, the two have worked together perfectly, Bauer's ruthlessness and Auston's courage make them invincible.

"Minister, is an unnatural phenomenon so exaggerated and alarmist for you? I'll admit it's incredible, but it's not enough proof that the end of the world is coming, right? Brian looked directly at Auston. If, things are as you say. Blowing up my satellite towers, destroying crop circles, blocking all news, this is the only way your government can handle such a big crisis?! ”

Auston wasn't ashamed either, he smiled gently and pressed Brian onto the couch, "Please take a seat, Doctor." This is your territory, and I'm the opposite. However, doctor, the situation is urgent, and I ask for your understanding! And you, Bauer, find a pillow to sit on. To explain all this, I'm afraid it will take a long time for the two of you. After saying that, Auston walked to the door and opened the door, and said to the man who had been waiting outside respectfully, and who had just led Brian in, "Captain Colt, please pour three cups of coffee in, one without sugar, and the other with two pieces of sugar, I am still used to it." Then he closed the door again and sat down in the office chair in front of the brown leather couch where the two of them were seated. This time, his face turned grim, and the corners of his resolute mouth twitched, revealing a trace of uneasy fear. From the black insurance document bag he carried with him, he took out a thick stack of files with the word top secret written on them and handed them to Brian. Brian flipped it open, and Ball came over, and the two watched together.

It doesn't seem to be anything shocking, it's just an archive of investigative records from the discovery of crop circles. Brian had known a lot about it, and Ball had never been too interested in grotesques without utility, and the two looked up at Alston in disappointment and bewilderment.

Colter knocked on the door and placed the coffee in front of each of the three of them, carefully placing the paper towel next to the coffee saucer. Bauer looked at his hunched hips and smiled lewdly. After Colt left, Bauer quipped to Auston: "Old Ao, your subordinates are really talented, it seems a bit of a waste of national resources to let such a handsome guy pour tea and water here, right?" ”

"Coffee, please." Auston ignored him, took a big sip of the cup of coffee in front of him, put it down, wiped his mouth with a paper towel, and handed over another file sealed with a red bar. Brian's palm slid over, and the red strip of paper peeled off easily and completely. Opening the title page, a photograph of the moon's surface comes into view, and Auston's expectant expression appears on Brian and Bauer's faces.

"Is this real? It can't be a prank, right? It can't be a photo from Photoshop, right? Bauer was skeptical.

"I know you've heard a lot of ridiculous rumors about the moon before, alien buildings, spaceships, and even World War II planes on them, which are really nonsense. But the photos you see are from the Apollo 16 and 17 spacecraft, and they are all true! On the far side of the moon, these giant crop circles are right there! They are still there! ”

"It can't be! Who can leave such a mark on the surface of the moon! Ball exclaimed.

"Yes! Who?! Ph.D., can you? Alston asked Brian.

"You think too highly of me." Brian laughed to himself.

"It can't be someone like you or me, Ball. In other words, it can't be any one earthling, any organization, any country, right? ”

"So, this is solid evidence of the existence of aliens?" Brian asked.

"Yes, we can explain any bizarre phenomena before with some far-fetched reasons, but what else can we explain these in front of us, these exquisite lines, these complex geometric patterns appearing on the far side of the moon?"

Brian and Ball looked at each other, and Alston continued: "Now that these crop circles are in several places at the same time, what kind of uproar will it cause if these crop circles are reported in the major media tomorrow?" How will some extremist countries and extremist religions take advantage of this? What will happen to people like sheep who know that they are not alone and not safe? ”

Neither Brian nor Ball answered, and Auston stood up and walked up and down the room restlessly: "I don't know what will happen, but what we are worried about is this: the aliens have not yet appeared, and the social order we have built up so hard will be disrupted, which is tantamount to the coming of the end of the world." ”

Auston paused and said to Brian, "So forgive me for taking such a reckless action without informing you!" Destroyed your satellite tower with an electromagnetic bomb, but for the sake of the current peace and tranquility of humanity, we have to sacrifice something! Messages can't spread out! Just like the moon landing program back then, we paid so much that in the end, in order to keep this secret, we had to abort the moon landing operation. ”

"It turns out that President Reagan said that everything in the future is written in the Bible, and this sentence is a reminder that 'there are aliens threatening us'?! But the government has been claiming that the moon landing program was suspended because it was costly and had no financial return. Bauer suddenly realized.

