Hot Wavelength

Chapter 44 (Choosing Sides 2): The Perilous Peak
In December 2031, Liangguo Sazhou Rocket City

Michael and Daphne realized a problem: after humans mastered the technology to create intelligent machines, they created all kinds of "intelligent living things," such as robotic dogs that can jump over obstacles, robotic bees that can fly into small spaces, and even robotic crawlers that can enter the human body to eliminate tumors.

However, what truly amazed the world was the humanoid robot. Making intelligent machines into humanoid forms became a common goal for major manufacturers, and the similarity between humanoid robots and real people became the most important evaluation criterion.

The logical question that interests the two is whether, if humanity was indeed created by a creator, the vast universe is merely a game setting set up by the creator for "living beings."

Furthermore, assuming the creator has the ability to create any kind of "intelligent machine" as the protagonist of his game, there is a high probability that the protagonist the creator ultimately sets up and creates will be himself with 100% similarity.

The Creator is also human, so where is He? To say He is hidden among all living beings is clearly fantasy, not science. Michael connected with VESSEL and handed this question over to an external brain.

VESSEL's answer is this: if a creator exists and he is human, then he must either be in a space other than three-dimensional space, or he must have appeared in a very distant past.

Daphne said, "Theories of four-dimensional or more-dimensional space have achieved great success in mathematical calculations, but in a physical sense there is no, and may never be, empirical evidence. Therefore, string theory is just an unfalsifiable hypothesis."

Michael nodded in agreement: "If we assume there is a creator outside our three-dimensional space, even if that creator is human, it is clearly no longer within the scope of scientific discussion."

If the Creator is human, then He existed in a very distant past. The reason we say "very distant" is because the evolutionary trajectory from Homo sapiens, who appeared in Africa 200 million years ago, to ourselves today is supported by a wealth of archaeological evidence.

We are born of our parents, and clearly not created by a creator. If a creator existed in the distant past, that time must have exceeded 200 million years, possibly tens of millions of years, or even longer.

"Michael, do you think there really were humans on Earth millions or even tens of millions of years ago?" Daphne asked.

"Maybe, but it won't be more than 6500 million years, because before that, the Earth was ruled by dinosaurs," Michael said.

A single sentence reminded Daphne of the extinction of the dinosaurs 6500 million years ago. Could it be that a fragment of Mars exploded and struck the Yucatan Peninsula, causing the dinosaurs to go extinct? Did our creators, humans, live before or after that?

If no evidence was found in archaeological strata after the extinction of the dinosaurs, it is clearly impossible.

If humans existed before that time, and couldn't possibly coexist with dinosaurs because they couldn't defeat them, then where would they have lived? Wouldn't it have been Venus or Mars, not Earth?
If they lived on Venus or Mars, would the explosion of Mars 6500 million years ago be related to them?

Thinking of this, Daphne asked Michael with a serious expression, "If my Martian explosion hypothesis is correct, then it happened 6500 million years ago. Is it possible that it was man-made and related to the superluminal power station?"

Michael least wanted to hear this assumption; the superluminal power station was the most crucial element of his plan to restart the Mars mission. He grasped Daphne's hand and said, slightly nervously:
"Only by using superluminal waves to heat the Martian core and restart its magnetic field can humans freely live on the Martian surface. There's no way we'd expect it to explode!"

“I know that Mars’ magnetic field is very weak right now and cannot withstand high-energy cosmic rays. Your capsule can only allow the volunteers to live in caves in Martian canyons a few hundred meters deep,” Daphne said with a regretful expression.

Michael's Mars terraforming plan involves using a superluminal power station to inject energy into the interior of Mars. The metals in the Martian core would melt back into a liquid state under high temperatures, thereby generating a magnetic field similar to Earth's, protecting humans from solar wind and cosmic radiation.

As heat increases, water ice and oxygen in the Martian crust, as well as dry ice in Antarctica, will be released, and oceans and a breathable atmosphere will reappear on the Martian surface.

Daphne understood the man's feelings; she knew that Michael had put in so much effort to create a "backup plan" for Earth in order to restart the Mars project.

He founded Esbay Corporation, and after countless failures, successfully developed a reusable, high-thrust rocket.

Moreover, Michael and his team's work also includes launching Mars rovers, studying Martian soil, and designing experimental plans for the construction of ultra-light wave power stations, among other things.

Recently, he also sent a heavy-duty electric pickup truck and robot, specially developed for Mars and designed to withstand dust storms, to Mars.

6500 million years ago? Daphne didn't know what had happened, but she guessed that the Martian explosion might be related to an experiment or even an accident at the superluminal power station, and this unease troubled her.

Daphne changed the subject and said to Michael:

"Michael, you are my hero. The two goals you told me when we first met really impressed me."

