2.1 The End of Ordinary Days
People say that fate is like twisting dough; you never know when it will throw you a curveball.
Speaking of the protagonist of our story, Lín Xuān, hey! Isn't he that kid who found the mysterious crystal ball earlier?
He's 21 this year and runs a small, palm-sized phone repair shop near Imperial Capital University. Don't let the small storefront fool you; it's piled high like an electronic waste dump inside, the smell of solder mixed with burnt plastic, but to him, it's his "happy home."
This young man had a tough life from childhood. When he was 15, his parents died in a traffic accident, leaving him to fend for himself in this world.
He was originally an outstanding student, with awards filling his walls. But that was that; he couldn't continue his studies and had to drop out to work.
However, a skilled craftsman is welcome anywhere. With his obsession with electronic devices, he managed to establish a foothold in this tiny shop of a few square meters.
Look at him: slender as a bamboo pole, with neat short hair sticking up like a little hedgehog.
His thick eyebrows and large eyes reveal a sharp wit, especially his eyes. When he sees electronic devices, he's like a hungry wolf spotting meat, full of curiosity.
His nose is high-bridged, and his lips are always smiling, making him seem very approachable. He spends his days tinkering with parts in the shop, so his skin is as white as a steamed bun. His hands are long and nimble, with slightly prominent knuckles, covered in tiny scars and stubborn oil stains from repairing equipment – these are the "medals of honor" for his craftsmanship.
Normally, he wears a dark blue work apron with seven or eight pockets of various sizes, stuffed with tools like screwdrivers, tweezers, and soldering irons – his livelihood.
Though the apron is faded and patched, he keeps it meticulously clean. He pairs it with a pair of faded jeans and canvas shoes. Sitting in the shop, he looks effortlessly capable.
The shop is located at the corner of a narrow street. The roller shutter door is as mottled as a historical relic, still bearing traces from the last torrential rain.
The glass door is also warped, creaking loudly when opened. Pushing it open, the interior is filled with all sorts of electronic devices and parts, from large tablet computers to chips the size of a fingernail, all piled high.
In this era of rapid technological advancement, his traditional repair skills have become a rare commodity.
It was the afternoon of September 29, 2026, Earth Calendar. The sky was gloomy, the clouds pressing down as if heaven was holding its breath, ready to unleash a downpour at any moment.
Lín Xuān was in the shop, repairing an old-model phone, humming a tuneless song, his soldering iron "sizzling" with flames.
Just then, the glass door was pushed open, and a gust of cold wind swept in. He looked up and saw an old man.
2.2 A Mysterious Old Man's Plea
This old man looked unusual. He was very thin, as if a strong breeze could blow him over.
His white shirt was washed to a grayish color and hung loosely on his body, the collar open, revealing his prominent collarbone and the veins on his neck.
His face was as pale as paper, his lips dry and chapped, completely lacking color. His eye sockets were deep-set, with heavy dark circles that looked like they were painted with ink. His eyes were filled with fatigue, anxiety, and a bone-deep panic, as if he were being chased by some monstrous beast.
He was breathing very rapidly, his chest heaving violently, each breath accompanied by a slight tremor, like a bellows.
One hand tightly clutched the hem of his shirt, his knuckles white, while the other hung limply at his side, trembling uncontrollably.
"Boss! Could you take a look at this phone? Can it be saved?" When the old man spoke, his voice was as hoarse as sandpaper rubbing together, accompanied by gasping breaths, each word seeming to be squeezed out from the depths of his throat.
He slowly raised his hand, offering the phone. His hand was withered and covered in veins, his fingernails an unhealthy bluish-white.
Lín Xuān quickly got up, took the phone, and examined it. "Please sit here and rest for a moment while I take a look." He moved a chair over.
The old man managed a smile that was more like a grimace, held onto the counter, and shuffled to the chair. He sat down slowly, looking drained, and sighed heavily, his hands resting powerlessly on his knees. His eyes stared blankly ahead, muttering, "No time... no time..."
As Lín Xuān examined the phone, he secretly observed this strange customer. He wondered, having repaired phones for so long, he had never seen anyone so weak and anxious.
Soon, he determined it was a faulty charging port and got out his tools to begin the repair.
During the repair, the old man was restless, shifting in his chair. One moment he would look out the window with fear and despair in his eyes; the next, he would lower his head, clasping his hands over his head, muttering to himself.
