112: Chapter 112 Lin Mo's Deduction: The Ancient "Visitor"
The highest alert had been raised. The colossal ship that was Dragon Nation was now sailing into the deep void, filled with unknowns and storms, with unprecedented resolve and speed. Inside the "Candle Dragon" safe house, Lin Mo was not overwhelmed by the urgency of the situation. He understood deeply that while preparing for all-out war, it was even more crucial to understand the opponent—even an opponent from millions of years ago.
He once again called up the system's complete analysis data on the lunar metal wreckage, along with the reaper silhouette information captured by the Quantum Long-Distance Sensor, projecting both side-by-side on the holographic workbench. The system's database also quietly activated, providing foundational logic support in fields such as cosmology and civilization evolution probability models.
His gaze shifted back and forth between the ancient wreckage and the present threat, his mind racing like a human terminal of the system, conducting complex logical deductions and correlation analyses.
"The timeline..." Lin Mo murmured, "Eight to twelve million years ago... The reaper is approaching. Its technological level is unknown, but judging by the signal characteristics and navigational capabilities, it is far from ordinary..."
A bold, interlocking inference gradually crystallized in his mind:
"Assumption One: The creators of the lunar wreckage belong to the same civilization as the reaper, or at least a related civilization."
"If so, they arrived in the Solar System in ancient times, leaving facilities on the moon—possibly an outpost, observation station, or resource station. However, that facility was destroyed for unknown reasons (the system's analysis leans toward internal energy overload, self-destruction, or internal conflict), with the wreckage sealed beneath the lunar surface."
"And the reaper... could it be a follow-up force sent by that civilization? To investigate the ancient incident? Or... to carry out periodic 'cleansing' or 'harvesting'?"
"Assumption Two: The creators of the lunar wreckage and the reaper belong to different civilizations, possibly even hostile ones."
"If so, the lunar wreckage might have been destroyed in an ancient interstellar conflict that took place in the Solar System. And the reaper... could be the victor of that conflict, or the other side, now returning."
"Its purpose could be to confirm the outcome of the battle, to search for lost technology, or... to execute a sterilization procedure, ensuring the defeated civilization has no chance of resurgence."
Regardless of which assumption was correct, both pointed to a chilling conclusion: the Solar System was not an isolated paradise. It had been visited by advanced civilizations in the distant past, and unknown interstellar events might have even occurred here. The arrival of the reaper was no accident; it seemed more like the continuation of a periodic event or an unfinished story.
"The universe... perhaps it's more like a dark forest... or an area 'managed' by higher powers?" Lin Mo thought of some of the obscure theories provided by the system, feeling a chill. This wreckage was like a skeleton in the forest that hadn't been fully cleared, silently warning later arrivals of the danger here.
He compiled his inferences into a logically clear report and sent it to Elder Chen and the Supreme Command Headquarters. At the end of the report, he emphasized:
"Regardless of the relationship between the reaper and the ancient visitors, the likelihood of its target being the Solar System (Earth) is extremely high. What we face may not be a blind interstellar drifter, but an opponent with a clear purpose—one that may even possess 'historical knowledge' of the Solar System. This raises the specificity of the threat and suggests that conventional strategies of hiding or evasion may be ineffective. We must prepare for the worst: a direct confrontation."
This inference report acted like a heavy weight added to the already burdened scales of decision-making. It made the members of the Watchers leadership group realize more clearly that what they were about to face was not just a technological gap, but possibly a causal destiny spanning from ancient times across time and space.
Inside the "Candle Dragon" safe house, after completing his inference, Lin Mo did not feel relieved. Instead, the burden on his shoulders seemed heavier. The system interface flickered timely:
[Based on existing information, conducting behavioral pattern deduction of advanced civilizations. Logical chain completeness: 87%. New theory unlocked: [Interstellar Conflict Archaeology (Beginner)].]
[Hint: Understanding the past is the key to foreseeing the future. But do not let the shadows of history stifle the infinite possibilities of the future.]
The ancient "visitors" had already left their ruins. New "visitors" were on their way.