Michael smiled, a hint of pride in his voice, and said, "The freedom of the human body, the freedom of human consciousness." Michael hopes that one day in the future, humanity can leave Earth and live freely on other planets. Of course, leaving the solar system is unlikely for the foreseeable future, so he has set Mars as his primary target.

As for the freedom of human consciousness, Michael hopes to expand the depth and speed of human thought through brain-computer interface technology, and achieve the "immortality" of thought and soul by uploading consciousness.

“Michael, your goals are too ambitious. Even if you make progress in just one of them, let alone achieve both, it will be a huge benefit to humanity,” Daphne continued. “If there are risks involved in terraforming Mars, you can focus more on artificial intelligence, brain-computer interfaces, or even consciousness uploading.”

Michael said with a wry smile, "The best views are always on the most dangerous peaks. If restarting the Mars mission is risky, is artificial intelligence safe?"

"That's true. Didn't we meet online because we were both worried about the potential threat that artificial intelligence might pose to humanity?"

Michael thought for a moment, then repeated the sentence he had just posted on social media:
"Even if faced with the worst possible outcome of artificial intelligence, namely the extinction of humanity, I would choose to confront it rather than run away from it. I think I might actually be willing to witness it with my own eyes."

At this very moment, on the other side of the world, Martha arrives at the estate of media mogul Andre, owner of SkyHigh Group. Besides Andre, the hostess Eileen and her daughter Mandy are also present.

While exchanging pleasantries, Martha observed whether her boss, Andre, wanted to ask Eileen and her daughter to leave so he could hear her investigation report.

Andek didn't seem to care, nor did he rush to ask Martha. Instead, he said in a puzzling way, "I'm exactly 100 years old this year. With the current development of technology, in a few decades, the average lifespan will reach 120 years, but it doesn't seem to have anything to do with me."

Mandy, Martha's best friend, exchanged a puzzled look after hearing the old man's words, waiting for him to continue. Eileen wasn't surprised; she seemed to understand what Andre meant.

“I’ve lived to be 100, built a business empire, and had five wives.” Andek looked at Eileen and Martha meaningfully, and then said, “I’m past the age of being afraid of death, and I can face it calmly now.”

While Martha and Mandy were puzzled, Eileen explained, "I suggested that he use chemical small molecule bioengineering technology to reorder aging genes. Even if it can't reverse aging and restore youth, it can at least prolong life."

“I don’t want to become a guinea pig. When you all live to be 100, you’ll understand how I feel. I really feel like I’ve done my job,” Andek said.

The reason the old man brought up this topic today was not only because Eileen suggested that Andre try a gene therapy that was still in the clinical trial stage, but also because the old man had received offers from two brain-computer interface companies, including Michael Company.

They invited Andre to be among the first subjects to upload their consciousness, at an extremely high cost.

"In the past 100 years, I have witnessed the electrical age, the information age, and now the intelligent age. My media empire has celebrated every leap forward in human progress, but human technological advancement has its limits, and the risk of crossing those limits and violating the laws of nature is something I cannot accept," the old man said.

Mandy understood, but couldn't help asking, "For you, what risk could be more important than prolonging your life?"

“My dear child, I am not a saint, but for me, the principles of a media professional are more important than my life, and this has nothing to do with my age,” Andek said. “I support the development of artificial intelligence, genetic engineering, and space technology, but the risks must be controlled, and at the very least, they must not threaten the safety of the solar system and humanity.”

"Even if artificial intelligence is risky and could even destroy humanity, how can space technology threaten the safety of the solar system?" Mandy blurted out, asking in bewilderment.

The old man turned his gaze from Mandy to Martha, seemingly asking about the results of her investigation into Michael. Martha fully understood the old man's intention, but felt it inappropriate to speak rashly, so she nodded deeply to Andre.

Andek seemed to have gotten the result he wanted, and said, almost to himself:
"In this world, there are always tech enthusiasts who keep climbing dangerous peaks. If they succeed, humanity reaches a new height. But if they don't control the risks, failure could lead to the annihilation of humanity and even the solar system."

Erin knew a little about Michael's plans to terraform Mars, and she asked, "Are you referring to Michael Max as the tech madman you're talking about?"

“Not just him, but also Nikola Tesla, who proposed the faster-than-light hypothesis,” the old man said indignantly.

&
The poem composed of collected verses at the end of the chapter:
Suddenly, a thousand-foot wave surged in the sky. (Ming, Cheng Benli)

How can one shrink the earth without a reason? — Yuan Zhen, Tang Dynasty
Floating and sinking, in a daze, difficult to discern nature, Tang Dynasty, Yuan Yangzi

The mirror that illuminates heaven and earth remains unpolished. —Lu You, Song Dynasty

(End of this chapter)