220: Chapter 220: Peppermint Candy Alien Spaceship

"No way, right?"

"Don't tell me we're getting another dose of that surreal technology we saw in Chelyabinsk last time?"

"Damn, this guy is absolutely playing for real!"

"Could it be that these things actually exist in reality?"

"..."

Countless viewers and experts sat up straight. Even Academician Fang's eyes lit up, and she couldn't help but lean in to observe.

He operated the screen; on one side was his own face, while on the other, he pulled up a grainy, black-and-white video with a vintage feel.

In the top left corner of the video was data information, and in the center was a crosshair reticle constantly tracking a target.

"What you are seeing now is one of several declassified videos released by the USA Navy a few years ago."

"It has nothing to do with the extraterrestrial life theories we are currently discussing; it only concerns movement phenomena recorded by the most advanced sensors that violate current common knowledge of aeronautical dynamics."

"The most famous one is the segment numbered 2004.11.14, often referred to by the outside world as the 'Tic Tac'—the Tic Tac video."

[FLIR infrared camera, filmed on November 14, 2004, over the waters off the coast of California] A line of English text appeared at the bottom of the screen.

The video began to play.

At first, it was a somewhat shaky wide-angle air force view, with the pilot speaking urgently, mixed with the rhythmic beeping of a radar lock.

Suddenly, the crosshair reticle stably locked onto a small, cigar-shaped white object.

It was floating quietly at an altitude of 24,000 meters. The object was very smooth, and to the naked eye, there were no visible propulsion systems, wing surfaces, or cabin structures.

Jiang Zhe adjusted the controls to slow down the video.

"At that time, the Nimitz carrier strike group—one of the most powerful maritime combat systems on this planet—had its Aegis radar capture an abnormal echo for the first time."

"At the time, more than one warship and more than one early warning aircraft, along with multiple top pilots including then-Commander David Fravor, confirmed its existence from multiple dimensions—naked eye, radar, and infrared equipment. It was ultimately firmly locked onto by military radar, which is said to be capable of tracking the trajectory of a tennis ball from a hundred miles away."

At this moment, on screen, that white Tic Tac sensed the signs of an electronic lock.

The next second, it moved, tracing an action path that exceeded human cognition!

In the blink of an eye, the Tic Tac began a right-angle displacement, instantly shifting horizontally out of the frame, moving so fast that it left a faint trail even in slow motion.

"This is the first anomaly: its ability to maneuver and remain stealthy while ignoring fluid dynamics."

"It could suddenly disappear while under continuous tracking by top-tier military radar, or actively electronically jam fire-control radar."

"Its maneuvers lacked the coordination of [aerodynamic control surfaces] in the traditional aerodynamic sense; it was more like it was translating directly through space."

Immediately after, another video captured more detailed footage. (PS: Released in 2017. Whether the USA is playing for real or faking it, I don't know. Judge for yourself.)

Amidst the exclamation of "What the f—" from a pilot in another fighter jet, the Tic Tac decided to leave.

It had no acceleration phase, no exhaust plumes, and it simply vanished straight from the radar screens and optical lenses.

"At this point, the radars of both fighter jets instantly lost the target."

Jiang Zhe opened the official USA Navy website and found the specific data provided by the radar at the time, as well as the hand-drawn data charts from afterwards.

"But according to the supplementary information integrated later from higher-authority data links, it didn't use stealth; it left in a way that human aircraft could absolutely not withstand."

On the white background chart, filled with English letters, in the middle was a diagram of the Tic Tac's departure—a point of light descending from an altitude of about 24,000 meters in a straight vertical line, plummeting toward the sea level at super speed.

After Academician Fang finished watching and couldn't help but cover her mouth, Jiang Zhe paused the video and began to explain.

"The second, and more critical anomaly: it ignored inertia and the atmospheric environment."

"For such a free-fall dive, Academician Fang, please consider—" He raised a finger with a serious expression, "Where is the atmospheric friction? Where is the trail of thousands of degrees of high-temperature thermal barrier? And where is the conical sonic boom cloud that must be generated when breaking the sound barrier?"

He paused for 2.5 seconds and continued: "None. Absolutely none. Academician Fang, within our world's classical physics framework, this situation is equivalent to it convincing air molecules and the laws of inertia to stand down. At that moment, the environment gave it a special green light, making it seem as if it were placed within a bubble of different physical rules."

Then, he continued operating, opening another piece of public information from the Navy. It was the movement trajectory route of that Tic Tac.