At this moment, Lín Xuān suddenly recalled something that happened a few months ago.
It was a sunny day, and the old man, as usual, was rushing to school, his mind preoccupied with research questions about the sun's abnormal effects on Earth. He didn't notice his phone slipping out of his pocket at the shop's entrance.
At that time, Lín Xuān had just finished repairing a customer's phone and stepped out for some air when he saw the phone on the ground. He picked it up and shouted around, "Whose phone is missing?" He called out several times, but the passersby hurried on, no one responding.
Just as he was about to keep it for the owner, the old man returned, looking flustered.
Lín Xuān's eyes were sharp. Seeing the old man anxiously pacing back and forth, he quickly approached him. "Sir, are you looking for something? Did you drop your phone?" he asked, handing the phone to the old man.
The old man's face, which had been as wrinkled as a walnut, instantly relaxed. He excitedly slapped his thigh. "Oh my! Isn't that my phone! Young man, thank you for your keen eyes! Where would I find it otherwise! I really must thank you properly!"
Lín Xuān smiled and handed the phone back. "You need to be more careful in the future; losing your phone can cause a lot of trouble." The old man took the phone, checked that the important data inside was intact, and felt even better about this helpful young man, secretly remembering him.
He didn't expect his phone to malfunction today and for him to come here again.
Thinking of this, Lín Xuān couldn't help but speak. "Elder! Aren't you the one who left his phone here last time?"
The old man said weakly, "Heh! The young man still remembers me! I'm indeed the old man who lost his phone here last time! To be honest, thanks to you finding it, otherwise, this phone might have been lost forever, cough cough cough... and I would never have found it again!"
Lín Xuān chuckled as he inspected the phone. "You really need to keep a tighter grip on this treasure of a phone from now on! Hey! Look, this phone even has holographic projection! Even I, who have been fiddling with electronic devices for so many years, am envious. It must be worth a lot of money, good heavens!"
The old man said politely, "This phone was a gift from an old colleague who's in research. He just tinkered with the holographic projection feature. It looks novel, but it's not really that useful! Good heavens, this phone isn't cheap! But if you ask me, its price is secondary. The key is the data stored inside. If it were gone... cough cough cough..."
He struggled to catch his breath, looking increasingly unwell, and didn't continue.
Lín Xuān, seeing the old man's poor health, asked with concern. "Hey! We've met twice now, sir. I still don't know your last name! I often see you hanging around the entrance of the university next door. You must be a doctor or professor there, right? With your knowledge, fixing a phone should be easy. Besides, you don't look very healthy. Why didn't you send a student to run the errand instead of coming yourself?"
The old man leaned weakly against the chair and said with a wry smile, "My name is Chén! I am indeed a professor at the Imperial Capital University next door. Oh, I just got a doctorate, just muddling through. Ah! Let me tell you, my wife passed away early, and I have no children. I don't have anyone to help me around the house. So, I have to manage everything myself... cough cough cough..."
Professor Chén paused to catch his breath, clutching his chest, and continued, "Although I have some expertise in the field of research, repairing phones requires fine manipulation and practical experience, which I'm not good at. Moreover, recently I've been dedicating all my time to researching the Dyson Sphere Structure... Well! Talking about these scientific terms to you would likely be like talking to a brick wall. These past few days, I've been so busy I haven't had a moment to spare, my body is falling apart, how could I possibly have the time to figure out how to fix a phone? Cough cough cough..."
Lín Xuān listened, feeling a sense of respect and pity for the old man. He continued to work, focusing on repairing the phone, and finished it in no time.
2.3 A Misfortune Turns the Tide
Dr. Chén thanked him and, with some effort, stood up, holding his phone, ready to pay with a QR code.
But the moment he unlocked the screen, an email suddenly popped up with a shocking subject line: "Report Analysis: Conjecture regarding severe harm to Earth's ecosystem by Dyson Sphere Structure. Earth Civilization estimated to go extinct in approximately 3 months."
Dr. Chén's hands began to tremble uncontrollably. His eyes widened, staring intently at the phone screen as if it contained a death sentence. His breathing became rapid, his lips trembled slightly, as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing.
