The stars, but they become the gray wind

"This is our warning. You must cease all conflict. Otherwise, the scene that just happened in a certain area of ​​the Earth will be repeated in every corner of the Earth. Don't harbor any luck. We know all your secrets."

The holographic images projected by the drone changed from text information to real-time monitoring images. When the representatives of several major countries present saw those monitoring images, their faces changed drastically. Those real-time monitoring images showed the interior of nuclear weapons launch facilities of various countries and a series of the most strictly controlled important military facilities. A considerable part of the images were directly facing the nuclear warheads stored in intercontinental missile silos, underground bunkers and nuclear submarines. These most confidential images should not have appeared anywhere other than the monitoring rooms of those facilities.

[If you are unwilling to follow our advice, we will ensure that all your military forces lose their combat capabilities within ten minutes. Your weapons will be reduced to scrap metal and powder within a few minutes. Now...shouldn't you carefully consider our advice?]

[I can give you ample time to consider, but if you dare to make any small moves during this period...]

A security guard at the scene suddenly let out a strange cry because his pistol suddenly flew out of the holster on his waist. The pistol flew out of the holster on the security guard's waist and drew an unreasonable straight line in the air. It just floated directly in the air next to the drone in a way that violated the laws of physics.

Then, in front of representatives of various human governments and politicians, silver spots began to appear on the surface of the pistol's grip, barrel, and receiver. In less than 30 seconds, the entire pistol was decomposed into a pile of powder by the silver substance that appeared on the surface.

[Otherwise... I will ensure that what happened with this pistol happens everywhere in your country.]

The invisible force that had fixed the pistol, which had already decomposed into a ball of powder, in mid-air seemed to suddenly disappear, and the powdery substance that was originally a pistol fell from the air.

"Is your request... a little... difficult to handle?" The US government representative present tried to bargain with this alien drone that was clearly beyond their comprehension.

[Don't waste your time trying to bargain with me. Don't bring your human ways into our lives.]

[Control all violent and armed forces under your command. Do not try to play tricks on us. We will ensure that any attempt to play tricks will end up like this pistol.]

The endless hostility and internal friction among humans must come to an end.

I give you 48 hours to issue orders to all armed forces at home and abroad and have them carry out. Do not engage in any trickery.

“Excuse me, what exactly is being implemented?”

【Cease all armed conflicts and acts of violence that harm other human beings.】

.........

On the day the meeting ended, major powers began to issue death orders to their military and other armed departments at home and abroad. All armed units that were carrying out various public and private military operations immediately stopped all actions and returned to the nearest military bases and strongholds to await orders.

However, different governments have different control over their armies, which led to some armies not fully implementing this order, especially the armies of some major powers stationed in foreign regions. On that day, all weapons and equipment and all stockpiled ammunition in the overseas military bases of several major countries were completely decomposed into powder by the suddenly appearing silver substance. The same scene also occurred in several other small third world countries that were in a state of civil war. The warring parties suddenly found that all the weapons they used and stored had a strange silver substance plaque that continued to spread and grow. All attempts to remove this silver substance failed. All weapons of the warring parties were decomposed into a pile of powder in just a few minutes. Even the bullets and daggers they carried with them appeared with that strange silver substance. All weapons were covered with the silver substance at a speed visible to the naked eye and decomposed into completely harmless powder.

The process of these weapons and equipment being decomposed by the inexplicably appearing silver substance was filmed by the soldiers involved and personnel in military departments with lower confidentiality and requirements, and uploaded to the Internet. It immediately caused an uproar on the Internet on Earth, because this was the first time that aliens directly displayed offensive technical means against humans. For a time, various analyses of this unknown technology emerged in various scientific research institutions and related departments around the world.

"Von Neumann probe?" In a meeting room of a certain country's top leadership, one of the people in the meeting room looked at the preliminary analysis report submitted by his experts, his face full of confusion.

"Yes, this is the technology we think is most likely."

"Through inspection of the weapons and equipment that had been broken down into powder, we discovered that the powder was essentially a pile of simple atoms and atomic nuclei."

"These elemental atomic nuclei all share one characteristic: they are essentially the primary materials and components used to manufacture those weapons. We discovered this aberration when we placed the powder under a scanning tunneling microscope."

"What's wrong?"

"The molecular bonds connecting these substances have been completely destroyed, and almost all of the extranuclear electrons have been lost. We all know that the force that maintains the stability and connection between the extranuclear electrons and the atomic nucleus of a substance is the electromagnetic force. Since the electrons and the atomic nucleus have opposite charges, they will attract each other under the action of the electromagnetic force, but..."

