「文学者、サイバー攻撃、そしてブラックホール：交錯する運命」の英語長文問題

Renowned novelist, Arthur Penhaligon, a recluse known for his intricate prose and even more intricate life, found himself unexpectedly at the center of a digital maelstrom. His latest manuscript, a dystopian novel exploring themes of technological singularity and existential dread, had been stolen. Not by a common thief, but by a sophisticated cyberattack, the perpetrator leaving behind only an enigmatic digital signature: a swirling image resembling a black hole. Penhaligon, a man of letters more accustomed to wrestling with the complexities of language than computer code, was bewildered. The manuscript, titled "Event Horizon," contained not only his painstakingly crafted narrative but also the culmination of years of philosophical contemplation, a personal exploration of mortality and the vast, unknowable universe. He contacted Detective Inspector Ava Sharma, a cybercrime specialist known for her sharp intellect and even sharper intuition. Sharma, initially skeptical of the apparent amateurishness of the attack – the digital signature was almost deliberately flamboyant – quickly realized the depth of the crime. The attack wasn't random; it was targeted. The perpetrator seemed intimately familiar with Penhaligon’s work, and the stolen manuscript was more than just a story; it contained encrypted data, far more valuable than any literary property. She suspected a nexus between the stolen manuscript, the black hole imagery, and a secretive group known as "The Singularity Collective," rumored to be developing cutting-edge artificial intelligence. As Sharma delved deeper into the case, she discovered a pattern of similar attacks, each leaving behind the same distinctive black hole signature. Each target was an individual whose work, in diverse fields from astrophysics to cryptography, seemed to touch upon the fringes of understanding reality itself. It became clear that the motive was not mere theft; it was the acquisition of knowledge – knowledge that could potentially unlock the universe's deepest mysteries, or unleash unimaginable chaos. Penhaligon, initially consumed by despair over the theft, now felt a chilling sense of purpose. He realized that his novel, intended to explore the nature of existence, had become entwined with an existential threat of a far greater scale than he could have ever imagined. He and Sharma must now collaborate, blending his literary insight with her technological expertise, to confront not only the shadowy hackers but also the profound questions raised by their actions – questions that probed the very limits of human knowledge and control.