Chapter Nine: The Dark Matter Chip

Under the direction of King Tal, the historians, military commanders, physicists, biologists, and parliamentarians of Tal reached a consensus. They recognized that the proposal to resurrect the pharaohs within Earth's pyramids could not go forward at this time. The intelligence of Earth's inhabitants was still far from the level required to comprehend the guidance of the Tal people. The greatest obstacle lay in the lack of unified religious belief among Earth's people. To revive the remains of the pharaohs and use them to lead Earth against the Quartpa was deemed an unwise measure. Thus, all present agreed that the pressing task was to dispatch Tal envoys personally to Earth to investigate and respond to the actions and intentions of the Quartpa.

Quartpa's agent, Condun, continued to pilot a small spacecraft within Earth's atmosphere, conducting scientific surveys. His three mantis assistants still operated on the planet's surface. Meanwhile, Kos steered a large starship that lingered at the outer edge of the solar system, within the Walter cloud. This made the Tal approach especially cautious. For the sake of safety, the Tal landing party was once again led personally by their intelligence chief, Mr. G, who had lived on Earth for many years and was familiar with Earth's people.

To avoid attracting the attention of the Quartpa, the Tal used their most advanced four-dimensional spacetime vessel. This ship possessed some functionalities akin to the pyramids, including the ability to reverse or accelerate time during flight. Even if targeted by Quartpa weaponry, the ship could not easily be hit due to temporal distortions. They also utilized instruments installed on the Moon, coordinated with the pyramid's capabilities on Earth, to assist their mission.

The Tal’s renewed direct landing on Earth began. Their plan was to first anchor their large vessel at Proxima B, 4.2 light-years from the Sun, making it their logistical base for entering the solar system. The team then piloted a medium-sized craft directly toward the inner solar system. The Tal ship's velocity was extremely high, and they soon reached Mars. Near the Martian orbit, the team completed their final preparations and checks for landing on Earth, parking the medium vessel in Mars' synchronous orbit. Each member then piloted a single-person craft directly down to Earth's surface.

Suspecting that the Quartpa might have already decrypted some secrets of the pyramids, Mr. G advised the team to avoid unnecessary physical links with pyramid devices. Although the Tal ships were slower than Quartpa ships, they still possessed superluminal speed. Each member, clad in specialized gaseous spacesuits—like flies trapped in soap bubbles—descended toward Earth. These suits served as bulletproof attire, shielding them from microwave weaponry and various forms of radiation, and provided oxygen for comfortable breathing. The team quickly bypassed Mars’ orbit and sped toward Earth. Upon nearing Earth's orbit, they activated their antigravity devices, gently traversed the atmosphere, and landed smoothly at the North Pole.

Immediately, the team deployed anti-detection measures, pressing a button on each craft. Their single-person vessels automatically navigated back to Mars' orbit, successfully landing atop the medium ship.

The main distinction between Tal and Earth's people was height. Mr. G himself was considered a short individual by Tal standards, and the rest of the team was carefully selected for their stature, averaging just over two meters. The Tal had no hair or eyebrows, so they all wore wigs. Each was fluent in most of Earth's languages. Thanks to Mr. G's deep familiarity with Earth's environment and culture, the team blended perfectly into human society. These covert measures were not meant to deceive humans, but to avoid detection by the Quartpa.

For more precise surveillance of Quartpa activities on Earth, the Tal planned to use Earth's rudimentary physical communication technologies, intending to install their own detection network and early warning systems across radio transmitters and network terminals.

Mr. G addressed his team: "This is a deserted region of Earth. The Quartpa are unlikely to visit here. Let us first approach the nearest Inuit community. To my knowledge, they widely use communication tools that transmit signals via radio waves. We can inspect their devices. If the Quartpa have installed their technology within Earth’s communication tools, our actions may be exposed, and we must revise our strategy."

Everyone agreed with Mr. G’s suggestion and decided to visit the Inuits living near the Arctic. Amid heavy snowfall, the Tal team donned down jackets, disguising themselves as explorers on foot, posing as members of the European Animal Protection Society.

Mr. G said, "Let’s activate the antigravity devices. As we near the Inuit settlement, we’ll turn them off."

Each member pressed a tiny button on their ring-like device, instantly nullifying Earth's gravitational pull. Gripping ski poles, they touched the ground lightly, propelling themselves upward to their desired height. Each touch produced acceleration, and they moved swiftly across the land like a flock of swallows.

Mr. G remarked, "Look, Earth's people have finally appeared. These are the most cold-resistant humans living near the Arctic. The animals ahead are their domesticated canines, used for pulling sleds."

An Inuit, accompanied by a pack of dogs, was pulling a sled through the snow. Mr. G instructed everyone to deactivate their antigravity devices. The team landed gently, walking toward the Inuit with the same posture as humans. As they approached, the sled dogs barked furiously. The master calmed them and pressed the brake, allowing the Tal team to come closer.

"Hello! We are members of the European Animal Protection Society. We are here to research the local guillemots and seals, but we are facing difficulties and need your help," Mr. G said in the Inuit language.

The Inuit replied, "You must have had a hard journey. Tell me what you need, and I’ll do my best to help."

Mr. G explained, "We accidentally lost all our electronic devices and cannot contact our base. We need your help to purchase phones, laptops, and cameras."

