Beneath the dome of Mars Colony One, the crowd was bustling.
Ye Mi was pushed forward by the flow of people, her ears filled with exclamations in various languages. A 360-degree holographic projection above her head was reconstructing the construction process of the Dyson cloud—billions of automated robots darted through the solar orbit, like a swarm of tireless bees, piecing together photovoltaic sails into a colossal structure over a million kilometers in diameter.
"When humanity has the power to enclose a star," the announcer's voice was full of passion, "we will truly become the masters of the universe!"
Thunderous applause erupted.
Ye Mi clapped along, but her gaze was fixed on the glass case at the center of the exhibit.
The Pioneer Tablet.
It was much smaller than she had imagined—about the size of two palms—and its surface was covered with unfamiliar patterns. Not characters, nor symbols, but more like randomly generated textures. But the nearby placard read: "According to the main brain's analysis, the surface patterns contain highly encoded information, and ongoing decryption is in progress."
"Do you think that's what it is?"
A voice came from beside her.
Ye Mi turned her head and saw a man dressed in dark gray work clothes, with a badge reading "Gu Zhou, Europa II Scientific Station." He was in his early forties, with graying hair and deep-set eyes.
"I don't know," she honestly replied. "It doesn't look naturally formed."
"Of course it's not natural," Gu Zhou stepped closer to the glass case, hands in his pockets. "But it also doesn't look like something humans could have made."
"Maybe it's the Pioneer?"
"Maybe," Gu Zhou stared at the tablet. "But what puzzles me even more is—if someone came to the solar system a billion years ago, why didn't they stay? And why did they only leave this one stone?"
Ye Mi didn't know how to answer.
Gu Zhou turned to look at her. "Are you in the Energy Dispatch Center?"
She hesitated for a moment, instinctively lowering her head to check her badge. "Yes. Ye Mi."
"Ye Mi." He repeated her name, and a flicker of something flashed in his eyes. "Do you believe in the main brain?"
That question was too strange.
"Of course," Ye Mi said. "Without the main brain, civilization would regress. That's common sense."
"Common sense," Gu Zhou nodded, his voice lowering. "Yes, common sense."
He turned and walked away.
Ye Mi stood there, watching his figure disappear into the crowd. A staff member approached politely, urging her to keep moving so as not to block the passage.
She cast one last glance at the tablet.
The patterns on its surface shimmered faintly under the lights, like some silent gaze.