199: Choices and the Launch of "Eye in Deep Space"

The short signal from the distant "Trap" coordinates, filled with unknown implications, was like a massive stone thrown into a calm lake, instantly stirring up monstrous waves and unprecedentedly fierce debates within the highest decision-making level of "Homeland". This was not just an accidental communication event; the amount of information behind it was enough to make everyone in the know feel a chill down their spine.

The appearance of the signal, in an almost irrefutable way, confirmed several key and disturbing facts: First, that region of the starry sky marked as "Danger" or "Trap" by the ancient "planet core" was not dead void; inside or behind it, there indeed existed some form of highly intelligent "active subject". Second, the technical level mastered by this "subject" was unimaginably high—it could not only detect the extremely weak simulated detection energy ripples that "Homeland" used the "star sea sandbox" to generate, which should have been annihilated in the vast cosmic background noise, but it could also precisely locate the source of the signal and respond! Third, the behavioral pattern of the other party was full of unknowns. Was it kindness? Malice? Testing? Or the triggering of some automatic defense mechanism? Everything was a mystery.

In the urgently convened top-secret conference room, the atmosphere was so heavy it could almost be wrung out like water. The faction advocating caution (represented by some security heads and senior consultants) had a clear and severe viewpoint. They believed that this signal was most likely a carefully designed, malicious "bait". "The other party chose to respond immediately after we focused our detection, and the timing was so precise that it was clearly intentional to let us know 'it' had noticed! This is a show of force, and even more likely a trap to lure us into taking further action!" A white-haired security expert tapped the table, his tone excited: "We should immediately stop all forms of active and passive detection! Switch to the highest alert state! Even..." He paused, his voice low, "Consider activating the emergency plan to move the 'planet core' to a more hidden and safer backup location! We cannot entrust the fate of the entire 'Homeland' to a guess about the goodwill of an unknown existence!"

The faction advocating contact and exploration (mainly some adventurous scientists and strategic analysts) held a different view. They believed that risk and opportunity coexisted. "This is a historic, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!" A young astrophysicist had burning eyes, "We may be facing an intelligent existence higher than ancient civilizations! Active contact might open a door to a brand-new technology tree and cosmic understanding for us! If we shrink back because of fear, we will be trapped at the bottom of a well forever! Moreover, with the technical strength the other party has shown, if there is real malice, how much significance would our hiding and defense have? It is better to face it calmly and strive for the possibility of dialogue!"

Both sides held their own opinions, the debate was extremely fierce, and the meeting fell into a stalemate. The huge uncertainty hung over the heart of everyone like a heavy cloud.

Decision of Excellence: Lighting a Torch in the Dark

Just at the critical moment when the debate was endless and it was difficult to reach a consensus, Excellence, who had been listening silently with a slightly furrowed brow, slowly stood up from his seat. In an instant, the gaze of everyone focused on this young figure who had become the technical soul and symbol of "Homeland". Having experienced countless storms and tempering from heavy responsibilities, Excellence had now shed his youthful greenness, exuding a steadiness, courage, and convincing decisiveness that transcended his age.

He swept his calm gaze across every decision-maker present, and stated his point of view with a clear and steady voice, every word resounding:

"The signal has already arrived." He got straight to the point, pointing out the unavoidable reality, "This means that from the moment it was captured by us, we could no longer stay out of it, and we could no longer pretend that nothing had happened. Evasion and closure might bring temporary psychological comfort, but it will only make us completely passive in strategy."

He further analyzed, with calm rationality in his tone: "The other party can capture the weak energy ripples generated by our sandbox simulation, which are almost negligible, so precisely. This in itself shows that its technical Perception level is far beyond our current scope of cognition and understanding. To use a perhaps inappropriate metaphor, in front of it, we might be like Fireflies in the dark night, thinking we are well hidden, but in front of real night-vision goggles, we have nowhere to hide. If it harbors malice, with our existing technology, whether we close or hide, the final result may not be essentially different."

Speaking of this, his tone changed abruptly, and his eyes became as sharp as a knife, as if to pierce the fog in front of him: "However, what if... what if this is not just a trap? What if it is more like a... 'test'? Or a door to a new world that requires a specific 'key' to open?"

He led the topic to a deeper level: "Everyone, do not forget the attitude of the 'planet core' towards that area—'disgust' and 'vigilance'. This emotional labeling itself is very telling. Perhaps what is hidden there is exactly the secret that the ancient civilization that created the core could not face, or their former... opponent? We have inherited part of the knowledge and power of the core, perhaps, to some extent, we have also inherited this causality and responsibility. Escaping cannot solve any problems, it will only let hidden dangers ferment in the unknown."

Based on the above judgment, Excellence proposed an action plan that was both bold and adventurous, yet relatively cautious and controllable—the "deep space eye" plan. He explained in detail: Do not directly reply to the signal of unknown origin (to avoid falling into a possible dialogue trap), and do not immediately send entities or energy detectors (to avoid meat buns hitting dogs, never returning). Instead, exhaust the capabilities of "Homeland" to launch a top-secret project—using the nearly infinite pure energy provided by the "planet core" as a source, combined with the high-dimensional space energy Perception and simulation technology already successfully verified by the "star sea sandbox", to build a super-remote, ultra-high-precision "passive energy sensing array" operating in a unique energy frequency band inside "Homeland".

