354: Chapter 354 Handover

Chen Yuan was shaken awake by the slight vibration from the docking module.

He opened his eyes; the restrictive feeling of the sleeping bag was still on him, and the lights inside the cabin had already been adjusted to daytime brightness. The voice of the Ground Control Center came through the communication channel: "Tianhe Core Module, docking procedure complete. The rotation team is entering; please prepare for reception."

Chen Yuan froze for two seconds, then sprang out of his sleeping bag.

"Coming, coming—"

He tidied himself up as quickly as possible and floated toward the docking module. Just as he passed through the passage, he saw the hatch open, and four figures in spacesuits entered one after another.

Three men and one woman.

The leader took off his helmet, revealing a familiar face. It was an old acquaintance who had trained with him during the same period, Zhang Xiaodong. Their eyes met, and Zhang Xiaodong gave him a wink.

But he didn't recognize the other two.

The man walking second was about the same age as Chen Yuan, but his demeanor was completely different. When he took off his helmet, his gaze swept across the equipment in the cabin with a scrutinizing, critical air, as if he were looking at an under-par hotel. His movements were large and unrestrained even in the zero-gravity environment; he only stabilized himself after bumping into a handrail on the cabin wall, letting out a "tsk."

The woman who came in last was younger and wearing exquisite makeup—Chen Yuan had never seen anyone wear makeup inside a spacesuit in his life. She floated in while holding the man's arm, her gaze carrying a similar detached arrogance. She only gave Chen Yuan a brief glance, not even bothering to nod.

Behind the four followed Xiao Qi, its silver-white fuselage floating, holding a stack of documents in its mechanical arms.

"Chen Yuan," Xiao Qi's voice rang out, "the rotation team has arrived safely. Welcome to the three new members."

It paused.

"Oh, four members."

The man floated over, staring at Xiao Qi with interest for a moment, then reached out—not to give a polite greeting, but to poke Xiao Qi's outer shell directly.

"Is this that AI? Quite interesting. Can it move? Can it talk? Can it fly out?"

Xiao Qi backed away slightly: "I am the Space Station AI Assistant, designated Zero-Seven. I am primarily responsible for daily assistance and—"

The man didn't wait for it to finish and reached out again to flick its mechanical arm. The woman beside him laughed, a light, airy laugh, as if watching a cat being teased.

"Oh, it even knows how to dodge."

Chen Yuan's brow twitched. Just as he was about to speak, Zhang Xiaodong had already floated to his side, his arm draped casually over Chen Yuan's shoulder, leading him a step to the side.

"Chen Yuan," Zhang Xiaodong lowered his voice, "come here, let me tell you something."

The two floated to a corner of the cabin wall. Zhang Xiaodong leaned in close, his voice lowered so only the two of them could hear.

"That guy, surnamed Zhou, is called Zhou Heng. He has connections and got in through the back door. It was already ridiculous enough for him to come up alone, but he insisted on bringing his girlfriend—that woman. Saying things like 'she can adapt' and 'she's finished all the training.' Finished my foot; I caught a glimpse of her training records, and half of it was done by proxies."

Chen Yuan was stunned for a moment: "Proxy training? You can even do that by proxy?"

"What can't be done by proxy? They have connections, you know." Zhang Xiaodong curled his lip. "Anyway, we can't win against them, so just pretend you didn't see. Once the handover is done, hurry back. Whatever this place becomes in a few days has nothing to do with you."

Chen Yuan was silent for two seconds, then nodded.

Over there, Zhou Heng was still teasing Xiao Qi.

"Hey, can you sing? Sing one for me."

Xiao Qi hovered in place, its mechanical arms tucked at its sides, its tone as steady as ever: "I am a work-assistance AI and do not possess entertainment functions."

"Tsk, what a buzzkill." Zhou Heng turned to Chen Yuan. "Hey, you're Chen Yuan, right? Where are the handover materials? Hurry up; I came up here to work, not to wait for you."

The woman beside him covered her mouth and giggled.

Chen Yuan took a deep breath and floated over, taking a stack of documents from a storage compartment on the cabin wall—although there were electronic versions, some handovers were still habitually done on paper.

"These are the work logs from the last three months, this is the experimental project schedule, and these are the equipment maintenance records. Also—"

"Enough, enough," Zhou Heng reached out and snatched the stack of papers, stuffing them to the woman behind him without even looking. "We'll read them slowly when we get back. Anything else? Where's that special sample?"