The screen displayed: "...Analysis of data from NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) reveals anomalous characteristics in solar radiation highly consistent with Dyson Sphere Structure theory: visible light band attenuation of 22%, mid-infrared radiation surge of 300%. It can be confirmed that an unidentified Dyson Sphere Structure has appeared around the sun..."
Seeing Dr. Chén's reaction, Lín Xuān was startled and couldn't help but ask, "Professor Chén, what's wrong? What does this email say?"
Dr. Chén did not answer, merely swiping rapidly on the screen, browsing the key content of the report. Various complex charts and data flashed by, each word like a heavy hammer striking his heart.
The screen continued to display: "The Dyson Sphere Structure is consuming solar radiation energy at a rate of 0.03% per hour. This 'doomsday model,' based on general relativity and quantum field theory, locks the time of Earth's ecological collapse at 90 days, 5 hours, and 16 minutes."
Lín Xuān watched Dr. Chén's complexion grow increasingly grim and couldn't help but ask again, "Professor, don't scare me, what exactly is this thing?"
Dr. Chén looked up, his eyes empty as he gazed at Lín Xuān. His lips moved slightly, but he couldn't say anything. He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself, but his body trembled uncontrollably.
Speaking of this Dyson Sphere Structure, it's actually a Dyson cloud composed of self-repairing nanobots. These nanobots are like "gluttonous worms" in the universe, not only consuming stellar matter but also self-replicating, growing in number.
Recently, the subtle anomalies in the sun, the abnormal global climate, had indeed made a few scientists like Dr. Chén suspicious. They had been dedicating themselves to research day and night.
But to confirm this worst-case scenario was still hard to accept.
Recently, astronomical observations had already shown signs: large black patches appearing on the sun's surface, like someone had splashed ink on it; the frequency of global auroras increased by 300%, with colorful auroras flashing all night, eerily beautiful; crops in the fields began to mutate, corn growing strangely shaped ears, wheat ears becoming black and hard.
Moreover, the Earth's ionosphere had developed a hole. This was no laughing matter.
Lín Xuān had previously noticed that the equipment he repaired lately was always malfunctioning – drone signals interrupted, phone communication lagging. These were indeed precursors to the imminent total collapse of the satellite navigation system.
There were also packs of stray cats in the streets. Ever since who knows when, they would collectively stare in the direction of the sun, their eyes wide open, meowing incessantly. The sight was unnerving.
Lín Xuān watched Dr. Chén's complexion worsen and couldn't help but ask again, "Professor, don't scare me, what exactly is this thing?"
Dr. Chén finally caught his breath and said weakly, "This... this is real. What we've always feared has finally happened. The Dyson Sphere Structure is devouring the sun's energy, and Earth's ecological balance is being completely destroyed. We don't have much time..."
Lín Xuān listened, utterly confused, but he could sense the gravity of the situation. He quickly asked, "Then what should we do?"
Dr. Chén shook his head, despair in his eyes. "I don't know... I don't know..."
2.4 The Professor's Despair and Collapse
"Why is it like this! Ah..." Dr. Chén's anger flared, and he suddenly clutched his chest, falling backward. His face turned paper-white, and a trace of blood seeped from the corner of his mouth.
Lín Xuān was shocked and rushed forward to support him. "What's wrong?"
Dr. Chén weakly raised his head, his breath shallow. "I... I don't think I can make it... Listen carefully... you must hold onto this phone tightly! That Dyson cloud thing... hurry and find a way to escape... escape Earth..."
Before he could finish, he suddenly clutched his chest, his face contorted instantly, and then he collapsed straight onto the ground.
Lín Xuān was horrified. He quickly knelt down and shook Dr. Chén vigorously. "Hey! Wake up!" But Dr. Chén's eyes were tightly shut, unresponsive.
Lín Xuān panicked, looking around helplessly. Outside, it was pouring rain, and the sparse pedestrians on the street hurried along, paying no attention to the change in the shop.
Trembling, he reached out to feel for Dr. Chén's breath – he was no longer breathing.
Lín Xuān collapsed onto the ground, his mind a blank. The events that had unfolded in such a short time were completely beyond his comprehension.
What secrets did this mysterious university professor and this phone, inexplicably entrusted to him, hold? Fear and curiosity intertwined in his heart.
Little did he know that his previously peaceful life was about to be utterly shattered, and ahead of him lay a fantastic adventure filled with wonder and challenges.