36: Chapter 36 Moon Shadow

Deep underground at the Chasing Light headquarters, in a top-secret analysis room codenamed "Moon Mirror."

The lighting here was deliberately dimmed, with only the massive holographic projection table in the center of the room emitting a cold, faint glow. The air was permeated with the faint scent of ozone characteristic of precision electronic equipment, along with the light, minty chemical aroma of the coolant that continuously circulated to maintain the equipment's constant temperature. Above the projection table floated a highly detailed 3D model of the moon, currently focused on the South Pole region—a desolate land ruled by eternal shadows and extreme low temperatures.

Lin Shen, Zhao Zetao, and two experts—one from the China National Space Administration's Deep Space Exploration Center and the other from the Institute of Astrophysics, both having signed the highest-level non-disclosure agreements—were gathered around the projection table. Fatigue from long hours of intense analysis was written on all four faces, but their eyes were startlingly bright as they stared intently at a highlighted area of the model overlaid with multiple data layers.

"Combining the encrypted radar data packets shared by the 'Helvetia,' our own re-analysis of early orbiter historical data, and Nuwa's integrated modeling of gravitational anomalies and electromagnetic background noise..." The astrophysics expert, an Old Professor with thinning gray hair and eyes as sharp as a hawk's, pointed a laser pen at a deep, concave structure in the center of the model. "We can confirm that approximately 1.5 kilometers below the rim of Shackleton Crater, there truly exists a cavity structure of unprecedented scale. Its longest axis is about twelve kilometers, with an average height exceeding eight hundred meters. The internal structure shows clear geometric partitioning, which could never have been formed by natural lava tubes or impact fractures."

As he explained, the model sliced open to reveal a simulation of the cavity's interior. It was not a simple hollow space, but rather a complex that seemed to have been meticulously 'carved' or 'constructed.' There were remnants of regular columnar support structures, breaks that looked like a network of corridors, and even a relatively regular circular platform area about three hundred meters in diameter in the central region. The surface material of the platform had abnormal reflective properties; under simulated radar wave irradiation, it displayed a dielectric constant completely different from the surrounding lunar soil and rock.

"What's even more baffling is this." The deep space exploration expert pulled up another set of data—information excavated from cosmic ray muon attenuation data passively received by lunar orbiters from different eras and countries. "Muons have extreme penetrating power and are sensitive to high atomic number substances. The data shows that in certain areas inside this cavity, there are localized, abnormal mass concentrations. However, their distribution... does not match any known mineral enrichment patterns. Instead, it looks more like the structural remains of some kind of artificial object."

Lin Shen silently watched those irregularly distributed high-density points; they were like ghostly punctuation marks scattered within the geometric outline of the cavity. "What about the energy radiation signatures? The faint signals similar to quantum fluctuation regulation that Nuwa mentioned before?"

"Right here." The Old Professor switched the view to show an extremely complex spectrum that looked like abstract art. "The signals we captured are incredibly weak, right on the edge of the instrument's noise floor. But after Nuwa's massive data scrubbing and pattern recognition, we did extract a background disturbance with a faint periodicity. Its core frequency isn't a standard electromagnetic oscillation, but... more like tiny, extremely regular ripples in the spacetime metric. The frequency is in the millihertz range, and the intensity has a regular variation of less than one ten-thousandth following the lunar day-night cycle. Currently, no known natural astrophysical process or human technology can produce a signal with these characteristics."

Ripples in the spacetime metric? Lin Shen's heart skipped a beat. This sounded like it was touching upon the very structure of spacetime described by general relativity! Could there be some kind of device or relic inside that cavity capable of slightly influencing local spacetime?

"Is there any progress on the similarity analysis with the pandora virus gene sequence?" Lin Shen asked the most crucial question.

Nuwa's voice came directly from the analysis room's audio system, calm and precise: "Deep decryption of the 'Helvetia' radar scan data is 87% complete. In the indirect reflection spectra of the material composition on the cavity's surface obtained from the scan, multiple abnormal isotope ratios not formed naturally have been found, along with traces of several elemental isotopes that are extremely rare on Earth or have only been synthesized under extreme laboratory conditions. Performing information entropy coding analysis on these abnormal element combinations and comparing them with the information arrangement patterns of the non-coding gene fragments of the pandora virus..."

