"Quiet."
"It's too quiet."
Mao Zhengzhi stared at the fantastical scene in the holographic projection, which resembled a scroll painting, and squeezed out a few words through clenched teeth.
Lü Yongchang nodded solemnly.
As Academician Mao Zhengzhi said, this forest is too quiet!
Apart from the sound of the wind blowing through the large blades, there was almost no other sound!
Often, silence is the greatest anomaly!
"Are there no animals on this planet...?"
Lu Yongchang muttered to himself in confusion.
While everyone else was confused, Zero continued to carry out the sampling task methodically.
After leaf sampling is completed, the next steps are trunk sampling, soil sampling, and sampling of associated fungi.
Soil sampling is very simple.
Under Zero's control, the robot quickly completed the task.
The most difficult part was sampling the trees.
The reason... is naturally that the hardness of these tree trunks far exceeded the imagination of Lü Yongchang and others!
But it's understandable.
Judging from their appearance, these trees, which are hundreds of meters tall, belong to the same species as that giant tree that is only a few meters tall.
These tree trunks can support such a huge object under a weight of 1.5g, so you can imagine how strong they are.
But all of this became a mirage after the robot was fitted with a drill made of the same material as the hull of a starship.
Under the impact of the Xingjin-Carbyne composite drill bit, a cylindrical sample that penetrated the cross-section of the tree was extracted.
"Professor, the detector has detected some unusual vibrations on the ground."
As the electronic synthesized sound rang out, all the robots put down their scientific research equipment, revealing small laser guns mounted on their robotic arms.
Driven by the fusion battery, the muzzle flashed a pale purple light, the surrounding temperature rose rapidly, and the calm air became slightly distorted.
The vibrations disappeared.
But the robots remained in their original positions, cautiously looking around.
Ten minutes later.
No unknown creatures were found.
"Based on the overall assessment, the source of the tremor was a minor earthquake."
"The alert has been lifted. Continue with the original sampling tasks."
The pale purple light gradually dissipated, and the small laser gun was retracted into the mechanical arm.
...
Half an hour later.
"Sampling work at all landing sites has been completed."
"The probe is ready to perform the return operation."
Zero's report echoed throughout the laboratory.
This should have been a milestone, but there was no smile on Lü Yongchang's face.
He stared intently at the holographic image before him, a look of doubt flickering in his eyes: "What do you think of the tremor just now?"
Mao Zhengzhi, standing beside him, stared blankly at the data on the projector and let out a long sigh.
"At almost the same time, all surface probes detected this slight tremor."
"It looks like an earthquake, but it's not the frequency of seismic waves."
“This is very strange.” Mao Zhengzhi turned his head, stared intently into Lü Yongchang’s eyes, and repeated, “It really is very strange.”
Lu Yongchang was silent for a moment, then said softly, "You also think this isn't an earthquake?"
Mao Zhengzhi nodded silently: "What a coincidence."
"At that time, almost all the robots were performing tree trunk sampling."
Lu Yongchang stared at the robots entering the detector one by one on the screen, carefully considering the next steps he should take.
In his mind, the possibility that this planet was created by an advanced civilization had risen to the top priority!
But there is no concrete evidence.
Modern human civilization needs all resources that can promote development!
We must not abandon these valuable resources based on mere conjecture with insufficient evidence!
"All detectors carrying samples returned to base."
After a long period of contemplation, Lü Yongchang finally spoke again: "The rest of the probes, enter the near-Earth orbit of the Lost Star and conduct real-time observations of its surface."
"In addition, the second phase of the wake-up plan will be implemented."
"For the next landing exploration mission, send some experienced planetary explorers."
"receive."
As the electronic synthesized sound began, Mao Zhengzhi's voice also rang out.
"Professor, isn't this too risky?"
"There are still many mysteries surrounding the Lost Planet that have not been solved. Sending planetary explorers rashly is not advisable..."
Before Lü Yongchang could speak, Fang Xu interrupted Mao Zhengzhi.
"That's precisely why we need to send planetary explorers."
"You've seen the surface environment of the Lost Planet."
"Complex forest topography, extremely soft soil..."
"In such an environment, zero-sum robots can only play an auxiliary role in exploration."
"To truly unveil the mysteries of the Lost Planet, sending explorers to land and investigate is an essential step."
...
The probe has left.
Only a portion of the probes remained in near-Earth orbit around the lost planet, silently gazing at the forest below.
However, the exploration was not very effective due to the dense canopy of trees.
The soft soil trembled slightly.
A thick tree root slowly emerged from the ground and stretched towards the landing area of the probe.
It lay prone on the somewhat charred ground, as if there were honey on it.
Time passed slowly.
As the Lost Star rotates, night falls.
The dazzling accretion disk that covered the entire sky slowly disappeared at the horizon.
Since the last "great change in the world", the nights have become increasingly cold.
The tree roots lying prostrate on the scorched ground twitched slightly, as if sensing the cold around them, and then retreated back into the soft soil.
Night fell, and the quiet forest finally came alive.
One by one, enormous arthropods emerged from the dense canopy, pawing at their numerous ventral feet as they crawled down the thick tree trunks toward the ground.
They climb very quickly, descending the 100-meter-high tree trunk in just a few seconds.
Once they reached the ground, they didn't hesitate at all and quickly climbed to the base of the tree trunk.
Over there, there is the food they desperately need.
These foods, which resemble a large, round plate in the sky, can only be safely enjoyed at night.
After they had eaten their fill, several of the arthropods moved their abdominal feet and twisted their segmented bodies to a slightly raised mound of earth.
The soil in this mound was exceptionally soft, as if it had just been disturbed by something.
They pressed their heads together, communicating with each other using their antennae.
"It's dead."
"Yes, it's dead."
"What a pity."
"I've told it so many times, it can't go down to forage during the day, that's the devil's bait, but it just won't listen!"
"Oh...what a pity..."
After exchanging words, the arthropods turned and crawled away into the distance.
While the night is still dark, they need to find as much food as possible.
As for the regret I just expressed?
After taking ten steps, they were completely forgotten.
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