"Expensive and no financial returns? And what about the Pioneer probe? Between October 1958 and August 1978, we launched a total of 13 probes. Is there a financial reward? Brian, you say that blocking the news is the only way for the government to deal with the crisis? That's because you don't know what we're doing in the back. ”

Brian picked up his coffee, lowered his eyes and asked, "So the launch of the Pioneer probe is also related to the crop circle?" ”

"It can also be said to be related, but not to find the crop circle, but to find an alien civilization!"

Such a large amount of information left Brian and Bauer dumbfounded.

"But, for... Why? Bauer, who didn't react, stammered a little.

"Why?" Auston stared at Bauer for a moment and asked, "What is the greatest fear of mankind?" Is it a disaster? Disease? Death? - No, it's neither! In the process of human evolution from ape to man, disasters, diseases, and death have never been far away, but human needs and desires have helped us overcome everything and make us invincible. Human beings establish religion and explore the universe out of curiosity on the one hand, and fear of the unknown and darkness on the other, which is our greatest fear. Now, we know that there is some kind of creature that is absolutely beyond us and is watching over us, but who are they? What are their intentions? What will happen to us? We don't know anything! Friend! The enemy is not terrible, the terrible thing is that you don't even know where the enemy is! ”

"Did you find it?" Brian seemed to be touched.

"No, we've explored Mars, and we've explored Jupiter, its moons, and Saturn's rings with Voyager 1, and we've found nothing until Voyager flies out of the solar system. After all these years, we still have not found anything, and this matter is gradually being forgotten. Those in the authorities, who only care about votes, are naturally reluctant to invest more money in such things that cannot be made public. But just yesterday, there was another large-scale outbreak of crop circles, and six identical and huge crop circles appeared at the same time in six places so far apart! It's just as shocking as the discovery of crop circles on the moon, so we can't stop looking! And now there are no two more capable people on the planet than in front of them. Dear brothers! Maybe only you can save the planet! ”

Until he heard the word "money", Bauer lifted his fat double chin and immersed himself in Alston's generous statement, "money"! This seductive and terrifying word quickly brought Bauer back to his "sane" state: That's why I'm here – invest! Bauer straightened up, removed the pillow that had rested under half of his buttocks, and sat down again, placing a large, bloated pink hand on his knee. "Funds" is really a good thing, it actually makes the rotten chrysanthemums that have hurt for a few days not hurt, Bauer sighed in his heart.

"It's been 350 years since the first crop circle, or even earlier, so early that we don't know. They have always been there, probably observing us, but they have never been in contact with us, they have interfered with us, they have been our enemies. So how can you deduce that they will be our enemies? Brian asked.

"I don't know, maybe, maybe what are they waiting for?" Auston peered through the glass window of his office at the near-dawn sky. "God forbid, they are not hostile, otherwise-"

"Then we'll just have to indulge in these 'last moments,' because nothing can stop them." Ball followed Auston's words, and the knees kept colliding with each other. "Two, would you like to hear from me, an absolutely rational speculative businessman, to analyze this matter?"

There was silence in the office, so Bauer continued: "There are only three kinds of situations: foe, friend, friend or foe, right? ”

Brian and Alston both nodded.

"The first scenario is the worst: the enemy. I've heard of something called: the Law of the Dark Jungle of the Universe. This is ridiculous, why do civilizations in the universe have to destroy each other? When a person is an enemy of another person, it is impossible to be born to see him unaccustomed, there must be a certain reason, because there is a cost to be an enemy of another person, and this is called the cost of war. This theory can be extrapolated from the individual to the whole organism. I'm curious, why are they making enemies of us? What do you like about us? Is it for the delicious meat of our body? That's—they're so pathetic that they need to run so much for three meals a day. This statement is ridiculous, a species that has not even solved the problem of eating, what kind of transgalactic invasion is extravagant? This assumption is basically untenable, right? ”

Brian and Auston nodded again, and Ball continued his rambling.

