Chapter 139: Unbound by the Heart

Hua Feng was well aware that a strangely shaped alien skull had once been discovered in Denmark.

In July 2016, according to reports from the Russian news agency Sputnik, a uniquely shaped skull was discovered on the island of Zealand in Denmark. Researchers suggested it was an alien skull. The eye sockets of this skull were significantly larger than those of a normal human being, leading researchers to unanimously conclude that it belonged to an extraterrestrial. The dimensions of this skull were 1.5 times larger than those of a human skull. A veterinary representative from the University of Copenhagen, who had long engaged in archaeological excavations, stated, "If not for its extremely peculiar contour and size, this remain might well be that of a mammal. But now, we believe it is highly unlikely to be the skull of an earth-born creature." According to Danish scholars, the excavated skull was estimated to be 800 years old. Previously, scholars had believed the skull belonged to a prehistoric creature, but that hypothesis was later overturned.

In the fourteenth century, a secret society of poets and writers lived on the island of Zealand. According to historical records, members of this association once possessed ancient artifacts belonging to aliens.

Among the various perspectives held by scholars, statements concerning extraterrestrial life are sometimes remarkably authentic and credible.

An astrophysicist at Harvard University deduced that it is virtually impossible for humanity to discover the existence of extraterrestrial life. Even if certain clues were to exist, establishing contact with them would be exceedingly difficult. According to this deduction, perhaps there are no such things as aliens at all, and humanity remains entirely alone in the vast universe.

To date, astronomers have discovered a total of 500 planets in distant exoplanetary systems—which share a structure similar to our solar system—and believe this is merely the tip of the iceberg among hundreds of millions of similar celestial bodies. Based on this premise, many scholars maintain an actively positive and optimistic attitude toward the existence of extraterrestrial life. Stephen Hawking recently stated that, given the existence of hundreds of millions of galaxies, the hypothesis that other life forms exist in the universe is entirely rational. Meanwhile, researchers at the University of London have calculated precisely that aliens might inhabit as many as 40,000 planets.

However, Howard Smith, an astrophysicist at Harvard University, argued that these ideas are overly optimistic. Smith harbors a pessimistic view regarding people's fervent hopes of finding "companions" in the universe. He noted that although tens of thousands of exoplanets possess volumes similar to that of Earth, their internal climates and conditions are highly likely to be extremely unsuitable for the existence of life forms such as the cinematic E.T. First, some planets are either too close or too far from their host stars, resulting in abnormal and extreme surface conditions that cannot support the formation of life. Second, the orbits of many planets are highly eccentric, causing drastic temperature fluctuations that prevent water—the fundamental element of life—from existing in liquid form.

Gliese 581g, discovered in September 2010 and once hailed as the "first suspected habitable exoplanet," briefly captivated the world, but ultimately remained merely "suspected." Its existence is still a matter of intense debate, with continuous new evidence suggesting that the planet may not even exist at all, let alone harbor human-like life. "We have verified that most terrestrial planets and exoplanets are vastly different from our solar system. The environment is far too harsh for life, making the expectation of finding extraterrestrial intelligent beings with whom we can communicate increasingly slim," Smith said.

In the view of scientists who share Smith's perspective, even if one insists on holding onto the faint hope of contacting alien life, the search must be restricted to a spherical region centered on Earth with a radius of at most 1,250 light-years. Only within this boundary might aliens possibly hear our signals and respond. Yet, such a dialogue "would span scores of centuries."

Russian astronomers once predicted that humanity would encounter aliens.

Professor Finkelstein, a Russian astronomer, stated, "The emergence of life is an inevitable product of the evolution of complex atoms; life must exist on other planets, and humanity will discover it within the next twenty years." He serves as the director of the Institute of Applied Astronomy at the Russian Academy of Sciences. When asked what aliens might look like, Finkelstein suggested they might resemble humans, possessing two hands, two legs, and a head. He remarked, "Perhaps aliens have a different skin color, but humans also exhibit variations in skin color."

Many harbor an instinctive question: Is it dangerous to contact aliens?

From the pioneering Star Trek and Solaris to the classic E.T., humanity's exploration of outer space has never ceased. People have consistently sought to find a trace of life in outer space, hoping to communicate with it for mutual benefit. However, the physicist Hawking made the startling assertion that it is best not to proactively contact aliens.

