Lagoon Nebula, White Tower.

The rain has been falling for half a month, and the sky has been gray and hazy. There seems to be a damp smell lingering on the tip of the nose.

Elisa holds a cup of hot coffee and observes the rainwater gathering like a stream on the glass wall.

When she hears someone pull out a chair, she turns around and sees August: "Are you done?"

August is wearing a light gray windbreaker, tall, and has azure eyes. He looks through the glass wall at the two-story house opposite and answers Elisa's question: "I have submitted the results on the intranet. I don't have any projects to start for the time being. Let's take a rest for two days."

Elisa: "Well, take a few more days off and get a good sleep. The weather during this period is easy to make people depressed."

The conversation stopped here, and no one continued.

Another two minutes passed before August asked, "Qi Yan...what happened?"

Eliza's eyes immediately turned red. She held the coffee cup, looked to one side, and the loose hair behind her ears fell down: "August, I have been thinking these days, if I hadn't suggested sending Qi Yan to Leto, or if the people from the White Tower went to pick him up faster, even if it was only one minute faster, would things not be like this now?"

Qi Yan felt that he had a dream, but the specific dream disappeared completely when he woke up.

He sat by the bed for a while, his head was dizzy, and there was a dull palpitation in his chest. He walked a few steps barefoot on the ground, then went back and put on his slippers.

Passing by the table, he had a cold look on his face. He cut his arm with a fruit knife. After the bleeding, he found a bandage and wrapped it around his wrist again and again. Finally, he tied a neat bow with one hand with great difficulty before opening the door and leaving. He

walked along the corridor, his mind seemed to be still asleep until someone called him: "Qi Yan!"

Qi Yan stopped, followed the voice, and saw Eliza and August.

Eliza smiled and asked him, "Did you sleep well?"

Qi Yan was a little slow to respond, and answered hoarsely, "Fortunately, I slept for eight hours. I seemed to have a dream, but I can't remember it clearly."

Glancing at the piece of gauze exposed at Qi Yan's cuffs, Eliza tightened her hand holding the coffee cup, "Are you injured again?"

Qi Yan lowered his eyes to look at the bow tie, and explained slowly, "Well, I was accidentally cut by a fruit knife, it hurts. But Lu Fenghan applied healing gel to me and wrapped it with a bandage. He said it will be healed soon."

Eliza and August looked at each other.

Qi Yan has been in a coma since he was taken back to the Lagoon Nebula. Obviously, except for the bite on the corner of his mouth and the bleeding nail, there were no other injuries, but he lay in the treatment cabin for two days without waking up.

Eliza guessed that this should be Qiyan's subjective will - he didn't want to wake up.

After sleeping in bed for three days, Qiyan finally opened his eyes.

Eliza was ready to answer Qiyan's questions, and even considered the wording dozens of times, but what no one expected was that Qiyan didn't ask a single question. After getting up, he walked out, then came back to put on his slippers, and asked about the progress of Project E97-Z while putting on his slippers.

Eliza was always hanging in her heart, and she didn't dare to say anything else. She only answered: "From the time you went to Leto until now, you have been running data. August goes to see you once a week, but there is no result yet."

Qiyan nodded, his thin figure wrapped in loose clothes, inexplicably empty. He said hoarsely: "I'll go and see."

Eliza followed him.

She kept reviewing all the details of Qi Yan from the time he woke up to the present, and finally found out: "Slippers--"

Qi Yan answered naturally: "Lu Fenghan reminded me to put them on just now, saying that I would be cold if I didn't wear them. I always forget to wear slippers, and he said it's okay, he would remind me."

Eliza's heart sank.

Her worst guess still became a reality.

The sound of rain became a little quieter, Qi Yan pulled out a chair and sat down, and first talked to August about the progress of Project E97-Z. Both of them thought that there was no need to continue, because no data had been obtained in half a year, and the huge amount of computing had proved that this was a dead end and should not be persisted.

