Chapter 359 Contact

Lin Sen spoke slowly, "Indeed... we cannot fathom the intentions of an Unknown Civilization, the only remaining option is to make contact with them."

"Once civilizations come into contact, it's highly likely that some unexpected information will be revealed, and the emergence of this new information is not determined by human will."

Ye Chen replied, "As early as a year ago, after humanity first engaged in battle with an Unknown Civilization, countless sociologists and scholars urged us to initiate contact, for which they had prepared a plethora of contact plans.

"However, all of these proposals were ultimately denied.

"This was not because contact conformed to sociological effects. Today's humanity, as a whole, has stepped into the interstellar domain, having engaged in several civilization wars, and having faced wars between civilizations multiple times; such contact effects are no longer enough to cause a schism in human culture.

"The real obstruction came from our extreme scarcity of intelligence on Unknown Civilizations. After complex sociological model deductions, we arrived at a grim conclusion: under the current circumstances, the potential risks brought by initiating contact far outweigh any possible benefits.

Therefore, the rulers of the alliance had no choice but to shelve the requests for contact temporarily."

Symbolic contact theory advocates that it's impossible for humanity to interact with an alien civilization as a collective entity. Such contact leads to fragmentation rather than integration in human culture and exacerbates rather than resolves conflicts between different human civilizations.

This effect has nothing to do with the extent and method of the contact (unidirectional or bidirectional), nor with the form and evolutionary stage of the alien civilizations encountered! This was also one of the reasons Country C established the Red Coast Base 500 years ago.

Humanity today is not affected by the aforementioned impact but is constrained by known intelligence. The Trisolarans used Sophons to observe humanity for hundreds of years and almost learned all of humanity's secrets, until after the Dust Battle, humanity regained its secrecy.

Now, the Unknown Civilization must have learned everything about Human Civilization from the Trisolarans, while humans know almost nothing about the Unknown Civilization.

It is extremely dangerous to rashly contact an Unknown Civilization without sufficient intelligence to back it up. Sometimes, 'knowledge' that cannot be distinguished between true and false is more dangerous than 'not knowing'.

The 'omniscience' of the Trisolarans regarding Human Society was, to some extent, the fundamental reason for their failure. And now, humanity's 'ignorance' of the Unknown Civilization can create the greatest disadvantage in the suspicion of contact.

This could also be seen as a variant form of the suspicion chain, where every expression might be an act of deception.

Lin Sen's words continued in the tranquil space, carrying an undeniable conviction, "I naturally understand this, but Human Civilization has never determined present actions based on the most probable outcomes.

"Since contact is the only way, then we must act, regardless of the consequence, we must fulfill our responsibility. This is our only chance.

"Whatever the outcome of the contact, we need to bear it.

"The strength of a civilization lies not in the level of technological development, but in the spirit to uphold responsibility and show courage in the face of any adversity; it is the fearless bravery to choose life amidst sure death, even when knowing the road ahead is fraught with hardship."

Lin Sen's words, like heavy stones, fell into the lake of people's hearts, rippling outwards, making everyone present fall into deep contemplation.

Indeed, humanity had been immersed in long periods of comfort for too long, seemingly having forgotten the courage to face the unknown, filled with inexplicable fear of the erosion of storms.

At this moment, many members of the alliance began to re-examine their own hearts. The brutal scenes of civilization wars resurfaced before their eyes, reawakening the memories buried deep within. The flames of war that once burned in their eyes were rekindled at this instant.

Ye Chen and the other rulers first determined the strategy for contact with the Unknown Civilization, and the subsequent discussions grew intense. Courage is key in the face of everything, but it's even more critical to have a complete strategy.

Once a decision to act is made, the task is already half complete.

In the end, the alliance decided that Lin Sen should undertake the heavy responsibility of making contact with the Unknown Civilization; perhaps he was also the most suitable person for the job.

However, when the members of the alliance saw the contact strategy submitted by Lin Sen, they were rendered speechless. Despite significant disagreements and controversy regarding the strategy, it was eventually approved based on Lin Sen's prestige in the alliance and his extraordinary past contributions.

…

The Trisolaran Star System.

