Reborn in 2011, I am the chief designer of aerospace.

Dr. Ye was both exhausted and excited. He fidgeted and rubbed the bald patches on his head, seemingly hoping to get some good luck, before saying:

"It was discovered by our team, or more precisely, reported to me by one of my colleagues who initially spotted it in calibration test photos from the Sky Survey."

"I understand." Sun Liancheng pressed, "So what is this interstellar spaceship doing now?"

"There is no definitive conclusion yet, and the specific details are still unclear. Based on current observations, the celestial body has entered the Martian ring orbit, and we speculate that it may be merging with another celestial body."

A small satellite is embedded in the Martian rings, but it's too small to see any details. Only faint, pixel-level signals are discernible in the images, suggesting some kind of activity may be taking place there.

"What's unusual about the small satellite that it's rendezvous with?"

Dr. Ye shook his head: "We know nothing about this either."

"Is this the result you got after all that trouble?" Annoyed wrinkles appeared on Sun Liancheng's forehead.

Someone quickly stepped in to smooth things over: "Director, we are observing a region of deep space that is more than a billion kilometers away from Earth. It is impossible for us to capture such tiny details."

By human engineering standards, this object is indeed enormous, but on an astronomical scale, it is less than a speck of cosmic dust. Had it not been accidentally detected during a routine calibration run, we would never have even noticed its existence.

Sun Liancheng nodded thoughtfully: "So, besides us, nobody else knows about this?"

"The chances of being discovered by others are extremely slim," the man continued. "We know the performance parameters and observation capabilities of the world's top telescopes inside and out. Although we invest far more in the field of astronomy than other countries and have the most sophisticated instruments, and we were extremely lucky this time, even if other research institutions were just as fortunate, the probability is only one in a thousand."

Sun Liancheng turned to his secretary: "How's the secrecy going?"

The secretary replied, "The start has been relatively smooth. Dr. Ye has already warned his team members that if anyone dares to leak even the slightest bit of information to the outside world, including their spouse, partner, or anyone they want to brag about at the dinner table, he will completely expel them from the astrophysics community."

The secretary paused, then added, "Obviously, he managed to silence them before arriving at the scene, after which I gathered the same group of people and formally informed them that the matter had been classified as confidential."

"Did that threat scare them?" Sun Liancheng asked Dr. Ye. "Making a group of scholars quiet is harder than putting a bunch of cats in a cage."

"They...were indeed quite frightened." Dr. Ye wiped his sweat. "The secretary intimidated them."

"Very good, that's one of the reasons he's in this position," Director Sun said calmly.

The secretary, however, bluntly poured cold water on the idea: "Director, I must remind you, secrets can't stay hidden forever. This matter has caused too much of a stir; sooner or later, someone will notice something amiss, and the news will eventually reach Country A. We still have some time, but it's not indefinite."

"Give me a rough deadline," Sun Liancheng ordered.

The secretary glanced down at her hands, quickly considered her options, and then looked up:

"Starting from tomorrow, it could be any day within the next year, but unless something uncontrollable happens, I estimate the timeframe won't be too close to either of these two extremes."

If we send our most astute security personnel to handle this—the kind of experts who won't brandish guns around or forcibly seal off the scene to arouse suspicion—I bet we'll see the outcome within about seven months, no matter what.

Of course, all of this is predicated on... that aliens don't actively contact us.

……

"Why are you all trembling?" Sun Liancheng asked, looking around the room.

"Director, I mentioned the size and speed of this object before..." someone replied, "If it collides with something, the impact force will be unimaginable."

Do you remember the asteroid that struck the Yucatan Peninsula 65 million years ago, causing the extinction of the dinosaurs? If this interstellar spacecraft, with its current known capabilities, were to collide with Earth, whether intentionally or unintentionally, the consequences would be unimaginable, perhaps even far more severe than that.