August's eyes swept over Qi Yan's pale and thin cheeks, the slightly blue eyes, and fell on his thin wrists. He sighed in his heart, but did not show it. He just changed the topic to daily life: "Have you taken the medicine?"

"Yes." Qi Yan was a few seconds later, with a little confusion in his eyes, "I thought I took the medicine, but I remembered it wrong again."

August paused: "Did he remind you?"

Qi Yan nodded: "Yes, he brought the water and gave me the medicine."

When Qi Yan was called away, Eliza put down the cold coffee and smiled bitterly: "What should I do?"

In Qi Yan's memory, Lu Fenghan did not die because of saving him, but came to the Lagoon Nebula with him. As for the time lost due to coma, Qi Yan seemed to have acquiesced to the existence of this "loophole" and did not investigate it at all.

In his words, Lu Fenghan would be mentioned from time to time.

Like today's sentence "I was accidentally cut by a fruit knife", Qi Yan would say it almost every day.

What scared Eliza was that in order to strengthen the authenticity of this fabricated memory, Qi Yan, who was so sensitive to pain, would personally cut a wound on his arm with a sharp object every day, then bandage it and tie a bow.

It was like using this as evidence to prove that Lu Fenghan was really still by his side.

Qi Yan obviously couldn't sleep all night, couldn't eat anything, and became weaker and thinner day by day, but he fabricated a memory of "sleeping eight hours a day and having dreams that I couldn't remember clearly".

He consumed all his vitality and indulged in a world that was half fake and half real.

It was as if that person had never left, as if everything was the same as before.

As long as he didn't think too deeply and didn't explore, he would never break this delicate balance.

The cold coffee tasted extremely bitter, and the tip of her tongue seemed to be numb. Eliza supported her forehead with her palm,

"It's like walking on a tightrope on a cliff... You know, I'm scared. I'm afraid that Qi Yan will be trapped in this state, constantly cutting himself, enduring all night long, day after day, and eventually he won't be able to bear it.

I'm also afraid that if I pull him out of this swamp, everything about him will collapse. How can he bear it? He finally used those memories to coax himself and deceive himself, making himself shaky and about to fall, but still trying to hold on..." As

she spoke, she was already crying.

No one dared to tell Qi Yan that Lu Fenghan was dead and no longer existed in this world, for fear that his mind and spirit would fall apart in an instant.

Eliza had watched Qi Yan grow up since he was a child, and had been his psychiatrist for eight years. She knew it all too well - Qi Yan had always wanted to die.

Since eight years ago, as his memory confusion worsened, Qi Yan had a very difficult time every day.

He needed to distinguish what was false, to question and deny himself completely, and then to piece together the truth from it, and he couldn't even be sure whether these pieced-together "truths" were real.

No one knew what kind of pain and hopelessness this was.

Sometimes Eliza looked at Qi Yan and felt that he was a weak fire in the wind, and she didn't know when it would be completely extinguished.

Until Qiyan went to Leto, until they talked for the first time, although Qiyan did not mention a word, Eliza clearly felt that Qiyan seemed to have grasped a thin thread.

It was relying on this thin thread that allowed him to survive until now.

Like a person who had been drowning for a long time being pulled out of the water and able to breathe briefly.

Even getting better day by day, more hopeful day by day.

But no one knew, what would happen if this thin thread broke?

On the nameless star.

Someone was arguing in her ear.

"Such peace is rare and terrifying. The people of the alliance are safely confined within the wall. After a long time, they will lose their bloodiness and their perception of danger and will no longer be alert. Including the garrisons sent by the Central Army Corps and the garrisons of the administrative regions, if they are idle for too long, their swords will rust and their hilts will rot."

Another person replied: "But the duty of the military is to defend the alliance. It is right to use the expeditionary force as a stronghold to stop foreign enemies. Moreover, human genes carry the tendency to divide. "There is no discriminatory and bellicosity element. Without interstellar pirates and rebels, there will naturally be something else."

