179: External "olive branches" and internal disagreements

Dr. Green's visit, which seemed uneventful on the surface but was actually laced with hidden barbs, was like a stone, meticulously calculated for its angle and force, cast into the seemingly calm yet undercurrent-choked waters of "Homeland." In the following weeks and even months, the anticipated ripple effects began to gradually manifest, spreading wave after wave in a manner befitting the "etiquette" of the international academic and technological communities.

Through multiple, ostensibly independent yet highly covert and high-level diplomatic, academic, and even specific commercial channels, the external liaison department of "Homeland" successively received a series of exquisitely packaged, meticulously worded official letters or encrypted electronic messages from various international entities. The sources of these invitations were diverse and wide-ranging:

Top Academic Institutions: Such as a cutting-edge theoretical physics research group under the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), an interdisciplinary team from the MIT Media Lab, and the University of Tokyo's Institute for Advanced Science, among others. Citing reasons like exploring "Information Carrier Stability in Extreme Environments" or "Emergent Properties of Complex Systems," they proposed intentions for "data sharing" or "scholar exchange."

Industry Giants: Such as the globally leading quantum computing company "Qubit Dynamics," the brain-computer interface and neuromorphic computing-focused "NeuroLink Group," and even the heavyweight in aerospace, "Atlas Industries." These entities expressed interest in "Joint Technology Development" or "Establishing Long-term Strategic Research Partnerships," primarily from the perspective of "exploring future technology application scenarios" and "mutually beneficial cooperation in basic research."

Low-Profile Private Foundations: Some little-known but seemingly immensely wealthy private or family foundations, such as the "Prometheus Future Fund" (subtly related to the previous NGO name) and the "Helios Association for the Advancement of Humanities and Sciences," among others. Under the stated purpose of supporting "foundational research with profound implications for human potential," they tactfully inquired about accepting "non-restrictive research grants" or participating in their organized "closed-door academic salons."

Without exception, these invitations were couched in extremely polite, cautious, and academically or commercially appropriate language, filled with praise for "Homeland's" academic standing and research environment, and carefully avoided any sensitive vocabulary that might be construed as probing or pressuring. However, anyone with a discerning eye needed only a cursory glance to clearly detect, from those meticulously chosen yet overly broad research direction descriptions (such as "Research on the Interaction Between Special Environments and Human Potential" or "Exploration of the Consciousness-Matter Interface"), a tacit yet highly consistent focus. Their interest was decidedly not in any of "Homeland's" publicly announced conventional research projects. Their gaze, faintly yet unwaveringly, converged on that heavily guarded name — Excellence — and the research into the "abilities" he represented, which transcended the current scientific framework. Behind some proposals, one could faintly discern the shadow of the discourse system of the International Scientific Ethics Committee or traces of mediation by a "coordinator" akin to Dr. Green in style. It seemed like a more "civilized," more "institutionalized" approach strategy, attempting to package a potential "interest" or even "covetousness" into a "collaborative exploration" conforming to the norms of the academic community.

Debate and Division: The Crossroads of Strategic Direction

This substantial batch of "olive branches," with their complex origins and ambiguous intent, swiftly ignited unprecedented fierce debate and profound division within the highest decision-making echelons of "Homeland." A strategic seminar classified as top-secret lasted an entire day and night in a conference room where the atmosphere was so tense it felt palpable. Based on their stances and concerns, the participants roughly divided into three distinct factions, each putting forward opposing yet seemingly reasonable strategic proposals.

The Conservatives (Fortress Doctrine):

This faction was centered around the base's Chief Security Officer, Lei Zhen (a former special forces Commander with temples tinged with gray and eyes as sharp as a hawk's), and several veteran researchers who had personally participated in the base's founding and witnessed countless storms. Their views were clear-cut and resolute.

Lei Zhen's voice boomed with an undeniable military bearing as he rapped his knuckles heavily on the table: "Is there even a discussion to be had?! This is clearly 'the weasel paying respects to the chicken'! Sugar-coated bullets wrapped in academic garb!" He argued passionately, "We just endured a bloody battle! Morpheus's claws nearly tore out our throats! Which of these institutions doesn't have the shadow of those large foundations or the military-industrial complex behind them? Who dares guarantee they aren't 'the Prophet' wearing a different skin? Data sharing? Technical exchange? That's inviting the wolf into the house! It's handing over Excellence's data and samples on a silver platter! If we open even the slightest crack, those sharks who smell blood will swarm in and pick us clean to the bone!" The veterans added anxiously, "The reason 'Homeland' can exist is absolute secrecy and self-sufficiency! History teaches us that external dependence means being controlled by others! We must adhere to the 'Fortress' policy, rely on our own strength, develop steadily, and harbor no illusions!"