Sun Liancheng raised an eyebrow: "Are you serious? Just because it bumped into us, that thing can wipe out all life on Earth?"

"Well, no, it's highly unlikely that all life will be wiped out, but the vast majority of organisms will disappear. About 99.9 percent of terrestrial animals will become completely extinct, and most terrestrial species will cease to exist. We humans will most likely be among them."

Even in the most optimistic scenario, we'd be blown back to the Bronze Age. Of course, all of this assumes its mass matches our estimates. If there's a fundamental error in mass—for example, if it's just a giant empty shell—the consequences of the impact would be drastically different, but we don't think so.

"Couldn't we just deflect it or detonate it?"

"If we have enough time, we might be able to come up with some solutions... but if it's heading straight for us, we probably won't have much time left. When this celestial body is in Mars' orbit, we can hardly observe it."

Even if we were incredibly lucky and managed to detect it at that distance, that would be a miracle in itself. We would only have four days at most to figure out its details and prepare for it. Of course, this is based on the premise that its speed never exceeds our observation limits.

Currently, we have no idea of ​​its maximum speed; we've only seen signs of it slowing down. Therefore, assuming it can travel at 4% of the speed of light, we have at most a day to prepare. If it can reach 20% of the speed of light, then we only have a few hours left to prepare.

Everyone fell into a moment of contemplation, then Sun Liancheng spoke up: "In conclusion, even the mere existence of this starship poses an uncontrollable threat to humanity's survival. As for the likelihood of this threat materializing, we have no definitive answer yet. Is that a fair assessment?"

Everyone nodded in agreement.

"We need to find out why," she said.

Another person chimed in, "Let's not forget that no matter what these aliens are, they definitely possess advanced technology that we can only dream of."

Others chimed in, saying, "Although we can't build this spaceship right now, we are fully capable of building it within the next hundred years, provided the funding is in place."

"Reborn in 2011, I am the Chief Designer of Aerospace" ranked high in the Cola Novels readers' poll for best science fiction novel!

"That's a matter for the future. The problem is that we don't have that technology right now." He turned to look at Director Sun. "The real trouble isn't with aliens, but with the possibility that if Country A gets there first, they might possess core technologies that are a whole century more advanced than ours."

As for soft science fields like biology and chemistry, who knows? They might be a thousand years, or even tens of thousands of years ahead of us. This is by no means a good sign. As long as the technology is advanced enough, there will always be a way to turn it into a strategic advantage; this law always applies.

Imagine if Country A were using our modern computers, while we only had a bunch of old, broken systems – what a mess that would be!

Sun Liancheng said in a deep voice, "Now we have two reasons why we must take action. First, we must master the technology of the next century before Country A; second, we must confirm whether aliens intend to collide with Earth."

He turned to his scientific advisors, "Is this really feasible? Can we really pull this off?"

"Currently, all we've brainstormed are some macro-level concepts and semi-finished plans, but they guarantee it's feasible... provided it's given the highest priority and we allow about a year for preparation."

Dr. Ye interjected, "Director, although I'm not an intelligence officer, is Country A's spaceship really headed to Mars? Did they discover traces of extraterrestrial life five years ago, which is why they're rushing to Mars now? Honestly, can we be 100% certain that this spaceship's destination is Mars?"

"That's right. We've reviewed their technical specifications and engine design, and have been closely monitoring the entire development process. This information is... top secret... so please keep it confidential. But one thing is certain: the target of this mission is definitely Mars. In fact, the ultimate goal of this mission is to establish a permanent colony on Mars, which is why they are keeping it so secret."

Dr. Ye leaned back strategically: "Don't they know what's going on on Mars?"

"Obviously they don't know."

The secretary offered a reminder: "We don't know yet, but they'll find out sooner or later."

……

Sun Liancheng concluded: "Therefore, from our perspective, the most pressing threat right now is Country A, not aliens."