Chen Yuan's hand froze in mid-air.

He glanced at Xiao Qi. Xiao Qi didn't move or speak.

"It's in the isolation zone," Chen Yuan said. "The temperature is stable, and it's in a dormant state. There are detailed inspection records in the handover process; I suggest you go through them first before—"

"What's with all the suggestions?" Zhou Heng interrupted him. "I'm just going to take a look."

As he spoke, he started to float toward the other side of the docking module. That direction led to the passage to the isolation zone.

Chen Yuan floated forward a step, blocking his path.

"Zhou Heng," he said, his voice suppressed, "according to regulations, you must read the complete records before contacting special samples and do so under the supervision of experienced personnel. I've just finished my shift, and you—"

Zhou Heng's face darkened.

"Who do you think you are?"

He stared at Chen Yuan, his voice not loud, but the condescending tone was clear.

"You're the one handing over, and I'm the one taking over. Once you're done, leave. I'm the boss of this place from now on. Do you need to teach me?"

The woman beside him laughed again, a bit louder this time.

Chen Yuan opened his mouth, then closed it again.

He stepped aside, clearing the passage.

Zhou Heng snorted and floated toward the isolation zone with the woman. Xiao Qi floated behind them, following, but didn't speak again.

Zhang Xiaodong floated to Chen Yuan's side and patted his shoulder.

"Alright, don't take it to heart. Just finish the handover and leave."

Chen Yuan watched the two receding figures and remained silent for a long time.

"Let's finish the handover," he finally said.

Meanwhile, in another corridor of the GUPA Headquarters.

Lu Jianchuan and Golden Bone walked side by side. The fluorescent lights on both sides of the corridor made the floor look white. Occasionally, a Researcher pushing a cart would pass by and nod to them. Golden Bone was wearing his eternal deep gray jacket today, hands in his pockets, his gait as casual as if he were strolling in his own backyard.

"Senior Golden Bone," Lu Jianchuan began, "there's something I'd like to ask for your help with."

Golden Bone glanced at him sideways: "Speak."

"It's about that old professor in the East Wing Archives—surnamed Zheng, who researches paleontology and the evo factor. He submitted a research application to the higher-ups to screen for traces of evo particles in ancient fossils, to see if there's evidence of the factor being tampered with over the past billions of years."

Lu Jianchuan paused.

"I think his research direction is quite interesting, so I wanted to ask if you could help speed up the review process."

Golden Bone didn't stop, letting out a "tsk."

"Sure, sure, everything is a bother for me." He glanced at Lu Jianchuan, his tone carrying a hint of teasing. "But then again, does that application even need speeding up? Isn't this stuff already settled? The evo factor has been passed down since the archean eon, its concentration diluting with each generation, and activation depends on near-death experiences or willpower—that's what all the textbooks say."

Lu Jianchuan shook his head.

"It still needs to be researched; what if something is discovered?"

He took a step forward, walking alongside Golden Bone.

"Weren't those great scientists of the past all like that? When others thought something was 'already settled,' they insisted on digging deeper, eventually unearthing something new." He paused, lowering his voice slightly. "Although I don't know much about scientific research, I think what Professor Zheng said makes a lot of sense. He asked, why does the factor lead people down this path even when it knows a single extreme won't go far? Why do some individuals without near-death pressure prioritize evolving intelligence? These things aren't in the textbooks."

He looked up.

"I want to help him. Or rather... I want to go along too. I really want to know the answer."

Golden Bone walked in silence for a few steps.

At the end of the corridor was a window where the afternoon sunlight slanted in, spreading a warm yellow band of light across the floor. Golden Bone stepped on the edge of that light and suddenly laughed.

"Reviewing the old to learn the new," he said, his tone carrying a bit of surprise. "Alright, although I don't quite understand you young people's convoluted ways, what you said makes sense."

He turned his head to look at Lu Jianchuan.

"I'll put in a word for you and ask the higher-ups where that application is stuck." He paused. "But I can't guarantee if it'll go through. Those people in charge of budget approvals have heads harder than a safe."

Lu Jianchuan nodded.

"Okay, thank you, Senior."

"Alright," Golden Bone waved his hand, continuing forward. "Go tell that old professor and let him have some good news. If it actually passes, remember to treat me to a meal later."