The Progressives (Integration Doctrine):

This faction was represented by several talented and visionary chief scientists with international educational backgrounds, such as materials science expert Dr. Chen Xing and information theory expert Dr. Sarah Jenkins. They were more inclined to consider the issue from the perspective of long-term development and the nature of scientific progress itself.

Chen Xing adjusted his glasses, his tone calm yet persuasive: "I understand the security concerns, but we cannot abandon eating for fear of choking. Complete isolation equals stagnation! Modern science advances rapidly; the lone wolf model is outdated. If we continue to shut our doors tight, we will not only miss crucial technological breakthroughs and information but also, through isolation, likely make more enemies, turning 'Homeland' into a target for all." Sarah added, "The key is *how* to open up, not whether to open up at all. We can, under the absolute precondition of ensuring Excellence's safety and the physical isolation of core data, participate in a limited capacity in some peripheral, non-core collaborative projects. This would not only grant us access to urgently needed external resources, advanced technology, and management experience but also help us gain a voice and understanding within the international academic community. We could attempt to bring the research on Excellence into a more standardized, internationally convention-protected ethical framework for scientific research, which in itself is a higher level of protection. Hiding in the shadows makes you a perpetual target for the hunt; stepping into the sunlight might actually secure a space for survival."

The Pragmatists (Prudent Engagement Doctrine):

This faction's core was Wang Jianguo and Evelyn. Their stance was more complex and cautious, emphasizing case-by-case analysis and attempting to find an extremely narrow viable path between absolute security and necessary development.

Wang Jianguo listened silently to the fierce debate between the two sides, his fingers unconsciously tracing invisible patterns on the table. When the argument subsided slightly, he finally spoke slowly, his voice steady and heavy with deep consideration: "Director Lei's concerns are lessons written in blood. We must always remember: safety is the number one, everything else is zero. Dr. Chen and Dr. Jenkins also see the challenges of the future. Complete isolation is indeed not a long-term solution." He looked around at everyone, his gaze sharp: "But I believe the world is not simply black and white. These invitations are inevitably a mixed bag. Some may be poison wrapped in honey, some might truly be hands extended by scholars seeking truth, and more are likely probes from the gray area, driven by interests. We cannot categorically reject them all; that would make us appear insecure and stubborn. Nor can we blindly accept them all; that would be tantamount to suicide."

Evelyn spoke immediately after, her analysis focusing more on technical details and risk assessment: "I agree with the Commander's judgment. We need to establish a strict evaluation filter. For those invitations with clear backgrounds directly or indirectly linked to the 'Prophet Foundation' and with obviously malicious motives, we must resolutely and swiftly reject them, leaving no room whatsoever. However, for a select few institutions with historically good reputations, research areas that genuinely have potential complementarity with ours, and whose proposals are relatively pure—for example, limited to receiving public academic journals or participating in online open-source community discussions..." She paused for emphasis: "Perhaps we could attempt extremely preliminary, highly controlled, asymmetric contact. For instance, we could only receive their publicly published papers; dispatch junior researchers under strict disguise and using anonymous identities to participate in their publicly accessible remote video seminars; or even proactively release some deeply sanitized, inconsequential 'best practice' documents on general laboratory safety standards or environmental maintenance. These contacts themselves would not leak any core secrets, but the process could become a valuable window for us to observe external world dynamics, understand potential adversaries' technological approaches, and even provide early warning."

Decision and the Unresolved Future

In the meeting room, the three viewpoints clashed fiercely, each with its own supporters. No one could completely convince the others. The conservatives firmly believed in the lessons of history, the progressives envisioned future possibilities, and the pragmatists sought balance on the knife's edge of reality. The debate continued late into the night. The air was thick with the heavy smell of smoke (from several heavy smokers) and an anxiety that was difficult to dispel.

Ultimately, as the highest-ranking person in charge, Wang Jianguo, after fully hearing all opinions, made the most operable decision for the current stage. He did not force a unified ideology but instead adopted a transitional principle of 'shelving disputes, observing cautiously, and handling cases individually.'

