Solar Top Secret Files: Final Dawn

Chapter 4: The Shelter

In the slightly chilly morning breeze, Ethan Harper wrapped his clothes tightly around himself, sitting in the passenger seat of the car.

There was another high-level meeting scheduled for this morning, even more significant than yesterday's. Not only would the supreme leader of the Alliance be present, but leaders from various departments and fields, as well as relevant scientists, would also attend. This meeting was to discuss "how human society should respond to this solar crisis." Due to his unique status, Ethan Harper, an ordinary researcher, was also invited to attend, which is why he had to wake up early again today.

Marcus was an excellent driver. Under his control, Ethan sometimes felt as if the family car he was riding in had magically transformed into a luxury vehicle. However, this illusion didn't last long, or rather, Ethan's attention didn't stay on it for long. Marcus was a silent and rational man; with Marcus not speaking, Ethan also remained quiet, his gaze fixed on the world outside the car.

The bustling city was as usual. The peculiar change in temperature had not yet impacted the world of ordinary people. The people Ethan saw were still rushing about as before, street food vendors were still calling out for customers, and office workers were still crowded together waiting for buses. At this moment, the Sun was dim, but no one was paying attention to it.

A strange thought crossed Ethan Harper's mind.

"The vast human society is like a sluggish, slow-reacting behemoth... It always responds slowly to external stimuli. By the time it truly feels the adverse effects of such changes, it's often too late to reverse the situation."

"But... fortunately, we have science as a powerful tool. If we were still in the age of ignorance, we might not even know what had happened until we were extinct."

This thought was so bizarre that Ethan Harper dismissed it from his mind the next moment.

Marcus dropped Ethan off at the door of the meeting room and then waited outside. The meeting was to start shortly.

"First, let's hear from the representative of the Science Department," said the meeting's moderator.

The representative from the Science Department was a highly respected stellar physicist. Ideally, the representative should have been Maxwell Parker, but he was no longer with us.

"In our observations and studies during this period, we have not found any possible reasons for the decrease in solar radiation levels," said the scientist. "As frustrating as it is, we must admit this. The only thing we can tell everyone is that the solar radiation level continues to decline—at a rate of three-thousandths in the last twenty-four hours. We don't know how low it will go, how long it will last, or if there's any chance it will return to normal levels in the future. We know nothing. Our only advice is to prepare for the worst," the scientist continued.

"What does preparing for the worst entail?" asked the leader of the Alliance.

The scientist paused before responding, "Complete extinction of the Sun."

"Please tell me the consequences of such an event and its likelihood," the leader requested.

"Sorry, we can't estimate the likelihood of this happening; we know nothing," the scientist replied. "As for the consequences... Are you familiar with Pluto? If the Sun were to go out, Earth would become much like Pluto. The surface temperature would drop to below minus two hundred degrees Celsius, all liquids would solidify, and all gases that make up the atmosphere would freeze and fall to the surface due to the extreme cold. Earth would lose all its protective layers, allowing various types of interstellar radiation and asteroids to freely bombard the planet... All life would be extinguished."

A buzz of conversation filled the meeting room. The moderator asked, "So, what action does the Science Department recommend?"

"If possible..." the scientist hesitated before continuing, "We should establish a large number of shelters in tropical areas and move all people from high latitude and temperate areas to the vicinity of the tropics. The ocean and atmosphere's thermal insulation is limited, and the polar and temperate zones will soon become uninhabitable for humans. If we're lucky and the Sun doesn't continue to worsen, tropical areas might still be habitable for humans. At the same time, we should invest maximum effort into the development of new energy sources. If controlled nuclear fusion makes a breakthrough, we could at least preserve a seed of human civilization."

"Additionally, I propose the latest solar observation program. In the shortest time, we should launch as many and as advanced solar probes as possible towards the Sun. If necessary, we should also consider manned observation missions. After all, only by understanding what's happening to the Sun can we find a way to save it."

The leader turned his gaze to the representatives of the Industrial and Social Departments: "What are your thoughts?"

The Industrial Department representative said, "With the current industrial base of our human civilization, we have the capacity to quickly establish a large number of shelters in tropical areas and redirect all industrial resources towards scientific research, as long as you authorize us to halt all other non-essential construction projects. The social impact of stopping other non-essential construction projects should be studied and resolved by the Social Department."

The Social Department representative said, "That won't be a problem. However, we suggest not disclosing the true nature of the current crisis to the public for the time being. Revealing the truth too early could lead to social unrest, which would not be conducive to the planning and execution of subsequent plans."

The Agriculture Department representative interjected, "If we implement a rationing system, our food reserves are sufficient to feed all of humanity for three years. However, after three years, we will face the risk of food shortages. Therefore, we request that some scientific research resources be directed towards agriculture. We urge the Science Department to develop cold-resistant crop varieties and soilless and indoor cultivation technologies as soon as possible."

The representative from the Central Science Academy's Agriculture Research Department said, "That's what we should do."

...

After the scientific representative frankly explained the crisis facing human civilization and made their demands, how to respond specifically was left to the relevant departments to discuss in detail. The meeting was lengthy, and Ethan Harper had no right to speak on these matters. Even his presence at this meeting was due to his special status.

Amidst the continuous statements and discussions, Ethan Harper's thoughts gradually drifted away. The image of Maxwell Parker, his final goodbye, and the blank sheet of paper he left for Ethan Harper reemerged in his mind.

In Ethan's thoughts, that ordinary blank sheet of paper suddenly seemed to possess a magical power. Although it was empty, it seemed to carry the thousands of words Maxwell Parker wanted to say.

Maxwell Parker knew everything but said nothing.

Ethan Harper knew he was special and important, but even he didn't know why.

"Hello." At that moment, a young woman sitting next to Ethan Harper greeted him. Ethan came back from his reverie, nodded slightly to the young woman, and replied, "Hello."

"My name is Avery Parker, Maxwell Parker's sister," the young woman said. "I currently work in the High-Energy Laser Research Laboratory of the Optical Research Institute affiliated with the Central Science Academy of the Alliance. My brother mentioned you. He said you're a very diligent and intelligent young man."

Avery Parker was no more than twenty-five years old. Her height wasn't apparent as she was sitting, but Ethan could tell she was slender. Her delicate face, complemented by her soft long hair, was striking. However, Avery's eyes were slightly swollen, not fully concealed by makeup.

Hearing Avery's words, Ethan's mood darkened, "Maxwell was a good person; he took great care of me."

"I heard that on the last night before my brother died, he had drinks with you?" Avery asked.

"Yes," Ethan nodded. "If I had known something would happen to him that night... I would have stayed with him all night, even if it made him angry."

Avery lowered her head and took a tissue from her bag to gently wipe her eyes.

"I didn't mean to blame you," Avery calmed down after a moment. "No one wants such accidents to happen. I just have some questions I hope you can answer."

"Go ahead," Ethan said.

"My brother left you his only legacy... a blank sheet of paper? And he also said you could unravel all our mysteries?" Avery inquired.

Ethan was surprised, not because Avery knew about these highly confidential matters, but her identity made it understandable.

Ethan nodded, confirming these facts.

Avery's gaze drifted away, lost in thought: "I understand my brother... He was a person with strong planning and self-discipline. As far as I can remember, he never did anything meaningless. So... I believe in my brother's last words. He must have had his reasons for doing so. I have a premonition that in this solar crisis, all our human efforts will fail, and the ultimate hope, as my brother said, lies with you."