The Inuit responded, "You can only buy those devices at a small town 80 kilometers from here."

The Tal team asked the Inuit to guide them to the town and promised a reward of 200 euros.

They boarded the sled, and the Inuit called to the dogs in a special language, speeding toward the town. The six sled dogs struggled to haul the sled, so Mr. G signaled his team to activate their antigravity devices. The members quickly nullified Earth’s gravity. One used his ski pole to assist the dogs, and when ascending a slope, the sled’s front even touched the dogs’ tails, puzzling the Inuit.

The Inuit led the Tal team to a small town and a modest shop, which lacked the requested cameras and laptops, offering only a few digital and smart phones. The team selected an Apple phone, presented their passports as required, and acquired a phone number. They lodged at a simple inn.

In the Inuit inn, the Tal team operated several Apple phones, downloading the widely used WhatsApp app for communication, as recommended by Mr. G, who was well-versed in Earth’s technology and espionage.

After thorough inspection, a technical expert reported, "I’ve detected a superluminal signal source hidden within WhatsApp."

Mr. G was astonished. Humans had not mastered superluminal transmission. The team gathered around the technician for details.

The expert advised everyone to power down their devices, then demonstrated WhatsApp’s functions and operating principles. The Tal, with their scientific acumen, realized they must cease using Earth’s communication devices and WhatsApp. Mr. G urged all members except the technician to destroy their newly acquired phones, as the Quartpa spies had infiltrated Earth's communications.

They understood that Earth's information technology operated strictly within light speed, and the superluminal signal in WhatsApp was a Quartpa-implanted spy program. The Quartpa’s aim was not to spy on humans, but to monitor the Tal’s activity on Earth and observe whether humans were under Tal control.

Mr. G said, "The crafty Quartpa, having arrived on Earth and exploited its simple communication tools, will surely extend their investigation to the pyramids we constructed."

The technician replied, "Most of the Earth’s pyramids are abandoned facilities, and many lack core technology. Only a few retain operational functions. Even if the Quartpa crack the pyramids, it’s of little consequence."

Mr. G replied, "Precisely because some functions remain, the cunning Quartpa will exploit this access point."

"Are you planning to lead us straight to the old pyramid?" the technician asked.

"Of course," Mr. G replied. "Apart from the pyramids, what other access points could the Quartpa use to compromise our Earth project?"

Mr. G took the Tal team from Greenland, Denmark’s Arctic territory, to Egypt’s Great Pyramid of Khufu, posing as tourists. They bought tickets and entered with the crowd.

Suspecting the Quartpa had installed spy devices inside the pyramid to intercept the team’s neural bioelectric signals, Mr. G instructed, "Wear safety hats before entering."

Obeying, the Tal donned duckbill caps identical to those worn by humans. These hats blocked bioelectric emissions during thought and shielded their brains from external radiation.

While tourists eagerly admired the pyramid’s interior, Mr. G’s team, passing through a narrow corridor, discreetly dropped a mechanical beetle. The beetle darted into a square hole, then deeper into a slender passage and a smaller opening. Its rear legs and abdomen emerged, and when it fully exited, it clutched a transparent chip, smaller than a human fingernail. The beetle scrambled up Mr. G’s shoe and into his bag.

After the tour, the team gathered in a nearby restaurant to examine their findings. Mr. G opened his bag, and the beetle still held the transparent chip—a dark matter microchip. He inserted it into a reader, and based on key information, quickly retrieved footage showing a Quartpa mantis agent entering the pyramid. For the first time, the team saw a Quartpa mantis face.

The team watched the mantis in the pyramid with curiosity. Someone asked, "Do mantis people truly count as people?"

Mr. G replied, "That’s a naive question—hard to answer. Each advanced civilization defines ‘person’ differently. We Tal judge by religious faith, Quartpa by empathy and compassion, and the Kelt by logic and IQ. By the standards of many Andromedan civilizations, even we Tal would be considered pests."

Mr. G elaborated, "The mantis are the second most intelligent species on Quartpa, with IQ slightly higher than humans, but far superior in empathy and compassion. Their physiology is more advanced than ours or Earth’s, and they communicate rapidly via bioelectric signals. Throughout their evolution, mantis and Quartpa have complemented each other. The Quartpa owe much of their strength to the mantis, who have always been their trusted aides."

With the mantis explained, the discussion returned to the mission: how to deal with the Quartpa mantis’s surveillance devices inside the pyramid. The dark matter chip retrieved by the beetle was a Tal monitoring device installed during construction. Its footage showed the mantis, after downloading the pharaoh's brain memories, installing Quartpa spy apparatus elsewhere in the pyramid. Using the chip’s data and 3D video, Mr. G’s team pinpointed the location of the mantis’s spy equipment.

Mr. G deployed a mechanical fly inside the pyramid. In a spacious corridor, a black, button-sized object was affixed to the wall. The mechanical fly hovered five centimeters from it and fired a weak plasma flame, instantly destroying the Quartpa surveillance device.

With the Quartpa’s spy apparatus in the Great Pyramid neutralized, the Tal’s Earth expedition was a resounding success. What will happen next? Will the two great civilizations collide again? We shall wait and see. The initiative may still lie with the Quartpa leadership.