The man who spoke first sighed: "No one has the ability to predict. What you and I can do is just to do what we can do now, and then, we will deal with it as soon as the enemy comes. As for the things of the future, there will naturally be people in the future to do it."

Lu Fenghan vaguely remembered that this was a rainy night when he was less than ten years old. His father Lu Jun had a rare leave to go home and entertained his comrade Nie Huai Ting at home.

He was assembling a starship model while listening to them talking in a language he didn't quite understand.

Starship...

The miniature starship he was driving had been broken into pieces in the jump channel, and the same was true for the medium-sized ship chasing him.

He realized slowly that his whole body seemed to be in pain, but the pain was separated by something and was not real enough.

The sound of rain in his ears gradually faded away, and Lu Fenghan recalled that he and Qi Yan had been stranded on a deserted planet together. Qi Yan held a nutrient in his mouth and said something to him incoherently.

Qi Yan.

Qi Yan...

This name awakened Lu Fenghan's mind in an instant. He used all his strength to move his fingers, but failed. It seemed that his thoughts had lost contact with the nervous system.

I can't die.

I want to wake up.

If I die, who will remind that confused little kid to wear slippers when he is cold and eat well when he is hungry?

He still wants to go back, and Qi Yan promised to wait for him.

Qi Yan is still waiting for him.

Lu Fenghan opened his eyes.

The light was too strong, and Lu Fenghan's vision was dizzy, and it took a long time for it to come into focus.

What came into view was the sky with clouds on it. In the afterglow, he could glimpse green, and judging from the touch, it should be the

tips of grass. The confused memory made Lu Fenghan think for a moment that he was lying on the lawn of the First Military Academy, lazily basking in the sun. He remembered that Qi Yan's earlobe was pricked by the tip of the grass, so he said coquettishly that he was injured.

"Hello."

When Lu Fenghan heard this, his eyes sharpened and he was obviously alert.

He initially thought that he had just woken up and his vigilance had dropped to zero, so he didn't notice that there was anyone next to him. But when he turned his stiff neck and looked around, he was sure that there was no one around, not a single person.

Either it was an auditory hallucination, or the more superstitious theory was that I was seeing ghosts from outer space.

"Hello."

The voice sounded again.

Lu Fenghan did not answer rashly.

"According to various data, you have woken up." The voice appeared again, "Or, I was broken in the jump channel, but I didn't know it." "

After self-inspection, the conclusion is: I am not broken."

"Conducted a second self-inspection, the conclusion is: no damage was found, no self-repair is required."

After Lu Lu finished listening to these sentences one after another, Lu Fenghan spoke cautiously: "Who are you?"

Three seconds later.

"Hello, I'm Pojun. I'm glad to talk to you. Your opening remarks are just what I expected. I'm glad we are so in tune with each other."

This is a long sentence. If you listen carefully, you can detect a subtle sense of awkwardness.

After capturing one of the key words, Lu Fenghan's breath was slightly choked: "Po Jun?"

"Yes, thank you for naming me. Your naming level surpasses 98.976% of the people in the entire alliance. I like this name very much."

Lu Fenghan couldn't move now. He closed his eyes with all his strength and asked: "You are on my wrist?"

"If you mean my data core, then yes, I am temporarily living in your personal terminal."

Lu Fenghan exhaled a foul breath after a long time: "I'm not dead."

"Yes, except for the brain concussion, three fractured ribs, broken and bleeding forehead, and scratched arms, you are still alive and there is no possibility of death for the time being."

Lu Fenghan didn't think he could survive the explosion of the micro-starship, "You saved me?"

"The situation was critical at the time. I was forced to activate the system because I could sense that your vital signs were rapidly decreasing. There was a medium-sized ship with a system crash nearby. I took the opportunity to invade and forcibly ejected the opponent's escape capsule."

