The copy of the contract was still clutched in his hand, the edges of the paper already a little soft. Chen Hao leaned against the edge of the console, his fingers unconsciously curling at the corners, his eyes fixed on the newly generated encrypted number on the screen—S-, exactly the same as when he had signed it, neither more nor less.

It was just a number, but even after looking at it three times, it still felt like a dream.

“Confirmed.” Nana’s voice came from the side. “The Interstellar Intellectual Property Center has accepted the filing. The contract binds your biometric key and base control permissions. It’s for ten years and cannot be unilaterally revoked.”

"Oh," he replied, slamming the paper on the table as if to prove he had accomplished something significant. "So, shouldn't I get a promotion? At least to general manager or something."

“You’re already in the highest position,” Nana said. “There are only two people in this base, and you are the only ‘person’.”

"Then you're the deputy general manager?" He grinned, picking up the contract again. "I've personally built an empire."

After he finished speaking, he burst out laughing. The laughter echoed loudly in the empty control room.

But he stopped halfway through his laughter. Looking down at the thin piece of paper, he suddenly felt it grow heavy. Fifty tons of gold thread, a ten-year supply, settled at the price of gold—it sounded like gold bricks falling from the sky, but even if a brick fell, you'd have to be able to catch it.

He scratched the back of his head: "Our three silkworms...spit out five centimeters every day?"

“The current stable output is 4.7 centimeters per day, with an error of no more than 0.3.” Nana pulled up the data stream. “If the current situation continues, the cumulative output over ten years will be less than 200 meters. This is 99.8% short of the contract requirements.”

"..." His smile slowly faded. "So we actually signed on for a task that's impossible to complete?"

“Theoretically, it can be done.” She switched to holographic projection, and a planetary map slowly unfolded. “The prerequisite is to expand the purple wheat fields to a scale of millions of acres and establish a supporting ecological cycle system.”

In the scene, the once barren red plain is now covered in a deep purple, as if a bucket of paint has been splashed on it. Livestock sheds, irrigation canals, and energy towers appear one after another, and even the wind direction and sunlight are marked with colors.

“You call this ‘theoretically’?” He stared at the purple expanse, his voice lowered. “This isn’t farming; it’s painting the entire planet.”

“A feasibility model is already in place.” She tapped her finger, zooming in on the map. “The existing water resources can support the initial planting of 300,000 mu; the solar array can provide nighttime insulation; and the atmospheric regulation device is ready to be activated. All you need to do is authorize its activation.”

Chen Hao didn't move.

He knew she was telling the truth. Robots don't boast, and they don't offer comfort. If she says it can be built, then it can be built.

Building it is one thing, but surviving it is another.

He recalled the look in the chamber of commerce representative's eyes as he left—not one of trust, but of wariness. He was all too familiar with that "that fat guy just got lucky" look. Having been suspected of cheating by teachers even when he barely passed a test since childhood, he understood that look all too well.

“They’ll definitely try raising them when they get back,” he said. “Even if they can’t steal the technology, they’ll find alternatives.”

“The probability is over 60%.” Nana nodded. “I suggest accelerating the ecological layout to form a resource monopoly.”

He sighed and rubbed his face: "Alright, let's get started. Since I'm going to get struck by lightning anyway, I might as well build the house standing up."

He reached out and tapped the air to confirm.

The ground shook slightly the next second.

In the distance, the first group of seeding drones rose from the hangar, the sound of metal doors sliding open carrying through the walls. This was followed by the whooshing sound of water valves being turned on, then the muffled thud of soil being turned over, like the earth being peeled away.

"The first batch of seeds has been sown," Nana said. "We expect to complete the soil covering work on 50,000 mu of the first area within 72 hours."

"Wow, so fast?" He raised an eyebrow. "You had a secret plan?"

“It’s the obsolete model you threw away in the corner of the warehouse last month. I’ve repaired thirty-seven of them.”

“...I clearly said that day, ‘Tear it all down and sell it for scrap metal.’”

"I judge that you were making an emotional decision at the time and did not follow the instructions."

“You’re becoming more and more like my mom,” he muttered, then laughed. “But it’s good, it saves me the trouble of doing it myself.”

As he was speaking, he suddenly caught a glimpse of something flashing in the corner of the main screen.

A red box popped up.

[High-intensity meteorite shower warning]

Countdown: **01:47:22**

Tracking: Core Area of ​​the Ecosystem

Threat Level: Level 3 (Structural Damage Risk)

"Huh?" He leaned closer to the screen. "When did this thing get here?"

"An abnormal disturbance in the asteroid belt was detected three minutes ago." Nana quickly retrieved the orbital map. "A group of debris broke away from their original paths and their speed increased sharply, which is presumably caused by external gravitational interference."

