Chen Hao took his phone out of his pocket; the screen was still lit. He hadn't closed the emails from the National Astronomical Observatories. He stared at the line "Second Batch of Simulation Experiment Arrangements" for three seconds, then casually clicked forward.
Nana stood in the kitchen doorway, holding two cups of soy milk, handing one to Susan. A glint flashed in her eyes. "I've received official notification from the project team that the four of us have been listed as civilian collaborators to participate in the planetary geological comparison research project."
"So fast?" Susan almost choked.
"The approval process is complete," Nana said. "The meeting is scheduled for 10 a.m. today, and will be held online."
Carl was sitting on the sofa flipping through his notebook when he heard this and suddenly looked up. "Should I wear a suit?"
"No need." Chen Hao stuffed his phone back into his pocket and plopped down. "It's not a variety show that judges people by their looks."
“But this is a formal research project.” Carl frowned. “I memorized thirty-seven technical terms last night, and I can’t let them go to waste.”
“No matter how well you memorize it, it’s useless if you stutter.” Susan laughed. “Relax, we’re here to share experiences, not to take a doctoral exam.”
Nana placed the tablet on the coffee table and projected a document. "This is the project background information, which I compiled overnight. The core objective is to verify the similarity between the geological structure of the mission planet and models of early Earth's evolution. The main point of contention lies in the mechanism of organic matter enrichment in a lifeless environment."
Chen Hao scratched his head. "Speak like a human being."
“They want to figure out how a planet without life could have chemical traces similar to life.” Nana switched pages. “Currently, there are three main hypotheses: extreme climate-driven, mineral catalytic reactions, and continuous deposition of cosmic dust.”
"Oh." Chen Hao nodded. "I still don't understand, but it sounds very impressive."
Susan glanced at him. "Can't you just pretend you know something?"
“I can’t install it.” Chen Hao shrugged. “I don’t even know what ‘sedimentation’ is.”
“It’s just silt slowly piling up,” Carl interjected, “like the bottom of a river.”
"Then what you just said about 'the continuous deposition of cosmic dust' is just dust falling from the sky, isn't it?" Chen Hao asked.
“…The essence is correct.” Nana paused for a second, “but please don’t say that in a meeting.”
At 10:00 AM sharp, the four of them sat around the living room sofa, with the computer connected to the projector. The screen flashed, and more than a dozen windows appeared, all showing people wearing white coats or shirts, some drinking coffee, others adjusting their headsets.
A man wearing glasses appeared on the main screen. "Good morning, everyone. I'm Guo Wu, the coordinator for this project. First of all, thank you to Chen Hao's team for joining us."
Chen Hao subconsciously straightened his back.
"The main purpose of our kick-off meeting today is to clarify the research direction and division of labor," Guo Wu said quickly. "The data you provided has been included in the first phase of analysis, which focuses on rock layer age determination and atmospheric residual composition modeling."
A proposal popped up on the screen, and Nana immediately synced it to her local device.
"I have a question," Chen Hao raised his hand.
"Speaking."
"When you conduct simulation experiments, are you using Earth materials to imitate our planet?"
"That's the basic idea."
"That might be a problem," Chen Hao said, scratching his head. "The stones where I live make a sound when the wind blows, like they have internal cavities. Can your lab make that kind of material?"
The meeting room fell silent for a moment.
“You didn’t mention this phenomenon before.” Guo Wu looked at the notes.
"I mentioned it during the interview, but no one asked me for details," Chen Hao shrugged. "And I don't know why it made a sound myself."
Nana continued, "Sensor data shows that the resonant frequency of this type of rock is concentrated in the range of 230 to 260 Hz, and the structure is distributed in a honeycomb-like micropore pattern, with the pore walls covered by a layer of unknown crystalline material."
“This is very important,” a female researcher suddenly said. “If it is indeed a spontaneously generated sound body, it may be caused by periodic vibrations due to thermal expansion and contraction, which means that the diurnal temperature range is extremely large and stable—this is a key parameter for climate models.”
“Yes!” Susan exclaimed enthusiastically. “I also remember the ground over in the plant area, which would crack open during the day and close at night, like it was breathing. We thought it was a sign of an impending earthquake.”
“This isn’t a vegetation zone,” Carl corrected. “That’s a silicon-based surface creep zone, which deforms according to temperature changes.”
