After a long journey of nine and a half years, the Ultra-View Detector arrived at Pluto as scheduled. It sent back clear images to humanity and, after completing that important experiment, sped towards the outer solar system, trailing a long, long carbon fiber thread behind it.
79 light-years away, Regulus in Leo shines with a blue light, its temperature exceeding ten thousand degrees. Jupiter's orbital period is 11.86 years, and today, it once again aligns with Regulus and the Sun. The Sun's photosphere is turbulent with magnetic fields, and new sunspots are forming, sending heatwaves towards Earth, bringing Europe its hottest summer on record.
On the same day, in the capital of the Tile Nation, Danube Castle
At one end of the meeting room, tables were arranged in a U-shape, open end facing out. Representatives from various countries sat behind the tables, with their national flags behind them. On the other side of the quarantine line, photographers bombarded the scene with flashes, while text reporters eagerly sent back brief but significant news: The Light Nation and several other countries signed the "Cooperative Management Implementation Plan" with the Jade Khanate, also known as the Jade Khanate Nuclear Limitation Agreement.
The representative from Country F stood up, watching the journalists swarm to the interview area, lifted a glass of champagne from a waiter's tray, and elegantly proposed a toast to the other representatives: "Gentlemen, I propose a toast to the milestone we have all worked so hard yet successfully to establish!" The representative from the Light Nation hesitated slightly and said, "The representatives who signed today are all at the ministerial level, I'm afraid this agreement still needs to be signed by our executives and the heads of state of all countries. It will only officially take effect after being voted through by the International Family Council."
The representative from the Jade Khanate rarely agreed, saying, "I also need to get confirmation from our highest level again." The representative from Country F shrugged helplessly and said, "Well, gentlemen, is 48 hours enough? The International Family Council will hold its regular meeting in 6 days, and I personally would be pleased to see this agreement smoothly submitted and passed!"
A representative from a major country walked up to the representative from Country F, smiling and said, "Happy National Day!" The representative from Country F laughed heartily: "Thank you! Thank you! Tonight, at the fireworks concert in Xiangmo City, there will be a performance by a famous pianist from your country!"
A few hours later, in the capital of Country F, Xiangmo City
July 14th is the National Day of Country F. As night falls, Apollo Square under the Great Iron Tower is orderly filled with a crowd of 800,000 people, ready for the third Xiangmo City National Day Fireworks Concert to begin.
Jennifer Braun, from Country G in Europe, is a freshman at the newly established Super University of Country F, the Sru Lei University's Physics Department. Although school officially starts in September, Jennifer arrived in Xiangmo City at the beginning of July. Yesterday, her cousin Daphne Braun, who came to Xiangmo City for a vacation from Rocket City in the Light Nation, met up with Jennifer. Today, the sisters came to the concert site by the Bo Pom River.
The concert began with the famous composer Berlioz's "Hungarian March," also known as "Rakoczy March," selected from the opera "The Damnation of Faust," performed by the Xiangmo City National Symphony Orchestra. The vibrant sound of trumpets and the lively strings were delivered from hundreds of speakers on both sides of the square, stirring up excitement in Apollo Square!
Jennifer was immersed in the huge wave of sound when she felt a tap on her shoulder and turned around to see Bashir and Camila.
"What a coincidence, Jennifer, you're here too!" Bashir shouted.
"They are my classmates, also freshmen, from the Mocan Nation," Jennifer introduced to Daphne, who warmly greeted the two. Bashir said to Daphne, "You just arrived in Xiangmo City, haven't visited the sights yet, right? Today's concert site gathers the main attractions of Xiangmo City! Let me show you."
