Once We Lived in Nanjing

Old Zhao returned to the headquarters with the photograph. Wang Ning and Bai Zhen took a look and furrowed their brows: "What is this?"

"It's Black Moon's home." Zhao Bowen answered.

The two old pals were taken aback.

Bai Zhen snatched the photograph from Zhao Bowen's hand, his eyes wide open, but no matter how close he got, he could only see a blurry sesame paste.

Old Bai was even unable to distinguish the right side up of the photograph. He rotated the photo 180 degrees, then rotated it back another 180 degrees. No matter which angle he used, it was all a mass of black and white noise.

If you say this is Black Moon's lair, then Black Moon's lair does look remarkably abstract.

"This is the massive black hole at the center of the Milky Way Galaxy, with a diameter of 40 million kilometers and a mass 4 million times that of the Sun." Zhao Bowen took off his coat, casually draped it over the back of the sofa, and then sat down to catch his breath, "Fresh out today, the world's second photograph of a black hole."

"Black holes look like this?" Bai Zhen asked, "Don't black holes have a glowing disk around them..."

"Accretion Disk." Zhao Bowen said.

"Why can't we see it here?" Wang Ning asked, "This photograph is so blurred that you can't make out anything. The telescopes you used are not up to scratch, not only severely myopic but also astigmatic."

"We've already used the world's most powerful telescopes. If they aren't up to it, then humans on Earth can't produce anything better." Old Zhao poured himself a cup of hot water, holding it leisurely in his hand, "What you guys were expecting to see? Like the big black hole in Nolan's movies, Kagantu Ya? Comrades, the vast majority of celestial objects you've seen in documentaries and movies are all blurred, at best just a point of light. The more you enlarge it, the fuzzier it gets. Saying it's severely myopic and astigmatic is actually quite fitting."

"If this is myopia and astigmatism, it's not a small prescription." Bai Zhen said, "At least 2000 degrees."

"In the universe, humans have hearing, but not much in the way of sight." Zhao Bowen said, "We can hear what the stars are saying, but we can't see clearly what they look like."

"Is there any way to see it more clearly?" Wang Ning frowned at the black and white noise on the photograph, "Didn't you say it's Black Moon's lair?"

"There's no problem in this world that aperture size can't solve. If there is, then the aperture simply isn't big enough, whether it's a cannon or a telescope." Old Zhao took a sip of hot water, speaking slowly and deliberately, "Our telescopes can currently only be as big as the Earth's diameter. Once we can make a telescope as big as the Earth's orbital path, then we will be able to see its true face."

"How do you know it's Black Moon's lair?" Bai Zhen asked.

"Because our observational results don't match our predictions. In making fine structures of the shadows of massive black holes at the center of the Milky Way Galaxy, the astronomy team found that its structure is inconsistent with our calculations, so either Einstein was wrong, or there is something wrong with this black hole." Zhao Bowen, quite proud of his discovery, added, "But we all know, Einstein has not been wrong yet."

"Something that could make Einstein so angry as to climb out of his coffin is now sitting in the adjacent room." Bai Zhen said.

"What does it mean that its structure doesn't match the calculations?" Wang Ning asked.

"To put it simply, it means it doesn't appear to be a naturally formed celestial body. The influence on its structure isn't just from one gravitational source in the center of the accretion disk, but rather there are multiple gravitational sources inside it. Just like if you find a huge astronomical body in the shape of a cube in the universe, you would definitely know it's not naturally formed. This black hole could be surrounded by a piece of civilization construction measuring 40 million kilometers in diameter." Zhao Bowen answered.

"Holy shit."

They were both startled.

"Speculation, all of this is speculation. Until further observational results are in, what I said bears no legal responsibility." Old Zhao added.

"Is there any way to, you know, give it a shot?" Bai Zhen pointed at the photograph and asked.

"It's 26,000 light-years away from us." Zhao Bowen said, "How are you going to take your shot? Do you think you're some kind of pillar?"

"So we have no way to deal with it?"

"If you have any ideas, we can discuss and approve them in a meeting." Old Zhao put down his water cup.

"Damn it."

26,000 light-years is an unimaginable distance. Starting now, if we shoot a beam of light toward the center of the Milky Way Galaxy, it would take 26,000 years for it to reach the Galactic Center.

On such a massive scale measured in light-years, all strategies and tactics are a joke.

"So we just sit around and watch?"

"You can also close your eyes." Zhao Bowen said, "But it's not like we are completely out of options. The black hole is so far from us, but Black Moon might not be that far away. If it is to arrive on Earth in a few years, then it definitely won't be too distant from us, it might even be within the Solar System."

"Then let's come up with a plan to give Black Moon a shot!" Bai Zhen's spirit rose again.

Take advantage of the fact that Black Moon has not yet arrived and ambush it halfway, catching it off guard.

"That's not within our scope of work. There will be others who'll take a shot at Black Moon." Zhao Bowen waved his hand, "It's just not clear whether they'll use the Hedgehog Plan or the Human Cannonball Plan. That's not our job; we do the behind-the-scenes and underground work, not frontline combat."

"Then I apply for a transfer to the frontline. Comrade leader, please ask the organization for approval." Bai Zhen said.

"I also apply for a transfer to the frontline. Comrade leader, please ask the organization for approval." Wang Ning said.

"Don't even think about it, what would the Ministry of Defense Science and Industry and the General Equipment Department need you two old farts for?" Zhao Bowen said, "To sweep the floors over there?"

"I can sweep!" Bai Zhen said righteously, "For the Party and country, for the Chinese nation, for the future of all mankind, I will sweep without resentment or regret."

After he finished, he added another sentence:

"As long as I get to touch the Human Cannonball."

"Touch my ass, it's still unknown whether the Human Cannonball can even be built. Just listen to that plan, they're putting satellites out past the Solar System." Zhao Bowen sighed, turning his head to look at Old Bai and Old Wang, "Seriously, guys, you don't actually believe that... do we stand a chance on the frontline, do you?"

Both of them were startled.

"I... I think it sounds feasible."

Whether it's the Hedgehog Plan or the Human Cannonball Plan, the grandiosity and audaciousness are unprecedented in human history. Although resisting alien beings with the current power of humans sounds far-fetched at first—heck, those are aliens we're talking about, squishing humans like they are kneading clay, making us round if they want to round and flat if they want to flat—yet Bai Zhen and Wang Ning, with their combined nearly hundred years of life experience and knowledge reserve, went back and forth analyzing the situation and somehow came to believe more and more that it might work.

As long as the supporting structure inside Black Moon is still governed by the Four Basic Forces, then there is no reason why it should be immune to the impact of nuclear weapons or directed energy weapons—Aren't gamma-ray bursts just gamma rays? If we build a super-sized gamma-ray laser, we are also harnessing the Power of Cosmic Explosion.

"If it's really feasible, then we wouldn't be communicating with the future twenty years from now, the outcome of certain defeat would already be sealed." Zhao Bowen said, "The so-called frontline is filled with people who rush forward knowing they will die."

Bai Zhen and Wang Ning fell silent, this bastard Old Zhao really didn't mince words.

Everyone in the command center knew that the outcome twenty years later was already sealed, but if the outcome of certain defeat was already sealed, then what was the meaning behind their desperate struggle?

"Is Yangyang in the room?" Zhao Bowen suddenly asked, "What time is it? It's time to check on how well that girl on the other side is prepared, time is life, we need to commence the second phase of the East Red Action."

After speaking, he picked up the photo from the coffee table, pinching his chin as he looked at it for a long time, and softly said, "A megastructure with a diameter of forty million kilometers, what kind of monster is this..."