"So for the mines buried deep in the earth? If so, the species should have become extinct long ago. Bauer paused meaningfully, "Why?" Excuse me, will the lion go eat ants? No, right? Because the lion is very smart, he calculates the cost of expenses, and it is not cost-effective to invest time and energy in the little energy that is ingested by the ants. Wouldn't an extraterrestrial civilization capable of space travel not even have developed this economics? As far as I know, it takes a lot of energy to make an interstellar voyage, and even if they can travel faster than the speed of light and through wormholes, it won't be cheap. The universe is made of the same elements, and even what we consider to be rare metals, including water, is common on many comets and asteroids. So, why not take local materials, why do you have to 'import'? ”

Bauer took a sip of coffee, moistened his throat, and continued: "Or maybe they have a crush on the Earth, which has been almost polluted by us?" Want to take its place and occupy the dove's nest? Then I'm curious, why are they so slow to do it? After all, they have long been on Earth. In the same way, if we are not able to solve the problem of living in it, how can we develop a civilization that can travel through the universe? It's as ridiculous as saying that a person has to fly to Las Vegas to live in a five-star hotel because his home is too dilapidated to shelter from the wind and rain. Didn't you discover a Dyson planet called 'Taby'? It can directly collect the energy of the stars, what else do you want us to do on this little earth?! ”

Brian pondered, "Perhaps, what we have been ignoring all along, but which is actually very precious? ”

"What could it be?" Bauer asked.

Bauer waited, but both were silent. Bauer's cockfighting eyes twitched between the two, and he became excited, feeling that he was so talented, that such a complex cosmic problem could be analyzed by himself so head-on, that the two masters of such height were speechless. Finally, he broke the silence: "Since they won't be enemies of us, are they friends?" But after all these years, why didn't they get in touch with us? ”

"There's only one possibility," Bauer asked, "and that's that in their eyes, we're just a bunch of ants, nothing at all, just a bunch of curious babies who want to see how weird we really are." So,—— so they are neither friends nor enemies, neither friend nor foe. And we don't need to distinguish between friend and foe, because no matter what we do, it's all in vain. ”

Before Bauer could finish, it became clear to Auston that his plan to count on Bauer's investment would be ruined for the time being, "a cunning and short-sighted speculative businessman!" He cursed inwardly. As for Brian, he looked at Brian expectantly and beggingly, but he was greeted with a defensive, suspicious look. Also, Brian has not had any good feelings for the U.S. government since he left the U.S. 18 years ago, and it would have been impossible to expect him to work with him for so many years if it weren't for his castle. What's more, his satellite tower was blown up today, and it is probably not realistic to talk to him about anything at this moment.

Auston reluctantly walked to the window and pushed it open, and the Texas morning was surprisingly quiet, and on the endless plains, the sun and moon shone together in the mist, and only the gradually accumulating castle clouds signaled the coming storm. This scene has been playing out on this planet for 5 billion years, so will it be different tomorrow?

"But," Auston said to himself, looking out the window, as if to himself, "the history of mankind is only 2,000 years old, the first astronomical telescope has only been 400 years, the emergence of modern cosmology has only been more than 100 years, and the universe has existed for 13.8 billion years." Our exploration of the universe and life has only just begun. What is life? What is the value of life? What is the universe? What is the most precious thing in the universe? We can say that we don't know anything, since those extraterrestrial civilizations have come to our world, there must be something here that they are interested in, as for what? We may not know today, but by the time we do, will it be too late? ”

Auston's face was heavy and melancholy, and he emphasized: "Today, I am here to sound the alarm, a storm is coming! A storm is coming! ”