"In the powders we observed under a scanning tunneling microscope, almost all of the extranuclear electrons had been stripped away, leaving only a large mass of atomic nuclei made up of simple metallic elements. This state is almost impossible to achieve in conventional chemical reactions. With our technology, only by applying heat and pressure can the electrons be "squeezed" out of the atoms, and the remaining nuclei can form a plasma-like state similar to a single nucleus."

"The unusual pile of elemental metal nuclei we observed under the scanning tunneling microscope—that is, the pile of powder we saw macroscopically—has completely lost its original chemical and physical properties, becoming something like an inert gas. It barely reacts with any other substances."

"You mean..."

"We think this could be the result of a von Neumann self-replicator that, through some unknown means, completely stripped the outer electrons from the atoms of the weapon material that was broken down into powder, changing the microscopic physical properties of the nucleus to make it extremely inert."

"Is there no effective protection against this kind of method?" asked another person at the conference table.

"Unfortunately... no, with our level of technology, we can't take any effective measures to protect ourselves from the changes in the properties of these microscopic particles. Based on the current situation, assuming that this is really an extremely microscopic von Neumann probe that we cannot observe, then judging from several things that have happened in different regions around the world, this thing is very likely to have spread to every corner of the earth." As the technical advisor to everyone in the conference room, this technical expert who has achieved great success in many fields felt a deep sense of powerlessness in his heart.

"And, there's another problem." The technical consultant present suddenly said after slumping in his chair.

"What's the problem?" Everyone in the conference room turned their eyes to Jixiang, the expert who was already slumped in his chair in a bad state.

"Assuming our speculation is correct and this is indeed the result of a self-replicating von Neumann probe, then, everyone, please consider this: can this self-replicating machine really only decompose inanimate inorganic materials?"

"!!!" The expert reminded everyone present and made them realize the truth behind this serious and terrifying question.

"You know, even in our various science fictions, the size of these self-replicating machines is only the size of molecules, which is about ten nanometers. Although very small, this level can at least be observed by our more advanced scanning instruments and microscopes. But... now, we can't detect any traces of von Neumann self-replicators in the decomposed matter. This can only mean one thing: the size of these von Neumann self-replicators is so small that even our most advanced technology cannot detect them."

"Think about it. Our current observational equipment is limited to the atomic nucleus. But if we can't detect any trace of a von Neumann self-replicator at this scale, and all the signs of the decomposed matter indicate that it was destroyed by a microscopic von Neumann self-replicator, then do the results we've observed so far mean we have an answer?"

"So, the size of this von Neumann probe I'm replicating could be even smaller than an atomic nucleus? They might only be as big as the protons and neutrons that make up the nucleus."

"And according to Kuznetsov's diary, he did see something similar to a von Neumann self-replicator on an alien spacecraft."

"Professor, is there really no other solution?"

"No... At this stage, we have no countermeasures or defensive measures other than complying with the other party's demands."

"We have no means of protection. Something as small as an atomic nucleus could easily penetrate any defenses, even the most airtight underground nuclear bunker. For something as small as an atomic nucleus, hundreds or even thousands of meters of rock layers would be useless."

"And don't forget, since these things can decompose inorganic metals, it means that there's a high probability that they can also decompose organic matter...such as humans or other cellular life on Earth."

"Since aliens can dismantle weapons anywhere on Earth at any time, this may mean that these von Neumann self-replicators, which we cannot observe, are already present throughout the Earth's atmosphere and ecosystem. We may even have these von Neumann probes in our bodies right now."

"If they so choose, I, everyone present here, and the billions of people on Earth will all be transformed into a pile of organic powder devoid of life and self-awareness, just like those decomposed weapons."

"So the wisest option at this stage is to comply with their demands... and try not to engage in any trickery. To a Kardashev Type II or even Type III interstellar civilization, humans at this stage might not even be insects, but just a bunch of bacteria that can be easily destroyed."

"They're only currently disassembling the weapons, and so far, the casualties have been zero. With a technological gap comparable to that between humans and microorganisms, they've managed to ensure we've suffered virtually no casualties. From my personal perspective, their methods are unbelievably merciful."

"To put it bluntly, the force they've used against humans is already the most gentle of means."

