Chapter Thirty-Seven: The Ocean Voyager Goes Missing

"I'm not running a fever."

Dodging the teacher's arm, Zhang Mingyang recounted his dream: the strange spaceship, the mysterious orange star, and the enigmatic figure who had landed—himself.

Listening to Zhang Mingyang's account, Lin Guangming chuckled and replied, "Seems like you've been spending too much time reading in the archives lately. You could write a science fiction novel with those ideas."

"Hurry up, let's go check it out!"

At that moment, a few people hurried past them.

"Hey, Lao Liu, wait up!"

Lin Guangming called out to them.

"Lao Liu, where are you all rushing off to?"

Recognizing Lin Guangming, one of the anxious passersby replied, "Old Lin, get to the square quickly! Word is the 'Oceanic' has lost contact. They're broadcasting about it in the square right now!"

"Lost contact?"

Both were shocked. "How could it just lose contact? Wasn't everything fine just a few days ago in the reports?"

"I don’t know either. We just got the notification ourselves. Everyone in the base is waiting in the square for the update."

With that, the group hurried off without looking back.

"Teacher, we should go too."

"Let’s go."

Zhang Mingyang didn’t even bother to change his shoes, running after them in his slippers.

The square was packed, every eye fixed on the giant screen, awaiting the broadcast.

"Wow, look at all these people!"

They struggled to push their way into the dense crowd.

"Old Lin, Mingyang, over here!"

Qian Zhongshu spotted them in the crowd and waved them over.

"Over there."

Seeing Qian Zhongshu, they squeezed toward him.

As soon as they met, Lin Guangming asked, "Old Qian, what’s going on? Is it true the 'Oceanic' lost contact?"

Qian Zhongshu nodded and showed them the message he had received from the base leadership.

It read: "'Oceanic' lost contact today at 16:00. Please attend the emergency meeting in the conference room at 20:00 sharp tonight. Leadership will be present. Do not be late."

Zhang Mingyang could hardly believe it. How could such an advanced ship suddenly lose contact?

"Old Qian, was there any warning before the ship lost contact?"

Qian Zhongshu shook his head. "I have no idea. You know as well as I do—the ship’s monitoring and control room isn’t accessible to just anyone. Only the director, deputy director, and Wang Bowen have access. I’m sure he’s swamped right now."

Zhang Mingyang tried calling Wang Bowen, but the number was out of service—he must be in the control room.

"Look at the screen!"

A sudden shout drew everyone's attention.

Wang Bowen appeared on the screen, seated in a special room, speaking directly to the camera: "Comrades, I have some unfortunate news to share. At 16:35 today, we lost contact with the 'Oceanic.' The positioning system has also lost track of her location."

"So it really is lost," someone muttered.

Wang Bowen continued: "Though we've temporarily lost contact, our technical experts are investigating the issue, checking the positioning system, and searching for the 'Oceanic.'"

"Preliminary investigation indicates the loss of contact is likely due to a malfunction in the energy system, which caused the systems to shut down. The ship’s equipment lost power and could not transmit a signal."

"The base is currently discussing plans to activate the backup communication system to reach the 'Oceanic.' I believe we will overcome this challenge and reestablish contact."

"At the same time, this incident has revealed critical issues with the ship’s energy system. We must accelerate construction and complete the new ship within the specified timeframe, so we can quickly reach the target location, repair the 'Oceanic,' and also beat the Americans to Beihe-3, fulfilling this glorious mission ahead of schedule."

As Wang Bowen finished, the crowd in the square raised their hands and shouted, voices soaring: "Rescue the 'Oceanic'! Overtake the Americans!"

After the cheers, Wang Bowen added: "Department heads should have already received the base’s notice. There will be an important meeting at 20:00 in the main conference hall tonight. All department heads must attend on time; national leaders will also be present. Do not be late."

"That concludes today’s update. I’ll report further news next time. You may disperse."

With that, Wang Bowen disappeared from the screen, replaced by a countdown.

"Three hundred and fifty days left."

Watching the ticking countdown, Qian Zhongshu shook his head and sighed, "The tighter the schedule, the more likely things go wrong. And with such advanced ships, how can we possibly finish quickly and well?"

Lin Guangming clapped Qian Zhongshu on the shoulder. "Old Qian, we’re not politicians. As scientists, our job is just to finish our work on time. Worry too much, and you’ll have a stroke!"

"Ah, forget it."

With a deep sigh, Qian Zhongshu said, "I’ll just go to the meeting—at least that’s simple enough."

He pushed through the crowd, heading toward the conference room.

Watching Qian Zhongshu walk away, then glancing at the bustling young faces around him, Zhang Mingyang wondered why the older generation valued stability, while his own seemed to chase speed.

"Come on, let's eat," said Lin Guangming, patting his stomach, declaring he was hungry.

"Let’s go."

They squeezed through the crowd and headed for the cafeteria.

Inside, they found the place empty.

"Wow, first time we don’t have to queue!" Lin Guangming quickly grabbed a tray and rushed to get food.

Zhang Mingyang took his time, moving at a leisurely pace.

Lin Guangming looked at him and said, "Hey, you’re not even enthusiastic about eating. Is something wrong with your head?"

Zhang Mingyang replied, "Didn’t I learn this slow pace from you?"

"When did I ever tell you to slow down?"

Before Zhang Mingyang could answer, a flood of people began pouring through the doors.

"Damn—"

Seeing the surging crowd, Zhang Mingyang abandoned any notion of eating slowly; if he kept dawdling, he’d be left with nothing.

After getting their food, Lin Guangming found a secluded spot to sit, and Zhang Mingyang joined him.

"Teacher, when did you start preferring to eat in out-of-the-way places? I always saw you sitting among the crowd, chatting away with everyone."

Lin Guangming tapped Zhang Mingyang on the head with his chopsticks. "When did you ever see me chatting? If someone talks to you, are you supposed to ignore them?"

"Still, it must be exhausting to keep up the act."

Glancing around at the crowd, Lin Guangming replied, "Haven’t you heard? When among people, act human; among ghosts, act ghostly. Say what’s fit for people to people, what’s fit for ghosts to ghosts!"