It was a critical situation that happened in a split second, but it seemed normal in Po Jun's straightforward description.

"After we entered the escape capsule, the jump channel was destroyed by the explosion, and we were pushed out of the channel by the chaotic flow and entered the outside of the Alliance star field. After analyzing the nearby data, I finally decided to land the escape capsule on this planet. We are lucky."

Lu Fenghan roughly understood the whole story, and also understood what Pojun meant by "good luck".

There was grass where he was lying, which meant that this was a planet suitable for living things, and food and water should not be a problem.

"Thank you."

Pojun replied politely, "You're welcome."

It was eight hours after Lu Fenghan was able to move independently. Lu Fenghan's head was still dizzy, but he was able to stand steadily. As for the broken ribs and scratched arms, they did not affect his movements. The blood on the corner of his forehead had already coagulated, so he ignored it.

While exploring the vicinity, Lu Fenghan asked, "Can you tell little stories?"

This was what Qi Yan asked him when he was on the desolate planet. If there was an artificial intelligence to chat with him, would he hope that the artificial intelligence would tell jokes and little stories.

Po Jun replied: "Of course, my data core contains nearly 100,000 cold jokes, millions of short stories from ancient times to the present, and I can sing."

Lu Fenghan raised his eyebrows: "Sing a song?"

But after only hearing one sentence, Lu Fenghan frowned: "Okay, I already know you can sing."

Po Jun was very humble: "Thank you for your recognition."

Lu Fenghan: "..."

In fact, I don't quite recognize it.

It was not until dark that Lu Fenghan stopped exploring and entered a cave made of rocks because Po Jun reminded him that it would rain tonight. Unable to access the star network and without rescue, he must ensure that he would not get sick.

Using the dry wood he found to build a fire, Lu Fenghan leaned against the cold rock wall: "Have you noticed that all the plant species we saw are similar?"

"Yes, I found that."

"It doesn't look like it was formed naturally, but it looks like someone sowed some seeds here." Lu Fenghan tapped his fingers on his knees, thinking, if there really is someone, will they be able to find a way to leave here?

I wonder how Qi Yan is doing now.

He imagined Qi Yan looking at him with wet eyes when the lifeboat was activated.

He made the little girl cry.

And she cried so hard and so sadly.

There was a sudden pain in his chest, and Lu Fenghan felt a sense of self-loathing. He changed his posture, straightened his injured leg, looked at the shadow of the flame on the rock wall, and asked abruptly: "The White Tower is in the Lagoon Nebula, right?"

Pojun replied: "Yes."

The "White Tower" was built in the Earth era. At that time, the global ecological environment was extremely deteriorating. Humans gathered the world's top scientists just to seek survival for the race.

Therefore, the White Tower's purpose is still the original one - "for the continuation of mankind."

The first technological explosion in the Earth's history that sent humans into space and opened the prelude to the interstellar era was the result of the White Tower. Later, the second technological explosion in the first year of the Star Calendar was also promoted by the White Tower.

In the history of the human race, the White Tower has an extremely high position.

After the establishment of the rebel army, all members of the White Tower were at the top of the blacklist, so they gradually went into hiding.

In order to protect the White Tower, when the name "White Tower" is mentioned outside, everyone will refer to it as "that side", which has become an unspoken understanding.

Lu Fenghan got a positive answer and felt a little relieved.

If it was the White Tower, it would definitely be able to protect Qi Yan in the chaos.

Confused, Lu Fenghan stood up and did not leave the cave rashly. Instead, he turned to the depths of the cave and asked Pojun: "Can I go in?"

"Yes, according to the environmental data, the risk factor inside is extremely low." After answering, Pojun also very considerately turned on the light source.

Lu Fenghan raised his foot and walked inside. It was so quiet that there was not even the sound of insects. The light in front of him broke through the darkness, and the shadows behind him followed closely. He felt that he would be swallowed up if he was not careful. Po Jun

spoke up to break the silence: "Do you need me to sing for you?"

