Chapter 191 System Prompt
3:00 AM, Lin Mo returned to his dormitory.
The clamor of the celebration banquet still echoed in his ears, but the moment he pushed open the door, everything returned to silence. The night in the Gobi Desert was so quiet he could hear his own heartbeat.
He took off his coat, hung it on the rack behind the door, and without turning on the lights, walked straight to the window.
Outside the window, the lights of the base were dotted like stars, and the tokamak-3 device shimmered with a faint silver glow in the night. Further away lay the boundless darkness, and above the darkness, the brilliant galaxy.
Lin Mo stood there for a long time.
The drunkenness had faded, replaced by a strange clarity. The "emptiness" Wang Zhenguo had spoken of was still there, but it was fainter than a few days ago—perhaps because of tonight's celebration banquet, perhaps because of that kneeling by Chen Xueming, or perhaps because he had seen those familiar faces smiling so happily.
He turned around, preparing to wash up and go to sleep.
At that very moment—
A line of blue glowing text suddenly lit up before his eyes.
【 System Prompt 】
Lin Mo froze.
The system rarely popped up prompts on its own; it usually only appeared when he completed a milestone, unlocked new technology, or encountered a major crisis. The last time it had prompted him voluntarily was when it unlocked the Carbon Nanotubes after the successful ignition of the tokamak-3.
This time, what was it?
The glowing text flickered and scrolled automatically:
【 Abnormal signal source detected 】
【 Frequency band: 23.7 GHz 】
【 Source direction: Near Alpha Centauri 】
【 Signal characteristics: Extremely regular frequency, pulse interval 1.273 seconds, suspected non-natural origin 】
【 First detection time: May 17, 2037, 03:21:47 (current time) 】
Lin Mo's pupils contracted slightly.
Alpha Centauri—the closest triple-star system to Earth, about 4.37 light-years away. The "neighbor" in countless science fiction works, the first stop for human interstellar exploration.
But that was a star, a dead, silent cosmic space.
How could there be a "non-natural signal"?
He took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. Perhaps it was a system misjudgment, perhaps it was some unknown natural phenomenon—the universe was too vast, and humanity knew too little about it.
But the system continued:
【 Signal analysis progress: 2.7% 】
【 Recommendation: Immediately unlock the 【 Deep Space Exploration Tech Tree 】 to obtain full analysis capabilities 】
【 Warning: This signal may be time-sensitive; it is recommended to make a decision within 72 hours 】
Lin Mo's fingers trembled slightly.
He walked to the desk, sat down, and stared at the blue glowing text floating before him.
72 hours.
Centaurus.
Non-natural signal.
He knew all too well what these words meant when combined.
If this was real—if there really was another intelligent civilization in the universe, if they were sending signals to the solar system—then human history would be completely rewritten from this moment on.
But what if it wasn't true?
If it was a system misjudgment, if it was just some unknown cosmic phenomenon, if he reported it excitedly only to find out it was a false alarm—
He closed his eyes and pressed hard on his temples.
It had been three years, and the system had never made a mistake.
From Room-Temperature Superconductivity to Lithium-Sulfur Battery, from Lithium Extraction from Seawater to Nuclear Fusion, every prompt had been incredibly precise. It was like a computer from a higher civilization, silently providing him with knowledge beyond his era.
But this time was different.
This time, it wasn't technology; it was a signal.
It was a voice from the depths of the universe, possibly from another civilization.
Lin Mo opened his eyes and looked at that line of blue glowing text.
【 Unlock the 【 Deep Space Exploration Tech Tree 】? 】
【 Required research points to unlock: 5000 】
【 Current balance: 15550 】
Five thousand research points.
It was equivalent to the sum of the rewards for the successful ignition of the tokamak-3. If used to unlock the industrial preparation of Carbon Nanotubes, he could complete the exchange of the entire technology package; if used to deduce new materials, he could perform at least fifty simulations.
But the system recommended unlocking Deep Space Exploration.
He stared at that number, silent for a full minute.
Then he spoke, his voice very soft:
"System, are you sure this signal is non-natural?"
The blue glowing text flickered, and new content popped up:
【 Certainty assessment: 92.7% 】
【 Basis: The signal pulse interval is highly stable, with a deviation of less than 10^-12 seconds; the frequency band is not within the range of any known natural phenomena; the signal contains suspected modulation characteristics, currently attempting to decode 】
【 Remaining 7.3% uncertainty: Possibly an unknown type of astrophysical phenomenon, probability extremely low 】
92.7%.
Lin Mo's heartbeat skipped a beat.
In scientific research, this probability could already be considered "basically certain."
He stood up and paced around the room. Five steps from the door to the window; five steps from the window to the door. Back and forth, he didn't know how many times he had walked.
Outside the window, the starry sky over the Gobi Desert was still twinkling quietly.
He had seen those stars since he was a child. When he was little and in the countryside, on summer nights, he would lie in the yard counting stars, and his grandfather would tell him that every star was a world. Later, when he studied physics, he learned that those worlds were too far away, so far that humanity could never reach them in a lifetime.
But now—
What if there really was a world actively sending signals to the solar system?
He stopped pacing and sat back down at the desk.
"System," he asked, "can anyone else detect this signal?"
【 Current probability of detection by existing global deep space exploration facilities: 17.3% 】
【 Reason: Signal strength is extremely low, the frequency band is not being prioritized for monitoring, and there is background interference 】
【 Recommendation: Start the Deep Space Exploration plan as soon as possible to seize the initiative in signal decoding 】
Seize the initiative.