Daphne looked puzzled at Bashir, who magically took out a sketchbook and pencil from his backpack, glanced at the concert site's layout, and drew while comparing. Bashir drew the Great Iron Tower as the background and then, at the bottom, drew the entrance of the National Museum's glass pyramid, showing it to the sisters. After that, he erased the bottom part of the pyramid, leaving only the glass sloping roof. Below the roof, he drew the Arc of Triumph, and after showing it, he erased the bottom part of the Arc, leaving only the wide entablature. Then, he sketched a couple of symmetrical squares, handed it to the sisters. Daphne exclaimed in surprise, wasn't this the stage of tonight's concert?
Below the Great Iron Tower, on a man-made platform, a stage was set up, flanked by symmetrical electronic screens on both sides, similar to the upper part of the Arc of Triumph. The best part was the entire stage covered with a glass sloping roof. Daphne gave two thumbs up, revealing a bright smile. Rosanna, who had been quiet all along, took a series of photos with her phone.
Rosanna's real name is Rosanna, and like Bashir, she is from the Jade Khanate, sent by the Jade Khanate Intelligence Bureau to study in Xiangmo City, Country F. Today was their first mission. If they received an order, they would attempt to make Daphne faint and hand her over to the outer action team for kidnapping.
Rosanna seemingly casually swiped her phone, selected a photo of Daphne, and sent it out. After multiple encryptions, it would appear on the phone of someone on the other side of the Earth.
The second half of the concert, the fireworks performance, was about to begin, known to all by the signal of the national anthem of Country F, the Kishan Port March, triggering a mass sing-along. Before that, the last piece of the first half was Bernstein's "West Side Story." The combination of jazz and classic symphony, with frequent rich harmonies and modulations, could not compare to the grandeur of European opera overtures, seeming like a prelude to the climax of the fireworks feast.
The crowd's restlessness calmed down slightly, and with the trumpets' changing tones in the music, there was a touch of eeriness and daze.
Bashir wrote on the paper, this music is like a Hitchcock suspense film, Daphne took the pen and added, it depicts the West Side of Neon City, more like the western part of the Light Nation!
At this moment, in Rocket City of the Light Nation
The San Juan Restaurant, 500 meters from the main office building of the Light Nation's National Space Agency, serves Jianqiang country cuisine and a bar. Unlike most restaurants, this one's lunch is more formal than dinner, with lunch considered the main meal, open 24 hours. This is because the restaurant's main customers are employees of the Light Nation Space Agency, most of whom work night shifts for observation and control. Many customers treat lunch as their main meal, even drinking wildly in the bar area at one or two in the afternoon, as they live a nocturnal life.
In the morning, Abdu arrived at the restaurant, sitting at a table near the bar in the dining area. He ordered coffee and leisurely browsed his phone. Abdu is the business representative of the Jade Khanate National Oil Company in Rocket City, also a senior agent of the Jade Khanate Intelligence Bureau.
A photo of Daphne popped up on his phone, and Abdu imagined the reaction of Professor Braun when he saw this photo a little later. He planned to use the professor's beloved daughter as leverage to obtain information on whether the Ultra-View Detector experiment was successful or not.
After a while, the target appeared. Professor Braun, the project leader of the Light Nation Space Agency's Ultra-View Detector, and six or seven excited men and women almost rushed into the restaurant, heading straight for the bar area. After ordering whiskey, they clapped each other on the back, trying to keep their voices low, saying, "We did it! Hot signal, Tesla is a god, right?"
Abdu settled the bill, quietly left the restaurant, and sent an encrypted reply with two words to the sender of the photo: Cancel.
At this moment, in the capital of the Jade Khanate, Highland City
Abdu's wife hung up the phone and reported to the intelligence bureau chief Hamid, "Abdu said the neighbor's little girl's toy was bought." Hamid stood up, walked out to the porch, took out a special phone, dialed, and said, "The Light Nation's experiment was successful, our 'little girl' plan is feasible, theoretically we have found an alternative deterrent to nuclear weapons. I suggest you approve and notify the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that we agree to limit the development of nuclear weapons and submit the agreement to the International Family Council."
On July 20, 2015, the International Family Council voted to pass the Jade Khanate Nuclear Limitation Agreement.