Mingzhao sat quietly on the edge of the bed, her face showing no anger or fear of being imprisoned.

She lowered her eyes slightly, her fingertips unconsciously tracing the pocket of her work clothes, where the small glass bottle was located.

The contents of the bottle are "stardust".

She knew what the exposure of "Stardust" meant.

That was the target of a top-secret recovery operation codenamed "Candle Dragon" three years ago deep in the Gobi Desert of Northwest China: the only active sample extracted from the wreckage of a crashed unidentified flying object that had not been completely destroyed!

Its physical and energy properties are completely beyond Earth's comprehension, and it was classified as "Top Secret Zero" and directly sealed in the highest-level underground vault.

Its very existence is the greatest taboo of this era!

And she, a young woman of unknown origin, not only knew about it, but also possessed it, and even... used it!

Yan Zhensheng's reaction confirmed the worst possible outcome.

He was one of the few high-ranking officials who were aware of Operation Candle Dragon.

The sound of the lock turning filled the air. Yan Zhensheng walked in alone, his face still pale, but his eyes sharp as an eagle's, fixed intently on Mingzhao. He locked the door behind him, isolating himself from the outside world.

"Comrade Mingzhao,"

His voice was terrifyingly low, carrying immense pressure and scrutiny.

“Now, it’s just the two of us here. Tell me, where did you get that bottle of ‘Stardust’?” He stared intently into Mingzhao’s eyes, trying to find a trace of panic or a lie.

Mingzhao raised her head and calmly met Yan Zhensheng's gaze. The dim light of the solitary confinement cell cast a faint shadow on her face, which only made her eyes appear even deeper and colder.

"Pick up the ground." Her answer was so concise it was almost suffocating.

"Picking up land?!" Yan Zhensheng almost thought he had misheard, a surge of anger mixed with a sense of absurdity rising to his head.

"Picking up land in the core 'Zero Zone' of the Lop Nur military restricted area in Northwest China?! Comrade Mingzhao, this joke is not funny at all! Do you know what it means to privately possess or use 'Zero Secrets'? That's treason!"

"I did not commit treason."

Mingzhao's tone was completely flat, as if stating an objective fact: "I used it for the success of 'Galaxy'. It has proven to have accelerated the breakthrough of key components. The project could have succeeded without it, but it would have taken much longer."

"quibble!"

Yan Zhensheng slammed his hand on the table, making the enamel mug on it vibrate loudly.

"Stardust is top secret! Its origin, nature, and potential risks are all unknown! Your unauthorized use is itself a huge security risk and a leak of classified information! What's more..."

He took a step closer, his gaze sharp as a knife. "Your identity! Your file is as clean as a blank sheet of paper, yet it's full of inconsistencies! Your terrifyingly advanced technological intuition and knowledge... Who exactly are you? Who sent you? What is your purpose in approaching Project 'Galaxy'?"

The air seemed to freeze. The issue of his identity, like the Sword of Damocles hanging over his head, was finally laid bare by Yan Zhensheng!

Mingzhao fell silent. Only Yan Zhensheng's heavy breathing filled the solitary confinement room. Time ticked by, the oppressive atmosphere suffocating.

Just as Yan Zhensheng's patience was about to run out and he was preparing to take even harsher measures.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The heavy iron door of the solitary confinement cell was slammed shut, and Su Xuan's voice, choked with sobs and filled with extreme terror, screamed from outside:

"Academician Yan! Mingzhao! Something's happened! Something terrible has happened! The ground station has received an unidentified signal! It's not ours! It's...it's the Soviet Union! Their 'Lightning' communications satellite is broadcasting out of control! The content...the content looks like their top-secret military communications code! The entire...the entire frequency band is being leaked!!"

Like a bolt from the blue, it struck hard inside and outside the confinement room!

The anger and interrogation on Yan Zhensheng's face instantly turned into a deathly ashes of horror!

A Soviet military satellite went out of control? Top-secret communication codes were broadcast globally? This...this is a world-shaking incident capable of triggering a world war!

Mingzhao's eyes, which had been calm as still water, suddenly narrowed! In her mind, the warning mechanism from the advanced civilization instantly sounded the highest alarm.

This was no coincidence! A cold, hard judgment flashed through her mind like lightning:

The faint energy fluctuations from the "stardust" may have accidentally interfered with the fragile core control system of a nearby Soviet satellite! The butterfly effect has unleashed a devastating storm in the cold universe!

She turned sharply to Yan Zhensheng, speaking for the first time with an unprecedented urgency and coldness in her voice: "Quick! Cut off all non-essential reception! Notify the highest levels immediately! This isn't a malfunction! This is..."