Lin Mo smiled bitterly.
If there really was an alien civilization, what was the point of seizing the initiative? They were 4 light-years away, and a round-trip signal would take nearly 9 years. By the time humanity replied, they received it, and replied back—that would be generations of time.
But the system wasn't talking about replying; it was talking about decoding.
It was about understanding what they wanted to say.
He was silent for a long time, then finally spoke:
"Unlock the 【 Deep Space Exploration Tech Tree 】."
The blue glowing text flickered:
【 Confirm unlock 】
【 Consume research points: 5000 】
【 Current balance: 10550 】
【 Deep Space Exploration Tech Tree activated 】
【 Currently unlockable sub-items: 】
1. Large Radio Telescope Array (3000 points)
2. Space Optical Interferometer (2500 points)
3. Deep Space Communication Protocol Analysis Module (2000 points)
4. Exoplanet High-Precision Spectrometer (1800 points)
【 Recommendation for priority unlock: Deep Space Communication Protocol Analysis Module, to accelerate signal decoding 】
Lin Mo clicked on the third item.
【 Deep Space Communication Protocol Analysis Module unlocking... 】
【 Progress: 17%... 43%... 78%... 100% 】
【 Module activated, starting to access signal source... 】
【 Signal decoding progress: 2.7% → 5.1% → 7.8% → 9.2%... 】
The progress bar jumped slowly.
Lin Mo stared at the screen, motionless.
Three minutes later, the progress stopped at 11.4% and did not change again.
The system popped up a prompt:
【 Preliminary decoding complete 】
【 Signal characteristics: Contains repetitive mathematical sequences—prime number sequences, Fibonacci sequences, the first 100 digits of Pi 】
【 Conclusion: The signal source possesses advanced mathematical cognitive ability, extremely high probability of originating from an intelligent civilization 】
【 Complete decoding requires more data; it is recommended to build a Large Radio Telescope Array to enhance reception capability 】
Prime number sequences.
Fibonacci sequences.
Pi.
Lin Mo leaned back in his chair and let out a long breath.
These were all mathematical languages—the universal language of the universe. If a civilization wanted to prove it was intelligent life, the simplest way was to send these mathematical constants.
Someone was doing exactly that.
Right in the direction of Centaurus.
4.37 light-years from Earth.
Lin Mo sat there for a long time, until the sky outside the window began to turn white.
He glanced at the time—5:17 AM.
In three more hours, the Canteen would be open for breakfast. Li Xiao and the others would wake up one by one, rubbing their hangover-ridden heads, complaining about drinking too much last night. Chen Xueming would pretend not to remember kneeling and crying, but he would avoid people all day. Zhao Gang would patrol the base as usual, keeping a straight face, but he wouldn't be able to hide the smile at the corners of his mouth.
They didn't know yet.
They didn't know that on this ordinary night, in this small room in the Gobi Desert, their chief engineer had received the first greeting from the depths of the universe.
Lin Mo stood up and walked to the window.
Morning light was spreading across the horizon, and the stars were disappearing one by one. The tokamak-3 device shimmered with a warm light in the dawn, like a silent lighthouse.
He looked at the device, recalling his thoughts from three years ago when he first stood in the Gobi Desert:
"Light up the Artificial Sun, and humanity will no longer have to worry about energy."
Now the sun was lit.
But beyond the sun, there was an even more vast world.
His phone vibrated.
It was a message from Li Xiao: "Senior Brother, are you up? Master Liu made hangover soup, come quickly!"
Lin Mo looked at the message, was silent for a few seconds, then replied:
"Coming right away."
He put down his phone and took one last look at the system interface.
The blue glowing text was still floating there, showing the decoding progress—11.4%.
And a line of small text:
【 Recommendation: Before making an official announcement, please ensure there is sufficient evidence to support it. False reports will seriously damage credibility. 】
Lin Mo nodded and closed the system interface.
He picked up his coat and pushed open the door.
The air in the Gobi Desert in the early morning was crisp, carrying a hint of sand and soil. The clamor of the Canteen came from afar; people were laughing, shouting, and there was the sound of pots and pans clashing.
He walked in that direction.
After a few steps, he stopped and looked back in the direction of the dormitory.
Behind that window was hidden the greatest secret on this planet.
But he couldn't tell anyone.
At least not yet.
In the Canteen, Li Xiao walked up with a bowl of hangover soup: "Senior Brother, drink it quickly, while it's hot!"
Lin Mo took the bowl and took a sip—it was sour and spicy, truly refreshing.
"Where is Chen Xueming?" he asked.
"He's hiding," Li Xiao lowered her voice, "Someone just asked him about last night, and he pretended to have amnesia."
Lin Mo smiled.
Zhao Gang walked over, looking energetic, with no signs of a hangover: "Dr. Lin, what is the plan for today?"
Lin Mo held the bowl and was silent for two seconds.
Then he said:
"We'll have a meeting this morning to discuss the progress plan for the Carbon Nanotubes project. This afternoon, I'm going to the communications station to handle some personal matters."
Zhao Gang nodded: "Understood."
Li Xiao leaned in curiously: "Senior Brother, why are you going to the communications station?"
Lin Mo looked at her, his tone calm:
"To check some information."
Li Xiao said "Oh" and didn't ask any further.
Lin Mo continued to drink his soup, his gaze falling outside the window.
Outside the window, the sun had risen over the Gobi Desert, dyeing the entire sky a golden red.
That was the sun humanity had been familiar with for tens of millions of years.
But at this moment, 4.37 light-years away, there was another sun.
And another voice.