…………

"Isn't your method a little too gentle?" Renlong in the communication looked at Calisi and Kellyas who were far away on Earth with a playful look on his face.

"After much thought, this method is the most effective way to serve as a warning and is also sufficiently deterrent."

"At the same time, it can ensure minimal losses."

"The human species, or rather, humanity at this stage, is a species that can only learn its lesson through pain. This method is both sufficiently intimidating and can instantly render the opponent completely powerless to resist."

"I think your method is a bit too mild. If it were me, I would just point the naval guns at their heads and force everyone to live in peace." Renlong commented on human society without any hesitation.

"No, actually, my method is to tell them that from now on, they can no longer rely on violence and force to solve problems. The rules of human society, which have always relied on fists and force to bully the weak, must change. If we want to maintain social consensus and unity, we can only rely on means other than violence. No human groups or organizations can use extreme violence to engage in any conflict or oppress others."

"Otherwise..." Kylias picked up a stone from the ground with his left hand and snapped his fingers with his right hand. The stone in his left hand was instantly covered with a silver substance and turned into powder that flew away with the wind.

"The history of the evil consequences caused by humanity's despicable nature of not treating other human beings as human beings should also come to an end. It is precisely because humans do not treat other human beings as human beings, because the upper class capitalists and elites do not treat the lower class workers and the grassroots people as human beings, because they do not treat people of other skin colors as human beings, and because they do not treat fellow human beings with different ideas as human beings, that humanity has been divided for thousands of years. It is time to end this chaos."

"I don't despise politics, but politics should be aimed at uniting all of humanity, not at disuniting humanity."

"Human society has completely abused the tool of politics, turning it into something used to divide and divide different human individuals and the human species as a whole. This is the most outrageous mistake human society has ever made."

"Ultimately, this endless division and abuse of what should be a unified human species and civilization will ultimately backfire on humanity itself."

"Looking back at our home planet from space, we witness the tiny blue and green oasis isolated in the boundless darkness. In front of this beautiful yet tiny common home and cradle, the hatred of trade leaders must turn into absurd nonsense. Only sharing weal and woe can bring new hope, transcending the narrow scope of gains and losses, and thus paving and forging a path that leads an intelligent species to the stars." The pink-haired elf girl from outer space tells the only future path for the civilization on this planet.

Chapter 212: Zero Casualty Demilitarization Scalpel Strike

Within just a few days, all forms of conflict on the entire earth suddenly ceased. This was not because the human beings caught in chaos and disputes had a change of heart, but because humans suddenly discovered that under the influence of incomprehensible technology, they were no longer able to inflict any form of violence on their own kind.

The Middle East, the most unstable place on the planet since the Second Industrial Revolution, whether it is Saudi Arabia, which is embroiled in a civil war, or Israel, which intends to massacre people in the open-air concentration camps under the high walls of Gaza, have all chosen to temporarily suspend their actions. The reason is simple: all weapons and equipment in Israel, as well as multiple arsenals and all military supplies and things that can be defined as weapons in Saudi Arabia, have been transformed into a pile of harmless atomic powder by the mysterious silver spots that suddenly appeared on the weapons in the eyes of humans.

Just when the two sides in Saudi Arabia, which were caught in a civil war, were planning to launch another round of military operations against each other, they received an ultimatum from aliens. However, it was obviously impossible for the two sides, who had already been fighting each other in the long-term war, to just stop fighting. Therefore, they ignored the warning.

Then, just before launching a military operation against the enemy's strongholds and military bases, the warring parties discovered with horror that every weapon in their arsenal—from armored vehicles, tanks, and fixed-wing aircraft to the rifles, pistols, bullets, and even the daggers and engineer shovels carried by each soldier—had developed a strange silvery patch on its surface. These patches spread relentlessly and unchecked across the surface and interior of all the equipment, rapidly decomposing into a pile of harmless metal atom powder within ten minutes.

When the command of both sides learned of this situation, they initially refused to give up and attempted to mobilize weapons and other troops from other regions to carry out the military operation. However, they discovered that whenever they tried to mobilize troops or related weapons reserves from any other region, the weapons reserves and the troops to be mobilized would immediately undergo an inexplicable phenomenon: all military supplies and weapons and equipment would be directly disintegrated into a ball of powder by the silvery substance of honey. After several attempts yielded the same result, all related military operations were immediately halted. If an army does not even have weapons, how can it fight a war?

