Mingzhao's gaze lingered on the painting for a few seconds.

Her fingertips lightly brushed over the gear-shaped tuning knob, and a fleeting glimmer of stardust seemed to flash deep within her eyes.

She recognized the code word, which only she and Howard understood, and it represented a problem related to electromagnetic waves or information transmission that required precise tuning and special tools to solve.

This hint was something she cared about far more than the commendation.

She quietly put away the substrate and drawing paper and walked to the window.

Outside the window, the night was deep and the base was dotted with scattered lights.

In the distance, amidst the massive shadowy outline of the hangar, the wreckage of the "Shadow" resembled a silent scar.

She recalled Old Zhao lying in the hospital bed, his body wrapped in bandages; she remembered the cold words "eternal silence" on the commendation order; and she remembered Jiang Feng's report on the "Mole's" special mechanical leg.

Just then, there was a gentle knock on the laboratory door.

Jiang Feng pushed open the door and came in, his face solemn, holding a tablet computer in his hand.

"Comrade Mingzhao, excuse me. The preliminary analysis report on Zhao Youfu's mechanical leg is out. The results... are very unusual."

Mingzhao turned around, gesturing for him to continue.

Jiang Feng handed over the tablet, which displayed a diagram of the internal structure of the disassembled mechanical leg and a material composition analysis table.

"The technical team confirmed that the core shock absorption and cushioning devices and precision transmission structures are not based on existing domestic technology. The alloys used in key bearings and some load-bearing components have strength, toughness, and lightweight properties far exceeding our best aerospace materials. The strangest thing is..."

Jiang Feng pointed to several abnormal peaks on the material's spectral analysis chart.

"These components... are unidentifiable. They do not belong to any known elements in the periodic table, but exhibit extremely strong energy absorption and damping properties. Moreover..."

He clicked on a video clip showing the robotic leg undergoing simulated impact testing in a laboratory.

When a vibration of a specific frequency is applied, the core of the non-standard buffer device inside the mechanical leg suddenly emits an extremely faint, almost invisible, pale blue glow, and at the same time, the reading of the vibration sensor next to it instantly drops to zero!

It was as if all the impact energy was instantly swallowed up!

"This method of energy absorption... is very strange. The technical team cannot explain its principle. Initial suspicion is... that it is some kind of energy conversion or dissipation mechanism that we have not yet mastered."

Jiang Feng's voice carried a metallic chill: "This leg is something no ordinary spy could possess. Behind it... lies a technological source and purpose beyond our comprehension. Zhao Youfu... may only be the tip of the iceberg."

Mingzhao's gaze fell on the eerie, ghostly blue glow that had frozen on the tablet screen.

That light was cold, mysterious, and carried a quality that didn't belong to this era.

She recalled Howard's simple sketch of a radio and a wrench, and then the "Silent" damper at the rear of the "Shadow" engine compartment, which had swallowed the energy of "Stardust" but ultimately collapsed.

All the clues, like cold threads, silently intertwined and entangled in Mingzhao's mind.

She looked up and gazed at the deep night outside the window.

The lights of the base appeared so faint in the boundless darkness, yet so stubbornly persistent.