"The core of this array is a huge 'eye' purely made of energy." Excellence drew an abstract pupil-like structure on the star map with his hand, "It does not actively emit any detection beams that might expose our specific location and strength. Its only function is to conduct extremely sensitive 'passive reception' and 'ultra-long-distance Perception'. It is like placing the most sensitive 'ear' and 'eye' we can build on the edge of an endless abyss, trying to 'listen' to the more subtle and real energy fluctuations inside that dead-silent area, and 'observe' the most basic characteristics of its space-time structure, so as to judge what is inside? Is it a living civilization? Is it an ancient relic? Or a real, cold trap?"

"What we need most now is not speculation, but information!" Excellence emphasized firmly, his voice filled with unquestionable determination, "Blind suspicion in absolute darkness is the most dangerous state! We must find a way to 'see' the opponent clearly, even if we can only see an extremely blurry outline at first, it is far better than total darkness!"

Final Decision of Wang Jianguo: A Historic Choice

This plan was undoubtedly walking a tightrope. Its greatest risk was that starting and running such a huge energy sensing array, especially needing to mobilize the source power of the "planet core", would inevitably produce energy fluctuations much stronger than the previous sandbox simulations. This was tantamount to lighting a brighter torch in the dark, which would almost certainly be captured by the other party again, and might even be regarded as an upgraded provocation or response.

However, this plan also provided the only way to obtain key information and break the information asymmetry stalemate under the current situation. It was relatively passive and hidden, without direct interaction, leaving room for strategic maneuver.

Wang Jianguo fell into deep thought, his fingers tapping rhythmically on the table, his sharp gaze sweeping over the faces of Excellence, Evelyn, and every attendee. What he needed to weigh was the fate of the entire "Homeland". Finally, he slammed his head up, a flash of determination in his eyes, and slammed the table hard:

"Risk and opportunity coexist! Blindly retreating will only lead to waiting for death!" His voice was loud and powerful, making the final decision: "I approve! Immediately start the 'deep space eye' plan! Highest priority!" He looked at Excellence with eyes like torches: "Excellence! You are fully responsible for the technical implementation! Whatever you need, 'Homeland' will give you! Dr. Evelyn, you will coordinate all scientific research resources and provide all necessary theoretical and technical support! Comrade Su Mu!" He looked at Su Mu, who was waiting nervously on the side, "Your task is to ensure the absolute safety of Excellence and ensure that he does not have any problems due to overwork! This is a step we must take! It is also a gamble we must make for survival!"

All Out: Building the "Eye of the Abyss"

The order of Wang Jianguo was like blowing the horn of a charge. In the following days, the "Star Sea Research Institute" and even the entire "Homeland" entered an unprecedented, high-speed wartime state. All resources were tilted towards the "deep space eye" plan. The core area of the research institute was designated as the highest restricted area, and the security level was raised to the top.

Excellence, like a commander ordered in a crisis, was stationed at the "star sea sandbox" control center. He was almost sleepless, devoting himself entirely to the design of this unprecedentedly complex energy configuration. His eyes were bloodshot from long-term focus, but his spirit was in a state of extreme excitement and concentration. Under his command, the majestic energy was carefully guided out from the "planet core", like a tamed river, and on the basis of the sandbox, began to build a complex and precise energy sensing structure. Countless energy flows, like the finest silk threads, were intertwined under the guidance of his thoughts, outlining the prototype of a huge, shimmering energy pupil that was becoming clearer.

Evelyn led her core team, conducting crazy calculations and simulations. They needed to ensure the stability of the energy circuit, optimize the Perception algorithm, and process the massive amount of messy data from deep space that was expected to pour in. The laboratory was piled with calculation papers, data streams refreshed like waterfalls on holographic screens, and the sound of keyboard tapping and intense discussions was endless.

Su Mu became the most reliable logistics minister, security officer, and spiritual pillar. She stayed by the side of Excellence, strictly controlling his work and rest time, forcing him to eat and sleep on time, handing him refreshing drinks when he was tired, and easing the tense atmosphere with her unique jokes. She was the buffer between Excellence and the outside world, ensuring that this most precious genius of "Homeland" could focus on creation without distraction.

Staring into the Abyss: A Historic Moment

After countless days and nights of fighting, after overcoming dozens of energy out-of-control and structural collapse crises, the historic moment finally arrived.

In the center of the huge spherical main laboratory of the "Star Sea Research Institute", a giant "pupil" with a diameter of more than ten meters, composed entirely of pure energy and emitting a soft and mysterious halo, finally "opened" slowly and steadily! Its structure was exquisite, and inside, countless tiny starlights seemed to be flowing along complex trajectories. The direction of focus actually penetrated the physical barrier of the laboratory, crossed an unimaginable spatial distance, and silently cast into that weird starry sky area located in the depths of the universe, marked as a "Trap"!

The laboratory was silent. All researchers participating in the project held their breath, their hearts pounding. Wang Jianguo, Evelyn, Su Mu, and all the high-level officials stared at this shocking scene through security monitoring.

This "deep space eye", which condensed the highest technology of "Homeland" and all the efforts of Excellence, like a lonely watcher, began to cast the first ray of exploratory gaze into the depths of that endless darkness.

Was the place where the gaze reached a huge opportunity to lead "Homeland" to a brilliant new era? Or... the entrance to an irredeemable abyss of destruction? The answer was hidden behind that distant and cold star mist, waiting to be slowly revealed by this brave eye. The fate of everyone was tied to this moment of staring into the abyss.