A human Sophon in the vicinity of the Trisolaran Star System reduced to a massive spherical entity, with a subtitle displayed on its surface:

To unknown civilizations, we extend our best wishes.

Human Civilization has no intention of being engulfed in the vortex of war with you or Trisolaran Civilization.

In human history, war has always been accompanied by the struggle for resources and prejudices in the heart.

However, between us, there is no direct competition for resources. What exists are the stubborn prejudices of each civilization in the Dark Forest. The prejudices in the hearts of civilizations, like mountains, suffocate us.

We feel stifled; we want to climb this mountain of prejudice, to meet you at the summit, without the separation caused by prejudices in the heart.]

This message of contact with the unknown civilization was subject to extensive controversy and skepticism within the human world. Many people believed that this message lacked substantive content and was merely an empty gesture.

To compare the Dark Forest to the prejudices between civilizations was not only inaccurate but also undoubtedly exposed human intentions, a move that may not be wise.

Whether the unknown civilization speculates about this message with good or ill intentions, it will put humanity at a disadvantage. Moreover, such a message is unlikely to receive a reply, since replying would also expose the other party's intentions.

But Lin Sen wasn't considering these points; instead, he was hopeful, looking forward to the unknown civilization being the one he was longing for—the Mountain.

Therefore, Lin Sen described the Dark Forest as the mountain of prejudice weighing upon civilizations. Faced with such a mountain, humans would feel suffocated and repressed, yet they would also feel the urge and determination to climb it.

This emotional resonance and shared determination to face challenges might be the most attractive factor for the Mountain Civilization to respond.

Upon seeing the human message, whether it was the leader of the Mountain Civilization or the Trisolaran Leader, they were invariably struck by an ineffable shock.

The specific information of the Mountain Civilization should be a secret inaccessible to humanity, with not a shred of it disclosed to the human world. Yet, the message sent by humans was like a precisely aimed arrow, striking deep into the heart of the Mountain Civilization, revealing the common plight and struggle they faced.

Even if the Mountain Civilization's leader internally suspected this to be a human stratagem or trap, they could not suppress the urge to communicate with humanity. Because the shock and resonance had already transcended rational constraints, becoming an irresistible force.

The Dark Forest law, like an invisible mountain, weighed heavily on the chest of every civilization, giving them an unprecedented feeling of suffocation and repression. What they found even more unbearable was not the unknown fear and danger but the loneliness throughout the long years.

Deep in their hearts, they longed to encounter those who shared the same ideals and pursuits. They yearned for companions who could understand them, fight alongside them, and together explore the vast universe.

In the logic of the Mountain Civilization, such an ideal must also be the true ideal of Human Civilization; otherwise, humans would not have sent such a message as their first point of contact.

At the very least, it had to be somewhat superficial and cliché, like "We extend our good wishes and look forward to creating a better life together in the vast universe."

Not long after, the Mountain Civilization also broadcast a message to the human Sophon:

[To Human Civilization, we extend our best wishes.

Our feelings are mild; we do not harbor prejudices against other civilizations.

The Dark Forest is also a heavy mountain to us; it bears down on our hearts, making us gasp for breath.

We also feel stifled; we want to climb that mountain of prejudice, to meet you at the summit, breathing that air together.]

To humans, Lin Sen's civilizational greeting might seem somewhat naïve and unsophisticated. Yet, the reply from the unknown civilization plunged humanity into profound confusion and disbelief.

This response was like that of a neophyte, completely overturning human expectations of how an intelligent civilization should respond, shattering all human fantasies about civilizations under the Dark Forest's shadow.

Many saw this reply as a possible conspiracy by the unknown civilization, yet even the most astute and wisest elites of humanity could not fathom the true intentions of this unknown civilization.

Regardless of whether this was a ruse by the unknown civilization, the intent they expressed was clear and strong: they too were suffocated by the mountain of the Dark Forest; they too longed to climb this high mountain made of prejudice and misunderstanding, to meet humanity at the summit.

If this is not a conspiracy, then that civilization also harbors a determination to embrace death, a desire to break free from the shackles of the Dark Forest, and most importantly, they are all in search of their true companions.