[CloudInsect]Record of the 6th Trial of Civilization No. 7 in Star System 7115
[CloudInsect]Only content related to the trial is documented.
Click.
Come in.
The door hinge emitted a faint, metallic creak, like a rusted spine reluctantly twisting open. The air was stale, heavy with the scent of rusted metal and the faint burn of old electronics, cold enough to invoke a sense of alienation.
[Discarded PCB boards]
[Soldering iron]
[Electronic components]
[Book] Collection of Difficult Problems
[Book] Mathematical Analysis
[Book] Field Theory
[Oscilloscope]
You live here? Isn’t this an industrial building?
She wrinkled her nose slightly, her eyes roaming aimlessly over scattered, yellowed papers and cluttered instruments, briefly pausing on a dark water stain at the corner. Her brow furrowed subtly, a hint of unease threading through her casual tone.
Yeah, it is. This place was scheduled for redevelopment years ago, but they never got around to it. A murder happened here a few years back, still unsolved. That scared everyone off, so the rent is really cheap.
A murder? Aren't you superstitious? Maybe put up a Guan Yin statue or something?
She joked lightly, but her eyes betrayed an unspoken caution. Outside, faint murmurs from the approaching CloudInsect whispered through the city, casting a restless tension over everything.
Protection is necessary, but I have a more practical approach.
Practical?
With these masters around, no ghost or spirit would dare come within a hundred meters.
[Photo] The Fifth Solvay Conference (1927)
[Image] Timeline of Human Civilization
Her eyes followed his finger, settling on the dusty black-and-white photo from the 1927 Solvay Conference, showcasing legendary physicists—Einstein, Schrödinger, Bohr, and Heisenberg—sitting sternly, eyes fixed forward with cold authority.
Alright, that's certainly... practical.
I thought your university provided dormitories—why rent your own place?
He glanced quietly at her gentle profile, lips subtly tightening and then relaxing, as if gathering the resolve to ask a lingering question.
I don’t really get along with my roommates.
Besides, I have to work part-time often, so it’s inconvenient to stay on campus.
Singing at bars?
You’re a good student—why ask about that?
It’s tough renting a place these days. If you don’t mind, you can stay here temporarily until you find somewhere else. There’s some space near the window…
…Are you sure?
Yeah.
Meow !
[Trophy] Physics Olympiad Gold Medal
[Cat Food]
[Certificate] National Mathematics Competition First Prize
Is this your cat?
Not exactly. They’re strays, but I feed them regularly, so they've gotten used to me.
Do they have names?
The black one’s Betelgeuse, and the orange one’s Europa.
Such beautiful cats, why give them such odd names?
You wouldn’t understand, star names are the most romantic.
Wow, even a scientist knows romance? Planning to adopt an entire galaxy?
Poor little thing. So beautiful, yet still unwanted.
She bent down, gently caressing the black cat’s soft, warm fur, oblivious to the quiet sadness creeping into her voice.
He stood silently for a moment, sensing the subtle sorrow in her tone but choosing not to speak. He simply stood there, bathed in gentle sunlight, his expression calm and unreadable as ice untouched by warmth.
