After Professor Wang left, Chen Hao was still deeply shocked by the mysterious signals.
He looked at his colleagues who were still busy in the laboratory.
Doubts welled up in his heart like a tide.
Professor Wang's words were like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, stirring up ripples, making him feel that things were far more complicated than they seemed on the surface.
In the night at the National Astronomical Observatory.
Chen Hao sat at his workbench.
His eyes were fixed on the partially - deciphered mysterious signals.
He tried to dig out some new clues from those obscure characters.
His fingers tapped unconsciously on the keyboard.
Every word Professor Wang had said kept replaying in his mind.
"Several years ago, we discovered some signs in this regard... To avoid causing social panic, the government decided to keep this matter confidential."
Chen Hao repeated in a low voice.
He couldn't understand.
What kind of signs of disaster could make the government treat it so cautiously and even hide the truth for years?
Just as Chen Hao was deep in thought, his colleague Li Ming suddenly ran over from the adjacent workbench, with a hint of anxiety and excitement on his face.
"Chen Hao, come and take a look!"
Li Ming gasped.
"I just received news that several other major observatories worldwide have also detected similar abnormal signals!"
Hearing this, Chen Hao abruptly stood up from his seat, a flash of surprise in his eyes.
"Are you sure?" he asked eagerly.
"Absolutely!"
Li Ming nodded vigorously.
"I just talked on the phone with friends from the International Astronomical Research Association. They all confirmed this. Moreover, the signal frequencies and waveforms they received are almost identical to ours!"
A complex emotion welled up in Chen Hao's heart.
There was both worry about the further development of the situation and anticipation for the truth to surface.
If major observatories around the world had received similar signals, the impact of this matter would undoubtedly be global.
And the challenges they faced would be more severe than imagined.
"It seems this can no longer be hidden."
Chen Hao murmured to himself.
He turned to look at the other colleagues in the laboratory and found that they had all learned the news.
Everyone's face showed varying degrees of shock and worry.
"Chen Hao, what should we do now?"
A female colleague came over, her voice tinged with a hint of helplessness.
Chen Hao took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down.
"Everyone, don't panic. The most important thing for us now is to stay calm and continue to study these signals in-depth,"
Chen Hao said.
"Since the whole world has received them, surely more scientists are analyzing them simultaneously. We can't fall behind."
Just as everyone was about to get back to work, the door of the laboratory was suddenly pushed open.
Several men in black suits walked in.
Their expressions were serious, and their eyes exuded an unassailable authority.
"Excuse me, which one is Dr. Chen Hao?"
A middle-aged man in the lead asked.
Chen Hao was slightly taken aback and subconsciously took a step forward.
"I am. May I ask who you are?"
The middle-aged man took out a certificate from his pocket and flashed it in front of Chen Hao.
"We're from the national security department. We need to talk to you about the mysterious signals you discovered."
Chen Hao's heart tightened.
He knew that things had started to develop in an unpredictable direction.
He looked back at his colleagues and then followed these men in black out of the laboratory.
In a conference room, Chen Hao and the men in black sat facing each other.
The middle-aged man fixed his gaze on Chen Hao as if he wanted to read some information from his face.
"Dr Chen, we hope you can tell us in detail about the progress of your research on these signals."
The middle-aged man said, with no room for negotiation in his tone.
Chen Hao hesitated.
He knew that this matter involved too many secrets.
Once he said it, it might trigger a series of chain reactions.
However, in the face of the national security department's inquiry, he couldn't answer.
"At present, we've only deciphered a small part of the signals."
Chen Hao said slowly.
"From the deciphered content, these signals seem to be a warning, but we haven't fully figured out what exactly it's warning about."
"A warning?" The middle-aged man frowned slightly. "What kind of warning?"
Chen Hao shook his head.
"The signals use a very complex encryption method, and our current technology can't fully crack it. But from some keywords and fragments, it seems to be related to a disaster that the Earth is about to face."
The middle-aged man's face turned extremely serious after hearing this.
He was silent for a moment and then said.
"Dr. Chen, I hope you understand that this matter is related to national security and stability, and even the fate of all mankind. From now on, your research work must be carried out under our supervision, and all research results must be reported to us immediately."
A sense of dissatisfaction welled up in Chen Hao's heart.
As a scientist, he had always pursued truth and free exploration.
Now he was being restricted within such a framework.
However, he also knew that in this situation, he didn't have many choices.
"I understand." Chen Hao said helplessly.
After coming out of the conference room, Chen Hao felt extremely tired.
He returned to the laboratory, and when his colleagues looked at him with inquiring eyes, he shook his head and said nothing.
The night seemed to pass extremely slowly.
Chen Hao and his team members continued to explore the signals.
However, as the research deepened, they found that the secrets hidden in these signals seemed to be getting deeper and deeper.
Each breakthrough was just scratching the surface.
At the same time, in every corner of the world, discussions about these mysterious signals were quietly taking place.
Although the government and the scientific community were trying their best to block the news, the truth couldn't be concealed forever.
Some rumours about the mysterious signals had already started to spread on the Internet.
On an astronomy enthusiasts' forum, an anonymous user posted a thread.
"I heard that major observatories around the world have recently received a set of mysterious signals, which seem to be related to the end of the world. Does anyone know the details?"
As soon as this post was published, it immediately attracted the attention and discussion of numerous netizens.
"It can't be true. The end of the world? This is too exaggerated."
"Could it be a rumour? The information on the Internet is so mixed that it's hard to know what to believe."
"If it's true, why didn't the government tell us? This is too irresponsible!"
All kinds of remarks spread rapidly on the Internet.
For a while, rumours about the mysterious signals were making a big stir.
All of this was seen by Chen Hao.
He knew that as the news gradually leaked, social stability would face a huge challenge.
At the high - level of the government, an emergency meeting was being held.
Leaders from various countries gathered together to discuss strategies to deal with this unexpected situation.
"The situation is extremely critical now,"
A leader of a Western country said worriedly.
"If we can't quickly decipher the meaning of these signals and find a way to deal with it, once the news spreads completely, the whole world will be in panic and chaos."
"But our current research progress is very slow."
Another leader said helplessly.
"The scientists all say that the encryption method of these signals is too complex, and they need more time."
"We don't have much time."
A leader of an Asian country said seriously.
"Rumors on the Internet have started to spread everywhere, and the public's emotions are becoming more and more unstable. If we can't give them an explanation in a short time, the consequences will be disastrous."
The conference room fell into silence.
Everyone's face was heavy.
They all knew that this was a race against time.
It was also a battle related to the fate of humanity.
In the laboratory of the National Astronomical Observatory, Chen Hao was still struggling tenaciously with the mysterious signals.
His eyes were filled with determination and perseverance.
He knew that he was not only shouldering the responsibility of a scientist but also the hope of all mankind.
As the midnight bell rang, the whole world seemed engulfed in an eerie silence.