Spy-x-War Showdown
Chapter 1222 - 1227: Fermi Paradox

Chapter 1222: Chapter 1227: Fermi Paradox

"Research? What do you mean?"

Petra seemed puzzled by Yang Yi’s question, while Yang Yi responded calmly, "Of course, I mean the areas you’re interested in. I’m not particularly intrigued by the financial industry, and you don’t seem to be either, so why not discuss something we both enjoy?"

Yang Yi and Petra’s acquaintance had a deliberate purpose behind it, but their initial connection was forged based on mutual interests.

As expected, Petra’s interest was piqued.

"If we’re talking about amateur research—no, let’s call it a hobby—it’s not really research, you know? Ever since you showed me those intriguing Soviet files last time, I’ve grown even more curious about what’s behind the Moon."

Petra straightened up, her curiosity evident. She said, "Do you think there’s any connection between Earth’s humans and extraterrestrials?"

"Uh, that’s not really my focus, so why don’t you tell me more about what you think?"

Petra nodded repeatedly, her enthusiasm rising as she said, "I’ve always been pondering a question: Are humans alone? Or rather, are intelligent species alone? From a rational perspective, we shouldn’t be alone—because the universe is so vast. Even if the emergence of humans—or life on Earth, for that matter—is a one-in-a-billion coincidence, it feels overly arrogant to conclude that no other intelligent life exists in the universe. Don’t you agree?"

"Yes, I agree."

"Then here’s a question: If intelligent life—or even intelligent civilizations—exist in the universe, would they come to Earth? A defining trait of intelligent beings is curiosity about the universe. Curiosity inevitably leads to exploration. Humans have exhibited boundless curiosity and an urge to explore the stars since ancient times. So, can we infer that any civilization, once formed, is bound to explore the universe? Because the drive to uncover the unknown is a universal characteristic of civilizations."

"Yes, I agree."

"Human civilization has existed for merely over five thousand years. By civilization, I mean the cultural and societal development of humanity, not the species itself—let’s make that distinction clear. Now, in the five thousand years since humans transitioned from primitive civilizations to where we are today, there have been numerous suspected but unconfirmed records of contact with extraterrestrial civilizations. As I’ve mentioned before, we only have suspected cases but no definitive proof of any of these contacts, right?"

Yang Yi thought for a moment and said, "What you’re talking about is the Fermi Paradox."

Petra nodded repeatedly, visibly excited.

The conversation between intelligent individuals—or those with shared interests—is uniquely pleasurable, precisely because they share a common language, and one always understands and appreciates what the other is saying.

The Fermi Paradox was proposed by Nobel laureate and physicist Enrico Fermi.

The Paradox can be summed up in two simple statements: First, scientific reasoning suggests that extraterrestrials exist. Given the near-infinite time span of the universe, their evolution could be far older than humanity’s, meaning extraterrestrials should have already visited Earth—or may even exist here now.

Second, extraterrestrials do not exist, because humans haven’t discovered any evidence proving their existence.

Petra’s curiosity was precisely encapsulated by these two brief points of the Fermi Paradox.

"But what if we could prove that humans on Earth had contact with extraterrestrial civilizations in ancient times?"

Petra’s eyes lit up as she enthusiastically posed this question to Yang Yi before her tone shifted to a more solemn one: "Today, there are countless records of UFO sightings worldwide. Many of these incidents can later be explained, but many remain unresolved."

Yang Yi found this intriguing and nodded. "Yes, keep going."

Petra raised both hands. "Isn’t it possible that governments have colluded to suppress this information? What if nations deliberately prevent their citizens from accessing these details?"

"Uh..."

"You’re familiar with spies—do you find this scenario plausible?"

Yang Yi smiled wryly and said, "Yes, it’s plausible."

Petra’s tone grew serious. "I’m a conspiracy theorist. My interest in close encounters of the third kind began when I was very young. I often ponder this: Why did human civilization emerge so suddenly and become so advanced? Evolutionary theory explains gradual progress among species, but the explosive development of human civilization in the primitive era—it feels unbelievable, doesn’t it?"

Yang Yi spread his hands, eager to hear more about Petra’s research while not particularly keen on arguing about extraterrestrial theories.

Petra exhaled deeply and said, "If governments today might hide information, what about ancient times? Take Egypt’s pyramids, for instance. Given the production capacities and technological level of that era, even the existence of the pyramids is astonishing."

"Uh, yes."

Petra laughed and then said proudly, "That’s why I’ve funded a website dedicated to uncovering clues about extraterrestrial civilizations and their connections to Earth. Most of the members contributing to the site are amateurs, but we work together quite enthusiastically."

Yang Yi’s pulse quickened as he lightly coughed and asked, "Have you discovered anything?"

"Uh, I really wanted to post the classified files you gave me on the site, but you refused to let me..."

Petra looked visibly helpless.

Yang Yi shrugged casually and said, "Before you saw those Soviet files, did your team uncover anything? Or now—has there been any progress? You know I’m interested in this, so I’d love to hear more."

Petra thought for a moment and said, "Hmm, there is something—but I wouldn’t call it a breakthrough. Just some leads. Actually, it’s frustrating because there’s barely been any progress. Everything seems repetitive—for example, theories about the pyramids’ construction or the Mayan pyramid styles. We’re trying to find written accounts of extraterrestrial contact, but it seems like someone is deliberately erasing these records. I suspect governments. Uh, progress has been limited. There was one time we thought we’d found a promising lead, but it ended up being very disappointing."

"What was disappointing?"

"Ah, there was this amateur history enthusiast who particularly loved studying the Crusades. He proposed an interesting theory about the Ark of the Covenant and the Knights Templar. He suggested that the Knights Templar, during their time stationed in the Holy City, had actually obtained something—and that something was the Ark of the Covenant. He believed the Ark didn’t contain the Ten Commandments or weapons, but rather some kind of medical artifact capable of resurrection—like a medical chamber. This history enthusiast seemed to have found some real evidence, but tragically, he passed away, and all his research came to an abrupt end."

Yang Yi tried his best to appear composed before smiling and saying, "That’s an intriguing theory, but it’s sadly too lacking in evidence."