"The current situation is complex and intricate. The information we possess is still insufficient to support making a long-term and firm strategic choice," Wang Jianguo concluded. "Therefore, I have decided: for now, we will not give any substantive response to external invitations. Simultaneously, I authorize Dr. Evelyn to lead the immediate formation of a streamlined, cross-departmental 'External Contact Evaluation Team,' including members from intelligence analysis, security review, and relevant scientific fields. The team's task is to utilize all our resources to conduct the deepest, most thorough background investigation and risk assessment for every cooperation proposal we receive, clarifying the true intentions behind them, funding flows, key personnel backgrounds, and connections to known hostile forces. The assessment results will be reported directly to me. At that time, we will discuss each case individually and decide whether to firmly reject it, maintain silence, or proceed with the minimal, controlled, tentative contact I mentioned earlier."

This decision, in essence, postponed the difficult problem, buying 'Homeland' precious buffer and observation time. However, the public airing of the disagreement itself had already profoundly revealed an unavoidable reality: the existence of Excellence was like a magnet of immense energy. Its gravitational field could no longer be completely shielded by the physical barrier of 'Homeland' and was continuously attracting the focus of various forces from the external world—whether well-intentioned, malicious, or of the hard-to-define gray variety. 'Homeland' could not remain isolated like a lone island forever. How to interact, maneuver, and even contend with this complex and dangerous external world had already become a top-level strategic problem of utmost urgency, one for which an answer must be found as soon as possible.

Calm in the Eye of the Storm: Excellence's 'Multi-threaded' Adventure

All these high-level, intense debates and strategic deliberations concerning the future fate of 'Homeland' were conducted under absolute secrecy. Excellence, at the very center of the storm, remained completely unaware. He was still immersed in his own fantastical and challenging world of 'Energy Linguistics.'

At this moment, he was sitting cross-legged on the training room floor, his little face flushed red with effort, his brow furrowed into a knot, concentrating fully on his latest 'project'—what Evelyn called 'Introduction to Energy Multi-threaded Operation,' but which Excellence had given a more vivid name: 'Making my 'Energy Little Hands' draw a circle with the left and a square with the right at the same time!'

In front of him were two very simple feedback devices: on the left, an ultra-thin metal flake the size of a fingernail, which relied on weak electrostatic adhesion to a smooth surface and required a continuously stable energy field to maintain levitation (the 'circle'); on the right, a small crawling robot that could only move along a straight track when driven by energy pulses of a specific frequency (the 'square').

Excellence's task was to attempt to simultaneously maintain two completely different energy outputs—on one side, outputting an extremely stable, uniform 'levitation field' (a variant similar to an A-field) to keep the left metal flake steadily floating in the air; on the other side, intermittently and rhythmically outputting a short 'pulse field' (a variant similar to a C-field) to drive the little crawler on the right to move forward step by step.

For someone who had just mastered simple 'energy sentences,' the difficulty was no less than asking a child who had just learned to walk to perform ballet. His consciousness struggled to focus on two completely different tasks simultaneously. He often paid attention to one and neglected the other: the moment he tried to make the crawler move, the levitation field on the left would fluctuate violently, and the metal flake would 'plop' to the ground; the moment he focused on stabilizing the levitation, he would forget to emit the pulse on the right, and the crawler would 'play dead' on the spot. More commonly, his energy output would descend into Chaos, causing both devices to 'freak out' together—the metal flake would shake wildly in the air like a drunkard, while the little crawler would tremble at high speed on the spot like it was electrocuted, even moving backwards.

"Aiya! It's messed up again!" Excellence slapped the floor in frustration, glaring angrily at the two disobedient 'things.'

Su Mu, who was accompanying him during the training, watched this ridiculous scene. Instead of comforting him, she couldn't help but burst into laughter, bending over with mirth. "Oh my little ancestor! This isn't 'multi-threading' at all; this is 'seizure-style' operation! Look at that little bug, shaking like it's at a rave! Hahahaha!"

Embarrassed by her laughter, Excellence also cracked a grin, his frustration completely swept away. The training room was filled with a cheerful atmosphere, forming a stark contrast with the gravity in the meeting room.

The Approaching Storm: The Eve of Change

However, this warm and hopeful training scene could not dispel the dark clouds gathering on the distant horizon. The internal strategic disputes and the continuous external probes were like increasingly dense rolls of thunder rumbling beneath the seemingly calm sky of 'Homeland.' A profound storm of change concerning the future direction of development was perhaps quietly brewing. Could Excellence truly grow to possess a degree of self-protection or even assisting ability before this storm arrived? And how would 'Homeland' find the most difficult path of survival and development in this inevitable, complex game with the external world? All the answers lay hidden on the road ahead, shrouded in mist and challenge.