The route map showed—this object was not moving at high speed all the time; its trajectory presented an incredible [frame skipping] pattern: long periods of absolute stillness → imperceptible preparation → ultra-high-speed displacement, crossing tens of kilometers → returning to absolute stillness again, without causing a single ripple on the sea surface.

As Jiang Zhe started scrolling with his mouse, he explained: "This is the third anomaly: a stepped movement pattern."

"This is not acceleration or deceleration."

"It's more like flashing between fixed points in space-time; its movement has no process, only results."

At this point, Jiang Zhe looked at Academician Fang's frowning face and continued:

"The official investigation conclusions are vague. From [Unidentified Aerial Phenomena] to [possible advanced foreign technology], and then to the [possibility of non-human intelligence] hinted at by some former officials—we won't discuss its authenticity; this matter is also a subject of much debate abroad."

"But, if we cast aside all arguments about what it is."

"And only analyze the movement technology of this Tic Tac—what kind of technology is it exactly!"

"Then, what is the simplest and least self-contradictory solution?"

At this point, he nodded slightly, "Academician Fang, I'm afraid it is exactly what we just discussed—not brute-forcing against physical rules, but rather controlling and utilizing the preliminary applications of the deeper structures of space and gravity!"

"The technology displayed by that white Tic Tac is very likely a kind of alternative—[space terrain gliding], or even [local gravitational field manipulation]!"

It should be noted that the technologies Jiang Zhe mentioned—have nothing to do with the authenticity of the video.

The technology he spoke of is the result of discussions by countless scientists in his past life. (PS: It is also a type of interstellar voyage technology that might become real in the future, just a very, very long time from now.)

Hearing this, the viewers frowned, and everyone's face showed an expression of disbelief.

"!!!!!!"

"Holy crap, I've got goosebumps!"

"He's playing for real, this guy is playing for real, I actually found it on the USA Navy official website..."

"So, it might not be flying, but gliding, gliding down the [downhill] of space structure?"

"That Tic Tac's frame-skipping movement, could it be that spatial coordinates are being reset?"

"My god, if this is true, our technology... damn, it's really weak!"

"..."

Xiaoyu couldn't help but retreat back into the single sofa and couldn't resist typing to ask: "Brothers, is this real?"

Soon, countless barrage comments appeared.

[It couldn't be more real!]

[This guy is actually being subtle; this matter was indeed released by the USA.]

[The USA might fake things, but they wouldn't fake this. For example, the TR-3B is a triangular aircraft built by the USA in the 80s and 90s. Many people said it was an alien spacecraft; the USA could have originally faked it by saying it was an alien spacecraft, but they kept silent for decades. Later, around the 2010s, after more people saw the TR-3B, they finally said: "Yes, this is a reconnaissance aircraft we developed, electromagnetically driven."]

[Hiss~~~]

Seeing this, Xiaoyu couldn't help but knit her brows. She hadn't expected this guy to be playing for real again?

She hadn't even finished digesting the last Chelyabinsk event, and now this?

In front of the computer, Jiang Zhe nodded slightly, "So, Academician Fang, let's return to the initial question."

"Regardless of what kind of aircraft or spaceship we build, the core challenge of the future may not be finding a super material that never burns out, and then banging our heads against the cold of the universe."

"Instead, we humans need to completely change our mindset—to let the ships we build transform from objects needing layers of protection into living existences capable of perceiving the cruelty of the universe."

"Materials will no longer be rigid armor, but its sensitive skin; engines will no longer be roaring motors, but its heart."

"What we ultimately need to build is not a ship, but a brand-new [life form]!"

"The ultimate future aerospace technology you are pursuing, its core, perhaps lies in... nanotechnology, or even picotechnology and femtotechnology!"

Saying this, he blinked gently.

Academician Fang Jinhua was silent for 2.5 minutes before nodding very solemnly.

"Student J!"

"Regardless of whether the video released by the USA is synthetic or real."

"It cannot affect your insights, your cognition, and your mastery of the entire field. And these words of yours; if spoken at any formal review meeting, they would be denounced as fantasy by those experts who steal students' papers."

As she changed the subject, "But, I believe."

"I don't believe you can build it tomorrow, but I believe in this direction of thinking, the possibilities your mind offers—it is the only real path to the stars and the sea!"

"Fighting against the heavens has its limits; aligning with the heavens, its path is endless."

"Today, you have given Auntie Fang a true lesson in imagination enlightenment."

After a long while, she let out a deep breath, smiled with relief, and said with a gratified expression: "You have passed my first question. And, it is a perfect score among perfect scores."