Prologue: Twenty Years Ago

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June 8, 2021.
01:24 AM.
The Guixian "Sky Eye" Radio Telescope.
Inside the duty room, engineer Zhang Boyang paced anxiously, phone in hand.
Five hours earlier, he had received a sudden call from his mother: his pregnant wife, far away and nearing her due date, had been rushed to the hospital.
Upon hearing the news, Zhang Boyang immediately booked a flight home.
But fate had other plans. An unexpected torrential storm and lightning forced all flights and trains in Guixian to halt, leaving him stranded, unable to leave.
In the duty room, Zhang Boyang walked to the window, watching the rain pouring outside, listening to the thunder, his thoughts turning inevitably to how he first met his wife.
They were born in the same year and hometown, and had shared their school days from elementary through university—a childhood friendship blossomed into love.
After graduating with their master's degrees, they had planned to marry, but he chose to pursue his passion for astronomy with a doctoral program, delaying their wedding.
During his doctorate, he became involved in the construction of the Sky Eye, and the wedding was postponed again and again, until the telescope was completed in 2016, and they finally had a hurried ceremony.
After marriage, his research at the Sky Eye kept him busy and away, and the couple spent little time together. It was not until last year that his wife, at thirty-five, finally became pregnant.
Thinking of this, Zhang Boyang chastised himself for not being a proper husband; for the past decade, it was his wife who tirelessly cared for both families and supported him without complaint.
He silently promised himself that, once the baby was born, he would spend more time with them.
Just then, hurried footsteps sounded outside the door.
Bang...!
The duty room door swung open.
Researcher Li Lin rushed in, out of breath, shouting, "Engineer Zhang, quick... quick, come to the command room, we've... we've received a strange pulse signal!"
Zhang Boyang didn't hesitate. He grabbed his phone and ran toward the command room.
Soon, the sound of rain faded, replaced by the piercing wail of alarms.
Bang...!
Zhang Boyang pushed open the command room door. The three people inside stood up, pointing at the signal on the large screen, asking urgently what should be done.
Zhang Boyang steadied himself, trying to set aside thoughts of his wife.
"Nobody panic!"
He shouted.
"When did it appear?" he asked, eyes fixed on the screen.
"Engineer Zhang, the system shows forty-five seconds ago."
Zhang Boyang glanced at his watch: 01:53:45.
Alright.
He took a deep breath and began issuing orders.
"Xiao Liu, analyze the pulse wave frequency immediately."

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"Engineer Li, record and save the pulse signal."
"Li Lin, analyze the transmission distance of the pulse wave."
"Sister Wang, help me get Director Wang of the Astronomy Institute on the phone."
Good!
The four dispersed to their tasks.
Zhang Boyang moved to the control console, activating the external speakers, watching the signal on the screen while listening to the pulse frequency.
Soon, Sister Wang approached, holding a phone and saying softly, "Engineer Zhang, Director Wang is on the line."
Zhang Boyang took the phone, placing it to his ear. An elderly, weary voice came through: "You rascal, it's so late—what makes you think of your teacher now?"
Staring at the screen, Zhang Boyang's voice trembled: "Teacher, that 'signal' has appeared again!"
That signal? The voice on the phone grew urgent. "How strong is the pulse? What's the frequency? How long did it last? Is it the same as last time?"
Overwhelmed by the barrage of questions, Zhang Boyang hurriedly interrupted, "Teacher, please don't worry. We've just received the signal and are still analyzing it."
"The signal has stopped! It lasted exactly one minute and fifty seconds!"
Engineer Li called out loudly.
Director Wang heard this and said in confusion, "That's not right! We've never received a signal of such duration before, have we?"
Zhang Boyang was about to respond when Engineer Li interrupted, pointing at the screen and whispering, "The preliminary analysis is ready."
Seeing the data, Zhang Boyang spoke, voice trembling, "Teacher, the preliminary analysis is complete. The entire pulse signal lasted one minute and fifty seconds, with a pulse width of 1.5 seconds. The frequency was stable—precisely every 3.15 seconds. The signal width is about fifteen kilometers, and it's very strong!"
"Teacher, what do you think? Could it be...?"
Hearing the analysis, the voice on the phone fell silent—whether in shock or understanding, Zhang Boyang could not tell.
After a moment, his teacher spoke, "Zhang Boyang, have you recorded all the data?"
"Yes, everything has been recorded. I can send it to you now if you wish."
"No! Don't transmit it over the network. Bring the hard drive and come to the capital immediately. I'll personally request leave from Director Liu for you. And you must tell everyone present tonight: this matter must not be disclosed!"
Zhang Boyang was puzzled. "Teacher, with such a strong signal, surely other observatories have received it. Is this really necessary?"
The voice grew stern. "Regardless of what other observatories have received, your only job is to follow orders!"
"Understood!"
Zhang Boyang sensed the gravity in his teacher's tone.
"Alright, catch the earliest flight to the capital. We'll talk further when you arrive."
"Yes."
"Oh, and one more thing."
His teacher's voice softened. "I heard Xiao Zhen is about to give birth. Your teacher's wife is very worried and has mentioned several times she'd like to visit her."
Zhang Boyang scratched his head, replying quietly, "My mother called me today, said Xiao Zhen is about to deliver."
"Is that so?"

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The voice on the phone grew excited. "That's wonderful! When Xiao Zhen has the baby, your teacher's wife and I will come visit."
"That would be too much trouble. When the time comes, Xiao Zhen and I can visit you instead."
His teacher laughed. "You? When do you ever come home? You're so busy, you hardly return even to your own family. It's settled—my wife and I will come."
Knowing his teacher's stubbornness, Zhang Boyang could only agree.
After hanging up, he dialed his mother's number to ask about his wife's condition, but the call went unanswered. His wife was likely still in the delivery room—he had no idea what was happening.
Never mind. He decided to finish his teacher's task first and check in later.
In the command room, Zhang Boyang gathered all the staff, warning them not to disclose anything about tonight's events, and then reported personally to Director Liu.
At the parking lot, Zhang Boyang packed his bags quickly, ready to drive to the airport.
Stepping outside, he noticed the rain had lessened—the flights tonight would likely depart.
Driving away from the institute, Zhang Boyang kept pondering his teacher's silence during their call. It was as if there was something important left unsaid—knowing his teacher's temperament, he must have wanted to tell him something of great significance.
Suddenly, Zhang Boyang seemed to realize something.
He slammed the brakes, bringing the car to an abrupt stop.
"No, I need to make a backup."
He took out his laptop from his backpack and made a copy of the data from the hard drive, finally feeling at ease.
Leaving the institute, Zhang Boyang decided to take a shortcut—the smaller country roads, rougher but an hour faster than the main highways.
He glanced at the time: 02:35 AM. Plenty of time.
He drove onto the rural road, the absence of moonlight forcing him to rely solely on his headlights to navigate the darkness.
Suddenly!
A blinding light appeared ahead, dazzling him so he could hardly keep his eyes open. He slammed the brakes, trying to see what lay ahead.
But the light intensified, rapidly rushing toward him.
"A truck!"
Sensing danger, Zhang Boyang grabbed his bag, preparing to get out.
But it was too late.
A deafening crash!
The truck smashed head-on into his car, pushing it thirty meters away. The cab was crushed flat, car parts scattered everywhere.
...
Ten hours later, a farmer from a nearby village found the wreck and called for emergency services.
When rescuers arrived, they found a mangled body, a backpack, and a phone.
On the phone were more than thirty missed calls and a single text message:
"Son! Zhenzhen didn't make it!"