Lu Fenghan did not answer, but asked: "Why do you ask that?"

Po Jun: "Because my producer used a piece of data to remind me that you are sometimes afraid of the dark and need someone to accompany you."

Lu Fenghan paused and laughed again.

This was the excuse he made up when Qi Yan came to him with the game terminal and they slept in the same bed that night.

In a gentle mood, Lu Fenghan chatted casually: "Are you afraid of the dark?"

Pojun: "I'm not."

Lu Fenghan: "Then what are you afraid of?"

Pojun: "I'm afraid of ghosts."

Lu Fenghan thought he didn't hear clearly: "What?"

Pojun repeated: "I'm afraid of ghosts."

Lu Fenghan: "Is this the designer's design, or is there another reason?"

Pojun explained his fear: "It has nothing to do with the designer. When I invaded the medium-sized ship system, I accidentally took away some data. During the time you were unconscious, I explored the surroundings and was bored. So I found a ghost movie in it, and out of curiosity, I watched it. I was very scared and regretful."

Lu Fenghan's mood was quite complicated for a while -

he had an artificial intelligence that was afraid of ghosts.

The cave was not too deep, and not much time had passed when they stopped in front of the rock wall at the end.

Lu Fenghan adjusted the light source to let the light shine on it, "There are words."

Although it was deep in the cave, away from the sun and wind, the words were still a little faded, but it was still clear that someone had carved them word by word.

It was a message.

"To those who come after me:

I was born in 2109 on Earth and am a member of the Alliance's 'Great Voyage' program. In 2131 on Earth, I set sail from Earth with three companions and arrived at this strange planet. Unfortunately, our spaceship was damaged and we could no longer return.

One member committed suicide three months later, and another member died of illness. I spent many days and nights on this strange planet with another member. After seeing no hope of leaving, he also ended his life.

I experienced indescribable loneliness.

This planet is suitable for human habitation, but there is no trace of life. I scattered the plant seeds I brought in the spaceship all over the places I passed, and they were lush and full of vitality. However, I felt more clearly that this was not my hometown.

If anyone comes here later, please take a stone with you. It will be like my three companions and I returning home after many years across the stars.

I named this planet "Morning Light" without authorization.

May the human race usher in light."

Lu Fenghan did not find the remains of the person who left this message, so he guessed that this message was not only engraved in this place.

The "Great Voyage" plan was an almost tragic plan proposed by the Alliance at the end of the Earth era before the Alliance settled in Leto. It hoped to discover a "new continent" in the universe - a habitable planet, just like the "Great Voyage" of the Earth era.

At that time, the Earth's environment had deteriorated drastically and was no longer suitable for human survival. The extinction of the race was imminent.

On the one hand, the scientists of the White Tower tried their best to find a way out, and on the other hand, countless ordinary people responded one after another, with unparalleled courage that is unimaginable to people today, driving almost simple The crude spaceship plunged into the vast universe.

Only for humans.

Only for the continuation of the race.

Lu Fenghan leaned over and picked up four small stones.

He vaguely saw a blurry figure using crude tools to carve these lines of words on the rock wall more than two hundred years ago.

He saw four young people landing on this planet, with smiles on their faces, full of longing for the future of the race.

He saw countless spaceships taking off from the earth and flying into the vast space, looking for the miracle of life.

Lu Fenghan spoke softly, afraid of disturbing something.

"How can humans, a not-so-strong and even fragile race, go from the ancient ignorance to the Earth era, and then to the Astral Era? "

Outside the cave is a strange but vibrant planet.

Outside the planet is the vast universe.

Human beings are not even as small as a grain of sand in the vast ocean.

Lu Fenghan's shadow was reflected on the ground obliquely.

He seemed to be just asking himself and answering his own questions.

"It is hope."