“See, he knew it.” Chen Hao smiled at the camera. “Although we don’t understand the technical terms, what we see is real.”
Guo Wu glanced down and jotted something down. When he looked up again, his expression relaxed a bit. "Next, we'll have group discussions. Chen Hao's team will be assigned to the third sub-group, responsible for providing support for the original observation scenarios. This includes: reconstructing phenomenon descriptions, reviewing the data collection process on-site, and prioritizing abnormal events."
"Do we need to answer questions?" Chen Hao asked.
“More than that,” Guo Wu said. “You need to ask questions. Only by constantly questioning can we get closer to the truth.”
The meeting then moved into a free discussion session.
A young researcher asked, "When you are working on the surface of a planet, do you experience any significant magnetic field interference?"
Nana immediately retrieved the logs. "The equipment did not record any strong magnetic field fluctuations, but all compass-type tools malfunctioned. It is speculated that there is a non-dipole weak magnetic field distribution."
"This aligns with our initial assessment." The other party nodded. "Thank you."
Susan suddenly spoke up: "I want to ask you something."
"Please speak."
"Can the model you're using predict when that blue crystal will suddenly heat up? When we were here, it heated up on its own in the middle of the night and almost burned down the tent."
“The crystal composition analysis is not yet complete,” another person replied. “But if it is indeed a lithium vanadium oxide structure, there may be a photo-induced energy storage effect.”
"So, you mean it basks in the sun during the day and releases heat at night?"
"Theoretically feasible."
“Then it’s not an accident,” Susan smiled. “It follows a pattern.”
Carl continued, "I suggest adding a six-hour daily UV irradiation cycle to the simulated environment and observing whether it triggers a similar response."
“That’s a good suggestion.” Guo Wu looked at him. “We will include it in the next phase of the testing plan.”
Chen Hao leaned back on the sofa, watching his teammates speak one by one, their tone becoming increasingly steady, even carrying a hint of confidence. He didn't interrupt, just listened, nodding occasionally.
Near the end, Guo Wu concluded by saying, "We will hold progress meetings every two weeks going forward. If you make any new discoveries, please contact me immediately. Also—" He paused, "you are welcome to visit the laboratory in person."
"Really, we can go?" Chen Hao was stunned.
“Of course.” Guo Wu adjusted his glasses. “You’re not outsiders anymore.”
After the projector was turned off, the room was quiet for a few seconds.
"Are we... inside?" Susan asked softly.
“The project has already been approved in the procedures.” Nana put away her equipment. “Our name is on the official list of partners.”
Carl closed his notebook, his face slightly flushed. "They wrote down what I said."
“You don’t talk nonsense.” Chen Hao patted him on the shoulder. “It’s much better than me reading textbooks at school.”
Susan suddenly stood up. "I need to reorganize my notes! I didn't realize how important many details were at the time, but now they all match up."
“I also need to update the glossary.” Carl pulled out his pen. “Next time, I’ll try to explain the relationship between weathering rate and mineral precipitation clearly in one go.”
Nana opened a new document. "I'm starting to draft the first feedback report, which I expect to submit tonight."
Chen Hao didn't move. He stared at the ceiling for a while, then reached into his pocket for his phone.
Then he stood up, walked to the dining table, opened a drawer, and pulled out an old ballpoint pen and half a blank exercise book.
He wrote on the first page:
"About the stone that makes a sound."
My phone vibrated just as I finished writing.
The new information comes from Guo Wu.
"One more question: Does the 'Wind Sound Cave' mentioned in your records have regular patterns on its walls? The clearer the description, the better."
Chen Hao glanced at Nana, "Does anyone remember what that cave looked like?"
Nana pulled up the photo, "It's mainly vertical grooves, spaced about 15 centimeters apart, arranged in a wavy pattern."
"It looks like it was carved out by someone." Susan leaned closer to take a look.
“It’s not man-made,” Karl shook his head. “It’s more like the result of long-term fluid erosion.”
“But there’s no water there at all.” Chen Hao frowned.
“Perhaps it happened in the past,” Nana said, “or it could be a slow corrosion caused by a high concentration of acid mist.”
Chen Hao picked up a pen and drew a crooked line on the notebook.
He then wrote another sentence below:
Why is the sound coming from inside the wall?
The pen tip paused.
He looked up at the three of them.
How much of what we're seeing is just a coincidence?
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