Chen Hao stared at his phone screen; the time jumped to 8:50. He looked up at the gate of the research institute; a sign on the glass read "National Astronomical Observatories Planetary Geology Research Center," the handwriting as neat as standard answers on an exam paper.

"Ten minutes left." Nana stood next to him, holding a tablet in her hands, her mechanical eyes glowing slightly.

“I know.” Chen Hao put his phone in his pocket, then took it out again. “Do you think they’ll ask ‘Where did you get this data?’ right from the start?”

“The probability is very high,” Nana said. “I suggest you admit to not having a professional background right from the start.”

"You want me to expose myself again?" Chen Hao grinned. "I feel like a student who's been pulled onto the podium to copy homework."

Susan gently patted his shoulder: "Just tell me what you see, don't make it up."

Carl straightened his collar: "I've already synced the terminology glossary to Nana's system, so it's readily available."

The elevator doors opened, and a group of people entered the building. The corridor was quiet, save for the sound of footsteps and the low hum of distant machinery. A man wearing glasses walked towards them, stopped when he saw them, and glanced at Nana.

"You're the team from yesterday's email?"

"Yes," Nana replied.

"I'm Researcher Li." He adjusted his glasses. "I'll be waiting for you in the conference room."

The conference table was long, and seven or eight people were seated there. At the far end, a middle-aged man was flipping through documents, his brow furrowed, and his eyes sharp when he looked up.

"Guo Wu." He gave his name but didn't extend his hand.

Chen Hao sat down, his palms slightly sweaty. The projector lit up, and Nana opened the data package. The first page read "Preliminary Exchange Data on Planetary Exploration V2.0".

“Let’s play the video first,” she said.

The scene showed a gray-blue landscape, with wind whipping fine sand across cracks in the rocks. Chen Hao's voice rang out: "This is the morning of the third day on the mission planet, the temperature is minus 123 degrees Celsius, and the wind speed is nine meters per second."

Someone frowned: "Can the equipment work properly in this environment?"

“Our probe has a special coating.” Nana pulled up the technical parameters. “The cryogenic material comes from our home planet’s industrial system; there is no corresponding model on Earth yet.”

Guo Wu asked, "Without third-party verification, how can you prove this isn't simulated data?"

The air suddenly tensed up.

Chen Hao remained silent, but Nana quickly followed up: "The original log contains 72 consecutive hours of sensor recordings, including gyroscope attitude, temperature fluctuation curves, and communication latency changes. The cost of forging it is higher than that of real data collection."

“But we can’t rule out human intervention.” Guo Wu turned the page. “For example, could the heating phenomenon of this blue crystal be a residual energy device?”

Karl then spoke up: "According to the geological scan, there is no metal enrichment or electromagnetic residue in this area. The crystal structure is hexagonal, and there is spontaneous polarization effect inside, which is inconsistent with the known battery principle."

Guo Wu looked up: "You investigated this?"

“The knowledge base compared 372 energy storage materials, and the matching rate was less than 4%,” Carl said calmly. “It’s more like a naturally formed energy converter.”

Researcher Li interjected, "How did you discover it back then?"

“Dig a hole.” Chen Hao finally spoke. “I originally wanted to build a shelter, but when I dug it down, hot air came out. I thought it was an electrical leak, but it turned out that the surrounding temperature was low, and only it was hot.”

Someone chuckled: "Sounds like taking a chance."

"That's right," Chen Hao nodded. "But we recorded the whole process. From excavation to measurement, it took a total of thirty-seven minutes. The video is in Attachment Three."

Nana switched the camera view, and the surveillance footage began playing. Several people at the table crowded around to watch.

Guo Wu suddenly asked, "Where are the samples?"

"Only a few scraps left." Chen Hao patted his pocket. "Most of it was damaged on the way."

"So we can't do isotope analysis?" Guo Wu's tone turned serious.

“The data we brought back is enough to build a model,” Nana added. “Infrared radiation attenuation curves, atmospheric composition gradient distribution, crustal stress feedback… these cannot be covered by a single fabrication.”

“But you haven’t published any preliminary papers,” another scientist said. “Suddenly presenting a whole set of data makes it hard not to suspect your motives.”

Susan then spoke up: "We were initially just carrying out an educational mission; no one expected to discover an unusual structure. The record was made as part of the standard procedure, not for research purposes."

Her voice wasn't loud, but it was clear: "It's precisely because we had no clear goal that we didn't delete those 'unreasonable' data."

The meeting room fell silent for a few seconds.

Researcher Li nodded: "For example, the part about the sound of the wind?"

“Yes.” Chen Hao perked up. “There was a regular whistling sound in the cave, like someone crying. Later we found out it was the resonance caused by airflow passing through holes of different diameters.”

“This is actually an important clue.” Nana pulled up the audio spectrum. “The frequency is concentrated at 186 Hz, which is consistent with the characteristics of cavity resonance. Combined with terrain modeling, we can deduce the distribution of underground pipes.”

Guo Wu stared at the diagram for a while, then suddenly asked, "Did you take any precautions against contamination when you collected the rock samples?"

"Disinfect gloves, seal containers, and record the entire operation." Nana pulled up a video. "Before sampling, irradiate the surface with ultraviolet light for thirty seconds to prevent the adhesion of terrestrial microorganisms."

“The procedure is standard.” Guo Wu finally breathed a sigh of relief, “but it’s not enough. To gain acceptance from the academic community, it must withstand repeated testing.”

“We are willing to provide all the original data,” Chen Hao said. “You can verify it however you like.”

Researcher Li looked at him and asked, "Aren't you worried about your research being stolen?"

“Being afraid is useless,” Chen Hao laughed. “I can’t write papers. If you can really figure it out, it will be an explanation to that planet.”

After he said that, the atmosphere in the room changed.

Some people started taking notes, while others discussed in hushed tones. Guo Wu closed the file and said to his assistant, "Arrange the second batch of simulation experiments, try it out according to the data range they provided."

Researcher Li stood up: "Next time, could you bring a physical sample? Even just a small piece?"

“We’ll figure something out,” Nana said.

The meeting ended, and everyone left one after another. Chen Hao leaned back in his chair, feeling a sense of lightness wash over him.

"Did I say something wrong?" he asked Nana.

“No.” Nana put away her tablet. “Researcher Guo Wu made five notes at the end, one of which was ‘It is recommended to apply for a special fund to support non-governmental collaborative projects.’”

"He's quite serious."

He said you are a 'rare honest observer'.

Susan smiled and said, "Looks like my nervousness wasn't for nothing."

Carl was stopped by Researcher Li, and the two stood at the door talking in hushed tones. After a moment, Li handed him a business card.

It was just dawn when I stepped out of the building. A breeze blew by, carrying a slight chill.

"Let's go home." Chen Hao stretched.

Nana suddenly said, "There were three new emails just now."

Who posted this?

“The Tsinghua lab wanted to use the data as a teaching case, Zhejiang University asked if we could collaborate on modeling, and there was also a foreign institution…” She paused, “saying they were willing to pay for access.”

Chen Hao waved his hand: "I won't go back yet."

He looked down at his phone, and a notification popped up on the lock screen: **Morning meeting summary to be uploaded**.

My finger hovered over the send button, but I hesitated to press it.

The automatic doors at the building entrance slowly closed, revealing their blurry figures.