That same day, several US military transport planes attempting to secretly deliver a batch of arms to Israel discovered upon arrival that the high-precision guided weapons and cheap artillery shells originally loaded in their cargo holds had likewise been reduced to a cloud of harmless metallic atomic powder. The same thing happened at the two military airfields and bases where the transport planes took off and landed. All the weapons stored in the ammunition depots, as well as several armed fighter jets and other types of military aircraft parked at the airports, were reduced to a pile of powder by the sudden appearance of silvery-white patches on their surfaces. When someone noticed the unusual behavior of the fighter jets, the ground crew and security personnel at the military airport remembered to check the ammunition depots within the airport. When they opened the doors to the ammunition depots and weapons depots, they discovered that the weapons and ammunition that had once filled the warehouses had been reduced to piles of harmless powder.

Afterwards, as if as a warning, the same incident occurred in several military facilities in the United States that stored large quantities of weapons and ammunition. A large number of high-precision guided weapons and piles of heavy bombs were stored in warehouses, anti-ship cruise missile reserve warehouses for use by naval vessels, and even a military base that stored multiple nuclear warheads. All the weapons and equipment stored in them were decomposed into atoms by the silvery-white substance. Less than a few hours after this incident, the US government received a direct warning from the alien spaceship overhead, which basically told humans not to do anything under their noses. They knew all the little moves and thoughts of humans. This warning statement also marked several locations. After seeing the specific coordinates and names of these locations, the US president sitting in his office was scared out of his wits and immediately ordered all relevant domestic units to stop transporting any military supplies abroad.

On the same day, in the Arctic Ocean, several destroyers from European NATO countries and a cruiser from the Soviet Union had an extremely brief close-range military standoff over territorial waters. However, just a few minutes after the standoff began, several junior officers and soldiers in charge of important equipment on both sides' ships suddenly discovered that their ships' radars, gun turrets and barrels, as well as missiles stored in missile launch units, began to show a strange silver patch on the surface. Just after the commanders of the naval warships of both sides received this strange report, the ships of both sides suddenly lost power and turned into several iron coffins floating on the sea, unable to move. Subsequent investigations showed that the sudden loss of power on the sea by the ships of both sides was due to the The silver substance also appeared in the engine room and decomposed and destroyed some key components that maintained the ship's power. During the whole process, the officers and soldiers on both sides who were responsible for the maintenance of their ships' ammunition watched helplessly as all the shells and missiles in their warships' ammunition depots were decomposed into piles of powder under the action of the constantly spreading plaques of silver substance. The whole confrontation ended in nothing. In order to tow back the warships of both sides that had lost power and were still floating on the sea, several NATO countries and the Soviet Union involved in the confrontation had to send special tugboats afterwards to tow the warships, which had completely become unpowered iron coffins on the sea, back to the port for repairs. This military confrontation that made both sides completely lose face eventually turned into a joke under the action of powerful technology.

On the same day, there was also a rather insignificant news. Several Israeli soldiers and policemen guarding the checkpoint tried to beat an innocent Palestinian teenager who was passing by. However, since all weapons across Israel had been completely destroyed and disassembled by the von Neumann self-replicating machine, these soldiers and policemen were only equipped with very basic bulletproof vests and batons. Just as they pushed the innocent Palestinian teenager who had passed by to the ground and pulled out their batons to beat him, a large number of silver plaques appeared on the surface of the batons in their hands at a speed visible to the naked eye, and turned into a pile of powder in front of the people's incredible gaze. After the batons were disassembled, the several Israeli soldiers and policemen who tried to beat the innocent Palestinian teenager suddenly began to twitch all over their bodies inexplicably, lost consciousness and fell to the ground.

Countless similar incidents occurred on that day and in the days that followed. All attempts to prolong the conflict through money or other forms of munitions were thwarted in this manner. According to subsequent statistics, within 24 hours of that day alone, the military forces of no fewer than 20 countries worldwide saw their entire armaments and equipment completely reduced to dust. Over 275 warships were reduced to powerless scrap metal adrift at sea. Thousands of warplanes, nearly 10,000 tanks and armored vehicles, over 1500 critical radar systems and equipment, and tens of billions of missiles, artillery shells, bullets, and guns of all types were reduced to harmless dust by technology completely unknown to humanity. A total of 135 nuclear weapons in the global nuclear stockpile were completely destroyed that day by the silvery-white substance, and there were also uncounted losses of various facilities, including arsenals. Later estimates indicate that within the United States alone, over 20 arsenals producing various types of munitions were completely destroyed that day as their equipment was devoured by the sudden appearance of the silvery-white substance.