On April 26, 2010, the renowned British physicist and mathematician Stephen Hawking stated in a documentary broadcast the previous day that the existence of aliens is highly probable, but humanity should not actively seek them out and should make every effort to avoid contact.

The American Discovery Channel began broadcasting the documentary series *Into the Universe with Stephen Hawking* on the 25th. In the program, Hawking shared his views on unresolved cosmic mysteries, including the question of whether extraterrestrial life exists.

The British newspaper *The Sunday Times* quoted Hawking on the 25th, reporting that the universe contains over 100 billion galaxies, each housing at least a vast number of stars. Based on this sheer figure alone, the existence of extraterrestrial life is virtually certain.

"The real challenge is figuring out what aliens actually look like," Hawking said. In his view, extraterrestrial life is very likely to exist in the form of microorganisms or primitive creatures, but the existence of intelligent life forms capable of threatening humanity cannot be ruled out.

"I imagine some of them might have exhausted the resources of their own planet and could be living in massive spacecraft," he said. "These advanced extraterrestrials might become nomads, seeking to conquer and colonize every planet within their reach."

Hawking believes that given the possibility that aliens might plunder Earth's resources and then depart, humanity actively seeking contact with them is "a little too risky."

"If aliens visit us, the outcome I think would be much like when Christopher Columbus first landed in America, which didn't turn out well for the Native Americans."

The American historian Neil argued that, on Earth, powerful (meaning more developed) civilizations always dominate weaker ones, regardless of political affiliation. He suggested that when we establish contact with an extraterrestrial civilization far superior to our own, it might "suppress" our civilization until it is assimilated into the higher culture.

However, Zhou Haizhong, a Chinese mathematician and linguist, pointed out in his 1999 paper *Cosmology and Exolinguistics* that such concerns are completely unnecessary. As long as they are advanced intelligent beings, their rationality dictates that they must treat all cosmic intelligent life forms with measured discretion. Therefore, aliens and Earthlings will be able to coexist peacefully, cooperate amicably, and develop together in the future.

It seems the debate over whether contacting aliens poses a danger will continue for a long time to come.

Ever since the Roswell incident in 1945, UFOs and aliens have remained enduring topics in films and popular culture. In 1995, a grainy black-and-white footage surfaced, provided by an elderly Washington photographer who claimed he had been ordered in 1947 to go to the Roswell Army Air Field to film an autopsy.

This added credibility to the 1947 "Roswell UFO crash incident." This top-secret film, shot by the military, depicted the entire process of dissecting an alien body and became evidence persistently cited by UFO enthusiasts to claim that the U.S. government possessed extraterrestrial remains.

However, not long after the footage caused a sensation, numerous doubts were raised, including: First, the military already had photographers stationed at Roswell—and they were the ones best equipped to keep secrets—so what was the necessity of summoning someone all the way from Washington?

Second, autopsies conducted by the United States at that time were recorded using color film with sound. Why would such a crucial piece of footage employ outdated black-and-white recording technology and lack audio?

Third, the cinematography of the black-and-white film was extremely poor, falling far short of military photography standards. Fourth, the actions of the autopsy surgeon in the film were thoroughly unprofessional, failing to meet the qualifications of a competent medical examiner. How could a military surgeon possibly be so amateurish, especially when executing such a vital task?

It was not until April 2006 that the truth behind the "Alien Autopsy" film finally came to light: a renowned British television special effects artist, John Humphreys, publicly admitted to the media that he and several peers had fabricated the footage. This sensational black-and-white documentary was not filmed in 1947 in the desert near Roswell, New Mexico, but rather in 1995 in an apartment in the Camden area of North London.

Although the film was fake, its sensational impact spread globally. Consequently, the Chinese professional internet marketing agency, Jianbaotang Network Planning Agency, once referred to the event as a century-level publicity stunt. It capitalized on humanity's intense worldwide curiosity regarding extraterrestrial life and successfully harnessed the residual momentum of past events, making it a classic masterpiece in the history of hype.

Three months had passed since Hua Feng and his companions arrived at Dawn Academy, and the date was now July 25, 2118. Through systematic study and practical training, the concepts that Hua Feng, Yun Meng, and Bai Feng had once only vaguely understood became entirely clear.

In the days ahead, Hua Feng knew that even more intense studies might await him, or perhaps practical field missions would be assigned following the completion of his theoretical training. Yet, a more pressing and inexplicable sense of foreboding had recently been troubling his mind.