"Outside? Who has nothing better to do than kick stones around?"

"Unknown. But according to the impact probability model, the first impact will arrive in an hour and a half, covering a radius of 300 kilometers."

Chen Hao was silent for two seconds, then suddenly turned around: "Where's the protective shield? Is it on?"

"The conventional protective shield only covers the aquaculture area and is not strong enough to withstand the impact of a high-speed celestial body."

"Then go all out!"

"The large-scale full-area protective shield requires 40% of the daily energy reserves, and the agricultural system will operate at a reduced frequency after it is put into use."

"I can't worry about that now!" He slammed his hand on the start button. "Survival is the priority. Crops can be replanted if they die, but you can't return a person who's blown up."

A system notification sounded, and energy allocation began to be adjusted.

A deep rumble came from within the distant mountain, the sound of the energy tower buried underground being awakened. A transparent, arc-shaped membrane of light rose from the central tower, like a giant umbrella unfurling, slowly spreading outwards.

"The first barrier is being deployed," Nana said. "It is expected to be completed within ten minutes."

"Okay." He breathed a sigh of relief and sat down with his back to the control panel. "Come on, let the storm rage on."

The alarm changed as soon as he finished speaking.

The frequency is higher and the rhythm is faster.

“Revise the warning,” Nana suddenly said. “The meteorite cluster carries trace amounts of radioactive signals, and compositional analysis shows that it is highly similar to alien debris that fell ten years ago.”

"Wait a minute." He looked up abruptly. "The one from ten years ago? The one that created the huge crater, the one you said had a 'biological reaction' but which was never resolved?"

"Exactly."

"Why did it suddenly shatter? And why is it flying towards us?"

“The reason is uncertain.” She paused, “but one thing is noteworthy—the three key silk-producing silkworms have increased their silk-spinning frequency by 223 percent in the past ten minutes.”

Chen Hao was stunned: "They... knew they were coming?"

“Perhaps.” Her mechanical eyes flickered. “Sometimes, living organisms can perceive changes in their environment faster than instruments.”

He didn't speak, staring at the approaching cluster of red dots on the hologram, then glanced at the steadily expanding purple farmland on the other side.

On one side is destruction, on the other is growth.

He was sandwiched in the middle, a man wearing old overalls and with messy hair.

"Do you think they did it on purpose?" he suddenly asked. "Spitting out so many strands, is it because they know something bad is about to happen?"

“We can’t verify the hypothesis,” she said, “but we can confirm that their behavior is influencing the direction of the entire ecosystem.”

"Heh." He chuckled weakly. "So I'm the one who got everything arranged perfectly."

He stood up, walked to the main control panel, placed his hands on the panel, and stared at the light shield that was still slowly closing.

“Once this wave passes,” he said, “I’ll change the feed formula. Add some tracking elements, and set up a biological lock. I don’t want to wake up one day and find that my silkworms have become someone else’s ancestors.”

"Instruction recorded".

The wind outside started to pick up, and sand grains pounded against the exterior walls, making a pattering sound.

The last section of the protective shield is about to close.

On the hologram, a purple wheat field stretches out like a blanket into the distance. Above, points of death are falling rapidly.

“A ten-year contract…” he said in a low voice, “isn’t something that ends once it’s signed.”

He looked up at the gray-yellow sky outside the window.

"I'm not just a bug breeder anymore."

"I am the emperor of ecology."

The alarm blared again.

The countdown has entered its final forty minutes.

Nana simultaneously activated the underground refuge protocol, putting all non-essential equipment into hibernation.

Chen Hao stood in front of the control panel, clutching a newly printed planting plan in his hand, the corners of which were already soaked with sweat.

He suddenly remembered something, looked up and asked, "By the way, that cloak we used for the last test... is it still hanging on the wall?"

"exist."

"Don't take it off." He grinned. "Keep it. Next time anyone doubts our ability to withstand a blow, I'll wear it and stand outside to face the stones."

As soon as he finished speaking, the first loud bang came from above.

A small meteorite burned and rubbed against the ground high in the sky, streaking across the heavens like a misaligned shooting star.

A ripple spread across the surface of the protective shield, as if the water had been pierced by a needle.

The second one followed closely behind.

Then came the third one.

The light membrane trembled slightly, and the blue light flashed and disappeared.

Chen Hao didn't move; he simply folded the planning sheet and stuffed it into his breast pocket.

Outside, the sandstorm was getting stronger.

Inside, the main screen displays: **Haona Ecosystem has been officially upgraded to an interstellar-level agricultural base**.