The scale and method of this direct attack from an alien civilization were beyond human imagination. In a single night, it accomplished the massive disarmament and reductions that had eluded humanity for the past half century. Humanity's military forces discovered they lacked even the most basic weapons. If their nations engaged in any act that fueled conflict and war within human society, several domestic arsenals and weapons factories would be destroyed instantly, their munitions and weapons production equipment reduced to scrap metal and powder by the consuming silvery-white substance. However, this direct attack from an alien civilization was surprisingly mild, resulting in no casualties. Human governments discovered their armies and armed forces had lost all combat effectiveness overnight. Their domestic arsenals and weaponry depots could not find a single working pistol, a single bullet, or even a military dagger. If these weapons were used to fuel conflict and war, all munitions and military supplies would be reduced to dust in a fraction of a second by the mysterious silvery-white, patchy substance.

This attack, which caused no casualties on Earth, deeply shocked all of humanity. Humanity had never realized that such a method of warfare was possible. No matter how numerous and advanced their weapons and equipment were, they would be reduced to scrap metal and powder in an instant with just a flick of the enemy's finger.

…………

On the Salem, the red-haired cat girl is using the Salem's own powerful computing power to identify all behaviors on Earth that may lead to war and conflict, and through the "Gray Wind" von Neumann self-replicating machine, she is carrying out precise surgical demilitarization strikes on various countries.

"Hmph... I'd like to see how you fight if you don't even have the most basic weapons?" Salem seemed very happy. This wave of von Neumann self-replicators that has spread throughout the Earth's atmosphere and ecosystem has paved a way for the future peaceful unification of the entire Earth. When humans completely lose the option of war and all behaviors that contribute to war and conflict, humans can only take a more gentle approach to planetary unification.

...VII Takeya Liuba Banner Qiyan...

That night, all of humanity received a notice from an alien civilization.

[A warning to all humans on Earth and in the solar system: We will eliminate all interhuman conflict and acts that encourage war. Regardless of the reasons, whether motivated by territorial, religious, energy, ideological, or economic interests, we will use technological means to forcibly intervene against any country, organization, company, or individual that incites and encourages war. We will completely eradicate war and conflict from this planet.]

When this statement was clearly placed in front of all human beings, all relevant stakeholders felt as if they were facing a great enemy, but they felt helpless. The other party's advanced technology was beyond their understanding, and they could not launch any countermeasures. The game games that humans are accustomed to using military, economic and other means seemed extremely ridiculous in the face of such a level of technology.

Regarding this statement released by the alien civilization, most of the elites and grassroots of human society have finally realized one thing, that is, the Earth civilization, which has long been maintained in a vicious cycle of historical cyclical laws, is finally about to change.

…………

"Can the von Neumann self-replicator be used like this?"

Near the Shackleton crater on the moon, Moia Rock carefully watched the various important news circulating on the Internet from Earth, his face full of shock.

"Only on the scale of elementary particles, von Neumann self-replicators can indeed be used in this way. However... the most difficult part is how to set up these von Neumann self-replicators to specifically decompose and consume a certain object."

"This process is not just about creating a molecular or even atomic-sized machine. You also need to make the von Neumann self-replicator have self-recognition capabilities that are at least comparable to the level of strong artificial intelligence." said a friend next to Teia.

"If we're not careful, and there's even a slight misidentification of the decomposing matter, the entire planet could be in jeopardy. I'm just a microscopic von Neumann self-replicator. My exponential growth rate is far faster than even our bulky machines."

"Our von Neumann self-replicating machine has complex industrial production systems, including energy supply and heat dissipation. Each self-replicating unit alone weighs over 100 million tons."

"But this von Neumann self-replicating machine, which is a molecular or even smaller water pipe, could cover the surface of an entire planet in a very short time, or even dismantle it, as long as it could achieve unlimited exponential self-expansion and growth."

"It's easy to simply use it to cover an entire planet or disassemble all useful materials on its surface. However, with our current level of technology, the most difficult issue is the identification problem. Take Earth as an example. If they deployed the vortex blower and there was even the slightest problem, resulting in an error in the identification of the decomposed materials, then humanity on Earth would have been wiped out by now, and would have completely become the raw material for von Neumann's self-replicating machine."

"They dared to release something like this into the Earth's atmosphere and allow, or perhaps even actively allow, it to spread globally."