Two complex abstract patterns composed of countless points of light appeared on the hologram—one from the viral genes and one from the lunar material anomaly spectrum. To an ordinary person, they would look completely random, but through Nuwa's highlighted connections and dynamic matching, it was clearly visible that the two possessed a startling structural homology in some higher-dimensional mathematical space! Although the physical media carrying the information were completely different (biological base pairs vs. elemental isotope abundance ratios), the 'information patterns' they expressed, or rather their underlying coding logic, shared the same set of complex and elegant mathematical rules.

"...The similarity assessment is 72.8%, far exceeding the threshold for random probability," Nuwa concluded. "There is a very high degree of confidence indicating that the builders of the lunar cavity ruins (or at least the users of the related technology) share a direct or indirect technical homology with the source (or creator) of the pandora virus. They use the same 'universal technical language' that we do not yet understand and which transcends humanity's existing information theory."

The analysis room fell into silence, save for the low hum of the cooling system. Shock and disbelief were written all over the faces of the two experts. Technical homology? A relic capable of affecting spacetime and a virus that nearly destroyed human society—were they both backed by the same (or same type of) unknown intelligent entity?

"This virus... might not be a simple biological weapon," Zhao Zetao said, his voice dry. "If it's the product of the same technical language, could it be... a beacon? A key? Or some kind of 'technical encapsulation' we can't understand?"

"All are possible," Lin Shen's voice remained steady, but his slightly tightening knuckles betrayed his inner turmoil. "Or perhaps it's nothing at all, just 'technical dust' inadvertently scattered by that civilization, like engine oil or chip fragments we might drop, but which could mean something entirely different to another civilization. The key is whether there is more complete information left in that cavity, or... something more dangerous."

He turned to the two experts: "Based on existing data, is it possible to make an estimate of the age of these cavity ruins?"

The Old Professor and the exploration expert exchanged a look before the former said slowly, "It's very difficult. The lunar surface lacks an atmosphere and intense geological activity, so ruins could be preserved for an extremely long time. However, judging from the thickness of the lunar soil covering the surface, micro-meteorite crater statistics, and the degree of weathering of the internal structures (if they are some kind of material)... Nuwa's preliminary model gives a broad estimate, but the lower limit... is at least two hundred million years."

Two hundred million years! Before the age of dinosaurs! Before mammals had even truly risen on Earth! At that time, an intelligent civilization capable of building something on this scale and potentially utilizing spacetime technology already existed on the moon?

The shock brought by this timescale even surpassed the existence of the ruins themselves. It meant that while humans, and even their distant ancestors, were still ignorant and unaware, there had been advanced civilization activity in the Solar System, leaving behind such a profound mark.

"So, Vincent and the Imperial Alliance's Zeus Station just happened to choose a spot right above what might be the oldest and most important archaeological site in the Solar System?" Zhao Zetao's voice carried a sense of absurdity. "They went there for Helium-3, but they might end up digging a shovel into some ancient civilization's... grave? Or warehouse?"

"It might not be a coincidence," Lin Shen mused. "The Imperial Alliance's deep-level space agencies have a long history and have accumulated a vast amount of exploration data from the Apollo era and beyond. They might have discovered some anomalies as well, but interpreted them differently or viewed them as some rare natural geological phenomenon. Choosing that location to establish a base was primarily for resources, but we can't rule out that some of them had the goal of deeper exploration. After all, if they could gain even a tiny bit of technical inspiration from an ancient civilization's ruins..."

That would be a discovery enough to overturn the current technological landscape! It would be tens of thousands of times more important than Helium-3!

"Our Moon Palace project must have its priority upgraded immediately," Lin Shen said decisively. "The objective is adjusted: not just for investigation, but to attempt to safely obtain first-hand direct information—especially any possible 'active' or 'informational' residues—before the Imperial Alliance's base is established and forms effective control. At the same time, evaluate the potential risks the ruins might pose to those who approach."

