[High-resolution images of the cosmic visitor 3I Atlas at perihelion have been exposed. GOES satellites have precisely marked its trajectory, and the SOHO probe captured a strange point of light beside the Sun. Scientists have discovered that it is breaking free from the Sun’s gravitational pull.]
[Just how abnormal is this comet? Its nickel-to-iron ratio overturns common knowledge about the solar system. There are asymmetric jets around the comet’s nucleus, its brightness is increasing, and its speed far exceeds that of ordinary comets. At perihelion, its tail changed from red to blue, as if issuing a warning. Currently, it is hurtling at 68 kilometers per second, and there are signs of non-gravitational acceleration.]
[Is it a normal ancient comet from outside the Milky Way, or—as folk rumors say—an alien…]
Click.
In the hospital room, a white-haired old man frowned and turned off the television.
He glanced at the young student beside the hospital bed and said with displeasure, “Watch less of this garbage. Learn from your senior fellow student Lin Xiaohe—focus on matters in your own field.”
The young student, Yang Lan, stuffed his phone into his pocket and put on a flattering smile. “Boss, I’m just balancing work and rest. This past year, strange phenomena have been happening one after another. Maybe aliens really are coming.”
Professor Liu looked at him helplessly. This clueless student really was hopeless.
He pulled over a stool for himself and corrected him: “Call me Teacher. What’s all this ‘boss’ business? Who taught you that bad habit?”
“Mm-hmm, okay.” Yang Lan agreed verbally but didn’t take it to heart at all.
Although Professor Liu was a bit old-fashioned, he was extremely good to his students, basically treating them like his own children—especially his senior fellow student Lin Xiaohe.
Yang Lan glanced at the nutrient drip and saw it was almost empty. He stood up and pressed the call button: “Bed 13, Lin Xiaohe, the IV is almost finished.”
“Okay, coming right away.”
Yang Lan sat back down and looked at Lin Xiaohe, who had been sleeping the whole time on the hospital bed. He sighed almost inaudibly: “Yesterday the attending doctor said that Senior’s vital signs are weakening. She might… become a vegetative patient.”
Professor Liu said nothing. He took a wooden comb from his jacket pocket and gently combed Lin Xiaohe’s hair.
Yang Lan couldn’t stand the sorrowful atmosphere, so he made conversation: “The principal asked me to persuade you. Senior’s sudden accident is something no one wanted to see. Strictly speaking, Senior’s case doesn’t count as a work injury, but the principal, out of respect for you, classified it as one and gave compensation. But in Senior’s condition, there’s no way she can work at all. Our school’s staffing is one radish per hole—the principal can’t hold out against the pressure anymore.”
What that meant was: Lin Xiaohe’s job was gone.
Professor Liu clumsily braided Lin Xiaohe’s hair into a single plait, looked it up and down, and said with regret: “Xiaohe, my skills still can’t match your shiniang’s. Your shiniang has been away for a few days. When she comes back, she’ll come see you.”
After saying that, he smiled bitterly at Yang Lan: “I understand what the principal means. Tell him to do as he sees fit. As long as she’s alive, that’s what matters. Whether she works or not isn’t important.”
Yang Lan sat obediently by the hospital bed, picked up an apple and a fruit knife, and started peeling.
His senior fellow student had a hard life.
She had barely clawed her way out of that son-preferring family and was about to live her own life, only to suffer this catastrophe.
The principal, considering that Professor Liu and Lin Xiaohe were both outstanding students of the school, gave compensation money—but all of it was taken away by Senior’s parents.
Professor Liu wanted them to set aside enough for treatment.
Not only did they refuse, but they also sued Professor Liu for allegedly embezzling the student’s compensation.
Professor Liu, such a respected and virtuous teacher, had mud slung at him for nothing. Not only did he fail to get the compensation money back, but he was also furious.
Now, Senior’s treatment fees relied entirely on her previous savings, donations from teachers and students across the school, and Professor Liu’s own money.
If Senior really became a vegetative patient, just the cost of sustaining her life would be considerable.
Yang Lan finished peeling and handed the apple to Professor Liu: “Teacher, have some fruit. The corners of your mouth are cracked—are you lacking vitamins?”
“It’s nothing, just a bit of internal heat.”
How could he not have internal heat? His prized student lay pitifully in a hospital bed—it was like carving out his heart.
Yang Lan shut his mouth tightly. He was afraid he wouldn’t be able to hold back and would blurt out that the parents had used the compensation money to buy their son an apartment in the city.
If Professor Liu heard about that, wouldn’t he explode with rage?!
Professor Liu was old and liked soft, mealy apples.
One bite, and it was powdery and sweet.
“This apple is pretty good. Where did you buy it?”
Yang Lan went to the bathroom to wash his hands: “I didn’t buy it. The students from the class Senior used to teach bought it.”
“They’re thoughtful.”
The hospital room was very quiet. Sunlight streamed through the clean window and fell on the hospital bed, making Lin Xiaohe seem to glow all over.
Professor Liu turned on the TV: “Cast it to the screen. It must be boring keeping your senior company here.”
Yang Lan was flattered and waved his hands repeatedly: “No, no. Senior took great care of me before. Even just sitting here with her, I’m not really helping much.”
“Mm, you’re all good kids. When your senior wakes up, have her guide your graduation project.”
“Okay!” Yang Lan’s nose stung. He lowered his head and opened Douyin.
Big data these days was truly something. He’d only watched one video about 3I Atlas, and the system recommended nothing but all kinds of alien creatures.
[In 2045, a Type I alien civilization begins to invade Earth. Humanity’s traditional military forces retreat steadily. Huaxia unites nations around the world to set aside disputes, leads the development of mecha, and implements resistance. Codename: Iron Wing.]
“This marketing account’s special effects are pretty good.” Yang Lan casually picked up an apple, wiped it on his hand, and while crunching on it, watched with great interest.
“Whoa, this detailed? Multi-functional firepower platform mecha, strategic bombing mecha, strategic support mecha, stealth infiltration mecha…”
Professor Liu was drawn in. He pushed up his glasses and watched seriously for a while, then said uncertainly: “Why do I see that the video was published by the official military website?”
“Hahaha, how could that be—” Yang Lan’s eyes widened as if he’d seen a ghost. The apple held in his mouth dropped to the floor and rolled noisily to the foot of the bed.
He pointed at the TV and looked at Professor Liu, stammering: “Is this… is this strategic deception? Like the old space race, where the Americans used it to drag down the Soviet Union.”
A silvery light flashed in Professor Liu’s eyes: “Let me correct you—we in Huaxia have basically already achieved everything from the space race. What the enemy can do, so can we.”
Yang Lan’s mind was a mush. He didn’t even know what he was saying: “But these are mecha. Cool as they are, their practicality probably isn’t that great. Mecha have many limitations. In space warfare, they probably can’t compare to warships—the cost-performance ratio isn’t high.”
“In low-Earth-orbit battlefields, mecha are still very useful. If it comes to large-scale space fleet battles, then the individual combat power boost mecha provide isn’t enough to matter.”
“That makes sense.” Yang Lan suddenly paused. The person who had just spoken was a girl.
In the entire hospital room, there seemed to be only one girl.
Yang Lan mechanically turned his head, and sure enough, he saw Professor Liu tightly holding Senior’s hand, weeping with joy.
“Senior?! You’re awake?!”
The big shot returns, and she’ll make Blue Star Huaxia soar.
Hehehe.
Those who guessed this plot twist—raise your hands!