"But ultimately, these are all just speculations. Let's assume for the sake of argument that any country capable of building such a giant spaceship must at least possess rational judgment. After all, building such a behemoth requires the full resources of the nation, which means that the participants must have considerable wisdom."

However, one thing is certain: our covert competition with Country A has begun, while other countries are watching with detached indifference… If we could seize all the technological advancements that are a century ahead, that would be an incredible stroke of luck. At least until we enter the post-conflict era, this technological monopoly advantage can continue to be maintained.”

Someone nodded in agreement: "Just as the secretary said, this matter will leak out sooner or later. Country A's Mars exploration program is only a little over a year away from launch. If the mission objective is to be temporarily changed, it will be effortless."

To put it bluntly, they had already planned a long-term exploration mission to Mars. To establish a permanent base on Mars, they would need a massive amount of equipment and personnel, and now the supplies and crew are ready to go.

If you want to change your objective midway, everything is basically ready. You just need to unload the equipment needed for colonization, replace it with the supplies required for the new mission, and you're pretty much done.

……

One person explained, "My team once estimated that the flight cycle of these spacecraft might be less than a year, but the key is that if Country A intercepted this intelligence before launch, they would have plenty of time to modify and upgrade the spacecraft."

This will inevitably require a longer initial propulsion time, which means they must increase their reserves of reactive materials. However, they can reduce the spacecraft's weight by discarding colonization equipment. After all, adding extra fuel tanks in space is much easier than doing it on Earth.

Dr. Ye said, "If what the secretary said is true, we are indeed at a disadvantage during the launch window. If we can keep this secret until Country A has completed its launch, it will be too late for them to make amends. At that time, we can calmly build our own spacecraft, while they can only watch helplessly."

"Unless they shoot down our ship," someone interjected.

Sun Liancheng's expression was grave: "Based on the most likely speculation given by the secretary, we must not take any chances, and we cannot assume that they will be kept in the dark. We cannot afford any risks. This time, we must win."

As for those half-finished ideas? I want to see them refined before tonight's meeting begins. I don't care what coercion or inducement you use; I just need a definite answer. I need to know clearly what we can do and how quickly we can get it done. Do you all understand?

A long silence fell over everyone.

Sun Liancheng turned to the two officials who were attentively listening but not taking any notes: "If we are to initiate an emergency plan to build a spaceship, could we raise the funds through a special budget?"

"We discussed this before the meeting. We can provide as much as you need, but we need to coordinate with the finance department. Although we may need to make some financial adjustments on paper, it's not impossible to get this done without affecting the regular budget."

The secretary cautioned, "The safety net for those in the know is constantly expanding."

Sun Liancheng looked at her: "Do you think there's any way to avoid this situation?"

The secretary hesitated for a moment: "No, I'm just reminding you that I need to set up a security team first. I need enough authority to transfer suitable personnel from the existing security system."

I believe the capable people I know are more than capable of handling this task; at least, everyone in my circle is an expert in this field. However, the prerequisite is that the funds must be in place first, and I also need your personal approval in the form of a letter. I must have real power to keep these arrogant and unruly individuals under control.

Director Sun typed a few lines on the touch-screen notepad: "I'll send you the letter within an hour. I hope your team can be officially operational by tomorrow at the latest."

The secretary nodded in acknowledgment: "Understood, Director. By tomorrow at the latest..."

Sun Liancheng looked down at the briefing on the table, his tone unusually solemn: "Gentlemen, this is the most important strategic deployment since the advent of the atomic bomb. It concerns a complete reshuffling of the global landscape. We must remain highly vigilant at all times. This matter will be the absolute top priority at present."

You will form a special task force, and NASA will be on standby to provide reinforcements if necessary. Tonight, I will cancel all my schedules. You all must submit specific plans for your respective areas of responsibility. Afterwards, I will hear detailed reports again. The most crucial aspect is how to return to Mars before the West. The plan must be finalized immediately and cannot be delayed until tomorrow!