"That must mean they're confident in the stability of this technology and aren't worried about the possibility of it getting out of control and disintegrating the entire planet."

"As a technology for developing more advanced von Neumann self-replicators in the future, their method of use is undoubtedly quite valuable as a reference. Moreover, such a gentle method of use is truly unprecedented."

"To stop the endless violence among the human species?"

"It's indeed a rather novel use. After all, the Fengji is essentially just a tool for replicating the industrial system of civilization. I never thought it could be used in this way."

"I didn't expect it either. It seems that the other side has made more progress than us in the field of von Neumann self-replicators.

"I just don't know when we can design such an advanced wind Neumann self-replicator that is only the size of a microscopic particle."

"One day we will be able to create a von Neumann self-replicator like this. Perhaps when that day comes, our entire species will be close to achieving true mechanical ascension."

"Maybe?

"It seems that they have been scared by us." Carlisle observed the various opinions and comments about this incident on the Earth Internet.

"That's the effect we want."

"When we can turn the enemy's nuclear arsenal and naval fleets in port into scrap metal and dust with just a snap of our fingers, even if they're willing to do anything for their own gain, no matter how foolish they are, they'll have to consider their own worth."

"As for their weapons, what's the difference between them and us? They're just cheap toys that break after a few uses."

"I agree with Sister Kailias. Sometimes the human species has to be hurt before they know what they can't do." Renlong's voice came from the communication screen.

"Anyway, we didn't cause any casualties during the entire process. They couldn't even fart in front of us."

"It would be a good idea to demilitarize this planet. This would directly reduce the risk of future world wars. It would also give all humans on this planet a chance to calm down."

“Violence and war are but the last refuge of incompetent rulers and nations.”

"That's quite insightful. Is it possible to prevent a civilization composed of individual lives like humans from suffering by eliminating violence?"

"The biggest problem with humanity is that everyone thinks they are right and no one will submit to anyone else. Human nature drives them to use violence to resolve these differences, and conflicts and wars then occur. Human nature also causes these endless wars and conflicts to continue indefinitely."

A few days later, at the United Nations General Assembly, despite the global disarmament and demilitarization efforts being rapidly carried out by alien technology, all nations expressed dissatisfaction, but were powerless to prevent the silvery substance from appearing and destroying weapons and equipment. Today's Security Council agenda focused on the subsequent impacts of this incident.

Aside from a certain Zionist military entity, several permanent members were hardest hit by this wave of demilitarization. The United States and the Soviet Union alone lost over a hundred nuclear weapons, all equipment at several military bases at home and abroad, and over 40% of their domestic ammunition stocks.

Regarding this incident, all countries still do not have any solution, even the most basic one. They can only reduce all investment in the military sector and completely restrict the arms trade, because any form of foreign arms trade may fuel regional tensions and the risk of war and conflict, and directly attract the forced technical intervention of alien civilizations. An ordinary arms trade that provides weapons to a third world country that is at war may cause 1/5 or even more than 1/4 of the weapons and equipment of a permanent member of the Security Council to be destroyed in an instant. This has caused all countries on the planet to completely ban all foreign arms trade for a while.

In the past two days, the governments of the United States and the Soviet Union were obviously the ones who suffered the most. They were just trying to secretly transport some military supplies to their proxy forces in the Middle East by air, but an alien civilization used an unknown technology whose principle is still not clear. It directly wiped out the stockpile of hundreds of nuclear bombs. This made the United States, the Soviet Union and other countries dare not act rashly for a while.

"Based on the above, our team of experts has concluded that the thing that completely destroyed our weapons was probably some form of von Neumann self-replicating machine."

"Do we have any countermeasures?" asked a national representative present.

"Unfortunately... no. The technical capabilities required to design and manufacture even a von Neumann self-replicator the size of a cell, capable of unlimited exponential self-replication in most environments, far exceed the current level of human technology, let alone completely destroying it."

"We've tried every technical method, including using strong acid or alkaline chemicals to remove the infection, burning it with flamethrowers or welding torches, spraying liquid nitrogen directly on the surface of infected equipment, and even exposing the infected weapons to massive amounts of ionizing radiation. None of these methods have worked. The silvery-white patches that appear on our weapons, like viruses, only grow and multiply faster when stimulated by external substances or energy, rapidly decomposing the infected weapons."

"Simply put, the technological means behind this thing may be completely unsolvable for current humans."

"The only good news is that so far, this method has not caused any casualties."