"This is too risky!" the exploration expert couldn't help but say. "A ruin that can exist for two hundred million years and still emit spacetime ripple signals—heaven knows what kind of automated defense mechanisms, environmental modification systems, or... worse things are inside. The pandora virus might have been a warning!"

"That is exactly why we must go." Lin Shen's gaze was like condensed starlight, piercing through the holographic image as if staring directly at that cold lunar shadow. "Waiting passively won't make the risk disappear. If the Imperial Alliance arrives first, their reckless actions might trigger unpredictable consequences. If we can gain an understanding first, even just a little bit, we might hold a sliver of the initiative before a crisis arrives. The Moon Palace probe must be intelligent enough and cautious enough, focusing on non-invasive remote sensing, and never making physical contact unless absolutely necessary."

He pulled up the preliminary design diagrams for the Moon Palace probe. "Based on the upper-stage power and propulsion technology of the vermilion bird-2, we can design an orbiter with long-term residency and maneuvering capabilities, carrying high-resolution penetrating radar, a muon imager, multi-band spectrometers, and... a small on-site quantum computing unit based on a simplified mystic light-1 architecture, to attempt real-time analysis of any abnormal signals or coding encountered."

"On-site analysis?" the Old Professor asked in surprise.

"If they truly use a 'technical language' we cannot understand, then remote analysis on Earth would be too slow and poorly adaptable. We need a front-end capable of preliminary pattern recognition and adaptive learning on-site," Nuwa added. "I will write a streamlined 'Contact Protocol Analysis Algorithm' to be embedded in the probe's quantum computing unit. Simultaneously, a dedicated quantum-encrypted, ultra-low-latency data link will be established between the probe and Earth, which I will monitor in real-time to make strategic adjustments."

This was turning a deep space exploration mission into a highly guarded "first contact" exercise with an unknown ancient civilization's ruins.

"As for the higher-ups..." Zhao Zetao looked at Lin Shen.

"I will report to them personally. I'll use the technical homology between the pandora virus and the lunar ruins, along with the estimated age of over two hundred million years, as the core arguments," Lin Shen said firmly. "The Moon Palace project must receive the highest level of resource support and operational authorization. At the same time, intelligence regarding the existence of the ruins and their potential risks needs to be shared with the Swiss in a limited and extremely cautious manner at a specific level, in exchange for their deeper data support and to test whether the Imperial Alliance is aware of this."

The plan was set. The two experts were tasked with refining the technical details and risk assessment reports. Zhao Zetao went to coordinate the security and diplomatic preparations.

Lin Shen was left alone in the analysis room, facing the floating model of the moon and that outline of the cavity hidden in the shadows, looking like a sleeping giant beast.

Two hundred million years is enough time for stars to be born and destroyed. What kind of civilization once left such a mark on the moon? Why did they come, and why did they leave? Was what remained a ruin, a tomb, a warehouse, or... a switch across time that had yet to be triggered?

"Nuwa," he asked in a low voice, "if... there really is still 'something' operating in there, sending out those signals. What do you think it's waiting for?"

Nuwa was silent for a moment, a rare show of a "thinking" interval for her.

"Data is insufficient to make a reliable conjecture, Lin Shen," her voice remained calm. "But based on logic, an automated system capable of existing for two hundred million years must have a design goal that transcends human understanding of time. It might be waiting for the alignment of a certain astronomical cycle, it might be monitoring a threshold in certain universal environment parameters, or it might... simply be following the final instructions set by its creators in the long silence, sending out an echo that no one receives, over and over again."

An echo...

Lin Shen thought of the eerie structure of the pandora virus and the faint spacetime ripples of the lunar signal.

Was that also a kind of echo? Traversing unimaginable time and space, accidentally intercepted by humans, only to result in disaster because it could not be understood?

He turned off the holographic projection, and the room fell into darkness. Only in his mind did the image of that technology tree become increasingly clear. At the tip of the "Civilization Contact" branch, a faint but persistent light was turning on, pointing toward the moon, toward deep space, and toward that fog-shrouded past and future.

Whether what lay ahead was a treasure or a trap, an opportunity or a catastrophe, once the steps had been taken, there was no longer a reason to retreat.

The Moon Palace project was officially launched.

The goal: to touch that lunar shadow, frozen in time.